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I don't think PHP is a beautiful language. But that's beside the point. Sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes a screwdriver. You don't dismiss a tool because i
by nir 16y ago
I don't think PHP is a beautiful language. But that's beside the point. Sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes a screwdriver. You don't dismiss a tool because it's not pretty.
- nene 16y agoHammer and screwdriver are equally ugly/pretty. But that's beside the point - it's not the ugliness of php that puts people off, it's the clumsiness and awkwardness of the tool.
- slantyyz 16y agoI don't care that my hammer or screwdriver are ugly. My hammer drives in nails, and my screwdriver inserts and removes screws quite well. To me, both are effective at the tasks I need them to accomplish.
- code_duck 16y agoGreat, if a standard of mere adequacy is your goal it suits perfectly.
- slantyyz 16y agoThat's quite a broad statement. Is Instapaper merely adequate, or is it better? Would it have been that much better if it was constructed in Rails? IIRC, Instapaper's a PHP application. I could have mentioned a larger site, but Instapaper was probably a better example, since it's quite popular with HNers.
- code_duck 16y agoWell, I hate Rails so that wouldn't be my first comparison. But yes, it would probably be more easily maintainable if written in a better language, and the developers would be able to add new features more quickly. To comment based on your metaphor, the problem is not that the screwdriver/hammer is ugly. It's that the grip doesn't feel right and it's unbalanced. You can turn the screw and drive the nail, but it takes more effort and might leave your hands scraped up.
- slantyyz 16y agoBut grip, feel and balance are very personal, individual things. What fits for one person may not work for another. Just like programming languages.