PHP environment in order to use its features. You can find more information about the extension in the official PHP documentation. Release history Beginning on 28 June 2011, the PHP Development Team implemented a timeline for the release of new versions of PHP. Under this system, at least one release should occur every month. Once per year, a minor release should occur which may include new features. Every minor release should at least be supported for two years with security and bug fixes, followed by at least one year of only security fixes, for a total of a three-year release process for every minor release. No new features, unless small and self-contained, are to be introduced into a minor release during the three-year release process. Mascot The mascot of the PHP project is the elePHPant, a blue elephant with the PHP logo on its side, designed by Vincent Pontier in 1998. "The (PHP) letters were forming the shape of an elephant if viewed in a sideways angle." The elePHPant is sometimes differently colored when in plush toy form. Many variations of this mascot have been made over the years. Only the elePHPants based on the original design by Vincent Pontier are considered official by the community. These are collectible and some of them are extremely rare. Syntax The following "Hello, World!" program is written in PHP code embedded in an HTML document: <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>PHP "Hello, World!" program</title> </head> <body> <?php echo '<p>Hello, World!</p>'; ?> </body> </html> However, as no requirement exists for PHP code to be embedded in HTML, the simplest version of Hello, World! may be written like this, with the closing tag ?> omitted as preferred in files containing pure PHP code. <?php echo 'Hello, World!'; The PHP interpreter only executes PHP code within its delimiters. Anything outside of its delimiters is not processed by PHP, although non-PHP text is still subject to control structures described in PHP code. The most common delimiters are <?php to open and ?> to close PHP sections. The shortened form <? also exists. This short delimiter makes script files less portable, since support for them can be disabled in the local PHP configuration and it is therefore discouraged. Conversely, there is no recommendation against the echo short tag <?=. Prior to PHP 5.4.0, this short syntax for echo only works with the short_open_tag configuration setting enabled, while for PHP