this is slightly off topic but wait for the end...

php is a powerful scripting language for web development.
if you're interested, it seems like c with smatterings of perl
and an intimate knowledge of [ie, lots of existing statements]
html/http. it is a powerful and interesting language for
web developement.

as a scripting language it is interpreted not compiled although
you can call c pre-compiled modules if you really need speed.
it has no editor, fine, i use bbedit.
it has no debugger and error statements are not only cryptic
but also tend to refer to lines miles away from where the
problem is. to debug, all you can do is print out the values
of stuff in your code [which appear on the web page] and
see where your code trips over itself.

it has lots of fun scripting stuff like use
of line-delimiters and obscure perlish '{[(\' stuff, oh, and
variables have to be explicited marked with a '$'.

yeah it has a bunch of stuff for networking, db access
and so on.

as it works on a web server you also have lots of neat
problems with authorisations, access and servers.

in fact, it can be compared to early basics [interpreted,
rudimentary, no debugger, obscure error messages]. so the
next time that you rage against the fb editor, the fb debugger,
or other aspects of fb, think about other environments [and
those who have to use them] and why a french reviewer called
fb's editor a "model for others".

oh to get back to coding in fb!

:-j