As one of the fastest growing web scripting languages today, PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) was designed in 1994 to enable creation of dynamic web pages with ease. PHP has grown by leaps and bounds and has been adopted by major vendors (such as Linux). It is easy to learn and works on a variety of operating systems. It's strong performance, and modest learning curve, has made it the language of choice for many vendors who want a cost-effective development solution for the web.
The main reason that developers choose PHP is its simplicity. Though PHP competes against a number of other solutions like ASP and PERL, none of these languages are as easy to learn as PHP. Some of these languages require a good amount of programming knowledge. But even non-programmers have been able to develop web-based solutions within days after skimming through some basic tutorials on PHP. PHP commands are just embedded into the same web page with HTML commands, and executed on the server to deliver the web pages.
Another big advantage of PHP is that it is an open source product with a huge developer community. This means that there is a large network of developers who can refine PHP periodically. Since 1994, developers have created a large library of useful add-ins to make PHP more powerful than ever. PHP has support for native databases among many other "plug and play" features that allow users to exploit the language to its fullest.
Another facet of the language is its interoperability with multiple operating systems. A company can use PHP with Windows, Linux, or Macs. You could also use PHP with the reputed open source Apache server. If you compare that with Microsoft's Active Server Pages, which is mainly designed for Microsoft-enabled servers, you witness a stark contrast. Portability has become a chief concern for businesses that use more than one operating system in their businesses.
The internet effect of all of this is rapid application development for developers. This is doubly important for the web, where businesses must develop web-based applications that can respond to the real-time demands of e-Commerce. This is where PHP scores, and scores heavily. These are just some of the many reasons why developers and businesses alike have taken to PHP in such huge numbers.
Another big advantage of PHP is that it is an open source product with a huge developer community. This means that there is a large network of developers who can refine PHP periodically. Since 1994, developers have created a large library of useful add-ins to make PHP more powerful than ever. PHP has support for native databases among many other "plug and play" features that allow users to exploit the language to its fullest.
Another facet of the language is its interoperability with multiple operating systems. A company can use PHP with Windows, Linux, or Macs. You could also use PHP with the reputed open source Apache server. If you compare that with Microsoft's Active Server Pages, which is mainly designed for Microsoft-enabled servers, you witness a stark contrast. Portability has become a chief concern for businesses that use more than one operating system in their businesses.
The internet effect of all of this is rapid application development for developers. This is doubly important for the web, where businesses must develop web-based applications that can respond to the real-time demands of e-Commerce. This is where PHP scores, and scores heavily. These are just some of the many reasons why developers and businesses alike have taken to PHP in such huge numbers.
