PHPUgly

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PHP shop talk, live, loose, and a little ugly.

The gist

PHPUgly puts Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon in front of a live chat to talk about PHP code, their business and the PHP community, with Tom Rideout drifting in and out. Stubborn bugs, fraud scares and the PHP Tech call for speakers share the stream with personal asides and detours.

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About PHPUgly

PHPUgly's name is a joke, and its standing intro takes a line to assure newcomers that the show really is about professional PHP work. What follows is a live-streamed conversation among developers who make their living in the language and also run a company built around it. Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon carry the recent episodes. Tom Rideout is named in the intro alongside them but drifts in and out, and one episode starts by noting that he is missing again. The episode numbers now run past 400. The company is PHP Architect, and its business keeps coming up. There is talk of writing blog posts on phparchitect.com again, and of finding that a PHP annotations series one host used to read is no longer published. The PHP Tech conference gets its own stretch. It covers a call for speakers that asks for talks on security, event sourcing and databases, and a promise to cover a chosen speaker's ticket, plus travel and hotel if needed. Everyone at PHP Architect takes part in a blind first round of review. The hosts describe it as a small conference that does not make money. Then there is the code. One host sets out to add a couple of lines and, an hour and a half later, is asking the other for help with something that refused to send until the environment was switched to production. A security story follows a teammate who watches for fraud all day and caught repeated sign-ins from a single IP address. These are told as ordinary working-week frustrations rather than polished case studies. Not everything is light. In one conversation an apology goes out to people affected by a situation the hosts cannot discuss openly. They also recall having to ask a sponsor's employee to leave their very first event because they take codes of conduct seriously. Tangents are welcome too, from the way technology is being used in politics to a birthday breakfast of homemade donuts and an eight-year-old's deadpan math about life expectancy. The format involves the audience. A Discord chat scrolls alongside the stream, and viewers can suggest episode titles with a chat command. The titles range from 'Cloudy with a chance of Laravel' to 'WarPress' and 'Cats, Coffee, and PHP'. The show credits Honeybadger.io and its Patreon supporters for their backing. The language is loose and sometimes coarse. Several episodes close on the same rap outro, which includes the line 'keep it ugly'.

Made for: Suits a listener who works in PHP or runs a small development business and likes shop talk served live. Bug hunts, conference planning and personal anecdotes all end up in the same conversation.

What sets it apart: The hosts also run PHP Architect and its PHP Tech conference. Alongside the code talk, the show gives a working view of choosing speakers, dealing with sponsors and enforcing a code of conduct, all recorded live with a chat that can help name the episode.

In their own words

The podcast your mother warned you about. The ramblings of a few overworked PHP Developers. Here, we talk about the highs and lows of running a small business and development shop, from the mundane day-to-day coding projects to the thrilling discoveries of new solutions. Not only that, but we also discuss the latest trends in the tech world and geek culture so you can stay up to date with the ever-evolving tech landscape. It's the perfect place to find out what's going on in the world of web development and other tech-related topics. Join us for an insightful and entertaining look into the world of coding and business.Hosted By Eric Van Johnson, John Congdon, and Tom RideoutBecome a Patron!

Why you'd press play

A couple lines of code become ninety minutes and a call for help; you've been there.

Press play if you want

  • to hear working PHP developers admit when a quick fix gets stubborn
  • to see how conference talks get chosen through blind review
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
PHP development and debuggingrunning PHP ArchitectPHP Tech conference and call for speakerssecurity and fraud incidentscodes of conduct at community eventsPHP community newstechnology and politicspersonal and family asides

Talks about

Best episodes of PHPUgly

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

401: So long and thanks for all the fishNov 1, 2024

PHP Ugly addresses Tom Rideout's absence, then closes with a freestyle about PHP and web applications.

PHP Ugly turns to Tom Rideout's absence with a difficult public accounting from Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon. They describe Tom as having been in and out of the podcast, with mental health and other issues already part of what had been shared, and trace the situation to PHP…

400: Tom's Second RodeoOct 4, 2024

A loose milestone episode where PHP history, family jokes, hard-won perspective, and a closing freestyle share the mic.

