Re: Re: [PEPr] Comment on Networking::GeoIP

Hello Everyone! On Jun 16, 2004, at 5:52 AM, Hans Lellelid wrote:

PEPr wrote:

Alan Knowles (http://pear.php.net/user/alan_k) has commented on the proposal for Networking::GeoIP. Comment: This does raise a few questions (a little unrelated to the package) Is it highly reusable if a) it forces you to use PHP5

Yes, because you can use this package in the Zend PHP5 Contest :) I say, if you want a PHP4 version use the existing Maxmind code.

b) it forces you to use exceptions

IMO this is asking a whoooole lot less than forcing you to use PEAR_Error. Exception is built into the language. This class does not depend on anything from the PEAR framework.

I am really in agreement with Hans, not necessarily about exceptions but for sure about the PHP5 only offering. I proposed a PHP 5 package too and a second might follow soon. We will specify on the package.xml that PHP 5 is required there is really nothing "forcing" the user to switch to PHP 5. The great majority of professional developers will switch or already switched to PHP 5. To me offering a PHP 4 package now would be useless. PHP 5.0.0-dev is out and the first release will follow soon. If I user doesn't want to move to PHP 5 till it is officially stable that would be still fine because I believe Hans package will take few months to reach a stable release.

Makes me wonder if we should use .php5 for php5 only code? - that way if someone wants to implement a php4 version of the same package it would be feasible, without having to have multiple packages. (or visa-versa) use .php4 for php4 compatible code in a php5 focused package)..

Well, I do think that there needs to be some sort of channel-like system for the PHP5 stuff. Maybe as simple as extensions. People are gonna want to use PHP5-only classes. I certainly do.

I disagree with Alan. Of course every PEAR developer is free to offer new packages using the PHP 4 (now almost obsolete) object model but at the same time we shouldn't limit anyone to offer compatibility with PHP 4 as a must. I know that there are still people using php3 but I am not personally interested in doing some extra work for people too lazy to upgrade ;) Perhaps with an extended offering of PHP 5 only package more people will have a good reason to switch. Cheers David Costa

Hans -- PEAR Development Mailing List (http://pear.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php