PHP latest version is neither a beginner level nor a prototyping-only language. The only true beginner-level language I ever knew was Logo, and I don't know any examples of languages used only for prototyping. These misconceptions arise from the fact that being an interpreted, dynamically typed language, it's very easy to begin coding with PHP latest version, but people usually realize that complexity is not part of the language itself but of the task at hand, and that's as true for PHP as for any other language. The language has evolved greatly over the years, not only fixing things that were too controversial (e.g., register_globals) but also adding all sorts of new and interesting features (namespaces, lambdas, and so on), so I think you'll find that the best answer can only be provided by yourself after you give PHP a chance and work with it for some time.