Trying to decide between PHP and Python

[John Nagle]

On 1/4/2011 12:20 PM, Google Poster wrote:
>
> About once a year, I have to learn yet another programming language.
> Given all the recommendations (an outstanding accolade from Bruce
> Eckel, author of "Thinking in Java") I have set my aim to Python.
> Sounds kinda cool.

     If you're just doing simple web-based services, PHP is the
way of least resistance.  It's supported by almost all hosting
services.  Trying to run Python on shared hosting is generally
painful.  Either you're stuck running in CGI, which means you
take the cost of a Python load on every transaction, or you
have to find someone who will let you run long-running
processes so you can run FCGI/WSGI or some Python framework.

     Efforts to compile PHP to hard code have been more successful
than the corresponding efforts for Python.  Facebook developed
and uses their HipHop compiler for their huge internal PHP
code base.

				John Nagle