Those people who know me know I’m fairly passionate about PHP. As a solution for developing web applications it’s pretty good. While I can program in a number of languages none of these are at the same level that I can with PHP. Lately I’ve been feeling the need to add another language at or close to that level.

The decision about which language was quickly narrowed down to three choices:

• C#
• Java
• Python

After thinking about it for a while the clear winner, for me, is Java. Why?

• The syntax is similar to PHP so the learning curve is lower
• It’s compiled (I already have PHP if I need a scripting language)
• I can use it to develop mobile applications (something I would like to try)
• With SWT I can build desktop applications that look native
• I’ve been wanting to experiment with the Google Web Toolkit and Google Gears so this is a way to ease myself into Java without completely switching
• It’s a highly marketable skill for a professional programmer (no, I’m not looking for another job)