[RFC] Pure-code source files via the .phpc extension

Hi internals, Following the pre-RFC discussion from late May [1], I'm moving the "pure-code source files" proposal into formal RFC stage as https://wiki.php.net/rfc/optional_php_tags The mechanism is a single new opt-in file extension, .phpc, whose semantics are: the file is parsed as pure PHP. The lexer enters ST_IN_SCRIPTING on the first byte; no opening <?php is required. A leading UTF-8 BOM and a CLI shebang are silently skipped. The classic .php extension and every other code-loading path are completely untouched - the change is strictly additive. Reference implementation: PR against php/php-src (link in the RFC). Patch is ~50 lines of straight-line C in Zend/zend_language_scanner.l::open_file_for_scanning, plus 15 new .phpt tests in Zend/tests/phpc/. Full regression run against Zend/, ext/tokenizer/, ext/standard/, ext/spl/, ext/reflection/, ext/phar/ (9836 tests): 0 failures, 0 modifications to any pre-existing test. Pre-RFC feedback, addressed in the RFC document: - Ben Ramsey on engine-vs-SAPI dispatch: own section explaining why include/require/Phar all live below SAPI and need engine-level handling. Ben's -p/stdin idea is adopted as Future Scope (a sister RFC after this one). - Alex Rock on alternatives (env var, include_pure keyword, declare(pure=1)): each rebutted individually under "Rejected Alternatives". - Bruce Weirdan on BC of the .phpc extension itself: own paragraph in the BC section, honest about the fact that I have NOT scanned public corpora; asking voters with private-codebase visibility for data points during Discussion. - .pyc visual collision and scattered prior .phpc usage: addressed via a sub-vote on the extension name (.phpc / .phpp / .pcode / .phpx). - Security (source-code exposure via misconfigured webservers, the historic .inc footgun): own section with mandatory documentation commitments and canonical Apache/Nginx/Caddy/ FrankenPHP snippets in Appendix A. - Boutell 2012 and Ohgaki 2014: own section distinguishing this proposal mechanically from both. Discussion period: at least two weeks from today. Looking forward to feedback, especially on: - The Open Issues block in the RFC (extension name, real-world .phpc-in-use data, case-sensitivity on Windows/macOS). - Anything in the Phar / OPcache surface I should test more thoroughly before voting opens. - Whether the Security section's commitments are strong enough. Thanks for reading, Hendrik Mennen [1] https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/131024