Re: The future of PHP

At 08:07 27-08-01, Robin Chen wrote:

This is very true. I have a few ideas that I want to sell, but the only way that I can do it with PHP is to give out the source, and the user is expected to know how to install PHP and set up the script. If I can compile the PHP script, then I can sell the executables. The users would only have to copy the package into a directory and use it like a cgi, and I won't have to worry about people looking into my codes. Having executable takes care of 2 concerns I have if I want to sell a solution. First, with an executable, users don't have to install PHP on their system to use my solutions. Second, users cannot see my code.

Executables that don't require PHP to be installed on the target machine are unlikely to ever happen, because going down that route, you end up losing many technical features that PHP offers you (performance, and certain degrees of functionality). Regarding source code hiding, you can use the Zend Encoder. Pricing wise, the lowest you can get it for right now is $50/month, which may be too high for certain developers. Zeev