As both Andrei Zmievski and Clay Loveless mention in new blog posts from each, things in the PHP framework scene are getting a bit out of hand.
Andrei's comments:
I know you might be lusting after Rails for some reason and want to have the fame, the glory, and the dancing girls of DHH, but are we not going to be satisifed until Sourceforge is filled with the object-oriented diarrheal remains of our overblown egos and delusions of grandeur?
And Clay's thoughts:
Build a cool app. Forget about your own personal stamp on the framework world; you missed the boat on that one. But, if you want to make a mark, the world is wide open for new and cool applications. Pick an existing framework, start building your app, and contribute fixes back to that framework's community as you find shortcomings in your needs for your app.
They're both in agreement, and on more that one point. They recommend the best course of action for anyone out there with "the itch" to really work with a framework - fine one of the already established ones and dive right in. It might not be your own code, but you can contribute your own functionality and thoughts into the project and establish your own little niche.
Programming is a creative process; frameworks a genre of programming. It's a testament to the power and versatility of PHP that so many programmers find it a suitable medium for creative self expression.
Of course, not all frameworks will be created equal - beauty remains in the eye of the beholder. However, it is the diversity of the landscape where the richness of humanity is expressed.
I think the real folly is the lack of appreciation for such wondrous diversity.