The problem is that CakePHP is so easily deployable, so I need it for client work. (Alot of my clients won't switch hosts, so cakePHP has been a key tool for me).

I'm also not interested in learning yet ANOTHER language/framework now. I'd like to work on something in a larger group that will overlap at least a little with my current work.

Then you might as well join a big company, because the entrepreneurial/hacker spirit dictates that you _must_ be willing to learn something new every day.

To my credit, I also tend to recognize that I fall into the trap of learning new things because I like to learn new things and never use them. This is the same trap that catches you always starting projects and never finishing them.

Learning a new language to me would be just that; starting a NEW project. Instead, I'd like to take something I know well and learn to do even more with it. That to me would be an educational effort well spent.

In that vein I feel that working with other devs who code at my level on a collaborative goal would be something I have yet to experience and that I think I could learn alot from.

Yeah another framework would be good. How about another language?

I think it's critical for developers to continually learn new technologies as they arise. This helps you stay sharp and remain competitive in the marketplace (whether you are an employer or an employee....)

If you just stick to the same framework all the time, you're going to find yourself out of touch with the modern programming world pretty quickly (again, either as an employer or an employee.)

Second this. Instead of looking for a project in a language you're familiar with. Maybe look for a project solving a problem you're familiar with in a language you're not. Then you'll have learned a new language as well. After that, you can look for a new interesting problem in your new language where, presumably, more open source stuff is going on.

ouch!