We have many frameworks and Content Management Systems (CMS) to choose from in today’s Web world. If you are a PHP programmer, you have Drupal, Joomla, Prado, codeigniter, and Symphony just to mention a few. For .NET there is DotNetNuke, ASP MVC, Umbraco, etc. For Java there is Spring, Struts, Vignette, Liferay, OpenCMS, etc. All of the above mentioned items allows for saving time in creating websites and web applications, but are they the way to go?
Current trends show that they are, but because they are “trends” they change. I remember when everything was to be done in DotNetNuke (DNN), then it was SharePoint, and now it is Drupal and Java based frameworks and CMSs. What people fail to realize about these things is that though they are customizable, they are only customizable within the limits of the program you choose to use. If all you want is a mom and pop website with an “email us” then CMS is the way to go. Most likely the client in that case barely knows how to use a computer let alone script HTML. So you would want to use something like that.
What about when you are building an interactive website for a major client? Is using a framework or CMS the way to go? Chances are the answer is NO even though management may disagree with you. “Why re-invent the wheel?” is an argument I have had many times regarding this topic.
There are three reasons I usually give to answer this question. The first reason is that I am not re-inventing the wheel but making it round. Depending on the size and complexity of a site, a CMS or framework may not be able to handle what it is the site should do. Yes, using one may get you 60% of the way there but you may be spending more time cramming the last 40% into the 60% (which is now your 100% since you have limited yourself to the limits of the framework or CMS you are using) then it would have creating your own. The second reason is that the framework or CMS may not be able to handle what it is you are doing.
The third reason is more controversial. The other reason is I may not choose a framework is the ability to maintain the site. I guess it comes down to this saying:
“There are three types of people in this world – those who can count, and those who can’t.”
There is only one type of programmer in this world and it is a programmer who has the ability to do it from scratch. Otherwise, you are more of a scripter than a programmer. I have dealt with many “Drupal Developers” (and I hesitate to use the word developer in this case) who cannot see beyond Drupal. They do not know how to code outside of Drupal. Yes, they use PHP to code it but they cannot code PHP from scratch. This is not the case always, but it is a growing trend in development to only learn how to code within the CMS or Framework you choose. It completely limits you. What will happen to you if the current trend goes out of style? If you learned how to program first, and then learned how to code the current trend, you will be fine. If you are the opposite then you may be in trouble. In any case, it is better to learn to program first and then learn how to use these fancy little tools. You are more versatile and more inclined to get a job when the current flavor de jour goes out of style if you know how to program.
In conclusion, it not always best to use a Framework or CMS. The CMS or Framework may not be able to support the functionality of the site depending on size and complexity. It also may be more time consuming in the long run to use one than to plan it out and do it the right way from scratch. You also will limit yourself to what the CMS and Framework has to offer in terms of security and upgrades. The long run if you want it changed may require a complete site rebuild. That will cost more money than to have done it from scratch in the beginning.
By James Corbett, Senior Consultant