PHP: Why Many Types of String Types And Multiple Implementations Of functions?

Question

A number of people are unhappy with the current implementation where there are either too many different string types (binary, string, unicode) or the multiple implementations of many internal engine functions and helper functions.

Minutes PHP6 Developer Meeting

This is for the PHP gurus.

Do we really need such functionality?
Doesn't it create confusion?

When I started learning PHP, this definitely did create a lot of confusion for me but this goes true even today !

So Why at all?

Expert PHP developers, please reply the with the logic behind that.

Thanks

Answer 1

The core function names are slightly confusion, and rather inconsistent.

However, they can't be changed due to backwards compatibility.

http://www.bitstorm.org/edwin/en/php/

Answer 2

There is no logic. Php (both the language and the standard library) was never properly designed, and grows chaotically in all directions.

Answer 3

In no particular order:

1. Backwards compatibility.