PHP Explains the Server Side

PHP's July 1998 page announces that PHP 3.0 Final is out, then asks the basic question: what is PHP? The answer is practical: a server-side, HTML-embedded scripting language, rewritten to be faster, more robust, and less memory hungry than PHP/FI 2.0.

The page also explains cost with a smile. PHP costs nothing, can be used commercially or non-commercially, and belongs to the world of open source software.

That tone matters. PHP did not present itself as an abstract computer science object. It presented itself as something web builders could use immediately, inspect directly, and share freely.

Historically, this page captures the rise of dynamic websites as an everyday craft. The web was moving beyond static documents, and PHP offered a bridge: put logic inside pages, connect sites to data, and make servers respond. The modern web's messier, livelier back rooms are already visible here.