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Comment by jrockway | Hacker News Reader

The resounding theme is: "I've only used PHP, and I like it. Therefore it's good."

Try getting good at a different programming language, then write your blog post about how PHP is awesome.

I don't buy your argument. You don't need to try all (or any) programming languages in the world in order to like a single language. I know Python, and I really like Python and think it is awesome. I don't need to have tried Ruby or Haskell or C# to say this.

Also, your comment kind of becomes moot because he goes on to say "I do know and actively use Python and server-side JS ..."

The problem is that lack of exposure causes myopia. If all you've ever used is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.

Every time I've switched languages there has been a transitional period where I've bemoaned the lack of X in the new language, and later wondered how I ever got by without Y, which lets me do in 10 minutes what took 4 hours and hundreds of lines before. Each new language or technology is a new tool in my toolbox, which allows me to make an informed decision when choosing how to build a product.

So if you've only ever used one programming language, then yes, I'm going to take your opinion with a mountain of salt.

You don't need to try all (or any) programming languages in the world in order to like a single language.

No, but you appear woefully unqualified to put forth any kind of opinion as to why the language you like is a good language if you have no frame of reference.

I know Python, and I really like Python and think it is awesome.

Sure, but you have no basis to make a comparison. You just happened to luck out; Python is a great language. PHP is... not.

Languages I feel comfortable in:

-C#

-Java

-PHP

-ActionScript 3

-Javascript

-C/C++ (not so much now but did in the past)

-Objective C

and I've played around with Ruby and Python a little.

Knowing all these languages, I still think PHP can be damn good when used properly. If you look at some of the frameworks built with it, they are clean and powerful.

That's the rub, though, isn't it? "When used properly". PHP doesn't at all encourage you to use it properly. It doesn't define what "properly" is. The original article detailing PHP's fractally-bad design gave an impressive list of PHP's design flaws and all of the broken things it can do to you. If you know these things and know how to avoid them, you're golden. But who (especially new programmers) can be expected to know all those things?

I also think C++ is a pretty bad language, but you can do some very impressive and clean -- and most importantly, maintainable -- things with it if you use it properly. Unfortunately there are lots of definitions that people have come up with that detail the "proper" subsets of C++ that are safe to use, with disagreement on a bunch of things. (And for the love of $DEITY, please don't lump C++ in with C, which is really a beautiful, amazing language.)

There was a fantastic infographic a while ago here which showed a curve of the different stages a programmer goes through when learning a new language. Basically there's an initial euphoria when it feels like the new language is the best in the world because of the things it can do, that is later followed by boredom and despair when the novelty is gone and the warts are starting to bother you, and when you come out the other end, when you can see the good and the bad of a langauge, then you're a good programmer.

It's ok to have a favourite language, it's ok to love your favourite language and sing its praises, but if you can't point out the flaws of it, you're not a good programmer. Your opinion won't be taken seriously. You don't have the experience of working with it long enough to be bitten by the warts, and you don't have the breadth of working with other languages to know what you're missing.

It looks you misunderstood the whole post. The OP clearly noted that "PHP sucks" and can't do many things other languages can. But despite this, he says he likes the language.

And his reason is because of its ease of use and the fact that it works. That to me sounds nothing like "PHP is awesome." Sorry to put it this way, but it looked like you put words in his mouth.

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