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Here’s a summary of updates for PHP on Windows for January 2010.

January 2010 – Summary

· PHP 5.2.12 has shipped

· Windows Azure support added in Zend Framework

· FastCGI 1.5 RTW has shipped

· WinCache Extension 1.0.1 for PHP has shipped

PHP Core – PHP 5.2.12 release

The PHP 5.2.12 has been released and is available on http://windows.php.net and is also offered via Web Platform Installer. The release has more than 60 bug fixes, some of which are security related.

Further details about the PHP 5.2.12 release can be found in the release announcement, and the full list of changes are available in the ChangeLog.

FastCGI Extension 1.5 for IIS 6.0 and IIS 5.1

IIS team has released to web FastCGI Extension 1.5 for IIS 6.0 and IIS 5.1. This version is based on FastCGI Extension 1.0 and it adds several important improvements and features, including most notably:

· Monitor changes to a file. The extension can be configured to listen for file change notifications on a specific file and when that file changes, the extension will recycle FastCGI processes for the process pool. This feature can be used to recycle PHP processes when changes to php.ini file occur.

· Real-time tuning of MaxInstances setting. This MaxInstances setting dictates the maximum number of FastCGI processes which can be launched for each application pool. If it is set to 0 then FastCGI extension will automatically adjust the number of instances up or down every few seconds based on the system load and number of requests waiting in the queue.

More details about the FastCGI Extension 1.5 can be found in the release announcement.

Windows Cache Extension for PHP

WinCache 1.0.1 – Servicing Release

IIS team has released an update to Wincache 1.0. The update fixes several important bugs reported by customers. More details about WinCache 1.0.1 servicing release can be found in the release announcement. The update can be downloaded from here. The source code is available on pecl.php.net.

PHP Interoperability

New version of Zend Framework adds support for Microsoft Windows Azure

Zend Technologies Inc. has announced the availability of Zend Framework 1.10, which among other new features includes support for Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services. We’re very excited about this key milestone, which is the result of a fruitful collaboration! This particular project started last year when we announced the Windows Azure SDK for PHP CTP release and upcoming support in Zend Framework. With the new Zend Framework 1.10, by simply using the new Zend_Service_WindowsAzure component, developers can easily call Windows Azure APIs from their PHP applications and leverage the storage services, including Blob Storage, Table Storage and Queue Service, offering them a way to accelerate web application development and scale up on demand.

More: http://blogs.msdn.com/interoperability/archive/2010/01/28/new-version-of-zend-framework-adds-support-for-microsoft-windows-azure.aspx

Tutorial: Creating PHP CRUD Apps with SQL Server on your Server or in the Azure Cloud

Do you know PHP and have data in a Microsoft SQL Server database? Well we have an application wizard that will make your lives a little easier. The project, open source and hosted on CodePlex, will help you build a simple CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) application that works against Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Azure and Windows Azure Storage. The application is installable on Windows and supports data navigation, paging, sorting and UI customization using simple CSS.

More http://blogs.msdn.com/interoperability/archive/2010/01/06/creating-php-crud-apps-with-sql-server-on-your-server-or-in-the-azure-cloud.aspx

Enabling PHP Applications on Windows

Windows Web Application Gallery

The XOOPS (Japanese) has been added to the Web Application Gallery and is available for download via Web Platform Installer.

The following applications in Web Application Gallery have been updated to their latest versions:

· WordPress (English and Japanese) – 2.9.1

· MySQL – 5.1.43

· SugarCRM – 5.5

· Moodle – 1.9

Here’s a quick run down on the features.

• Monitor changes to a file (php.ini as an example). Will recycle FastCGI processes for the process pool.
• Real-time tuning of MaxInstances setting. Set by default now.
• STDERR stream handling.
• Sending a termination signal to FastCGI processes for cleaner shutdowns.
• _FCGI_X_PIPE_ environment variable for communication between the extension and FastCGI process.
• Relaxed enforcement of response headers syntax.
• Per-application FastCGI process pools. Allows for two different PHP version used for different applications within the same web site.
• Using UTF-8 encoding for server variable values.
• More descriptive error messages
• Changes in default values for configuration settings.

For more detailed information please visit Ruslan’s blog on this release: http://blogs.iis.net/ruslany/archive/2010/01/18/fastcgi-extension-1-5-for-iis-5-1-and-iis-6-0-rtw.aspx

If you have technical questions visit the IIS forum. http://forums.iis.net/t/1164235.aspx

In case you missed it, the SQL Server Driver for PHP 1.1 is now available for download with support for SQL Azure as well. The download is available via the MSDN download site.   The source code for the driver is posted on the CodePlex site.

Microsoft SQL Server Driver for PHP Team Blog : SQL Server Driver for PHP 1.1 is now available

Download Here: http://bit.ly/f9tSV

This was noted at ZendCon last week.  Here’s the official link for download.  

