‘git’, src=>’/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/php_logo.png’) )?> PHP pretty much runs the Internet. You can’t argue with that kind of success, really. Despite any shortcomings of PHP, the reality is that a lot of people pay the bills with sites powered by PHP.
From a programmer’s perspective, I find the PHP language to be crude. It is old and behind the curve as far as modern design and thinking goes. Even the modern MVC frameworks now available for PHP have shortcomings rooted in the language itself.
The core PHP development team have legacy issues to think about. Each new version of PHP will always feel like a Frankenstein. I personally am not bothered by that, but some people really are. What does bother me is that the PHP interpreter itself contains language bugs. Complex examples of valid PHP directives do not function properly and that limits my ability to apply modern design principles. The central reason this problem exists is that the PHP development team is trying to teach an old language new tricks.
So which is it? Thumbs up or thumbs down for me? Today, I need to say thumbs up. Despite its shortcomings, the rubber meets the road with PHP. It’s easy to deploy, well understood, and most tasks have about 1,000 samples of how to do it. The community is vast and that makes up for a lot of imperfection.
