Does this really matter? I mean,seriously, if speed is what you want, you'd write it in C. These days, with virtually unlimited CPU, we choose our languages based on suitability for the task, readability and community support (at least I do). Other than assembler for games, I have never chosen a language based on speed of execution. Anyone else? Can't we also just compile Ruby (or PHP or Python) to C and then let the…
In my opinion each language is a tool and all have their place. Knowing what each can and cannot do is more important than which is faster. It also comes down to preference as well. If you are use to using PHP, then continue to use it. Would you use PHP for system admin tasks? No, you would use python or ruby.
Can't we all just get along and agree to stop bashing languages when comparing them to each other?