Every now and then, someone questions why we have to use a framework when coding php. That very issue came up on HN a couple days ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2235507
I have to say the anti-framework camp is on to something.
Frameworks can be a huge help, and learning one is a great way to learn some best practices and keep an eye on what other coders are doing. This is especially important for people like me who pretty much never work with others.
Still, come on. Does every little project really need to be done in Cake or Zend, or whatever? The answer is no. Just as some apps can get by with no database, many don’t really benefit from all the features a framework offers. And if that’s the case, why go to the trouble?
People like to say they’re pragmatic and practical, but that’s rarely the case. Frameworks are shiny and cool. Saying you don’t use one is heresy. So you learn one, which is fine until you get locked in. When you realise what’s going on, you need to justify to yourself why the time investment. So you try to convince others that frameworks are the way to go, regardless of the scope of the work to be done.
Me? I just learn frameworks because it’s a nice way to get to know the work of others, maybe incorporating some practices into my own code. But that’s it.
I think PHP frameworks have a thing or two to learn from the likes of jQuery. There’s a “framework” that really doesn’t lock you into a certain way of doing things, while being ridiculously useful.
End of rant.