Dulab   A PHP Framework and CMS

Good error handling for me entails many things.  A developer should see as much detail as can be provided, of course.  Error messages should be concise and to the point.  For an end-user, on a development server, the user should be informed that an error happened, and be confident that someone has been informed of it automatically, and errors should be logged and indexed quickly on the server to help find and fix errors.

One of the main reasons I decided to start work on Dulab, is the general push for frameworks to be everything for everyone.  Not to say I don’t want my framework to be liked, that isn’t it at all!  (and not that that’s a bad thing either, the popular frameworks have helped thousands of users create websites)  I hope to create a Programmer’s framework… that is, a framework intended to be used and extended by programmers.  The intention isn’t to make it super easy to install (although if it doesn’t take anything away, then of course it will be), or be able to do absolutely everything with 1 line of code.  I intend to give more control back to the programmer, and develop essential functionality really well and leave the rest up to the programmer.

Why bother creating another templating engine, when so many out there seem to be doing the same thing badly already?  Why not just use PHP for the templates (which is more permissive, and doesn’t require a ‘compilation’ step)?  Why assume an application ‘might’ use every part of a framework and load it all, instead of assuming the bear minimum, and let the programmer decide what extras are needed?  These kinds of things may put back some work on the developer, but as long as they aren’t that difficult to add in (and thanks to PHP5’s dynamic loading of classes, for instance, things like this are so much easier), why assume they’re always needed?  Why not aim to deliver top-quality software, without compromise?

I aim to provide a secure, well-performing and well-written PHP Framework and CMS.  More about Dulab will be coming soon, so please subscribe and stay tuned!

Welcome to the Dulab blog. Here you’ll find bi-weekly updates on the progress being made on Dulab, an all new PHP framework and CMS. At some point an introduction to what this project will hopefully become will be necessary, but for the time being, I’d like to introduce the people currently involved:

Paul Story, a designer and developer based in Calgary, Alberta. Paul has been working in media and marketing since 2000. He is also one of the best designers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Paul will be designing our logo, back-end system and our website! You can visit Paul’s personal website at http://www.paulstory.ca

Fadi Hani, a programmer I met at 01 Systems, and close friend. Fadi is an extremely brilliant software developer and system analyst who’s primary focus had been C++ and .NET. Fadi will help me program and design Dulab, and learn PHP all at the same time. Fadi is currently living in Bahrain. He is also waiting for me to organise this project better so he can get down to the Neetty Greetty (all happening, I promise!)

Zaahid Bateson (yours truly), started his career at 01 Systems in 2003, in the little beautiful island of Bahrain developing banking software… Zaahid has moved on to PHP and open source technologies in recent years, and is currently managing the Dulab project (so far badly, but will hopefully learn quickly), and is its main developer. Zaahid currently lives in Calgary, Alberta.