vpopmail extension

Hello everybody, We are trying to build a php/Smarty/PostgreSQL management module that allows the mail domains and accounts on a small dedicated server (let's say up to 100 domains with 10-20 accounts each) to be managed in a three level way - super user, domain administrator and account user - including billing, etc. The module will be open source. After long survey we reached half dead end. So far our understanding is that the php vpopmail extension is half dead because the only way to use it is to run the Apache as the vpopmail user. We have no problem to run it that way, but for some reason the extension has not many supporters or users and we guess this might be the reason. The last days we teamed up with Rick Widmer who does some work on the extension and we contacted as well James Cox who is the current maintainer. In our company there is somebody who has done some work on the extension long time ago. We also started a small wiki at www.verysmall.org/vpopmail were we try to collect ideas, needs and to touch base. Our problem is - we can write it ourselves, but we do not want to get stuck with some strange piece of code that we will have to push forward forever. We prefer to give push to some open source effort and participate in it. So my question is - does anybody know more about the fate of the php vpopmail extension - why does it seems dead and what might be the possible solution of the smooth and easy php <> vpopmail communication. We currently experiment with the idea to write instead a daemon that listens locally and communicates to vpopmail on behalf of php. This is what we will test this weekend. It would be great to hear some opinions. Also - if somebody is interested in the mail management module you can have a look at www.verysmall.org/vpopmail and find somewhere in the table of contents 'very small mail manager'. Best, Iavor -- CEE Solutions Ltd. is the brand behind very small technologies and very small media www.verysmall.org