I come from a Java background and right now I'm working with some PHP. As a tool for websites, it is as such, OK. It feels a bit messy and "ADHD" at the core, b

I come from a Java background and right now I'm working with some PHP. As a tool for websites, it is as such, OK. It feels a bit messy and "ADHD" at the core, but for non-critical stuff its acceptable. With "non-critical" I mean: systems that won't kill anyone if they fail. See, one of my early projects was designing and building control systems for a huge pharmaceuticals factory. Errors, in either logic or data, could literally end up killing someone. Testing became 2nd nature. Since that experience, I've evaluated programming languages by how robust their error-handling mechanisms are and how much rigour is enforced at compile-time. In that arena, I think Java is the most mature. In critical systems, checked exceptions -are- your friend. One glaring problem with PHP is its freak error-handling. PHP can get the job done, but don't trust your life to it.