Sirs, Gentlemen and Scholars,
I am appreciative of all of the discussion that has happened on the mysql_deprecation RFC (https://wiki.php.net/rfc/mysql_deprecation). It has helped me understand how we feel collectively about ext/mysql and how to deprecate it. I believe that clarifying what the term 'deprecation' means could help everyone to understand what we are trying to accomplish.
To quote wikipedia on the word 'deprecation':
In the process of authoring computer software, its standards or documentation, or other technical standards, deprecation is a status applied to features, characteristics, or practices to indicate that they should be avoided, typically because they have been superseded.
I think we all agree that ext/mysql should be avoided and that it has been superseded. What I want to point out is that deprecation is a process. The real question is: have we taken the proper steps in that process?