Derek Sivers's blog: 7 reasons I switched back to PHP after 2 years on Rails

The new post on the Ruby section of O'Reilly authored by Derek Sivers is quite interesting, starting with the title:

• 7 reasons I switched back to PHP after 2 years on Rails

I am far away of being a PHP expert, or even a Ruby one, but I have the impression that I could post a similar title with Java instead of PHP. If this is true that Java EE could look a little complex for a start -this is probably less true today with the new JavaEE simplifications-. Yes... when you compare Rails and Java alone it is more complex but we should not forget that Java is now more a platform than a simple programming language. And many developers and companies have built very productive solution on this platform.

Since I am talking about Ruby on Rails here, it is important to mention again Grails and Groovy that provide on the Java platform a simple and productive way to develop applications, and time to get back to the different reasons mentioned by Derek in his post:

#1 - “IS THERE ANYTHING RAILS/RUBY CAN DO THAT PHP JAVA CAN’T DO? … (thinking)… NO.”
I believe that we will all agree on the fact that you can do anything you want in Java; Web applications, mobile applications, operating systems, rdbms, ... the only limit is your brain! -and your skills ;) -

#2 - OUR ENTIRE COMPANY’S STUFF WAS IN PHP JAVA: DON’T UNDERESTIMATE INTEGRATION
I think this is one of the key point here. Enterprise is using JavaEE a lot and it is part of the IT, moving to another technology will be expensive even if development is faster. In addition, the developers, administrators are used to develop and manage Java based applications.

And I do not want to talk about how complex it could be when you are building a Rails application on an existing database, designed from a pure Entity/Relation methodology....

#3, #4 #5 - I have nothing special to say here...

#6 - I LOVE SQL
I still see a lot of developers using SQL directly in Java programs. The nice thing about Java is the fact that based on your skills and what you like to do you can choose the way you want to access the database, simple SQL, powerful O-R Mappings, ...

#7 - PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES ARE LIKE GIRLFRIENDS: THE NEW ONE IS BETTER BECAUSE *YOU* ARE BETTER
I love this reason, but nothing special to say, I let you read the original post.

As you can see from the number of comments in Derek's blog -no times to read all of them- this entry generates lot of reactions.

IDTVG and Co: how to merge meetic and expedia

With all the Web 2.0/Social Networking noise we are all used to "virtually socialize", but now you can use it to do more and improve the quality of your trips

The site IDTGV and Co (only in French so far) allows you to enter your profile and hobbies. Then when you do a reservation for the TGV (high speed train) you can match it up with other travelers. I have not tried this service yet since I am mainly traveling in the north of France but I will for sure try it as soon as I can.... Let me know if you have tested it.

Prototype Windows: the best way to create "Web 2.0" windows

I am sure that most of you already know the "Prototype Windows" project that provides a very powerful way to create windows and dialogs inside your Web pages. If you do not know it, take a look it's awesome! Sebastien Gruhier, aka Mr Proto, and others have done a terrific job allowing developers to integrate exciting features with few lines of code. Find more on the PWC site or on Mr Proto's blog. In addition to the Windows API, you can also take a look to the Tranparent Message, Prototype Carousel and Prototype Graphics projects