title: Why is require_once so bad to use?
body: <p>Everything I read about better PHP coding practices keeps saying don't use <code>require_once</code> because of speed.</p>
  
  <p>Why is this?</p>
  
  <p>What is the proper/better way to do the same thing as <code>require_once</code>? If it matters, I'm using PHP&nbsp;5.</p>