The way humans get computers to do what they want is through “programming” and we program in a “programming language”. In a way, it’s how humans communicate with a computer. When I program, it’s more like talking to a computer than anything else. Talking is what keeps me clothed, fed, and sheltered.
In English, you say whatever you want in any way you want. You can even redefine what words mean. In a programming language you have a similar freedom.
A framework, on the other-hand is a self-imposed method of doing things. In order to do anything within the framework, you must follow these constraints; otherwise, it can’t be done.
Why would anyone voluntarily limit their own freedoms? The answer is collaboration and consistency.
The downside of a framework is the need to remember what these constraints are. The upside of a framework is that through such constraints, you know exactly where a file should be located, how things should be called, where things should be placed and etc. A person who jumps onto the project who is familiar with the same constraints would also instantly know where everything is place, how to place everything, and etc.
When using frameworks, developers should be careful that we don’t over customize the framework. Over customization will cause new developers who know the framework to be unable to find all the things they would need to.
I love frameworks for mid-scale to large scale applications, but I find them unnecessary for simple scripts.