I'm also stoked they're finally removing crap like register_globals and magic_quotes. "Safe mode" caused many headaches as well trying to get software running

I'm also stoked they're finally removing crap like register_globals and magic_quotes. "Safe mode" caused many headaches as well trying to get software running on all possible configurations, adding lots of little restrictions without much real benefit (patching symptoms vs solving the real problem). IMO they should have done these in PHP5. They already broke b/c with the object system (passing by reference instead of by copying), which was smart but troublesome for any complex OOP code written in PHP4. If you're already breaking b/c badly enough, just tear the band-aid off all at once I say.