Discuss: phpBB2's "Retirement" Announced

webmacster87 · Post by **webmacster87** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:50 pm

Well, today, the teams announced that phpBB2 will be retired beginning with the download links being removed in October and all support ending in January. Do you think it's a good idea or a bad idea? I'm kind of in a split opinion, myself.

stickerboy · Post by **stickerboy** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:07 pm

From both a Team Member and User's point of view, I think it's a good decision.
It's been running a for a number of years now and large advancements have been made in that time.
I can quite believe it will still be useable in a few years time, but as with everything there is a time to move on.

Also, with 3.2 in development just now it would be quite a strain on the developers to maintain 3 versions at the one time, never mind 2

And to only have 24 security/bug releases in all the tome phpBB2 has been release I think is quite an achievement.

I've moved on to phpBB3 myself now, which, in my own opinion, is much easier to work with.
But I'll always have fond memories of installing ond config'ing v2.
And trying to fix it when I broke it installing too many MODs

ps. will there be a retirement party and if so, will there be cake?

ChrisRLG · Post by **ChrisRLG** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 1:45 pm

Think I will sticky this topic, to save on have multi topics on the same issue.

I also agree, expecting the developers to maintain 2 versions while also developing a third version, is expecting a bit much.

v3 will be over a year old before v2 is unsupported, so should be plenty of time for people to get converted over.

A_O_C · Post by **A_O_C** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:00 pm

although im not happy with the decision, i knew this day would come. i will, however, be converted to phpbb3 by the time the links are removed (cause i have finally got it to work the way i want it to, as far as how my current phpbb2 board looks/feels). i do respect the decision to end support, as php4 is/has reached its end of life cycle, and although php5 will run phpbb2, its not something that will be supported here (from what ive heard).

cherokee red wrote:ps. will there be a retirement party and if so, will there be cake?

Londonvasion 2008, coincidence?

AdamR · Post by **AdamR** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:02 pm

A_O_C wrote:
cherokee red wrote:ps. will there be a retirement party and if so, will there be cake?
Londonvasion 2008, coincidence?

The cake is a lie.

- Adam

AdamR · Post by **AdamR** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 3:07 pm

On a more serious note, I remember way back when phpBB3 was in alpha we stated that 2.0.x support would continue. This was both true and possibly not informative enough. We certainly did not mean indefinitely and there were already plans in place for retiring it way back then.

The announcement from the PHP group about the retirement of PHP4 basically pushed us over the line. That's the main reason why the retirement of 2.0.x is happening. In order to keep supporting 2.0.x, we'd need to fully port it to PHP5, which, while it will work on PHP5, isn't a true solution. At the same time, the developers would need to keep up with security patches that not only effect phpBB 2.0.x, but also security holes that happen in PHP4, something that would cause much too much work.

phpBB2 will live forever in our hearts. It's the version that most of us "grew up" with. But it's time to move on.

- Adam

Peter77sx · Post by **Peter77sx** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:29 pm

I didn't think an annuncment would come this early. but it had to happen one day eventually.
End of an era and it's time to move forward... or something like that.

Highway of Life · Post by **Highway of Life** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:46 pm

Peter77sx wrote:I didn't think an annuncment would come this early. but it had to happen one day eventually.
End of an era and it's time to move forward... or something like that.

We wanted to give users plenty of time to make the switch, like PHP's announcement of PHP4 EOL, they gave people plenty of time to make the switch, yet many hosts still resist the idea of moving to PHP5.

phpBB2 is probably the number one most popular bulletin board solution on the web, even after phpBB3 was released, I believe there are still more version 2 boards out there than version 3. So making this decision, although good, we knew there would be so many that needed to switch, it needed to come early.

James N · Post by **James N** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:52 pm

I for one will feel sad. It was the first forum software I used (from both sides) and I like it, in the same way as you like an old but comfy leather jacket. I feel 'good' in it.

Had to happen some time though, and with php4 gone, theres not much choice is there?

Dog Cow · Post by **Dog Cow** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:53 pm

It's a good idea. They need to move on and get us old phoogeys either upgraded to phpBB3 or out the door.

Highway of Life · Post by **Highway of Life** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:48 pm

Dog Cow wrote:They need to move on and get us old phoogeys either upgraded to phpBB3 or out the door.

The former, yes... the latter... no!

This isn’t a democracy, this is a dictatorship!

Jim_UK · Post by **Jim_UK** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:50 pm

Dog Cow wrote:They need to move on and get us old phoogeys either upgraded to phpBB3 or out the door.

Someone call my name there?

I am in a state of mourning - let anyone put a foot wrong until I get over it and the ban stick comes out.
Right!

Jim

Dogs and things · Post by **Dogs and things** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:09 pm

One thing I don´t understand, most likely due to my noobness, is why all of a sudden a software that is being run on PHP5 for quite some time allready by thousands of users has to end up as being unsupported just because of PHP4 disappearing.

I mean, what's the point of PHP4 disappearing, it has been run on fewer and fewer servers that are running phpBB2?

I understand phpBB2 can´t be developed any further but why can it not even remained supported for more time?

This sudden, unexpected and abrupt ending of the whole phpBB2 story is far to cold-turkeyish for me.

3Di · Post by **3Di** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:15 pm

I think it is the right decision, after all we know (at least I think) what we have left for what we found.
Since cry is not in my style then say it was beautiful and much more, though.

Thanks Teams.

Raimon · Post by **Raimon** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:00 pm

Jim_UK wrote:
Dog Cow wrote:They need to move on and get us old phoogeys either upgraded to phpBB3 or out the door.
Someone call my name there?

I am in a state of mourning - let anyone put a foot wrong until I get over it and the ban stick comes out.
Right!

Jim

Ow boy, you have done it, you have make Jim mad , and he come along with his painful Ban stickpole-axe

AdamR wrote:
A_O_C wrote:
cherokee red wrote:ps. will there be a retirement party and if so, will there be cake?
Londonvasion 2008, coincidence?
The cake is a lie.

- Adam

Neh cherokee red says he bring some boxes full of cake with him

But yes i understand it of the view of the teams,
of course its hard to support a version that's run (or designed) on a unsupported PHP version, but i guess new its the time to let the users know that phpBB3 rocks even more than phpBB2 , but that's not a easy thing to let users know, some of them are insure what the must do, and i think the MODs and the styles give those users some headick that the don't want to lose that.

Dogs and things wrote:One thing I don´t understand, most likely due to my noobness, is why all of a sudden a software that is being run on PHP5 for quite some time allready by thousands of users has to end up as being unsupported just because of PHP4 disappearing.
I mean, what's the point of PHP4 disappearing, it has been run on fewer and fewer servers that are running phpBB2?

I understand phpBB2 can´t be developed any further but why can it not even remained supported for more time?

I believe PHP was made for PHP4 and not for PHP5, and more of the web servers are using PHP5 , and not more PHP4, and after that the code is designed for PHP4.

This sudden, unexpected and abrupt ending of the whole phpBB2 story is far to cold-turkeyish for me.

You got the time until 2009 to switch to phpBB3

But just a question Dogs and things , are you not having plans before to switch to phpBB3 (before the announcement?)

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