Hi there!
I recently started my journey with Ruby and specifically Ruby on Rails, and I must say, I'm hooked! However, I have a legitimate question: what are the critical flaws that prevent this technology from being as popular as PHP, with its numerous frameworks and CMS?
For me, a few shortcomings have stood out so far:
1. Steeper learning curve: There are many pitfalls, mainly related to server settings, and nuances that need to be overcome. Once you conquer them, though, you're good to go.
2. Hosting challenges: There aren't many affordable hosting options specifically tailored for Rails. The most reasonable choice seems to be VPS / VDS, which I found for around $3, compared to PHP hosting services starting at around $1.
Now, let me turn the tables to you. Do you have any insights on this matter? Perhaps there's something crucial that I've overlooked? Why haven't all websites made the shift to Rails yet? Feel free to enlighten me and help me see beyond my rose-colored glasses!
While Ruby on Rails is a popular web framework that has gained a dedicated following, it does have some factors that may contribute to its relative lack of popularity compared to PHP frameworks and CMS. Here are a few considerations:
1. Performance: Ruby on Rails can be perceived as slower than some other frameworks due to the language's dynamic nature. PHP, on the other hand, is optimized for web development and often performs better under certain conditions.
2. Ecosystem and Community: PHP has an extensive ecosystem with many frameworks and content management systems (CMS) that have been around for a long time. This established ecosystem and large community make it easy to find resources, plugins, and support for projects. While Ruby on Rails has an active community, it may not be as extensive or mature as PHP's.
3. Availability of Developers: PHP has been a widely-used language for a long time, and there is a larger pool of PHP developers available. Finding experienced Ruby on Rails developers may be more challenging in some areas, which can impact adoption rates.
4. Hosting Options: As you mentioned, hosting options specifically tailored for Ruby on Rails can be limited and often more expensive than PHP hosting. This may dissuade some developers from using Rails, especially for smaller projects or when cost is a significant factor.
5. Learning Curve: Ruby on Rails, being a full-stack web framework, has a steeper learning curve compared to PHP frameworks like Laravel or WordPress. This can be a barrier for newcomers or developers looking for quick and straightforward solutions.
6. Legacy Systems: Many existing websites and applications are built on PHP, and migrating them to a different technology like Ruby on Rails can be time-consuming, costly, and risky. The inertia of maintaining legacy systems often hinders the adoption of new frameworks.
7. Shared Hosting: PHP has enjoyed popularity in part due to its compatibility with shared hosting environments, which are affordable and widely available. This makes it easier for individuals and smaller businesses to get started with PHP-based projects. In contrast, Ruby on Rails often requires more advanced hosting setups like VPS or dedicated servers, increasing the cost and complexity for entry-level users.
8. Flexibility vs. Convention: Rails is known for its convention-over-configuration principle, where developers adhere to established patterns and conventions. While this can increase productivity and maintainability, it may restrict some developers who prefer more flexibility and control over their code, which PHP frameworks often provide.
9. User Base and Market Share: PHP has historically had a larger user base and market share, which contributes to its ecosystem, tooling, and community support. These factors can have a self-reinforcing effect on PHP's popularity, making it harder for other frameworks to catch up in terms of adoption.
10. Project Scope: Different frameworks are suited for different types of projects. PHP frameworks like WordPress excel in content management systems and blogging platforms, while Ruby on Rails is often favored for building complex web applications and APIs. The specific requirements and goals of a project can heavily influence the choice of framework.
11. dоcumentation and Tutorials: PHP has an extensive amount of dоcumentation and tutorials available online due to its long-standing presence in the web development world. This makes it easier for beginners to get started with PHP and find resources to learn from. While Ruby on Rails also has decent dоcumentation and resources, it may not be as extensive or well-known.
12. Community Perception: Perception plays a significant role in technology adoption. PHP has faced criticism in the past for its inconsistency and some security vulnerabilities. While PHP has evolved and improved over time, those negative perceptions may still impact its reputation and discourage some developers from choosing it.
13. Corporate Support: PHP has received support from big tech companies like Facebook, which created the Hack programming language based on PHP, and WordPress, which is built entirely on PHP. The backing of these major players helps to reinforce PHP's popularity and provides stability to the ecosystem.
14. Language Familiarity: PHP is a language that is relatively easy to learn and has a syntax similar to C and JavaScript, making it more accessible to developers who are already familiar with those languages. In contrast, Ruby, the language behind Ruby on Rails, has a more unique syntax, which might require additional effort for developers to become proficient in.
15. Application Scalability: PHP's shared-nothing architecture makes it easier to scale applications horizontally by running multiple instances across servers. On the other hand, Ruby on Rails' monolithic architecture can make horizontal scaling more challenging, requiring additional measures to ensure efficient scaling.
16. Community Size and Support: PHP has a larger and more established community compared to Ruby on Rails. This means there is a wider range of third-party libraries, plugins, and community support available for PHP developers. A larger community also leads to more active discussions, meetups, and conferences dedicated to PHP.
17. Job Market: The demand for PHP developers is still significant, especially for maintaining and enhancing existing PHP-based applications. This job market stability can be a factor in why many developers choose to specialize in PHP rather than exploring other frameworks like Ruby on Rails.
