Email That I receive from Bigrock.in
We are officially announcing that our
Linux servers now support PHP version 5.4.
Ok, so should I be excited?
This version is choc-a-bloc with new features and tweaks that make for happy coding.
This version is choc-a-bloc with new features and tweaks that make for happy coding.
Like?
Short Array syntax.
You no longer need to use the old syntax array(....) construct; etc. Instead, they have opted for smaller and more intuitive formats closer to java-script e.g $array = [ a0, a1, ... ];
Then there's traits.
Short Array syntax.
You no longer need to use the old syntax array(....) construct; etc. Instead, they have opted for smaller and more intuitive formats closer to java-script e.g $array = [ a0, a1, ... ];
Then there's traits.
Traits? What's that?
Without going into a whole programming lecture, traits are similar to abstract classes and can contain several properties and methods which can be used by any class. It reduces some of the limitations of single inheritance.
Without going into a whole programming lecture, traits are similar to abstract classes and can contain several properties and methods which can be used by any class. It reduces some of the limitations of single inheritance.
Declaring
binary numbers
Session upload progress for tracking file uploads
Commands to set or get HTTP response codes
and a whole lot more!
Session upload progress for tracking file uploads
Commands to set or get HTTP response codes
and a whole lot more!
Cool! This can't get better!
Actually it does. Benchmark tests report speed increases of upto 20% and reduction of memory footprint upto 30%
That means, you can accomplish a lot more even on limited environments like shared hosting. Or even have a leaner site for better user experience.
Actually it does. Benchmark tests report speed increases of upto 20% and reduction of memory footprint upto 30%
That means, you can accomplish a lot more even on limited environments like shared hosting. Or even have a leaner site for better user experience.
Sweet! So how do I use it?
For now, simply create a file 'usealtphp54' in your account home directory. After 17th March, packages will use this version by default.
For now, simply create a file 'usealtphp54' in your account home directory. After 17th March, packages will use this version by default.
March 17th ? What's gonna happen on that date?
Well, we are going to remove php v5.2 on that day. Since it is no longer supported by the international community, it is now open to bugs and vulnerabilities that will not be fixed. Just the natural growth process in technology, I say.
Well, we are going to remove php v5.2 on that day. Since it is no longer supported by the international community, it is now open to bugs and vulnerabilities that will not be fixed. Just the natural growth process in technology, I say.
I already have a site built in php 5.2. What do I do now?
Most php v5.2 sites 'should' work with the new version. However, we recommend contacting your application developers for a version of your application that is built with the latest php versions. Not only will this keep you up to date but newer versions often mean better security.
Most php v5.2 sites 'should' work with the new version. However, we recommend contacting your application developers for a version of your application that is built with the latest php versions. Not only will this keep you up to date but newer versions often mean better security.
Anything I should watch out for?
Sites built with v5.2 and then encoded with Zend optimizer are most likely going to break. This is because the folks at Zend technologies phased out Zend optimizer and replaced it with Zend guard. Again, your application developer should have an update for you compatible with new PHP versions.
Sites built with v5.2 and then encoded with Zend optimizer are most likely going to break. This is because the folks at Zend technologies phased out Zend optimizer and replaced it with Zend guard. Again, your application developer should have an update for you compatible with new PHP versions.
I'm not sure what to do next.
Ah, don't worry. Just drop in a ticket with our support helpdesk telling us about your application and we'll do our best to help you out. Application development is not our forte, but we'll sure as hell give it a try.
Ah, don't worry. Just drop in a ticket with our support helpdesk telling us about your application and we'll do our best to help you out. Application development is not our forte, but we'll sure as hell give it a try.
