On a previous post I had someone comment that they did not agree that the code implementation that was presented in the article was advanced (which was described in the title). They also claimed that I was not an advanced PHP programmer. This made me think. Not because my programming skill or knowledge was challenged. But because I'm not sure what makes code or a programmer "advanced".

He asks a few questions about the criteria for considering someone an "advanced programmer" including things like how fast or efficient they are, how much they make or the conference(s) they've been to. He points out that, because "advanced" is such a relative term, it's hard to put a finger on it. Being this hard to define (and mostly worthless even if it is) he suggests an alternative to trying to figure it out:

Instead of throwing around general terms in labeling code or other programmers, let's come together and figure out ways in improving code together. Practical applications.

Over the years I have come across PHP programmers from different backgrounds. I've seen some do very well, and others fall flat on their faces. One unique element about PHP programmers is that they vary in quality more than most other programming professions.

He mentions traits to consider like speed of coding, reliability, experience, humility and be able to accurately estimate time to finish work. He give the example of three different developers - each with their own skills and experience levels and asks which of these might be the best. The trick is, "best" is very subjective to the needs of the company that wants the code written.

Some casual surfing led me to this article from a couple of years ago, titled "How to recognize a good programmer". [...] It got me thinking though, on what are the attributes I consider useful in fellow programmers. So what makes a good programmer?

Some of the key features he suggests looking for in a good programmer include:

• An analytical thinker
• Gets things done
• Does more than "just enough"
• Responsible
• Good human relations

The explosion of the concept of "web services" has generated a debate over what "web services" actually are. An article by Raj Mishra tries to limit the concept of "web service" to a strict ten-point list, insisting that a web service have a WSDL and uses SOAP. While this is a perfectly fine sentiment (even the one endorsed by WC3), it certainly is a limiting description.

Brandon notes that his definition as to what constitutes a "web service" has broadened from the strict "SOAP and a WSDL" the W3C implies. Instead he suggests three points that would help make a better definition of a service:

• Provides an endpoint or endpoints for the retrieval and/or addition of data through a standard format; and
• Contains one or more documented method(s) for retrieving or adding that data; and
• Allows access by users who are not operating from the same servers as the endpoint(s).

If you have written a model layer which separates database access from the rest of the code, you probably know that you may end up with lots of methods like findByName, findByTitle or such, for cases where you want to find records based on specific criterias. [...] You could also use your model objects as search '�criterias'� - A bit similar to how Propel handles criterias, but not as nearly as complex.

His simple example (making a user object, assigning a name to it and then passing it to a gateway to search on that name) illustrates one major benefit of using model objects in others - prevalidation. In this case, checking to see if the name passed in is even valid before continuing.

He also provides a bit more complex example - the contents of that user gateway model that can check to be sure that the user even exists.

In this article, I wanted to compare the web application development platforms which I have been using for recent years. My comparison has no aim to make one platform better than others, or vice versa. These are all my own thoughts and what I have experienced during the development of web applications using the three platforms. It is open to you to express your opinions and stands as a comment.

They rank them on a three-point scale from 8 (good) up to 10 (best) and look at things like:

• Syntax
• Easy to Learn
• Platform
• OOP '" Object Oriented Support
• Performance
• Support and Community
• Cost

PHP scored relatively high (nines and tens) on most things with the exception of "Syntax" because of some of its "odd characters" to work with objects and classes.

Of the six options they provided:

• Object code caching
• Template systems
• Distributed object-caching systems
• PHP variables that can be set
• Output Compression
• Other things that may help

Be sure to cast your vote for their latest poll question - "Which is the Most Common Database Problem?"

There are now so many Frameworks out there for php (just have a short look at dmoz, there are 46 listed, missing some wellknown ones like ezComponents, ZendFramework, Solar, Symfony, Code Igniter, ..., and what about PEAR??) - but which one are you going to use? Well, i guess it is a challenging question, especially if it is now up to you to decide this for a new starting project. Probably all frameworks have some strengths and weaknesses, but how long does it take you to evaluate them? You need some faster criteria to decide, and maybe these one will help you.

The "must have" questions he shares include:

• Is the framework well documented?
• Is the framework backed by a well known company?
• Does the framework fit into your IT-landscape?