...this is actually a nonsensical question. An article addressing the question could be stated in one word.

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Devloper's Dilemma: Perl or PHP?

Yes!

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The question is a silly one because nobody has to choose. You should select an approach for a given job that factors the problems related to the job and the resources at hand.

An "either/or" answer to this question is only necessary for the weak programmer who can only manage to learn one language. PHP is a fine language. So is Perl. So is Java. So is VB (although it feels like heresy to say that here) :-).

So even we are not immune to our prejudices here. But the bottom line is you can have it all. You can have PHP and you can have Perl, and you don't have to agonize over what to write on the purchase order. They're both available to you.

For a large project that requires several developers working in concert, I would tend to favor a strongly typed language. If there is a job that needs to be finished right away and only one person has to do the work, then I would favor a language that offers the shortcuts that get code finished fast. (Both PHP and Perl offer advantages in this respect.)

But to phrase the question implies that some sort of dogma must be present in the answer, and I'm here to tell you that religion has *No Place* in engineering.

On the other hand, I love to come upon shops that have succumbed to dogma in their past. They present rich consulting opportunities for the rational engineer.

...All the world looks like -well- all the world, when your hammer is Perl.
---v

...I realize that this call-and-response type of node has appeared many times in the life of Perl Monks, but perhaps someone newly visting will see this one and find their way to the additional volumes of text that have been written on the topic. ---v