Zend targets enterprise PHP with app server, IDE
452990
Focusing on the enterprise, PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) tools vendor Zend Technologies is shipping Tuesday version 3.6 of its Zend Platform application server for PHP as well as Zend Studio for Eclipse, an IDE for PHP based on Eclipse open source technology.The two products "take [Zend products] to another step toward enterprise-readiness," said Andi Gutmans, Zend co-CTO. PHP, meanwhile, runs around 40 percent of the Web, he said.Featured in Zend Platform 3.6 are capabilities to monitor HTTP, Apache, and Java events; expanded performance alerts; and better diagnostics through the debugging of production problems on development servers. These improvements are part of Zend Platform's "PHP intelligence" functions for monitoring PHP application performance.Zend Platform monitors PHP applications in real time, reporting on script errors, database and performance issues, and other matters. Downtime is reduced by recording the full context for reported problems to enable root cause diagnostics and short time to resolution, Zend said.Also highlighted in version 3.6 are automatic output compression to save bandwidth and enhanced job queues for deferred and offline processing. An improved download server optimizes delivery of large content and media files. Version 3.6 also features expanded options for caching content, with support for file or URL-based caching, client-side caching, and in-memory or disk-based caching, Zend said.With client-side caching, a user can load a Web page; local cache will maintain that page if it does not change so the page does not need to be reloaded over and over, Gutmans said.With this release Zend is offering smarter, URL-based caching as an alternative to individual script-based caching, said enterprise software analyst Vishwanath Venugopalan, of The 451 Group. URL-based caching "brings it closer to how an end-user interacts with an application," he said.This approach is likely to improve application performance, Venugopalan said. With URL-based caching, Web applications leveraging MVC (model view controller) can be cached, Zend said.Zend Platform also accommodates Java systems, Venugopalan said. PHP and Java are becoming more intertwined, with PHP being used for development and mixing with server-side Java, he said."When Java systems are included in a transaction, the Java integration features of Zend Platform will enable capturing both the Java and the PHP side of the story when diagnosing an event," said Venugopalan.High-availability and tools for cluster configuration and support are improved in version 3.6 as well. Zend Platform can be clustered across an estimated several hundred servers, Gutmans said.Zend Studio for Eclipse is built on top of the Eclipse PDT (PHP Development Tools) project. Studio improves the quality of PHP applications, speeds development cycles, and simplifies complex projects, Zend said. It features a set of editing, debugging, analysis, and database tools. Agile development processes are supported, such as unit testing, refactoring, and code coverage. Eclipse plug-ins can be accessed for capabilities such as database access and source control.Zend Studio for Eclipse costs $399 per developer. A special introductory price of $299 is in effect for a limited time. Zend Framework subscriptions start at $1,500 per server.Both products support the Zend Framework application framework, which has been downloaded more than 3 million times, Gutmans said.
432217
The Zend Developer Zone has posted some information about some freelancing work that the International Press Association is looking to have done.   If you've got spare cycles and want to help a brother out, read on. I received this from Leonard Rapoport of the International Press Association, (Disclaimer: Zend is a member of the IPA) The IPA is looking for some help. As you can see from the email below, they need a PHP programmer to help them out on some small projects and know of some larger projects they could turn you on it.   Any interested parties should contact Leonard via email and get things started.
137967
In a new post to his blog today, Paul Jones mentions his podcast for the Zend Developer Zone (a Solar Overview) and provides the script that he worked from to record the show.   In this episode, I'm going to give a brief overview of Solar project and how it helps with the mundane aspects of building applications. Solar is an open-source library and framework for PHP 5; you can read more about it at solarphp.com...   The rest of the show notes includes links to things like Yawp, Solar's built-in localization and it's exception handling code.    Check out more about Solar at Solarphp.com and check out the PHP Abstract podcast episode Paul recorded on the Zend Developer Zone site.
259289
The Zend Developer Zone is back today with the latest edition of their podcast - episode two of PHP Abstract. This time, special guest Matthew Weir O'Phinney talks about the benefits of using a change management system.   This episode is the second published by the Zend Developer Zone with the first being a look at security with some tips from Eli White.   You can download the show directly from the site or add in their podcast feed to your aggregator and get the latest episodes delivered right to your desktop.
692859
The Eclipse section of the Sys-con.com website has posted a review of Zend's latest offering for PHP developers - Zend Studio for Eclipse.   Zend saw that this was a great place to cozy up to and has been developing a professional version of its PDT environment (released earlier this year) for over a year now.  The PDT version is its open source free-ware version of an editor IDE that is based on the Eclipse foundation materials. This article will attempt to introduce you to the Professional version that will be released soon.   They take an overview look first and the install process and what kind of "feel" the interface has. They also dive a little deeper into some of the other aspects of the software like the code editor, the debugger, preferences and the code gallery.
