Removing $this-> from codeigniter 3+

Dev will save no time at all,  because it breaks compatibility for absolutely no good reason. All previous code will need to be fixed to work with this new syntax.

Sorry to say and this isn't personal attack. So please don't take it as one.

But its comments like this from developers like yourself who stifle innovation on PHP. You expect your 10 years code (I know an exaggeration) to still work with new releases.

Everyone be it Linux, Microsoft, Oracle depreciate functions in their software, or make out of date production systems with newer versions of software.

CI 4.X. Should be a complete break from everything else. It should have todays ideas and not yesterdays hacks.

The choice should be simple. Don't want to upgrade and cant move your code? Stay on 3.0.

Want to move with the times, welcome to CI 4.X for your existing projects that you can move or your newer projects.

Do you see Laravel developers cry when a newer release comes out? No, they cant wait to use the newer functionality and extras for their applications.