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WordPress To Show Warnings on Servers Running Outdated PHP Versions (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the enough-is-enough dept.

The WordPress open-source content management system (CMS) will show warnings in its backend admin panel if the site runs on top of an outdated PHP version. From a report: The current plan is to have the warnings appear for sites using a PHP version prior to the 5.6.x branch (5.6 or lower). The warnings will contain a link to a WordPress support page with information on how site owners can update their server's underlying PHP version. In instances where site owners are running their WordPress portals on top of tightly-controlled web hosting environments, the web host has the option to change this link with a custom URL pointing at its own support site. [...] Around 66.7 percent of all Internet sites run an unsupported PHP version, according to W3Techs. Almost a quarter of all internet sites run on top of a WordPress CMS.

4 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Joomla already does... by demon+driver · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... and it already complains about PHP 7.0 being outdated, although that's still the default on current long-time support systems like Debian Stretch or Ubuntu Server 16.04...

    The number of sites I host is not huge, but I've run into problems with some current software like MyBB while in the process of switching as many sites as possible to at least PHP 7.2.

    If many PHP sites still run on outdated PHP versions, it's not necessarily just because the admins were lazy and irresponsible...

    1. Re:Joomla already does... by fendragon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I suspect PHP continues to be popular because of apache2's mod-php. It's just too easy to use that instead of figuring out all the CGI/FCGI options to run Python or other language of choice.

  2. PHP is scripted C by KalvinB · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hating on PHP is a litmus test for who not to hire.

    PHP lets you write code as good or bad as you are as a developer.

    --
    Work Safe Porn
  3. Deflecting blame by Dracos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Since WP's initial release in 2004, PHP has improved a lot, WordPress has not. WP is the textbook for writing terrible PHP.

    Now WP thinks they can shame hosting providers into upgrading PHP, while their own product is insecure by design? Good luck with that.