I would tend to stick with PHP if it was a web based service or application. PHP is a lot simpler to work with when you compare it with java. PHP 5 has started filling in all those gaps in programming which often gave it the aura of a script kiddie language. Its leaning a lot more towards object oriented programming. PHP was designed for the web... java was modified for the web.
I know this can get into a hot debate - like anything else there are pros and cons for each. But my question is really simple. When building a web-based application/service, would you use PHP even when you know that the application can potentially become huge and scalability and maintainability can become a nightmare if the application is written in PHP?
You have to start somewhere. .NET is out because IMO Java is more open standards based than .NET. PHP - because it's fairly quick to learn and write in addition to being fast.
I haven't looked at all options yet, but I'd like to get more opinions on Java vs PHP first. You are welcome to suggets more.
PS: Friendster rewrote their site in PHP (from Java)
Use what you know best. I don't like the feel of writing Java personally and never had to take any Java programming classes to force me into it. PHP on the other hand is very easy and natural to write, but the code can end up damn ugly. I also haven't looked into it too much, but I think Java beats out PHP for performance speed. Both have pros and cons.
If it were me I'd suggest Python. I need to look into web.py some more, but I currently use Django for most web things. It's easy to write the code and doesn't end up looking like ass so it's easier to maintain.
