It seems that several people and their comments were correct about several problems with my posting. Okay, it might have been the wrong post, but regardless, I do regret writing the phpBB is dead... post. I had meant for it to be more about how quickly I was able to implement a user transfer script using the FUDforum API. I have a problem with going off on tangents and of making an ass of myself. Luckily, it is usually outside the confines of a publicly accessible blog with my name on it. I'm learning that perhaps writing posts a certain way, when my name is displayed, isn't such a good idea. I have been planning for creating a Wordpress.com blog that just has short stories in the horror genre and discuss different ways of killing people and random thoughts about murder. You know, posts that would bring the cops to my front steps.
However, placing my name on such a blog would seriously restrict me on what jobs I would be able to get. I don't want a potential employer finding one of my murder posts and say, "Yeah, the last thing we need is someone shooting up this place!" I will never do that, but the last thing I need is for the perspective to be that I would.
The same could be said about posts that have my head up my ass. I need to stop writing posts that put my head up my ass or at least not put them on this blog.
Open Source: Adding it Yourself
Another point that needs to be made in open source development is that, if some application doesn't have a feature, instead of bitching, add it yourself. Wordpress doesn't have XYZ, so what? Add X and see if anyone else has done Y or Z. If not, start it and see if anyone would improve on your work.
The MIX panel Wez Furlong was on, said it best and I'm paraphrasing, "Usually, I can find a script that does about half of what I need and I can add the rest."
Would it be worth your time to take a script and spend a week adding in Feature X or spend two or more years writing the whole script in some cases?
I think I get so caught up in that web applications should be free and do everything I want. Add it myself? No way buddy, I don't have time for that! Yet, I spent two months on a piece of crap front controller and mini-Zend Framework (before I knew of Zend Framework) Framework. Okay, why not use Ez Components or Solar or Cake?
I've thought of using the backend of Wordpress, the API, for other projects. Recreate a system that does comments, manage posts, and does everything Wordpress does? Why waste the time? I could be doing more productive tasks, like improving the Wordpress backend and add the features I want to it and submitting the patches back to Wordpress team. Hell, they might even like the patch (unlikely).
Too much time is spent reinventing something and not enough time inventing something that no one else has. Going forward, I'm going to reprogram myself to reuse scripts.
phpBB 3 Release Candidate
Some of the features are way beyond what I could implement. The installer looks kick ass. The team has it together based on the comments of someone on the development team. I do still wish that they had it out two years ago, but at this point, I'm just happy that it is still free.
Hopefully it doesn't take as long for 3.2, but I think I should help out and do my part if that is the case.