a hardcore question on compilation of php

[altexis]

Does PHP compile the scripts every time they run?
Or does it store a compiled version once the script runs for the first time and then after it runs only the compiled version??

[128kb_com]

Yes, it compiles and then runs. There are however a few different engines to make this speedier by caching scripts like Zend, APC, ionCube and Bware.