Refactor installer into base class plus web and CLI installers.

scripts/install_cli.php is a bit experimental at present but works.

3 files changed, 999 insertions, 836 deletions

diff --git a/install.php b/install.php
index 8a299f897..08555d19b 100644
--- a/install.php
+++ b/install.php
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-
 <?php
 /**
  * StatusNet - the distributed open-source microblogging tool
- * Copyright (C) 2009, StatusNet, Inc.
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2010, StatusNet, Inc.
  *
  * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
  * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
@@ -39,880 +38,246 @@
 
 define('INSTALLDIR', dirname(__FILE__));
 
-$external_libraries=array(
-    array(
-        'name'=>'gettext',
-        'url'=>'http://us.php.net/manual/en/book.gettext.php',
-        'check_function'=>'gettext'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'PEAR',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/',
-        'deb'=>'php-pear',
-        'include'=>'PEAR.php',
-        'check_class'=>'PEAR'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'DB',
-        'pear'=>'DB',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/DB',
-        'deb'=>'php-db',
-        'include'=>'DB/common.php',
-        'check_class'=>'DB_common'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'DB_DataObject',
-        'pear'=>'DB_DataObject',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/DB_DataObject',
-        'include'=>'DB/DataObject.php',
-        'check_class'=>'DB_DataObject'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Console_Getopt',
-        'pear'=>'Console_Getopt',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Console_Getopt',
-        'include'=>'Console/Getopt.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Console_Getopt'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Facebook API',
-        'url'=>'http://developers.facebook.com/',
-        'include'=>'facebook/facebook.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Facebook'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'htmLawed',
-        'url'=>'http://www.bioinformatics.org/phplabware/internal_utilities/htmLawed',
-        'include'=>'htmLawed/htmLawed.php',
-        'check_function'=>'htmLawed'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'HTTP_Request',
-        'pear'=>'HTTP_Request',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/HTTP_Request',
-        'deb'=>'php-http-request',
-        'include'=>'HTTP/Request.php',
-        'check_class'=>'HTTP_Request'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'HTTP_Request2',
-        'pear'=>'HTTP_Request2',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/HTTP_Request2',
-        'include'=>'HTTP/Request2.php',
-        'check_class'=>'HTTP_Request2'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Mail',
-        'pear'=>'Mail',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Mail',
-        'deb'=>'php-mail',
-        'include'=>'Mail.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Mail'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Mail_mimeDecode',
-        'pear'=>'Mail_mimeDecode',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Mail_mimeDecode',
-        'deb'=>'php-mail-mimedecode',
-        'include'=>'Mail/mimeDecode.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Mail_mimeDecode'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Mime_Type',
-        'pear'=>'Mime_Type',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Mime_Type',
-        'include'=>'MIME/Type.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Mime_Type'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Net_URL_Mapper',
-        'pear'=>'Net_URL_Mapper',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Net_URL_Mapper',
-        'include'=>'Net/URL/Mapper.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Net_URL_Mapper'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Net_LDAP2',
-        'pear'=>'Net_LDAP2',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Net_LDAP2',
-        'deb'=>'php-net-ldap2',
-        'include'=>'Net/LDAP2.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Net_LDAP2'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Net_Socket',
-        'pear'=>'Net_Socket',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Net_Socket',
-        'deb'=>'php-net-socket',
-        'include'=>'Net/Socket.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Net_Socket'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Net_SMTP',
-        'pear'=>'Net_SMTP',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Net_SMTP',
-        'deb'=>'php-net-smtp',
-        'include'=>'Net/SMTP.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Net_SMTP'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Net_URL',
-        'pear'=>'Net_URL',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Net_URL',
-        'deb'=>'php-net-url',
-        'include'=>'Net/URL.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Net_URL'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Net_URL2',
-        'pear'=>'Net_URL2',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Net_URL2',
-        'include'=>'Net/URL2.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Net_URL2'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Services_oEmbed',
-        'pear'=>'Services_oEmbed',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Services_oEmbed',
-        'include'=>'Services/oEmbed.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Services_oEmbed'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Stomp',
-        'url'=>'http://stomp.codehaus.org/PHP',
-        'include'=>'Stomp.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Stomp'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'System_Command',
-        'pear'=>'System_Command',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/System_Command',
-        'include'=>'System/Command.php',
-        'check_class'=>'System_Command'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'XMPPHP',
-        'url'=>'http://code.google.com/p/xmpphp',
-        'include'=>'XMPPHP/XMPP.php',
-        'check_class'=>'XMPPHP_XMPP'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'PHP Markdown',
-        'url'=>'http://www.michelf.com/projects/php-markdown/',
-        'include'=>'markdown.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Markdown_Parser'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'OAuth',
-        'url'=>'http://code.google.com/p/oauth-php',
-        'include'=>'OAuth.php',
-        'check_class'=>'OAuthRequest'
-    ),
-    array(
-        'name'=>'Validate',
-        'pear'=>'Validate',
-        'url'=>'http://pear.php.net/package/Validate',
-        'include'=>'Validate.php',
-        'check_class'=>'Validate'
-    )
-);
-$dbModules = array(
-    'mysql' => array(
-        'name' => 'MySQL',
-        'check_module' => 'mysql', // mysqli?
-        'installer' => 'mysql_db_installer',
-    ),
-    'pgsql' => array(
-        'name' => 'PostgreSQL',
-        'check_module' => 'pgsql',
-        'installer' => 'pgsql_db_installer',
-    ),
-);
+require INSTALLDIR . '/lib/installer.php';
 
