Alternatives to Zend Framework

I am currently feeling very conflicted about Zend and everything associated with it. I heard a statement the other night by a guy who was talking about CakePHP that hit the nail on the head. Paraphrasing what he said,

“There is nothing wrong with Zend Framework, but you just get this feeling with Zend that there will come the day when it’s going to become painful for you if you don’t shell out big bucks to them.”

Shades of Microsoft…. BLEAH! I am afraid the day has come. I was a big proponent of Zend. It’s difficult to eat a bit of crow and do a 180 on something you’ve taken a stand on, but when I examine things rationally, I’ve been increasingly disillusioned with Zend. There are several sticking points, elaborated below:
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Zend Framework Chronicles Part I


The decision has been finalized. Zend Framework has been selected to leverage the power of frameworks for the legacy code of Tix•R•Us without forcing it into the rigid confines of a Content Management System (CMS) such as Drupal, that you then have to find modules for or program your own.

Zend Framework seems to suit my needs. I considered CakePHP and Symfony, both strong contenders, and CodeIgniter, which some people love, and I had downloaded and played with a few homegrown ones as well. But the bottom line is Continue reading Zend Framework Chronicles Part I