A Group Effort

Here is my latest editorial for the June 2013 issue of php[architect] magazine:

A Group Effort

In a typical day, pretty much everyone on the internet encounters PHP (I’m sure there are a few exceptions), and whether we love them or hate them, some of the biggest websites and software packages are built on PHP. One of the reasons that PHP has had such a success is that it has had a good focused purpose, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that PHP is free and works well with many other common, useful tools.

One of those tools is MySQL. MySQL now comes in many flavors, and if you’d like to learn more about what makes each unique (and where they each came from), be sure to check out Steve’s article on MySQL forks. PHP isn’t just relegated to websites. PHP helps power one on of the number one mobile sports apps, PocketBracket. The app’s creator, Jason, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what keeps PocketBracket humming and what he did to ease the growing pains of popularity.

Continuing with our theme of PHP working well with other technologies, Eric shows how (give it a chance) Ruby can make continuous testing breeze, and Matthew continues working with Guzzle to get up and running with your own versatile HTTP client.

Looking for something to help get your team working more efficiently? Take a look at LUCID development with Scott. This development strategy can help make your job easier while making your code do more work for you.

Last, but not least, be sure to stay informed with our new news section, June Happenings, and we wrap things up with a few thoughts from Eli on how the changing PHP community needs a little love and a little more of all of us.