>Using methods like get_post or the_content are great examples of why people hate PHP
The big problem with people getting into PHP via Wordpress is that Wordpress isn't, really, written in PHP. It's a WP-flavor subset of PHP, and a lot of it goes way, way back to when PHP could only be written with a hammer and chisel. It's been kept because a lot of things depend on it not changing. (I give the devs credit for not breaking a whole lot over the years.)
But compared to anything that's a bit more modern, or even writing something from scratch, it's a bit of a slog.
It's really incredible how far they e been able to maintain compatibility for sure, but there are just objectively bad parts of the platform they're keeping around for fear of backlash. There's a lot wrong with WordPress, and the editing experience shouldn't have been the first thing to tackle. I think it's bred many poor development practices.
The big problem with people getting into PHP via Wordpress is that Wordpress isn't, really, written in PHP. It's a WP-flavor subset of PHP, and a lot of it goes way, way back to when PHP could only be written with a hammer and chisel. It's been kept because a lot of things depend on it not changing. (I give the devs credit for not breaking a whole lot over the years.)
But compared to anything that's a bit more modern, or even writing something from scratch, it's a bit of a slog.