Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

news.ycombinator.com

11–20 of 33 posts

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#12

"I know php/python pretty well." If you know Python, Django is rather well reviewed and you can leverage your current knowledge. I've started with Ruby on Rails in spite of almost no Ruby expernience. I've found that the learning curve for the language was low (I've used PHP/Python/Java before) and the framework was rather straightforward.

As a very experienced PHP and fairly experienced Python developer, I can back up the notes about Django. It's by far the easiest Python framework, and the full stack it comes with is very nice if you have a database etc.

Be warned it has a slightly steep curve for deployment if you're not used to deploying Python/WSGI applications. Be sure to read the mod_wsgi and Django deployment documentation first!

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#13
post #2

if you know php already, codeigniter, imo. its the lightest-weight (edit: popular) framework and least restrictive. very bare-bones by default. plus, the docs are great. if you feel like subsequently moving to another php framework from there, the principles are very similar and the transition would be easy.

Codeigniter, whilst good, only runs on PHP 4:

http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/overview/at_a_glance.html

which means they've missed all the performance and security improvements in PHP 5 (like applying filters to user input), not to mention that PHP 4 is end of life now.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#14
post #2

if you know php already, codeigniter, imo. its the lightest-weight (edit: popular) framework and least restrictive. very bare-bones by default. plus, the docs are great. if you feel like subsequently moving to another php framework from there, the principles are very similar and the transition would be easy.

Codeigniter, whilst good, only runs on PHP 4: http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/overview/at_a_glance.html which means they've missed all the performance and security improvements in PHP 5 (like applying filters to user input), not to mention that PHP 4 is end of life now.

Taken from that same page: "Note: CodeIgniter will run on PHP 5. It simply does not take advantage of any native features that are only available in that version."

So, it does run on PHP5, just doesn't use PHP5 only features for the sake of backwards compatibility. For PHP5 one can use KohanaPHP, as mentioned by another comment :)

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#15
post #2

if you know php already, codeigniter, imo. its the lightest-weight (edit: popular) framework and least restrictive. very bare-bones by default. plus, the docs are great. if you feel like subsequently moving to another php framework from there, the principles are very similar and the transition would be easy.

Codeigniter, whilst good, only runs on PHP 4: http://codeigniter.com/user_guide/overview/at_a_glance.html which means they've missed all the performance and security improvements in PHP 5 (like applying filters to user input), not to mention that PHP 4 is end of life now.

it runs on 5. and 4.

edit: what arien said. plus, again, if it doesn't fit your needs, you can jump from CI to something else pretty readily.

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#16
I was quite a keen CakePHP user until it dawned on me how slow and clunky it seemed to be.

Have since switched to Ramaze (http://www.ramaze.net) - a light, modular Ruby framework. Bearing in mind I knew zero Ruby at the time, I have never looked back. Definitely worth a look. (irc.ramaze.net/ramaze offers good support, too).

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#17
post #2

if you know php already, codeigniter, imo. its the lightest-weight (edit: popular) framework and least restrictive. very bare-bones by default. plus, the docs are great. if you feel like subsequently moving to another php framework from there, the principles are very similar and the transition would be easy.

++ for codeigniter for the ease of learning. Althouth i'm going back to cakephp at the moment for all the "automagic".

Best of luck

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#18
post #4

Your problem was that you gave after a couple of days.

Agreed. I use CakePHP (used the dart-against-a-wall method of picking it from the major frameworks). Now very familiar with it, enough so to understand its limitations, and especially its strengths. Probably going to switch to Zend soon, as I'm not the biggest CakePHP fan. But if you're only using it for a few days, you're not doing yourself any favors. Try writing a complete app in it (maybe an app you wrote a couple years ago, that you've always wanted to rewrite...)

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#19
post #2

if you know php already, codeigniter, imo. its the lightest-weight (edit: popular) framework and least restrictive. very bare-bones by default. plus, the docs are great. if you feel like subsequently moving to another php framework from there, the principles are very similar and the transition would be easy.

I really like this as well as Kohana. I have been using Kohana lately for php5 benefits

Re: Ask HN: What's the most easy-to-learn framework?

#20

I know php pretty well, I wrote an entire happy hour site with it. Which framework is better/easier to learn cakephp, KohanaPHP or RoR. I hear so many good things about RoR, but I've never used Ruby.

Ruby is pretty easy to learn. RoR is great, but the easiest Ruby framework to learn is Sinatra.
Post reply on HN