The difference between a good cook and a crappy cook is that the good cook powered through all the crappy not-quite-there meals and learned everything they coul

The difference between a good cook and a crappy cook is that the good cook powered through all the crappy not-quite-there meals and learned everything they could about what makes a meal good by tasting all of their own cooking, and striving for improvement. Learning how to cook to taste is about persistent trial and error, just like learning how to develop software is about persistent trial and error. There's no right or wrong way to cook. It's all about what you personally have a taste for. For example, Natto is something I personally find distasteful. However, people have put effort into learning how to make Natto and they personally find it delicious. It meets their needs. Who am I to devalue their experiences? By the same token, PHP meets needs and there are plenty of people who develop effective software with it. If it's working, and you don't find its warts to outweigh the value you get, then you should continue using it.