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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] register_globals work arounds
From: lester@lsces.co.uk (Lester Caine)

Anthony Ferrara wrote:
>     I'm specifically asking in relation to helping users migrate from PHP5.2 ...
>     trying to expand the documentation of making that process easier. Pointing
>     at a single manual page is a good example of why we need a more consistent
>     support for all those users who are not as computer literate as we would
>     like. That function may be a useful element of solving the problem, but it
>     does not answer the specific question asked?
>
> Register_Globals has been seen (and touted) as bad practice since the 4.2. It
> was disabled by default as of Feb-5-2002, and in 4.2.0. This is a problem that
> the vast majority of users solved years ago. If you were still using them in 5.2
> a decade later, you've got other problems.

There is still a lot of code which was crudely ported from PHP4 to PHP5 when 
PHP4 was end of lifed in 2008. This code still runs fine on 5.2 even if is 
archaic and a lot of legacy sites still rely on it. *I* am still using 199x code 
as it's still doing it's job, and since it's on private networks, the hacking 
risks don't really apply, but I'm asking simply to get some help to document 
processes to allow other users to upgrade.

> The documentation exists. The blog posts exist. But they are old, because this
> is an old problem. I don't think internals should worry themselves with it.
> Especially since 5.2 has been EOL for a while now. If you brought this up when
> 5.3 was being planned, perhaps. But at this point, it's either a general list
> issue, or MAYBE a docs list issue, but not an internals list issue...

Perhaps because it IS such an old issue, that is why it's not coming up in 
searches? All I get is how to switch register_globals back on again. Nothing on 
ways to rewrite the code so that it will work with PHP5.4 at all ( and the 
problems getting some of these changes working with .htaccess hacks Rasmus ) 
which is probably because it's not actually a 5.2 to 5.3/4 migration problem? To 
be honest I can't even see it mentioned in the PHP4 to 5 guide.

IF PHP5.2 is to be put to bed, it needs a concerted effort to get rid of the 
reasons that ISP's are not upgrading, and this is one since they know when they 
do switch many of their 'naive' customer's sites will simply stop working? 'Not 
our problem' is all very well, but if a section of the 60% of users still 
running on PHP5.2 are simply knocked off the internet, then it's not very good 
press? This may be a non-issue, but it would at least be useful to confirm that 
is the case, and that ISP don't need to worry about it?

In the meantime some links to this old material would be helpful, if only to get 
access to them on the migration guides. Because I'm actively looking, hopefully 
the problem will not arise, but you can guarantee something will pop up that has 
been overlooked? There are a lot of subtle little changes which don't on their 
own give trouble, but a logjam has been created simply because older code does 
still work as long as certain conditions are met, and ensuring that a controlled 
release is achieved needs help from people who actually have the answers.

-- 
Lester Caine - G8HFL
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