What's new in PHP 5 and PHP 6

**Vin DSL** · 12-13-2005, 12:19 AM

Pretty descent read!

Sample...

What's new in PHP 5 and PHP 6

Most PHP installations out there are still running PHP 4.x. PHP 5.0 has been out a while, and PHP 5.1.1 has just been released. For those of you who haven't yet upgraded, this month I look at some of the changes you can expect to find in the newer versions of PHP, as well as a preview of what you can look forward to in PHP 6.

Changes in PHP 5.0

As befits an entirely new version number, there are substantial differences between PHP 4 and PHP 5. Most of the hype was around the new object model, which was completely rewritten. The PHP 5 version is much more complete, and performs much better as well. In PHP 4, objects were really just primitive data types, and were referenced by value. In an attempt to retain as much backward compatibility as possible, setting the zend.ze1_compatibility_mode in PHP 5 allows compatibility with the version 4 methods. There are a number of other backward incompatible changes. These include...

Source: http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/ia...n20051206.php3

**the_ancient** · 12-13-2005, 02:27 AM

as the artical says it looks like php6 will remove alot of my pet peeves as well....

**Vin DSL** · 12-13-2005, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by the_ancient

as the artical says it looks like php6 will remove alot of my pet peeves as well....

Dittos!

**Ron** · 12-13-2005, 06:52 AM

Gee it'll be almost as useful and as powerful as C++ then.

I think that PHP took over the web because hackers could make use of it's forgiving nature very easily, like BASIC became the language of choice for novices way back in the day, not because PHP or BASIC were the best languages available.

The point being that making PHP more strict will have a negative impact on it's further adoption -- something easier and more forgiving to code will then take over again.

PHP is just another flash in the pan, like all the rest. If you want job security, learn ADA or FORTRAN.

**Gwaihir** · 12-13-2005, 11:54 AM

But are they making it so much stricter?

Cutting out configuration options that make running 3rd party apps easier (because you can't have the "wrong" settings anymore) does not make it harder to get started with PHP at all, I think. On the contrary: it makes it simpler to start with downloaded scripts that "already work" and then start making your own additions / changes to them.

**Ron** · 12-13-2005, 12:23 PM

The closer it moves to C with pass by reference and pass by value issues, the more people will be looking for easier alternatives.

Just my take on what I read at the link provided. Personally, I'm agnostic... I like php... but then again I like just about every language.

**Vin DSL** · 12-14-2005, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by Ron

PHP is just another flash in the pan, like all the rest. If you want job security, learn ADA or FORTRAN.

Bwahahaha! Hee hee hee! Hahahaha! OMG! Ouch, my side hurts!

Come on, Ron, stop it! Please...

**jason** · 12-14-2005, 07:14 AM

When I first learned about PHP they had just hit 1,000,000 domains on that chart...somewhere back around '98, I think.

Keep in mind though that that chart lists domains that have PHP available, not necessarally those that use PHP. Since these days every budget linux host includes PHP, the numbers have probably become quite inflated.

--Jason

**Ron** · 12-14-2005, 11:10 AM

Vinny, I've been around the block a few times

Assembly language! No more ones and zeroes!
FORTRAN was the end all and be all!
COBOL was the bee's knees!
BASIC is going to rule the world!
FOURTH is the next coming!
LISP is the way!
TRIAX will dominate! (OK, this is an inside joke)
C will rule forever!
C++ is here to stay!
Powerbuilder, that's the way the world will be headed!

Let's see, just in webcentric languages,
Perl... gotta have Perl!!!
A few years ago Java was the next coming.
Now PHP is the next coming.

What will be the next one? :shrug:

**techlighthouse** · 12-14-2005, 12:49 PM

Gee, Ron... You missed Pascal!

**Ron** · 12-14-2005, 02:07 PM

Scary thing is I've coded seriously in most of them.... lol

Professionally, I've coded in:
awk/gawk
BASIC
C
FMS
FORTRAN Y, 66, 77
Lex
Perl
PHP (if self-employment counts, I guess it does)
PL/1
TRIAX
Yacc

Sybase Transact-SQL
DEC's Rdb
Oracle PL*SQL
MySQL (gag)
Informix
Ingres

Operating systems command languages
CShell
KShell
BourneShell
Bash (Does Jailshell count?)
Corporate Memo (Hey, it's definitely an operating system)
DCL (vms script files)
DOS batch files
JCL

on systems running
GCOS
Nile (unix for Pyramid Enterprise machines)
System 390
VMS
RT11/TSX11
Solaris
SunOS
AIX
HP-UX

Using editors:
Teco
TEX (great editor)
Edgar
edit
Edwin
Emacs
LSE (Wonderful editor! loved it Way ahead of it's time!)
Notepad (lol)
Roscoe
vi

and some tools like:
Integrated development environments like Jbuilder
Neuron Data (ack)
AutoSys scheduler

I have a lot of fun reminiscing about all these old jobs....I think about alot of the people I've worked with... I remember one, a lot like Vin DSL, who was in position to recommend approving or denying my request that we install a T1 line for internet access. He said: "What could we ever use THAT for?" I explained how we could transfer files to clients instantly, wouldn't have to wait for the every-15-minute email access dialup, that large files could be received, we could begin to think about migrating our timeshare clients off of their expensive ISDN connections, etc.

