The first thing that came up to my mind was that PHP is quite simple language comparing to ASP.NET (.NET actually) which is a complete framework that offers a wide range of possibilities (yeah I made a comparison). Maybe PHP has a simple learning curve comparing to ASP.NET, but why would web designers care for data access layer or OOP anyway? But on the other hand, it doesn't mean that web designers should limit their selves just to PHP. Why not be familiar with other technologies as well?

The post has lots of comments from both sides of the fence, each espousing their language of choice. Reasoning ranges from "because ASP.NET is a Microsoft product" to the price of ASP.NET hosters to PHP's open source-ness and the much different learning curves.

What is beautiful code? Ask ten people, and you will probably get ten different answers. Ask them what makes a programming language beautiful, and you've got yourself the beginnings of a holy war.

He compares code to art - the language is just a tool, the canvas an editor waiting to be filled with lines of artist-generated works. Because of PHP's wonderful flexibility, it can be molded to fit just about any need a coder might see fit and gives them the power they need to really dig into the code and about the "paint by numbers" sort fo things language like Ruby have to offer.

The Department of Pathology is expanding its use of web-based technology, recognizing the need for central placement of information and tools, in support of all three of our core missions: patient care, education and research/scholarly activities. To reach this goal, the department is seeking to expand its current in-house expertise for development of web infrastructure, content and interconnectivity design. The department is seeking a Web Design specialist to work as a member of our team in support of this initiative. The selected candidate is expected to operate in a number of capacities including: working with intra-departmental divisions and web services customers to identify requirements and define project scope; work with other programming specialists in the informatics division on web development projects in support of existing and new Web Services Infrastructure; working on federation projects with external data sources and the associated technical staff of such sources, and finally working with the divisions internal web development team to identify best practices for graphic design, page layout, page design, and overall effective communication. It is expected that this position will include an equal division of effort between actual coding and customer support activities. The designer will operate with current staff as a member of a highly integrated team, allowing for exemplary project management and execution. This position offers the unique opportunity for contribution at a fundamental architectural level, in a dynamic department that is already an internationally recognized leader in the field of Pathology Informatics. Typical projects will include a diverse range of topics and subspecialties, including traditional database design, translational medicine, bioinformatics, federated database queries, image repositories, telepathology and web portals for supercomputing/cluster applications.

Essential Skills

• HTML
• Maintenance of PHP
• Ruby on Rails
• AJAX
• CGI Scripts
• PERL
• IIS
• Sharepoint Services
• Java
• One or more years of experience with live website design and maintenance

Desired skills

• Regular Expressions
• Oracle 10G
• Microsoft SQL Server
• PostgreSQL
• Python
• C#
• Zope
• ASP and .NET 2.0 Framework

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Salary: TBD

Successful candidates should have prior experience with actual website design and maintenance. Good verbal and written communication skills are essential. Because of the project-oriented and customer focused nature of this position, it is expected that the successful candidate will possess excellent communication skills and a strong work ethic for timely job completion and high coding quality.

To apply for this role, visit UMJobs.org and search for Job ID 12597.

We are looking for a well rounded web enthusiast to join our small team of media professionals. We need someone who has the ability to take a project from concept to completion with a full throttle approach to each step along the way. We need someone who lives and breathes web technology, someone who is not afraid to dive into a new language or software app. will full force. So, if you have the skills below, or can say without hesitation that you can learn them, and you would enjoy working in a very casual, yet very busy environment then this may very well be the position for you.

To apply, please submit a URL to your online portfolio to hr@digicraftproductions.com

Required Skills:

• Professional level skills with Standards-compliant, Semantic xHTML.
• Professional level skills with Standards-compliant, table-less CSS. (cross-browser/cross-platform compatibility)
• Intermediate to Professional level skills using Flash / ActionScript 2.0+.
• Intermediate to Professional level skills using PHP in conjunction with MySQL databases.
• Professional level skills in Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Understanding of design theory and application.

