[JoeKM]

Thank you for this.

I'm not fond of PHP, but I don't know it as well as Ruby and Python. Still, I like to read about new technologies concerning PHP. I use HN to discover new stuff, but HN is a poor resource concerning PHP. HN has tremendous vocal disdain for PHP. Every PHP thread transforms into "Why I like or dislike PHP" instead of actual discussion regarding new technologies or libraries. What's worse is the debates feel like I've warped 10 years past because there is nothing ever new to them. People complain about the old things of PHP and never talk about the new things.

Put simply, even though I don't know PHP that well I feel like maybe it has potential and can actually do good in the right hands, but HN brainwashes you into thinking PHP is the worst.

[PommeDeTerre]

Professional software developers who care about creating secure and maintainable applications that perform well will, by necessity, be very hesitant to use or recommend the use of PHP.

It has a very poor track record when it comes to security flaws, for example. It is also rife with inconsistencies and unjustifiable oddities throughout the language itself, and its standard library. Factors like those then promote the development of software that is of an unacceptable quality.

There do happen to be many extremely experienced software developers here at HN, and we won't hesitate to point out the flaws with various technologies, including PHP. This is not a bad thing; it's quite good. It's extremely important to be vocal about low-quality technologies.

These days, there are just so many alternatives that are far superior to PHP in every respect. Even with its new features, PHP is still not an acceptable option. So we shouldn't be looking for positives where there just aren't any, nor should we be surprised when all we find are negatives.

[maratd]

> Professional software developers who care about creating secure and maintainable applications that perform well will, by necessity, be very hesitant to use or recommend the use of PHP.

Nonsense. As the most widely deployed platform it has absolutely massive exposure and security flaws are fixed quickly.

Don't confuse poor practices by newbies with platform security and stability.

> It has a very poor track record when it comes to security flaws, for example.

It does not.

> It is also rife with inconsistencies and unjustifiable oddities throughout the language itself

Every language has its warts. What's your point?

> These days, there are just so many alternatives that are far superior to PHP in every respect.

Yeah. Don't blame the tool. Blame the craftsman. And a craftsman who spends quite a bit of time complaining about the tools others use ... well ... you can fill in the rest.