Partying with PHP on Windows

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So I have a ReMIX confession to make.  I was originally scheduled to deliver a session at ReMIX called "Partying with PHP on Windows".  With all of the behind the scenes work going on, I just wouldn't have had time to prepare a great session.  Instead, I passed my speaking slot over to my colleague David Isbitski who did a great session on User Experience in the Enterprise.

However, the PHP on Windows story has been one of interest to me lately.  Last year, Microsoft announced a collaboration with the folks at Zend to enable PHP to run better on Windows.  Another colleague of mine, Joe Stagner, is a PHP-guy at heart, and works closely with the Microsoft team that is partnering with Zend.  He spoke at the Zend Conference in California last week where Microsoft & Zend announced some more goodies for PHP on Windows:

  • Zend has committed to redistributing FastCGI (the component that makes PHP run well on IIS) in Zend Core, its certified PHP 5 offering.
  • Zend will ensure Zend Core works on the streamlined "Server Core" installation of Windows Server 2008.
  • Microsoft and Zend will collaborate to implement support for Information Cards on PHP. This will enable PHP developers to easily support indentification & authentication, including single sign-on, for a broad range of Web site users, including those using Windows CardSpace.
  • Microsoft will release a PHP driver for SQL Server 2005.

For more details on these announcements, check out Joe's blog post.

And BTW, if you're interested in the "Partying with PHP" session, you can view the recording from the original Mix conference, delivered by Joe, here.