Should I Learn Zend Framework?

Should I learn Zend Framework?

I've heard you need to know Zen to use Zend Framework because it is so darn complicated. It's harder to learn that a lot of programming languages.

I've heard it is hard to learn, too.

It is comparable to CakePHP in difficulty. But the APIs in the source code are inconsistent, too, making it harder to figure out.

Why then does anyone use it?

Because it uses a standard design pattern, once you have read over the framework code, you understand what is going on.

I meant, who uses it aside from code reviewers?

There are Java Struts Spring programmers that use it to handle MVC applications. They like it because you don't have to write interface code to extend or customize an application.

I heard that the routines make it hard to work with.

I thought it was the nine lines of code it takes to route someone to a specific URL.

Someone told me Zend was more secure than its rivals.

It can be hacked if you don't set up protections against MySQL injection.

At least if I learn Zend Framework, I can get a good paying job as a programmer.

Zend is just a programming framework, not a programming language in and of itself. A lot of Zend Framework users are coding in PHP or Java.

What possible advantage does Zend have then?

It has a really good validation component. Then again, given its complexity, it has to have a good validation component or people would give up after trying to find their first bugs.

That's not reason enough for me.

Zend Framework does make object oriented code more re-usable. It's a pain to write the first time, but easier to reuse later.

Agony once, but merely painful later. Funny I didn't hear that other MVC programming methodologies were that painful.

Zend doesn't have a model implementation. So its MVC becomes just VC.

No wonder it is not popular for those programming for the PC.