In the way you explain it, PHP isn't that different from C++. In C++ you can ignore all OO concepts and simply write C style procedural programs as well. No one

In the way you explain it, PHP isn't that different from C++. In C++ you can ignore all OO concepts and simply write C style procedural programs as well. No one mentions this when they discuss C++. I don't see why this "split personality" should be a problem with PHP. It's simply a language evolving, just like C did when C++ came around by keeping the old stuff around and adding new features.