Re: [XPOST from WDSCI-L] Webfacing out, EGL in

Joe Pluta wrote:

Not sure what your point is here. I don't consider basic PHP to be a
viable production web application environment

Lots of people think otherwise.

My point is just this ... PHP is widely used (a lot more widely used than EGL) and *I SUSPECT* that relatively few pay Zend for support.

AFAICT, basic PHP functionality on IBM i is essentially free ... and will remain so (again, as far as I can tell).

For those IBM i based organizations, who use PHP, and do not need / want Zend Enterprise can get support for PHP from the community ... like most other, non i, organizations that use PHP.

I'm less sanguine about the support received from open source communities. Sometimes it's very good, sometimes not so good. That's
why when I talk about PHP as part of an enterprise environment, I am
not considering an environment where PHP.net is your primary resource. Once you go down the pure open source route, then why not Ruby? Or Python? The possibilities are endless!

Yes, and lots of organizations are doing just that.

Some companies may be willing to do that, and I'm not saying it's wrong. But I'd guess that a lot of companies are unwilling to commit
their mission critical systems to a web-supported open source development environment.

Considering how many companies DO use PHP ... I _think_ that statement is incorrect. I don't have hard numbers to back my opinion up though.

And that's where the discussion of Java EE vs. RPG-CGI vs. PHP vs. EGL comes into play.

When it comes down to it ... EGL is just *ONE* way for an organization to get an application on the web. It's not the _BEST_ solution, it's not the _ONLY_ solution (although it is the newest) ... it's just ONE solution. There are many others. PHP, JSP, Python, Ruby, CGI, .net, etc. Each have their pluses & minuses. Organizations need to evaluate their needs, consider their resources, review the tools, and make an informed decision.

david