Re: parent_ctor()

At 20:43 18-07-00, Kristian Koehntopp wrote:

Zeev Suraski wrote: Kristian seems to want to see PHP become the next EJB, or COM at worse. PHP is not component ware, and component ware isn't it's main design goal, even though it's quite possible to create 'components' using it today. Is Zend.COM still developing a compiler and bytecode protection? If so, how do you expect the PHP development community to change once classes become marketable products and how will the Zend language accomodate classware developers and users?

Zend Technologies is developing such a compiler, yes (it's not bytecode, but whatever). I guess I expect more commercial entities would jump into the game, as far as the developer community is concerned. I don't expect the development process itself to be radically different, though. Zend compiled binaries are identical in their functionality to regular scripts. You can inherit from them, extend them, and do whatever you can, except read their source. The proper and only way to use such scripts as building blocks (as opposed to a full ready-made application) would be by receiving a clear API documentation. No introspection/reflection would do, and I'm not even going to try to make PHP more powerful in that regard, since it's not going to be enough anyway.

I can assure you that the day a compiler and bytecode protection become available, I'll get the order to abandon PHPLIB development from my management. I will be ordered to concentrate on the development of a new commercial PHP web application application framework, using the experience (and definitely no possibly GPL infected source!) we gained from PHPLIB and PHPLIB use in that new framework. And I firmly believe that my company is not the only one waiting for that day, as there already are some PHP classes which are only available on a commercial basis.

That's a bit sad, I think, but that's a different issue. As I said, I don't see the Zend compiler having a significant affect on the development model of PHP applications in the future. I don't see it as a contender to COM or EJB. Zeev -- Zeev Suraski <zeev@zend.com> http://www.zend.com/