 /**
- * the actual installation.
- * If call libraries are present, then install
- *
- * @return void
+ * Helper class for building form
  */
-function main()
-{
-    if (!checkPrereqs()) {
-        return;
-    }
-
-    if (!empty($_GET['checklibs'])) {
-        showLibs();
-    } else {
-        if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
-            handlePost();
+class Posted {
+    function value($name)
+    {
+        if (isset($_POST[$name])) {
+            return htmlspecialchars(strval($_POST[$name]));
         } else {
-            showForm();
+            return '';
         }
     }
 }
 
 /**
- * checks if an external libary is present
- *
- * @param string $external_library Name of library
- *
- * @return boolean indicates if library present
- */
-function haveExternalLibrary($external_library)
-{
-    if (isset($external_library['include']) && !haveIncludeFile($external_library['include'])) {
-        return false;
-    }
-    if (isset($external_library['check_function']) && ! function_exists($external_library['check_function'])) {
-        return false;
-    }
-    if (isset($external_library['check_class']) && ! class_exists($external_library['check_class'])) {
-        return false;
-    }
-    return true;
-}
-
-// Attempt to include a PHP file and report if it worked, while
-// suppressing the annoying warning messages on failure.
-function haveIncludeFile($filename) {
-    $old = error_reporting(error_reporting() & ~E_WARNING);
-    $ok = include_once($filename);
-    error_reporting($old);
-    return $ok;
-}
-
-/**
- * Check if all is ready for installation
- *
- * @return void
+ * Web-based installer: provides a form and such.
  */
-function checkPrereqs()
+class WebInstaller extends Installer
 {
-    $pass = true;
-
-    if (file_exists(INSTALLDIR.'/config.php')) {
-         printf('<p class="error">Config file &quot;config.php&quot; already exists.</p>');
-        $pass = false;
-    }
-
-    if (version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5.2.3', '<')) {
-        printf('<p class="error">Require PHP version 5.2.3 or greater.</p>');
-        $pass = false;
-    }
-
-    // Look for known library bugs
-    $str = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
-    $replaced = preg_replace('/[\p{Cc}\p{Cs}]/u', '*', $str);
-    if ($str != $replaced) {
-        printf('<p class="error">PHP is linked to a version of the PCRE library ' .
-               'that does not support Unicode properties. ' .
-               'If you are running Red Hat Enterprise Linux / ' .
-               'CentOS 5.4 or earlier, see <a href="' .
-               'http://status.net/wiki/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux#PCRE_library' .
-               '">our documentation page</a> on fixing this.</p>');
-        $pass = false;
-    }
-
-    $reqs = array('gd', 'curl',
-                  'xmlwriter', 'mbstring', 'xml', 'dom', 'simplexml');
-
-    foreach ($reqs as $req) {
-        if (!checkExtension($req)) {
-            printf('<p class="error">Cannot load required extension: <code>%s</code></p>', $req);
-            $pass = false;
-        }
-    }
-    // Make sure we have at least one database module available
-    global $dbModules;
-    $missingExtensions = array();
-    foreach ($dbModules as $type => $info) {
-        if (!checkExtension($info['check_module'])) {
-            $missingExtensions[] = $info['check_module'];
+    /**
+     * the actual installation.
+     * If call libraries are present, then install
+     *
+     * @return void
+     */
+    function main()
+    {
+        if (!$this->checkPrereqs()) {
+            $this->showForm();
+            return;
         }
-    }
-
-    if (count($missingExtensions) == count($dbModules)) {
-        $req = implode(', ', $missingExtensions);
-        printf('<p class="error">Cannot find mysql or pgsql extension. You need one or the other.');
-        $pass = false;
-    }
-
-    if (!is_writable(INSTALLDIR)) {
-        printf('<p class="error">Cannot write config file to: <code>%s</code></p>', INSTALLDIR);
-        printf('<p>On your server, try this command: <code>chmod a+w %s</code>', INSTALLDIR);
-        $pass = false;
-    }
 
-    // Check the subdirs used for file uploads
-    $fileSubdirs = array('avatar', 'background', 'file');
-    foreach ($fileSubdirs as $fileSubdir) {
-        $fileFullPath = INSTALLDIR."/$fileSubdir/";
-        if (!is_writable($fileFullPath)) {
-            printf('<p class="error">Cannot write to %s directory: <code>%s</code></p>', $fileSubdir, $fileFullPath);
-            printf('<p>On your server, try this command: <code>chmod a+w %s</code></p>', $fileFullPath);
-            $pass = false;
+        if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
+            $this->handlePost();
+        } else {
+            $this->showForm();
         }
     }
 
