Re: What versions should the documentation cover?

On 25 August 2024 20:23:25 BST, "Christoph M. Becker" <cmbecker69@gmx.de> wrote: >On 25.08.2024 at 20:37, Jim Winstead wrote: > >> Gina suggested (https://github.com/php/doc-base/pull/146#issuecomment-2308900139 >> >> <https://github.com/php/doc-base/pull/146#issuecomment-2308900139>) >> that we >> should remove older function changelog entries from the documentation rather >> than just configure the page generated to exclude old versions. >> >> I agree, and I poked around a little to see if there was any policy/guidance >> about what versions the documentation is meant to cover. If there is, I didn’t >> find it. >> >> It’s tempting to say we should just be documenting the supported versions, but I >> think migration from old versions is a key usage for the manual so it makes >> sense to have a longer timeline. >> >> Here’s what I would propose: >> >> * The documentation is intended to cover the current and previous major version >> of PHP (as of now, PHP 7 and 8). >> * Migration guides from earlier versions should continue to be included. >> * Extension version information should continue to cover all versions. >> >> Am I missing anything from this? This would mean that functions or extensions >> that only exist in versions prior to PHP 7 could now be excised from the >> documentation, as well as those older function changelog entries. >> >> I’d like to add a section to the preface that captures this (or whatever else we >> decide). Alternatively, we could create a whole appendix that pulls in all of >> the ‘PHP Manual Contribution Guide’ stuff from doc.php.net. > >See <https://www.php.net/docs.php>, last item. That PHP4 >and PHP5 doc >removal happened a couple of years ago (after discussion on the >list[1][2]), though some remnants about these old versions can still be >found in the docs, and these can (and should) be removed. > >Back then we decided to also remove the old migration guides but chose >to keep migration56 and migration70 as service for the community. Maybe >these should be removed now as well. > >[1] <https://news-web.php.net/php.doc/969387407> ff >[2] <https://news-web.php.net/php.doc/969387511> ff > >Christoph Before anything destructive gets done, I think we should create an archive (and host it) so that people who unfortunately still need this (due to having to upgrade really old stuff), aren't shafted. cheers Derick