WinBinder: The native Windows binding for PHP

As an experienced C programmer for Windows, I enjoy the power and flexibility of the C language. However, C is just not right for the quick development of tools or database applications. Building user interfaces in C and making them interact under Windows is a very time-consuming process. So I started looking for alternatives.

My "ideal" environment should meet the following requirements:

Interpreted. A scripting language requires no compilation: Just code and run.
Native. Applications must use the native Windows classes and controls. The average Windows user will not be comfortable with anything else. Since I am only interested in Windows applications, portability between platforms in not a concern.
Simple. It must be easy to learn and use, with no variable and function declarations, simple string operations, a flexible data structure and other similar requirements.
C-like. The language must be familiar to a C programmer like myself.
Simple. The language must be simple to use and popular enough so that it is easy to find programmers to work with.
Procedural. A language that is not necessarily object-oriented allows the programmer to choose between both programming models.
Lightweight. Relatively small runtime library, easy installation and fast program execution.
Database-friendly. Must work seamlessly with the most popular SQL databases.
Inexpensive. Less than US$50, preferably open source with a BSD- or MIT-like license.

I found out quite a few excellent scripting languages and environments. The most interesting ones are on the following table. I actually examined more than 20 others, including some very curious language/library combinations, but I have selected here only the most promising ones. This is by no means an extensive evaluation. Feel free to comment or criticize it.

Language / env.	Euphoria + Win32lib	wxLua	wxPython	PHP-GTK	Tcl/Tk
Windows-likeness	Native (with omissions)	Native	Native	Look maybe, but no feel	Look, but no feel
Easy to work with	Yes, but must declare all variables	Yes	Maybe, once you master the language	Probably not	Maybe
C-like	No; BASIC-like	No; BASIC-like	Not at all	Yes	A little bit
Popular	No, but easy to learn	More and more	Yes	Yes, very	Yes
Procedural/OO	Procedural only	Procedural only	OO only	OO only	OO only
Weight, speed	Lightweight, fast	Acceptable, fast	Acceptable	Acceptable	A bit bulky
Database support	Uses its own non-standard database system	Yes	Yes	Extensive	Extensive
License	Variousą	Open source (MIT)	Open source (GPL/LGPL)	Open source (LGPL)	Open source (BSD-style)
Comments	Euphoria deserved some serious consideration because it is very well-implemented, but it is too BASIC-like; all variables must be declared. Also for Linux.	Lua + wxWidgets. Lua is an amazing extensible language from fellow Brazilian Roberto Ierusalimschy and others.	Python + wxWidgets. A true standard, but language is too odd for a C programmer.	PHP-GTK for Windows is a remarkable achievement and inherently multi-platform. However its interface does not feel like Windows at all, even with a XP-like theme.	This is another port of a popular Linux language/environment. The language is a bit odd for a C programmer.

ą The Euphoria interpreter is free, but extra packages range from US$ 39 to US$ 79.

As you can see, although there are a lot of high-quality platforms on this table, none of them actually met all the requirements. So I decided to investigate the possibility of creating a new binding for PHP. Why PHP? This language is a natural choice because it is so easy to learn and use, it is C-like, has a wealth of useful functions and extensions, and works great with almost all databases known to mankind. The idea of binding wxWidgets to PHP was tempting, but this was not an easy task and wxWidgets is a bit on the heavy side. Some other people have thought about this before, but they have not completed their work as far as I know (this might mean something).

So I started to design and develop a system that would meet these requirements. I called it WinBinder.

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