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Wordpress kind of makes me realize how incredible PHP is. It's a 'program of pages.' Which can basically hot swap update itself as it runs. You can download plu
by pixie_ 13y ago
Wordpress kind of makes me realize how incredible PHP is. It's a 'program of pages.' Which can basically hot swap update itself as it runs. You can download plug-ins in the control panel and extend the functionality of your site instantly. I still get mixed up trying to wrap my head around it even after 15 years of using it. It's a program that exists in different files that can be updated individually while the program itself is used. Most of the 'state' is temporary or stored in dedicated memcaches or databases. It makes you wonder what if other applications were written in a PHP style structure - what would that be like?
- jacques_chester 13y agoPHP succeeded in part over mod_perl because of the very statelessness you describe. State is delegated to a database or a memory caching service; each request is answered from scratch. mod_perl allowed programmers to sink their application code deep into the guts of Apache. In retrospect, this turned out to be a dead-end because it is difficult to install, difficult to update and difficult to scale up. PHP's lack of power and low cost of operation ("here's your FTP account, have fun") made it much more attractive to shared hosts. In short, operational advantages outweighed programming advantages.
- teddyh 13y agoThat would be a Lisp Machine or a Smalltalk environment.