Windows Azure Tools for Eclipse

In partnership with Marco Tabini and Associates (MTA) (php|architect; CodeWorks; php|tek), we are excited to announce the launch of The Great PHP on Windows contest. Do you have what it takes to win? Of course you do .

You are encouraged to leverage existing open-source libraries and applications, including blogs engines, forums, photo galleries and other platform/components as part of your submission.

For complete details visit http://phparch.com/win

The Quick Summary:

• Write a new application designed to run in PHP on Windows using IIS—or make a significant contribution to an existing open-source project along the same lines
• The best application, selected jointly by a panel of experts and by our readers, will win a grand prize
  which includes a 52″ Digital HD home entertainment system, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to php|tek 2010 in Chicago. Runner-up prizes include 2 XBox 360 Ultimate and subscriptions to php|architect.
• Not familiar with Windows? No worries—we have partnered with Applied Innovations to give you absolutely free hosting on a pre-configured virtual machine for the duration of the contest.
• Registration and submissions for the contest will be accepted October 19^th, 2009 through February 28^th, 2010 and with judging and public voting will occur March 1^st – 31^st.
• For the duration of the contest, Applied Innovations will provide free web hosting to all participants (shared) and a free VM to the first 60 participants who register.
• Contest is open to all U.S. residents excluding MTA, Applied Innovations, and Microsoft employees and affiliated individuals. (MTA is the official sponsor with AppliedI and Microsoft as promotion entities.)

The contest is open to residents of the United States only—but you can still win by voting, no matter where you are.

 Good Luck!

We announced the WebsiteSpark Program for professional Web Developers and Designers at no upfront cost!  If you have 10 or fewer employees, learn more and sign up if you qualify! Website Spark is also making news. Here’s a link to a couple of articles in PCWorld and Tech Crunch.

I’ve outlined the program below, but please go to the site for additional details.

What does the program provide?

WebSiteSpark provides software licenses that you can use for three years at no cost.  Once enrolled, you can download and immediately use the following software from Microsoft:

• 3 licenses of Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
• 1 license of Expression Studio 3 (which includes Expression Blend, Sketchflow, and Web)
• 2 licenses of Expression Web 3
• 4 processor licenses of Windows Web Server 2008 R2
• 4 processor licenses of SQL Server 2008 Web Edition
• DotNetPanel control panel (enabling easy remote/hosted management of your servers)

The Windows Server and SQL Server licenses can be used for both development and production deployment.  You can either self-host the servers on your own, or use the licenses with a hoster.  WebsiteSpark makes it easy to find hosters who are also enrolled in the program, and who can use your licenses to provide you with either dedicated or virtual dedicated servers to host your sites on.

In addition to software, WebsiteSpark provides partner opportunities to grow and build your business (including customer referrals through our partner programs).  It also includes product support (including 2 professional support incidents) and free online training for the products.

Who can join the program?

WebSiteSpark is available to independent web developers and small web development companies.  The only two requirements to join the program are:

1. Your company builds web sites and web application on behalf of others.
2. Your company currently has less than 10 employees.

If you meet these requirements you can visit the WebsiteSpark website and sign-up today. 

As part of the enrollment process you can pick either a network referral partner (for example: a hoster or an existing Microsoft partner), or enter a referral code that you have received at an event or from a Microsoft employee.  If you send mail to webspark@microsoft.com you can get a referral code quickly.  You can then use that code to enroll in the program on the WebsiteSpark website.  Once enrolled you can immediately download and use the software, as well as begin to participate in the network/partner opportunities.

If you have any problems enrolling, you can also send me mail (wesy@microsoft.com) and I can connect you with someone who can help. 

What happens after the 3 years?

WebsiteSpark is a 3 year program.  There is no obligation to continue to use any of the software after the three years is over, and there are no costs for the three years other than a $100 program fee at the end of the three years.

At the end of the three years, WebsiteSpark participants can optionally choose to purchase all of the software in the WebsiteSpark program via a $999/year package.  This includes 3 copies of VS Professional, 1 copy of Expression Studio (including Blend and Sketchflow), 2 copies of Expression Web, and 4 processor licenses of Windows Web Server 2008 and 4 processor licenses of SQL Server Web edition that can be used for production deployment.

Alternatively, if you want to purchase only the production server licenses, you can take advantage of a $199/year offering that includes both 1 Windows Web Server processor license and 1 SQL Server Web edition processor license.  You can buy the quantity you need of this package at $199/year each. 

Summary

The WebsiteSpark program joins the other two successful “Spark” programs we’ve previously launched – BizSpark for startups, and DreamSpark for students.

Coming at a time when the current economic climate is still tough, WebsiteSpark will help support developers and companies by providing the business resources, training, and software necessary for companies to get started and grow successful businesses on the Microsoft Web Platform.

