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PHP 5.1.0 Released
kv9 writes "A new release of PHP5 is available. This version includes over 400 bugfixes, performance improvements over the 5.0.x branch, new date handling code, new versions of PCRE/SQLite/PEAR and over 30 new core/extension functions. A number of security fixes are also present and users are recommended to upgrade."
Rails still isn't a language, it's a framework.
(calling Ruby a "toy language" when comparing it to PHP is hillarous though, thanks for the laugh)
"The way we can tell it's C# instead of Haskell is because it's nine lines instead of two." -- wadler
I was under the impression that when using a x.y.z -versioning scheme, bug fixes should be released with increments of z, new features with increments of y, unless they break compatibility, when x should be increased. But when has even PHP done some something in a standard way.
"(...)and over 30 new core/extension functions."
Ugh. Adding still to the inconsistent, namespace mess, PHP functions have? Worst. Decision. Ever.
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
A lot of people who criticize MySQL have directly used MySQL. What we've found is that for lighter tasks (such as many webpages), SQLite often works quite well. And once/if you need a database system that's more capable, it's best just to move to PostgreSQL.
The recent Oracle/InnoDB and MySQL AB/SCO debacles have also made many potential MySQL users weary. There are many users who are now questioning how viable MySQL will be in the near future, both from a technical standpoint with regards to the InnoDB purchase by Oracle, and from a legal standpoint concerning their dealings with SCO. SQLite and PostgreSQL do not suffer from such unknowns.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
If you want cutting edge, then you'll most likely need to run your own server.
Serious hosting companies just can't risk running software that hasn't been widely tested. While there may be benefits from running the new versions of PHP, for instance, it could be a disaster if a security flaw leads to their servers being compromised. An incident like that could financially destroy a small- or medium-sized hosting company. At least the older versions of PHP have undergone more testing than the newer releases.
Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
Design and programming are two distinct disciplines. Some brilliant developers are good at both, but many people, myself included, get too much satisfaction from diving into coding to thoroughly think about what they are embarking on. The result is a program/system/language/whatever that starts with a clean small core but grows ever bigger and uglier as changes are bolted on. I tried PHP a couple years back and was disgusted by it. There's a reason why computer language design is a discipline of an academic subject, Computer Science: A wealth of knowledge has accumulated on how to do this kind of thing "right," and applying that knowledge will usually lead to a better end result.
Specifically, my beef with PHP summarizes down to: It makes simple things simple in a way that encourages sloppy coding. PHP is to the current would-be Web geek generation what BASIC was to teenage would-be hotshot coders in the late '80s: A way to achieve "gee whiz!" effects easily and cheaply. It's possible to write large, elegant programs in PHP, but that's not what usually happens.
When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Rel
... still having no namespaces and lacking in full-blown OOP and all.
So what?
PHP is the web generations basic. No more. But no less either.
Given that loads of very usefull webapps out there are built in PHP
I'd say the criticisim is mostly inadequate whining. If PHP doesn't
cut it for your job, take something else. No big deal.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
you forgot to add that real programming languages are pretty much backward compatible, whereas php's backward compatibility doesn't just suck, it's nearly non-existant. references, oop parent class calls, global variables etc. this language gets ever more messed up with every new version and with zillion little configuration flags that affect the very basic functions and breaks down even the most patient code.
php has it's good sides but it the long run it's definitely the loser platform from my point of view. even perl is more stable and readable after 3 years of support on the same code (on php you either do very expensive upgrades to the software every time there are some major changes or you do cheap fixes and the code turns into a mess).
have you ever tried to read a well organized OOP php source that is supposed to work with every version from 4.0 to 5.x ? nope ? give it a try, i'm sure you will fall off the fgging chair.
i suggest you use something else, use python, use ruby, if you need to kiss your bosses ass you might even use java but keep your fingers away from php while you can.
I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
Personally I think the use of the "global" keyword is something PHP got right and every other language (except ruby) got wrong. When you are reading a function it's good to know where all the variables are coming from. In ruby they use a sigil, in PHP they use a keyword, in every other language you have to search through the function to see where and if the variable was declared and deduce that it was either a global variable or a typo.
To recap. PHP got it right, perl got it wrong. You are annoyed because it's not the way you are used to working but that has nothing to do with the merits of the scoping rules.
evil is as evil does