For some reason set register_globals and register_argc_argv to off in php.ini and use error_reporting(E_ALL) or die!* doesn't have the same ring to it as use strict;.

For me PHP is only really bareable if I do everything in a very strict OO style. The language got off to a really bad start when it comes to language design and is still trying to catch up. They just don't have the big guns behind them like Perl. I think of it as Perl's idiot younger brother. I love it, but still... so much country is covered in CPAN. Over in PHP land it's a wide open prarie, full of bad uns and varmits waiting to be taimed by a few brave souls.

()-()
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* p.s. Actually do this and most PHP libraries, such as PEAR or Sourceforge, will start choking up blood. A lot of bad habits have built up over the years.