The Absent Minded

A framework is a truly great tool that web developers can use to cut down on the time it takes to create an application, or even an entire website. Frameworks are available for most languages commonly used today, so you won’t have to stray too far from a familiar path.

As the name would suggest, Ruby on Rails, abbreviated as RoR, is a framework for the Ruby programming language. Ruby on Rails made a big hit on the framework scene once the framework showed how easy it was to implement java-script and other technologies into a web design. Unfortunately, RoR has been known to be slow and less scalable.

PHP frameworks are numerous. You could spend time learning quite a few PHP frameworks and end up with something you like. One of the most popular PHP frameworks would be CakePHP, which already has books out in local stores such as Barnes and Noble. Amazon also stocks a large inventory of CakePHP books, so getting started wouldn’t be hard at all. CakePHP is better for PHP fans that want a framework that is similar to something they already have experience with.

Saving time is one of the goals of frameworks, but in the case of Django, the framework was created for the sole purpose of meeting deadlines. A lot of time has passed since then, and Django has become one of the most respected frameworks available, and certainly so for the Python language it is built on. Django is an excellent choice if you want a framework that will withstand the tests of time.

In your search for a framework, don’t forget that you will want a development platform that can support new technologies, and not just older ones. New technologies would include java-based platforms such as AJAX. It would be a bad thing to invest your time in making the perfect website, only to find that it won’t scale very well with newer technologies as time goes on. Generally every open source and widely supported framework stays up to date.

As a note of caution, don’t be discouraged from learning a new framework because of the amount of time it takes to learn and use the system. The learning curve is easy to grow accustomed to if you look at the right tutorials. The time saved in production time will quickly pay off as you have need for newer applications in the future. A bit of hardship now will have a good return.

Final Thoughts

Try out a few different frameworks, whether you are familiar with the parent language or not. Don’t be biased this early on in the learning process, or else you could miss out on a great framework that you didn’t think was worth your time.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 3:29 am and is filed under Computers, General, Home And Family, Society, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.