185572
On the ProDevTips.com website, there's a new tutorial (part one of a series) that walks the developer through the integration of the Zend Framework, some Ajax functionality and Smarty to create a feed reader.   In this series I will walk you through the code of a site that uses only Ajax and Scriptaculous to handle it's completely windowed interface. Making an interface like this is not really good design, it's only done here for the sake of teaching. It is kinda cool though. Especially if you have a big screen.   The source code is available for download and having it makes the installation and setup of the system much simpler. With it, you're only about fifteen steps away from getting the application up and running.
725644
Zend has a new download for those out there interested in using PHP on a Sun Java System Web Server - the PHP Enabler for the Java System Web Server.
654051
Alison Holloway has a new note on her blog today about the release of the latest version of the Zend Core for Oracle - version 2.0.   Zend have just released a new version of Zend Core for Oracle. This is a prebuilt and tested stack of Apache, PHP and Oracle Instant Client. If you haven't used it before, you will like the easy setup. I promise. [...] Zend Core for Oracle release 2.0 includes PHP 5.2.1, the refactored OCI8 driver, Oracle Instant Client, and an optional Apache HTTP Server 2.2.2.   This new version is supported on OSes like Oracle Enterprise Linux, X86 running Windows XP/2003/Vista and Sun Solaris Sparc 8, 9 10 just to name a few. She also mentions the Underground PHP and Oracle Manual [pdf] as a reference to help you get things running if you're stuck.
647305
Popular posts from PHPDeveloper.org for the past week:Ian Selby's Blog: Uploading Large Files With PHPONLamp.com: Quick and Clean PHP FormsDotVoid.com: Reordering nested sets using PHP and JavascriptRob Allen's Blog: Zend Framework Book Coming SoonCommunity News: php|works Daily Summaries (Day 2)Community News: Sara Golemon & Christopher Jones - First Day Summaries of php|worksJob Posting: University of Wisconsin, Department of Medicine Seeks Web Developer (Madison, WI)Zend Developer Zone: PHP Abstract Podcast Episode 19: Glue Frameworks vs. Full Stack FrameworksStefan Mischook's Blog: Installing PHP and MySQL on the Mac with MAMPSecurityReason: Three Advisories for PHP 5.2.4 (dl, iconv_substr & setlocale)
765546
On the Zend Developer Zone, there's a new tutorial looking at one of the unsung heroes of the web development world - one that, when you need it, it does what it does well - SQLite.   Is a full-blown database server even necessary for most PHP applications? What about a data-driven website like a blog or a simple family photo album or message board? In these and may other cases, the small, simple, and extremely powerful SQLite may be all you need. Let's take SQLite out for a test drive and see how it performs, find some of the quirks you might run in to, and how to get the most use out of it.   They talk about SQLite being a "staple" in PHP for a while now and how PDO plays so well with it. They move on to the code quickly, giving a simple example of how to create a database, and table, and inserting content into the latter.    Other more advanced features are discussed - data types, speed of queries, using transactions, and cleaning up the code to really make it fly. They even talk about "user defined aggregate functions", a method to make running a set of data through the same processes over and over a snap.
