The document compares and evaluates several PHP frameworks - Zend Framework 1, Zend Framework 2, and Symfony 2. It finds that Zend Framework 1 is outdated. While Zend Framework 2 shares similarities with Symfony 2, Symfony 2 offers more features and stability. Overall, the document recommends Symfony 2 as the most comprehensive and stable option.

1. PHP Frameworks
choice
Pawel Graczyk
Chicago
October 15th, 2012

2. What should we expect from framework?
● Based on PHP platform
● MVC
● Friendly for modern approach (agile and decoupled)
● Contain all features necessary for advanced system
● Well tested (unit tests)
● Stability
● Active community of users
● Active development over next 3-5 years
● Easy to learn

3. Possible choices
● Zend Framework 1 (http://framework.zend.com/)
● Zend Framework 2 (http://framework.zend.com/)
● Symfony 2 (http://symfony.com/)
● Lithium (http://lithify.me/)
● Yii (http://www.yiiframework.com/)

4. Zend Framework 1 - Matthew Weier O'Phinney
(http://mwop.net/)
+ Based on PHP platform
+ MVC
- Friendly for modern approach (agile and decoupled)
- Ready for third-party products
- Use new features from PHP 5.3 (namespaces etc.)
- Less magic
+ Contain all features necessary for advanced system
- Well tested (unit tests)
+ Stability
+/- Active community of users
- Active development over next 3-5 years
-/+ Easy to learn
- Integrated with modern template system
- Ready for reusable code (modules introduced too late)

5. Zend Framework 2 - Matthew Weier O'Phinney
(http://mwop.net/)
+ Based on PHP platform
+ MVC
+ Friendly for modern approach (agile and decoupled)
+/- Ready for third-party products
+ Use new features from PHP 5.3 (namespaces etc.)
+ Less magic
+/- Contain all features necessary for advanced system
+ Well tested (unit tests)
+/- Stability
+/- Active community of users
+ Active development over next 3-5 years
+ Easy to learn
- Integrated with modern template system
-+Reusable (modules as a first class citizens)

6. Symfony 2 - Fabien potencier (http://fabien.
potencier.org/)
+ Based on PHP platform
+ MVC
+ Friendly for modern (agile) approach
+ Ready for third-party products
+ Use new features from PHP 5.3 (namespaces etc.)
+ Less magic
+ Contain all features necessary for advanced system
+ Well tested (unit tests)
+ Stability
+ Active community of users
+ Active development over next 3-5 years
+ Easy to learn
+ Integrated with modern template system
+ Reusable (bundles as a first class citizens everything is a bundle)

7. ZF1 vs (ZF2 / S2)
"How agile do we want to be?"
For ZF1
● We know ZF1 (but do we really know it?)
● More developers on the market familiar with ZF1
● Not too agile (strongly coupled)
For (ZF2 / S2)
● Easy to learn
● More developers on the market who WANTS TO work with
modern technologies (ZF2 / S2)
● More agile (decoupled)

8. ZF2 vs S2 - Architecture
"Do we want to have a full stack or library?"
For ZF2 (library) - have a initial setup but more configuration is
needed. Less experienced developers are tempted to "do it better" or
"fix something in framework". It often leads to code very difficult to
maintain by team of people.
For S2 (full stack) - Provides initial setup and supports python like
philosophy of "One good way of doing something".
Less experienced developers are less tempted to extend a framework.
Framework is strongly decoupled, developer have a freedom of
different setup.

9. ZF2 vs S2 - Stability
For ZF2
Stable for over 1 month. Current version: 2.0.2
● Stable, but is it stable enough?
For S2
Stable for over 1 year. Current version: 2.1.2
● Rock solid stable

10. ZF2 vs S2 - Reusable code
Bundle/Module - reusable code ready to use "out of the box". It may
contain all parts of MVC.
Examples: zf-assetic-module or FOSUserBundle
For ZF2
● Over a 100 of modules (http://modules.zendframework.com/)
● Most of modules still in development
For S2
● 1696 bundles - (http://knpbundles.com/)
● Lots of third-party bundles have quality not worse than framework
and are used for default configuration.

11. ZF2 vs S2 - Learning curve
Convention over configuration - things works in most expected way by
default. The effort is needed to change the way things works but not
to make them work.
Magic - Lack of clarity in system behaviour. Unnecessary
automatisation. Things happen and appear unexpectedly.
For ZF2
● less magic (???)
● convention over configuration (???)
For S2
● less magic
● convention over configuration
Both are easier to learn than ZF1

12. ZF2 vs S2 - Usage of framework components
ZF2 is used by:
● ???
S2 is used by
● Silex: BrowerKit, CssSelector, DomCrawler, EventDispatcher,
HttpFoundation, HttpKernel, Routing, Form, Translation, Validator
● Goutte: BrowserKit, DomCrawler, CssSelector, Process,
ClassLoader, Finder
● Behat: Console, DependencyInjection, EventDispatcher, Finder,
Yaml, Config, Translation
● Assetic: Process
● Doctrine2: Console, Yaml
● Propel2: Console, ClassLoader, Yaml
● PHPUnit: Yaml
● FLOW3: Yaml
● Midguard CMS: most of them in their next version?
● phpBB 4: most of them?
● Drupal 8*

13. What I like about Symfony 2
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14. ZF1 vs ZF2 vs S2 - summary
● ZF1 - Outdated.
● ZF2 - Many initial ideas and requirements was abandoned. The
result is framework quite similar to S2 but with less features and
possibly worse stability (for today at least).
● S2 - Stable and more comprehensive. "Battery included"
approach.