PHPDevShell as the name suggests provides a “shell” for your code to run in. It was developed from the ground up to be fast, secure and to provide immediate results for the developer using it. Take your own PHP scripts and simply “plug” it into PHPDevShell’s secure menu system if you want, or take the extra step and develop your own plugin for PHPDevShell. PHPDevShell does not burden the developer with having to have an in-depth understanding of its inner workings, but does not stop you from “digging” into its core either.

Where would I typically use PHPDevShell?
PHPDevShell would typically be used to develop general web based applications. It is not a CMS (Content Management System). PHPDevShell is essentially a ready made GUI application where you can immediately start with the development work that matters most, your application. For security and usability it already provides you with user registration and management, role management, group management, access rights security, important system settings, templates, control panels, cronjob management, menu management, plugin management etc.

Why would I want to use PHPDevShell?
PHPDevShell provides the ability for you to get a PHP based application up and running in an incredibly short amount of time while not taking short cuts on things such as security and resource usage. It is made as light as possible as to not interfere with your application yet allows you to heavily customise the look and feel if you have the time. Why re-invent the wheel when you can gain months of work instantly by using PHPDevShell?

What PHPDevShell is not.

1. PHP does not force you to use a particular MVC design or any other design pattern for that matter. Although it makes use of MVC itself, you on the other hand can decide to strictly use the MVC pattern, use a variation of MVC or just skip using MVC all together. This is possible due to PHPDevShell's unique plugin based design.

2. PHPDevShell is not a Content Management System and hence should not be compared to CMS's such as Drupal and Joomla. Instead it is a framework with which to build web applications. PHPDevShell have been used to create asset management systems, pre-paid electrical management systems, mail managers, vehicle tracking solutions and many other applications. Of course you can still create a standard website using PHPDevShell, we just think that Joomla and Drupal is more purpose built for CMS's and may therefore suite you better.

3. PHPDevShell is not in competition with any other framework nor does it provide exactly the same solution. It aims for simplicity and to satisfy the productivity of smaller teams with limited resources. We recommend that you also take a look at some of the other PHP based frameworks; Symphony, CakePHP, Prado, Akelos, Zend Framework, CodeIgniter.

4. PHPDevShell's design does not aim to be academically correct simply for the sake of being academically correct. Instead it aims to find a balance between speed, resource usage, security, code readability, code maintainability, general programming standards, and largely the productivity of software developers.

5. PHPDevShell is not a code generator, you still need to be fluent with PHP and web development in general in order to make use of PHPDevShell.