I’ve used a lot of IDEs in my programming career and I’ll have to say that Zend Studio is at the top of my list of IDEs that make PHP programming easy. I’ve used Studio since version 3.5 and continue to use it in my day-to-day work.

For those of you anxious, click here for more information.

Now, here’s the official press release:

Zend Technologies Announces Zend Studio 5.5

New Version Introduces Tight PHP – Java Integration, Support For Zend Framework, and Improved Source Code Management

Cupertino, Calif.- December 6, 2006 – Zend Technologies, the PHP company, today announced the general availability of Zend Studio 5.5. This new product strengthens Zend Studio’s position as the leading Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for professional PHP developers, with new capabilities for enhanced integration with Java and web services, improved support for team development, and new support for Zend Framework and Zend Platform.

Zend Studio 5.5 is the only IDE available for professional PHP developers, encompassing all the development components necessary for the full PHP application lifecycle. Through a comprehensive set of editing, debugging, analysis, optimization and database tools, Zend Studio improves the quality of applications, speeds development cycles and simplifies complex projects.

Zend Studio 5.5 contains over 30 new or updated features. Highlights include:

  • New PHP 5.2 support
  • Intel-based Mac support
  • Anti-aliasing support
  • Web services code completion supports URLs in SoapClient constructors
  • Code completion for Java packages and classes
  • Ability to view PHP runtime events in dedicated Zend Platform Events Lists
  • Enabling code completion for Zend Framework
  • Color marking in the file explorer based on source control status

“We see broad adoption of PHP in commercial organizations, where the integration with existing technologies such as Java is critical”, said Mark de Visser, Chief Marketing Officer at Zend Technologies. “The new release substantially improves the productivity for PHP developers in such settings. Support for PHP 5.2, Mac OS X on Intel, and enhanced support for team development are all examples of capabilities that were added in response to customer feedback.”

Pricing and Availability

Zend Studio 5.5 is available today in two editions, Standard for $99, Professional for $299. All editions include one-year expert technical support and one year of free updates and upgrades. Supported platforms include Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

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