title: Using explicitly numbered repetition instead of question mark, star and plus
body: <p>I've seen regex patterns that use explicitly numbered repetition instead of <code>?</code>, <code>*</code> and <code>+</code>, i.e.:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Explicit            Shorthand
  (something){0,1}    (something)?
  (something){1}      (something)
  (something){0,}     (something)*
  (something){1,}     (something)+
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The questions are:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Are these two forms identical? What if you add possessive/reluctant modifiers?</li>
  <li>If they are identical, which one is more idiomatic? More readable? Simply "better"?</li>
  </ul>