Re: [PHP-DEV] [DISCUSS] Should RFCs for new functions include a userland polyfill/reference implementation?

در تاریخ سه‌شنبه ۲۵ اوت ۲۰۲۶، ۱۹:۰۸ Larry Garfield <[email protected]>
نوشت:

> On Tue, Aug 25, 2026, at 6:18 AM, سپهر محمودی wrote:
> > Hi internals,
> >
> > While reviewing various RFCs that introduce new functions, I noticed an
> > inconsistency: some authors include a userland polyfill (reference
> > implementation) in their RFCs, while others do not.
> >
> > I wanted to open a discussion on whether we should strongly encourage
> > RFC authors to provide a PHP userland implementation when proposing new
> > standard library functions, **where technically feasible**.
> >
> > Of course, I understand that this isn't possible for every new
> > function—especially those that interact with low-level OS APIs, memory
> > management, or internal engine features. However, for functions dealing
> > with arrays, strings, math, or general logic, I believe this has a
> > couple of major benefits:
> >
> > 1. It clarifies the exact intended behavior, including edge cases and
> > type coercions, making the proposal easier to understand without diving
> > into the C implementation.
> > 2. It immensely helps the community (e.g., the Symfony polyfill team)
> > to quickly and accurately port the function to older PHP versions once
> > the RFC is accepted.
> >
> > Should we consider adding this as a standard recommendation (e.g.,
> > "Reference Implementation") in the official RFC template for applicable
> > functions?
> >
> > I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Sepehr
>
> Interesting idea.  I think "recommended where relevant, but not required"
> is a reasonable policy to have.  As noted, many RFCs don't have
> polyfillable features.  For those where it is feasible, I think the "make
> it clear what the logic is" angle is the most compelling.  (I often do that
> in the non-polyfill RFCs to help clarify the behavior.)  And it would also
> give us a target to benchmark against to see if putting it in C really has
> a performance benefit.
>
> --Larry Garfield
>

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I'm really glad to see Larry's positive feedback. Looking forward to
hearing more thoughts from everyone else on this.

Best,
Sepehr