Im not clear what makes you think the OP is a non-technical person? The question he phrased was the exact question that he should have asked, what is unfortunate (but unsurprising, given the complexity of the answer) is that nobody seems to be answering it clearly.
He asked:
"How will it impact my webapp if it is written in Python and not PHP"
That is a fantastic question, and it deserves better responses than the 'language x sucks' ones it is mostly getting.
The simple fact that he asked the correct question gives me a great deal of faith that he is in fact technically inclined, technically able and has some development experience. The way in which it was phrased makes me believe that english is not his habitually spoken language.
He clearly does lack experience in using Python, and is (quite reasonably) hesitant about plunging into a different language without attempting to find out more about it.
"I'm advocating he choose the anti-PHP guy, slightly tongue-in-cheek, because given the limited amount of information presented, that choice gives him the best odds."
it really doesn't. some quite ridiculously stupid people are anti-PHP.
Given the information available, I would advocate that he use the language that the majority of people on his team are most familiar with. Nothing like having a team learn an entirely new language and associated design skills to bog down a project.
"gives me a great deal of faith that he is in fact technically inclined, technically able and has some development experience."
I'm sure he has development experience. But too limited an amount.
It is a valid question, but I don't think any response provided here can properly demonstrate to him the value of a language like Python over a language like PHP. No more than someone could teach him to fly a plane in the span of a post like this. It's not a simple subject, by any means.
The best anyone can do is point him to resources that he could study and learn over a period of time -- or advise him to listen to someone talented that he trusts.
I'd be very careful listening to anyone advocating PHP for a project starting from a blank slate. Yes, there are talent developers that prefer PHP. And there are many more poor developers that prefer PHP as is the most popular default choice for those that lack experience, are not comfortable with their own technical judgement, or believe that all languages are more or less equal.
Many on HN would argue that a top-tier developer would not choose PHP, period. But you may not be able to get hold of a top-tier developer -- and in that case a team of solid PHP developers may be the best available choice, if not the best possible choice, particularly if you've worked with them before, and the project is technically simple and limited in scope.
He asked: "How will it impact my webapp if it is written in Python and not PHP"
That is a fantastic question, and it deserves better responses than the 'language x sucks' ones it is mostly getting.
The simple fact that he asked the correct question gives me a great deal of faith that he is in fact technically inclined, technically able and has some development experience. The way in which it was phrased makes me believe that english is not his habitually spoken language.
He clearly does lack experience in using Python, and is (quite reasonably) hesitant about plunging into a different language without attempting to find out more about it.
"I'm advocating he choose the anti-PHP guy, slightly tongue-in-cheek, because given the limited amount of information presented, that choice gives him the best odds."
it really doesn't. some quite ridiculously stupid people are anti-PHP.
Given the information available, I would advocate that he use the language that the majority of people on his team are most familiar with. Nothing like having a team learn an entirely new language and associated design skills to bog down a project.