-    return $pass;
-}
-
-/**
- * Checks if a php extension is both installed and loaded
- *
- * @param string $name of extension to check
- *
- * @return boolean whether extension is installed and loaded
- */
-function checkExtension($name)
-{
-    if (extension_loaded($name)) {
-        return true;
-    } elseif (function_exists('dl') && ini_get('enable_dl') && !ini_get('safe_mode')) {
-        // dl will throw a fatal error if it's disabled or we're in safe mode.
-        // More fun, it may not even exist under some SAPIs in 5.3.0 or later...
-        $soname = $name . '.' . PHP_SHLIB_SUFFIX;
-        if (PHP_SHLIB_SUFFIX == 'dll') {
-            $soname = "php_" . $soname;
+    /**
+     * Web implementation of warning output
+     */
+    function warning($message, $submessage='')
+    {
+        print "<p class=\"error\">$message</p>\n";
+        if ($submessage != '') {
+            print "<p>$submessage</p>\n";
         }
-        return @dl($soname);
-    } else {
-        return false;
     }
-}
 
-/**
- * Show list of libraries
- *
- * @return void
- */
-function showLibs()
-{
-    global $external_libraries;
-    $present_libraries=array();
-    $absent_libraries=array();
-    foreach ($external_libraries as $external_library) {
-        if (haveExternalLibrary($external_library)) {
-            $present_libraries[]=$external_library;
-        } else {
-            $absent_libraries[]=$external_library;
-        }
-    }
-    echo<<<E_O_T
-    <div class="instructions">
-        <p>StatusNet comes bundled with a number of libraries required for the application to work. However, it is best that you use PEAR or you distribution to manage
-        libraries instead, as they tend to provide security updates faster, and may offer improved performance.</p>
-        <p>On Debian based distributions, such as Ubuntu, use a package manager (such as &quot;aptitude&quot;, &quot;apt-get&quot;, and &quot;synaptic&quot;) to install the package listed.</p>
-        <p>On RPM based distributions, such as Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, Scientific Linux, Yellow Dog Linux and Oracle Enterprise Linux, use a package manager (such as &quot;yum&quot;, &quot;apt-rpm&quot;, and &quot;up2date&quot;) to install the package listed.</p>
-        <p>On servers without a package manager (such as Windows), or if the library is not packaged for your distribution, you can use PHP's PEAR to install the library. Simply run &quot;pear install &lt;name&gt;&quot;.</p>
-    </div>
-    <h2>Absent Libraries</h2>
-    <ul id="absent_libraries">
-E_O_T;
-    foreach ($absent_libraries as $library) {
-        echo '<li>';
-        if (isset($library['url'])) {
-            echo '<a href="'.$library['url'].'">'.htmlentities($library['name']).'</a>';
-        } else {
-            echo htmlentities($library['name']);
-        }
-        echo '<ul>';
-        if (isset($library['deb'])) {
-            echo '<li class="deb package">deb: <a href="apt:' . urlencode($library['deb']) . '">' . htmlentities($library['deb']) . '</a></li>';
-        }
-        if (isset($library['rpm'])) {
-            echo '<li class="rpm package">rpm: ' . htmlentities($library['rpm']) . '</li>';
-        }
-        if (isset($library['pear'])) {
-            echo '<li class="pear package">pear: ' . htmlentities($library['pear']) . '</li>';
-        }
-        echo '</ul>';
-    }
-    echo<<<E_O_T
-    </ul>
-    <h2>Installed Libraries</h2>
-    <ul id="present_libraries">
-E_O_T;
-    foreach ($present_libraries as $library) {
-        echo '<li>';
-        if (isset($library['url'])) {
-            echo '<a href="'.$library['url'].'">'.htmlentities($library['name']).'</a>';
-        } else {
-            echo htmlentities($library['name']);
-        }
-        echo '</li>';
+    /**
+     * Web implementation of status output
+     */
+    function updateStatus($status, $error=false)
+    {
+        echo '<li' . ($error ? ' class="error"': '' ) . ">$status</li>";
     }
-    echo<<<E_O_T
-    </ul>
-E_O_T;
-}
 
-/**
- * Helper class for building form
- */
-class Posted {
-    function value($name)
+    /**
+     * Show the web form!
+     */
+    function showForm()
     {
-        if (isset($_POST[$name])) {
-            return htmlspecialchars(strval($_POST[$name]));
+        global $dbModules;
+        $post = new Posted();
+        $dbRadios = '';
+        if (isset($_POST['dbtype'])) {
+            $dbtype = $_POST['dbtype'];
         } else {
-            return '';
+            $dbtype = null;
         }
-    }
-}
-
-function showForm()
-{
-    global $dbModules;
-    $post = new Posted();
-    $dbRadios = '';
-    if (isset($_POST['dbtype'])) {
-        $dbtype = $_POST['dbtype'];
-    } else {
-        $dbtype = null;
-    }
-    foreach ($dbModules as $type => $info) {
-        if (checkExtension($info['check_module'])) {
-            if ($dbtype == null || $dbtype == $type) {
-                $checked = 'checked="checked" ';
-                $dbtype = $type; // if we didn't have one checked, hit the first
-            } else {
-                $checked = '';
+        foreach (self::$dbModules as $type => $info) {
+            if ($this->checkExtension($info['check_module'])) {
+                if ($dbtype == null || $dbtype == $type) {
+                    $checked = 'checked="checked" ';
+                    $dbtype = $type; // if we didn't have one checked, hit the first
+                } else {
+                    $checked = '';
+                }
+                $dbRadios .= "<input type=\"radio\" name=\"dbtype\" id=\"dbtype-$type\" value=\"$type\" $checked/> $info[name]<br />\n";
             }
-            $dbRadios .= "<input type=\"radio\" name=\"dbtype\" id=\"dbtype-$type\" value=\"$type\" $checked/> $info[name]<br />\n";
         }
-    }
 
