A 'graveyard' for packages / unloved packages

From: Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:02:38 +0000
Subject: A 'graveyard' for packages / unloved packages
Groups: php.pear.dev php.pear.qa 
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Hey all, So, we're one day going to have pyrus / pear2 as 'stable' and the preferred method for installing packages. Sadly, some code won't make the cut. An example of this is SQL_Parser. Apparently, the entire premise is flawed and needs to be completely re-written - Sebastian gave it a shot, but couldn't make the concept work (or so I hear - speak up if that's wrong). IMO: there are two viewpoints here: - Maintain! BC! For! Ever! - Change/Break everything, god bless unit tests! Extreme 1: We never, ever make code we've previously distributed unavailable. This means that we'll never break someone's application; we avoid upsetting the 0.04% or whatever it is of PHP4 users, etc. Extreme 2: We stampede around, killing of code ("Refactor mercilessly"); screw the consequences. So; my question for us all is what's the approach we take when we make the cutover to pear2? Do we just do #2; which is the most liberating; or do we take great efforts to port things forward (most stable)? What I would like to see is a middle ground. In this world: * package 1.0 is dead - no packages remain which are 1.0. * PHP 4 is dead too - pyrus is laughing at it's grave * You can still get code and install from (somewhere) even if civilisation has moved on * Non stable and PHP4? -> Swap to PHP5 is acceptable BC breakage (current practice) To accomplish this, I'd like to introduce a concept or practice of graveyarding a pear package - shifting it to its own pear channel (till suggests pearfarm or pearhub); doing the appropriate end of life announcements, and booting it the heck out of SVN / pear itself. SQL_Parser is a good example of the kind of package to target - it's unloved and unworkable at the moment -> it can be graveyarded safely. The criteria I imagine for graveyarding a package: * PHP 4 * Relatively few downloads * Unmaintained * package 1.0 * No one wanting to bring it across to pear2/PHP5 goodness Additionally, I'd love to get updated reporting on PHP4 usage stats (I think we're about 2 years old on our opinions). Hopefully, with these stats, this makes us all relax somewhat about that style of BC break. Collective thoughts, PEAR? My intention is to trial this with SQL_Parser, and shifting it off to another provider by the end of the weekend if no one objects.

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