[Phpmyadmin-devel] Re: Debate on using newly added PHP (and MySQL) functions in core phpMyAdmin functions:

[Geert Lund - SilverSoft Productions]

Hey again :-)

> Debate? Which debate? It's a requirement, isn't it?

Well, if we decides that we don't give a damn about older software-versions
then we can do it - so we must start with agreeing that it's a requirement
and not an option... But hopefully we all agree - but I mention it because
we are many people in the development team - and because more and more
people (users) suggest ways of improving the source code - and my point was
that not all bugfixes may just end up implemented in phpMyAdmin without
checking (and maybe even discussing) security and compablity issues...

My greatest fear at the moment is that with all the many code-changes that's
made every day - that we start to compromise with both security and
compability issues - and with this very powerfull database administration
tool - it's IMNSHO very - very very - important to always keep security
issues as a top priority - it's better to leave out a fancy feature to later
implementation - than to just give a damn about the security and hope that
it'll be fixed later...

(that's also why I think that the website and documentation might need an
update stating that it's a very bad idea running CVS development versions in
productions environments) and maybe we ought to start supplying fix patches
to the current final version - specially when security issues is adressed,
resolved and corrected. Instead of just keep telling people to upgrade to
the latest CVS development version where the fix has been supplied.

Get my thoughts?

> Well I thinks this is what we have done till now and that's the
> main reason for the "defines.inc.php3" library.

I certainly agree - and let's all keep doing it that way! But we've need to
remind us selves about this from time to time ;o)))

> BTW you forgot to write that PMA should be use with most
> (all) browsers, let's say from Lynx/NS3 to IE6/Moz 0.9.4.

Again - I coulden't agree more - it's more important to keep browser
compability (for usage on many platforms and in many browsers) than to make
nice, fancy and keen view features that's only working in the newest version
of IE etc.

--
Kind regards
Geert Lund