Why am I here?

PHP and functional programming yield rapid idea generation. Although other languages like Lisp are far superior (ultimately), PHP was designed for the web. Tikiwiki captured my attention because it offers possibilities not found in any other content engine and I've tried them all.

Is Tikiwiki the best there is?

I doubt that, but it could be if the developers maintain an open mind and share the vision without any political agenda. Ego has no place in open-source development. Leadership is important in any project, but a carrot drives progress far better then a stick. I see little evidence to suggest that the developers here will self-destruct as has happened with countless other PHP web projects.

Why haven't I contributed thus far?

The structure is a bit "messy" to the uninitiated and I haven't gotten my arms around the beast enough to embrace a worthy contribution to the cause. If I were single and didn't work 80 hours a week I'm sure the first thing I'd help with is the user interface, it needs to be simplified because people are vain, i.e., how things look matter more to people then functionality. More specifically, Tikiwiki needs some simple, eye-catching themes. The second biggest concern is speed, pages seem to take far too long to render and are almost as slow as most java web sites.

How do you feel about Java?

Lets not go there. Bill Joy is gone, Sun is hurting and I wish they'd have never tried to make Java more then it was intended to be in the beginning. It's a great tool on the client side, but it's a pitiful excuse for a platform on the server-side. Yahoo does it right, stick with cheap, reliable hardware, use a stable, secure O/S (FreeBSD) and drive the web with the most responsive, robust (read as flexible) language tools available (PHP).

What do you think about MicroSoft?

Visit MiscroSuck and you'll have all the answers you need. Gratuitous incompatibilities with the past is proof of rampant stupidity and technical inferiority. Many claim that this was done on purpose to guarantee purchases of yearly upgrades, possibly, but I'm reluctant to assign that much intelligence to the company.