Zend Embraces PHP 5.4 and Delivers Entire Product Portfolio for Developers

CUPERTINO, CA — March 1, 2012 — Zend is embracing PHP 5.4 and delivering developer support of its entire product portfolio. This includes Zend Studio, Zend Server, Zend Framework and Zend Developer Cloud – and will enable users to immediately experience the new features and functionality of PHP 5.4 in the easiest way possible.

Developers who wish to experience the new features and capabilities of PHP 5.4 can also do so with minimal effort and for free via the Zend Developer Cloud, at http://my.phpcloud.com/ starting early next week.

PHP is an open-source dynamic language which powers more than one-third of the world’s Web workload and is used by approximately 5 million developers worldwide.  Version 5.4.0, announced by the PHP Group earlier this month, delivers major enhancements aimed at code quality, developer productivity, resource utilization, and internationalization support.

Some of the key benefits of PHP 5.4 include:

• Better density by accommodating up to 40% more concurrent users on the same server or cloud resources
• Out-of-the-box multibyte support for Asian languages without having to recompile PHP
• Significant enhancements in PHP syntax promote higher quality code and increased developer productivity
• New language features enable easier implementation of modern design patterns in Web frameworks and applications 
• Performance improvements throughout the PHP runtime
• Many additional improvements such as enhanced JSON support, a built-in Web Server for dev/test purposes, security improvements, and better file upload support

According to Zeev Suraski, CTO of Zend: “PHP 5.4 is a major step forward for PHP. The lower memory footprint and improved performance of the Zend Engine enable PHP apps to serve a larger amount of concurrent cloud-connected mobile and desktop devices. The latest PHP enhancements also significantly improve its elegance while removing deprecated functionality, resulting in a dramatic optimization of the runtime. As PHP developers take advantage of PHP 5.4, the benefits will be realized in new web, mobile and social apps deployed on-premise or in the cloud.”

About Zend Technologies

Zend is a partner to business for the rapid delivery of modern apps across mobile and cloud. We are the leading provider of software and services for developing, deploying and managing business-critical applications in PHP, which runs more than one-third of the world’s Web sites. Zend’s industry-leading PHP solutions, including Zend Server and Zend Studio, are deployed at more than 40,000 companies worldwide, providing a comprehensive solution for the entire application lifecycle. Learn more at www.zend.com.