Episode 400 plays like a relaxed anniversary hang for PHPUgly, with Eric Van Johnson noting why the audio skips an 11-minute montage before Tom Rideout takes in pieces of the show's past.

399: WarPressSep 27, 2024

PHPUgly turns conference selection into a candid lesson in community design.

Episode 399 of PHPUgly frames PHP development as something shaped in public, not just at the keyboard. Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon move from professional coding and the PHP community into the practical work of filling PHP Tech with talks, including the November 15…

398: Cats, Coffee, and PHPSep 20, 2024

A grounded PHP episode where debugging opens into account fraud, suspected password reuse, and an intentionally strange rap finish.

PHPUgly's 398th episode frames professional PHP work as a chain of small mysteries that can quickly become business problems. Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon start with a notification issue that only behaved after a local experiment was moved into production, then follow the…

397: Little LegsSep 13, 2024

A loose PHP community check-in with returning PHP Annotations, publishing updates, and an end-of-show freestyle.

PHPUgly follows a PHP developer community that is watching the wider technology world while staying rooted in its own ecosystem. Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon move from concern about technology's role in politics to the return of PHP Annotations, with renewed attention on…

Podcasts like PHPUgly

Episodes

  1. 1

    401: So long and thanks for all the fish

    PHP Ugly episode 401 is the hosts' public explanation for ending the show after a 2023 PHP Tech code-of-conduct violation involving Tom Rideout.

    Nov 1, 2024·29m·2 clips
  2. 2

    400: Tom's Second Rodeo

    Hidden gem

    PHP Ugly episode 400 centers on Tom Rideout's return, with Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon cutting an 11-minute live-stream montage out of the audio version.

    Oct 4, 2024·1h 7m·5 clips
  3. 3

    399: WarPress

    Hidden gem

    PHP Ugly episode 399 opens with Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon claiming the show may be the longest continually running PHP podcast as they count toward episode 400.

    Sep 27, 2024·1h 8m·4 clips
  4. 4

    398: Cats, Coffee, and PHP

    Hidden gem

    ["PHP Ugly episode 398, Cats, Coffee, and PHP, opens with John Congdon counting nine bikes in his garage while he and his son train for a ride across California.

    Sep 20, 2024·59m·5 clips
  5. 5

    397: Little Legs

    Hidden gem

    ["PHP Ugly episode 397, Little Legs, opens with Eric Van Johnson and John Congdon steering from weekly status updates into a secret project that has been in motion for more than two years.", "A long section covers the Ride Across California, where fifth graders can bike from Yuma, Arizona, to the bay or ocean after 350 training miles and a lottery selection.", "The hosts then react to a LegalEagle breakdown of right-wing YouTubers, Russian propaganda money, and the way Twitter, Facebook, and streams are used in election messaging.", "The back half adds PHP-specific news: PHP annotations returns, Joe Watkins asks for help with housing and life-saving medication, and Eric explains a cache strategy built around Twitter's three-calls-per-15-minutes limit."]

    Sep 13, 2024·1h 2m·4 clips
  6. 6

    396: PHP Heads and Shoulders

    Eric and John discuss Laravel’s reported $57 million raise and what it could mean for Taylor Otwell’s company.

    Sep 6, 2024·57m·2 clips
  7. 7

    395:Cloudy with a chance of Laravel

    Hidden gem

    On PHPUgly episode 395, Eric Van Johnson and John Congden recount a Laravel conference and a difficult legacy-client incident.

    Aug 30, 2024·1h 18m·2 clips
  8. 8

    394: ELIE, Explain It Like I'm Eric

    Eric says a production build failure went unnoticed because piping a script through `tee` appeared to return `tee`’s zero exit code.

    Aug 23, 2024·1h·2 clips
  9. 9

    393: Query All The Things

    Aug 16, 2024·59m
  10. 10

    392: PHPlight Delay

    Aug 9, 2024·1h 3m
  11. 11

    391: PHPUgly Certified

    Jul 26, 2024·1h 4m
  12. 12

    390: Bad APIs

    Jul 19, 2024·1h 4m
  13. 13

    389: Yo PHP Raps!

