![]() This led to PHP having to evolve in order to compete with these "serious" languages, while jQuery was "enough" to keep the front-end interactive. Java, C# & Co offered viable alternatives to PHP and - with the rise of web frameworks - user friendly alternatives. On the backend, however, that wasn't the case. See, the only reason we don't say things like "CSS is the worst styling option" is due to lack of alternatives. So why not Java? Why didn't a language that honored features that modern PHP or Typescript made possible over a decade later from the get-go rule the web? Well, it's speculation, but I believe it's a mixture of the web first being a hobby culture in combination with the hope that more predictable and capable technologies than HTML, CSS and JavaScript would run on browsers. In this scenario and with PHP codebases like Wordpress and Magento ruling the web with disregard to non-existent best practices, the web was a playground for explorers and adventurers. Whatever inconsistency or unusual behavior PHP might have had, JavaScript doubled down on it and made sure that books can be filled with quirks and their explanations to this day. And for reasons I will not expand in in this post, JavaScript was seen as the worst nightmare of them all with a problem that in theory exists to this day: every browser treats your code differently. At that time it was clear, however, that another wild-card has grown from enhancing the UI with little gimmicks to something that wants to be taken seriously: JavaScript. However, there were still missing features, security concerns and a standard library that "classical programmers" disliked for consistency reasons. Wikipedia and Facebook are just examples of the big players of this era using it in a completely different way than the original intention. End of story? Not so fast!įurther development and the rise of Content Management Systems like TYPO3, WordPress, Yoomla & Co in combination with efforts by Zend & Symphony while the internet exceeded all expectations have transformed PHP into a widely used stable companion without competition (Well, ignoring Perl, that is). ![]() And arguments pointing out structural weaknesses were usually founded and mostly based on comparison to compiled languages. Additionally, the concept of a "web language" was more or less unknown: something that only does this new internet thingy? How can we take that seriously? With this background, the first wave of "PHP hate" came from programmers that saw PHP as a cute yet inconsistent tool for hobbyists. Back then, the acronym stood for "Personal HomePage" Tools and was more like a capable template engine than anything else. ![]() When PHP gained popularity in the late 90s, it wasn't perceived as a full programming language. It seems to be common knowledge that PHP is a terrible language and that it's not enough to simply avoid it, but to signal your position with memes to make sure you are "a full member of the web dev world".
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