# Remove old PHP6 forward compatibility

- Thread: https://externals.io/message/86010
- Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/86010
- Started by Kalle Sommer Nielsen on 2015-04-29T08:40:52+00:00
- Messages: 4
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## #86010 — Kalle Sommer Nielsen — 2015-04-29T08:40:52+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/86010#86010

Howdy

Back when PHP6 was actually a thing, we added the 'b' string literal
prefix and the (binary) cast to be forward compatible with PHP6,
however since the entire unicode strings part were dropped, these are
no longer needed.

I think its safe to remove these 2, and take it as a lession learned,
to safely and selectively added forward compatibile features.

Is there any objections against these?


Ps, we do actually have docs[1] for these, explaining users they were
added in 5.2.1, although after a brief search I did not find any
common libraries and projects using either of these features.


[1] http://php.net/manual/en/language.types.type-juggling.php

-- 
regards,

Kalle Sommer Nielsen
kalle@php.net

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## #86014 — francois@php.net — 2015-04-29T10:13:03+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/86010#86014 · In reply to: #86010

> De : kalle.php@gmail.com [mailto:kalle.php@gmail.com] De la part de Kalle
> Sommer Nielsen
> 
> Back when PHP6 was actually a thing, we added the 'b' string literal
> prefix and the (binary) cast to be forward compatible with PHP6,
> however since the entire unicode strings part were dropped, these are
> no longer needed.
> 
> I think its safe to remove these 2, and take it as a lession learned,
> to safely and selectively added forward compatibile features.

I am not sure this should be removed. Unicode is a real subject and the PHP 6 failure doesn't prove we won't have to address it again in the future. The (binary) syntax is probably not perfect but maybe we'll be glad to have it someday. And I don't think it does much bad to anybody. So, I'd prefer to keep it.

Anyway, it is a little late to propose a new BC break for 7.0.

Regards

François

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## #86038 — Stanislav Malyshev — 2015-04-29T23:12:07+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/86010#86038 · In reply to: #86010

Hi!

> Back when PHP6 was actually a thing, we added the 'b' string literal
> prefix and the (binary) cast to be forward compatible with PHP6,
> however since the entire unicode strings part were dropped, these are
> no longer needed.
> 
> I think its safe to remove these 2, and take it as a lession learned,
> to safely and selectively added forward compatibile features.

Why remove it? I'm not sure what removing it would improve.

-- 
Stas Malyshev
smalyshev@gmail.com

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## #86101 — Sara Golemon — 2015-04-30T23:24:59+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/86010#86101 · In reply to: #86038

> > […]
>
> Why remove it? I'm not sure what removing it would improve.
>
Agreed. PHP6 dying on the vine doesn't establish that we'll never have
baked-in unicode support.  Better to keep this around to improve
compatibility when/if we revisit this.

-Sara