Coding Should Be Fun
Hi, I promise this will not be a spiel on why you should use this framework, but some of my personal thoughts regarding web application development.
Well, one of the reasons why I developed DragonPHP was because I got tired of re-inventing the web app wheel. Simple routines such as parsing request parameters, session management, form validation, logging, page flow, putting together layouts for a template, etc... laborious tasks that I've done over and over a gazillion times in many different home grown variants.
Basically, I wanted my framework to adhere to best software practices and design patterns because I'm pretty much pragmatic. I'm definately mindful when it comes to application performance so I'll try to apply the following (where it's applicable): caching redundant data results, liberal usage of static members, and of course database persistency. And lastly, it's all about rapid application development and low learning curve! Less coding, more time to focus on the user experience (i.e ajax, jquery, yui, javascript, etc...).
Cheers!
Jeff Hoang
Good Books
Some useful technical books for serious code ninja's.
- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture
- jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide)
- PHP in Action: Objects, Design, Agility
- MySQL Cookbook
- High Performance MySQL: Optimization, Backups, Replication, and More
Recommended Environment
- A mac or macbook pro because it's easier to build PHP and deployment is seamless to the staging/production LAMP environment. If you're really frugal, then a linux box will suffice.
- An IDE such as Zend Studio. If you're still using vi or emacs in this day and age, you're not being efficient nor agile. Minor tweaks are ok with these simple terminal editors, but definitely not for your main app development.
- A nice big lcd monitor!
- A source code control system such as svn so you don't lose your work if your local machine goes awry.