Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
at 12:17am
Over the years, there have been many simple polls about PHP frameworks, libraries, and other PHP periphery.
I've created a more comprehensive survey about PHP frameworks, libraries, databases, evaluation techniques and other assorted tidbits in an attempt to better understand how people pick the libraries they do. My hope is that if enough people complete the survey, a picture will form that illustrates some itches that so many projects have been created to try to scratch.
I intend to share some (perhaps MOST) of the information gathered -- so don't worry that all this is going into a black hole somewhere.
The first version of the Killersoft PHP Frameworks & Libraries Survey is available here: http://j.mp/phpsurvey
Take a few moments to fill it out if you can! It should only take 10 minutes (or less!).
Saturday, February 17th, 2007
at 9:23am
My post yesterday struck a chord that many others were also hearing, as Andrei's post and the comments that followed it indicate.
Potential developers of new frameworks, take note: Your announcement will be followed by wholesale eyeball-rolling.
Stephan and the Stubbles folks feel that my reaction and Andrei's are somehow knee-jerk, and that if we really looked at their framework, we'd feel differently. Perhaps this is true, perhaps it's not. I can say that if I spent time browsing code for every new framework that came out, I'd never have time for anything else (what with three n00bs in the last couple of days).
What I always wonder when these things come out is: why are people pouring their talents and energies into frameworks that will probably never have a critical mass instead of building something cool with existing frameworks?
Yes, it's hard to build applications. There's all that unpleasant user interface work and design considerations to think about, and you actually need a relatively complete package before you can announce/release something. But, given the landscape of PHP frameworks, there is no less work to building the next "everybody uses it because it's so damn handy" application than there is to building the framework that everyone will eventually use.
Seriously.
Build a cool app. Forget about your own personal stamp on the framework world; you missed the boat on that one. But, if you want to make a mark, the world is wide open for new and cool applications. Pick an existing framework, start building your app, and contribute fixes back to that framework's community as you find shortcomings in your needs for your app.
OR, if you're not an application guy, and only feel comfortable with the plumbing, then pick a framework that has a shortcoming and fix that shortcoming. If you're afraid that your work will not be accepted, or that there will be too many contribution political hurdles, then pick another framework (there are plenty to choose from, after all).
We need better tools, and better applications. We DO NOT need more clean slate starts.
Friday, February 16th, 2007
at 2:01pm
As I said awhile ago, and as others have said more recently ... I feel compelled to say it again:
.... yeah. PHP will definitely never have anything unifying like Rails.
Meanwhile, I encourage you to join up with the Solar community (as I have done instead of launching my own framework) ... you'll be glad you did.
