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Bug #48691 Explain Windows installer options (or link to explanation)
Submitted: 2009-06-25 13:07 UTC Modified: 2009-11-16 13:21 UTC
Votes:1
Avg. Score:2.0 ± 0.0
Reproduced:1 of 1 (100.0%)
Same Version:1 (100.0%)
Same OS:1 (100.0%)
From: vendor_x407 at marsdome dot com Assigned: pajoye (profile)
Status: Closed Package: Website problem
PHP Version: Irrelevant OS:
Private report: No CVE-ID: None
View Developer Edit
 [2009-06-25 13:07 UTC] vendor_x407 at marsdome dot com 
Description:
------------
If you just click on the downloads menu item on the home page, you get to a very nice, simple page showing the latest available downloads - so far, so good.  Most of the options are self-explanatory.

However, Win32 Debug Pack isn't, and a search for Debug Pack on the site isn't helpful.  From the package size, I can infer that it's not a full installation kit, but that's too subtle and still doesn't explain it.  Is it just a library or a set of tools?  Is it mandatory if I want to do any debugging, or merely helpful? 

I don't know whether a single line explanation is sufficient or a link to some other page is needed.  But somewhere it needs to say what the Debug Pack is, whether it's .zip or installer, why might I want it or not want it, etc.  It's too big to be just a single dll, at least when compared to the NuSphere dbg-php dll, but there's no way for me to tell whether or not I might want it.

Many thanks, 
Gary

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 [2009-06-25 13:38 UTC] bjori@php.net 
I hate that page.
I don't understand why we need so many windows downloads.


Just to answer your question: You don't need it.
The debug pack is only for those who need to debug PHP internals (the language itself), for example when generating backtraces for bug reports.
 [2009-06-25 15:34 UTC] pajoye@php.net 
The debug pack are symbols packages (to simplify) needed to debug the binaries without compiling php in debug mode. Debugger like WinDBG can use them, we also explain how to use them to generate a backtrace.

They are exactly the same than every linux distribution provide (the dbg packages).

Note to Hannes: They are not sources but binaries, if you still do not understand why we have more than one single packages, please come back to me with questions, I will be happy to answer them :)
 [2009-06-25 18:09 UTC] vendor_x407 at marsdome dot com 
I'm grateful for the prompt explanations, which certainly helps me now, but I hope they don't impede improving the descriptions on the page.

Since these seem to be fairly specialized, I suggest moving both Debug Packs towards the bottom, after all of the installers, with an introductory paragraph reading something like "The Debug Packs provide symbol definitions to help debug the PHP binaries (using tools such as WinDBG).  They're unnecessary for debugging PHP scripts, and most people won't need them."  

Thanks again.
 [2009-11-16 13:21 UTC] vrana@php.net 
Windows downloads now have separate page.
 
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