Programming languages advantages

Java - Works best as a high level Enterprise Web applications.
Advantages: Huge, Robust, Infinitely scalable for web applications, high level, marketable skill, mixes with xml like peanut butter and jelly, platform independent, will handle all the hardware you can throw at it, A lot of code that you need is usually already published and free on the Internet.
Disadvantages: May not be suited for low level programming. A resource hog. May not perform well on older computers. May be overly complex for very small programs.

ActionScript - Works best for animating movies, adds and cool applications that work as if they are applications on the computer, but the application plays inside the browser.
Advantages: Can get visual and interactive effects like no other language within a web browser. Highly marketable skills. A lot of pizazz, most people use it on the index.html page for commercial web sites.
Disadvantage: Not really suited for non web applications. Not suited for low level programming. This language resides inside of html code mainly. Does not venture from there.

C++ - Best suited for general purpose and low level programming.
Advantages: Extremely fast, works very well for GUI programming on a computer. Good language to write operating systems, drivers, and platform dependent applications with. Good language to learn to program with. Good language for engineers.
Disadvantages: Although it is platform independent, it is mostly used for platform specific applications. A library set is usually chosen that locks you into a single platform or operating system. Overly complex for very large high level programs. Overly complex and difficult to debug when used for web applications. Marketable skills are low level programming, vendor software, and video games, making it difficult to find jobs unless you have are very advanced in a target area.

C# - new language to take advantage of C++ foundation and add new features.
Advantages: Can be used for web applications on Microsoft computers. Works well with the Microsoft product line. Marketable skill set.
Disadvantages: Almost completely locks you into the Microsoft Platform. New language, so not a great deal of published free code yet.

VB - Used mainly to modify and complement the Microsoft product line.
Advantages: Extremely easy to use, even for people who are not computer programmers. Allows the typical computer user to modify MS Office applications to suite their needs. Works very well on a Microsoft intranet to complement the network shares and permissions. Can be used for low level programming on Microsoft computers. A marketable skill set. Excellent for writing little programs and pieces of programs.
Disadvantages: Completely locks you into using the Microsoft product line. Not a true Object oriented language although it claims to be. VB .Net is an object oriented language. Becomes overly complex and difficult to manage on very large programs.

PHP -was created in 1995 by Rasmus Lerdorf and means Personal Home Page language. Ever since its beginning it has been one of the most intuitive programming languages used for the creation of dynamic web pages. Later, when the PHP team was formed, the parser was rewritten and PHP version 3.0 saw the light of day. The PHP 3 version was the first serious improvement of the PHP language, which fixed a lot of bugs and completely redesigned the PHP core. The meaning of the abbreviation was also changed to PHP Hypertext Preprocessor.

PHP is one of the most popular server side scripting languages running today. It is used for creating dynamic webpages that interact with the user offering customized information. PHP offers many advantages; it is fast, stable, secure, easy to use and open source (free).

Rasmus Lerdorf wrote the first PHP (first called Personal Home Page) scripts as a series of Perl scripts that he used to track visitors to his webpage and to see who was viewing his resume. He eventually rewrote PHP as a scripting engine and added support for forms. PHP has been evolving since 1994 as an open source code. A community of followers and developers formed and began using and further developing PHP. Over the years the Personal Home Page acronym was dropped and it evolved into the PHP Hypertext Preprocessor.

PHP code is inserted directly into the HTML that makes up a website. When a visitor comes to the website, the code is executed. Because PHP is a server side technology, the user does not need any special browser or plug-ins to see the PHP in action.

The beauty of PHP lies in its simplicity. It is easy to understand and learn, especially for those with backgrounds in programming such as C, javascript and HTML. The language is similar to C and Perl so that anyone with a background in either C or Perl programming will feel comfortable using and understanding PHP. PHP also runs on just about every platform including most UNIX, Macs and Windows versions.

PHP doesnt use a lot of the systems resources so it runs fast and doesnt tend to slow other processes down. It is typically used as an Apache module, written in C, so it loads and executes quickly. It works well with other software and can be quite fast. PHP is also fairly stable and since it is open source, the PHP community works together to fix any bugs. The community offers technical support and continuously updates the code further expanding PHPs capabilities.

PHP offers many levels of security to prevent malicious attacks. These security levels can be adjusted in the .ini file.

Another key advantage of PHP is its connective abilities. PHP uses a modular system of extensions to interface with a variety of libraries such as graphics, XML, encryption, etc. In addition, programmers can extend PHP by writing their own extensions and compiling them into the executable or they can create their own executable and load it using PHPs dynamic loading mechanism.

In addition to extensions, PHP has tons of server interfaces, database interfaces and other modules available. Of the server interfaces, PHP can load into Apache, IIS, Roxen, THTTPD and AOLserver. It can also be run as a CGI module. Database interfaces are available for MySQL, MS SQL, Informix, Oracle and plenty of others. If a database is not supported, ODBC is an option.

The main PHP source repository is loaded with modules and interfaces that users have written and contributed. There you can find modules for flash movies, PDF files, calendars and more.

A huge advantage that PHP offers is its community. Since PHP is an open source project, the PHP community is willing to share. If youre looking for a particular script, chances are another user has already created something similar. Check within the PHP community for availability. Likewise, if you have created a function that others might enjoy, be sure to post the code for others.

If youre ready to add dynamic content to your webpages, consider the use of PHP. Its free, easy to learn (especially if you have some programming background) and integrates well across many platforms and with various software programs.