PHP is nice because the servers are cheaper to rent, the time to a “Hello World” page is shorter (just use notepad) and there are a lot of powerful open source projects for it. Check out the comments in this post http://www.michaelapproved.com/articles/microso... You'll see some people sticking up for PHP and the IDE options.

You'll find pros and cons in every language. My best advice is to stick to something that's very popular so you get a lot of sample code, good resources when you search and cheaper development costs when you need to hire someone.

Thanks for putting this post up. I've setup my first contest for my ecommerce site and have been struggling myself with the regulatory requirements. For now as you stated, I crafted my own terms based on my research. But would definitely look into your recommendation for future contests.

As for programming, why did you choose asp.net vs php or ruby on rails. I've been considering of teaching myself ror for a project in mind. I like to hear your thoughts about the different languages for an internet app.

But then, as comments like yours come in, it clear why.

You and Andrew have been great at giving pointers. Thank you so much for them and keep it up with the posts. I love them!