I'm working on a website that's gonna require a ton of coding.

Is PHP or ColdFusion better?
I have the ColdFusion software, but I've heard PHP is simpler and more universal.

What do you guys think?

Oh yeah, the sites gonna have a lot of flash content and i'm gonna use dreamweaver to code it. Would using all the macromedia software be easier as far as workflow and compatibility?

Personally I have used both and basically ditched coldfusion in favor of PHP

My reasons:
1. It's free
2. Scalability
3. Widely supported
4. Tons of libraries and codes out there
5. Easy to learn (but cf is too actually)
6. I still don't like the OOP support in coldfusion
7. LAMP combination just kicks ass imho

But as a php developer I'm probably biased

Granted it's a dirty language but it does the job

Btw I'm not going to make a statement about wether php or cf is better. Each have their pro's and con's

I am not a coder, but since i got into it---last week---I am finding
the FF extension "firebug" to be just the most incredible help..
incredible.

offtopic a bit but since scion was talking about firebug

if you want a real nice addon for firefox:
The webdeveloper extension
http://chrispederick.com/work/webdeveloper/

Any slightly off-topic coding help is fine by me.
I've barely coded at all, so this is might take a while.

A lot depends on the webserver platform you have to work with.

That being said.... Go for PHP! With coldfusion you need to have the Coldfusion server (that's pronounced "mun-ie").

At work I have to do Active Server Pages (ASP) because we have IIS (don't say anything it wasn't my choice).

So, with ColdFusion, do you have to install something seperate on the server or just on your PC?

you have to install Coldfusion on your computer, it turns your computer into a server, it's the fastest sweetest way to build interactive sites,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but, very few hosts use C/F most will let you use it if you pay extra, others wont, even if you offer extra money.
stick with PHP, tutorials, code snippets all over the web, all hostes use it, now the question is, PHP 4.0 or 5.0, MYsQL OR APACHE'
Dont look at me like that, i know nothing about coding
that's just the stuff i learned while trying to learn how to code

i will be watching this tread with intrest

You'll find php 5 is unfortunately not widely supported yet with hosting services (all tough it seems to be progressing). If you're setting up your owns server with php then go php5 all the way. but don't loose php4 out of sight, it's good to know what is and isn't possible with php4 (especially with oop)

And if you're going for php, Apache and MySQL (or PostGreSql) are the ideal tools to combine it with.

ps: setting up a test server on your own pc is pretty easy using xampp ( http://apachefriends.org )

I've decided to use PHP, cause of the compatability.
Thanks for the help deciding!


I think I'm probably gonna use PHP 4 for for compatability.

Its not gonna be my own physical server I'm gonna use.
Would I still have to choose between MySql and Apache?

I know practically nothing about coding or webservers and stuff so, this is gonna be a learning experience*.



*or, its gonna be a total pain.

Ok, I should use MySQL AND Apache, right?

yup, you can't choose between apache and mysql, it's like choosing between a car and a vegetable
they're completely different things

mysql (database server)
apache (web server)

what about PEARL or RUBYONRAILS?

we're supposed to help him, not to confuse him (though perl is also interesting to learn )

hey, i'm trying to get this stuff straight in my head so i can start my flash contest site,,,,,,,,,,,,,, one day,

http://www.bluetorials.com/