// Domus Neminis }

Is PHP ready for the Enterprise?

Come on, tell me, how many times have you heard that question? No, stop counting with your fingers: they are not enough. Nowadays — just a month ago for example — we still have this question coming out every now and then.

I think the answer that can stop this question for a long time, let’s say forever, can be found in the article I linked above (which of course it’s the same thing I would say to anyone asking this question):

I think the sheer amount of large, complex websites (Facebook, Yahoo, Flickr) based on PHP, sheer amount of complex off-the-shelf apps (SugarCRM, OpenPro, CMS’s) based on PHP and enterprises relying on PHP for either their corporate websites or their internal systems – is a testament to the fact that PHP’s feature set is mature and that we should continue in the same direction.

Well, maybe it’s not exactly the form I would have used. I can imagine I would have said something like:

Please, just pay attention to the extension of this URL: http://www.facebook.com/home.php. Cheers.

PHP.net migrates to SVN

Yes, you’ve read it right. I’ve not mistaken the subject. PHP.net is migrating to SVN. From CVS. Well, I don’t know if I have to laugh or to cry. Meanwhile I make a decision, I will comfort myself watching again Linus introducing Git at Google. The video follows.
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My first corporate post @ Ibuildings

My first post on the Ibuildings’ corporate blog is now live: DPC 2009 Day 2. It is clearly about the second day of the Dutch PHP Conference 2009 I’ve attend not a long ago, and the article is basically an “extended version” of something I’ve already wrote here on my blog.

Funny that my official picture on the blog is less horrible than I thought it was

Building from scratch. Again?

Seriously, I can’t believe the trend of this poll. The question is

What PHP software would you typically use for an extranet type application (with user content, logins etc.)?

and (so far) 24 votes have gone to this answer

Custom built (with a framework)

not to mention those three who have voted:

Custom built (from scratch)

So, basically, people are telling me that for deploying an extranet application they are really willing to:

• design the database
• implement the database
• design the user management
• implement the user management
• design the content management
• implement the content management
• [design/implement anything necessary - usually different content types and users interaction models]

All this, with the burden of thinking about CRUD, Forms, and tons of other annoying and repetitive problems already solved by a Content Management Framework (not System, Framework) such as Drupal (or something equivalent, if it exists).

At the end of the day, 24 people are stating that they prefer to spend months solving well-solved problems once again in their life, to deliver a poorer and, almost certainly, more buggy, ad-hoc and — very likely — inflexible application; instead of spending weeks focusing on the customization and improvement of a powerful platform in order to match every single detail of the customer’s needs, ending up with a high quality, flexible, extensible application, with a much lower risk of critical bugs.

You’ve got to be kidding me.