-    echo<<<E_O_T
-        </ul>
-    </dd>
-</dl>
-<form method="post" action="install.php" class="form_settings" id="form_install">
-    <fieldset>
-        <fieldset id="settings_site">
-            <legend>Site settings</legend>
-            <ul class="form_data">
-                <li>
-                    <label for="sitename">Site name</label>
-                    <input type="text" id="sitename" name="sitename" value="{$post->value('sitename')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">The name of your site</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="fancy-enable">Fancy URLs</label>
-                    <input type="radio" name="fancy" id="fancy-enable" value="enable" checked='checked' /> enable<br />
-                    <input type="radio" name="fancy" id="fancy-disable" value="" /> disable<br />
-                    <p class="form_guide" id='fancy-form_guide'>Enable fancy (pretty) URLs. Auto-detection failed, it depends on Javascript.</p>
-                </li>
-            </ul>
+        echo<<<E_O_T
+    <form method="post" action="install.php" class="form_settings" id="form_install">
+        <fieldset>
+            <fieldset id="settings_site">
+                <legend>Site settings</legend>
+                <ul class="form_data">
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="sitename">Site name</label>
+                        <input type="text" id="sitename" name="sitename" value="{$post->value('sitename')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">The name of your site</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="fancy-enable">Fancy URLs</label>
+                        <input type="radio" name="fancy" id="fancy-enable" value="enable" checked='checked' /> enable<br />
+                        <input type="radio" name="fancy" id="fancy-disable" value="" /> disable<br />
+                        <p class="form_guide" id='fancy-form_guide'>Enable fancy (pretty) URLs. Auto-detection failed, it depends on Javascript.</p>
+                    </li>
+                </ul>
+            </fieldset>
+
+            <fieldset id="settings_db">
+                <legend>Database settings</legend>
+                <ul class="form_data">
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="host">Hostname</label>
+                        <input type="text" id="host" name="host" value="{$post->value('host')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Database hostname</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="dbtype">Type</label>
+                        $dbRadios
+                        <p class="form_guide">Database type</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="database">Name</label>
+                        <input type="text" id="database" name="database" value="{$post->value('database')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Database name</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="dbusername">DB username</label>
+                        <input type="text" id="dbusername" name="dbusername" value="{$post->value('dbusername')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Database username</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="dbpassword">DB password</label>
+                        <input type="password" id="dbpassword" name="dbpassword" value="{$post->value('dbpassword')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Database password (optional)</p>
+                    </li>
+                </ul>
+            </fieldset>
+
+            <fieldset id="settings_admin">
+                <legend>Administrator settings</legend>
+                <ul class="form_data">
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="admin_nickname">Administrator nickname</label>
+                        <input type="text" id="admin_nickname" name="admin_nickname" value="{$post->value('admin_nickname')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Nickname for the initial StatusNet user (administrator)</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="admin_password">Administrator password</label>
+                        <input type="password" id="admin_password" name="admin_password" value="{$post->value('admin_password')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Password for the initial StatusNet user (administrator)</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="admin_password2">Confirm password</label>
+                        <input type="password" id="admin_password2" name="admin_password2" value="{$post->value('admin_password2')}" />
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="admin_email">Administrator e-mail</label>
+                        <input id="admin_email" name="admin_email" value="{$post->value('admin_email')}" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Optional email address for the initial StatusNet user (administrator)</p>
+                    </li>
+                    <li>
+                        <label for="admin_updates">Subscribe to announcements</label>
+                        <input type="checkbox" id="admin_updates" name="admin_updates" value="true" checked="checked" />
+                        <p class="form_guide">Release and security feed from <a href="http://update.status.net/">update@status.net</a> (recommended)</p>
+                    </li>
+                </ul>
+            </fieldset>
+            <input type="submit" name="submit" class="submit" value="Submit" />
         </fieldset>
-
-        <fieldset id="settings_db">
-            <legend>Database settings</legend>
-            <ul class="form_data">
-                <li>
-                    <label for="host">Hostname</label>
-                    <input type="text" id="host" name="host" value="{$post->value('host')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Database hostname</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="dbtype">Type</label>
-                    $dbRadios
-                    <p class="form_guide">Database type</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="database">Name</label>
-                    <input type="text" id="database" name="database" value="{$post->value('database')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Database name</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="dbusername">DB username</label>
-                    <input type="text" id="dbusername" name="dbusername" value="{$post->value('dbusername')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Database username</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="dbpassword">DB password</label>
-                    <input type="password" id="dbpassword" name="dbpassword" value="{$post->value('dbpassword')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Database password (optional)</p>
-                </li>
-            </ul>
-        </fieldset>
-
-        <fieldset id="settings_admin">
-            <legend>Administrator settings</legend>
-            <ul class="form_data">
-                <li>
-                    <label for="admin_nickname">Administrator nickname</label>
-                    <input type="text" id="admin_nickname" name="admin_nickname" value="{$post->value('admin_nickname')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Nickname for the initial StatusNet user (administrator)</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="admin_password">Administrator password</label>
-                    <input type="password" id="admin_password" name="admin_password" value="{$post->value('admin_password')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Password for the initial StatusNet user (administrator)</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="admin_password2">Confirm password</label>
-                    <input type="password" id="admin_password2" name="admin_password2" value="{$post->value('admin_password2')}" />
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="admin_email">Administrator e-mail</label>
-                    <input id="admin_email" name="admin_email" value="{$post->value('admin_email')}" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Optional email address for the initial StatusNet user (administrator)</p>
-                </li>
-                <li>
-                    <label for="admin_updates">Subscribe to announcements</label>
-                    <input type="checkbox" id="admin_updates" name="admin_updates" value="true" checked="checked" />
-                    <p class="form_guide">Release and security feed from <a href="http://update.status.net/">update@status.net</a> (recommended)</p>
-                </li>
-            </ul>
-        </fieldset>
-        <input type="submit" name="submit" class="submit" value="Submit" />
-    </fieldset>
-</form>
+    </form>
 
