True, there's rarely One True Answer. That's one reason why there is no clear-cut definition of "Expert". However, there are frequently better or worse solutions to a problem. It's easier to pinpoint when someone is not going with the grain of the language than when they are. For instance, considering the global namespace to be a good interface between system components disqualifies someone from the expert title, IMO. :-) (Yes, I've had to clean up after that.) Using arrays but never actually using associative arrays is another "against the grain" issue in PHP (whereas in other languages associative arrays are not as dead-easy as in PHP, so they're a wrong answer more often). That doesn't automatically mean that using associative arrays and not using the global namespace make someone an expert, of course, it's just an indication that they don't not know what they're doing. On Friday 19 January 2007 9:43 am, bruce wrote: > larry... > > sounds good... however, given that you often have a myriad of different > ways to solve a problem, how does on determine which of the solutions, is > the 'PHP way'???? > > unless there are seriously obvious flaws with an approach, you can often > have different approaches of solving a problem that pretty much lead to the > same result.. > > peace... > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Larry Garfield [mailto:larry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] > Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 7:29 AM > To: php-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Re: What makes a PHP expert > > > I'd say a "programming expert" is one that can grasp the nuances and > complexities of a problem and break it down coherently and correctly in a > relatively short amount of time (compared to "average"). > > A "php expert" is one that can break it down and implement a solution that > leverages the "PHP way" of doing things and works with the language for a > truly elegant solution. (The "PHP way" of solving a problem is different > than the "Java way" is different from the "C++ way". Different languages > have different strengths. A language expert knows how to play to the > strengths of the language he's using.) > > On Thursday 18 January 2007 9:23 am, bruce wrote: > > hi... > > > > for my $0.02 worth... sometimes it's as simple as someone who can qucikly > > grasp the issue(s) and nuances/intracacies of the issues/problems, and > > who can then utilize php to solve the problem, as well as craft an > > elegant solution that will scale into the future. > > > > peace... > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Jay Blanchard [mailto:jblanchard@xxxxxxxxxx] > > Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 5:56 AM > > To: h; php-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > > Subject: RE: What makes a PHP expert > > > > > > [snip] > > I often see job ads asking for a PHP expert and was wandering what you > > all thought makes a PHP programmer into an expert. > > > > what would you mark out as the key skills that distinguishes an expert > > from the ordinary i.e. OOP mastery, regular expressions etc. > > [/snip] > > > > First I would consider number of years of programming experience > > including how many years a programmer had been using PHP. I would > > examine some code and look for organization, documentation, and > > consistency. Is the programmer published (articles, books, etc) which > > may not count against expertise? > > > > An expert encompasses so much more than skills. For instance, I could be > > an expert on football because I understand history of the game, have > > been published, understand game planning and execution, and have played > > at the wide receiver position. Only the last 2 items really require > > skills. > > -- > Larry Garfield AIM: LOLG42 > larry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ICQ: 6817012 > > "If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of > exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, > which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to > himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the > possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it." > -- Thomas Jefferson > > -- > PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php -- Larry Garfield AIM: LOLG42 larry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ICQ: 6817012 "If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it." -- Thomas Jefferson -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
