[pmx]

>You want a JavaScript-like language for server-side development, but without the complexity of Node.js

I think if node is too complex for you then perhaps you should find another career/hobby.

[jlesk]

I've used Node for many years, but I do find it too complex for some of my projects.

Sometimes you just need a handful of dynamic pages that you want to put up on a shared host somewhere. PHP is great for that.