How can outdated or amateurishly developed scripts impact file downloads in PHP?

Outdated or amateurishly developed scripts in PHP can impact file downloads by causing errors or inefficiencies in the code, leading to slow download speeds or failed downloads. To solve this issue, it is important to update the script to use modern best practices and optimize the code for performance.

<?php
// Example of a well-developed file download script in PHP

$file_path = 'path/to/file.pdf';

if (file_exists($file_path)) {
    header('Content-Description: File Transfer');
    header('Content-Type: application/pdf');
    header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=' . basename($file_path));
    header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($file_path));
    
    readfile($file_path);
    exit;
} else {
    echo 'File not found.';
}
?>