In his latest blog entry looks at something that impressed him about the PHP community in response to this article taking about the speed differences between ASP.NET and PHP.

The PHP community took this in stride because we understand that ASP.NET has its uses and there are situations where it is the better choice. I am proud of the PHP community because no one (as Joe supposed we would) raised the battle flag and flamed him, calling him a Microsoft shill.

He talks about how far the PHP community has come and why it's become as strong as it is - core developers involved in everyday things, respect for other community members and how there's "always a spot at the table" for any PHP developer to come and share stories or just enjoy those of others.

Cal also includes some good tips for getting involved in your local and the global communities (like blogging, IRC or contributing back to the PHP project).