PHP becomes a complex language with each update. For what reason? Its application is still limited to the web, mostly.
I downvoted you before reading the fine article. I'm back to correct that. The new array_first() and array_last() functions are nice, everything else is either reimplantation of existing features or "features"which will make maintainability more difficult. The pipe operator is one such example. I don't need it - these nested methods are not really an issue in any codebase I've seen. The new syntax only works for unar…
md5($password)
|> sha1(...)
|> sha1(...)
|> md5(...)
|> rot13(...)
|> crc32(...)