PHP is the "Rudy" of web languages. It just won't quit.
I remember switching to PHP for three reasons about 9 years ago. I cycled through Perl, ColdFusion, Java Server Pages, and ASP JScript before getting to it.
1. It was the most accessible free alternative to costly platforms (ColdFusion, MS ASP) or more strict / difficult to configure platforms (Perl, JSP). Error checking was as simple as ASP/JSP and starting up was as simple as paying for a cheap LAMP server that would run it out of the box.
2. It had the largest set of online documentation for both the language itself and tutorials / code examples. This was one of the biggest unavoidable draws to the language. The community was huge and still is to this day although documentation is much more evenly distributed across other languages now.
3. PHP may be one ugly beast but it does pre-package practically every piece of functionality you could ask for within it. I'm not sure I have ever liked the look of the code but there was something magical about being able to grab remote server code via file_get_contents for the first time. It was so damn easy!
If I were to suggest a platform today I would probably have to go with Python. It has all of the same advantages that PHP had in the past but has the added benefit of being better designed and applicable to more than web programming. Ruby would be my second choice simply because the environment setup is a bit more complicated still, although the language is the most beautiful in my opinion.
Some Reasons Programmer Co-Founders Can Be Picky and Elusive
1. Risk is typically front-loaded for the programmer so they have to be more cautious. A programmer with no skills is much easier to spot early on than a business person with no skills.
2. The "programmer" role can often include many tasks that have nothing to do with programming. Often times "programming" means UI, UX, server management, DB management, server-side coding, API coding, website coding, and mobile development. For really inexperienced business co-founders this role may also include business card and flyer design, video demo creation, and remembering the company Wifi password.
3. 10% equity after doing 85% of the most important work is not a good deal, especially in a market where you're skills are in high demand.
4. Quality programming is not a commodity. Programming is more akin to painting or novel writing. A programmer may have an idea or possibly an outline to start but when the time comes their still free-styling most of it while forming new ideas as they go.
5. Technical co-founders are often willing to learn the business side of things. Business co-founders typically want nothing to do with learning the technical side of things.
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