cgi scripts, GD libraries, perl, php, SSH, HELP

Perhaps someone can explain this to me?
Is 1&1 contradicting its website?
What exactly is GD library support.
TIA
jim


My web designers said they would need 'GD library support for PHP'. This is
in relation to resizing uploaded pictures.

My webhosts(1&1) replied -
"Please see the following site for more information on the perl scripts and
modules that are available on the server :
http://portal.blueadmiral.com/perl__modules.htm
You are not able to upload and install your own perl modules on the
servers."

On the 1&1 website the details on my package says:

"Free CGI programming
With your own local CGI-bin directory (PHP3, PHP4, Perl, Python), you can
upload and run custom CGI scripts written by yourself or use those found on
many sites across the Web. "

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 20:33:34 +0000, jim wrote:

> Perhaps someone can explain this to me? Is 1&1 contradicting its website?
> What exactly is GD library support.
> TIA
> jim
>
>
> My web designers said they would need 'GD library support for PHP'. This
> is in relation to resizing uploaded pictures.
>
> My webhosts(1&1) replied -
> "Please see the following site for more information on the perl scripts
> and modules that are available on the server :
> http://portal.blueadmiral.com/perl__modules.htm You are not able to upload
> and install your own perl modules on the servers."
>
> On the 1&1 website the details on my package says:
>
> "Free CGI programming
> With your own local CGI-bin directory (PHP3, PHP4, Perl, Python), you can
> upload and run custom CGI scripts written by yourself or use those found
> on many sites across the Web. "

The page you pointed to does not answer your question becasue it describes
the avilable *Perl* modules! Your designers need to know if there is an
available PHP "module" called "GD". The GD library is an image
manipulation code library.

Simple searching of the above URL and I found the following info about PHP
on your host:
http://portal.blueadmiral.com/check-php.php

And yes, it looks like there is GD support enabled, so you should be good
to go.
--
Jeffrey D. Silverman | jeffrey AT jhu DOT edu
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD
Website | http://www.wse.jhu.edu/newtnotes/

jim wrote:
> Perhaps someone can explain this to me?
> Is 1&1 contradicting its website?
> What exactly is GD library support.
> TIA
> jim
>

There are many extra libraries (that add functionality) that can be
added to PHP when it is compiled (built). One of those is the GD
library, which deals with image manipulation.

If you need to perform image manipulation with your PHP scripts, you
have a few options;

1) ask your web hosts if they will compile a version of PHP with GD
support. they may not want to do this, but they may give you the option to:

2) compile your own version of PHP with GD support. You would typically
call the files that you need to use this particular version with a
different extension (say .phpwrap instead of .php), and then put a
..htaccess file in that directory to tell apache (assuming you are using
apache) to use that particular version for those files, or

3) install a third-party image-manipulation program such as ImageMagick
(www.imagemagick.org i believe), and tell your web developers to have
their PHP scripts use that, which is easy enough.

Generally, I like option 3 anyway, as the GD libraries don't support
some image formats anymore anyway, if i remember correctly...

hth
Kurt Milligan

"Kurt Milligan" <junk@atNOSPAMmilliganshome.net> wrote
> > Perhaps someone can explain this to me?
> > Is 1&1 contradicting its website?
> > What exactly is GD library support.
> > TIA
> > jim
> >
>
> There are many extra libraries (that add functionality) that can be
> added to PHP when it is compiled (built). One of those is the GD
> library, which deals with image manipulation.
>
> If you need to perform image manipulation with your PHP scripts, you
> have a few options;
>
> 1) ask your web hosts if they will compile a version of PHP with GD
> support. they may not want to do this, but they may give you the option
to:
>
> 2) compile your own version of PHP with GD support. You would typically
> call the files that you need to use this particular version with a
> different extension (say .phpwrap instead of .php), and then put a
> .htaccess file in that directory to tell apache (assuming you are using
> apache) to use that particular version for those files, or
>
> 3) install a third-party image-manipulation program such as ImageMagick
> (www.imagemagick.org i believe), and tell your web developers to have
> their PHP scripts use that, which is easy enough.
>
> Generally, I like option 3 anyway, as the GD libraries don't support
> some image formats anymore anyway, if i remember correctly...
>
I get the impression that nothing non-standard is allowed.

I could still do with an explanation of:
"Free CGI programming
With your own local CGI-bin directory (PHP3, PHP4, Perl, Python), you can
upload and run custom CGI scripts written by yourself or use those found on
many sites across the Web. "

What sort of things can you do with cgi scripts? (don't say "anything")
Jim

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 21:24:04 +0000, jim wrote:

<snip!>
> Ok, So you get perl scripts and perl programs. And you also get server
> side PHP scripts ? And I can put my own PHP (or Perl) scripts onto the
> server?

Yes, you can, it looks like.

>
> Is 'GD library support for PHP' a script or a program? (I don't suppose I
> care as long as it is loaded)

It is neither, actually. It means "support for image manipulation
functions within your version of PHP".

PHP can be compiled (and so can Perl, actually) with or without support for this or
that or the other feature. In your case, your developers needed support
for the GD library of image manipulation functions. (Although actually, as
far as *image* *quality* is concerned, the NetPBM utilities are superior
to GD. NetPBM is something separate from PHP)

later...

--
Jeffrey D. Silverman | jeffrey AT jhu DOT edu
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD
Website | http://www.wse.jhu.edu/newtnotes/

On Mon, 07 Jul 2003 20:57:57 +0000, jim wrote:

<snip!>
> What sort of things can you do with cgi scripts? (don't say "anything")
> Jim

Almost anything

--
Jeffrey D. Silverman | jeffrey AT jhu DOT edu
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD
Website | http://www.wse.jhu.edu/newtnotes/