> Packages and frameworks are great, but they exist
> because they solve problems that core PHP doesn't solve
> well. That's why there are so many different ORM layers
> and databases classes and templating frameworks.
This isn't just a PHP-centric problem. All the popular languages have package management tools that far surpass PHP's, with NPM and Ruby Gems being the most popular of the bunch. To say that packages and frameworks exist because core PHP is lacking isn't wholly correct. Packages and frameworks exist because they increase developer productivity and help to avoid recreation of the wheel on subsequent projects. While the concept of a STL-like layer is appealing, I fear it'd be hard to find widespread support. It'd be great to see the community get behind some core OOP libs for routing, request, response, auth, etc. The problem is the powers that be over at PHP.net are pretty set in their ways. This would have to be something that side-steps that altogether. The more approachable solution is to mimic NPM and Ruby Gems, allowing the community to help curate packages over github and decide which tools are appropriate for specific jobs via reviews, download counts, word of mouth, etc. It's definitely not perfect, but opens the doors for increased user contributions.
Anything that increases the friendliness and usability of PHP is a win for the community since the language isn't perceived in the greatest of light. The only way to combat the negative perceptions is to prove people wrong by making continuous improvements and keeping up growing web requirements.
Anything that increases the friendliness and usability of PHP is a win for the community since the language isn't perceived in the greatest of light. The only way to combat the negative perceptions is to prove people wrong by making continuous improvements and keeping up growing web requirements.