PHP: HYPERTEXT PRE PROCESSOR BY: KAILA ULINE, HILARY PETROKUBI, HAIDAN HU, EMILY MARTIN

WHAT IS IT? Server sided scripting language used for dynamic web applications used on all major operating systems can output PDF, images, and flash movies can be used to connect to databases Open source software, free to download perform calculations collect user information MySQL database interaction

WHO DEVELOPED IT? Ramus Lerdof 1994 used for monitoring his online resume and other relater personal info. Personal Home Page one of first uses was to count the number of visitors the site received Ramus made PHP public  “ I sat down to solve a problem. Solving the problem by 5pm so you can go to a movie with your girlfriend.”  “ PHP is not very exciting and there isn’t actually much to it. It is a thin glue layer between your Web server and all the various things you might want your web server to talk to” -Ramus Lerdorf in interview with SitePoint

HISTORY Zeer Suraski + Andi Gutmas 1997 PHP/ F1 (Form Interpreter) became known as Hypertext Processor 1998 PHP 3: first widely used version 2000 PHP 4: improved speed and reliability Zend Engine July 2004 PHP 5: Zend Engine 2.0, improved object-oriented programming, supported MySQL features, better XML tools, integrated SOAP support. October 2006 PHP 6

CERTIFICATIONS The PHP certifcation requires skills in PHP and MySQL Taken over the Internet with 70 multiple choice questions to answer in 70 minutes. You must receive a 75% or higher to pass. How much do you know!?!

BEST PRACTICES Document your code well Use full PHP open tags Know different coding standards Use single quotes whenever you can!

RELATED TECHNOLOGIES Much of the syntax is borrowed from C Java and Perl so these are clear competitors However, these are general purpose scripting languages. PHP is geared toward the Web problem PHP was made by web designers for web designers The goal for this scripting language is to find the shortest path to solve problems on the web

WHO HAS PHP IN THEIR HANDS NOW? PHP is public! The founder says “The most important decision I made along the way was probably to give up control. To open up the project and give just about anybody who asked full access to the PHP sources. This brought in a lot of excellent talent, and people tended to feel a real sense of ownership.”

PHP GROWTH PHP began as a way to solve one mans problem After enlisting the help of others and going through the hands of hundreds of developers there are now over 9 MILLION DOMAINS using PHP It has been referred to as the “best alternative to Microsoft’s solutions for the Web PHP can plan on continuing to grow at a rapid pace as many developers, including the founder still develop it

LIMITATIONS 1. VIRUSES! When not coded properly, a hole in the functions can be exploited Can allow DOS attacks, PHP shells, and download exploits Can download software to protect from viruses 2. PHP will NOT give the performance of "C" or "C++" language 3.PHP is not 100% pure Object Oriented scripting language 4.It is not as mature as other languages Although the creator doesn’t seem to think so… People like PHP because it solves their Web problem. As such, I don’t see any weaknesses. It does the job it was designed to do.

THE FUTURE PHP may imitate most features of Java language. PHP has the potential for being the glue that binds the web together.

EXAMPLES