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What is PHP
What is PHP, this page aims to answer this question and provide information on how to learn about it.
Since its creation by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994, PHP has developed considerably over the last decade. With is roots as a server-based scripting language used for reporting website activity is has become a highly evolved and powerful computer software language capable of driving most activities necessary to support web-based applications and internet commercial activity.
Possessing a comprehensive set of features, PHP is suitable to solve a wide range of programming problems from the smallest data extraction and print routine to a complex business system requiring as a minimum database services, authenticated login and high performance.
It's scripting hereditary has stayed with it through its development and made PHP easy to use and as such a popular choice for programming professionals. However, it has become more diverse over time as new functions and facilities have been added to the core functionality of the language.
PHP executes on the web-server as part of the processing flow and it can interact, many times, with other processing flows, normally HTTP. This ability to interact with HTTP enables the creation and delivery of a highly dynamic web site service for businesses, customers and other web users.
Learning PHP is not difficult as there are many providers of good PHP tutorials online. However, there is no substitute for experience and a good understanding of programming techniques is necessary in order to exploit the rich functionality of PHP. Like all programming languages, huge programming monoliths can be constructed but used effectivily PHP can be used to create highly structured, reusable and highly performant object-oriented code.
The very comprehensive set of documentation suitable for use by even the most inexperienced coder and its translation into many languages has also contributed to its success and adoption across the world.
Like most programming languages, PHP is extremely fussy and must be coded to a high degree of accuracy in both syntax and programming logic and again there are many good tools available that can aid and increase programming productivity in this area. It is recommended that a tool capable of both the basic programming functions and the important code management aspects that are associated with PHP application development is selected.
PHP has evolved into a highly successful and accepted programming language but it would be remiss not to mention the impact on this success that has arisen from the Open Source ownership of the language and it has clearly benefitted from not being maintained for commercial benefit by a strategic software vendor.