PHP is still cool. Trust me!

Pull up a chair and let me regale you with a tale of a programming language that’s been around since I was barely out of nappies. Yep, we’re chatting about PHP.

Now, hold up. PHP? Isn’t that… old news? Nope, not at all. PHP is still cool. Trust me on this one.

The Granddaddy of Web Dev

PHP’s been the internet’s backbone since… well, forever. Alright, not literally forever - it popped up in ‘94. But in tech years? That’s ancient. Yet here’s the kicker: this old timer’s still got moves.

Why I’m Still Banging On About PHP

You know WordPress? Facebook? Wikipedia? All PHP, folks. It’s like the secret sauce of the internet. I’ve been playing with PHP on and off for more than 20 years. I’ve seen it grow into something that I personally love to work with, especially with things like Laravel.

The PHP community are absolute legends. Last week, I was stuck on this weird bug - posted on Twitter (X) and boom! Fixed in 10 minutes, meanshile the number of times I thought about learning Angular and getting lost in their documentation and then there is the Angular community they are there to help, no doubt, but every time I’ve asked for help with Angular, all of the responses I get are for older versions and those fixes just don’t cut the mustard on this stupid new version that I decided to try and use.

And don’t even get me started on the frameworks. Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter… It’s like being a kid in a candy shop, but instead of tooth rot, you get awesome code structure.

Laravel: My Personal Obsession

Right, I’ve got to gush about Laravel for a sec. This framework, I swear, it’s like PHP put on a tuxedo and learned to salsa (not that I can salsa, in fact, I can barely dance at all…). First time I used Eloquent ORM, I thought I’d died and gone to database heaven. And Blade templating? chef’s kiss

PHP in the Wild: More Than Just Websites

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “PHP’s just for websites, right?” Wrong! Let me blow your mind a bit:

1. CLI applications: Yeah, PHP can do command-line stuff too.

2. Desktop apps: Ever heard of PHP-GTK? You can build full-fledged desktop applications with PHP.

3. IoT: Believe it or not, PHP can run on Raspberry Pi. I once had a little home automation system running on PHP, it’s not something I do now, but it wasn’t so hard at the time.

The PHP Learning Curve: It’s More of a Gentle Slope

Here’s the beauty of PHP - it grows with you. Start with basic scripting, move on to object-oriented programming, then dive into design patterns and advanced concepts. My favourite part though is that you can see results fast. Remember that feeling when you first made text appear on a webpage? That’s just the beginning. Wait until you build your first API or integrate a payment gateway. It’s addictive, I’m telling you.

The Future of PHP: It’s Brighter Than You Think

PHP 8 brought some game-changing features like the JIT compiler and named arguments. And PHP 8.1? Union types, enums, and fibers! It’s like PHP went to the gym and came back absolutely ripped.

But here’s the real kicker - the PHP community are incredibly helpful, there are some strong feelings about different frameworks, but it’s quite easy to find a support Laravel or Symfony group to get involved with. There’s talk about PHP 9 potentially bringing features like generics and async/await. It’s like watching your favorite show and knowing the next season is going to be even better.

Why You Should Jump on the PHP Bandwagon

There are shinier, newer languages out there. But here’s the thing - PHP is like that comfy old hoodie you keep coming back to. It just works.

The job market still loves PHP. A recruiter once called me (I was looking to get into a JavaScript frontend role at the time, because I thought that was the easier play), they asked a few questions and realised I knew a bit about PHP and he didn’t even entertain my interest in the JS role that I’d applied for, he just actively encouraged me to ditch JS and rebuild my portfolio material in PHP. Unfortunately, I should also add that this particular recruiter did basically vanish off the face of the earth soon after telling me to do this, he ghosted me proper and I never actually got a job through this guy, but, he really got me excited about the potential opportunities out there. So why do I think there is a good job market out there when my own recruiter failed to deliver? Well, just take a look at your favourite job board for PHP roles and you’ll see, there are loads of them.

Want to Give It a Go?

Fancy dipping your toes in the PHP pool? Here are some top-notch resources to get you started:

1. PHP: The Right Way - It’s like the PHP bible, but more fun.
2. Laracasts - If you’re into video learning, this is the bee’s knees.
3. PHP Apprentice - Great for absolute beginners.
4. PHP.net Official Docs - Dry? erm, yes! Essential? Absolutely.

Wrapping It Up

So there you have it. PHP might be older than some of you lot, but it’s still cooler than a penguin’s icebox. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned dev looking to expand your toolkit, PHP is worth your time.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a Laravel project calling my name. Probably won’t be the next Facebook, but hey, a dev can dream, right?

Keep coding, you beautiful nerds! And remember: when in doubt, var_dump() it out! 🐘💻

P.S. If you’re ever in Swindon/Bristol and fancy a PHP meetup, give me a shout!