php vs python

[Paul Rubin]

notbob <notbob at nothome.com> writes:
> Well, that's my actual question, then.  Is php really so bad I'm just
> wasting my time?  Or is it really the quickest way to blog functionality?

php is very easy to get started with and some big sites have been
written in it.  There is lots of low cost php hosting available.  It
is not as good a language as Python.  However, Python's advantages are
strongest in more complex projects.  For simple stuff, php is frankly
less hassle just because of its wide deployment and that extensive
function library that the blog post your quoted described as a bad
thing.  Python's libraries are not bad, but php's are more intensely
focused on web apps and includes what you need as part of the standard
build.  With Python, if you want a database adapter or web template
framework, you have to choose between a bunch of different ones and
download and configure it which often involves head scratching when
the auto-install stuff hits some quirk of your system.  With php, it's
all right there when you flip the switch.

Knowing lots of languages is good for you.  php is probably your
quickest route to getting a rudimentary web app running.  Python
is a longer term project.  Do both.