April 21, 2008

PHP

Timeless Tools

PHP is at the top of my list as a timeless tool for web development. Microsoft .NET developers make more, and Ruby and Python may have a nicer name, but PHP is by far the most important, longest lasting and widely adopted web programming language out there. Sites not powered by PHP tend to be the exception. Yahoo, Flickr, and Digg are powered by PHP, and the most widely used CMS products (like Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, etc.) are likewise powered by PHP.

PHP 5.x brought the language into the enterprise-level, many years ago. PHP is far from perfect, and it does have its quirks. In fact, it’s a little bit dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced developer … really, what language isn’t? But it’s hard to dispute the positive impact and importance this language has in the web development world.

Ultimately, one’s choice of scripting language platform is of little consequence. Just about all of the scripting languages achieve the same goals, and quality—or crappy—code can be produced in any language. That’s why the only thing that really matters is the quality of the developer(s) using the language. But when someone asks me what web programming language has carried the most weight in the past, does so today, and is likely to in the future, that would have to be PHP by a mile. it’s free, has a huge community/knowledge base, and has more trust-building mileage of real world use than any other language out there. That’s why I’d consider PHP to be one of the most timeless tools for web development.