Re: PHP 5.6 end of active support

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Perhaps the gcc compiler is an absolute requirement and if that is true then the code isn't acceptable to any other compiler regardless if it is C99 compliant or otherwise.

GCC is not a requirement. At the very least, PHP compiles on clang and MSVC, and I believe it works with some other compilers also.

I have to test with a very strict POSIX system compliant to POSIX.1-2001 and Single UNIX Specification, Version 3 (SUSv3). There is also XNS4 sockets and XTI interfaces which really is XNS5 which is a superset and LP64 clean derivative of XNS4. The XNS4 spec is 32-bit only and I think nearly everything lately is targetted to 64-bit systems specs. Not sure as I am sure there are a bucket of 32-bit embedded systems on the market still with things like Motorola or Freescale system on a chip embedded solutions for automobiles and mobile data access pads. Those are almost always a custom 32-bit Linux kernel for touch screen apps and other control solutions etc etc. However within the strict confines of C99 there is the Oracle Developer Studio which conforms to the ISO/IEC 9899:1999 and ISO/IEC 9899:1990. I think that ISO/IEC 9899:2014 standards compliance is in progress. With some feature test macros we can get access to extensions. From the very long and pedantic man page :

     If the application is using interfaces and headers
     not  defined  by that standard, then in addition to defining
     the appropriate standard feature test macro,  it  must  also
     define  __EXTENSIONS__. Defining __EXTENSIONS__ provides the
     application with access to all interfaces and headers not in
     conflict  with  the specified standard. The application must
     define __EXTENSIONS__ either on the compile command line  or
     within the application source files.

So the POSIX.1-2001 standards compliance can be enforced with the simple define -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200112L but going all the way up to SUSv3 will require -D_XOPEN_SOURCE=600. This is getting a bit off topic but the real idea here is that php 5.6.29 will compile perfectly in a 64-bit strict environment with the allowance for extensions. There is no need to resort to GCC which is not yet in full compliance. PHP 5.6.x then runs its entire testsuite and the results are very positive. This can not ( yet ) be done with PHP 7.x for any value x but I am certainly going to try. OKay .. so the long winded summary is that hoo ray PHP 5.6.x will be around long enough for PHP 7.x to slowly become serious code clean and it may compile within a very strict environment. Dennis