php vs python

[Curtis]

I V wrote:
> On Sun, 25 May 2008 21:41:09 -0400, Jerry Stuckle wrote:
>> The the good programmers are able to adapt to the language and make the
>> most of whatever language they're using.  The result is good code. OTOH,
>> poor programmers I have known have found all kinds of excuses - from the
>> language itself to lack of requirements, to anything else they can
>> blame, except the real root of the problem.
> 
> That's true - but I wonder if there might not be differences at the 
> margins. Some languages (and, which is not quite the same but not easy to 
> fully distinguish either, the communities around some languages) may 
> encourage mediocre programmers to produce slightly more or less mediocre 
> programs.
> 
> Some features of Python (the one that really stands out for me is not 
> default-initializing variables on first use; the comparatively clean 
> standard library might be another), and some features of the Python 
> community (which, IME, has more members more explicitly committed to 
> writing clean code) I think do make Python a better environment for us 
> mediocre programmers.

If you set PHP to show notices, it will tell you of such cases. 
However, the way I learned good programming practice was talking with 
other programmers, and trying different languages. I think if you have 
a real desire to write good code, and work at it, you can accomplish 
your task, regardless of the language.

However, there is definitely a prevalent amount of poorly written PHP 
on the Web, so it can be easy for a newcomer to pick up some bad 
practices. This isn't a fault of the design of the language, though.

> But maybe I'm wrong - I've never been paid to write Python programs, 
> whereas I have been paid to write PHP, so I might just be projecting my 
> frustrations with work onto the language. I've also not used PHP5 much in 
> anger, which does look to be a lot nicer than earlier versions.

Yeah, PHP5 is awesome, and PHP4 is dead/dying.

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Curtis