On extension upload there is a check if the depends section in ext_emconf.php has typo3 and includes an actively maintained TYPO3 version
On a daily basis there is a check for all extensions in TER if they still support a actively maintained TYPO3 version
Definition of “actively maintained TYPO3 version”
The definition is based on the Release JSON (get.typo3.org/json).
Currently (since 2 days) these are v9 and v10.
I’d suggest to allow ETLS versions because this allows to give a strong signal that ELTS is really supported when someone just as Dmitry is willing to keep up the support for his extension although typically useless in newer versions of TYPO3 (e.g., realurl) or simply because the extension author is not yet ready and up-to-date with his own websites and thus did not yet really care working on compatibility updates. Nevertheless, that’s good to have updates in TER as it shows the extension is still maintained.
It is likely that sooner or later the extension will be compatible with a more recent version of TYPO3 and that’s fine I’d say.
The risk of not being a bit flexible in that area (I wouldn’t remove any constraint and allow totally outdated extensions like only compatible with TYPO3 6.2), the risk is that extension authors refrain from uploading to TER and only release to packagist, which is already the case with some “current” extensions. That’s really a pity because the TER is the TYPO3 market place.
For me it sounds a bit crazy not allowing uploads for ELTS versions at all. If a ELTS / TER user reports an issue for an extension, the maintainer is not longer able to upload a fixed version. So I’m for adding the ELTS versions to actively maintained versions (which is true as long they are managed).
I think you misunderstood the current way of working. You can still upload extension supporting lower versions, but you must at least support at least one of the actively maintained.
So in other words: if you upload an extension compatible with 6, 7, 8 and 9, you are fine. If you do not support (yet) 9, you need to make it support 9 too.
I think this algorithm is good as it is now. There are just very little scenarios where you really do not want to support newer versions on purpose - I think we could flag certain extensions which make no sense in 9 anymore, as Thomas already exemplified with realurl. Those are exceptions to the rule, and maybe the authors need to explain personally why they need to be “whitelisted”.
One actual “problem” with the “blocking” of upload is that AFAIK TER only looks at the “latest upload” to consider which TYPO3 support is included. If you want to maintain separate versions for separate TYPO3 versions (i.e. my ext v1.x.x supports TYPO3 8 and v2.x.x supports TYPO3 9 and later), a new release of v1.x.x would be blocked even thou if there is a v2.x.x already supporting newer versions. If this is not the case, my mistake - and then its all fine with me!
I don’t think lower versions should be blocked at all. I am uploading 1 version for each TYPO3 version for example (https://extensions.typo3.org/extension/cookieman/), the reason being purely to simplify testing.
I wouldn’t want to tell users (that were asking for v7 support which I politely declined btw) that TER does not allow me to upload anything for v8 any more. Don’t you think that would TER make look bad?
Ok, let’s take RealUrl again for example: that’s says Dmitry will not longer be able to pubish new bugfix releases, right? Doesn’t sound correct to me…
i Think its a good Signal to “Mark ELTS” versions as outdated, and the paying customers, should know that they are behind. on their upgrades.
but extension authors should still be able to support and upload fixes for outdated extensions.
even an outdated extension might have a critical or security issue. and if the extension author is willing to provide a fix for this old version. it should be supported. even if its marked as outdated.
The rationale when we introduced this constraint back then was to motivate extension developers to update their extensions to support latest TYPO3 releases as soon as possible.
It’s meant to solve the chicken/egg problem: a newer TYPO3 release is only as good as the amount of “common extensions” supporting it. Most users wait to upgrade when all extensions they depend on support the new version. Having this constraint in TER kind of pushes extension developers to keep up-to-date with the core.
So having said that, I would think upload policy should stay “as is”, with the following changes:
maintain a list of exceptions where a new version does not make sense: realurl, rtehtmlarea etc.
allow uploading an extension supporting only older TYPO3 versions, as long as any release of that extension already supports the latest supported TYPO3 versions. In that way extension authors could upload bugfixes to older branches (or even the security updates) - maybe this is already the case, I don’t know.
