Our man Greg
Beaver has been working overtime getting the latest
version of the PEAR
package manager ready. He also has a blog which is a great
way to keep uptodate with all the latest PEAR package mgr
news. Some recent entries include:

• 
  Status update in development
• 
  The PECL dilemma
• 
  Further delays in release date of PEAR 1.4.0a1
• 
  Post-install Scripts in PEAR 1.4.0
• 
  Serious progress on PEAR development
• 
  PEAR 1.4.0 channels from the client side
• 
  Update to post-install scripts
• 
  Release of PEAR 1.4.0a1 imminent

If you really want to know everything that’s gone on with the package manager, you can read through the posts at http://news.php.net/php.pear.core.
And if you’ve read all this and you’re wonder "why is this guy always
going on about PEAR package mgr" (as indicated by the poll in the
bottom left corner then just keep in mind some of the following:

• one of the keys to the success of the Linux platform is tools like RPM, apt-get and more recently yum
• one of the pillars of Redhat’s success is the RHN or Redhat Network
• package management has a long history with other languages and a well-trodden track record with, eg, CPAN.