Re: [PHP4BETA] PHP 4.0.0 Release packaged

Hello Zeev,

On 22-May-00 11:02:33, you wrote:

>> >Well, not quite so. If trying to do it right means never finishing doing
>> >it, you'd better do it 99% right and then release and then continue
>> >working on remaning 1%. Or you never release at all.
>>
>>At least reproducible bugs should be fixed and documentation should be
>>completed with an official release.  That's a feasable goal, unless when
>>developers keep on adding features with new bugs every day instead of
>>agreeing on a code freeze period that is meant to complete what was already
>>started, no new features until the release is officially done.

>I'm sorry that the PostgreSQL bug hasn't been fixed;  It's my code, and I 

Don't be sorry.  I was just mentioned my bug report as an example of
reproducible bug.  Having that bug fixed that fast was more than I could
hope.


>haven't had the time to look into this yet.  I disagree with you about the 
>two points you make:

>- The readiness of the documentation shouldn't have anything to do with the 
>availability of the software itself.  PHP began with no documentation *at 
>all*, and people hacked their way around it.  When documentation was added 
>it could be used by a lot more people, but the lack of documentation does 
>not mean it's not usable/useful.

But don't you agree that after all these years maturing PHP, it's
development quality should evolve? It was more justifiable in the early days that
it could ship without proper documentation. But now you still see people that are
too eager to add feature after feature and still document very few or none
of those features.  What's worse is that the more these features are left
behind worse are the chances that they be forgotten for a long time and only
it's developers know about it.


>- In my opinion, software should be released as soon as it's stable for the 
>vast majority of people.  PHP 4.0 satisfies that.  No, it doesn't mean it's 
>stable for you, and I won't try to convince you that it's really working 
>fine for you when you say there's a PostgreSQL bug - but that PostgreSQL 
>bug, whatever it may be, will not affect most people.  It can be fixed in 
>between 4.0.0 and 4.0.1.

You see, as I said before, every little flop that may be found in PHP
official release or documentation it will an excuse for many IT departments
to justify their refusal to trade what they use for PHP despite we know
that PHP is much more capable.  This is the kind of audience that PHP
development should address now because all the rest is convinced of the
capabilities of PHP.


>I'm not sure why people feel 4.0.0 should mark a 'golden version', 100% 
>bug-free version of PHP.  Not a single version of PHP in the past (or any 
>other piece of software longer than "Hello, world!"), definitely not 3.0.0, 
>has been 100% bug free.  4.0.0 today is at a MUCH better situation than PHP 
>3.0.0 was at the time.

That's not quite the point.  A lot of people were waiting for an oficial
release.  It would be bad if this release was not accepted because of the
"it still has bugs" argument.


Regards,
Manuel Lemos

Web Programming Components using PHP Classes.
Look at: http://phpclasses.UpperDesign.com/[email protected]
--
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/
PGP key: http://www.mlemos.e-na.net/ManuelLemos.pgp
--