php frameworks

I have been reluctant to use PHP frameworks for two reasons:

1. There's usually a learning curve involved.
2. If the framework stagnates or is abandoned, you face major problems in migrating to another solution.

The second problem is exactly the dilemma faced by fans of ADDT, which uses its own framework, but is entirely dependent on a specific version of Dreamweaver. Adobe decided to drop ADDT, so it won't work with CS5. Of course, sites made with ADDT will continue to work for many years, but eventually, they will need to be completely rebuilt.

However, the advantage of a framework is that you're not constantly reinventing the wheel. I now use the Zend Framework for specific features, without going the whole hog of converting sites to use it exclusively. I chose Zend because it's got the backing of the company mainly involved in the development and maintenance of PHP, so is likely to survive. Another factor was that it works exclusively with PHP 5, so its classes don't suffer from the need to be backwards compatible with PHP 4, which uses a completely different object model.

I might change my mind in future, but I don't see the advantage of relying entirely on a framework.