Microsoft to pull support for PHP: Version 8? Exterminate, more like...
- Reference: 1594384959
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/07/10/microsoft_php/
- Source link:
Microsoft engineer Dale Hirt confirmed the [2]change on the PHP mailing list, warning that the Windows behemoth was not "going to be supporting PHP for Windows in any capacity for version 8.0 and beyond."
Current versions, 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4, will continue to receive support as per the community's cadence, which sees around two years of bug squashing followed by a year of security fixes. PHP 7.4 emerged last November, so Microsoft's benevolence should last until 2022 at which point the plug will be pulled.
Register reader Alain Williams, who tipped us off to Hirt's posting, remarked: "I suspect that it means that Microsoft will not provide any resources to make PHP 8 work but expect others to do so instead."
After [3]thanking the Microsoft gang for its work over the years, PHP 8.0 Release Manager Sara Golemon said: "I won't say I'm not bummed," before expressing the hope that some sort of alternative might be worked out by the end of the year, when version 8 is due to drop.
On [4]Reddit , Golemon went on to clarify things, and explained that Microsoft simply wouldn't be producing official builds for PHP 8 onwards: "This message does NOT mean that nobody will."
Golemon speculated that perhaps a cloudy VM licensed to run Windows might be "generously" provided by Microsoft, and perhaps the automated build processes might be maintained by those who had previously been doing so in an official capacity, insisting: "The bottom line is there will likely be very little change for Windows users."
Just that, officially, there won't be any more builds from Microsoft for version 8 and on.
The move is not altogether surprising. Between December 2018 and December 2019, Microsoft saw the market-share of its Windows-based Internet Information Services (IIS) slump from 42 per cent to 15 per cent, [5]according to Netcraft , falling behind the likes of Apache and NGINX.
When open source isn't enough: Fancy a de-Googled Chromium? How about some Microsoft-free VS Code? [6]READ MORE
Of the decision itself, our reader, Alain, commented: "Personally I don't care as I am a Linux man and am wary of touching Windows with someone else's barge pole." Indeed.
While there is no sign of Microsoft support waning outside of compilation and builds, for example the company's SQL drivers for PHP, last night's announcement might give some pause for thought over whether the firm might be considering something similar with other projects.
After all, the newly discovered love of Linux and open source from the [7]BSOD Bobs is well documented. With the [8]Windows Subsystem for Linux making a good fist of running apps for the penguin-tinged OS on Windows these days, an argument could be made for Microsoft not bothering to take on the build duties for the Windows incarnation of some Linux apps and platforms.
We contacted Microsoft to get its take on matters, but have yet to receive an explanation for the decision. ®
Get our [9]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/08/25_years_of_php/
[2] https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/110907
[3] https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/110908
[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/PHP/comments/ho9dgq/microsoft_not_going_to_officially_support_php_8/fxgk1sc
[5] https://news.netcraft.com/archives/2020/06/25/june-2020-web-server-survey.html
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/09/open_source_unbranded/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/15/microsoft_regism/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2019/05/06/windows_subsystem_for_linux_terminal/
[9] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Another server configuration that PHP runs on termed WIMP for good reason, and it DOES have windows in it.
You forgot FreeBSD and nginx, amongst others, in your generic ignorance
True, there's the FreeBSD Apache PHP configuration beloved of porn servers the world over. You know, the FAP stack.
And of course, for development on a Windows machine, there is WAMP.
Can't think of a title
I love the smell of [1]schadenfreude in the afternoon.
(Or any time of day, truth to tell.)
Er, NSFW words in the link BTW.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-dao5lXfzE
Internet Information Services (IIS) slump ...
That's not entirely a surprise, the model going forward is that the .NET Core webserver (Kestrel) runs behind a reverse proxy (typically nginx or Apache). IIS is very much legacy territory.
Re: Internet Information Services (IIS) slump ...
It's not just used in IIS. Many moons ago I worked in a place that used phabricator. Interface to that is through php scripts run on the command line. I don't know if it still works that way or not.
Nobody wanted it..
I run a web hoster.
Nobody wanted PHP on windows hosting. So, no big surprise.
I saw only two categories, people that were windows admins and didn't want to touch unix, but still dabbled in PHP rather than .Net. (but this category didn't typically want my services).
Or devs that had no idea windows web hosting existed, and assumed everything was a unix box for hosting.
Otherwise, people expecting PHP expected unix boxes. People expecting windows .Net hosting had no need for PHP.
There wasn't any use case for doing both .Net and PHP on a single site I was ever requested of.
Re: Nobody wanted it..
At the company I work for we contracted someone to manage and host our website. They took the previous version that used static HTML and PHP and added some ASP pages into it.
I seem to recall when we finally took back control of it that it was split across three servers - one Windows for the ASP, one Linux for the PHP bits and the MySQL database on a third!
Anonymous to protect the guilty (and the innocent)
No surprise here
I remember going to a PHP conf when I was a dev and Micros~1 were there in their full glory begging people to develop for Windows. I told them, firmly but politely, that I didn't believe they would treat it as a first-class citizen and support it properly or try and do some nonsense like a Windows-only fork. How many times can people be fooled?
And here we are.
Reality check?
While production hosting of PHP may well be essentially Linux based, and benchmarks will tend to show that is much faster than a windows hosted solution, the DEVELOPMENT environment may well currently be running on a windows powered desktop/laptop, and that is where provision of a suitable platform may be sensible. The only looser if Microsoft try pulling the plug on a PHP development platform is Microsoft as it is yet another reason for dropping windows completely. But personally I think any developer would already be running on a Linux desktop anyway? Nowadays the applications that will only work on windows are getting less and less so the need to put up with a second class operating system is waning nicely :)
Re: Reality check?
Just because the development workstation is Windows-based it doesn't necessarily follow that the development *server* running on it is also Windows. Firstly, if you're fully developing locally then your 'server' may be running in a local VM (or container or similar) and be, say, Linux to more accurately reflect your production environment. Or, similarly, it could be in a VM (or container or similar) just to keep it separate from your local workstation environment. There are of course other options; for example, even if you code locally you might have an actual separate dev server parked nearby (or far-by). Your dev server doesn't necessarily have to be on your dev machine any more. None of those options *requires* Windows to be the dev server host OS - it only applies if you install a server stack directly on to your local workstation OS (if you're still that way inclined?!)
S.
So, chalk up another one for Borkzilla's product graveyard
Borkzilla is on a roll to kick stuff to the curb. And PHP, no less.
It looks like, if you're looking for a tool that will give you long-lasting support, anything with Borkzilla's name on it is what should start by writing off your list.
We're getting there, slowly but surely.
When all that's left will be only WSL (a widespread campaign of "you don't really need it, Windows will do everything for you"), I wonder who's going to pick what software runs on it.
The server configuration that PHP runs on is termed LAMP for good reason, and it doesn't have Windows in it.