In this chapter, we discovered the basics of how the PEAR installer's internals work through the lens of package.xml's
structure. First, we explored the basic design philosophies of the PEAR installer, and how PEAR packages differ from the old-fashioned unzip-and-go approach. We learned about PEAR's configuration options, and the versatile ways in which PEAR deals with libraries versus applications.
Next, we explored the importance of versioning in controlling the quality of packages installed, and the importance of dependencies, and how the PEAR installer manages this important link between libraries and applications. Then, we explored how easy it is to upgrade when using the PEAR installer, as compared to upgrading traditional unzip-and-go applications.
After this, we dove headfirst into the structure of package.xml
, learning how package metadata such as the package name, authors, release notes, and changelog are organized. This was coupled with a look at how critical installation...