[pmwiki-users] RFC: Raising Minimum PHP Version Requirement

[Petko Yotov]

Hi everyone,

I want to discuss raising the minimum supported PHP version. At the 
moment, we support PHP 5.3 and up, but this range has become 
increasingly difficult to maintain due to modern PHP language features 
that are incompatible with such older versions.

Why this change is being considered:

* PHP 5.3 has been EOL (end-of-life) since 2014, and even PHP 5.6 and 
7.0 are long out of support.

* Supporting older versions like 5.3 significantly increases maintenance 
effort and testing overhead.

* The vast majority of users (based on feedback and recent issues) are 
on PHP 7.x or 8.x.

* Pm's server runs PHP 7.0 — which is already a more reasonable lower 
bound.

Proposed change:
I'd like to raise the minimum required PHP version to 5.5 (or ideally 
7.0). This would allow us to:

* Use more modern syntax (like short arrays, dereferencing, ?? operator, 
etc.).

* Progressively drop conditionals and workarounds for ancient versions.

* More easily integrate new tools and libraries for testing and 
development.

Questions for the community:

* Are there any active wiki administrators still depending on PHP <5.5 
(or <7.0)?

* Would raising the requirement to 5.5 be acceptable to everyone? What 
about 7.0?

* If someone is still on an older PHP version, is there a reason they 
can't upgrade?

There is a PITS entry with a poll and a discussion:

   https://www.pmwiki.org/wiki/PITS/01504

I'd like to get feedback before making the change, so please chime in 
with your thoughts. My goal is to balance moving the project forward 
while being considerate to users who may be on older systems.

Thanks!
Petko

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