Skript: 1.8.9 support

[mojang2555]

we need it

[Snow-Pyon]

It isn't a matter of needing it or not. You don't know how hard would be mantain 1.8.9 as it's very different from 1.9 and many things in the API are different between these versions.

@bensku is actually mantaining 4 different versions (nearly 12 if we count the bug-fixing releases), mantain another one which has many API changes would be just a pain in the ass. So, unless you're gonna constantly PR to keep the 1.8.9 support this won't be happening.

So, you either update your server, use an older version of Skript that still works on an ancient version as 1.8 is right now or stop using Skript.

[Syst3ms]

Ehhh, actually supporting 1.8 would (afaik) only need to rework some particle class using some reflection. But the thing is, do we really want to support a version that's something like 3 years old ?

[bensku]

After dropping 1.8 support, I have probably broken more than that. At least releases supporting 1.12.1 have broken a few expressions for 1.8 due to Spigot API changes.

Beyond that, I'm not interested in supporting 1.8. You could drop a bounty on this issue to get someone interested. To get me do this would require quite a lot of money, though :)

This Skript fork started to make Skript compatible with Minecraft 1.9. I don't know why you even expected it to continue working on 1.8

[Pikachu920]

@TheBentoBox I guess this can be closed when #1014 is merged? I'm not sure, it still isn't support however its probably the best this fork will get

[TheBentoBox]

Yeah agreed @Pikachu920. As Bensku said, this fork was started specifically for 1.9 so I think as long as it runs on 1.8.x without error, even if certain features are disabled, it can be considered "support" as far as this branch is concerned.

[Pikachu920]

it has been merged

[bensku]

1.8 is not supported until someone who wishes to fix bugs for it has push access. Maybe some day, but not yet.

[Pikachu920]

so i have push access now but i'm also not super interested in supporting 1.8 anymore. I will do my best to make it load on 1.8, but this will not be support. To clarify, by 1.8 I mean 1.8.8+

[Syst3ms]

tl;dr be happy that it even loads on 1.8

[Matocolotoe]

quite funny to use bStats as an argument but to forget this :)
wonder if somebody ever asks why 21% of worldwide servers stopped updating after 1.9

since people don't even know about the fact that spigot supports 1.8 (and 1.7.10 ISN'T THIS INCREDIBLE ?!), I don't think so

[TheBentoBox]

By "supports 1.8" we mean actively supports it. Which they don't. There is a version of Spigot for 1.8 because of course there is but no, they do not provide active support for it nor does anyone in their right mind who's working on such a complex project.

Your graph is not a good argument. All you're proving to us is that 80% of people don't use 1.8. There are old versions of Skript that work fine on 1.8 and you're welcome to use those if you're using 1.8.

wonder if somebody ever asks why 21% of worldwide servers stopped updating after 1.9

Probably because they're PvP servers or they're stuck in the past. There's no good reason otherwise; the game (PvE and gameplay-wise) has drastically improved since then in almost all areas. There's also an immense and toxic anti-post-1.8 circlejerk in the community so the fact that only 20% (and dropping) of servers are on 1.8 is a great sign. I can't wait to see that number eventually disappear.

I have half a mind to just close this now because this is likely never happening and, for the sake of the plugin's stability, it probably never should.

[bensku]

If part of Minecraft community wants new Skript releases for 1.8, they'll have to make them happen. Currently I don't think anyone in Skript team is interested in MC 1.8.

[Matocolotoe]

I can't wait to see that number eventually disappear.

I guess it will when Mojang releases an update which satisfies this community.

[Matocolotoe]

So I actually made the plugin load successfully in 1.8.8 (at least without errors on startup, doesn't include errors I could have in advanced scripts) and I had to :

• remove 1.9 aliases (or if you want to keep them you have to seperate them from 1.8- aliases and write minecraft version = 1.9 or newer above those)
• remove OcelotData.java
• remove 1.9 boat stuff from BoatData.java
• remove all 1.9+ biomes from BiomeMapUtil.java
• add a 1.8.json file in materials folder

Nearly impossible unless people fork the code and do this by themselves, so I think this issue should be closed.

[Pikachu920]

why? it would be possible to support 1.8

[Matocolotoe]

Well that's really weird since the biome thing doesn't break with 1.9 even if it has 1.12 biomes in it.

[bensku]

Biome mappings are a bit weird. Currently, they map names used by MC 1.9-1.12 to names used by MC 1.13. What they used to do was map names used by MC 1.9-1.12 to names used by 1.8. The mapping system does not support doing both, thus biomes are not working on 1.8 nowadays.

[Matocolotoe]

If anyone wants to check it out : https://github.com/Matocolotoe/Skript-1.8

[jaylawl]

https://minecraft-statistic.net/en/global_statistic.html

According to this, 1.8.8 servers are down to 7.3 %.
1.8.9 = 0.1 %
1.7.10 = 4.2 %

I'm taking a bit of freedom to speculate here; i think most of these servers do it for monetary reasons and usually have their own (paid) programmers for custom stuff anyway.

[ShaneBeee]

https://minecraft-statistic.net/en/global_statistic.html

According to this, 1.8.8 servers are down to 7.3 %.
1.8.9 = 0.1 %
1.7.10 = 4.2 %

I'm taking a bit of freedom to speculate here; i think most of these servers do it for monetary reasons and usually have their own (paid) programmers for custom stuff anyway.

I think that websites stats aren't showing proper numbers. For instance, it says 1759 servers are running 1.14.4, yet bStats shows 25,000 are running 1.14.4, so by comparison, that website is showing a very small amount of servers that are actually running.
My assumption is its only showing servers registered to that website.

Not that I am endorsing 1.8.8, because I think its time everyone moves on, but 1.8.8 is the second most used server version according to bStats at 16% (global stats)

And if we look at bStats for Skript:

We can see that just shy of 10% of servers using Skript, are running 1.8.8, and about 68.5% of servers running Skript are running a more recent version of Spigot/MC (68.5 is a total of all the servers running 1.12.2, 1.13.2 and 1.14.4)

[Matocolotoe]

Still, it's nicer to help people looking for Skript in 1.8 than just saying "u part of the 10% update to 1.14.4 or use dev36"