Bug #12981: request: bare regexp and =~ operator

From: ryan@ryanflynn.com Operating system: Win2k PHP version: 4.0.6 PHP Bug Type: Feature/Change Request Bug description: request: bare regexp and =~ operator Hey guys. I love php, keep up the good work! Anyhow, I've been playing with other scripting languages as well as php to keep up my skills and I've come to realize how much a pain in the ass regexp is in php. having to use: preg_match_all("/\s+\d+.\d+/", "php version 4.0.6", $matches); instead of: "php version 4.0.6" =~ /\s\d+.\d+\/; is just a real pain. I think bare regexps and an =~ operator would really kick ass. I understand that the functions may be a simpler way for people to ease into regexps, but power users want the flexibility that languages like perl and ruby (among others) have. -- Edit bug report at: http://bugs.php.net/?id=12981&edit=1