Not every application needs to be written using a framework, But if you’ve decided that yours does then it’s beneficial to compare your needs against the features and benefits of the various offerings. It may be a framework you’re already familiar with, or it may be a new one, but only through objective analysis can you be certain it’s truly the best fit. Asking yourself these six questions will help you intelligently whittle down your options.

Traits have been generally accepted by the PHP development community, mainly because it’s a feature that exists in other programming languages like Java, C++, and Python. The benefits of have been widely touted, with developers giving their own two cents on how traits can serve as a replacement for OOP inheritance. But are traits a feature which will help raise the level of PHP development, or are they just a fad?

The start of the new year is often a time for resolutions, like eat healthy and lose weight, learn to play a musical instrument, learn a foreign language, etc. This year, why not make a practical resolution: write for PHPMaster!

The PHP notice suppression operator is somewhat of a controversial topic in many circles. Some overuse it, some don’t use it at all, and some don’t even know it exists. See why it’s smart to avoid the operator as a general rule, and how to use it intelligently to produce better code.

In a recent announcement on their company mailing list, it was announced that PHPFog will be discontinued by the end of January, 2013. But if you’re on their platform, don’t panic! The new, combined platform may be even better than what you’re accustomed to with them now.

The SitePoint network, from PHPMaster to JSPro, would be a lonely place without its readers — so we’d like to hear what you have to say about us. We’ve published a SitePoint Network Reader Survey, and if you have a few moments, head over there to fill in the short questionnaire. It’s brief, we promise; we reckon it’ll only take you about four minutes. And to make it worth your while, we’re giving away a 16GB 4th Generation iPad to one lucky entrant!

Break out the candy corn and apple cider; it’s that time of year again! The rest of the world may not celebrate Halloween as hog wild as in America, but I thought it’d be fun to share some spooky PHP stuff to mark the holiday. See some scary (but logical) behavior found in PHP itself, and spooky (and possibly quite illogical) ways in which some have twisted PHP to do their bidding.

With great pride I’d like to announce the birth of our brand new baby, JSPro — a site dedicated to all things JavaScript! For those of you who are keen to explore the world of JavaScript, JSPro is just for you. Whether you’re a beginner keen to dip your toes in the JavaScript ocean, a skilled developer who wants to learn more about node.js, or a seasoned pro who wants to master the art of jQuery plugin creation, you’ll want to immerse yourself in JSPro. Every week we’ll bring you articles, tutorials, news, and resources that will help you master any aspect of JavaScript you’re keen to investigate.

Every developer knows the pain of banal mistakes. If only you had a fresh pair of eyes to look at what you did – surely these mistakes could easily be avoided! Code review can decrease the number of defects in your code and help team building. Any type of code review is better than none, so if your team isn’t using it today, suggest it. It can only help.

Jetbrains, in partnership with PHPMaster and Sitepoint, are giving out PhpStorm licenses and copies of PHP Master: Write Cutting-Edge Code… read this review of PhpStorm and then learn how you can qualify to win!