Is PHP still the defacto language for web programming?

[GreatSpoon]

Or is there a better one to start getting grips on that will soon become prevelant?

[elazar]

If there was a language with the potential to displace PHP, I would probably say it's JavaScript. Node / io.js have popularized the notion of running JS on the server side. I have to admit that the ability to use the same language -- and, in some cases, even the same code -- on both the client and server has an appeal. I believe GitHub's own trends confirm this.

All that said, I don't think PHP is going away anytime soon. HHVM coming onto the scene has generated a level of competition that really wasn't present before, and I think that's a very good and healthy thing.

While I'm not sure that I personally would still say PHP is the right tool for the job as confidently as I used to, there appear to be others who would. Terry Chay's old "ball of nails" line still applies, even if less so now than then, and I think it will have a place in the web application developer's stack for some years to come.