Normally I would say that PHP is the language best suited to individuals with little software engineering background who want to singlehandedly put together a web app. I've done my fair share of due diligence where I've had to review such applications when we're buying a company. However, last month I sat down with the CTO of a Java/Rails company who said that PHP is still his "go-to" language for when he knows exactly what he wants to get done, and do it quickly.

Personally I think PHP today is much like Perl was in the mid 90's - it is popular because it is there. Every hosting platform offers free PHP hosting. That doesn't mean it's the best, by any stretch. Just that it's available. Who do you know that programs full web apps in Perl now? Sure, maybe some, but not many. Eventually PHP will go the same way.
Source(s):
Going on 14 years in the web business.


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