Good article, I guess PHP certainly isn't the most elegant language but it serves it's purpose; an easy to understand tool to add some dynamic features to html. The huge amount of resources available do make it kinda easy to hack something together. For larger more complex applications it would certainly not be my first choice either.

Yeah some personal experience would benefit the article probably. Although the manipulation techniques described aren't the worst I've come across. One time a "client" said they didn't have money to pay for the done work, the guy claimed he had to sell his car to pay me.

Obviously when I refused to send the work without payment the money arrived the same day (it was a subcontracted thing, so I guess they really needed it as well).