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Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:29:55 +0100
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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RFC: PHP 7.0 timeline
From: rowan.collins@gmail.com (Rowan Collins)

Jonny Stirling wrote (on 14/10/2014):
> At the same time, which I think has been discussed before, perhaps 
> it's time for a regular major release cycle (regular as in x (2-3?) 
> years) so that there is a timescale for when new changes (or ones that 
> might be intentionally or unintentionally missed / skipped for this 
> major) that wouldn't be allowed in minor releases can be proposed / 
> written against?
>
> Apologies for strictly being off-topic. 

I actually think this is very much to the point. People keep saying "we 
can always do it in 7.1", but that implies that we could already have 
done it in 5.6 - i.e. it doesn't need a major version bump. What we 
should really be saying is "we can always do it in 8.0", but I suspect 
people are wary of saying that because it feels such a long way away.

So, if we keep the timeline for 7.0 short, it would be nice to have at 
least tentative plan for how long before 8.0 - be it 3, 4, or 5 years. 
That would give some hope for the features that don't make it into 7.0 
not being completely forgotten, and hopefully relieve the pressure to 
get it completely right this time.

As has been pointed out before, a clear timeline for major releases 
would also allow much stricter enforcement of what is allowed in minor 
releases. 7.1 and 7.2 could be true minors, knowing that 8.0 was just 
around the corner with all the juicy bits in it.

Regards,
-- 
Rowan Collins
[IMSoP]