Company	Ganz Interactive
Location	Toronto, ON
Title	PHP Developer
Summary	We have an exciting permanent opportunity for a PHP Developer to join our highly successful and growing Interactive Group. Our high end flash games and animated characters have made Webkinz.com the fastest growing children's entertainment site on the internet. Be part of our dynamic Ganz Interactive Group and contribute to exciting future projects. Responsibilities: Optimize SQL queries and understand object oriented programming. Manipulate data and log files to provide extensive statistical reporting. Create and maintain PHP scripts. Ensure high level of server and network security. Create and maintain detailed documentation of server and database environment. Work on applications with high volume of users. Qualifications: A minimum of 3 years PHP or combined PHP and JAVA development. experience, involving both front end and back end programming. Experience working with Unix/Linux Servers and writing secure applications. Experience with MySQL or other DBMS' is a plus. Familiarities with XML, Flash and good documentation skills are a plus. Excellent communication skills. Computer Science/Engineering degree preferred. Experience with additional programming languages preferred. Interested candidates are invited to forward resumes by email to careers [at] this domain. Please check out our website www.webkinz.com.

No matter what the state of a language/application/etc is, how much it's supported by the masses, there will always be those out there balancing out the popularity with their own opinions to the contrary. Where some see one of the best things since slides bread, others see things weighted towards the less positive side. For the popular LAMP package, one of those people is Cliff Wells who voices his opinions in this new blog post.

Open source software has fought a long battle to get where it is today, and at least 3/4 of the so-called LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack are under vigorous attack by many, myself included. Why? I can't speak for everyone, or for that matter, anyone but myself, but I'm good at doing that so here goes.

He makes several points about the package, including:

• that both PHP and MySQL are "full of holes" and encourage bad habits
• MySQL limits developers with missing features (PostgreSQL offers better support)
• PHP's low entry level makes te code written in it more succeptible to big issues (including SQL injections)

There's a quick comment at the end noting that PHP and MySQL have done a lot to "bring open source into the mainstream", but that they've done their job and we need to move on.

On Chris Shiflett's blog, there's a post that looks a an issue that's been brought up on the New York PHP mailing list concerning two variables in the $_SERVER superglobal - SERVER_NAME and HTTP_POST.

The question initially was "arean't these the same thing?" Chris answers:

There were several informative replies within the first few minutes, but there's more to this question than most people realize. In fact, I'm reminded of a blog entry from Zeev last year, where he warns against $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'].

Zeev suggests that SERVER_NAME is pulled from the Host header from the remote user. Chris reminds us, also, of some disagreements with this view Zeev presented, namely from Rasmus. Chris then gives an example script to illustrate hos things area really handled - the variables use the given values when they're present in the request, but they still do default back to the ServerName when absent (so only in certain circumstances).

Jim Plush, in his latest blog entry, looks at one of the PHP frameworks offered out on the web, PHP on Trax, and why it falls flat.

A rails alternative in PHP? Sounds great, I dont have to spend my weekend learning Ruby. That's what I hoped when I came across PHP on Trax which dubs itself as a Rails alternative for PHP. At first glimpse of the code they do a nice job implementing a dynamic active record setup to quickly generate the most commonly needed funtionality.

Where this framework really falls flat is documentation, samples, and support.

He doesn't give any samples of how the framework is used (code), but he does describe the frustration he felt working on an application without the proper documentation and even quotes David Heinemeir on the same subject.

You want a framework to cut your development time, not have you digging through source code to try and find errors and documentation. PHP Trax has potential, yet falls flat for lack of documenation, support, and/or general community interest.

In his latest post today, Chris Shiflett takes a good look at Ruby on Rails from the perspective of a PHP developer to see what all of the fuss is about.

I'm glad to see all of the hype surrounding Ruby on Rails lately. I've always been an advocate of open source software, and Ruby (particularly Ruby on Rails) is yet another feather in the cap. I'm not afraid to say it - I'm glad Rails exists.

I do think it's good to maintain some perspective, and some Ruby fans are more than a bit overzealous. Ruby on Rails is a niche technology, and although all signs indicate that its popularity is growing rapidly, it's a bit premature to be thinking that it will dethrone existing technologies.

He goes on, mentioning that he doesn't see Rails as a direct competitor to PHP, rather two technologies that have the flexibility/power to do the same jobs well. There are "camps" for both sides, but really, as Chris puts it:

It's also important to realize that excitement is subtly different than popularity. Excitement is trendy.

He lists a few sites built in both, noting that, of the popular sites out there, things seem pretty equal. He also notes that, despite what language you're using, the real key is that it takes a good developer to write a good application, regardless of the language...

In this post from the Utah PHP Users Group Site today, they talk about their meeting just past (January 2006) and what was presented.

For January's presentation, Richard K. Miller presented on model-view-controller (MVC) frameworks. MVC framework Ruby on Rails has received a lot of attention in the past year for making web app development easier and more enjoyable. Several similar frameworks are available for PHP. Special guest John Peterson of MyTechSupport.com, the creators of a PHP framework called PHP on Trax also presented. PHP on Trax was used to rapidly develop KatrinaHousing.org, a highly trafficked website that helped hurricane victims find housing.

In the comments of the post, there's also a link to both presentations of the night - MVC frameworks for PHP and PHP on Trax...

Via this new post on Nexen.net today, there's a pointer to a two-part article from Clickablebliss.com comparing PHP and Ruby on Rails.

Over the last few weeks, I've been asked by both friends and clients, "So what is that thing called Rails I keep hearing about (and/or keep hearing you talk about)? How is it different from PHP?" Typically I give them a three-part answer that'll I'll now iterate for the blog. While this is far from a complete comparison, hopefully it will be useful to some people out there.

In Part One, they look at the major difference between the two - one being and language, the other a framework. They also mention how something simple, like templating, is handled on either side.

Part Two focuses more on Ruby, the language, itself - what it is, its use of objects, and a comparison of the same to what PHP has to offer.