22547
Here's what was popular in the PHP community one year ago today:WaxJelly Blog: Simple PHP script using the YouTube API (with pagination)DevShed: Uploading Files and Navigating Directories in PHPPHPit.net: PHP5 Class Basics, Part 1SpinDrop.us: Using Zend Search Lucene in a symfony appCommunity News: PHP Appalachia IRC ChannelZend Developer Zone: Work with XML Data in the Zend FrameworkColdScripts.com: Mapping Framework PopularityWaxJelly Blog: A More Complex PHP script using the YouTube API (with video details) PART 2KillerPHP Blog: PHP Interfaces: when and why you should use them instead of classes?PHP-Tools Blog: Analyzing aide (advanced intrusion detection environment) output with PHPZend Developer Zone: Pro PHP XML and Web Services Sample ChapterZend Developer Zone: Cool Image Thumbnail ClassNefarious Designs: Object-Oriented PHP Part 4: PHP5's Improved FeaturesSebastian Bergmann's Blog: Zend/PHP Conference 2006William Candillon's Blog: phpAspect presented at the EPFL
492715
Here's what was popular in the PHP community one year ago today:Community News: PHP 5.2.1 ReleasedZend Developer Zone: Zend_Acl / Zend_Auth example scenarioJSLabs Blog:  5 tips for creating high performance web appsRob Allen's Blog: Modules (Zend Framework)Alexander Netkachev's Blog: How to use Zend Framework Controller/Action approach?DevShed: Using Abstract Factory Classes in PHP 5 to Work with Online FormsWebCheatSheet.com: Two New Tutorials - Database Export & Sending EmailIlia Alshanetsky's Blog: Month of PHP BugsWindows Skills Blog: Using SQLite as a database backend for a lightweight serverCommunity News: DreamStats "rootpath" File Inclusion Vulnerability IdentifiedPHP.net: PHP Manual UpdatesCommunity News: MySQL native driver for PHP - mysqlndAlexander Netkachev's Blog: Controller/Action versus Folder/PageSymfony Project: Online doc interface improvedFelix Geisendorfer's Blog: Making error handling for Model::save more beautiful in CakePHP
93887
Zend has finally released a press release (officially) about their latest certification offering - the Zend PHP5 Certification.   Here's a bit from the official press release (the full content is here):    Zend Technologies, Inc., the PHP company, today announced the availability of Zend PHP Certification for PHP 5, enabling developers to test and certify their expertise in new areas such as object oriented PHP programming, creating and using web-services with PHP, as well as PHP security.   Zend PHP 5 Certification was the result of extensive communication with the Zend Certified Engineer community to determine how the program can be most useful for PHP developers. Some of the community's top domain experts have contributed certification questions and reviewed the program to ensure that it is complete and tests for relevant skills. Becoming a Zend Certified Engineer gives developers an edge in today's competitive technology market. Certification also helps enterprise management quickly qualify new hires, and keep current development teams knowledgeable about the latest technology.    They've also announced that they will be offering the certification and classes to help developers prepare for it at the upcoming Zend/PHP Conference & Expo happening in October/November.
91596
Padraic Brady has posted a manifesto of sorts about the work that he's been doing on his PHPSpec library and trying to work it into the approval process for the Zend Framework.   I'll be attempting to pound the Zend Framework into submission so I can apply Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD) using PHPSpec when I write a Controller. Why? Because I feel like it, and it gives me an excuse to promote one possible incarnation of PHPMock and the PHPSpec Zend Framework extension. See? Perfectly reasonable selfishness!   He hopes to move it past the typical test-driven development process that PHPUnit offers and "kick your ass into high-TDD gear" without having to have worked much with it before then (the key is simplicity).   He includes some code examples (how it should flow) and describes some of the challenges that he's coming across so far, specifically with the way that the Zend Framework works with the Controllers and what he wants to accomplish.
259423
Rob Allen has posted about a small modification that he made to his Zend Framework setup that allows for a little safer echoing of information out to the View later of an application.   One of my biggest issues with using PHP as the templating engine in View scripts is that the easiest way to echo a variable is the least secure. [...] So, I decided to leverage a post by Mike Naberezny from a while ago about streams. The idea is all his; I just modified it to work with Zend Framework's Zend_View the way I wanted it to.   His method uses a slightly different output format - instead of using a normal echo statement to push out the escaped output, it uses a special syntax using the "@" sign as a shortcut to the call to escape(). He includes the code you'll need to make it work in your ZF install and explain it a bit (including where the real key lies - in stream_popen).
122246
As mentioned by the Zend Developer Zone, Ed Finkler has posted the latest version of his Inspekt security tool.   Although downloads have been on the Google Code site for a bit, I recently put up a new build of Inspekt. This could probably be described as a late alpha release, with most proposed features implemented.   Also included in this new edition are full API documentation for the application, some documentation on its basic usage and, of course, the source of this latest release.
261187
The Zend Developer Zone has posted this release announcement for the latest version of Zend's application server - Zend Platform 3.0:   Zend Technologies, the PHP company, today announced the general availability of Zend Platform 3.0. Zend Platform 3.0 is the only PHP application server created specifically to support the management, performance, integration and scalability requirements of organizations that use PHP to run business-critical web applications. Zend Platform improves the end user experience with these web applications by enabling better application responsiveness, reduced application downtime, and richer functionality.   Updates from the previous version include:  Support for PHP 5.2 Zend Optimizer 3.2.3 and Zend Debugger 5.2.4 are included New servers: Performance Mangement Server, Integration Servers & Enterprise Server PHP Configuration Control enhancements Actuate BIRT Reporting integration and more [txt]  You can check out the features and everything about the Zend Platform on it's official page on Zend's website.