Demystifying PHP RFCs

PHP is always advancing

Why should you care?

Why get involved?

• See what's coming
• Influence what's coming
• Change the future

How to get involved

Join the mailing list

Don't Panic

• Stable and reliable technology
• Not controlled by a megacorp technology
• Available to literally everyone technology
• Anonymously readable at https://externals.io/

To join (easy way)

mailto:internals-subscribe@lists.php.net

To join (GUI way)

https://www.php.net/mailing-lists.php

List Etiquette

• Reply-all
• Reply at the bottom
• Plain text only, no HTML (Markdown is OK)
• Don't Be A Jerk™

See what's going on

https://wiki.php.net/rfc

Complete list of active and past RFCs.

(Great source for understanding why something is the way it is.)

How RFCs Happen

1. Have an idea
2. Discuss the idea
3. Implement the idea
4. Discuss the idea (part 2)
5. Vote on the idea
6. Profit???

Have an idea

• Solves a real problem
• ... for lots of people
• and cannot be reasonably done in user-space

Discuss the idea

          To: internals@lists.php.net
          From: me@example.com
          Subject: [Proposal] Add configurable rot() function

          Hi all.  I want to discuss adding a configurable `rot()` function
          to PHP.  It would be more flexible than the existing `rot_13()`,
          and allow rotating characters by any amount.  This will greatly improve
          our ability to write secure encryption routines.

          E.g.:

          ```
          $encoded = rot('hello world', 5);
          print $encoded; // prints "mjqqt btwqi"
          ```
        

If the feedback is clearly negative...

If the feedback is positive...

Implement the idea

• Pull request against https://github.com/php/php-src/
• Warning: It's all ugly C
• Doesn't have to be perfect, find edge cases
• Protip: Partner with someone

Optional-ish

Get Wiki access

1. Sign up for free on wiki.php.net

          To: internals@lists.php.net
          From: me@example.com
          Subject: Wiki RFC access

          Hi all.  I am requesting RFC edit access on wiki.php.net
          so I can work on the rot() RFC.  My username is `me`.
        

Write the RFC

• Be concise and precise
• Use code examples liberally
• Warning: DocuWiki, not Markdown

Discuss (again)

          To: internals@lists.php.net
          From: me@example.com
          Subject: [RFC] Add configurable rot() function

          Hi all.  I'd like to open discussion on the rot() function
          proposal.  The RFC is here:

          https://wiki.php.net/rfc/arbitrary_rot

          Looking forward to your feedback!
        

Discussion (again)

• Keep all replies in the one thread
• Expect the RFC and implementation to evolve
• Keep a changelog in the RFC
• Assume good faith; offer good faith
• This is open to everyone, including you!

Prepare for voting

• No change to the RFC for 2 weeks
• No substantive feedback for ~2 weeks
• You feel it's done™

          To: internals@lists.php.net
          From: me@example.com
          Subject: Re: [RFC] Add configurable rot() function

          > Hi all.  I'd like to open discussion on the rot() function
          > proposal.  The RFC is here:
          >
          > https://wiki.php.net/rfc/arbitrary_rot

          Hi all.  As the discussion has died down, this is the Intent to Vote
          notice.  I'll open the vote sometime on Wednesday, barring any other feedback
          before then.
        

Open the vote

Open the vote

          To: internals@lists.php.net
          From: me@example.com
          Subject: [RFC][Vote] Add configurable rot() function

          I have opened the vote on the configurable rot() function.  The vote
          will end at 4pm UTC on July 3rd.

          https://wiki.php.net/rfc/arbitrary_rot

          Previous discussion thread: https://externals.io/message/130912
        

But wait, who are the voters?

Some stats

Number of voters

~1500

Number that routinely vote

~100

Number that vote on any given RFC

~25

Percentage of voters that also take part in the discussion: Too small

Becoming a voter

Someone with voting access decides you've contributed to PHP "enough."

Code and docs are best

Direct Democracy has its pros and cons...

If it doesn't pass

If it does pass

• Finish/polish the PR
• Timeframe varies
• Usual PR review/merge process