I am not really familiar with PHP, but I get the impression that it is like JavaScript (syntax-wise).

What are the benefits of a dynamically typed language, when compared to a strongly typed language like C# or Java, and how would this help in the context of web development? What would make a dynamically typed language so attractive? Or, does the popularity of PHP have more to do with it being free?

Okay, I think I better give a little more background to get more meaningful answers, because I am not wanting a flame war.

I come from a C background, and when I moved into C# and Visual Studio. Having code completion, integration with an SQL database, huge existing class libraries and easy to access documentation, as well as new tools such as LINQ and ReSharper was like heaven. I didn't enjoy JavaScript before JQuery, but now I love it as well. Recently, I ported a PHP project over to C# and I used Zend to help me debug and understand more while porting - instead of maintaining two code streams. That also cut down on the cost of the server and maintenance.

Getting into PHP would be nice. I think that Visual Studio has spoiled me - but again Eclipse is also equally spoiling.

It would be nice to have an answer from someone who has experience developing both under PHP and .NET.