The PHP internals mailing list is actively voting on the Bound-Erased Generic Types RFC (open June 14–28, 2026), which proposes adding generic type syntax to PHP with type erasure at runtime. The RFC requires a 2/3 majority to pass, plus a secondary vote on variance marker syntax (+T/-T vs in T/out T). Key voices are divided: Rowan Tommins voted No, arguing that native syntax without native enforcement is a step backward for PHP's type system. Larry Garfield urged delaying the vote, warning that a failed generics vote would be terrible PR for PHP, and recommending targeting PHP 9.0 (2027) with fully enforced/monomorphized generics instead. Levi Morrison voted Yes, viewing the RFC as a useful stepping stone toward reified generics, while noting limitations like missing lower bound support. Matthew Brown offered a workaround for the lower bound issue using union return types.
