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Q&A

Q1:

Are the PEAR packages stable?

A1:

PEAR packages are being developed at different rates by many different developers, and PHP is a constantly changing environment. Therefore, some packages are more mature than others. All code in PEAR packages is of a high standard, but you should check the changelog of a package when you use it to get a sense of the extent to which it is under development. Every package has its own page on the PEAR site, which includes a link to the changelog.

Q2:

How will the advent of PHP 5 impact PEAR?

A2:

Many, if not all, of the PEAR packages are object-oriented, so the advent of PHP 5 is very exciting. In particular, PEAR programmers are likely to begin using abstract classes, interfaces, and private and protected methods. This does mean that there might be a period of transition for some packages as they are modified. The end result should be more stable and powerful code. In particular, the PHPUnit package for automated testing has already been completely rewritten for PHP 5.


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