 E_O_T;
-}
-
-function updateStatus($status, $error=false)
-{
-    echo '<li' . ($error ? ' class="error"': '' ) . ">$status</li>";
-}
-
-function handlePost()
-{
-    $host     = $_POST['host'];
-    $dbtype   = $_POST['dbtype'];
-    $database = $_POST['database'];
-    $username = $_POST['dbusername'];
-    $password = $_POST['dbpassword'];
-    $sitename = $_POST['sitename'];
-    $fancy    = !empty($_POST['fancy']);
-
-    $adminNick = strtolower($_POST['admin_nickname']);
-    $adminPass = $_POST['admin_password'];
-    $adminPass2 = $_POST['admin_password2'];
-    $adminEmail = $_POST['admin_email'];
-    $adminUpdates = $_POST['admin_updates'];
-
-    $server = $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
-    $path = substr(dirname($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']), 1);
-
-    echo <<<STR
-    <dl class="system_notice">
-        <dt>Page notice</dt>
-        <dd>
-            <ul>
-STR;
-    $fail = false;
-
-    if (empty($host)) {
-        updateStatus("No hostname specified.", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-
-    if (empty($database)) {
-        updateStatus("No database specified.", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-
-    if (empty($username)) {
-        updateStatus("No username specified.", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-
-    if (empty($sitename)) {
-        updateStatus("No sitename specified.", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-
-    if (empty($adminNick)) {
-        updateStatus("No initial StatusNet user nickname specified.", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-    if ($adminNick && !preg_match('/^[0-9a-z]{1,64}$/', $adminNick)) {
-        updateStatus('The user nickname "' . htmlspecialchars($adminNick) .
-                     '" is invalid; should be plain letters and numbers no longer than 64 characters.', true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-    // @fixme hardcoded list; should use User::allowed_nickname()
-    // if/when it's safe to have loaded the infrastructure here
-    $blacklist = array('main', 'admin', 'twitter', 'settings', 'rsd.xml', 'favorited', 'featured', 'favoritedrss', 'featuredrss', 'rss', 'getfile', 'api', 'groups', 'group', 'peopletag', 'tag', 'user', 'message', 'conversation', 'bookmarklet', 'notice', 'attachment', 'search', 'index.php', 'doc', 'opensearch', 'robots.txt', 'xd_receiver.html', 'facebook');
-    if (in_array($adminNick, $blacklist)) {
-        updateStatus('The user nickname "' . htmlspecialchars($adminNick) .
-                     '" is reserved.', true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-
-    if (empty($adminPass)) {
-        updateStatus("No initial StatusNet user password specified.", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-    
-    if ($adminPass != $adminPass2) {
-        updateStatus("Administrator passwords do not match. Did you mistype?", true);
-        $fail = true;
-    }
-
-    if ($fail) {
-        showForm();
-        return;
-    }
-
-    global $dbModules;
-    $db = call_user_func($dbModules[$dbtype]['installer'], $host, $database, $username, $password);
-
-    if (!$db) {
-        // database connection failed, do not move on to create config file.
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    updateStatus("Writing config file...");
-    $res = writeConf($sitename, $server, $path, $fancy, $db);
-
-    if (!$res) {
-        updateStatus("Can't write config file.", true);
-        showForm();
-        return;
-    }
-
-    // Okay, cross fingers and try to register an initial user
-    if (registerInitialUser($adminNick, $adminPass, $adminEmail, $adminUpdates)) {
-        updateStatus(
-            "An initial user with the administrator role has been created."
-        );
-    } else {
-        updateStatus(
-            "Could not create initial StatusNet user (administrator).",
-            true
-        );
-        showForm();
-        return;
-    }
-
-    /*
-        TODO https needs to be considered
-    */
-    $link = "http://".$server.'/'.$path;
-
-    updateStatus("StatusNet has been installed at $link");
-    updateStatus(
-        "<strong>DONE!</strong> You can visit your <a href='$link'>new StatusNet site</a> (login as '$adminNick'). If this is your first StatusNet install, you may want to poke around our <a href='http://status.net/wiki/Getting_started'>Getting Started guide</a>."
-    );
-}
-
-function Pgsql_Db_installer($host, $database, $username, $password)
-{
-    $connstring = "dbname=$database host=$host user=$username";
-
-    //No password would mean trust authentication used.
-    if (!empty($password)) {
-        $connstring .= " password=$password";
-    }
-    updateStatus("Starting installation...");
-    updateStatus("Checking database...");
-    $conn = pg_connect($connstring);
-
-    if ($conn ===false) {
-        updateStatus("Failed to connect to database: $connstring");
-        showForm();
-        return false;
     }
 
