I read a nice post about the PHP Community project over the weekend. I think Ben has done a really good job of documenting a lot of what has happened over the years.

I remember being very active on the PHP General mailing list back then, and the small bits of personality that shine through when answering questions gave that list a real sense of community. All a community needs is a common thread, and we had PHP. What we lacked was a village green.

The overwhelming response to my post was both the reason the site never materialized as I envisioned and the reason the project still feels like a huge success. The now-defunct wiki (does anyone have a backup?) had several hundred profiles within a few days, and that was just the people wanting to help. People wanted this. I just happened to be the first person to ask.

It’s a nice reminder that we should seek out the opportunities for success that are presented to us instead of always sticking to the plan. Being able to adapt is often more important than being able to predict.

If you’d enjoy a walk down memory lane, read Ben’s post.