Leonid Mamchenkov has linked over to a great thread over on Quora that asks the question "[What are some things you wish you knew when you started programming?

](https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-things-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-started-programming)?"

The post is originally from Ken Mazaika, CTO, Co-founder & Mentor @ thefirehoseproject.com but it has expanded way beyond his original list of 27 things. There's comments sharing everything from personal experiences out to their own lists of things they wish they knew. Topics mentioned include:

• the "cognitive burden"
• the importance of getting away from the screen sometimes
• the value in listening, not just hearing, your colleagues
• thinking about security at all times
• learning the "why" of coding, not just the "how"

There's a lot more in this post so get over and start reading. There tips in here for everyone, both those new to programming and those that have been doing it for years.

With a follow-up to Chris Shiflett's post on the "insecurity of PHP", Marco Tabini has voiced his opinion over on his blog as well.

Via Chris' blog, I came across this posting that discusses the perceived lack of security in PHP. Others have already made excellent points in response to the author's claims—which, basically, boil down to the fact that he seems to confuse security with a limitation in functionality.

What? Is he serious? Well, yes—and for one simple reason: security means different things to different people. The level of input filtering that may be needed for my software does not necessarily fit the requirements of other people's needs. The goal of the language is to remain as simple, powerful and efficient as possible. It is then up to the developer to determine the level of additional functionality that he requires and implement it—and that includes security.

He goes on mentioning things like the Zend Framework and eZ Systems - all development platforms that are working to provide a secure environment for any developer to work in. Of course, not all developers need that much "protection" in their code, and are happy to work within something a bit more lean (he gives an example of Rasmus)...

With a follow-up to Chris Shiflett's post on the "insecurity of PHP", Marco Tabini has voiced his opinion over on his blog as well.

Via Chris' blog, I came across this posting that discusses the perceived lack of security in PHP. Others have already made excellent points in response to the author's claims—which, basically, boil down to the fact that he seems to confuse security with a limitation in functionality.

What? Is he serious? Well, yes—and for one simple reason: security means different things to different people. The level of input filtering that may be needed for my software does not necessarily fit the requirements of other people's needs. The goal of the language is to remain as simple, powerful and efficient as possible. It is then up to the developer to determine the level of additional functionality that he requires and implement it—and that includes security.

He goes on mentioning things like the Zend Framework and eZ Systems - all development platforms that are working to provide a secure environment for any developer to work in. Of course, not all developers need that much "protection" in their code, and are happy to work within something a bit more lean (he gives an example of Rasmus)...