What is the significance of the deprecated __autoload() function in PHP and why should developers use spl_autoload_register() instead?

The deprecated __autoload() function in PHP is no longer recommended for autoloading classes due to its limitations and potential conflicts with other autoloaders. Developers should use spl_autoload_register() instead, as it allows for multiple autoload functions to be registered and executed in a stack, providing more flexibility and compatibility with different libraries and frameworks.

// Implementing autoloading using spl_autoload_register()

function my_autoloader($class) {
    include 'classes/' . $class . '.class.php';
}

spl_autoload_register('my_autoloader');