Thursday, June 5, 2003

PHP5 moves towards Java ...three major new features of PHP5:, new object model, exceptions, namespaces. This could be an interesting development. My bro is getting into PHP because it has a low learning curve and allows him to produce results quickly. I can definitely see the appeal. I'm hoping I can share some of the art and science of computer programming with him, to show him some of the benefits of 3rd generation languages (3GLs). OOP has dominated the comp.sci scene for a while now, and AOP is starting to gain wider exposure. Tools can also be a huge differentiator, more so than I previously considered. IntelliJ IDEA has shown me that, with its tight Java language integration to provide real productivity gains that are simply unheard-of for other languages/IDEs. PHP seems to be moving in these directions, and given its open source nature and rapid development so far, it may catch up on all these fronts. Consider these IDEs for PHP: DevPHP, PHPIDE, and PHPEdit. Too bad they're all windows-only. 10:29:42 AM

Online Mobs An underground group known as the Sims Shadow Government has taken over the fantasy world that is ``The Sims Online,'' meting out mob justice. Some people have way too much time on their hands. 10:02:04 AM