Re: Re: PEAR's Error Handling and PHP5

Hi, Pablo Fischer wrote:

Yes we can. That's called "coding standards" and these mandate using PEAR_Error for error handling in PHP4 packages and exceptions in PHP5 packages. This particular standard was introduced after the relevant RFC was accepted: http://pear.php.net/pepr/pepr-proposal-show.php?id=132

I know there's an RFC, but IMHO a reason of why it hasn't be used is for another reason, why so many developers don't want to use it? That should be the question instead of "Why many developers don't want to follow the damn RFC". IMHO, the problem with that 'standard' is a communication problem in the team.

Yeah, there is a definite communication problem on your part. There wasn't a question on whether or not to migrate to PHP5. There was an RFC that PHP5-only packages (which means: packages that are already using some PHP5-only functionality and unable to run under PHP4) accepted into PEAR should use exceptions for their error handling needs. Or do you want to forbid accepting PHP-only packages to PEAR altogether?

It's as simple: If you write and publish a law statement and then you just find that lot of people don't like it, then it's about communication with people.. and sadly most of the times this problem starts since the RFC started. My opinion? Make it _OPTIONAL_ and start writting a _REAL_ RFC with all the developers for php6. In my personal case I'd like to use lot (or all) of features PHP5 has, but most of my customers are running Debian servers and as you know Debian stable doesn't run new versions of software. I know that many people will come to say: "then don't support it".. but it's about money, and i'm going to loose customers? Do you see? there are a lot of internal and external issues about why many PHP developers simply don't like PHP5 totally (maybe they like it, but maybe don't want to use it). Another case, I'm running two other projects, one of these projects (Jaws Project) uses many PEAR packages (like MDB2). We would really like to move code to PHP5, however, here you have again external issues: People running distributions that don't support PHP5. So you may consider external factors if you really want to _FORCE_ developers to move to PHP5, it's not as simple as writing a RFC and force developers to use it.