The term framework likely brings to mind Ruby on Rails or CakePHP or something of that sort. Acorn isn't like those. Acorn does as much as it can with as little as possible. In other words, it simplifies the code you rewrite for every new project and stays out of your way. Acorn is not a framework. It doesn't try to solve all your problems.
- Acorn is not a framework.
- Acorn doesn't make you write better code.
- Acorn does not have supercow powers.
The ideas behind Acorn (similar to those of uno):
- Don't rewrite PHP (use what exists already).
- URL rewriting is useful sometimes, but Acorn doesn't rewrite everything. Get variables? Use 'em! Pretty URLs? Use 'em! But don't use one to replace the other.
- SQL is a beautiful thing, when you know how to use it. Once you've mastered it you can write code that's faster than any framework could ever hope to produce. Just want to update one column in a row? That's easy. Want a single column in all rows in a particular order? That's easy.
- Keep things loose, don't couple everything so close together that you're forced to use all of it at once. Need to render a view and layout without a controller? That's possible. Need to manipulate some rows in the database without using the router. That's possible.
- Browse the demo code in the 'app' directory as well as 'post.php'. Both illustrate Acorn's features and exemplify its capabilities.
- Download Acorn and read the API documentation in docs.
- Start coding!
The best thing you can contribute is encouragement. If you use Acorn, or don't but like it, I want to know. Acorn is written in my spare time and the more encouragement I receive the better it will become. If you have comments, suggestions, or questions, please email me.
That being said, you can also contribute by forking Acorn, making changes, and telling me about what you did.
Another great thing you can do is promote it. Tell your friends, talk about it on forums, etc.
All help is greatly appreciated!