If you're wondering how much a PECL/PEAR archive can really help the PHP community, a new entry from the php|architect weblog might make you see a bit differently.

In this posting he talks about a PECL POP3 extension he created and checked in.

By the time I actually managed to check out the extension's source code from the php.net CVS server, Ilia had actually even added an OOP interface to it--with the result that you can now create a pop3 object that maintains all the proper POP3 session information for you automatically.

This, all things considered, is where the value of a repository like PECL or PEAR lies. Your product is immediately improved and debugged--almost mercilessly. On top of that, the feedback improves your knowledge of PHP internals (and programming techniques in general) while stimulating you to add more functionality to your code.

Resources like this can be invaluable in the community, even despite the level of code inside. At least it's a good place to start...