PHP: an HTML Preprocessor

PHP has long been described as, "A server-side HTML-embedded scripting language". This description will tell most people what to expect from PHP. In trying to come up with a better meaning for the PHP acronym we have to realize where the expanded acronym will be used. Magazine articles, press releases and other marketing-oriented writing likes to expand acronyms for their readers, and as such it is important that the expanded acronym carries as much information as possible targeted at the widest audience possible.

The word, "Preprocessor" is a bit technical, but it conveys the idea that the language does its job before something else happens. The word, "HTML" tells the reader that this is what is preprocessed and that whatever is being preprocessed is likely inside the HTML. I just called HTML a word. Obviously it is an acronym, but in common speech it is a word. Nobody says "Hypertext Markup Language". I think it is important to have HTML in the name because the average weekend web warrior knows what HTML is.

Using the word, "Hypertext" in its place is an option, but I feel it dilutes the meaning. Technically PHP isn't just used to create HTML, it can also spit out images or any other data stream you can think of. By that logic we might use the word "Hypermedia" instead of "Hypertext" since Hypertext also doesn't fully cover the types of things PHP can produce. On the other hand, HTML doesn't just refer to the source file type, but also to the style of the tags used to embed PHP. Whether the actual file is XML or whatever, PHP uses HTML-style tags to weave its magic. The output datastream is irrelevant. The preprocessing and embedding is done HTML-style no matter how you twist and turn things. Even if you have a file full of XML tags which produces a video stream, the PHP component will be in HTML-style tags.

HTML-embedded scripting is the heart and soul of PHP and the acronym should reflect this.

Rasmus

Why not go with PHP: HTML Preprocessor

• Having two acronyms, one after the other, looks and sounds bad. Plenty of block letters, plenty of letters to spell out when reading the name.
• In the not-so-far future, PHP will probably be used to work with other languages (e.g. XML). However, it'll still be primarily used in the web environment and will probably still be dealing with hypertext. That means HTML will be a bad name, whereas Hypertext would still be OK.

Why go with PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

• Basically, the opposites of the above reason. Hypertext is a word that sounds and looks ok. It also covers a lot more than HTML does. Even though half of HTML is 'HyperText', if we 'hardcode' HTML in the name, it'll seem as if the language is limited to working with this language only. With hypertext, this is not the case.
• I doubt there are any webmasters who don't know what hypertext is, and that HTML is hypertext. The 'HTML is more familiar than Hypertext' doesn't cut it as a reason, IMHO.

Now, the third option mentioned by Rasmus, suggested by Stig Bakken, is also a valid option. 'PHP: Hypermedia Preprocessor' would definitely be the most accurate meaning from among the three options, since it also covers other types of output that PHP sometimes generates, like GD graphics. It doesn't suffer from the problems with 'PHP: HTML Preprocessor', but on the other hand, I've personally never heard that word before in my life, and I suspect there are plenty of other people in the same situation.

Another problem with it, IMHO, is that my first association with Hypermedia was Multimedia (and actually, that is the meaning), and if we say that PHP is a Multimedia Preprocessor, we'll appear to be boasting in something that we fail to deliver. Even though there are scripts that output content other than text/html, like GD graphics, these are fairly rare. Also, when the multimedia buzzword comes up, people usually think about video and sound, and PHP is almost never used in conjunction with those.

Zeev

To sum up view #1:

1. Any name with "Hyper" anywhere in it sounds bad. It is in the same class as "Cyber" and "Ultra" in that they are overused and trite.
2. Regardless of the state of XML or whatever else comes along in the future PHP is a embedded language HTML-style.
3. HTML-embedded scripting is the heart and soul of PHP and the name should reflect this.

To sum up view #2:

1. PHP: HTML Preprocessor sounds and looks bad, like just about any other two acronyms glued together. The 'any name with hyper in it sounds bad' view, on the other hand, is 'somewhat' un-understandable, IMHO.
2. In the near, hardcoding HTML in the name would mean we cover less than 99% of the market (when XML kicks in).
3. Hypertext Preprocessor looks and sounds better, and covers >99% of the market, and will probably continue to do so when XML is used.
4. Hypermedia Preprocessor also looks OK, but the word is a bit obscure, and the meaning covers around 200% of the market (that is, it also covers plenty of things that PHP isn't used for).