[vdo]

Yes, sorry, I don't mean to make out php as this scrappy underdog or that we are under constant attack or anything... I see it more like, ummm, a pumpkin spice latte of languages, something viewed as a lesser choice because or in spite of its popularity? There are all these other amazing options, why pick this? Of course, with programming languages, you have many objective criteria where a coffee drink is totally subjective. Languages are also a huge investment time-wise instead of being able to try different flavors each day. Not a perfect analogy, but maybe you still see a little what I was going for as far as lighthearted stigma. PHP is and has been doing so well for so long, but I couldn't argue a huge case for it personally besides... it was there. It clicked at the time. I grew up with it.

I am balancing my love for it with the public perception I have seen over the years (fortunately I think much of the vitriol has waned sorta), in terms of how bashful I feel whenever discussing anything coding-related as to not overstate what I know/do. Most people, I think, grow out of php, so I see myself as a bad stereotype in still using it. But it has done a lot for me in terms of confidence building, being able to make things, the creative process of turning nothing into something, even though admittedly if I'd picked a different language I could likely say the same. But as far as staying with it, I feel like I look lazy for it, it just does what I want it to do. I am grateful for it. I hope this made sense.