[Tutor] Python a substitute/alternative for PhP?

[Alan Gauld]

"Eldon Londe Mello Junior" <eldonjr at hotmail.com> wrote

First, please don't hijack an existing thread,
this message appears under a thread about Zope DB!
Always post a new message to start a new thread.
It will get more readers and not confuse readers using
threaded mail/newsreaders.

> However, I've been reading a lot about programming
> languages and stuff in order to make the best choice
> as I don't want to spend much time learning unnecessary
> things I won't need in the future.

I'm not sure what you think the "unnecessary things" are
but programming languages come and go and as a professional
programmers you can expect to have to learn at least a
dozen before you are done, probably more like two dozen.
So don't think you will pick a single language and never
have to learn another.

As a minimum you will probably need to know:
a) A general purpose language - Java, python, C++, Visual Basic, 
etc...
b) SQL
c) Javascript
d) An OS shell language(DOS batch/WSH or a Linux shell(bash/csh or 
Korn)

Very few modern applications have less than those 4 language groups
embedded within them somewhere. The minimum I've ever seen in
a professional project is 3. The maximum was 12 - but it was a big 
project.

> opensource-solutions professional programmer.

Caveat: There is not a lot of money in that market. People use
Opensource because they expect it to be cheap. That means
they won't pay the programmer as much either... At lerast thats
my experience. There is much more money to be had programming
Oracle or DB2 apps than creating MySql apps...

> beginners start with PhP and stick with it or go for JAVA
> or MS proprietary languages. Actually, you can only
> learn python on your own around here as no college
> or private institutes offer python courses.

Pyton didn't even exist when I started, but neither did Java
or C++ or VB... And in twenty years time possibly none of
these languages will be in vogue and we will all be using
periwinkle gizzard or whatever the latest craze is called...

> FINAL QUESTION> Is Python a substitute for PHP?

It can do similar things but it does it differently, especially for 
the
web. Although you can write standalone PHP programs it is
usually used on the Web. Most serious webv developers
combine Python with a web framework like Django or
Pylons or whatever. Arguably Python + Framework is superior
to PHP - but less widely supported on ISP servers.

> I mean, can I start learning python by trying to do the
> things I've learned with PHP?

You can, but the web elements will be very different.

HTH,

-- 
Alan Gauld
Author of the Learn to Program web site
http://www.alan-g.me.uk/