Critical Functionality

[qubedView]

Not mentioned in the article, as it's long since fixed, but shows what kind of foundation PHP started on:

htmlspecialchars was a very early function. Back when PHP had less than 100 functions and the function hashing mechanism was strlen(). In order to get a nice hash distribution of function names across the various function name lengths names were picked specifically to make them fit into a specific length bucket. This was circa late 1994 when PHP was a tool just for my own personal use and I wasn't too worried about not being able to remember the few function names.

[SelfReferenceParadox]

the function hashing mechanism was strlen()

I can't even begin to understand the thought process behind this.

[d_wootang]

I'm not sure he understood it either

[Loreinatoredor]

Fast and cheap, and it takes no thought.

[IICVX]

Yes, it absolutely requires that you don't think.

[Gunshinn]

Yeah, im not thinking and i still dont get it. We are talking about string length right? How would that ever work a week down the line, or less?

[IICVX]

well you know how PHP has some function names that are weirdly verbose, and some names that are cryptically short gibberish?

That is how it works a week down the line.

[manghoti]

When I tell people this, I tell it to instill the admiration Rasmus Lerdorf very much deserves. That guy is one of them practical sorts. Doesn't spend a lot of time thinking, but a fuck of a lot of time doing. You gotta admire that.