function unserialize(data){
    // Takes a string representation of variable and recreates it
    //
    // version: 903.3016
    // discuss at: http://phpjs.org/functions/unserialize
    // +     original by: Arpad Ray (mailto:arpad@php.net)
    // +     improved by: Pedro Tainha (http://www.pedrotainha.com)
    // +     bugfixed by: dptr1988
    // +      revised by: d3x
    // +     improved by: Kevin van Zonneveld (http://kevin.vanzonneveld.net)
    // +      input by: Brett Zamir (http://brett-zamir.me)
    // +   improved by: Kevin van Zonneveld (http://kevin.vanzonneveld.net)
    // %            note: We feel the main purpose of this function should be to ease the transport of data between php & js
    // %            note: Aiming for PHP-compatibility, we have to translate objects to arrays
    // *       example 1: unserialize('a:3:{i:0;s:5:"Kevin";i:1;s:3:"van";i:2;s:9:"Zonneveld";}');
    // *       returns 1: ['Kevin', 'van', 'Zonneveld']
    // *       example 2: unserialize('a:3:{s:9:"firstName";s:5:"Kevin";s:7:"midName";s:3:"van";s:7:"surName";s:9:"Zonneveld";}');
    // *       returns 2: {firstName: 'Kevin', midName: 'van', surName: 'Zonneveld'}
    var error = function (type, msg, filename, line){throw new this.window[type](msg, filename, line);};
    var read_until = function (data, offset, stopchr){
        var buf = [];
        var chr = data.slice(offset, offset + 1);
        var i = 2;
        while (chr != stopchr) {
            if ((i+offset) > data.length) {
                error('Error', 'Invalid');
            }
            buf.push(chr);
            chr = data.slice(offset + (i - 1),offset + i);
            i += 1;
        }
        return [buf.length, buf.join('')];
    };
    var read_chrs = function (data, offset, length){
        var buf;

        buf = [];
        for(var i = 0;i < length;i++){
            var chr = data.slice(offset + (i - 1),offset + i);
            buf.push(chr);
        }
        return [buf.length, buf.join('')];
    };
    var _unserialize = function (data, offset){
        var readdata;
        var readData;
        var chrs = 0;
        var ccount;
        var stringlength;
        var keyandchrs;
        var keys;

        if(!offset) {offset = 0;}
        var dtype = (data.slice(offset, offset + 1)).toLowerCase();

        var dataoffset = offset + 2;
        var typeconvert = new Function('x', 'return x');

        switch(dtype){
            case 'i':
                typeconvert = function (x) {return parseInt(x, 10);};
                readData = read_until(data, dataoffset, ';');
                chrs = readData[0];
                readdata = readData[1];
                dataoffset += chrs + 1;
            break;
            case 'b':
                typeconvert = function (x) {return parseInt(x, 10) == 1;};
                readData = read_until(data, dataoffset, ';');
                chrs = readData[0];
                readdata = readData[1];
                dataoffset += chrs + 1;
            break;
            case 'd':
                typeconvert = function (x) {return parseFloat(x);};
                readData = read_until(data, dataoffset, ';');
                chrs = readData[0];
                readdata = readData[1];
                dataoffset += chrs + 1;
            break;
            case 'n':
                readdata = null;
            break;
            case 's':
                ccount = read_until(data, dataoffset, ':');
                chrs = ccount[0];
                stringlength = ccount[1];
                dataoffset += chrs + 2;

                readData = read_chrs(data, dataoffset+1, parseInt(stringlength, 10));
                chrs = readData[0];
                readdata = readData[1];
                dataoffset += chrs + 2;
                if(chrs != parseInt(stringlength, 10) && chrs != readdata.length){
                    error('SyntaxError', 'String length mismatch');
                }
            break;
            case 'a':
                readdata = {};

                keyandchrs = read_until(data, dataoffset, ':');
                chrs = keyandchrs[0];
                keys = keyandchrs[1];
                dataoffset += chrs + 2;

                for(var i = 0;i < parseInt(keys, 10);i++){
                    var kprops = _unserialize(data, dataoffset);
                    var kchrs = kprops[1];
                    var key = kprops[2];
                    dataoffset += kchrs;

                    var vprops = _unserialize(data, dataoffset);
                    var vchrs = vprops[1];
                    var value = vprops[2];
                    dataoffset += vchrs;

                    readdata[key] = value;
                }

                dataoffset += 1;
            break;
            default:
                error('SyntaxError', 'Unknown / Unhandled data type(s): ' + dtype);
            break;
        }
        return [dtype, dataoffset - offset, typeconvert(readdata)];
    };
    return _unserialize(data, 0)[2];
}