$ php --version
WARNING: PHP is not recommended
PHP is included in macOS for compatibility with legacy software.
Future versions of macOS will not include PHP.
PHP 7.3.24-(to be removed in future macOS) (cli) ( NTS )
Copyright (c) 1997-2018 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v3.3.24, Copyright (c) 1998-2018 Zend Technologies
Looks like the same is said for Python, Ruby, Perl and all other scripting languages on MacOS too.
Apparently Apple prefers compiled binary for everything.
Am not complaining. The included Apache/MySQL servers were too old and I had to install those anew. But that always collided with the stock installed one.
It's good that Apple getting rid of those. Install what you need afresh.
>Apparently Apple prefers compiled binary for everything
If you're an Apple exec it's hard to ignore that iOS succeeded fine with just bundling everything into self contained apps. They definitely see this is as the future and the old model as the past.
There's a different comment here in this discussion from someone else that quotes the relevant text. Check that. Running the commands won't. But said elsewhere.
PHP 7.3.24 was released just two weeks before macOS 11's general availability.
If their policy is to freeze whatever version they could get their hands on at release time and ignore security fixes afterward, I would say good riddance. Third-party repos would do a much better job.
PHP is not recommended... wait, what? I can somehow understand the lowercase version / command, as in - we're phasing it out. Get it somewhere else. But giving the thumbs down to one of the most popular web dev languages out there is - I'm at a loss for words really.
But it is in such case a strong confirmation about how people are losing conscience of language (not a good thing to sacrifice, in terms of priority - it is very related to thought pollution), and awareness in general, and awareness, attention and quality as values. A progress towards "shallow as a new normal".
