RE: [PHP-LANG] Approaching the First Draft [of a language spec]

>> Thus, what we need is a descriptive specification, rather than a defining >> specification. Much like the ANSI C++ spec is or at least used to be >> useless because not a single compiler in existence implemented it (and is >> thus rather useless for practical purposes), defining a spec that is not >> backed up by the existing implementation would be useless for end users. > > Well, C++ has been basically reinvented during the > standardization process. I don't see this happening with PHP. > The base for this specification will be PHP 3/the Zend > engine, so you don't really need to fear that the Zend engine > and the specification will be incompatible. > > I'm not sure how the end-user will be able to benefit from a > list of syntactical rules. Can you elaborate what you have in > mind? I find myself most often reading the source of PHP when I want an answer to a question regarding syntax rather than going to the documentation. I think it would be great for the end user to have a syntax sheet showing them what is legal PHP and what isn't legally PHP as both a reference and as learning tool. It also is a way of guaranteeing the users "this will work", this is valid PHP syntax and this won't work, this is not valid syntax. -Sterling