Why PHP Is the Most Underrated Programming Language

Python, Django, Rails, Ruby, Ember, Java, AngularJS, React, and other cool new technologies make the headlines and are coveted technologies for many developers and companies. Yet, at the end of the day PHP still powers the majority of websites and the popular CMS platforms that power most websites.
Why is PHP so far down the list of cool technologies? Well, perhaps it does not have the scalability, versatility,or coolness factor that some other programming languages and frameworks based off those languages have. However, the fact remains, that PHP is and will most likely be the staple of the web for years and perhaps decades to come powering most websites based on CMS platforms like WordPress and Magento.
It also seems many developers fail to see the widespread community benefits and potential value of PHP as opposed to other programming languages. A good example is this thread on PHP on the website Hashnode which is for developers.    A developer poses the question:

 
Of course there are several responses one of which, tries to explain why high tech startup companies that are building SaaS products don’t often use PHP.

 
However as you can see from this response to his response it seems there is a clear lack of appreciation and understanding of what PHP can really do as explained by this programmer. PHP certainly has its flaws as does any other programming language but the community is now so large and strong because so many CMS platforms and websites are based off of it that there are certainly ways to accomplish almost anything you want to do.

 
Probably the best summation of why PHP is underrated and will ultimately prevail as the dominant programming language on the along with Javascript is this comment on the same thread here:

 
As new initiatives and platforms like PHP 7, Magento 2.0, WordPress enterprise growth, and more platforms that rely heavily on PHP to grow, we will see far more improvements in the PHP community. Ultimately as the above screen shot shows, there is no avoiding the truth. PHP simply dominates the web, and therefore should be a language more and more programmers become familiar with or even experts in.