Requested updates to the PHP Update Alert

[chanthaboune]

I'd like to request a few updates to strings that we display in the PHP Updates Alert. I want to make sure we're being factual in our recommendations to update PHP versions, and also to do our best not to overpromise.

• Can we replace "PHP Update Required" with "PHP Update Recommended"?
• Can we clearly display which version of PHP you're on, and/or link to site health?
• Since lots of hosts patch older versions of PHP, it's generally secure. And we should be careful about overpromised performance depending on which versions you're moving between. Maybe replace "Newer versions of PHP are both faster and more secure, so updating will have a positive effect on your site's performance." with "Newer versions of PHP are created with increased performance in mind, so you may see a positive effect on your site's performance." ...or similar?
• Can we add the version number in the notice, same for the core WP updates notices in the footer and on the updates page? It should tell you what version you're currently on, as well as what's available.

I think this one belongs in meta trac, but leaving here in case. :)

• ​https://wordpress.org/support/update-php/ is generic and not accurate depending on which version of PHP you're on

[SergeyBiryukov]

Related: #46326, #47651, #48390. #48716.

[chanthaboune]

Replying to SergeyBiryukov:

Related: #46326, #47651, #48390. #48716.

Thank you for the cross references! I also chatted with @clorith, who is interested in double checking the alerts we give re: plugins and themes and their PHP (if I understood correctly).

[audrasjb]

Hi @chanthaboune, welcome to WordPress Core Trac and thank you for opening your first ticket! 😂

Joke apart, I'm currently working on the patch. I agree with the feedback, we can indeed clarify a bit the dashboard widget :)

[audrasjb]

52327.diff

[audrasjb]

Milestoning this for 5.6.1, as discussed by the minor release squad.

[Clorith]

Thanks for the patch @audrasjb!

I've got some quick feedback here on the copy.

The firsts string now reads

PHP is the programming language we use to build and maintain WordPress.

This part of the text should ideally not be changed, as the use of we is ambiguous, and was intentionally not used for that reason (I see the dashboard widget somehow snuck it in though, so changing that to also read languages used to build in both places seems reasonable).

The first message inside the dashboard widget is patched to read

Your site is running an outdated version of PHP (%s), which requires an update.

This should perhaps also be more aligned with recommendation over required if that's the desired outcome here, for example:

Your site is running an outdated version of PHP (%s), and should be updated.

I'm not entirely sure if we should remove the conditional message separating between secure and outdated, we are doing a bears service (is that an English term? I'm not sure), by tiptoeing around releases that no longer receive security updates. Some hosts may patch them internally, but for every well-services host, there's a dozen ones that do not have routines for that, and presuming everyone does their own patching does not help the end user here I feel.

Erring on the side of "some hosts may not be insecure, even if the PHP versions they offer are no longer receiving security updates, but many may be" still feels right to me here.

[audrasjb]

Patch refreshed to take into account comments from @clorith

[audrasjb]

Thanks @Clorith for the review. Those are relevant comments, and 52327.1.diff addresses them.

[whyisjake]

Changes look good, let's get this merged.

[whyisjake]

In 50041:

Site Health: Update php update strings to not overpromise performance.

Fixes #52327.

Props chanthaboune, SergeyBiryukov, audrasjb, Clorith, whyisjake.

[whyisjake]

In 50042:

Site Health: Update php update strings to not overpromise performance.

This commit brings the changes from [40041] to the 5.6 branch.

Fixes #52327.

Props chanthaboune, SergeyBiryukov, audrasjb, Clorith, whyisjake.

[SergeyBiryukov]

Replying to Clorith:

The first message inside the dashboard widget is patched to read

Your site is running an outdated version of PHP (%s), which requires an update.

This should perhaps also be more aligned with recommendation over required if that's the desired outcome here, for example:

Your site is running an outdated version of PHP (%s), and should be updated.

This new wording seems ambiguous, to me it reads as "Your site ... should be updated", and not the PHP version.

Could we replace "and should be updated" with "which should be updated"? See 52327.2.diff​.

[audrasjb]

@SergeyBiryukov the wording change in 52327.2.diff looks good to me. Indeed, it's more clear that PHP needs to be updated, not the website.

[whyisjake]

In 50058:

Site Health: Update the language around how PHP should be updated.

Follow-up to [50042].

Props SergeyBiryukov.

See #52327.

[whyisjake]

In 50059:

Site Health: Update the language around how PHP should be updated.

Follow-up to [50042].

This is a backport of [50058] to the 5.6 branch.

Props SergeyBiryukov.

See #52327.

[whyisjake]

Fixed with [50058].

[Clorith]

#46326 was marked as a duplicate.