The short answer is yes, they continue to wrap older code in new neatly-packaged libs and extensions. For recent examples, you can check out these links: http:

The short answer is yes, they continue to wrap older code in new neatly-packaged libs and extensions. For recent examples, you can check out these links: http://php.net/manual/en/migration54.classes.php http://php.net/manual/en/migration54.classes.php http://php.net/manual/en/migration53.classes.php http://php.net/manual/en/migration53.classes.php http://php.net/manual/en/migration53.new-extensions.php http://php.net/manual/en/migration53.new-extensions.php In 5.5 they didn't add a bunch of new extensions or classes, but they did add generators and finally. http://php.net/manual/en/migration55.new-features.php http://php.net/manual/en/migration55.new-features.php They haven't taken to packaging up arrays or strings yet, but I wouldn't doubt you'd see it over time.