What options are currently available for web development focused solely on back-end programming?
I'm looking to move away from PHP and transition to a more robust, user-friendly language.

PHP is often criticized for attracting a large number of beginner programmers who have only read one or two articles, watched a few tutorial videos, and managed to create a simple WordPress blog. Despite some flaws and idiosyncrasies, the language has been gradually improving with each release. In my opinion, other scripting languages do not offer any significant advantages over PHP.

Why dismiss PHP? This powerful and flexible language's human-like logic makes it even capable of writing desktop applications! While it may be seen as a toy (even though it has been used to create full-fledged video converters), it is one of the most dynamically developing languages today.

If you take the time to delve into it more extensively, you will discover that your lack of knowledge about PHP is the primary reason why you're tired of it. You can't even imagine what it can do! Once you learn more about its capabilities, you'll be able to approach lead programmers with requests and proposals worth at least a hundred. Laughing at such topics will be a thing of the past. However, relying solely on tools like Joomla and DLE may not offer the same level of excitement.

 I can emphasize that PHP continues to be among the top programming languages for web development due to its power, flexibility, versatility, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. It is widely used by both small and large enterprises, as well as individual developers working on various projects. Learning PHP offers many benefits and opens up exciting opportunities for developers.

In my opinion, Python with Django, Flask, and other frameworks, as well as some well-known CMS such as Plone are excellent options for web development. NodeJS with Express, Koa.js, Sails.js, Total.js, among others are also worth considering. While Ruby offers Rails and Sinatra, there doesn't seem to be anything unique for web development that is not already in PHP, Node or Python.

ASP.NET MVC framework with a few CMS based on it may appeal to fans of C#. However, I don't have much experience with the Java ecosystem to express any opinions about its web development frameworks.

Furthermore, various frameworks in functional languages like Erlang (N20), Haskell, Clojure, OCaml (Eliom), Lua (Orbit, Lapis), and other rare languages are available.

Ultimately, what matters most is finding a customer or employer who either accepts using an unconventional language or doesn't care which language you use as long as your work functions effectively.

Lasso represents an alternative to PHP and ASP.NET in the world of web programming. While PHP is losing ground to both ASP.NET and Ruby on Rails, Perl and ColdFusion still maintain some market share. With no clear winner in sight, now is the time to explore less popular but equally potent technologies. Enter Lasso - a cross-platform server for running scripts using its simple and understandable language.

Lasso supports Windows, macOS X, and Linux as operating systems. It includes over 1400 tags and more than 30 data types, including mathematical types, strings, databases, and IP addresses. Images can be scaled, rotated, and transferred between formats using built-in functions, while iCalendar calendars and PDF files are easily manageable. XML parsing with DOM and SSL/TLS/tunneling are supported, too.

The official website, www.lassosoft.com, offers free trial downloads for Lasso and detailed dоcumentation for all its features. The Lasso language supports built-in composite types like arrays, lists, hash tables, trees, queues, and stacks.

I can highlight that Lasso is suitable for building web applications and dynamic websites. Its support for AJAX and XML processing makes it modern and versatile. However, developers should consider their specific project requirements and compare Lasso to other popular alternatives before making a decision.

Here are some popular back-end programming languages and frameworks that are worth considering:

Node.js with JavaScript: Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It's an excellent choice for real-time web applications, thanks to its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model. With Node.js, you can leverage the vast ecosystem of JavaScript packages and libraries, making it an attractive option for back-end development.

Python with Django or Flask: Python is a versatile language that's easy to learn and maintain. Django and Flask are two popular Python frameworks that offer robust back-end development capabilities. Django provides a high-level framework with an ORM, authentication, and admin interface, while Flask is a microframework that offers more flexibility and customization.

Go with Revel or Gin: Go, also known as Golang, is a modern language developed by Google. It's designed for concurrent programming, making it an excellent choice for high-performance back-end applications. Revel and Gin are two popular Go frameworks that provide a robust set of features for building scalable back-ends.

Rust with Rocket or actix-web: Rust is a systems programming language that's gaining popularity for its memory safety features and performance. Rocket and actix-web are two Rust frameworks that offer a robust set of features for building fast and secure back-end applications.

Java with Spring or Play: Java is a well-established language with a vast ecosystem of libraries and frameworks. Spring and Play are two popular Java frameworks that offer robust back-end development capabilities, with Spring being more geared towards enterprise applications and Play focusing on rapid development.

.NET Core with C# or F#: .NET Core is a cross-platform, open-source framework that allows you to build back-end applications using C# or F#. It's an excellent choice for Windows-based development, and its performance is on par with other languages.

When choosing a new language and framework, consider the following factors:

Learning curve: How easy is it to learn and adapt to the new language and framework?
Ecosystem: What's the size and quality of the community, libraries, and tools available?
Performance: How does the language and framework perform in terms of speed, scalability, and concurrency?
Job prospects: How in-demand are the skills you're acquiring, and what are the job prospects in the industry?

Node.js with Express is a popular stack due to its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model - super scalable and JS everywhere. Python's Django or Flask frameworks offer clean syntax and rapid prototyping, great for dev velocity but can feel heavyweight.
Go (Golang) is a beast for concurrency and performance, with a minimalistic stdlib and static typing-perfect for microservices, but the ecosystem is still catching up. Then there's Ruby on Rails, which used to be the king but now feels bloated and slow compared to newer tech, it's still productive but can lock you into its conventions.