PHP is a server side scripting language that enables us to write complex web applications which can interact with databases, graphics, the host operating system etc. With PHP we can generate web pages "on-the-fly" from a database, perform comlpex calculations, interact with APIs and other systems, it offers a huge range of functions for just about any job including shopping carts, content management systems and business applications to name but a few.
A very versatile programming language, we use it in all manner of ways from web applications to server automation. It's cross platform so has versions available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X and along with additional modules from the Python community makes it a very powerful tool.
With the rise in feature rich user interfaces in web applications, the use of Javascript and the jQuery framework are a necessity. Allowing us to interact and manipulate the html and css of a web page and make API calls with ease.
We love MySQL! It's is a very fast and powerful relational database, it's ideal for web-applications and APIs. Just about all programming languages can interact with MySQL, plus there are versions for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X making it extremely flexible.