If you use 32bit version of PHP then of course you will run into this problem. But 32bit versions are used infrequently now, and this is a known limitation. As far as I know, these functions have no issues with year 2038 in 64bit. My point is that these functions work fine and the fact that 32bit is limited isn't a very good reason to deprecate them. If anything, it's a reason to deprecate 32bit versions.
Future dates aren't an alien concept. Applications must already account for the year 2038 problem today. PHP has handled this issue a long time ago. If PHP users who use the 32bit version are not ok with this limitation, then they must make an effort to migrate to 64bit architecture.
