Technical Dogma
Just like with music, there are no universal answers for software. Which is the better band: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. Do you prefer PHP or Scala? There have been more words written comparing various programming languages, frameworks, and open source software than in all written works before the 16th century. One might think that after all of this discussion, everyone would have a clear idea of what the best tools are. Yet the discussion continues.
The answer to this puzzle is, of course, that there is no single answer. When choosing development tools, just like when choosing a musical selection, situation matters. If you staring at the stars: 'Across The Universe' may be exactly what you need to hear. If you are out singing Karaoke: "Satisfaction" can be your savior.
Clients often ask us why we don't use a specific technology that comes well recommended to them. For example, Drupal has become extremely popular over the last few years. It is being used to power sites as large and important as whitehouse.gov, and as small as the official website for Joe's Bait Shack in Burlington Vermont. It is so easy that even non-programmers can make a working site in a few hours. So, why doesn't Thirdi do all of our work with Drupal?
If you are coming to Thirdi, it is because you have a demanding set of needs. Our clients need total control over the finished product, plenty of headroom to add functionality as their business grows, high performance, and low maintenance. It is an essential part of our job to find the right technologies to meet these needs, and each client's unique requirements.
We also must take into account our strengths. We have a team of highly skilled engineers, fluent in a number of programming languages. That means we can choose the most effective software, not the most "beginner-friendly' or "easiest". It turns out that adapting easy software to big projects can be far more work than crafting something in code. Easy software is easy because it was built for a specific purpose. As your needs diverge from that purpose, the job becomes far more complex and far less efficient. This is exactly how big software projects become delayed at the last minute, or fall apart entirely.
We thought we would show you two examples of lesser-known tools we are fans of; but please don't think this means we're stuck to these few options.
For Web Applications:
The Symfony web framework has been our weapon of choice for many projects. Symfony is a way to substantially cut down on the time and costs of PHP development. It can accomplish in one line of code what may take four in plain old PHP. Symfony allows us to build apps without the waste and excess of bloated CMS software. We only include the features that you are actually using. That means we can build apps that respond quickly, even under heavy load.
We love Symfony so much that we are active contributors to its open-source project.
For eCommerce Sites
Thirdi has a real crush on Magento. It is an eCommerce platform that manages to both work well out-of-the-box and keep custom developers happy. The system uses a newer, and more effective, programming language than its competitors (we're looking at you, osCommerce) and is designed to make custom development less of a chore. The system is completely modular: so developers can add, remove, and substitute parts of a site at will.
Magento also has a ton of useful built-in features that can help online businesses grow. There is a one-page Checkout, so that your customers don't get frustrated and leave mid-way. There are powerful reporting features so that you can keep track of your business. There is a whole range of built-in promotional tools and discounting systems. Magento stores work beautifully on the iPhone.
