The Framework is the Language
As I’ve mentioned I’m trying to move all my programming to a web framework. It was tough going though because of the sheer complexity and my naivete about the undertaking.
The Framework is the Language
After about a month of working with the Zend Framework I’m a little… bored with it. If this is what working with a framework is like I don’t want it (thank you very much). I, naively, thought using a framework would increase my productivity and highlight some of the joy I feel when developing and learning but, so far, all I have is frustration and a pretty heavy headache.
Since then, I’ve spent some time looking at Symfony (a fine, but overly complicated, framework), looking at Code Igniter and digging deeper into the Zend Framework. It was while doing all of that, and struggling with the enormity of learning an entire freaking framework, that a thought occurred to me; I need to look at this as learning a new language instead of learning a component.
You can’t approach learning a framework as anything less than you would when learning a new language. Anything less and you’re in for pain. After this realization the framework came together pretty quickly though it still hurt like hell.
So, what does that mean? IMO you should have total absorption; learning a framework can not be done very effectively a couple hours at a time. Frameworks are just too damn big. They have too many parts and all the frameworks I’ve looked at seem to have very different philosophies in the architectural design and structure.
The strategy I took was, and the one I use when learning a new language BTW, is to make the project my world. Everything else is gone and all that’s left is the problem. There is no break, no rest and sleep is used to further solve problems more than it is to recharge. It’s really the only way I can accomplish something as complex and challenging as learning a new programming language.
The good news is that I now feel very comfortable using the Zend Framework though I still have my doubts as to how good of a decision it is to use a framework at all (that’s another discussion though).
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I too have noticed that frameworks aren’t always all that they are cracked up to be. I prefer using my own “non-framework” set-up for coding php than using zend ect. As far as a new languages is concerned, I’ve been playing with Ruby on Rails and I find it to be a pretty nifty web-framework. I still come to points where I beat my head against the wall and say “I’d already have this done in php” but I figure that is just the learning curve kicking my ass and that once I get around it, I’ll not have such headaches as much.
Absolutely, you’ll get used to Rails the more you use it. I’d recommend railsforphp.com as a good resource to find the equivalents. Doing a search for a PHP function will get you the Rails/Ruby equivalent, for example – http://railsforphp.com/reference/strings/substr
I’ve also written a few blog posts you may find interesting (as I’m an ex-PHP developer):
http://andyjeffries.co.uk/articles/4-reasons-why-ruby-syntax-is-better-than-phps-
http://andyjeffries.co.uk/articles/rebuilding-a-site-from-symfony-to-rails
http://andyjeffries.co.uk/articles/why-i-think-ruby-on-rails-is-an-ideal-web-development-environment
Thanks for the links Andy; good reads
I would agree with you to some extend untill you mentioned CodeIgniter. CodeIgniter is so simple it takes most experienced developers less than a day to get up to full speed. The Zend Framework and Symphony are in a whole different ballpark so yes getting to know them takes time. The key feature here is documentation. and the willingness to learn something new.
Hi noxie,
Thanks for the insight; I realize CodeIgnitor isn’t the most complicated framework but you do pay for the ease of use with higher load per request.
Eric
Agree. I’d even go a little further and say that sometimes a framework can be an absolute saving grace, making an otherwise clumsy language palatable. Come to think of it, a framework is an interesting evolutionary step in language’s life-cycle. Makes me wish the boiler plate functionality of a language that get synthesized into a framework simply became integrated into the core of the given language.