> Tell me why I do or don't want to learn  & use PHP.

Maybe you tell us first what you want with it? It's nor a very good
langauge for programming FGPGA's, just to name something.

My general comment on learning languages: if you know one
procedural/algol-style language you know them all. 

For more fun also study a static OO-language (Ada95, C++), maybe a
dynamic OO-language (Java? Smaltalk, Python). For real fun learn a
lazy-functional language (Haskell). And if you realy want to get crazy
enter the obfusciated C contest but cheat by submitting a program that
is valid C but realy should be run as Tcl.

> ie Does one of the other contenders do the same sort of 
> things or more 
> easier/better at the same price (or for $).

PHP and a lot of rivals are free, so that question evaluates to 0/0.
What that evaluates to depends on your language, but you should probably
study exception handling.

Wouter van Ooijen

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docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu
 

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