Re: Re: PHP True Async RFC Stage 5

From: Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2025 21:19:29 +0000
Subject: Re: Re: PHP True Async RFC Stage 5
References: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8  Groups: php.internals 
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On Sat, Nov 15, 2025, at 22:17, Jakub Zelenka wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 8:56 PM Rob Landers <rob@bottled.codes> wrote:
>> __
>> On Sat, Nov 15, 2025, at 15:41, Edmond Dantes wrote:
>>> Hello.
>>> 
>>> > Based on the conversation so far, I’d imagine the list to look something like:
>>> 
>>> Yes, that’s absolutely correct. When a programmer uses an operation
>>> that would normally block the entire thread, control is handed over to
>>> the Scheduler instead.
>>> The suspend function is called inside all of these operations.
>> 
>> I think that "normally" is doing a lot of work here. fwrite() can
>> block, but often doesn’t. file_get_contents() is usually instant for local files but
>> can take seconds on NFS or with an HTTP URL. An array_map() *always* blocks the thread
>> but should *never* suspend.
>> 
>> Without very clear rules, it becomes impossible to reason about what’ll suspend and what
>> won’t.
>> 
>>> 
>>> > If that’s the intended model, it’d help to have that spelled out directly; it
>>> > makes it immediately clear which functions can or will suspend and prevents surprises.
>>> 
>>> In the Async implementation, it will be specified which functions are supported.
>> 
>> This is exactly the kind of thing that needs to be in the RFC itself. Relying on "the
>> implementation will document it" creates an unstable contract.
>> 
>> Even something simple like:
>> 
>> - if it can perform network IO
>> - if it can perform file/stream IO
>> - if it can sleep or wait on timers
> 
> None of the above is part is this RFC so why is this being discussed. Any of the changes to
> stream layer and extensions will require special RFC and mainly clean implementation. We will need
> to carefully consider where the suspension is going to be done.

My point is that it *should* be a part of the RFC.

— Rob


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