Why is php 5 so rare?

[HQHost.net]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

Php5 supports php4 (backward compatibility). But it doesn't always work well.

[arvind_srivastava]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

My answer to this one would be

As coders don't write to many scripts using PHP5 why should the hosts upgrade themselves.
They are only a few of them.

I don't see any point for hosts to upgrade when no one seems interested in using it.


Al

[Kdoubt]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

I'm not sure where you guys are looking, but I see PHP5 everywhere

[a1whs.com]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

As coders don't write to many scripts using PHP5 why should the hosts upgrade themselves.
They are only a few of them.

I don't see any point for hosts to upgrade when no one seems interested in using it.


Al

Hosts should upgrade like we did cause it gives their clients more options which is a good thing.

Its just a matter of asking your hosts, most hosts listen to clients.

[napolis lt]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

Well, maybe because a host doesn't want to upgrade, not neccisarily because there lazy, it might be because it will cause downtime and they can't afford to have downtime.
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[linux-tech]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

Just a few observances here:

-- it might be because it will cause downtime and they can't afford to have downtime.

A properly setup server will not cause a moment of downtime when apache is upgraded. All that happens when apache is upgraded is that the server itself restarts apache. That's it. nothing fancy, nothing major, that's it. This goes the same for php, the only difference being that php isn't "restarted", it's transitioned over.

-- Usually, hosts don't upgrade their servers because they're LAZY

This isn't as much the host thing as it is a developer thing. Traditionally, hosts don't upgrade not because they're lazy, but because they don't know how. There's a huge difference there.

-- almost all the systems are based on php4 tath is it !!!

Another misconception.
A properly coded site (in php4) will have absolutely no problems migrating to php5. There are no major issues with updating php4 to php5, and, after almost 3 years in existence, there should be no script at all that's php5 incompatable. If there is, that's laziness, but NOT on the server side of things, on the developer's side of things.

-- As coders don't write to many scripts using PHP5 why should the hosts upgrade themselves.

Again, a misconception.
PHP4 and PHP5 are practically interchangable. You don't need scripts to be written specifically for php5 to have it WORK in php5.

So, if most php4 and php5 applications ARE interchangable, why aren't more individuals running php5? Because they're afraid:

The "hype" now is that there are major incompatabilities in almost all scripts between php4 and php5. This, frankly, is incorrect.
From a developer's standpoint, I find that php4 and php5 are seamlessly integrated well enough. It's not like php6 where register_globals will be gone altogether (that will be a nightmare and probably lose a LOT of host support), but there were a few things cracked down on over the years.

Starting with php4, the php group did some major code changes, from register_globals (may have been php3, don't know) being turned off to other things. Why? Because they saw php being abused, and poorly coded in. I'm not going to say I agree with this move, specifically, because I do in fact use globals apparently (though I'll be damned if I know how), though every inch of my code is secured.

In php5 more security restrictions were put into place, causing more errors in php4 applications. THIS is why individuals didn't just rush out and update to php5. The same will be with php6 and register_globals. In fact, php5 may be the last WIDELY used version of php, if they keep the register_globals stuff up.

Anyways, I digress, just wanted to contribute my 0.02 as a developer into this.

[Kdoubt]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

We had a few issues with compatibility, but with some simple tweaking php5 is now enabled.

[shortd81]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

I don't think php 5 is rare at all. It might just be the servers you are looking at. Every single server except 1 offers php v.5 but it might just be a good coincedence.

[cy4nide]

Re: Why is php 5 so rare?

i think the answer to all that is simple, lots and lots of scripts have been developed in the 4.x.x and the new 5 wont provide flexibility to those scripts...i have heard it makes them slower and sometimes obsolete. so hosts that provide php5 will definitely get less customers
[in my opinion]

[james0131]

well ahplace give php5 for free

You must direct contact their website and ask about their plan which you will good help to decide

[leanhnam220]

I am wondering that too

[ennu]

PHP5 is breaks things left and right. The latest one that just bit me: in PHP 5.0.5 they they required anything that is pass-by-reference to explicitly be a variable: this has broken many apps, including the Drupal CMS and Squirrelmail.



AAP Punjab | AAP Punjab

[Mark96]

My answer to this one would be

As coders don't write to many scripts using PHP5 why should the hosts upgrade themselves.
They are only a few of them.

I don't see any point for hosts to upgrade when no one seems interested in using it.

[smithvider]

There are also not that many scripts around that run PHP5, most don't need it to run, thus hosts are in no hurry to update their systems when it's not particularly necessary.

[smithvider121192]

There are also not that many scripts around that run PHP5, most don't need it to run, thus hosts are in no hurry to update their systems when it's not particularly necessary.