Re: Frameworks

ray.hauge@americanstudentloan.com wrote: > I know this subject has been covered in the past, but my question is why > use them? it's kind of the same question as 'why use software libraries?' - which is kind of answered by 'do you want to write your own TCP/IP stack *everytime* you write a network enabled piece of software?" > I'm hoping to not create a religious war... I see that > frameworks would probably help you develop some things faster, but most > of the time they don't do the things the way I would want them to work. > If I did use one, it almost seems like I would use it to get through > something until I had time to do things the way I wanted/needed to do > them. There's a lot of talk about frameworks lately, and especially > the Zend Framework, so I'd like to look into what it's all about. I > think I might be missing out the framework issue, so I'd like to hear > other people's opinions. the name of the game is 'code reuse' - whether it's libs, framework, CMS or legobricks doesn't really matter. > > I do like the mail, pdf, and a few other parts of the Zend Framework. I > also like that it's more like a set of tools than a monolithic beast > that would take a lot of memory just to load up into your application. well Zend is more of a library+philosophy than a framework, a framework suggests a complete, ready to run, application development environment (which doesn't mean, by definition, that it has to be a big, slow beast) either you rewrite a menu generation function for every site you build or you develop/download/install something generic and save yourself lots of time/energy (because you no longer have to reinvent the wheel) you'll find lots of people build up a personal collection of reusable code that more often than not is partially comnprised of 3rd party code - i.e. if you like some bits of Zend just grab them, mould them and stick'em in your personal toolbox (assuming the licenses allow this) > > Your thoughts? I was going to write something demeaning about driving 5 liter pickup trucks as if oxygen was going out of fashion, but I've calmed down again. > > Thanks, > Ray >