How to convince my boss to use Django?

Question

I have an unusual problem: I have to convince my superiors to use Django for our new project. Alternative is some PHP framework. I've programmed in PHP for 2 years and then switched to Python and have about 3 years of experience in it. However I'm not too good in business speech.

I know all the technical pros and cons but when it comes to discussing business issues things blur a bit.

EDIT:

Reasons I want to use Python + Django:

• experience in Django
• beauty of pythonic code (and all it's benefits)
• lots of third party libraries
• efficiency
• less code = less bugs

Reasons why my new boss wants to use PHP:

• he knows it
• he can estimate on his own
• he doesn't know Python

@Vinko Vrsalovic: All requirements for both technologies are met.

• we have both our own servers and external Python hosting
• PHP costs of course less, however the difference is really tiny in comparison to support cost
• we have suitable resources for both PHP and Python projects

I think problem is with my PM: he is afraid of new technologies. For him it's something new. So quoting the basic question from Robertos answer "why can't we just use the old system?".

I think I'm just too old :D to write a prototype in my free time. However this had worked a few times in past.

Answer 1

Why do you have to convince your boss to use Django?

Your boss should understand that it's in his best interest to work in what the people he'll be employing know best.

But, how can you tell that Django is really the best suit all things considered?

For example:

• Are the servers in-house? do the sysadmins know how to maintain servers for Django?
• Are the servers in a webhost, do you know how much does it cost to have a Django webhost versus a PHP one?
• Are the rest of the team familiarized with Django/Python? If you are a one man team, what if your boss wants to make the team bigger, will he be able to? At what cost? PHP devs abound.
• Given the PHP framework of choice, can you honestly give some criteria that will translate to dollars (or whatever your currency is) giving Django the advantage? Say, time to market, or some features that will be used and come for free in Django but not in the other alternative? Don't forget that if you are a good programmer you can create good programs in any language.

This are just some things you have to consider before presenting with your boss with a "PHP sucks, let's use Python instead" speech. I understand the feeling but it really might not make sense in the long run in certain cases. If, after all these things are answered (and some more), you can still present a good case for Django, then you should do so. Just don't do what sounds to a business man like fanboy speech.

UPDATE: If the only thing stopping you from doing in Django is your boss' fear and you both know that you can make it work at a comparable cost in infrastructure, then the only way to alleviate that fear is to jump in and do something like it. You might get authorization for a prototype, for example. No amount of talking will relieve him from his fear, he'll need to see something. You should also tutor him (if possible) on how Python works while you go at it, so he can appreciate the beauty of the beast.