Visit www.microsoft.com/web to learn more about the Microsoft Web Platform, as well as download and install the new Microsoft Web Platform Installer V2 we released today – which makes it really easy to quickly provision web servers and web development machines.  You can then browse and download and use open source web applications from the Windows Web Application Gallery.

We’re very pleased to announce the launch of the Web Platform Installer 2.0! 

Since we released Web PI 1.0 Beta, just a year ago, we have seen phenomenal success and customer appreciation for simplifying how you find and install the Microsoft Web Platform.  With this RTW launch of our 2.0 product we feel excited and confident that we have a solution that our partners, field, and communities can use to make getting the Microsoft Web Platform easier than ever.

• What’s new?  Highlights of the 2.0 release include: installing popular community ASP.NET and PHP applications, localization into 9 languages, and the expansion to include more scenarios around Media, Dev Tools, and Enterprise.
• Gotta have it!  1 MILLION downloads.  Over the past 12 months we have seen over 1 million downloads of Web PI, over 4.6 million downloads of Platform products and over 840,000 downloads of Web applications. 
• What are people saying?  “Saves so much time and hassle!” “one stop shopping” “attraction to the Web Platform installer was straight forward”

Install the Web Platform Installer RTW today and let us know what you think! 

I attended Cal Evans – “Five Things I Wished They Told Me” at Codeworks SF today.  I liked the presentation because it gave me insight about the PHP community. There were 22 people attending the session and I would speculate that the room included inexperienced and experienced PHP developers. The session certainly provided the framework (small “f”) to better understand the PHP community. I like the format and I can easily see how this can be carried over to other languages/frameworks. I’ve pasted an edited version of my notes below, so if I have made omissions or errors they are the fault of the author not Cal .

Frameworks

• Learn a Framework
• Frameworks exist for a reason
• Prototype however you want, but build production systems on a framework
• Frameworks are just tools – use one that works for you.

Frameworks – The Big 3

• Zend Framework
• Symfony
• CakePHP

Frameworks – The Second Tier

• Solar
• CodeIgniter (issue: it’s based on PHP 4 and 5. Code  forked as Kohana which is migrating purely to PHP 5)
• Agavi – starting to get traction in the community

Frameworks with Benefits

• Content Management
  • Drupal
  • Joomal
  • WordPress
• E-Commerce
  • Magneto
  • OSCommerce
• Qualities to Look for in Frameworks:
  • Community (Zend, Cake and Symfony have ery large communities) – active IRC, mailing lists, twitter etc.
  • Completeness – does it provide all the tools that are needed
  • Documentation (ie. Zend framework)
  • Unit Test Coverage 
  • IP Ownership (who owns it? Be aware of IP and ask the question – are you comfortable with it)
• Choose the Best Tool for the Job
  • Ex. If you are Symfony programmer – and a customer says "I need a blog" should I code one or implement WordPress?
  • Ex. WordPress is a framework with benefits – lots of hooks to the api’s or plug-ins etc.
• PHP is not <language x>
  • PHP is not Java
    • No Compiler
    • Both object and procedure based
    • No main()
    • No application server
  • PHP is not perl
    • PHP started as a series of scripts in perl
    • PHP is loosely typed
    • PHP is easier to read
  • PHP is not C#
    • PHP is cross platform
    • PHP works with multiple web servers
    • Not built for a specific framework (ie. ASP.NET)
  • PHP is not <insert favorite language>
    • PHP is no better or worse than any of these languages
    • PHP is the only language developed to solve web based problems
  • PHP is not <insert favorite language>
    • PHP is easy
    • PHP is complex
    • Great tool because you can start with the easy and get complex
  • Learn where to get help
    • Conferences
      • Php|tek (beg – adv.)
      • Dutch PHP Conference (very advanced )
      • ZendCon (targeted at directors, team leads, player coaches) Business Oriented
    • Value of conference is building relationships
  • Infrastructure & Support
    • Understanding is needed at levels of the stack (NOS, Web Server, etc.)
    • Support Choices and Comfort Levels
      • Vendor/Enterprise Support
      • Community Support
      • Updates

Yesterday Microsoft release a new open source project that bridges PHP and .NET using REST.  If you’re interested in getting more information please follow this link to codeplex.

Yesterday we announced the availability of the free trial of Microsoft SQL  Azure Community Technology Preview (CTP). SQL Azure Database is a cloud based service built on technologies from MS SQL Server. This will allow for pay-as-you-go and provide enterprise class availability and data protection.

One of the primary goals of the Windows Azure Platform is to ensure that PHP developers can take advantage of SQL Server or SQL Azure Database. Yesterday, the CTP for the SQL Server Driver for PHP was released and available for download.

SQL Azure CTP Download

SQL Server Driver for PHP 1.1 CTP Download