[TWDesign]

I have a (potential) client who is currently hosted with Yahoo Small Business Hosting.

Can you believe that Yahoo Hosting is STILL using PHP4?

I found it hard to believe so I asked Yahoo directly and this
was their reply:

We understand your concern on updating the PHP version and apologize for
all the inconvenience.

Currently we support:

* PHP Version 4.3.11

* MySQL 4.1.12

* phpMyAdmin 2.6.3

We're sorry, but the feature you are mentioning is not currently
available through Yahoo! Web Hosting, and we do not have an estimated
date as to when or if it will be available. However, we'll pass your
comments on to our Development team for further consideration.

So that leaves two options:
1) Try to work in a PHP4 environment (urgh!)
or
2) Convince the client to move to another host.

The second option is more difficult that it sounds because the client
wants to keep existing email addresses and email history.
Migrating the email history will be very problematic.

[seen.to]

I would accept the client and aid them [at a fee] in their move to a decent host.

[hawken]

just do your damn job and stop being such a cry baby

[Shiro]

If they own the domain name that the email addresses run under, then the email addresses can and will be moved when changing servers. So it sounds like you can solve your problem under their conditions as is.

If they don't own the domain name, let us know some more details.

[Shiro]

Oh, I just read about the email history.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't take it. PHP4 is such a pain to work with when you get those little things that don't work, and with the soon to come advent of PHP6, I wouldn't want to bother. I'd have to rewrite a lot of the scripts I have in order to be able to work properly on PHP4.

I guess it depends on how much they are willing to pay. Maybe you could tack on a 20% fee for PHP4 adaptability.

[d*d]

I would accept any client if the pice was right

[iandevlin]

My host still uses PHP4.4.0. They're finally moving to PHP5 though, soon.

[Anxious]

Originally Posted by d*d

I would accept any client if the pice was right

You whore!



I've been trying to get my company's website moved from the current hosting but they say they're fine. They need upgrade from this:

Operating system
RedHat linux 7.3

Web server
Apache 1.3.27

Scripting language
PHP 4.3.10

Scripting language
SunONE ASP 3.6.2

CGI Scripting language
Perl 5.6.1

Database server
MySQL 3.23.56

Mail server
Exim 3.36

[jamblo]

Its a lot less complicated than that.

Set them up some new web space with a decent host, leave their domain pointed at Yahoo space for email etc., and set up an A record redirect to your new web space (basically you're pointing www. at a different host, but leaving the rest where it is).

I've had to do this twice in the last month.

[d*d]

Originally Posted by Anxious

You whore!

Only for the right price

[TWDesign]

Originally Posted by hawken

just do your damn job and stop being such a cry baby

WTF?
It's a legitimate question I would have thought.



Like just for a start, how about the fact that PHP4 is no longer an officially supported technology? They stopped even doing security patches over a year ago!

Added to that, how many critical WordPress plugins do you think are going to fail either now or soon because they rely on PHP functions not supported in the old version?

So the PITA premium is hard to calculate.

[MikeMackay]

Originally Posted by TWDesign

Like just for a start, how about the fact that PHP4 is no longer an officially supported technology? They stopped even doing security patches over a year ago!

Added to that, how many critical WordPress plugins do you think are going to fail either now or soon because they rely on PHP functions not supported in the old version?

I would use the Security stand point as the main argument as to why they should move hosting and upgrade to the latest stable version of PHP5. If they still aren't fussed about moving/upgrading then they're not worth having as a client.

[TWDesign]

Originally Posted by jamblo

Its a lot less complicated than that.

Set them up some new web space with a decent host, leave their domain pointed at Yahoo space for email etc., and set up an A record redirect to your new web space (basically you're pointing at a different host, but leaving the rest where it is).

I've had to do this twice in the last month.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into it.

I've also read that Horde on CPanel has a "fetch mail" utility than
can import mail boxes. It's all theoretical till I try it though.

[Zod]

I don't think you should be contemplating ditching their custom. Just make it clear WHY they should consider shifting to php5 and warn them that things may, or will, stop working at some point when php4 goes the journey. If they refuse to budge, do as they say, then when things stop working, you get more work upgrading them to php5 or 6 - and you get to smirk at them when you tell them why things stopped working

[hawken]

exactly - theres money in doing this, then changing it again. And again.

Just get your contract straight.