Why is using HTTP_GET_VARS considered outdated and what should be used instead?

Using HTTP_GET_VARS is considered outdated because it is a deprecated feature in PHP and is no longer supported in newer versions. Instead, the recommended approach is to use the $_GET superglobal array to access query string parameters passed in the URL.

// Using $_GET superglobal array to access query string parameters
if(isset($_GET['param_name'])) {
    $param_value = $_GET['param_name'];
    // Use $param_value as needed
}