[imp] PHP frustrations with IMP install

[Craig White]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robin Whittle [mailto:rw@firstpr.com.au]
> Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2001 12:15 AM
> To: imp@lists.horde.org
> Subject: Re: [imp] PHP frustrations with IMP install
>
>
> 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.
>
-------
Just for another perspective - I have installed 1.2.5 / 2.2.5 on 2 different
RH7.1 machines

Loaded apache/mysql/php4/ldap/mod_sql/mod_php/mod_ldap as part of initial
install.

downloaded horde & imp tarballs, expanded, configured scripts and had them
running in less than 2 hours, no fuss and no muss. I completely ignored all
of their patched versions of rpm's for redhat and think that it was
infinitely easier.

Yes, you have to edit php.ini and httpd.conf
Yes, you have to move phplib & edit various conf files

I thought it was incredibly easy and I'm no expert at php, apache or mysql.
In fact, I have expressed my gratitude to the crew for making it so easy.

Craig