Now that we're in to May, there's only one thing on a PHPer's mind (well some of them out there) - testing! This month several groups all around the world have set times for their own TestFests to dedicated time to writing up tests for PHP.

The TestFest is an event that aims at improving the code coverage of the test suite for the PHP language itself. As part of this event, local User Groups (UG) are invited to join the TestFest. [...] All it takes is someone to organize a UG to spearhead the event and to get others involved in writing phpt tests.

Several groups have set up their times (here's the list) including teh Atlanta PHP group's happening today and the Cologne/Bonn user group's happening tomorrow. If you want to get in on the action and haven't found a group, check out the list and see if there's one nearby and join up before the event starts!

Sebastian Bergmann has posted a checklist as a reminder of things to bring with you to your local event.

php|architect has officially announced their next conference happening May 20-23rd of 2008 in Chicago - php|tek. Along with this comes their Call for Papers for those interested in presenting.

As always, we have great events planned, incredible special offers (including free Zend Certification and special discounted attendance fees) and the assurance of one of the best and most fun learning experiences of your career. We are currently looking for speakers with new and fresh ideas - our Call for Papers will be in effect until October 31st. Don't forget to send in your proposals!

Check out the CfP page on the conference's website for details and topics they're looking for in this year's conference including rich internet applications and looking forward to PHP6. There's a list of things you'll need to submit along with your proposal, so be sure to get all of the info together and get your submission in before October 31st!

Markus Wolff has posted an official announcement about a new event happening in Hamburg - a PHP Unconference put on by the PHP Usergroup Hamburg.

Today I have a little different blog entry for you: On behalf of the PHP Usergroup Hamburg I'm announcing the first PHP Unconference in Hamburg, Germany! The event will take place on May 5th and 6th, at the facilities of the local University (which kindly acts as a co-organizer of the event).

The idea behind the "unconference" is that only one track of talks with really be given in one of the three rooms, but more spontaneous talks in the other rooms are encouraged. Entry will cost 20 Euro (with another 20 getting you lunch for each day) and students at the university will get in free. Rooms will not be provided, so those attending without a place to stay will need to find one on their own.

For the latest updates on the conference, be sure to check out their website.

php|architect has posted their schedule today for the April and May times for their training classes. They offer three courses:

• PHP Essentials - a beginner-level introduction to PHP programming. If you're new to PHP, this is where you should start.
• PHP 5 Certification - prepare for the Zend certification exam here. While this course is focused on ZCE, it is also an excellent intermediate-level PHP course.
• Professional PHP - take your code to the next level. This course covers advanced PHP techniques.

Each of the courses is instructor-lead and can be taken from anywhere with an internet connection. Check out the prices and full schedule on their training website.

Damien Seguy of Nexen.net is back again this month with the latest usage statistics for our favorite language for the month of May 2006.

Some of the highlights he mentions for this month include:

• a move by PHP 4.4.2 towards becoming the dominant PHP version in use by June 2006
• PHP 5.1.2 rules the PHP 5 world
• PHP 5's adoption went up again, another 8% (and is being adopted at a greater rate now as well)
• PHP 4.3.9 and older are still alive and kicking with 46% of the share of hosts/domains still using one of them.

For each of the types of stats gathered, there are graphs and charts to make quick viewing possible - some of which are a little surprising. It's always interesting to me to see the "adoption by country" map's results, a good reminder that PHP is everywhere and is definitely being used.

Also, be sure to check out the PHP's evolution results for data on the actual language's current state.

The details are a bit scarce, but the Dallas PHP User Group has posted this new entry with information about their upcoming meeting.

The group will be gathering at 7pm on May the 9th in their usual location, the UTD School of Management in Richardson, Texas. The topic for this month's meeting is just a roundtable discussion of whatever topics come up, a free time to ask questions and get answers.

You can get complete details on the location (including a map) and information on the group from their site.

The Atlanta PHP User Group has posted an update to the information for their May meeting - they've found a place to have it, temporary though it may be.

We have an interim meeting place for the May meeting! Kevin Roberts has secured a room at the Consulate General of Canada in Midtown at the corner of Peachtree and 14th Streets. Click here for directions. Again, this is only an interim meeting place. I am still trying to secure a more permanent location.

This month's meeting will be a discussion of the Zend Framework - taking it for a test-drive, mentioning its current state/direction it's going, and showing quickly how to use it all (a code tutorial).

In a new post, Tobias Schlitt mentions an invite he's recieved to the phpDay happening in Bari, Italy in May (the 19th-20th).

Since I think that Bari in May must be beautiful, I accepted to go there from May 19th until May 21st. I'm pretty much looking forward to this event, since it means to get to know a lot of new people. If you are located in Italy and are interested on PHP, it would be a pleasure, if you join my talk about eZ components there.

phpDay is organized by the GrUSP and is the third year it's happened. It's divided up into two different tracks - a Enterprise track for companies/business and a Developer track for the technically minded. You can get complete information on the other talks and on registration from their site

The Utah PHP Users Group has their latest meeting details posted for their May 2006 meeting.

The meetup will be at their usual location, the Linux Networkx offices, and will be happening on May 18th, 2006 starting at 7:00pm. The speaker this time will be John Taber of Trafmetrics.com who will be discussing business topics as they relate to PHP.

If you'd like more information on this meeting or would just like to know what the user group is all about, you can check out the meeting page on their site for complete details.