He was unconvinced. I wonder if he's still working in the industry...lol

I'm sure I've left out a bunch of environments and other things that I've had to touch over the years... these were all in projects that lasted from a couple of months to several years. I'm lite on the object oriented stuff, and I struggle with it a bit... my really active days in technology predated most of it... C++ was just coming around at the time. I pulled my hair out trying to follow C++ code a few times.

**Vin DSL** · 12-14-2005, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Ron

I have a lot of fun reminiscing about all these old jobs....I think about alot of the people I've worked with... I remember one, a lot like Vin DSL, who was in position to recommend approving or denying my request that we install a T1 line for internet access...

Blah, blah, blah... ad nauseam...

Hrm... Well, that's VERY telling, Ron! You don't show your underbelly very often...

If you'll allow ME to think out loud -- resentment is the root cause of all human misery. And, resentment is born of pride. So, your pride was hurt in the past, you're STILL thinking about it (e.g. practicing your anger) and because I remind you of some 'one' that wronged you, you're resentful of me -- even though I had nothing to do with any of it. I never could figure out 'the hostility', but now it makes perfect sense... you're projecting...

Anyway, as you well know, every programming language is optimized for something. There is not (nor will there ever be) a single perfect implementation language, when it comes to web dev. I think a mixture of HTML, PHP and Javascript is pretty wicked combination. These languages are simple to learn, and flatly do the job.

You seem to have the perception that these various languages are in competition with one another, probably because you are (or were) a specialist programmer and, as such, were in competition with other programmers, but that isn't the case in the web dev community -- at least not in my experience.

Really, my friend, suggesting that PHP is 'another flash in the pan' will get you labeled as a crackpot, and laughed off every site I can think of, except this one...

**Ron** · 12-14-2005, 08:23 PM

Now wait a second. If you're gonna hit the quote button,. please don't attribute ad nauseam to my words. I mean, blah blah blah is fine and may very well be accurate, but it was really more ad hominem

No, Vin, the hostility was, and is, related to the way you treated other people, and the filthy mouth that you had/have towards every non-white, non-christian and/or non-heterosexual being in the world. Other than that, you're a stand-up kind of guy. Maybe you just associate them with all of the troubles in the world and when you find yourself angry you project your troubles into the forums... or some other contrived psychobabble.

But then, that's just Vin being Vin, "the most loved and hated member of every board he frequents" (tm).

Though I must admit you're feeling better lately.
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Actually, I was fishing around in my brain about the different jobs I've had, and remembered this rude, coarse, obstreperous man with (thick!) snow all over his shoulders, with his lack of foresight into the internet age. I immediately put two and two together, and came up with my analogy.

We installed a T1 line, by the way, his non-objections notwithstanding. While he was an idiot, he was politically savvy, and could count the noses. He was just trying to get information out of me, but didn't want to look stupid in the process by asking "Gee, what kind of things can we do with that?" That was just his way. He ALWAYS took the "devil's advocate" role. probably because he felt it hid his lack of in-depth knowledge about everything, and his basic insecurities about being older in a rapidly evolving field. (See? I can psychobabble too!) I don't think my pride was hurt because an ignorant person said to me "I just don't see it", hoping for me to expound for him.

Of course he was partly right -- for the first 6 months anyway, all the T1 accomplished was faster email and me having to discipline one of my employes for downloading porn onto a corporate AIX box. That was pretty ironic, actually, as this guy was responsible for (among other things) shipping out the tapes of code to the clients, and that T1 and my bringing in a CD burner was about to obsolete that function of his anyway.
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Well, maybe the sites you hang out on, that are php centric, yeah, they'll laugh, the same way that javabeaners and Perl Divers are still laughing at PHP.

Who knows? Maybe I've reached the same age of lack of foresight concerning the next great thing -PHP. Maybe there'll never be a language better suited for the internet, or whatever comes after the internet, than PHP.

Wait a sec.... I have to wipe my eyes. I'm laughing so hard at that last statement. lololol

Wait! Ohhh nooooo... what are these ridges I feel on the back of my neck?

**Vin DSL** · 12-14-2005, 10:59 PM

Originally Posted by Ron

No, Vin, the hostility was, and is, related to the way you treated other people, and the filthy mouth that you had/have towards every non-white, non-christian and/or non-heterosexual being in the world. Other than that, you're a stand-up kind of guy...

Heh! I'm an easy read, Ron: http://www.answers.com/topic/narciss...ality-disorder