PHP dynamic programming language
This week marked our 6th anniversary, evolving from “just Alan” to the amazing team at Seiden Group.
This milestone got me wondering…with as much change as we’ve seen over the past six years with PHP and Zend Server, how many PHP environments out there are four, five, or six or more years old?
Sometimes a fresh perspective makes all the difference.
I recently needed to cancel a WebEx meeting. I clicked the menu item to cancel the meeting and was presented with this dialog box:
The open source Composer tool, which manages PHP project dependencies, has become standard equipment for modern PHP. New to this tool? I recommend this introduction to Composer.
Composer automatically installs or updates required components, known as dependencies, and any others required by those initial components. The required components are defined by the developer in an easy-to-read JSON-formatted text file.
Here at Seiden Group, we seek ways to make IBM i systems more congenial for developers accustomed to other platforms, such as Linux.
Developers coming from a non-IBM i background know how to run the apachectl command to start, restart, and end an Apache web server instance. Instead of apachectl, however, IBM i provides a web-based graphical interface and the commands STRTCPSVR and ENDTCPSVR (be sure to prompt those for parameters using F4).
To supply the “missing” apachectl command for IBM i, I have written a BASH shell script that simulates apachectl on IBM i.
You’re sure you fixed that last bug, but the app is still malfunctioning. You’re racking your brain for the cause. Paradoxically, the more you know about programming, the more likely you are to over-think the problem.
I’ve been there. My Seiden Group colleagues have taken to calling me their “CTO” (Chief Troubleshooting Officer), for my debugging skills.
Before you wear yourself out seeking obscure bugs, try these sanity checks:
Recently we’ve heard from several clients seeking help with Zend Server upgrades. While generally straightforward, upgrades can require an extra step with very old versions of Zend Server. “Old” means Zend Core or Zend Server 5.1 or earlier. Upgrades from these old versions may require a migration from Easycom to the “new” PHP to IBM i toolkit.
Now that speedy PHP 7 is available for IBM i, we’ve been helping clients upgrade to this long-awaited release. Here are some resources for performing this popular upgrade.
L to R: Alan, Jorge Diaz, and Laravel’s creator Taylor Otwell at Zendcon 2016
Seiden Group colleague Josh Hall and I will attend Laracon, the Laravel conference, in NYC on July 25-26, 2017. Getting these coveted tickets required persistence — they sold out quickly!
Laravel is a hot PHP framework with a loyal community. We’ve been building our Laravel practice and look forward to sharing the latest tips and techniques with our clients.
According to creator Taylor Otwell, the first commercial installation of Laravel was on an IBM i system!
PHP 7 is creating excitement among PHP aficionados for its speed and additional language techniques.
As the official runtime for enterprise PHP, Zend Server has always offered a free basic edition to IBM i customers.
Recently, a change occurred on the Zend Server download page that has caused some confusion. At the time of this writing, the Zend Server download was labeled as a “30-day trial” even though, as an IBM i customer, you are still entitled to a free basic edition license. Of course, you can also opt for paid editions.
IBM i users can request a download of Zend Server for IBM i and PHP 7 here, confident that they will obtain a legitimate license, not a trial license. Fill out the form and you’ll be sent a download link. You’ll then be able to choose between the free basic license and value-add paid licenses.
The Seiden Group team is headed to Orlando May 6-10 to participate in COMMON 2017. In addition to teaching sessions and workshops on best practices for using PHP and other open source technologies on IBM i, we’re looking forward to meeting up with our clients and friends.
One of our favorite opportunities at COMMON is to meet professionals at all levels of the IT organization. Understanding the challenges faced by each member of the IT team — from admin to CIO — strengthens our ability to build effective solutions that are easy to use, easy to extend, easy to maintain.
