Installing php4 on ubuntu 11.04

Question

I need to install php4 to run a specific module that is no longer compatible with php5. I'm running ubuntu server 11.04 64bit. And as I expected the php4 packages are no longer available. Does anyone have a source for installing php4?

PS. Before anyone posts saying php5 is better "BLAH BLAH BLAH" I need php4 for a very specific reason and comments explaining the reasons why I should be using php5 over php4 are not helpful.

Solution 1

Just compile the source from the php site, you don need special ubuntu source code. I have literally just done it on a Ubuntu 11.04 VPS to check it was that easy. I had to install one extr package "flex"

wget http://uk.php.net/distributions/php-4.4.9.tar.gz
tar zxf php-4.4.9.tar.gz
cd php-4.4.9/
./configure
make
sudo make install

I didnt make the apache module, I haven't looked into that. It was a 32bit VPS I cant imagine it would not be as easy on 64bit.

Solution 2

I'd figure you're going to find it difficult to get hold of a prepackaged php4 release for Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty) and may have to consider manual compiling.

However... I am not sure how successful this may be but you could try the package which was released for Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper).

URL: http://packages.ubuntu.com/dapper/php4

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If there is any possibility to get updated version of the module you're trying to run for php5 then go with that. Although it does sound as though you've already looked.

Solution 3

You can get older releases from http://www.php.net/releases/

Comments

[John Zoulias]

Im looking for a ubuntu source I would like to avoid manually compiling it if possible

[linuxatico]

and what about the libapache-mod-php4 ?