I was one of the earlier users of Ampache waaaay back in 2001. Yes, your project was hacked together back then, but it worked – and taught me quite a bit about PHP, MySQL, MP3 streaming, and all of the other crazy things we tried to implement with the project.

Many years have gone by and I am also amazed that the project is still going after all these years – but you have quite a bit to do with that. When I stumbled upon your project back in 2001, I was looking for the same solution you were and was trying every MP3 management/streaming system I could get my hands on – yours was the one I got hooked on because:

* Your code was well documented and honest. When something was a blatant hack, you usually said so.

* It followed the ‘Goldilocks’ rule and was always ‘just right’ – the features we all wanted / needed were there and it never turned into resource hungry bloatware.

* It was truly a community project – when somebody submitted a fix / patch / hack – their solution was added and they were given credit.

These days I still do a bit of work on Ampache – but it’s nothing compared to the time and dedication that Karl puts in. One of these days I’m going to find my way to Oregon and buy you both some beer.

Thanks for starting a great project!