PHP, an open-source scripting language designed for web development, is not a language understood by too many people, but a certain Joburg-based PHP user group aims to change this.
In February 2014, the group had its inaugural meetup at Flow Communications’ Johannesburg offices, and organisers Zander Janse van Rensburg and Grant McMullin are very happy with how the group has grown since then.
The user group – which, according to Zander, has grown to become one of the biggest PHP user groups in the country – was established with the aim of giving developers a platform to share ideas and tips, to explore new technologies and to network.
“PHP has always been a very popular language, but never before has there been a place where PHP developers from all skill levels can get together and discuss what it is they are doing, the problems they are having, and the ever-evolving landscape of web development,” says Zander.
The group has grown significantly in the past three months and now sits at 111 members, who range from programmers and software developers to code writers and management consultants.
“Grant and I do our best to try to keep the user group interesting and rewarding for our members, and it seems it’s paying off, as most of our members learned about us via word of mouth,” says Zander.
So far the group has already had five meetups, with more planned for the future. The meetups are hosted by Flow Communications as a way of giving back to the web development community, as well as to support the growth of PHP as the web development language of choice.
“Hosting the user group is a natural fit for Flow. We’re passionate about open source and we don’t need much of an excuse to have drinks and a chat about code,” says Flow programming studio manager Richard Frank.
When asked how he feels about the group’s success, Zander says, “I’m absolutely loving the direction the user group is going. It makes all the hard work Grant and I put in behind the scenes worth it.”
He adds that the PHP Craft Conference that took place in April 2014 helped a lot with getting new group members. “The organiser of the conference, Theo Sauls, is very passionate about the community and he does everything in his power to promote the Cape Town and Johannesburg PHP user groups.”
