PHP is one of the most important programming languages out there and it certainly plays a huge role in web development. For one thing, while you certainly can use PHP scripting for other applications than web development, it’s primary use is still to develop creative websites.
Programmers have a sense of humor that is based on non sequiturs and recursiveness. This is why, like Linux or WINE, PHP is a recursive acronym. While it originally stood for Personal Home Page, now the acronym stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.
Why You Should Use PHP scripting to develop Your Websites
There is a number of arguments to go in favor of PHP scripting. First of all, its popularity serves to attest to its quality and customizableness. You can accomplish pretty much anything you set your mind to with PHP.
But let’s say you’re not convinced by its mass appeal. Good for you, you need stronger arguments than that. Well, there is a number of major selling points that make PHP scripting stand out from other web programming languages.
Firstly, PHP scripting is free.
This means PHP is completely, 100% free. You just install it on your PC and you’re good to go work on your website.
Second, PHP is unrestricted.
You can use it in any way you can think of and nobody will come along to tell you you can’t do that. That goes for a lot in a fluid field, like web design is.
Third, PHP scripting will help you cut on your expenses.
When using .NET, you need to pay extra for the server. This is not the case with PHP, where you can use Linux or Apache servers for free and cut your overhead expenses while you’re at it.
Fourth, PHP supports many database options,
from MSSQL and IBM to DB2 and Oracle OC18.
Fifth, and finally, PHP is easy.
Mastery, as is the case with any other programming language, difficult and takes a lot of work. Still, PHP scripting is easy to learn, especially if you’re coming to it from a background like C or C++, as its syntax is very similar to that of these two languages. And even if you have no prior programming experience, this type of syntax is easy to learn.
What’s New With PHP scripting by Themes Mill
This summer, the folks over at PHP.net released the latest PHP distribution, PHP 5.5. This introduced a whole lot of new features, of which we will discuss generators, password hashing and the introduction of the finally keyword.
Finally, PHP 5.5 introduces the finally keyword, that makes exception handling that much easier. It allows developers to specify code to be run at the end of try and catch blocks, regardless of any exceptions those blocks may or may not have thrown out.