When launching the defaut Mandrake 8.2 make (NOT automake 2.5) to
compile PHP 4.2.1, I get this error message :

[root@serveurlinux php-4.2.1]# make
Making all in Zend
make[1]: Entre dans le r?pertoire `/usr/src/php-4.2.1/Zend'
/bin/sh ../libtool --silent --mode=compile gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I.
-I../main   -I../TSRM  -g -O2 -prefer-non-pic -static -c -o
zend_language_parser.lo `test -f zend_language_parser.c || echo
'./'`zend_language_parser.c
In file included from zend.h:180,
                 from zend_compile.h:24,
                 from zend_language_parser.c:147:
zend_hash.h:119: parse error before "va_list"
In file included from zend.h:181,
                 from zend_compile.h:24,
                 from zend_language_parser.c:147:
zend_llist.h:34: parse error before "va_list"
In file included from zend_compile.h:24,
                 from zend_language_parser.c:147:
zend.h:263: parse error before "va_list"
zend.h:394: parse error before "va_list"
make[1]: *** [zend_language_parser.lo] Erreur 1
make[1]: Quitte le r?pertoire `/usr/src/php-4.2.1/Zend'
make: *** [all-recursive] Erreur 1
[root@serveurlinux php-4.2.1]#

Wow what an excellent symptom of incompatibility.
Is somebody can telle me if it's really due to automake ?

This sounds familiar..which gcc version do you have?
(btw. automake != make :)

I tried with these packages :
gcc-2.96-0.76.mdk
gcc3.0.4-2.mdk

But you're right I think this is the path...
I still need

(oops thanks for the btw. :)

Well,
After reinstalling mandrake 8.2 (I was bored of this), I only added gcc-2.96-0.76 included in this mdk release.
Compiling PHP 4.2.1 works.
Installing gcc3.0.4-2 also included crashes the compiling (the ugly parse error returns).
I don't know if everyone met this problem, but here is a possible way to backstabb the problem : don't put gcc 3 in the hands ok Mandrake 8.2 :/

Can you please try this snapshot with gcc 3:

http://snaps.php.net/php4-latest.tar.gz

(as it only happens with gcc 3, I updated the topic a bit)
It would be great if you could confirm if the latest snapshot compiles with gcc3 or not so we know whether
any action on this should be taken.

You might try upgrading to GCC 3.1. I haven't had any 
problems compiling PHP 4.2.1 with it on any platform.

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