AndrewB

-- worst "programming language" ever, or very strong in the running. Here are just a few examples of why it's terrible:

1) $_GET superglobal variables (values passed to the current page from the form on the previous page) are completely unreliable. For example, let's say you have a text box called "firstName" on the previous page. You should be able to get in on the current page by going $_GET['firstName'] OR you should be able to just say $firstName if "register globals" is turned on. They are supposed to do exactly the same thing. Well, we have encountered situations where one works and not the other. There is no excuse for this.

2) It let's you do anything. It let's you try to access a variable that doesn't even exist. So when you mistype a variable name and just keep getting back null values, you have no way of knowing what went wrong without sifting through your code. And it's next to impossible to debug it, especially if the problem is in a PHP file that you're not visiting directly in your browser.

3) PHP forces you to be sloppy and "hack together" a solution. It totally forbids anything resembing modular, clean code.

4) Class-level variables cannot be accessed within methods. This means that EVERY bit of information you could possibly need must be passed into your methods. This, again, hurts modularity and forces you to be inconsistent in your application.


There is something like a $50 prize for the best PHP assignment that was submitted yesterday. Me and my partner will probably win the prize and get the best mark in the course. Still, pretty much the whole class agrees that PHP sucks and should be phased out.