java as a server side language

[dimeroll]

realistic?

[16oz]

depends on what you mean. i've actually worked with a java based flash server called RED5, and it ran like a dream, for the most part

[pulaskeet]

I program with java serverside and it serves its purposes, but php is much easier. It depends on what you need I guess.

If you need to just interface a database with your website, php will be much faster to code and will perform faster because of a lot of the built in caching. If you need to actually process data or manipulate data, or any other procedural function that might use a lot of CPU, java performs faster so its wiser to use java. Be advised that it takes a lot more code and time to setup a java environment serverside so thats why I try to avoid it.