Newsgroups: php.internals
Path: news.php.net
Xref: news.php.net php.internals:63908
Mailing-List: contact internals-help@lists.php.net; run by ezmlm
Received-SPF: pass (pb1.pair.com: domain gmail.com designates 209.85.215.42 as permitted sender)
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <50A59E24.4060704@lerdorf.com>
References: <CADajX4CYZdNpgQv46m_6J7tQLBc=h6HxCn-bGpxr3Ou2VaqgBg@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAAyV7nFOGa7UVALSQyAs-A+R0kuEmXoHPrxvCXNBnzAxLy0dww@mail.gmail.com>
	<50A2D672.7010600@gmail.com>
	<50A30144.5070305@phpgangsta.de>
	<50A3BEC0.8030607@gmail.com>
	<CAET_qdMmhRyidM6_VOokBu6tYvgrPHMOPdzz0PaFpxc3NaTdYQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<CADajX4Bh+5YrCPEFLzC2qqeJ4NnADbBV0u+wByz3Kb7Jp45KOw@mail.gmail.com>
	<50A54713.8090102@sugarcrm.com>
	<CAArmra2bjj3y2UUV8nszU74tN9o4VvB67aXzq5Z1cE2Y_tVijg@mail.gmail.com>
	<50A549EB.2020408@lerdorf.com>
	<CAArmra2BCmbOjkK0D8gKc5o0Pwhx0jNGi-3m2C2Z2dAnb0yv7w@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAAyV7nGMi20xjBYbouvsyUrxdOSuboP6u-guY9DX8qkSagQbjg@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAL+t6cEfDPT_-td5Ts4-SpNowSK9GJAq71KPKU-5ZUP2yzsNjw@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAAyV7nF=gMzD6rHUW2mffXv9uc-sSuO3cX=kyMnt81bUZH_VtQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAL+t6cFY5vPERz58foLh01ori68euYbSg-LGcjOsm9cgeNAs2A@mail.gmail.com>
	<50A58828.4070701@lerdorf.com>
	<CAL+t6cEZur=Eig6+0LzrdOWRRonSbUGV-eMeg7iyMA2bcZrvwA@mail.gmail.com>
	<50A59E24.4060704@lerdorf.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:48:03 -0700
Message-ID: <CAFMT4Nq959KsZmh_UwyiJcNiroEUDb6KaQXLo1xDMzuGO-6siw@mail.gmail.com>
To: Rasmus Lerdorf <rasmus@lerdorf.com>
Cc: Sherif Ramadan <theanomaly.is@gmail.com>, Anthony Ferrara <ircmaxell@gmail.com>, 
	Will Fitch <willfitch@php.net>, Stas Malyshev <smalyshev@sugarcrm.com>, 
	Adam Harvey <aharvey@php.net>, Devis Lucato <devis@lucato.it>, 
	PHP Developers Mailing List <internals@lists.php.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: ext/mysql deprecation
From: morrison.levi@gmail.com (Levi Morrison)

*Note:* this email is also available as a gist for easier reading:
https://wiki.php.net/rfc/mysql_deprecation

Sirs, Gentlemen and Scholars,

I am appreciative of all of the discussion that has happened on this
RFC. It has helped me understand how we feel collectively about
ext/mysql and how to deprecate it. I believe that clarifying what the
term 'deprecation' means could help everyone to understand what we are
trying to accomplish.

To quote wikipedia on the word 'deprecation':

> In the process of authoring computer software, its standards or documenta=
tion, or other technical standards, deprecation is a status applied to feat=
ures, characteristics, or practices to indicate that they should be avoided=
, typically because they have been superseded.

I think we all agree that ext/mysql should be avoided and that it has
been superseded.  What I want to point out is that deprecation is a
process. The real question is: have we taken the proper steps in that
process?

---

I believe we haven't taken all the proper steps. Have we spent efforts
educating the community? Yes.  Are those efforts proportionate to the
magnitude of the usage?  No; ext/mysql has widespread adoption and
needs widespread education and training resources.

Despite that, I think we can deprecate ext/mysql in PHP 5.5.  Some time fra=
mes:
 - PHP 5.5 will not be released until at least sometime in 2013,
probably after March because that's when 5.4 was released.
 - After that point, it will take 6-12 months before distribution
systems integrate and release it.
 - After distribution systems have released it, there will be a few
months or more before people upgrade.

We are looking at 1 and 1/2 to 2 years before the deprecation warning
would hit the logs for the majority of users. That should be plenty of
time for the following:

1. The manual should state that ext/mysql will be deprecated in
version PHP 5.5 and warnings will be generated.
2. A resource on our website needs to explain what needs to be taken
before 5.5 to avoid these warnings. It should also explain what
deprecation means (particularly that ext/mysql is not being removed
yet)
3. A resource needs to explain how to upgrade to `mysqli` or `PDO`.
  - The use-last-opened-connection feature is widely used.  This is
one case we need to specifically address.

Those three things are critical and should be completed before 5.5 is
released; the ones below are additional things that could be done:

4. Outreach campaigns should take place to point the masses to these resour=
ces.
5. Large software groups should be specifically contacted to explain
all of this.


However, if we cannot commit to doing these things then I would advise
against deprecating ext/mysql in version 5.5.