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Rasmus Lerdorf

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description Rasmus Lerdorf Overview

Rasmus Lerdorf is a Danish-Canadian programmer who created the PHP scripting language in 1994. He originally developed PHP as a set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries in C to track visits to his personal website. Over time, these tools evolved into a widely deployed server-side programming language that powers major web platforms like WordPress. He continues to contribute to the PHP development community.

help Rasmus Lerdorf FAQ

What programming language did Rasmus Lerdorf create?

Rasmus Lerdorf is a Danish-Canadian programmer who created the PHP scripting language in 1994. He originally developed it as a set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries written in C.

Why did Rasmus Lerdorf originally build PHP?

He originally developed the tools to track visits to his personal online resume and website. Over time, these early tracking tools evolved into a widely deployed server-side web scripting language.

Did Rasmus Lerdorf work for any major tech companies?

Yes, he has held significant engineering roles at several major tech companies, including Yahoo and Etsy. He spent several years at Yahoo as an infrastructure architect.

What is Rasmus Lerdorf's stance on modern PHP frameworks?

Lerdorf has historically been vocal about keeping PHP simple and has occasionally criticized overly complex frameworks. He has worked extensively on later versions of the language, like PHP 7, to focus heavily on raw performance improvements.