Advantages

In general
Encoders like Zend Encoder and Microcode and cachers like APC have the advantage of making it more difficult for others to use your code and get away with your intellectual property. Another objective is to prevent others from peeking into your code and find security holes.

POBS has the same objectives but establishes it by other means. It's not an ideal solution but it has the following advantages and disadvantages over other methods.

No need for libraries or decoders
POBS works without libraries, modules or decoders. That makes POBS ideal for deploying your application at an ISP or customer. Especially with ISPs it's difficult to persuade them to install the decoder you need (I.e. Zend Encoder). With POBS you can deploy with peace of mind.

Hard to reverse-engineer
POBS removes information from your sourcecode. In a way this is safer than using Zend Encoder or MicroCode since they can be reverse-engineered by adjusting the PHP engine. Not with POBS. With POBS you can almost eagerly hand over the sourcecode to a third party without losing sleep. Zend Encoder and Microcode can not guarantee the safety of your sourcecode ( POBS is not guaranteed either but I hope you understand the difference).

Cross-platform, cross PHP version
Since PHP Obfuscator is written in PHP 4.x and PHP is cross-platform, PHP Obfuscator is cross-platform too. What is more, you can Obfuscate your sourcecode on a Win32 machine and run it without any modification on a Linux machine.

Compatible with other tools
The good thing about PHP Obfuscator is that it doesn't prevent you from using APC Cache or ZEND Cacher in addition. If you really want things secure you might add Zend Encoder.

Open Source
PHP Obfuscator is Open Source GPL style. Since you might want to use PHP Obfuscator to protect your sourcecode you have knowledge of PHP and can adjust PHP Obfuscator to your own liking. Of course, you are encouraged to share your enhancements with the rest of the world.

Walhalla Publicaties (c) 2001