There’s a great post over at Mashable from 2010 about the pros and cons of coding with PHP. It was discussed by various coding experts, which is definitely worth highlighting.
#The main issues covered are:
– Spaghetti coding
– Security
– Low barriers to entry
– Flexibility
– Copy-paste hacking
– Elegant OOP
– Documentation
– Community and perception
Each aspect is elaborated on by programmers with plenty of experience using PHP, yielding quite an interesting picture of the way the language is being used these days.
The main impression one gets is that PHP’s defining feature is its ease-of-use, namely the fact that there are many ways to get something done (many of which are not complex) and, as a result, it represents a very time-efficient route to creating a viable product.
The flip side is that things can get messy if many people are working on a single project (since everyone might have their own quirks of working) and, when it comes to stuff outside of web development, one needs to seriously weigh up if PHP is right for the job.
The other interesting thing about the piece is that each programmer also recommends a favourite PHP app, which is a great way to discover handy extra tools for making a programmer’s day that little bit easier.
All in all, a great idea for a post and a top read – get over to Mashable and see for yourself!
