The PHP open source scripting language has gained additional support from established enterprise IT vendors.

PHP is a popular open source scripting language used on millions of websites worldwide.

Microsoft and Zend unveiled a further expansion of their relationship on Tuesday to include support for Microsoft's Information Cards. The technology aims to set an open standard that allows for authentication with online services.

Zend offers commercial support for PHP as well as products that help developers create PHP applications.

Zend and Microsoft entered into a partnership last year to improve performance of PHP on Windows Server 2003 and the forthcoming Windows Server 2007.

Also on Tuesday, Oracle said that it would contribute an enhanced Oracle Call Interface to the scripting language.

The interface allows applications to use the grid features in Oracle databases which improve scalability and ensure high availability of applications.