Not that I would recommend it, but just like Python has GTK bindings so does PHP. Personally I wouldn't use either for desktop apps, but it's possible in both languages.
When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.
wait, there are gtk bindings for php?
how the f do you build guis when you don't have the ability to thread?
I have to follow what Rage9 says about documentation lacking, but I going to change it to Python.
I have only been doing Python for about 2 weeks and maybe Im doing something wrong ( came from PHP ), but the examples are 30 fold more for PHP compared to Python I have found online. The people using PHP and giving examples online are just massive.
I had several beginning errors on my Python apps and when I would google the errors all I could find was maybe links to mailing lists or old archives where people didnt have an answer anyway.
I do like the language and am willing to go the extra mile with it, however for ease of use overall, PHP is still my fav.
the documentation issue is sizable and definitely worth considering.
as a newbie learning to code, if you want to learn "either python or ruby", i'd say you're in equally good hands (but choose python, because that's what
men use
). but both of them will have roughly the same documentation -- not tons. if it's your first language, you might find this is too steep a barrier to get around. this could be a serious problem.
but honestly, in my opinion, for most mid-level devs -- that is, not the noobs like OP, but anyone who understands a bit of code already -- you're not a lot better off in PHP, because even though there are more 10x examples of how other people do things, 95% of them do it "wrong", or even if it's not "wrong" they don't explain why it's "right". you'll read and copy a bunch of other people's code, and learn about putting code together (which is definitely a good thing) but you won't learn about the whys-and-hows of "doing it right." while you may find 1/10 the this-is-how-you-do-it examples in py-or-rb, you'll find twice as much evangelizing and "this-is-how-you-do-it-
right"-ing.
to the OP, php might be your best bet for learning the baby steps of web development and learning the basics of manipulating data and controlling program flow. if you don't understand what a function is, or how it relates to a class, and you don't know about variable scoping, you don't need to learn a higher level language, you need to learn
programming concepts. the best way to do that is to fuck around with a dirty, gross, no-lifeguard-on-duty sandbox, like PHP. it won't stop you from directly adding a string to an integer, even though you "shouldnt". it won't force you to ensure your variables are all declared, but you "should".
i'm obsessed with "doing it right". if i'm not "doing it right", i don't wanna be doing it. i like python.
my threat to poop on your desk and take away your internets still stands, you need to come back to this thread with evidence of effort put into learning any one of these languages. start one, learn it till you hit a road block, then either keep asking questions and remaining persistent, or derail yourself and start another. really, if you're gonna be a good developer, you should be able to use all of these languages equally effectively.
