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[nycphp-talk] Why do "cool kids" choose PHP to build websites instead of Java

Elliotte Rusty Harold elharo at metalab.unc.edu
Tue Jan 15 10:53:18 EST 2008


Daniel Convissor wrote:

> There is logic to the process.  You just need to know what the logic is.  
> And you have to keep in mind that algebraic equations don't apply when 
> comparing apples and oranges.
> 

Yes, they do.

1 Apple != 1 orange

The problem arises when a = b and b = c, but a != c or b != a. Violation 
of commutativity and/or transitivity of equality is a major problem that 
makes PHP (and some other languages) confusing and unsuitable for 
teaching. In fact, most languages have this problem to greater or lesser 
degrees, but PHP is tilting strongly toward the greater end of that scale.

There certainly is logic to PHP, but it's insane troll logic. It is not 
a clean and elegant human logic like any normal person would expect and 
understand without years of reeducation. Of course to those of us who 
have had our brains rewired, this may seem normal, but it's not. We are 
the ones marching out of step with the band.

-- 
Elliotte Rusty Harold  elharo at metalab.unc.edu
Java I/O 2nd Edition Just Published!
http://www.cafeaulait.org/books/javaio2/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0596527500/ref=nosim/cafeaulaitA/



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