PHP is the new Classic

September 2nd, 2006, By Duncan Gough

Bad news for PHP. Lead Developer Jani Taskinen quits, althought this seem more a case of burnout and real-life politics than PHP4 sucks, PHP5 is unpopular and everyone is talking up PHP6 to be the holy grail, meaning it will only disappoint and fail. Cuttingly, the best comment is a Slashdot joke:

He will be difficult to replace. For that matter, he will be difficult to ereg_replace, eregi_replace, mb_ereg_replace, mb_eregi_replace, preg_replace, str_replace, or str_ireplace.

Worse news, though, comes in the shape of the WPHP project.

This module allows you to run PHP processes inside of Python, using a WSGI gateway. This way PHP applications can appear like normal Python WSGI applications, and WSGI middleware routing and filters can all be applied in front of them.

More here – http://blog.ianbicking.org/2006-wphp.html

Just as the Intel Macs have rendered Windows the new Classic, are languages like Python, Ruby and (if/when) Parrot threatening to make PHP the new Classic too? That is, PHP is valuable to them for the sake of adoption and nothing else – if Ruby and Python support PHP as a virtual process, or a hosted language, will that increase their market share?

I can certainly see a future where PHP is welcomed symbiotically in this fashion, not for the ‘killer apps’ it provides (Wordpress and, um, phpBB?), but rather as a numbers game. It would be a great way to split a complex web app into junior and senior level developer paths. The junior developers write mission-uncritical code that is hosted and run by WPHP, perhaps with automated security and warnings enabled. The senior developers write business logic and mission critical code that is run natively, untouched by the automated code-stabilisers.

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