I use a lot of open-source products, and most of my education and skill-set is derived from what I’ve learned from hacking reverse-engineering many of these projects. In turn, I always try to give back as much as I can. Whether it’s posting answers on message boards, participating or organizing user groups (OWUG & Orlando PHP – FTW!), or contributing my own code back into the community.

The first two methods are pretty painless and very rewarding, while the last has been pretty taxing as of late. Most of the stuff I push into the community are projects that I’ve done for a client and have been green-lit for GNU distribution. Now, obviously all of these products work to the client’s specifications and satisfaction, but a funny thing happens when that code goes public. All of a sudden its full of bugs and lacks certain ‘essential’ features. While adding these new features, you inevitably create the possibility for other bugs. Not to mention issues that arise with server configuration and compatibility with other programs that live in the same software eco-system.

Something that was initially a job, turns into a passion project, and then a burden. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad. I really like knowing that projects I’ve worked on are helping people in one way or another, and I like the opportunity to meet other people in the community that are more than willing to provide constructive and detailed feedback on my work. But, I just wanted to let everyone out there know; it’s not always peaches and cream.