The php.net home page has barely changed in over 20 years, and it's still mostly a list of release announcements. This RFC from Mark Randall wanted to turn it into a front door for all of PHP, covering not just the language but the tools, packages and people around it.
A change in policy
PHP's core team has long stayed neutral, avoiding anything that looks like picking one project over another. The RFC argues that this neutrality costs PHP a lot. In its view, PHP's real value is the language plus its frameworks, tools and community, so php.net should point people to them.
Who the page is for
The RFC plans the page around six fictional visitors. Peter is a new developer who knows JavaScript. Stephen's company still runs PHP 7.4. Michelle upgrades every year. Oscar runs servers and wants security fixes. Elena is a CTO deciding whether PHP is a safe bet. Anton is a troll looking for jokes, and the goal for Anton is "Don't give him more ammunition."
What the new page would have
- A new tagline: "From Solo Developers to Global Enterprises, PHP Powers the Web."
- Large buttons at the top: Try It Now, Why Use PHP?, Learn, Releases, Community and Language Development.
- Try It Now would open a sandbox that runs PHP in your browser. The RFC calls this the most important button on the site.
- A releases section with a large card for the newest version. Older supported versions would list their main features and show whether they still get bug fixes or only security fixes.
- A PHP Foundation banner with donation links.
- Communities and events, with three of each shown at random on every visit.
- A Composer and Packagist banner. The RFC says neither tool has a real competitor.
- Get involved links to RFCs, GitHub, bug reports and the internals mailing list.
The design was still a work in progress, and several parts, like the tagline and the banners, were set to get their own smaller votes.
Where it stands
Mark Randall withdrew the RFC, and it never reached a vote.