Is the PHP ecosystem just one big xkcd "Dependency" meme?
We rely on legends like @ondrej the "one guy in Nebraska" of PHP. Why no official @php Foundation repo?
It’s the "Glue Problem." Managing PHP's links to shifting system libs across every distro is a massive DevOps task.
The @thephpf stays focused on Core C development; Docker is their "official" path now.
Is relying on community experts a risk or just peak efficiency?
@webinoly I remember @ramsey was trying to start a php-community-foundation, there is an idea, I had a number of conversations about it a your ago, with him and others. This would solve the point you raise. But we never got any further than some people talking, I never succeeded in getting a group together.
I realized after a few conversations that these kinds of things are not started by an individual.
@jaapio @ramsey It really seems to come down to that human element, getting collective momentum is often harder than the technical implementation itself.
The struggle for a sustainable, community-driven "last mile" is clearly a shared pain point. I’d be glad to help keep that idea visible so it can gather traction.
@webinoly as @ramsey explains very well here https://github.com/phpcommunity/policies/blob/main/foundation/vision.md the problem is partly in the history of php. There have been multiple situations during that history the missing organization around the eco-system has been a challenge.
But it might also be part of the reason php still exists, and is still relevant.
@jaapio @webinoly Unfortunately, the corporate funding required to support a single foundation—much less two—doesn’t exist. The PHP Foundation is facing this challenge, and I don’t want to create obstacles that could get in the way of their ability to secure funding. The community needs to encourage companies to donate to the PHPF. Once it is healthy, we can consider expanding its mission to support community efforts (or add a community foundation that that coexist in a healthy ecosystem).
@ramsey @jaapio That paradox is fascinating: PHP’s lack of formal structure may well be its greatest evolutionary strength. The blueprint is solid, but the funding catch-22 is a sobering reminder of the gap between global reliance and infrastructure reinvestment.
I’m committed to keeping this vision visible to help gather the momentum it deserves as the PHP Foundation continues to scale.
