j_col

It's much easier to scan and correlate email data on a massive scale if it is all centralized in the one place (GMail servers).

I'm not saying that is what's happening, just saying it makes it easier.

> PHP's per-request execution model is a strength that is often overlooked by people who are mostly using persistent application servers.

You nailed it. AKA "Shared Nothing Architecture".

Virtual hosts in Apache? mod_rewrite? Your understanding of modern PHP development really is circa 2000. Try replacing those with nginx and PHP-FPM for a start.

Yeah, I've seen many similar, some examples:

http://www.mybigambitions.com/

http://www.bucketlist.org/

And probably the oldest of them all?

http://www.43things.com/

> Until PHP starts to take its core defects seriously I don't think it will ever make significant progress as a platform.

I'm sorry, but given that PHP the platform (forgetting about gripes with the language syntax for a moment) has been used on major projects for years, what more significant progress do you want?

Your talking about it as if it needs to prove itself as a viable technology, when clearly this is not the case.

> And what I still don't see is anything saying they are taking their performance problems seriously.

Hmmm, you have heard about PHP-FPM right? And the built-in APC cache? And HipHop?

Besides, in my experience performance problems will arise with other parts of your architecture a lot sooner that your application code (e.g. database if you're not clever about load balancing and caching), regardless of what language you are using. Network calls and disc I/O are a lot more expensive than CPU cycles in your app code.

> Still nothing saying they are fixing their documentation.

Define fixing. It works fine for me as-is.

> Nothing addressing their hodgepodge of legacy code and mixed methods of implementing features.

Again, define addressing. Deprecating? They're doing that. What else do you suggest, breaking existing popular applications by removing legacy code that you find offensive? Let me know how that works out (see Perl 6, Python 3...).

> Its like their upset that people have moved on,

Define people. Seriously.

> but instead of providing a better core for people to build products on they keep adding chrome to the fringes of the language hoping to get more people sucked into developing for it only to realize that once they do anything of significant size in PHP they will need to do a full rewrite into a language that can actually scale or turn to a PHP to C++ lexer to actually get a product that doesn't also server as a Data center toaster oven.

Wow, that needs a comma.

I hate these ranty posts attacking open source projects. Have you any idea how many hours of dev time went into PHP 5.5, free of charge? If they work that hard to build something this significant for the community free of charge, the least they deserve is your respect. In the meantime, feel free to go use Scala/Ruby/Node/whatever excites you.

> Considering the cure for cancer is basically fresh vegetables, fruits, and fungi...

I've met vegetarians with cancer. I'm pretty certain it's not that simple.

Characters like Mark Thomas and Michael Moore build their protest messages around PR stunts, it's their modus operandi and I believe it's a valid usage of media.

> As the only “European” startup hub, Tel Aviv...

Indeed! Use of quotes in original piece says it all.

Good for creating a positive brand.

Yeah that one caught my eye in an otherwise good list too. Typically sending email via PHP's mail() function is only slow if your server is not configured correctly: http://www.alphadevx.com/a/372-Fixing-slow-performance-of-se...

Just to elaborate further on why I think this is a throwaway comment from Atwood rather than getting into the whole "one language is faster than another" dick-measuring competition:

"Fast" in the context of the Internet is incredibly subjective (especially when you factor in global network latency), and has no place in technical discussion unless backed up with benchmarks (and even then, to be taken with a pinch of salt). For example, think about these made-up statements:

1. "Our site is really fast."

2. "That site is faster than the other site."

3. "We made our site 10% faster."

4. "We build our site using language X because it's fast."

I'm sorry, but statements like that raise my bullshit firewall. It's bordering on marketing speak.

> Of course, we went on to build Stack Overflow in Microsoft .NET. That's a big reason it's still as fast as it is.

Wow, that claim could really do with some qualifying.

Sure I get, but I think it just dilutes the meaning of the term "real-time" to use it in a soft context.

Please stop calling anything on the internet real-time. Response time is not guaranteed here.

> provided that they've proven they can do the work and know the language(s) in question.

And that's the rub of it for me: you have to let them lose on your project in order to prove themselves capable, and you have to hope they work out, i.e. learn on the job and you guide them through it. A Philosophy or Classical Literature major has to start their IT career somewhere, right?

So we have the old apprenticeship model rather than the professional model, nothing new here.

This is fine for junior members, but breaks down hard when you move into leadership roles when the leader is unqualified (both in experience and on paper).

> The best IT professionals are those with the capability to self-learn

That's a universal truth. You also have to self-learn in college.

> So those who skip university are around 2 to 3 years ahead of the rest that was pumped outdated subjects, mostly given by people that don't have practical experience.

Imagine having those 2-3 years to dedicate to full-time learning, without having to try to learn on the job without the luxury of time. Non-grads are ahead in their specific work areas due to on-the-job experience, but lack the broader knowledge of (for example) a comp sci degree that will force you to look at many other areas of IT and business.

> Unis today, except the higher tier (hopefully) don't teach Python, NodeJS, etc

They are just tools. The latest cool tools will change from the commencement of a multi-year degree to the end. All colleges will look outdated when judged in this way, but that is really not the point of these courses.

> Even worse, some dropped C, Lisp(Scheme) or others for Java.

Again, tools.

> So don't be surprised the ones that just graduated can't do much

I would wager that a recent comp sci graduate will bring to your organization than you appear willing to give them credit for. Sure they might have to learn all of your tools and processes, but they bring with them years of training in analytical, logical, critical thought on broader subjects that you organization is currently tackling, enabling a fresh perspective and a capability for lateral thinking.

Given that half of the professional IT people I've ever worked with don't even have IT-related qualifications, I'm really not surprised (but I am disappointed for our industry that the bar is set so low).

Can you work as a lawyer without a law degree? No. As a doctor without a medical degree? No. As an IT worker without a computing-related degree? Sure thing, how hard can it be!

I guess the differences are:

1. IT is still young as a profession. 2. IT lacks professional bodies to regulate the industry (see above).

So we end up with lots of unqualified people pulling the strings :-(

Cue an increase in personal injuries. I really hope people are not going to drive with these :-(

Nice idea! I guess it works on any browser?

I never claimed that HN was free. I simply said that comparing it to Chrome was invalid.