-    //ensure database encoding is UTF8
-    $record = pg_fetch_object(pg_query($conn, 'SHOW server_encoding'));
-    if ($record->server_encoding != 'UTF8') {
-        updateStatus("StatusNet requires UTF8 character encoding. Your database is ". htmlentities($record->server_encoding));
-        showForm();
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    updateStatus("Running database script...");
-    //wrap in transaction;
-    pg_query($conn, 'BEGIN');
-    $res = runDbScript(INSTALLDIR.'/db/statusnet_pg.sql', $conn, 'pgsql');
-
-    if ($res === false) {
-        updateStatus("Can't run database script.", true);
-        showForm();
-        return false;
-    }
-    foreach (array('sms_carrier' => 'SMS carrier',
-                'notice_source' => 'notice source',
-                'foreign_services' => 'foreign service')
-          as $scr => $name) {
-        updateStatus(sprintf("Adding %s data to database...", $name));
-        $res = runDbScript(INSTALLDIR.'/db/'.$scr.'.sql', $conn, 'pgsql');
-        if ($res === false) {
-            updateStatus(sprintf("Can't run %d script.", $name), true);
-            showForm();
-            return false;
+    /**
+     * Handle a POST submission... if we have valid input, start the install!
+     * Otherwise shows the form along with any error messages.
+     */
+    function handlePost()
+    {
+        echo <<<STR
+        <dl class="system_notice">
+            <dt>Page notice</dt>
+            <dd>
+                <ul>
+STR;
+        $this->validated = $this->prepare();
+        if ($this->validated) {
+            $this->doInstall();
         }
-    }
-    pg_query($conn, 'COMMIT');
-
-    if (empty($password)) {
-        $sqlUrl = "pgsql://$username@$host/$database";
-    } else {
-        $sqlUrl = "pgsql://$username:$password@$host/$database";
-    }
-
-    $db = array('type' => 'pgsql', 'database' => $sqlUrl);
-
-    return $db;
-}
-
-function Mysql_Db_installer($host, $database, $username, $password)
-{
-    updateStatus("Starting installation...");
-    updateStatus("Checking database...");
-
-    $conn = mysql_connect($host, $username, $password);
-    if (!$conn) {
-        updateStatus("Can't connect to server '$host' as '$username'.", true);
-        showForm();
-        return false;
-    }
-    updateStatus("Changing to database...");
-    $res = mysql_select_db($database, $conn);
-    if (!$res) {
-        updateStatus("Can't change to database.", true);
-        showForm();
-        return false;
-    }
-    updateStatus("Running database script...");
-    $res = runDbScript(INSTALLDIR.'/db/statusnet.sql', $conn);
-    if ($res === false) {
-        updateStatus("Can't run database script.", true);
-        showForm();
-        return false;
-    }
-    foreach (array('sms_carrier' => 'SMS carrier',
-                'notice_source' => 'notice source',
-                'foreign_services' => 'foreign service')
-          as $scr => $name) {
-        updateStatus(sprintf("Adding %s data to database...", $name));
-        $res = runDbScript(INSTALLDIR.'/db/'.$scr.'.sql', $conn);
-        if ($res === false) {
-            updateStatus(sprintf("Can't run %d script.", $name), true);
-            showForm();
-            return false;
+        echo <<<STR
+            </ul>
+        </dd>
+    </dl>
+STR;
+        if (!$this->validated) {
+            $this->showForm();
         }
     }
 
-    $sqlUrl = "mysqli://$username:$password@$host/$database";
-    $db = array('type' => 'mysql', 'database' => $sqlUrl);
-    return $db;
-}
-
-function writeConf($sitename, $server, $path, $fancy, $db)
-{
-    // assemble configuration file in a string
-    $cfg =  "<?php\n".
-            "if (!defined('STATUSNET') && !defined('LACONICA')) { exit(1); }\n\n".
-
-            // site name
-            "\$config['site']['name'] = '$sitename';\n\n".
-
-            // site location
-            "\$config['site']['server'] = '$server';\n".
-            "\$config['site']['path'] = '$path'; \n\n".
-
-            // checks if fancy URLs are enabled
-            ($fancy ? "\$config['site']['fancy'] = true;\n\n":'').
-
-            // database
-            "\$config['db']['database'] = '{$db['database']}';\n\n".
-            ($db['type'] == 'pgsql' ? "\$config['db']['quote_identifiers'] = true;\n\n":'').
-            "\$config['db']['type'] = '{$db['type']}';\n\n";
-    // write configuration file out to install directory
-    $res = file_put_contents(INSTALLDIR.'/config.php', $cfg);
-
-    return $res;
-}
-
-/**
- * Install schema into the database
- *
- * @param string $filename location of database schema file
- * @param dbconn $conn     connection to database
- * @param string $type     type of database, currently mysql or pgsql
- *
- * @return boolean - indicating success or failure
- */
-function runDbScript($filename, $conn, $type = 'mysqli')
-{
-    $sql = trim(file_get_contents($filename));
-    $stmts = explode(';', $sql);
-    foreach ($stmts as $stmt) {
-        $stmt = trim($stmt);
-        if (!mb_strlen($stmt)) {
-            continue;
-        }
-        // FIXME: use PEAR::DB or PDO instead of our own switch
-        switch ($type) {
-        case 'mysqli':
-            $res = mysql_query($stmt, $conn);
-            if ($res === false) {
-                $error = mysql_error();
-            }
-            break;
-        case 'pgsql':
-            $res = pg_query($conn, $stmt);
-            if ($res === false) {
-                $error = pg_last_error();
-            }
-            break;
-        default:
-            updateStatus("runDbScript() error: unknown database type ". $type ." provided.");
-        }
-        if ($res === false) {
-            updateStatus("ERROR ($error) for SQL '$stmt'");
-            return $res;
+    /**
+     * Read and validate input data.
+     * May output side effects.
+     * 
+     * @return boolean success
+     */
+    function prepare()
+    {
+        $this->host     = $_POST['host'];
+        $this->dbtype   = $_POST['dbtype'];
+        $this->database = $_POST['database'];
+        $this->username = $_POST['dbusername'];
+        $this->password = $_POST['dbpassword'];
+        $this->sitename = $_POST['sitename'];
+        $this->fancy    = !empty($_POST['fancy']);
+
+        $this->adminNick    = strtolower($_POST['admin_nickname']);
+        $this->adminPass    = $_POST['admin_password'];
+        $adminPass2         = $_POST['admin_password2'];
+        $this->adminEmail   = $_POST['admin_email'];
+        $this->adminUpdates = $_POST['admin_updates'];
+
+        $this->server = $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
+        $this->path = substr(dirname($_SERVER['PHP_SELF']), 1);
+
+        $fail = false;
+        if (!$this->validateDb()) {
+            $fail = true;
         }
-    }
-    return true;
-}
 
