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Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:14:19 +0200
To: Alexandre Daubois <alex.daubois+php@gmail.com>
Cc: PHP internals list <internals@lists.php.net>
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [RFC] Add pack()/unpack() support for signed integers
 with specific endianness
In-Reply-To: <CAMU7irLuV_CWR37odtuu0TL7io_bONy+5xebY82YnVb38RtEzg@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAMU7irLuV_CWR37odtuu0TL7io_bONy+5xebY82YnVb38RtEzg@mail.gmail.com>
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From: tim@bastelstu.be (=?UTF-8?Q?Tim_D=C3=BCsterhus?=)

Hi

Am 2025-09-16 13:45, schrieb Alexandre Daubois:
> Here is the link to the RFC:
> https://wiki.php.net/rfc/pack-unpack-endianness-signed-integers-support

Thank you for the RFC. I'm confused by the “Why Perl's Approach Cannot 
Be Used in PHP” section.

> 1. Base Letters Already Taken

The point of a modifier is to modify something. That means that there 
needs to be a “base letter”. The same base letters are also “taken” in 
Perl and have the same definition.

> 2. Parser Architecture Limitations

That sounds like a simple problem to solve. When reaching one of the 
“base letters” in question, look at the next character.

> 3. Different Design Philosophy

This is simply false. v/n/V/N identically exist in Perl. J is not clear 
to me, and P appears to be different (but I don't do enough Perl to say 
for certain).

Best regards
Tim Düsterhus