[j-kidd]

In httpd-2.4.x (first released in Jan 2012), the event MPM is already the default on Linux:

https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mpm.html#defaults

In httpd-2.2.x, however, the default MPM on Linux is prefork, i.e. the "bad" one:

https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mpm.html#defaults

And those would be the "factory" defaults. Distributions can still put in their own defaults, e.g. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS supplies httpd-2.2.x with the worker MPM.

Anyway, Apache 1.3.x (built-in with something similar to the prefork MPM) + mod_php was the de facto (or only?) way to deploy PHP scripts, as you can just throw the scripts into the htdocs directory and they will just work.