Hi everyone,
First and foremost, thank you all for your interest in and contributions to this package. Seeing how this package helps others and the fact that it is used in several big projects is very rewarding.
However, I wanted to be open about where things stand for me personally and the challenges I face with this project.
Where I am right now
I feel like this package is unique in that it is still (mostly) designed and written by hand. The biggest reason for that is that I like to write code and I love to take on challenges. This package scratches both itches. And while I cannot control the work that comes in through Pull Requests, I simply cannot find joy in pushing code that I haven't crafted myself, so I won't. This is a hobby project. The artisanal nature of this project is something I take pride in, but it also comes at a cost: There's quite a mental load when implementing new features or fixing bugs, as these changes have to fit in the "big picture".
To be honest, there's something about the increasing focus on AI-driven development has been demotivating for me. Not just personally, but also ethically. This is the only MIT-licensed PDF parser in PHP, and there's a good chance any AI (assisted) Pull Requests may originate from training on improperly sourced or even pirated code.
Also: while open-source projects like this one often represent human passion and effort, it feels like hand-crafted work is valued less and less. This realization has been a bit discouraging, and this is why I haven't pushed any big changes the past few months. I spent some time on writing, learning, and I picked up a new hobby: designing Lego sets.
But I'm back with fresh motivation! And I'll work on some exciting features!
What this means for the package
I want to manage expectations: I have a full-time job, spend time on personal interests like traveling (I visit Svalbard often to relax). And I have other hobbies I'm passionate about. That means I can only dedicate a few hours per week on this project. But I'll work on fixing the remaining open bugs over the next few weeks, and will continue work on encrypted file support, image extraction and text/table extraction!
How the community can help
The beauty of open source is the community. And I would love for the community to play a larger role in this projects' future. If you love this project and want to help, these would really help:
- Contributions: Whether it's fixing bugs, implementing features, reviewing open PRs or improving documentation, any help is appreciated!
- Issue triage: Helping to confirm and recreate bugs is greatly appreciated!
- Sponsorship: If you or your organization relies on this package, it would help a lot if you could sponsor this project! I currently don't have any sponsors, but this would really help with motivation, and it's always been a dream of mine to work a day in the week on open source instead of employed at a company!
On the future
I'm writing this to give some background on why some bugs are still open, and why things have been slow for the past few months. I hope this gives you some insights. But mainly I wanted to tell you I'm back, with more energy than before!
Frank
Hi everyone,
First and foremost, thank you all for your interest in and contributions to this package. Seeing how this package helps others and the fact that it is used in several big projects is very rewarding.
However, I wanted to be open about where things stand for me personally and the challenges I face with this project.
Where I am right now
I feel like this package is unique in that it is still (mostly) designed and written by hand. The biggest reason for that is that I like to write code and I love to take on challenges. This package scratches both itches. And while I cannot control the work that comes in through Pull Requests, I simply cannot find joy in pushing code that I haven't crafted myself, so I won't. This is a hobby project. The artisanal nature of this project is something I take pride in, but it also comes at a cost: There's quite a mental load when implementing new features or fixing bugs, as these changes have to fit in the "big picture".
To be honest, there's something about the increasing focus on AI-driven development has been demotivating for me. Not just personally, but also ethically. This is the only MIT-licensed PDF parser in PHP, and there's a good chance any AI (assisted) Pull Requests may originate from training on improperly sourced or even pirated code.
Also: while open-source projects like this one often represent human passion and effort, it feels like hand-crafted work is valued less and less. This realization has been a bit discouraging, and this is why I haven't pushed any big changes the past few months. I spent some time on writing, learning, and I picked up a new hobby: designing Lego sets.
But I'm back with fresh motivation! And I'll work on some exciting features!
What this means for the package
I want to manage expectations: I have a full-time job, spend time on personal interests like traveling (I visit Svalbard often to relax). And I have other hobbies I'm passionate about. That means I can only dedicate a few hours per week on this project. But I'll work on fixing the remaining open bugs over the next few weeks, and will continue work on encrypted file support, image extraction and text/table extraction!
How the community can help
The beauty of open source is the community. And I would love for the community to play a larger role in this projects' future. If you love this project and want to help, these would really help:
On the future
I'm writing this to give some background on why some bugs are still open, and why things have been slow for the past few months. I hope this gives you some insights. But mainly I wanted to tell you I'm back, with more energy than before!
Frank