[Mark.B]

Originally Posted by edgeless

The description by a number of your colleagues for the function of the SKIP_DS_ERRORS code string, including that from certain vB developers, has been that it "turns off the extra error reporting in php 5.3 & 5.4 (for strict & deprecated warnings)". The frequent use of this description -or others like it- demonstrates a common interchangeability of the two terms during discussion of said code string's function and purpose. Since even developers refer to the purpose of said code string as it "turns off the extra error reporting", I'm inclined to consider my reference to "hiding errors" as a completely appropriate statement. But even in view of this, I initially intended to type the word "warnings" instead of "errors"... I really did! And that's precisely why I used the term "warnings" instead of "errors" in my following reply. I think the mere fact that those two terms are interchanged on a frequent basis, even by software developers, tends to inspire some inadvertent interchangeability from many of us on occasion. And by the way, I've noticed that some developers even refer to said warnings as "less important errors". So in my opinion your focus on my semantical tendencies in order to try and belittle my qualification to comment has been uncalled for (at best).

As for the blanket file replacement troubleshooting measure, you've made your point. It makes sense and I agree with the reasons involved. Hence, I apologize for voicing my impulsive thought concerning the many times this step is suggested by vBulletin support folks. After all, as I've said, and as you've elaborated upon, it's not practical or time/cost efficient to identify corrupt files or code sections within a system when a direct blanket replacement of files is often able to solve the problems.

To clarify: nobody's belittling anyone.

However, whenever people say "vBulletin is rubbish because it hides errors rather than fixes them" - which is what started to get implied in this thread, as it does in many others -that inaccuracy needs to be corrected, or at the very least, the true facts explained. many do not have the required knowledge to understand what is actually happening, they simply read "vBulletin hides errors rather than fixes them" and assume that to be factual. That perception needs to be corrected.

Some people make the statement because they genuinely think that's what happens - it is right that they should be corrected.
Others make the statement because they have a certain agenda - again it is right that they should be corrected.

I too get frustrated at the apparent interchangeability of the term "errors". When developers do it it's even more annoying. And as I already mentioned, vBulletin themselves compounded the issue by using "SKIP_DS_ERRORS" so I can fully understand why some people jump to the conclusion that we are "hiding errors rather than fixing them".

I also understand that, to an ordinary person using the software, an ugly line of text appearing on the page with the word "WARNING" at the front is, as far they are concerned, an error....you would say "I'm getting an error message on screen" not "I am getting a warning message on screen" if describing the problem.

What does frustrate me is when people such as Paul, who are actual php programmers, state what is really happening (and we as the support team often do also), and people argue and complain still (I'm not suggesting you do this by the way).