There are a surprising number of PHP and web development podcasts available to us, which is a great sign of the language’s popularity and passionate developers. Podcasts are nice because they allow us to keep current and learn while on the go. My preference is listening to them while doing chores, turning otherwise boring time into a chance to improve my technical knowledge. Over the last year I’ve listened to several podcasts specifically about PHP and web development, and here are the ones I’ve been following:
My favourites:
The PHP Round Table
“The PHP Roundtable is a casual gathering of developers discussing topics that PHP nerds care about. The podcast is broadcast live on YouTube from a Google Hangout On-Air.” (phproundtable.com)
- Great content and explanations of terms and technologies.
- Guest speakers.
- Stays mostly on topic.
- Positive attitude.
North Meets South Web Podcast
“Jacob Bennett and Michael Dyrynda conquer a 14.5 hour time difference to talk about life as web developers.” (northmeetssouth.audio)
- Great coverage of topics.
- Different geographical takes on subjects.
- Friendly conversation.
- Very likeable hosts.
PHP Architect Podcast
The official podcast of PHP Architect magazine. (phparch.com/podcast/)
- Discusses each article covered in this month’s magazine.
- Good additional content to supplement the magazine.
- Not much else is covered.
PHP Ugly
“The podcast your mother warned you about. Ramblings of a few overworked PHP Developers.” (phpugly.com)
- Many, many episodes.
- Publishes frequently.
- Frequently off-topic.
- Funny.
- Not kid-friendly.
PHP Town Hall
“A podcast for developers who want to keep up to date with the latest random happenings in the PHP community, with occasional updates about Phil’s turtle.” (phptownhall.com)
- Wide range of topics.
- Guest speakers.
- Now has a female co-host, nice.
- Not kid-friendly.
Voices of the Elephpant
“Interviews with the people that are making the PHP community special. Hosted by Cal Evans.” (voicesoftheelephpant.com)
- Great coverage of big names in PHP.
- Short episodes, published often.
- Large existing list of episodes.
The Laracasts Snippet
“The Laracasts snippet, each episode, offers a single thought on some aspect of web development. Nothing more, nothing less. Hosted by Jeffrey Way.” (laracasts.com/podcast)
- Short and interesting.
- Covers non-technical topics.
- Only podcast touching on moral & personal issues in dev.
More Podcasts:
I haven’t listened to these yet but they’re on my list.
- Dev Hell: “Chris Hartjes and Ed Finkler are trapped in Development Hell. They record their freewheeling, uncensored discussions on programming the web, so future generations can learn from their failures.” (devhell.info)
- Full Stack Radio: “A podcast for developers interested in building great software products. Every episode, Adam Wathan is joined by a guest to talk about everything from product design and user experience to unit testing and system administration.” (fullstackradio.com)
- Dads In Dev: “A podcast about dads and geeky stuff.” (dadsindev.com)
- That Podcast: “Beau and Dave talking about life as dads, programmers, and entrepreneurs.” (thatpodcast.io)
- Five-Minute Geek Show: “Matt Stauffer, unabashedly geeky, 5 minutes, twice a week. Frontend dev, backend dev, audio, design, podcasts–all fair game.” (fiveminutegeekshow.com)
- The Ship Show: “Build engineering, DevOps, release management & everything in between!” (theshipshow.com)
- The Laravel Podcast: “The Laravel Podcast brings you Laravel and PHP development news and discussion.” (laravelpodcast.com)
- Sound Of Symfony: “The unofficial Symfony podcast.” (soundofsymfony.com)
- Zend Framework Quick Bites: “Hosted by @zfmastery. Get quick bites of Zend Framework – the leading development framework for PHP. ” (briefs.fm/zend-framework-bites)
Even more podcasts and a feed of new episodes can be found at phppodcasts.com.
Missing one? What’s your favourite? Let me know in the comments!