Python Popularity: Questions and Comments

[Peter Hansen]

Ron Stephens wrote:
> 
> Does anyone know how old PHP is? I'd really like to know. I have not been aware of PHP for much
> more than two years, but then I wasn't paying any attention before that. When was PHP "launched"?

A quick check with google and "history of php" leads to:

http://www.php-center.de/en-html-manual/intro-history.html

... which points out that "PHP was conceived sometime in the 
fall of 1994" (about a year after the author graduated from
an engineering program).  It didn't get popular until 95-96 
and became more than just the author's personal project in 1997.

> How did it grow so fast? Can the Python community learn anything from this phenomenon? Can we even
> incorporate some of the good points from PHP for web programming into Python, or Python add-on
> "products"?

It filled a specialized niche and, for the technology of the
time, filled it well.  I don't think anything about this 
applies to Python, since it is neither trying to fill the
same niche, nor does it need rapid growth.

As for incorporating parts from PHP... what *are* the good
points?  From the little I know, I'd much prefer Python
for web programming, let alone all the other areas where
Python shines and PHP doesn't even exist.

(By the way, Ron, when quoting material in your reply,
could you please find some way to include markers for
the quoted lines, like >> or something?  It's very
hard to read some of your replies without these.)

-- 
----------------------
Peter Hansen, P.Eng.
peter at engcorp.com