Some time ago, I helped fellow PEAR developper Helgi Þormar fix several problems with the File_CSV package. Parsing and interpreting CSV files is done with a gigantic stack of regular expressions, and the standard contains a lot of exceptions that need to be taken into consideration. While discussing the package, he mentioned he was mostly interested in the File_CSV part, and was planning on splitting this off from the main File package. At the time I expressed interest in the main package as I had gotten quite familiar with it back in the days of PHP 4.2, and when I was developing File_DNS which depends on it. Combine that with the patches I've created, the work I helped put into making all the tests work, and Helgi offered to add me as developer on the PEAR::File package, a position I gladly accepted.

Looking through the list of bugs closed since the latest release, the package seems quite stable, and it really is feature complete. I'd prolly go as far as to say it's been made almost obsoleted by more recent PHP versions. All in all, it doesn't look to be a huge amount of work, but still something I'd like to do. And ofcourse there are quite a few enhancements that can still be made to the package. We're waiting on a fix for a specific PEAR/PHP bug, so that we can release a new version with File_CSV split off. Once that's complete, I'll take over the File package, take a look at the open bugs and feature requests, and create a set of roadmaps for the future of the File package.

Also, I'd like to officially open the PEAR::File segment of this website.

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1. It's been almost 3 years since PHP5 has been released, and PHP6 is already being developed. PHP5 is mature, and should be used whenever possible
2. I'm switching File_DNS over to PHP5. Even though it's initial release got into PEAR before the RFC on E_STRICT and New Packages got accepted, and I could release a PHP4 version, I won't. Instead, I'll be documenting all my steps to making it a PHP5 package, and see what needs to change to PEAR's manual to make development of new PHP5 packages easier for new developers.

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As some of you may know, I've been maintaining the PEAR::Mail_Mime package for over 2 and a half years. Development has been kinda slow on the package since day one, since most major features are already included. Combine that with a general lack of unit tests, and not much gets done on a package.

Recently however, much has changed. I set myself a roadmap on the pear site, and forced myself to stick to it. I submitted bugs for all the items I still felt needed to be done before we could release, and added those to said roadmaps. And, in an act that even surprised myself, I've managed to live up to all of the roadmaps so far! This means that today, Saturday May 5th 2007, there finally is another stable Mail_Mime release. A stable version, with new features, new unit tests, and no more bugs(*knocks on wood*)

I've since set roadmaps on all of the packags I maintain, and even helped other developers set up their own unit tests. And as most other developers know, it feels good to know you're helping an Open Source program, but it feels even better to actually work on it ;)

venacoms - July 17, 2008 venacoms

Jeroen D - July 10, 2007 Thanks! Excellent work on the package.

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