Question

How do you decided to use a framework (such as the Zend Framework) when building a new web app?

What are the advantages of starting from scratch as opposed to using a framework? I am well aware of the advantages of a framework, as well as some disadvantages.

I have heard it said that really large projects generally don’t use an off-the-shelf framework but have a custom in-house framework/structure of some kind. Is inaccurate or what would be the reason for this?

Answer 1

The advantages of using a solid reliable framework:

1. Someone else has done a lot of work
   for you.
2. Someone else has given you a solid
   conceptual model as the basis for
   your application.
3. Improvements to the framework become
   improvements to your application.

The disadvantages of using a solid reliable framework:

1. Your application is dependent on the
   work of others.
2. You have to use the framework’s
   conceptual model as the basis for
   your application. If it is a bad
   fit your development is going to be
   just that much more difficult.
3. In order to incorporate improvements
   to the framework into your
   application you have to repeat your
   testing.
4. Breaking changes in the framework
   may break your application.
5. It may be difficult to get the
   framework author to make or accept
   proposed changes that are critical
   to the success of your application.
6. If you make changes to the framework
   that aren’t accepted, you have to
   keep patching each new release.
7. The framework author may abandon the
   framework, leaving you to support it
   yourself.