Yesterday, I uninstalled XAMPP. Without any other thoughts, I removed it from my PC.
TL;DR
I uninstalled XAMPP, because I will no longer be using PHP in my future projects. I have been using Python for many projects already.
PHP and XAMPP
PHP is the language built for web development, XAMPP is the environment where you build and run websites using PHP.
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited to web development.
PHP.net
Currently, the PHP version is 7.4x and is improving a lot versus the older versions I used before. Learn basic PHP at W3Schools, it's one of the easiest programming language!
index.php
<?php
echo "Hello, Hive!";
?>
Make sure XAMPP/Apache is started. On browser, load 127.0.0.1:80
Hello, Hive!
XAMPP is the software where you start it to launch your website in localhost, which can be accessed using the server/host's IP Address to any devices with a working connection to the server.
XAMPP is the most popular PHP development environment
XAMPP is a completely free, easy to install Apache distribution containing MariaDB, PHP, and Perl.
ApacheFriends
XAMPP lets you use MySQLi as an interaction between your website and the database. You need XAMPP and similar software to run your PHP files.
PHP Nostalgia
PHP is was my language, I graduated with the Outstanding Web Designer award for co-developing a highly customizable CMS using PHP. I don't actually talk about it a lot, the political hierarchy inside the workplace isn't a place to talk about tiny awards you get in school.
I had my hair at zero buzz cut on my junior year in college, few years after graduation, I have been growing it out for years already. Maybe it helped cool down my head during sleepless nights of coding.
I made a lot of friends in school, and we talked in PHP—our chats were "Help me debug this code." and our replies would be "missing semicolon on line 327." Hahaha!
When we have a bit of luxury, we went in malls, canteens, and in beaches to tone down our busy minds. We'd running down the streets like crazy, waiting for another overnight coding for our thesis—all with our bags with laptop, extra clothes, snacks, and draft thesis papers.
Talking about PHP is nostalgic to me, it's not only a programming language, but a huge part of my life.
Most of my friends are taking different directions, some are in Dev roles in their jobs, but most aren't in IT fields.
PHP in Real Life
PHP was different outside in walls of the classroom. It was more complex and PHP itself was a bit of stone-age—you need frameworks to be up-to-date, modern PHP developer.
I never actually made real projects out of PHP frameworks, such as Laravel, Symfony, or CodeIgniter. It was too much downloads and setup—too many dependency to run a simple Hello World site.
I decided it wasn't for me. I'll be a web developer, but not with PHP frameworks.
I had small projects in pure PHP, one was an online examination system where teachers can create digital questionnaires and students can answer on their laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Scores are automatically calculated and teachers can generate reports too.
The look and feel is the same with tests on papers such as identification, enumeration, matching type, essay (keywords only), and more. I earned a hefty cash with that, but also some sleepless nights.
In my job, I wasn't able to use PHP/XAMPP since it is restricted for security reasons.
Python for Web
I started using Python in about five years already and only about two years that I had a chance to build real projects of it.
PHP has been my go-to language in developing web-based applications, but this time I had to choose Python.
LEARNING FLASK IN PYTHON
I built a Machine Learning tool at work using Python (TensorFlow) and it's ideal to also use Python for web.
That's where I discovered Flask. Flask aims to keep the core simple but extensible, see more about Flask at Welcome to Flask. It rhymed with my nature—I dislike being limited what should be used when there's so many better options.
app.py
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route("/")
def index():
return "Hello, Hive!"
Run on command line / Terminal:
flask run
On browser, load 127.0.0.0:5000
Hello, Hive!
What's great with Python is you can make your own abstraction. Your main Python scripts would be as-is, and you do the changes in your replaceable modules.
The codes are also reusable for different projects with less maintenance. I already made modules such as wBuilder an HTML generator using Python, and few more others to help me make Python easier for web development.
The future for wBuilder is to add basic CSS-generating features, still not sure of how it will turn out, but I'll update it when I need it soon.
Deploying to Heroku
I have been running my Python web apps on localhost and still don't know how to deploy it on the cloud. I was just too afraid to learn about it, maybe it was too difficult for me?
Well, turns out it's so easy. Thanks to @tomoyan for his post about his project deployed on Heroku, I had the motivation to search about how it is done.
First have a basic understanding of Getting Started on Heroku with Python, then find the easiest how-to on Deploying a Flask Application to Heroku.
That's basically it.
At the very least, you're required to have the basic skill-set for Python, HTML, JQuery (JavaScript), and CSS.
Takeaways
The decision I made was solely based on my experiences and requirements, it shouldn't be misunderstood as the universal truth.
Web development is complex, as per client's ever-changing requirements. Choosing a programming language should be deeply researched based on current standards and business needs.
I chose Python for its flexibility in various fields such as basic tools, Web Development, Automation, Machine Learning, and for Raspberry Pi projects.
Since I already had a background in web development, I easily embraced Python for my web-based projects and intend to use Python for my future projects.
If you have thoughts, suggestions, or violent reactions, feel free to comment down below.
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About Me
@oniemaniego is a test engineer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.
 | Onie Maniego was born in Leyte, PH. He grew up in a rural area with a close-knit community and a simple lifestyle, he is often visiting his father's orchards during summer and weekends, which has a great impact on his works. |
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