Phalcon is really the only PHP framework showing true promise as they are the only entity who seems to realize that extending PHP via a Framework has a significant performance cost and resource cost. They realize that the proper places to enhance PHP with a Framework also are areas where significant speed and resource usage gains can be accomplished.
We have our own internal light framework we created several years back. It consists of an MVC based model, several apache modules including a Smart Cache (allows prioritization, load monitoring and intelligent device selection (RAM vs. Disk .vs. which disk (aka: HD .vs. SSD’s etc), Template engine and Database Pooling along with several lesser modules. As the framework is not as robust as say Symfony, Code Ignighter etc. much of that sort of function we have as simple libraries. It reduces dependency hence resources and CPU usage and decouples from a framework’s overhead. Our framework whilst again, Internal to our needs makes Symfony and Code Ignighter appear to be standing still. Literally that dramatic.
A framework should be more than a “sit down and write code” asset. It should also improve performance where it can. VERY VERY few do this, Phalcon being the only one that truly improves performance.
As of late last year we started moving our applications over to C# and Mono (.net) and without a dissertation on it, our codebase / applications now are much closer to enterprise ready by sheer nature of .NET and performance wise there is just no comparison. PHP and any Framework .vs. C# & Mono is simply not comparable. C#/.NET is now on par with Java. PHP appears to just get slower.