[imp] PHP frustrations with IMP install

[Robin Whittle]

Anil Madhavapeddy wrote, in part:

> Why cant you go read your operating system docs on the recommended
> way to install PHP?

PHP was already installed as part of my RH7.1 installation.  The
Horde/IMP instructions lead me to believe that I must install
Horde-modified PHP things which were older than the versions I got with
RH7.1.  I am not sure that any Red-Hat specific PHP stuff exists - but
it would not be entirely relevant if I had to install something earlier,
as I understood I had to for IMP to work.

Hopefully later versions of IMP are a lot easier.  I am just reporting
my experiences.   If IMP actually did require a totally stock-standard
PHP installation (bearing in mind that the definition of this changes
with time, and IMP does not necessarily work with every update to this
"standard PHP", nor can it be expected to) then I agree that it would
not not be up to the IMP doco to explain much about PHP, other than
precisely which versions of everything PHP-related IMP is known to work
with.


> I think a detailed, unified document is exactly the wrong 
> approach.  We could write one for you, but then what about the
> next guy who wants to run IMP on Win2k w/ SQL Server?  I suspect
> those notes would be somewhat different from your setup ...

I recognise the challenge in trying to anticipate various operating
systems and scenarios.  But at least the IMP crew have between them some
experience in this, whereas the newbie person who wants to install IMP
probably has none. 


> More important is you understanding how the underlying components
> that make up your system actually interact.

So are you suggesting that to install IMP I should spend days prowling
around learning about the PHP world, in its various versions and with
its various add on things, which may or may not be compatible with IMP?

All I want to do is install IMP.

My report is about an attempt to install IMP in which I got seriously
stuck just trying to get the various PHP preliminaries in place and in
which I found it difficult to follow the IMP documentation.   If you
insist that all candidates for IMP installation already have a thorough
understanding of every related aspect of their system - particularly PHP
and Apache - then you will reduce the number of people who actually get
as far as to install IMP and discover all the things which make it
worthwhile.


   - Robin