Is PHP making a strong comeback with PHP7?

[s_molinari]

So, let’s put this new poll feature to use!

What do you think? Is PHP making a strong comeback with PHP7?

• Yes, PHP7 is a great step forward
• Sort of, PHP7 is good, still work to do
• Naw, PHP was always strong

Scott

[swader]

@s_molinari

strong comeback

Comeback? Where did it go? : )

[s_molinari]

@swader

Comeback? Where did it go? : )

Well yeah, but from my point of view, other languages seem to be getting a bit more of the limelight lately. Javascript and Python coming to mind. But, for those that don’t think the same, I added that third choice.

Scott

[cpradio]

@s_molinari

Sort of, PHP7 is good, still work to do

So I went with the above choice because I still feel that although PHP has come a LONG way, it just isn’t a language I find myself wanting to use anymore. Maybe that is personal preference, but I didn’t see any other options I really felt fit my personal preference (so this was the less evil one to choose)

Part of the problem is I don’t do a lot of PHP dev work and mainly because the type of work I get doesn’t need to involve PHP. If I want to test something out, most of the time I can use bash to do a “proof of concept test” (which tells you the type of work I do doesn’t necessarily need a browser either! (or is at least designed to be agnostic to what is calling it and how).

I see PHP making huge efforts to improve itself, and I really hope the community around PHP takes advantage of that.

[oddz]

I’ve worked with PHP since I began in this industry. Therefore, I didn’t know it was ever considered “gone” in the first place. People always like the new shiny stuff, nothing is going to change that. However, it takes a gem to stand the test of time and I tend to believe PHP is doing just that regardless of all these all other newer, technologies.

[s_molinari]

Yep, PHP most definitely was never “gone”. It has always been around and I am betting it will be for some time. But, with the failed version 6 and the looooonnnggggg version 5, it had lost its momentum in terms of advancing as a language.

PHP7 is thankfully changing that.

Scott

[TomB]

@s_molinari

Yep, PHP most definitely was never “gone”. It has always been around and I am betting it will be for some time. But, with the failed version 6 and the looooonnnggggg version 5, it had lost its momentum in terms of advancing as a language.

To be fair, PHP5.0 and PHP5.6 are incredibly different in regards to the features available to us a programmers, each minor version has added up to a vast improvement. I’m not sure it really had lost momentum, 5.6 added a lot of nice stuff and that was only last year

I’d argue the difference between even 5.2 and 5.6 is bigger than the difference between 5.6 and 7.

[s_molinari]

@TomB

I’d argue the difference between even 5.2 and 5.6 is bigger than the difference between 5.6 and 7.

You are right from a “what was really delivered” perspective, but I am looking at this from a “what is being delivered and making a real impression” perspective. You know, the “turning heads” factor.

Scott

[Michael_Morris]

PHP has a huge installed base, but I think it’s future is the same as COBOL. Years of bad language design decisions have painted the devs into a corner and fixing them all would essentially result in another language. Like the function names for example.

It’s here to stay, like COBOL. But like COBOL they’ll come a time when people will say “avoid using it if you can.”