I just read this comment by Pete Mackie on Mike Potter’s blog concerning the C extension:

To add this code to Xnix platforms requires a recompile of the PHP scripting engine. I see this as a barrier to wide deployment of this capability.

Many PHP developers run their Web servers on the $5 to $20 per month virtual servers that a handful of national ISPs provide. You can observe this notion by the server platform deployment question on the WebORB for PHP forum. (A few ISPs are even stuck with only supporting PHP 4.x, heaven forbid.) These Web server platforms are Xnix in based, with the majority being Linux. These ISPs cannot / will not be bothered with a recompile of PHP to support the addition of a new and unproven C module. In a nutshell, even if this addition is really a killer improvement, widely available Web server platforms to support the enhancement may not be available for many Flex 2 / PHP developers.

I think it’s a valid point. My intent was originally to ask web hosts to install the extension, despite its “unproven” status, in exchange for the free publicity in the list of hosts who support the extension on the amfphp.org site. Perhaps, however, it would be better to offer shared hosting for the amf extension in a test environment, showing that indeed it does work and work out the kinks if there are any before asking hosts to support the extension.

So I was thinking, perhaps, of getting a virtual dedicated hosting account at Media Temple, place a few amfphp enthusiasts on it and have the cost split between them. I’d prefer not to have to charge any money for these early adopters, so if any of you run a dedicated web server and you want to give the amfphp a boost by lending a part of it for this live test, it’d be great. Send a comment if you’re interested either in testing it live (and what would seem a fair price to you with regards to features) or giving us some space on a dedicated server.