1. To change how the linked_list is ordered will break backwards compatibility for any scripts which rely on order.
Which is why I have stated many times that you should not depend on the order of hash table items.
2. To not allow slots = 1 will break backwards compatibility for any scripts which rely on slots = 1 being ordered e.g. for queuing / stacks.
Again, same as above.
3. If you move an item in the linked-list, then you will also change the position in iterable use so e.g. $hget(table,11).item will suddenly become $hget(table,1).item, and this will break backwards compatibility.
Yes, as above again.
4. In real-world use of hash tables, is there any evidence that moving the most recently accessed item to the beginning of the linked list will improve performance?
It is an optimization that is generally recommended to speed up access for items that are retrieved more often than others.
If I decide to make my hash table implementation return items in a specific order in particular contexts, this means that I will need to support this in all future hash table improvements, or if/when I change to a new/better hash table implementation. That simply is not practical. Especially since I have repeatedly said, many times, you should not depend on the hash table preserving order since that is not a normal feature of hash tables.
