[ale] OT: Why Big Sites Run Drupal

[Jim Kinney]

Now you see why php and mysql are a perfect match. User side type checking
makes for faster development and online data access times.

:-)
On May 6, 2012 9:08 PM, "mike at trausch.us" <mike at trausch.us> wrote:

> On 05/06/2012 04:18 PM, Michael H. Warfield wrote:
> > You assume that there is a way to discriminate this and you assume that
> > the state in the past and it's history is reflective of its current
> > state.  Neither can be unambiguously substantiated or supported.
>
> I understand what you're saying here.
>
> I do assume (and it seems to even be happening) that eventually, things
> will become more stable and secure, with the exception of the issues
> which stem from its design (and are indeed application issues, albeit
> excessively common ones).  And I'm not opposed to using it for something
> that is very small and simple.  For example, a program á la Freecheck
> would make sense in PHP, because that is a simple application that can
> very easily make use of PHP's design.  A single script can handle the
> processing of POST'd input and render a check to print.
>
> But for very complex things I think it is a mistake to use PHP, for a
> multitude of reasons.  I could go on for ages on the topic, too.
>
> As time goes by, I find myself tending toward languages that aren't
> loose with their typing.  Python is nice because "3" + 2 is an invalid
> operation, but in PHP, it is not:
>
> mbt at aloe ~ $ python
> Python 2.7.2 (default, Apr 21 2012, 01:50:43)
> [GCC 4.6.2] on linux2
> Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
> >>> "3" + 2
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
> TypeError: cannot concatenate 'str' and 'int' objects
> >>>
> mbt at aloe ~ $ php
> <?php echo "3" + 2; ?>
>
> 5
>
> This can lead to all sorts of problems.  I _hate_ this type of
> "helpfulness", if it can even be called that.  Yes, you can write
> type-safety code yourself, but that is a serious pain in the ass when
> you could get it by default in other languages, and it does save time
> and effort.  One thing I dislike about Python is its lack of static
> typing (though I find it very usable despite this, since it has strong
> typing).
>
> It is one reason, though, that I like languages like Go and C (and Vala,
> which is essentially built on top of C and simplifies the use of the
> GObject model).  Strong typing is a valuable asset to me, because I
> don't have to have as much of the details of a program's design in my
> mind when I am working in such languages; the compiler will tell me if I
> screwed up with typing unless I disable type-checking for a particular
> expression, but that reduces my burden to just a small fraction of what
> it is in an environment like PHP's.
>
>        --- Mike
>
> --
> A man who reasons deliberately, manages it better after studying Logic
> than he could before, if he is sincere about it and has common sense.
>                                   --- Carveth Read, “Logic”
>
>
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