Need to learn a Scripting language. Which is better? Javascript or PHP

[PowerUp]

Hi, I want to learn a scripting language to make my website interactive. Between Javascript and PHP,

1. Which is easier to learn?
2. Which is more popular?
3. Which can do more tasks?
4. Which is more stable?
5. Which do you prefer and why?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[edited by: PowerUp at 9:49 am (utc) on May 23, 2007]

[barns101]

Are you talking about JavaScript (as per the threat title) or Java (as per the message body)?

JavaScript cannot be compared to PHP because it is a client-side language unlike PHP, which is server-side. Java is similar to PHP in many ways, but as I've only touched it very briefly, I can't really elaborate. :)

I found PHP very easy to start learning. Most web hosts support its use and there is a great deal of help available online.

When I did take a look at Java it seemed more complex and the learning curve steeper than with PHP. You also need to compile it for use and in my opinion that alone makes using is more difficult and time consuming. You would also probably pay more for a host that supports Java.

Hope that helps :)