php vs python

[Andrew Lee]

notbob wrote:
> I'm not posting this just to initiate some religious flame war, though it's
> the perfect subject to do so.  No, I actaully want some serious advice about
> these two languages and since I think usenet is the best arena to find it,
> here ya' go.
> 
> So, here's my delimna: I want to start a blog.  Yeah, who doesn't.  Yet, I
> want learn the guts of it instead of just booting up some wordwank or
> whatever.  I started to learn python, but heard php was easier or faster or
> more like shell scripting or... fill in the blank.  Anyway, so I change over
> to learning php.  Then I run across that blog, Coding Horror, and start
> reading articles like this:
> 
> http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001119.html
> 
> Now what?  Go back to python.  Soldier on with php?  What do I know?  Not
> much.  I can setup mysql and apache,, but don't know how to use 'em, really.
> I use emacs and run slackware and can fumble my way through bash scripts,
> but I can't really write them or do lisp.  I've taken basic basic and basic
> C, but am barely literate in html.  Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but I
> persevere because it's more fun/challenging than video games, which bore me
> to tears.  
> 
> 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?
> Would I be better served in the long run learning python, which claims to be
> easy as pie to learn/program (still looks hard to me).  I admit I'm no code
> geek.  But, I'm not completely brain dead, either, and I need something to
> keep my geezer brain sparking.  What say ye?
> 
> nb

Personally, I believe PHP would get you more productive more quickly for 
a blog, but it is a potentially brain damaging language in terms of 
really getting your juices flowing with programming.  It is not a 
general purpose language and suffers from all the limitations of of a 
tool designed for one job.  If you are interested in programming and the 
blog is your path to that, stick with Python!  In particular, immerse 
yourself in mod_python or look at a framework like Django or Pylons -- 
the learning curve is steep for any of these technologies but they are a 
full meal compared to saltine cracker and water of PHP.