Re: Fwd: Re: [PHP-GTK] Binary Files

On Monday 05 March 2001 09:24, Iuri Fiedoruk wrote: > Some time ago, I was reading a text on zend with explained php. > On the beggining it said that php was a real language (and not a script > one) because php4 even compiled .php files once they where called by the > web-server, after compiling it executed the file instead of using > interpreting mode. > So if php compiles internally the php files, there's not much problem on > compile as a executable file (I think). > I am right? Actually its a little bit more complex than that... PHP is a "real" language because it has a structure and a grammer and a full set of programming features and functions (actually rather advanced compared to many languages I work with). It is a compiled language because Zend does compile it and can even optimize the compiled code. It is also an interpreted language because the Zend output is not pure machine code, but rather an intermediate pseudo code that needs to be interpreted. So while you can't compile and link php the way you would a C program, you could wrap the compiled psuedo code with a stub module to a run time environment the way java or VB do, provided an arrangement with Zend for licensing the run time enviroment is worked out. -- Andrew Lawrence Smoke & Mirrors http://www.smoke-and-mirrors.net Tel: 416 461-8708 Fax: 416 461-1758