LTS - CI 3 -- how long will it be supported/maintained ?

That would be great. I just can’t ignore the fact that it will become another Laravel with a different branding. I mean just look at the make:migration. I’d rather do it manually using HeidiSQL or phpMyAdmin rather than using a CLI tool since I’m using windows, I prefer clicking stuff than typing commands on a terminal that needed to be stored in muscle memory...

I disagree.  I don't think CI4 will be like Laravel.  It will have similarities but it will still be light and fluffy...and remember some of the new features will be optional not mandatory.

It's more of a soft reminder so CI won't copy what Laravel is doing to make it (like you said) "similar". I've made my mind and I'll be using 3.1.9 for my next project. From what I see, I don't think CI4 will be fully covered 100% at least by the end of 2019 or early 2020. So, I rest my case... If CI3 becomes an old redundant technology in 2-3 years to come, that's mean PHP 7 will also be obsolete (I don't think so) since PHP 7.2 end of life is expected on 30 November 2020 anyway.

Thank you.