Rapid Application Development Frameworks – Ruby On Rails, Java!, PHP

With hype(also reality) around Ruby on Rails facilitating rapid^n application development, I did this comparative analysis around latest RAD tools/technologies. Here are my findings.

Ruby On Rails – If you are starting up, doesn’t have too much time, money or partners to support you? You can easily handcraft most of the application development using Ruby On Rails.

Java – Ohh not the age old Java but fresh brews Being a Java geek (who is about to switch camp to PHP), I gave another fresh look at Java frameworks.

Grails is an amazing RAD tool, if you are a hardcore Java/J2EE geek and looking for robust application development and adores frameworks like Spring, Hibernate, you can use Grails and utilize your specialized skills
If you doen’t have time to go through all frameworks and primarily looking Java based RAD, then Grails still can help you with plenty of scaffolding code and easy to use automated code generation. You can write a simple CRUD application using Grails in few minutes.

If you are looking for RAD only for web development in Java (because many java geeks believe with Spring and Hibernate, the solution can be developed with the same speed as in Ruby on Rails), then check out Stripes.

PHP – You are the PHP gem and want to stick with PHP? Good news I am joining your camp from Java . Recent frameworks like Symfony is making headlines …as Yahoo Bookmark as the latest implementation using Symfony. If you are from Java camp and have used Hibernate in the past, life is much cooler with Propel ORM which is used inside Symfony.

More options in PHP – CAKE is very good framework too, so also PRADO and many others.

The reason I am preferring PHP is because of newer frameworks, Object oriented development, high availability of developers/programmers in PHP, if my idea works well then I can safely offload application development by hiring PHP geeks with reasonable salary (I will have to pay only .35 times less than that of a Java geeks…that is great savings for me)

Ruby on Rails, my friends love it, we are developing stuff using it. But I am still looking for more and more developers and programmers adapting it and building great community.

What about ASP ? oh I hear it is fast and all those but you know I am on Open Source side.

What are your preferences?