Pear (PHP Extension and Application Repository) packages are 100% php code. They are just PHP codes that are structured based on Pear’s standards and that are deposited in a local directory and referenced in php.ini.
PECL packages are php extensions and need to be compiled and the resulted .so files must be deposited in the extensions directory (extension_dir in php.ini).
When you run a command such as
yum install php5-gd
or
apt-get install php5-gd
The dynamic shared library file (.so) is generated and installed for you automatically.
Pear http://pear.php.net/manual/en/ PECL http://pecl.php.net/packages.php Introduction to extension writing http://devzone.zend.com/303/extension-writing-part-i-introduction-to-php-and-zend/ Wrapping C++ Classes in a PHP Extension http://devzone.zend.com/1435/wrapping-c-classes-in-a-php-extension/ phpize info http://us.php.net/manual/en/install.pecl.phpize.php Writing Php Extensions http://www.tuxradar.com/practicalphp/20/0/0 About php extensions http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/phpextensions.html PHP Coding Standards http://pear.php.net/manual/en/standards.php