Roadsend PHP is a stand alone implementation of the PHP language and runtime environment. It is designed to be compatible with (but independent of) the original reference version of PHP which uses the Zend engine.
The Roadsend PHP implementation extends the design of PHP to allow for features that are not possible with the original version, including native compilation of PHP to machine code.
The original PHP implementation was designed as a server side web scripting language. All code is interpreted at runtime and source code is (generally) stored as clear text and read by the web server when a request is served to a client.
While the original design of PHP ideally suited it for server side web applications, its use for commercial projects in other areas is limited.
Roadsend PHP enables programmers to take advantage of the power and flexibility of the PHP language to create a wide variety applications (for the web and otherwise), while drawing on a large repository of code, documentation, and community support.
Because Roadsend PHP is compatible with Zend PHP, developers can apply their existing knowledge of the language and use much of their current code base unchanged.
For more information on the major features offered by Roadsend PHP, see Features.