Zend Technologies, the PHP company, has announced a new version of Zend Core, the industryÆs leading PHP distribution. Zend Core 2.0 is based on PHP 5.2.1 and complements PHP with enhancements to improve development, deepen database support, enhance Windows integration, and provide enterprise-class support. Zend Core is available for free and can be downloaded at www.zend.com/core.

PHP is the popular open source language used to create over 20 million websites, from simple personal sites to advanced Web 2.0 and enterprise web applications. The ability to quickly and easily create and modify PHP sites has fueled its success and helped attract a worldwide community of over 4.5 million developers. Large, established technology vendors, like IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, have embraced PHP and work with Zend to optimize PHP for each companyÆs products.

Zend Core 2.0 makes it possible to deploy business-critical PHP applications efficiently and with confidence. Main elements include:

• Certified PHP, extensions, database drivers, web services support and all other components required to run professional applications.
• Delivery of one stop installation of the full PHP application stack, including web server, database, extensions, and PHP framework, and makes it very easy to adjust and tune a configuration to meet oneÆs specific needs.
• The Zend Network Updater that lets users apply bug fixes and security patches as they become available. This is a critical requirement to keep PHP applications operating reliably and securely.
• Support programs for Zend Core 2.0 users starting at $295 per year per server for web support. Programs with phone support for business hours and 24x7 are also available.

As a special introduction, Zend offers the Zend Network Updater service free of charge until April 30 to all users of Zend Core. This promotion enables users to experience how easy it is to keep a PHP configuration in top condition.

"PHP is increasingly used for web applications that represent significant business value to their organizations," said Mark de Visser, chief marketing officer at Zend Technologies. "With Zend Core 2.0, these organizations can be sure that they deploy the most up-to-date and secure solution stack in the market and that they can maintain that reliability with ease." Among the new features in version 2.0 of Zend Core are:

• Improved Windows Performance and Reliability
  • Technical improvements, now included in PHP 5.2.1
  • Overall performance improvements at 200-300%
  • Zend Enabler, improved FastCGI for IIS, now with Vista support
• Zend Framework Included
  • Highly successful PHP MVC framework
  • Version 0.8 included now, with updates as it moves to version 1.0
• MySQL 5.0 Included
  • MySQL Community Edition included for simplified installation and superior performance
• Universal Database Support
  • Bundled drivers for databases from IBM, Oracle and MySQL
• Mac OS X Support
  • New support for Mac OS X on Intel and PPC Platforms

"As part of the LAMP software stack, MySQL and PHP are accelerating the growth of the online world," said Zack Urlocker, executive vice president of products for MySQL AB. "What's more, these technologies are now establishing themselves as key elements in enterprise IT infrastructure. As a result, we have been working closely with Zend to ensure that Zend Core 2.0 is a first-class solution for MySQL developers, fully supported by both companies."

Pricing and Availability
Zend Core is available for free and can be downloaded at www.zend.com.

About Zend Technologies, Inc.
Zend Technologies, Inc., the PHP Company, is a leading provider of products and services for developing, deploying and managing business-critical PHP applications. PHP is used by more than 20 million Web sites and has quickly become the most popular language for building dynamic Web applications. Deployed at more than 15,000 companies worldwide, the Zend family of products is a comprehensive platform for supporting the entire lifecycle of PHP applications. Zend is headquartered in Cupertino, California.