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Message-ID: <200801041006.53836.tomi@cumulo.fi>
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] RE: Optional scalar type hinting
From: tomi@cumulo.fi (Tomi Kaistila)

> It really doesn't fit in very well with PHP's loosely typed nature which
> is one of the main reasons it has been so easy to use.
I think this is one of the cornerstones that two sides disagree the most on. 
People are afraid that PHP would turn into a strong-typed language by 
allowing type hinting for scalar values. I do not think this would be the 
case. You would still have all the freedom that you have no with PHP, since 
PHP's type juggling is still in effect.

The only thing that would change is that the validation of the data that is 
passed into functions would be somewhat automated, but since the validation 
occurs with or without type hinting the result is still the same. If data is 
incorrent, an error occurs whether it is an exception, a false return type, 
or a triggered error. The behaviour of the program does not change with type 
hinting.

> Even this thread shows that there's no alignment between people on what
> it should actually do.
This is true, but contributed to it is that so far we have spent more time and 
energy on the silly debate whether or not type hinting is a useful feature. 
There is enough technical proof to suggest that it is in fact a useful 
feature.

What I would like to see is actual discussion on how it should behave and see 
if a concensus can be derived.

> Saying that it won't confuse newbies is also wrong. PHP is so popular
> because it's so easy for people to pick up. Part of this also includes
> ability to look at other people's code, understand it, copy-on-write
> (e.g. a Wordpress plug-in).
This is an argument that I honestly do not understand. Type hinting is already 
here. It exists in PHP. How can the concept be abandoned on the bases that it 
would confuse new users, if the concept has already been approved and 
implemented?


Tomi Kaistila
PHP Developer