    Jul 12, 2024·1h 14m
  14. 14

    388: PHPowered by the Sun

    Jun 28, 2024·1h 2m
  15. 15

    387: Good PHP VIBES

    Jun 21, 2024·1h 1m
  16. 16

    386: PHPever Dream

    Jun 14, 2024·59m
  17. 17

    385: Early Worm

    Jun 7, 2024·1h 4m
  18. 18

    384: Multi Level PHP

    May 24, 2024·55m
  19. 19

    383: Theoretically Absolutely

    May 17, 2024·59m
  20. 20

    382: Hearing != Listening

    May 10, 2024·1h 3m
  21. 21

    381: Tek and Friends

    May 3, 2024·1h 18m
  22. 22

    380:PHPBeauties and the Beast

    Apr 12, 2024·1h 14m
  23. 23

    379: Compromising Pull Requests

    Apr 5, 2024·1h 10m
  24. 24

    378: PHP At-Bat

    Mar 29, 2024·1h 4m
  25. 25

    377: Solar Powered PHP

    Mar 22, 2024·59m
  26. 26

    376:Cold Fries and a Warm Shake

    Mar 15, 2024·1h 1m
  27. 27

    375:Snowflake Developers

    Mar 8, 2024·1h 1m
  28. 28

    374: Sevi Land the Ticket

    Mar 1, 2024·1h 8m
  29. 29

    373: Lunch and Learn

    Feb 22, 2024·1h 8m
  30. 30

    372: Raiders of the Arc

    Feb 16, 2024·1h 18m
  31. 31

    371:Herding Lando

    Feb 9, 2024·1h 1m
  32. 32

    370: Speaking Gifts

    Feb 2, 2024·1h 9m
  33. 33

    369:The PHPrice Is Right

    Jan 26, 2024·1h 5m
  34. 34

    368: Doing lines of PHP

    Jan 19, 2024·1h 4m
  35. 35

    367: Premature Engineering

    Jan 12, 2024·1h 5m
  36. 36

    366: Pinky Out Development

    Jan 5, 2024·1h 26m
  37. 37

    365: HaPHPy New Year

    Dec 29, 2023·1h
  38. 38

    364: HaPHPy Holiday

    Dec 22, 2023·1h 7m
  39. 39

    363: Day Walkers

    Dec 15, 2023·1h 11m
  40. 40

    362: Glue Guns and Ladders

    Dec 8, 2023·1h 17m
  41. 41

    361: The Shutdown

    Dec 1, 2023·59m
  42. 42

    360: WeWork with PHP

    The hosts introduce the PHP Ugly Podcast, a weekly show about PHP development, community, and running a tech business.

    Nov 17, 2023·1h 13m
  43. 43

    359: Fullstack Failures

    Nov 10, 2023·1h 12m
  44. 44

    358: A Better PHP API Platform

    Oct 27, 2023·57m
  45. 45

    357: Tom Offers Up His piHole

    Three PHP developers discuss the joys and challenges of professional PHP development, tech trends, and running a small business.

    Oct 20, 2023·1h 18m
  46. 46

    356: Laravel Spice

    Three PHP developers discuss the joys and challenges of professional PHP development, running a small business, and the latest tech trends.

    Oct 13, 2023·1h 16m
  47. 47

    355: Exposing Ourselves

    A weekly roundtable discussion among PHP developers about coding, projects, business, and tech trends.

    Oct 6, 2023·1h 16m
  48. 48

    354: £ Cake

    Three PHP developers discuss coding, projects, tech trends, and running a development business.

    Sep 29, 2023·1h 15m
  49. 49

    353:tron{tek]

    Three PHP developers discuss coding, projects, tech news, and running a small business.

    Sep 22, 2023·1h 24m
  50. 50

    352: Buttery Buns

    Three PHP developers discuss tech news, coding projects, and running a small business.

    Sep 15, 2023·1h 18m