RE: [PHP-EVANGELISM] Re: IRC Server - PHP

Firstly,

I have just accepted Peter's mail. I wasn't sure about doing so, however I
don't want it to start an argument, so please respect that in replies...

now, on to your points.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Winstead [mailto:[email protected]]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 6:13 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [PHP-EVANGELISM] Re: IRC Server - PHP
>
>
> i'll address peter's points below, but this discussion has led directly
> into the rat's nest that i figured would happen here. it appears that
> the desire to set up new websites and servers is stronger than any
> desire to actually evangelise php.
>
No.

The primary desire is to advocate and evangelise PHP. That's what we're
doing here. However, after long discussion it would seem immediately
apparent that there really isn't a single, trustable, common portal or place
for either advocacy or evangelism of PHP. So, if it doesn't exist, we must
create it.

> list of user groups? http://phpusergroups.org/

Yes, that's a list of user groups. So? Where is the site which _helps_ user
groups get started?

> articles about php? http://www.phpbuilder.com/, http://php.weblogs.com/,
> etc. (there's a list at http://www.php.net/links.php.)

yea. there are some there. But who wants to trudge through a google search
to find an obscure article, when there is something much better, known as an
official PHP portal, with archives of many articles from other sites?

>
> if you really want to evangelise php, write articles for technology
> sites and magazines like webmonkey or dr. dobb's.
>
> if you want to write a tutorial for php, go for it. there's no lack of
> places to publish them. some of the places i've mentioned will actually
> pay you!

Yes. i am lined up to write for a couple of very active .com developer
sites, and am in talks with another...
but that predates the php advocacy/evang stuff.

>
> i think building yet another site about php is just an excuse to set up
> a website and fiddle with the code, and will do very little to actually
> evangelise php.

no. once the sites are built, i'm expecting to see a flurry of article
activity. it should be great.

> this irc digression is particularly annoying because irc is such a
> non-existent entity to a vast number of people. and it's a 'problem'
> that has already been solved (by pointing irc.php.net at
> irc.openprojects.net).
>

IRC is just one part of it, and something that's been floated. it's an idea.

i'm not going to respond to the other points on irc, since i think that this
is just an idea, that doesn't need to be argued to death right now.

james