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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] [PHP7] Remove the function keyword from class methods?
From: rowan.collins@gmail.com (Rowan Collins)

On 03/10/2014 18:57, Ingwie Phoenix wrote:
> C++ does not use a function keyword by itself, and even lesser visibility keywords as PHP does.

There have been a couple of comparisons to other languages brought up, 
but I find them unconvincing.

Most languages have some keyword for introducing methods: "def" in Ruby; 
"sub" in Perl (or "method" when using some of the OO helper extensions 
such as MooseX::Declare); "defun" in Common Lisp; "procedure" (or 
"function") in Pascal; etc

In C-based languages including C++ and Java, the return type of a 
function is a compulsory part of the function definition, so a 
definition never begins simply "foo() { ... }". This gives the code 
structure a very different feel to loosely typed languages.

ECMAScript 6 is an interesting exception which someone mentioned. But 
then, ECMAScript 6 is quite a strange language, really - it grafts a 
"class" concept onto a prototype-based type system, and includes a whole 
set of different sub-routine declarations to overcome limitations in 
earlier versions of the language, as summarised here: 
http://www.2ality.com/2013/08/es6-callables.html

Now, obviously, PHP doesn't have to follow like a sheep wherever other 
languages go, but if I read a line in the change log for PHP 7 of 
"function keyword is now optional for methods", my reaction would be a 
bemused "why?", followed by a mental note to require it in any coding 
standards I have influence over.

-- 
Rowan Collins
[IMSoP]