On: PHP to deprecate MySQL extension

[kenneth]

This is the kind of mess when you have 5 different libraries to do the same thing. PHP should never have allowed there to be multiple MySQL, Mamcache, etc. extensions.

Instead, they should have introduced the new libraries in a big version bump, and immediately deprecated the old and unsafe libraries. A couple languages / frameworks that are good at doing this is Apple with Cocoa, and Ruby / Rails.

[pavel_lishin → kenneth]

And thus ensured that either you upgrade your version of PHP and instantly break your application, or that you stick with an older version with potential security flaws, and never bother updating again?

Bonus points if you're not actually in control of the version of PHP your web app runs on.

[kenneth → pavel_lishin]

Being forever backward-compatible is a curse that prevents innovation and makes you end up with the mess of a language that PHP is.

[pavel_lishin → kenneth]

I agree, but you don't have to be backward-compatible forever - you can deprecate features gracefully.

[Que → kenneth]

Only 5 different ways to do this?... that sounds like the most concise thing in ALL of PHP.