This is something I keep bringing up with my fellow PHP developers. I like the simplicity of PHP in some respects, however the syntax and various frameworks seem to be constantly evolving around my projects. I have friends who are constantly having to adjust their code to comply with the newest release of CakePHP. I find some syntax (pseudo-)rules and best practices in PHP have changed enough to make it a constant struggle just to keep on top of these changes along with trying to improve my abilities in other areas. I'm all for new features but I'm beginning to grow weary of the time spent staying on top of trendy languages (PHP vs Python or Rails, SVN vs git). I would much rather spend this time learning better security practices along with design and architecture. I would never state that change is bad, I'm merely stating what I now see as a drawback of these constantly evolving languages.
... I really hope I'm not becoming one of those really old dinosaurs who refuse to learn anything new. ;)
Yes, only short of touting the new 'best' programming language. Thanks for the demonstration. Name a programming language without horrid drawbacks, I dare you.
Do you know anything other than PHP? If you don't, you are in a bad place. It almost doesn't matter what else you pick up, stop looking for a language without "horrid drawbacks" and pick something up. Anything. Even Java, and it pains me to say that.
By the way, specifically PHP isn't important here; the question is really "Do you only know one language?"
Heh, it does not pain me at all to say that Java is better than PHP! PHP, in turn, is better than Fortran, Cobol and the original Basic, and I guess that's about it.
Yes, I've done professional work in Perl, C#, and Java. These silly stereotypes need to end. Think what you will about PHP, it's not as horrid (now) as most people like to assume, it's mostly just misused. Oh wait, it's trendy to hate on PHP now, which is really the problem I'm was originally addressing. People want to jump to another language as soon as they've worked with one long enough to truly become aware of it's handicaps (or even be able to parrot other people's gripes) and then repeat the cycle. Even as much as I (regretfully) look down on ASP/.NET, if that's what you want to be good at, go for it. I'm sure it's plenty capable if used correctly.
All-in-all it's plenty fine when I see people writing off PHP devs, in my case, it's mutual. I don't write off ASP devs just because I think ASP is restrictive to my style of programming. There are "better" tools for the job, but often the claim that something is the wrong tool is rooted in... well.. yeah, I'll stop there.
You missed my point. The word "if" was not accidental. If you hadn't worked in any other languages, then you needed to try something else for perspective immediately. I went out of my way to point out this had nothing to do with PHP particularly.
It's funny how languages shape the community around it. I feel like I spend more time these days debugging Zend, PHPUnit and Propel than I do debugging my team's code. I am continually astounded at how bad PHP can be.
... I really hope I'm not becoming one of those really old dinosaurs who refuse to learn anything new. ;)