-function registerInitialUser($nickname, $password, $email, $adminUpdates)
-{
-    define('STATUSNET', true);
-    define('LACONICA', true); // compatibility
-
-    require_once INSTALLDIR . '/lib/common.php';
-
-    $data = array('nickname' => $nickname,
-                  'password' => $password,
-                  'fullname' => $nickname);
-    if ($email) {
-        $data['email'] = $email;
-    }
-    $user = User::register($data);
-
-    if (empty($user)) {
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    // give initial user carte blanche
-
-    $user->grantRole('owner');
-    $user->grantRole('moderator');
-    $user->grantRole('administrator');
-    
-    // Attempt to do a remote subscribe to update@status.net
-    // Will fail if instance is on a private network.
-
-    if (class_exists('Ostatus_profile') && $adminUpdates) {
-        try {
-            $oprofile = Ostatus_profile::ensureProfileURL('http://update.status.net/');
-            Subscription::start($user->getProfile(), $oprofile->localProfile());
-            updateStatus("Set up subscription to <a href='http://update.status.net/'>update@status.net</a>.");
-        } catch (Exception $e) {
-            updateStatus("Could not set up subscription to <a href='http://update.status.net/'>update@status.net</a>.");
+        if (!$this->validateAdmin()) {
+            $fail = true;
         }
+        
+        if ($this->adminPass != $adminPass2) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Administrator passwords do not match. Did you mistype?", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+        
+        return !$fail;
     }
 
