Yes, I know. But altered modules won't be able to use older versions of PHP readily, and that's going to be a real problem in PECL - especially if this goes into 5_2 branch.
For the modules which are part of the core distribution this is a non-issue as they're branched. For PECL modules this is the same "how old of a PHP version am I (as the package maintainer) willing to support?". That package maintainer can: (A) Not use the new API, (B) Wrap up some #ifdef's, or (C) Use the new API exclusively and eschew pre-5.2.
Right, and that's why I think it's problematic to have such a major change in the API, because (A) and (C) are the likeliest outcomes - (B) is virtually unmanageable. Take a look at what it takes for an extension to adapt to this, and then imagine all of it #ifdef'd....
- Steph