18. Framework Maturity: PHP has been around for a long time and has had multiple major releases, resulting in a mature ecosystem with many stable and battle-tested frameworks, such as Laravel and Symfony. While Ruby on Rails is also a mature framework, the perception of PHP having more options and stability may contribute to its popularity.
19. Quick Prototyping: PHP's simplicity and ease of setup make it suitable for quickly prototyping web applications or building simple websites. It requires less boilerplate code compared to Ruby on Rails, making it attractive for developers who prioritize rapid development and iteration.
20. Industry Adoption: PHP has been widely adopted by various industries, including e-commerce, content management systems, and blogging platforms. This established presence in specific sectors makes it more challenging for other frameworks like Ruby on Rails to gain significant market share in those domains.
21. Industry Perception: PHP has gained a reputation for being a beginner-friendly language, often associated with simplicity and ease of use. This perception has made it a popular choice for entry-level developers or individuals looking to quickly build basic websites or applications. In contrast, Ruby on Rails is sometimes seen as more complex and suitable for larger-scale projects, which may limit its adoption in certain contexts.
22. Framework Versatility: PHP frameworks like Laravel offer a high level of flexibility, allowing developers to adapt and customize their application according to specific needs. This flexibility can make PHP more appealing for projects with unique requirements, while some developers perceive Ruby on Rails as having stricter conventions and less flexibility.
23. Language Popularity: PHP is one of the most widely used programming languages for web development. Its popularity means there is a large talent pool of PHP developers available, making it easier for companies to find skilled professionals. This "network effect" can perpetuate PHP's popularity and lead to its continued adoption in new projects.
24. Codebase Legacy: Many existing PHP projects already exist, and businesses often prefer to stick with what they know rather than re-engineer their applications in a different language or framework. The inertia of maintaining or updating existing PHP codebases can discourage organizations from adopting Ruby on Rails.
25. Platform Compatibility: PHP is compatible with a wide range of platforms and operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS. This versatility makes it easier for developers to deploy PHP applications on various hosting environments and integrate them with different systems. On the other hand, Ruby on Rails has historically been associated with Unix-like systems, potentially limiting its adoption in certain environments.
I used to work primarily as a PHP developer, but recently I decided to dive into Rails. Let me now discuss a few seemingly absurd things about Rails that are actually advantages, although they do come with some problems...
For the client:
1. No WordPress available. Yes! Once WordPress gets rewritten in Ruby, everyone will immediately start using it :)
2. Can we use Joomla for our website? Our content manager is already familiar with its admin panel.
3. Why does hosting cost $3? My coworker next door bought it for only $1.
4. "No, I'd rather hire this kid for $3 an hour who can do everything for me, instead of that guy over there asking for thirty [dollars], and talking about some Ruby, what even is it? I just need a WordPress site."
For the programmer:
1. Where are the curly braces?
2. Magic. Lots of magic. It does everything "by itself," even quasi-versioning the database based on dates. You have to get used to it, and not everyone is willing to do so.
3. It took me two days to figure out how to connect to MySQL. I may not be the most experienced programmer, but the number of questions on Stack Overflow and other platforms suggests that many others consider dropping out at this stage and going back to installing WordPress.
Well, you understand that the technology is not popular enough (to be embraced enthusiastically by clients) due to its unconventional approach for many, and the language syntax in general (to be embraced enthusiastically by programmers). Plus, it doesn't have WordPress on it.
In conclusion, transitioning from PHP to Rails brings unique challenges and benefits, and while it may not have all the conveniences of WordPress, it offers a different perspective on web development.
In my opinion, the popularity of PHP can be characterized as follows:
1. During the early days of the Internet, most people lacked programming skills, system administration knowledge, and web design abilities. As a result, websites were mostly comprised of static HTML or text pages. Creating a website required hiring a programmer or a system administrator to post, add, or modify information.
As the Internet grew and evolved, the limitations of static pages became apparent, leading to the rise of dynamic web pages. However, for the average user who wanted a personal website, blog, or simple online store, creating such dynamic websites was not feasible due to the high cost of professional labor.
This is where PHP comes into play, particularly with its fourth version and onwards. PHP provided a remarkably straightforward deployment process. Unlike Ruby on Rails (RoR), which was not widely known outside Japan at that time, PHP4 enabled users to deploy applications independently by simply copying a folder via FTP. Additionally, organizing hosting for PHP was much easier compared to Java. The demand for PHP increased, leading to the emergence of various CMS options, both free and paid, as well as affordable hosting services. Users who desired additional functionality for their websites no longer needed to hire programmers; instead, they could purchase or find free modules for their CMS. This development led to a significant increase in the number of PHP programmers, who in turn developed modules for popular CMS platforms. As applications became more complex and addressed non-standard tasks, a substantial community of PHP programmers emerged, prompting the creation of PHP frameworks.
2. PHP processes each request individually, making it easier for inexperienced users to install modules, themes, plugins, and more for their CMS. In contrast, in RoR (unicorn), installing a gem requires restarting the service, which might not appeal to casual users. Moreover, installing gems in RoR necessitates some programming skills, making it less intuitive than simply clicking a few buttons in the admin panel.
However, in large and intricate projects with long-term support requirements, the choice between PHP, Ruby, Python, and JVM frameworks is not as straightforward. Each language has its strengths and weaknesses, and it is essential to carefully evaluate the specific project's needs when making a decision.