What’s new in PHP 7.3

PHP 7.3 is now available in its first alpha release, signifying the start of the release cycle for the next version of the server-side scripting language that has been a staple of web development.

The second alpha release is due on June 21, with the first beta due July 19 and the initial release candidate scheduled for August 30. The production release is planned for November 29, 2018.

Next version: The new features planned for PHP 7.3

Core improvements in PHP 7.3 include:

• Improved garbage collection.
• Redesigning of the ext_skel program, which has provided a script to make it easier to work with extensions. The redesign will let ext_skel work out of the box with Windows.
• Adding support for references in list() and array.
• Implementation of a flexible heredoc and nowdoc.
• Elimination of support for BeOS.

Where to download the PHP 7.3 alpha