PHP sqlite<3

[Peter Hoffmann]

Hy,

I just "discovered" that there is no easy way to install php sqlite<3
[1] support on an ubuntu server - and I think this is a loss.
In older distributions there is php5-sqlite and php5-sqlite3 of which
the former supported sqlite databases prior to version 3 and the letter
sqlite databases of version 3. In 12.04 (I don't know since which
version that changed and I assume that all following versions are
changed as well) php5-sqlite3 was renamed php5-sqlite which is quite
confusing because the "original" php5-sqlite is hence replaced with a
package providing something quite different [1].
On the other hand php5-cli/-cgi does not contain sqlite<3 support. So
right now the only difference to have access to sqlite<3 databases in
php using the current ubuntu version is to download the php-sources and
install the module form them - the pecl package is - first - not
supported any more and - secondly - does just not compile.

Saying this, I personally found my way around but am not so happy with
having to find that out the hard way. So I would either request to
include sqlite extension into php5-core packages or at least providing
some kind of php5-sqlite<3 package (I definitely oppose to re-rename
php5-sqlite to php5-sqlite3 and let the old php5-sqlite resurrect).

So, thank you for your work,
'd be happy to hear from you

Peter Hoffmann


PS: Everything I say refers to the pure sqlite database support, I do
not refer to the pdo-sqlite support which at first glance seems to still
support sqlite<3


[1] I will use the notation sqlite<3 as the short form for sqlite prior
to version 3 e.g. sqlite2
[2] one could discuss if sqlite3 is "quite different" to sqlite<3 but
for this case I make this claim.