With a hosting provider that already has PHP installed, you can simply upload a file to a folder and serve it over the web with no special expertise. PHP makes

With a hosting provider that already has PHP installed, you can simply upload a file to a folder and serve it over the web with no special expertise. PHP makes it easy for beginners and amateur programmers to get something working without knowing much. Because of the low-barrier to entry and simple hosting setup people have written a lot of crap PHP code over the years. I know, I see it and work with it. Amateurs and well-meaning power-users can get some web pages up and running easier with PHP than with almost anything else, so while inexperienced programmers can write bad code in any language a large number of them choose PHP. None of those facts mean PHP is not suitable for "real" development and "real" programmers. It is not obsolete or dying. A professional programmer who knows how to build production-quality web sites can get great results from PHP. That requires putting in the same time and effort needed to learn any other language and set of tools.