Basecamp and Backpack from 37signals use PHP | Hacker News Reader

Basecamp and Backpack from 37signals use PHP

5 pointsivan23 comments

PHP Easter eggs tell us everything:

http://basecamphq.com/?=PHPB8B5F2A0-3C92-11d3-A3A9-4C7B08C10000 http://backpackit.com/?=PHPB8B5F2A0-3C92-11d3-A3A9-4C7B08C10000

http://37signals.com/index.rhtml also works.

As does http://37signals.com/index.nothingspecial

Apparently, the file extension is irrelevant when processing pages.

it's more than file extension

http://37signals.com/here/is/a/bunch/of/nonsense

(though that does throw off the path to the css)

Isn't that just telling you that the web server has PHP loaded into it?

If you try these strings on a URL that isn't PHP, they won't work, even if the web server has PHP support. In any case you can: 1. Try it somewhere. 2. Visit http://37signals.com/index.php 3. Ask'em directly.

Actually the easter egg only works if the given page is interpreted as PHP.

Aha - ok, well then like their own site, 37signals.com, it's the front page that is in PHP, something that has been known for a while.

Yes, btw... if an application is good quality for the customers who cares what language they used?

Well... those of us interested in replicating their success:-)

Given that Flickr is written in PHP, Delicious in Perl, Reddit in Python, Foo in Bar, I think that unless you are using something like Java or C++ that really will make you 5 times slower in the development process it does not really matter too much. IMHO this is highly related to the nature of web applications where the design of the UI, the feeling, and the idea you are developing is much more important than complex data structures and funky algorithms (being the only real challenge scalability in many projects).

What's nice is that actually if you master computer science it counts even in web programming as long as there are non trivial problems to solve, but this happens 5% of the times compared of 95% when you write, for example, a compiler.

I thought the interesting thing about this post is that 37signals, the creator of RubyOnRails, is using PHP.

Maybe they use PHP like a better version of server side includes. For this RoR is probably an overkill.

That's exactly how they're using it, and why the original poster's "discovery" really isn't that exciting.

I don't care for it for more serious work, but if you just want to template up one or two pages without a lot of hassle, PHP is far better than Rails.

100% agreed, but maybe I'm a bit biased since I'm using mod_ruby + eruby even to build applications, instead of rails.

This is the most asinine thing I've ever read on here. The first thing any smart person can figure out is that RoR doesn't make 37signals what they are. They have always said that themselves. Fast agile development, and all the other things they talk about in their Getting Real book make them what they are, but certainly not which language/framework. This is a lot like debating what care you're going to buy based on what the manufacturer of the car that won NASCAR last weekend was.

Really? The most asinine thing ever? I don't agree with that, but you do have a point. Still, it is interesting that 37Singnals is using PHP, not shocking, not mind-blowing, but interesting. Just like it would be interesting if Microsoft were using Java for MSN.

They're just using PHP for the front page of the site, not the whole app.

Sheesh.

Good to remember this case of 20% effort for 80% result. Why build all of your app tediously if one page is enough.

DHH was a PHP dev before he built Rails. Go read his blog. It's not surprising that some of their stuff is still in PHP.

The server headers confirm this.

Server: Apache/2.2.4 X-Powered-By: PHP/4.4.4

But what about Netcraft?

They use PHP for include files written in PHP.

this is only true of the product info sites, not the apps themselves.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com