Export portlets to pt files. That way portlets can be:

• More advanced: They can have PHP in them and make better use of the supplied data.
• More accessible: All nastiness is kept inside the portlet() function.
• Fast(ish): More file reads, but these are fast as fuck anyway (wrong attitood I know). This can be tweaked to do less reads by fgetting all the pt files into the portlet function file once only. Mix ‘n’ blen of trad hypo and forum approaches.
• Vastly extensible: a label hook would be good, when a portlets function is known a label is passed, this can be used by theme designers to draw different portlets (using an if statement).
• Secure: pt files can be checked by me before being added. This will make testing trickier, but I can give a little on various submissions.