LOL so saw this coming...
Aight so first off, HORRIBLE topic for a survey.
YES, PHP is moving ahead of Perl FOR WEB SCRIPTING.
NO, Perl IS NOT DYING.
This isn't even a yes or no question. If you want to ask:
Is PHP moving ahead of Perl FOR WEB SCRIPTING?
OR:
Is Perl dying?
THOSE are YES/NO type questions, but PHP can be moving ahead while Perl is NOT dying, so you're question just doesn't work.
Perl usage is still EXTENSIVE in Linux/BSD/Unix environments, whether for system admin, commonly used programs in nix environments, etc. AND is by default included in many nix environments because many RELY on Perl to function. Perl is definitally NOT DYING in that aspect.
YES though, PHP is moving ahead AS FAR AS WEB SCRIPTING. It was designed for the web, Perl wasn't, so it should be. BUT PHP is just starting to catch on for command line utilties, only recent versions even support this.
Further, dont' forget that Perl has been used for web scripting for longer than PHP has... someone has to maintain / update / create new modules for all that Perl code. In my experience, it is very seldom that a business is willing to just dump tons of their code, time, money and applications ( based on any language, not just Perl ) for a new language, unproven FOR THEIR APPLICATION, just because somebody says it's 'dying' or because another language is used more now.
Don't forget too that the next vesrion of Perl, Perl 6, based on the Parrot runtime, is still in development and should be released in the not-too-distant future.
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Go Google for surveys on Perl and PHP usage. Perl CGI usage and mod_perl usage are both GROWING according to several recent ( read: last month and this year ) surveys I found. It's not growing as much as PHP, but it's growing.
Also, as noted, Perl is included in a ton of Linux and Unix/BSD installs by DEFAULT. Perl is def. here to stay in Linux/Unix/BSD environments for quite a while.
Also, for YEARS, Perl has been a great option for web scripting, mod_perl continues to develop and make it an even better option. TONS of sites are created using Perl... and all those sites need to be maintained. In my experience, it is VERY seldom that a business is willing to take an application they've dumped TONS of money into, and totally scrap it and rewrite it in another, unfarmiliar and younger language. Someone has to maintain those sites, and build on them in the future.
The fact that PHP is created by a for-profit company can also be a turn-off to many companies... what happens if someday the next version of PHP becomes closed-source? If you suddenly have to pay for it?
In any case wmac, I highly doubt you'll ever reach a point using either language where you have to worry about the speed of just including a header and footer, or even a ton of files. I'm not advocating Perl, and I'm not advocating PHP, but I would encourage you to realize that either is an option. If you want a real answer, you should go out and benchmark it both ways.