Extra Skills (Not required, but very beneficial):

• Experience with Unobtrusive Javascript (Big Plus)
• Experience with AJAX
• Experience with Javascript frameworks (JQuery, Scriptaculous, Mootools, etc.)
• Experience with XML
• Experience with Director MX / Lingo
• 1 to 5 years interactive design/development experience, preferably in the marketing/agency industry

Pay commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Bullseye Creative is looking for a PHP / MySQL coder and web designer to join our family of designers, artists, superheroes, and fashion extraordinaires.

POSITION SUMMARY (The good stuff):
Bullseye Creative is searching for an outstanding web developer with a strong background in PHP, MySQL, and Javascript. Bullseye Creative is a dynamic firm offering services in graphic design, web design & development, advertising, brand development and management, video and radio production, and much more. Bullseye is a high energy playful but serious, take no prisoners firm. We are growing, so if you think you have what it takes'¦send us your resume.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES (Nuts and bolts):
You will be responsible for the development, maintenance, deployment, and troubleshooting of web-based hosted applications written in PHP, HTML, and Javascript utilizing a MySQL database solution. You will also take part in the development of Flash projects utilizing ActionScript 2 and 3. The candidate must work well as a team member of the creative department to complete a daily workload and execute accurately, timely, and within budget.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS (Skillz):
A BS degree in Computer Science and / or 2 '" 4 years experience as a web developer is required for this position. Extensive knowledge of the following is required: PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS/CSS2, HTML, concepts of software architecture, software development fundamentals, object-oriented design (OOD), AJAX driven data handling, software debugging, and written communication. Extremely organized and a detail / deadline-oriented team player. Flexible, adaptable, able to understand and remain focused on objectives in a fast paced environment. Proficiency in Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop and other graphic design applications a plus.

BENEFITS (more good stuff):
We offer a competitive benefits package of healthcare insurance, short-term/long term insurance, and vacation/sick leave.

For consideration, you MUST send a PDF of your résumé to work@bullseyecreative.net. You will not be considered unless a resume is sent. In addition to a résumé, If a portfolio of your work is available for viewing online, please provide a link.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

At the office today, I had a talk with our designers, so they want a "designer-friendly" template engine. Sounds easy, but it isn't. That is why I decided to write this very short post to help others having such "easy" problems.

First he lays out the requirements for the project, then heads off to Google to see if there's anything similar. He found PRADO but it still lacked some of what he needed. So, deciding on developing his own Templating system, he creates a system that supports:

• Caching
• WYSIWYG & Dynamic Tag Handlers
• States
• PHP Tags

The code (and results) are included in the post, both in code blocks and for download.

While a good sense of aesthetics is important, it does not in itself directly equate to a well designed product. This is particularly true with web design, as a recent Web 2.0 Expo session entitled "The New Hybrid Designer" put it; "modern web design requires the coding savviness of a developer coupled with the aesthetics and user awareness of a designer".

The idea behind the article is to propose a simple setup of the Zend Framework that developers can use as the powerful system that it is and the designers can get into and understand how to use (things like building forms and templating the site). He touches on a few topics including the MVC pattern the Framework follows, security in the application and the "pretty URLs" that it allows.

In this tutorial, you will be guided (step-by-step) through the process of building and working with objects using php's built-in OOP capabilities.

Some of the topics he covers include comparing the "old way" of making an application to the new OOP way, some of the basics about OOP, and when it's a good idea to use OOP in your applications.

It's broken down into "easily digestible steps" and there are screenshots included all over to help you along the way. If you've been looking on a resource on how to get into object-oriented programming in PHP, you'd do well to pick up a copy of this month's edition.

You can find out more about the magazine and the other contents of the issue from their website.

We are currently in need of four people:

• A junior PHP dev
• A junior-ish web designer (Photoshop, HTML, CSS, Javascript + ideally some coding)
• An Oracle DBA
• A PostgreSQL DBA

The job ads will be up on our website shortly, but if you are eager to act before then, please email me your resume at jobs@omniti.com.

You can find out more about OmniTI as a company from their site and more about previous jobs and how they hire from these two links.