On Feb 17, 5:14 pm, Jonathan Sachs <js070...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:27:05 +0100, Gilles Ganault <nos...@nospam.com>
> wrote:
>
> >First, are you totally free to choose a language, or are there some
> >constraint somewhere that would narrow things down?
>
> Either/or. I'm not asking in the context of a particular project or
> client. I'm looking for guidance on when to select this tool and when
> to look for another.
>
> Right now I'm learning PHP because I want to learn a particular
> application that is written in it, and also because these days it
> appears to be a basic development skill. I am trying to assess what
> role it will play in my professional life.
>
> >For instance, if
> >you'll host your app on a shared server, just about every hoster
> >offers PHP, while other languages are much more rare.
>
> The hosting service I use offers ASP.NET even with its least expensive
> e-commerce plan, at $13.95/month. I don't know how common that is,
> but for me, it establishes that alternatives are readily available.
>
> Of course, a particular client or its preferred hosting service could
> limit me to PHP, which would determine my choice of language if I
> wanted to keep that client.
>
> >Finally, what language do you already know? In terms of productivity,
> >Python is probably the best, because it's very rich while offering a
> >very simple syntax, while PHP is much more common simply because it's
> >been offered by hosters for about ten years now.
>
> Well, let's see. My background is mainly in PC software development,
> which influences the languages I know. Starting with the most recent,
> C#, JavaScript, Java, C++, Visual Basic for Applications, C, FORTH,
> BASIC, PL/1, SNOBOL3, BAL, FORTRAN IV. Plus a few minor ones that
> I've forgotten.
>
> >The web is pretty restrictive ... so ultimately, it
> >doesn't make much of a difference what language you choose...
>
> In a strictly technical sense that may be true, but many other
> considerations come into play. You've mentioned a couple: support by
> hosting services and compatibility with applications. I might also
> have to consider maintainability, portability, and acceptance by
> clients at various levels of technical sophistication.
>
> Speaking technically, it seems to me that PHP is likely to be a poor
> choice for large-scale services where hundreds or thousands of users
> will be hitting the web site at the same time. I'm guessing, though,
> and I wouldn't know how to judge how large is too large. Perhaps
> there are other areas where PHP is particularly weak or strong, which
> I do not yet know enough to wonder about. Hence, my question.

PHP is poor? YouTube and Facebook runs on PHP dude..