trying to install wordpress on WLMP - having trouble with PHP...help!

[peanutbrittle]

on windows vista, using this tutorial am getting stuck at this bit:

Making php-cgi to listen to a : pair is easy. The following command will do it.

php-cgi -b 127.0.0.1:10000

I type in the command at the command line (with prompt of C:\users\administrator>) and the thing just hangs...it's been about 15 minutes now

what am I doing wrong? help much apreciated!

bloody thing is still hanging - how do I kill it gently?

lordy lord - maybe it is supposed to be like this? does this mean php is running? [dummy experiencing possible lightbulb moment emoticon]

by jeevers I think I've cracked it...checking task manager says php is in fact running...can it be true???

I've not used PHP myself but I have used some other systems and it is quite possible that it is running and patiently sitting there waiting for a client to connect to it.

If you leave that running, then open up a web browser and put 127.0.0.1:10000 in as the address, does anything happen?

The other possibility is that Vista is sticking its nose in as some sort of security thing...

I'd give up with lighttpd myself, use a prebuilt WAMP stack like EasyPHP. From the tutorial you linked, this takes you straight from downloading and clicking on install to "Installing WordPress on WLMP System". (well you might need a reboot).

Or just get a (linux) web host with a one-click WordPress install.

Oh, seems like you have it working

hmm, got stuck again when trying to set up the mysql, it said it couldn't start the service

I did try installing all the elements separately last week, apache, php and mysql but got into problems that way too so maybe I have some dregs of that hanging around somewhere...argh

mrvibrating - why do you suggest WAMP instead of WLMP?

and can you explain what you mean by "just get a (linux) web host with a one-click WordPress install." ???

my friend who is a developer keeps trying to persaude me to just install linux and take it from there, but tbh I think I am already facing enough steep learning curves without throwing a totally unfamilar OS into the mix...

(this is all part of my plan to tool myself up as a web developer - a plan whose sanity I am rapidly starting to wonder about - I've been trying to set this up for two weeks now - ok, just in random hours once I get the kids to bed and before I collapse with exhaustion, but still)

Q. mrvibrating - why do you suggest WAMP instead of WLMP?

Because there are one-click installations of WAMP stacks like EasyPHP, XAMPP, SpikeWAMP... There aren't any for WLMP stacks, lighttpd is for people who know what they are doing and have unlimited time due to the lack of a real life. I could get into a load of technical stuff about why lighttpd does not offer any significant advantage over Apache in real-world PHP scenarios anyway, but I am not going to. (It sounds like I have something against lighttpd - I haven't, and it does have some advantages in certain scenarios, but it just isn't for you).

Q. my friend who is a developer keeps trying to persaude me to just install linux and take it from there, but tbh I think I am already facing enough steep learning curves without throwing a totally unfamilar OS into the mix...

No, he is right. Get hold of a Ubuntu Live CD, install it and then get your friend to show you the miracle that is apt-get. Actually, tasksel is the way to go for a LAMP stack on Ubuntu desktop. But I digress, because you really don't want to be doing this either (read on).

Look, if you want to be a web developer you need to spend your time looking at PHP or Ruby or Perl or whatever, not playing around with low-level installations. It's like trying learn how to be a racing car driver by building an engine from a lump of metal. Web developers don't do that, they buy in their hosting services from web hosts.

Which brings me back to...
Q. and can you explain what you mean by "just get a (linux) web host with a one-click WordPress install." ???

Go here, spend £12 for a month on the Advanced plan - get a domain too if you need one, and you will understand.

Good luck, although I have to say that I think you will find it very hard to earn a living as a freelance web developer from a standing start.

thanks a lot mrvibrating, that's a really helpful reply...I'll try a couple of the things you suggest and see where I get to...am kind of interested in the ubuntu approach

the reason I didn't go for the set up on a remote host was that I thought it would be better to have installed on my own machine to avoid delays in connections etc, but maybe you are right...will reconsider

I'm sure I'll find it hard to make a living as a web developer from this starting point...however I am lucky to have a lot of management experience in the industry and a programming background from a gazillion light years away and some good developer friends who are currently overworked and eager to help me get a start. Also I need only to do this on a low income basis as part of a portfolio of jobs so you never know...I'm not counting my chickens though...

thanks again