The way PHP allows fluid, dynamic interaction with the symbol table is pretty nifty, I think, and even if there were no extract() function built into the langua

The way PHP allows fluid, dynamic interaction with the symbol table is pretty nifty, I think, and even if there were no extract() function built into the language, you could implement it yourself out of other primitives. I'm not one that believes that any feature of a language that can be used in dangerous ways should be eliminated (anything can be dangerous). I just think extract() is one that you ought to think carefully about before using. This example ought to reinforce that.