With all of the content and applications flying around these days from Zend (the PHP Company), I have to wonder how much people really use the things that they put out.

Are there any of you out there that have experience with the Encoder software or the Safeguard suite that they offer (or any other product for that matter)? I know that there are several large companies that might buy into the products that they offer, but what do they really offer to us developers? How much help have their products been in the past for you? I can remember trying their editor (Zend Studio) and not finding it all that stunning or useful (and saw similar comments on message boards around) - but I've never used any of their other applications.

So, I wanted to get your comments and thoughts on Zend... Do you think they're justified in the prices they charge? Do you think that their products, like the Safeguard Suite, could initiate a "new era" of PHP development by creating a way for developers to protect their hold on their scripts? What do you think could help them help the PHP community grow and compete with the larger-company backed web scripting languages?