Japub

Drupal can be compiled down to CIL (Common Interface Language) using Phalanger. Phalanger is an opensource project and has been around for a few years. Developers use Phalanger to turn Drupal into an ASP.NET application just like Quercus turns Drupal into a Java application. Many opensource PHP applications have been compiled with Phalanger and run on public websites.

Turning a PHP application into ASP.NET is not a smooth road. There are exceptions to every rule and in many cases developers have to tweak their PHP application or web.config in order to work. Phalanger does allow developers to use many of the PHP extensions built and packaged with PHP. Phalanger also allows developers to use ASP.NET code intermixed with your PHP code, however you must judge this decision against maintainability and other factors. IT departments should ensure that Phalanger/PHP/ASP.NET websites go through intense quality assurance checks, just like every other website.

PHP along with Drupal have struggled to get into the Windows market. PHP applications typically require customized setups on Windows with compromises to speed, threads, and security. Phalanger helps solve these issues by compiling the PHP application, running the application under I I S (multiple threads), and running the application in a completely managed state (security).

As Drupal changes over time and harnesses object oriented code, mapping PHP to ASP.NET will become easier and much faster. Drupal is eying multi-database compliance which will enable users to run Drupal on ASP.NET with MS SQL, Oracle, and many other databases. Phalanger is a project worth looking into and may solve business problems and increase turn around time by harnessing Drupal the vast amount of PHP application on the web.