I'm still working my way to master HTML and CSS, but I'm already researching on what scripting language to learn.

If you design a website with many images/ galleries, possibly with video...

...which is better to use, Javascript or PHP.

How about PHP? Is if very complex? Is is a language for the more casual user, or will you mess up everything if you're not really fluent?

I understand that Javascript is client side, PHP server side: but what does that mean for me, who designs the site?

That's a very commonly asked question. Most web developers get away with learning PHP and use javascript libraries like Prototype to make their life easy.

That aside, you will still need a 'creative' person to do the graphics design for you.

Originally Posted by jitendraag

That's a very commonly asked question. Most web developers get away with learning PHP and use javascript libraries like Prototype to make their life easy.

That aside, you will still need a 'creative' person to do the graphics design for you.

With me, it's the other way round. I'm a creative person who wants to learn the basics, so I am autonomous to do my own designs.

How about PHP? Is if very complex? Is is a language for the more casual user, or will you mess up everything if you're not really fluent?

Both languages are very deep, and also very complex in their highest form. There's a few thing you can always do without studying a language deeply, like server side includes with PHP, or using common APIs in JavaScript (like in the case of many jQuery users). As long as you have a solid foundation in HTML and CSS already, you should be able to explore either of these languages.

The best thing for you to do is to just start to explore them both. The process of learning about them will lead you in the right direction. Both are useful, and you should be able to make use of both of them. Since you already are familiar with the front-end, JavaScript may be a more natural place for you, since it interacts with HTML, can change CSS classes around, and do lots of cool stuff to your layouts. However, knowing how to do a few things with JavaScript does not make you a good programmer.

A good thing you could do is to study some basic programming principals. One thing all programming languages have in common is general language constructs. Language constructs are procedures for looping, doing math, and logic like if/then/else. PHP and JavaScript are both C-family languages, and share some syntactical similarities, though superficial qualities are where the similarities stop.

If you want to learn programming, it really doesn't matter what language you study to begin with, as long as you study something. When I studied Pascal, it helped me a lot, and I've never used it in production.

Originally Posted by wayfarer07

(...)

The best thing for you to do is to just start to explore them both. The process of learning about them will lead you in the right direction. Both are useful, and you should be able to make use of both of them. Since you already are familiar with the front-end, JavaScript may be a more natural place for you, since it interacts with HTML, can change CSS classes around, and do lots of cool stuff to your layouts.

(...)

A good thing you could do is to study some basic programming principals. One thing all programming languages have in common is general language constructs. Language constructs are procedures for looping, doing math, and logic like if/then/else. PHP and JavaScript are both C-family languages, and share some syntactical similarities, though superficial qualities are where the similarities stop.

If you want to learn programming, it really doesn't matter what language you study to begin with, as long as you study something. When I studied Pascal, it helped me a lot, and I've never used it in production.

Thanks for the thought-out reply. Adding the info from your post to my own research it looks like a book about Javascript that really gets into details would be the right thing for me.

I found the following books about Javascript interesting.

I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy yet, so I'd appreciate comments on these books.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Dem...d_bxgy_b_img_b

They both look fine to me. I haven't read either one.

One is from 2003.

That's probably a bit old, as I see it still has HTML tables mentioned.

(the book by Pollock)

Originally Posted by Ulysses' World

One is from 2003.

That's probably a bit old, as I see it still has HTML tables mentioned.

(the book by Pollock)

To be honest html has stayed the "same" for a while, its HTML5 (specs (Big PAGE!!) | Major Demos) that you should read about.

HTML tables are still a part of HTML, and are used with "modern" layouts. It's just a matter of how they are used, for data, not layout. In 2003 things were a bit different, the reason being browsers had not advanced as much; HTML 4.01 was the same standard being used back then, as it was written in 1999.

That means it has been 10 years without a new standard being finalized! That's centuries in internet years...

Other web standards have also been around for a long time. CSS level 1.0 is from 1996. CSS 2.0 is from 1998. It took 9 years to move from 2.0 to 2.1 (in 2007).

If you look for a simple response, I suggest PHP. I am a creative person also, web designer, vector designer etc. and I chose PHP because I need it for my projects. I've used Java a few years ago as scripts for different html projects. Now almost all my sites use Wordpress (which is build on the strong foundation of PHP). PHP is opensource and you can find a lot of free ebooks, tutorials on the net. Happy learning

My suggestion is to learn PHP. I am not a creative person because I am not the kind of person to sit behind Adobe Photoshop and create something. I am more of a productive person.

I learned PHP in less then 2 months and I am now 5 years ahead from those 2 months learning and you can pretty mutch call me Advanced PHP Programmer. I even work for a company that creates php scripts all day long.

So, Happy php coding if you chooce to do so

Originally Posted by wesayitnet

If you look for a simple response, I suggest PHP. I am a creative person also, web designer, vector designer etc. and I chose PHP because I need it for my projects. I've used Java a few years ago as scripts for different html projects. Now almost all my sites use Wordpress (which is build on the strong foundation of PHP). PHP is opensource and you can find a lot of free ebooks, tutorials on the net. Happy learning

Thanks, Bogdan.

For what tasks do you use PHP?

Originally Posted by Ulysses' World

Thanks, Bogdan.

For what tasks do you use PHP?

For my own projects, I implemented php in a photo gallery and separately for my wordpress plugins, different tricks, ad management. Also did a password generator and text encryption system.

As for the company that I worked until recently, I helped a team in building a strong internal ERP and CMS (backend and frontend applications @ www.emag.ro). As for my knowledge of PHP I can tell you that you can do almost anything with it

Lately I am more attracted by the webdevelopment than the classic c++, borland, delphi, etc. programming languages.

As for Java. I don't think you will see many creative persons that use it. Most designers, creative minds use Flash (with its Action Script), or html and php. Java had a great start back in the days, and then another one with the mobile gaming technologies. As for now, it's a little outdated. Sorry to say that all you Java lovers

Hope this helps you

No one is talking about Java here, we are talking about JavaScript.