Zend Framework 2.0 Beta 3 Release Gives Developers an Early Start on PHP App Development Projects

CUPERTINO, CA — March 1, 2012 — Zend Framework 2, Beta 3, the latest milestone in the world's leading PHP application framework, is released. This new revision of the framework is geared towards greater developer productivity and application performance, providing rich support for the leading cloud services and providers, and a streamlined and simple workflow for developing next-generation mobile applications and APIs.

PHP developers rely on Zend Framework for PHP best practices and an extensive library of proven, reusable code, so they can work collaboratively, save time and avoid re-inventing the wheel when building core functionality into their apps, and ensure more rapid and consistent delivery of higher quality apps. Zend Framework is an award-winning open-source framework, with more than 10 million downloads and 500+ contributors including Google, Amazon and other respected brands.

Zend Framework 2 Highlights:

• Simpler and easier to use components that incorporate the vast amount of feedback from developers using Zend Framework 1.x
• Better modularity and code reuse, so developers can focus on core business logic rather than generic tasks
• A redesigned Model-View-Controller architecture layer that introduces greater pattern consistency across all framework elements with support for event-driven development
• Significantly improved performance
• An entirely new Cloud Infrastructure component
• Fully supports PHP 5.3 today, and has built in forward compatibility to allow users to take advantage of the new features offered in PHP 5.4

A feature-complete Beta 4 release is expected in Q2 2012, followed by the Zend Framework 2 GA release in Q3 2012. Developers using Zend Framework 1.X can set their own pace for a smooth and well-supported migration path to Zend Framework 2.0, including maintenance and security updates, until at least Q1 2014.  To allow users to leverage their existing Zend Framework 1.X code bases, Zend Technologies will also be providing guidelines and helper tools that will ease migration to Zend Framework 2.0.

According to Matthew Weier O’Phinney, Zend Framework Project Lead, “Zend Framework 2 offers PHP developers a complete architectural redesign for the best, most extensible and flexible MVC framework available. PHP developers have long been familiar with Zend Framework’s broad capabilities and extensive library of reusable code. Zend Framework 2's greater ease of use, support for PHP best practices, and portability of code should prove a valuable addition to any project.”

About Zend Technologies 
Zend is a partner to business for the rapid delivery of modern apps across mobile and cloud. We are the leading provider of software and services for developing, deploying and managing business-critical applications in PHP, which runs more than one-third of the world’s Web sites. Zend’s industry-leading PHP solutions, including Zend Server and Zend Studio, are deployed at more than 40,000 companies worldwide, providing a comprehensive solution for the entire application lifecycle. Learn more at www.zend.com.