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Traditionally, developers have used CGI (Common Gateway Interface) scripts for interaction with users, querying databases, and so forth. However, because CGI scripts are separate software programs that get executed as stand-alone processes whenever a user requests the script, scalability is lacking – CGI scripts could quickly consume all available memory and CPU power.
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Enter PHP: Rasmus Lerdorf, a then Toronto-based IT-consultant, developed it in late 1994 as a quick hack to embed macros into HTML pages, to avoid the forking of external programs. When he decided to make his project open source, it proved to be popular, and users started to contribute to it. In 1997, Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans, two developers from Israel, rewrote the core engine of PHP, the language parser, and made a complete programming language out of a pet project. The current rewrite, PHP 4.0, is again much cleaner, especially with complex scripts and when used in business environments.
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Welcome to the World of PHP provides a more comprehensive introductory overview of PHP.
