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When I see some php-based projects that don't just work but work well (e.g. Wordpress, Friendica) and consider the scope of the functionality they try to achieve and the characteristics of the language, I'm wondering how are these even working at all? Must be some magic(*).

(*) talented open source developers
in reply to Gidi Kroon

Php seems to me the wrong language to run the web on, yet most of the web does. Purely on characteristics of the language, something like Elixir or Go, maybe Java/C/C++, would be a logical choice. Yet it's all php, or python for those who want to be more modern.
in reply to Gidi Kroon

It isn't just characteristics though. I guess 'ecosystem' and 'familiarity' are a thing too.