NYCPHP Meetup

[David Krings]

I found this article also a waste of bandwidth. What is even more sad than the 
contents (or the lack thereof) is that the writer couldn't answer the question 
he put out. I started learning Java and got reminded at my dreadful 
experiences with C. Java inherited all the crappy, annoying stuff from C and 
managed to make it even more complicated. PHP is much easier to use and 
understand. There is often a function for pretty much anything and adding a 
library is as easy as removing a semicolon or dropping a file where all the 
others are and adding a line to the ini file.
I started programming on the C64 with BASIC, then learned Logo, then did a bit 
assembler on the 64. Later I did Pascal on the Apple IIe (in high school), 
then did MS-BASIC, then looked at the early stages of Delphi, and did ANSI C 
as well as Assembler on the 8088 at the university. Later I was forced to find 
my way through ObjectPAL after the only developer who knew it quit, then tried 
my luck with VB6 and VB.NET, and took a stab at Java. During all these times I 
loathed programming with every fiber of my being. It was always dumb, 
cumbersome, complicated, difficult to understand, or did not have enough 
features or didn't give access to other resources. I absolutely hate programming.
Then came a course on E-business during my MS degree and I decided to program 
a web app as project. I found PHP and since then I am in constant awe as how 
easy and powerful application development can be. PHP is easy, it offers a 
lot, it just works, and it doesn't drive one nuts with this compiling and 
linking crap like C, doesn't require to write 50 lines of code first to get 
"Hello World" on screen as it is with Java, and doesn't cost hundreds of bucks 
like VS. Back then I was impressed by Delphi, but today I think the GUIs of 
Delphi apps suck and Delphi is becoming irrelevant quickly. Oh, and none can 
really be used easily for web development - unlike PHP.

The kids that pick PHP aren't just cool, they are above all damn smart. Java 
is the language of choice for masochists.

David