-    return true;
 }
 
 ?>
@@ -945,7 +310,10 @@ PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
                 <div id="content">
                      <div id="content_inner">
                         <h1>Install StatusNet</h1>
-<?php main(); ?>
+<?php 
+$installer = new WebInstaller();
+$installer->main();
+?>
                    </div>
                 </div>
             </div>
diff --git a/lib/installer.php b/lib/installer.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0e46f95c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/installer.php
@@ -0,0 +1,578 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * StatusNet - the distributed open-source microblogging tool
+ * Copyright (C) 2009, StatusNet, Inc.
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ * @category Installation
+ * @package  Installation
+ *
+ * @author   Adrian Lang <mail@adrianlang.de>
+ * @author   Brenda Wallace <shiny@cpan.org>
+ * @author   Brett Taylor <brett@webfroot.co.nz>
+ * @author   Brion Vibber <brion@pobox.com>
+ * @author   CiaranG <ciaran@ciarang.com>
+ * @author   Craig Andrews <candrews@integralblue.com>
+ * @author   Eric Helgeson <helfire@Erics-MBP.local>
+ * @author   Evan Prodromou <evan@status.net>
+ * @author   Robin Millette <millette@controlyourself.ca>
+ * @author   Sarven Capadisli <csarven@status.net>
+ * @author   Tom Adams <tom@holizz.com>
+ * @author   Zach Copley <zach@status.net>
+ * @license  GNU Affero General Public License http://www.gnu.org/licenses/
+ * @version  0.9.x
+ * @link     http://status.net
+ */
+
+abstract class Installer
+{
+    /** Web site info */
+    public $sitename, $server, $path, $fancy;
+    /** DB info */
+    public $host, $dbname, $dbtype, $username, $password, $db;
+    /** Administrator info */
+    public $adminNick, $adminPass, $adminEmail, $adminUpdates;
+    /** Should we skip writing the configuration file? */
+    public $skipConfig = false;
+
+    public static $dbModules = array(
+        'mysql' => array(
+            'name' => 'MySQL',
+            'check_module' => 'mysql', // mysqli?
+            'installer' => 'mysql_db_installer',
+        ),
+        'pgsql' => array(
+            'name' => 'PostgreSQL',
+            'check_module' => 'pgsql',
+            'installer' => 'pgsql_db_installer',
+        ),
+    );
+
+    /**
+     * Attempt to include a PHP file and report if it worked, while
+     * suppressing the annoying warning messages on failure.
+     */
+    private function haveIncludeFile($filename) {
+        $old = error_reporting(error_reporting() & ~E_WARNING);
+        $ok = include_once($filename);
+        error_reporting($old);
+        return $ok;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Check if all is ready for installation
+     *
+     * @return void
+     */
+    function checkPrereqs()
+    {
+        $pass = true;
+
+        if (file_exists(INSTALLDIR.'/config.php')) {
+            $this->warning('Config file "config.php" already exists.');
+            $pass = false;
+        }
+
+        if (version_compare(PHP_VERSION, '5.2.3', '<')) {
+            $errors[] = 'Require PHP version 5.2.3 or greater.';
+            $pass = false;
+        }
+
+        // Look for known library bugs
+        $str = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
+        $replaced = preg_replace('/[\p{Cc}\p{Cs}]/u', '*', $str);
+        if ($str != $replaced) {
+            $this->warning('PHP is linked to a version of the PCRE library ' .
+                           'that does not support Unicode properties. ' .
+                           'If you are running Red Hat Enterprise Linux / ' .
+                           'CentOS 5.4 or earlier, see <a href="' .
+                           'http://status.net/wiki/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux#PCRE_library' .
+                           '">our documentation page</a> on fixing this.');
+            $pass = false;
+        }
+
+        $reqs = array('gd', 'curl',
+                      'xmlwriter', 'mbstring', 'xml', 'dom', 'simplexml');
+
+        foreach ($reqs as $req) {
+            if (!$this->checkExtension($req)) {
+                $this->warning(sprintf('Cannot load required extension: <code>%s</code>', $req));
+                $pass = false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Make sure we have at least one database module available
+        $missingExtensions = array();
+        foreach (self::$dbModules as $type => $info) {
+            if (!$this->checkExtension($info['check_module'])) {
+                $missingExtensions[] = $info['check_module'];
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (count($missingExtensions) == count(self::$dbModules)) {
+            $req = implode(', ', $missingExtensions);
+            $this->warning(sprintf('Cannot find a database extension. You need at least one of %s.', $req));
+            $pass = false;
+        }
+
+        if (!is_writable(INSTALLDIR)) {
+            $this->warning(sprintf('Cannot write config file to: <code>%s</code></p>', INSTALLDIR),
+                           sprintf('On your server, try this command: <code>chmod a+w %s</code>', INSTALLDIR));
+            $pass = false;
+        }
+
+        // Check the subdirs used for file uploads
+        $fileSubdirs = array('avatar', 'background', 'file');
+        foreach ($fileSubdirs as $fileSubdir) {
+            $fileFullPath = INSTALLDIR."/$fileSubdir/";
+            if (!is_writable($fileFullPath)) {
+                $this->warning(sprintf('Cannot write to %s directory: <code>%s</code>', $fileSubdir, $fileFullPath),
+                               sprintf('On your server, try this command: <code>chmod a+w %s</code>', $fileFullPath));
+                $pass = false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $pass;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks if a php extension is both installed and loaded
+     *
+     * @param string $name of extension to check
+     *
+     * @return boolean whether extension is installed and loaded
+     */
+    function checkExtension($name)
+    {
+        if (extension_loaded($name)) {
+            return true;
+        } elseif (function_exists('dl') && ini_get('enable_dl') && !ini_get('safe_mode')) {
+            // dl will throw a fatal error if it's disabled or we're in safe mode.
+            // More fun, it may not even exist under some SAPIs in 5.3.0 or later...
+            $soname = $name . '.' . PHP_SHLIB_SUFFIX;
+            if (PHP_SHLIB_SUFFIX == 'dll') {
+                $soname = "php_" . $soname;
+            }
+            return @dl($soname);
+        } else {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Basic validation on the database paramters
+     * Side effects: error output if not valid
+     * 
+     * @return boolean success
+     */
+    function validateDb()
+    {
+        $fail = false;
+
+        if (empty($this->host)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("No hostname specified.", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        if (empty($this->database)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("No database specified.", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        if (empty($this->username)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("No username specified.", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        if (empty($this->sitename)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("No sitename specified.", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        return !$fail;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Basic validation on the administrator user paramters
+     * Side effects: error output if not valid
+     * 
+     * @return boolean success
+     */
+    function validateAdmin()
+    {
+        $fail = false;
+
+        if (empty($this->adminNick)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("No initial StatusNet user nickname specified.", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+        if ($this->adminNick && !preg_match('/^[0-9a-z]{1,64}$/', $this->adminNick)) {
+            $this->updateStatus('The user nickname "' . htmlspecialchars($this->adminNick) .
+                         '" is invalid; should be plain letters and numbers no longer than 64 characters.', true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+        // @fixme hardcoded list; should use User::allowed_nickname()
+        // if/when it's safe to have loaded the infrastructure here
+        $blacklist = array('main', 'admin', 'twitter', 'settings', 'rsd.xml', 'favorited', 'featured', 'favoritedrss', 'featuredrss', 'rss', 'getfile', 'api', 'groups', 'group', 'peopletag', 'tag', 'user', 'message', 'conversation', 'bookmarklet', 'notice', 'attachment', 'search', 'index.php', 'doc', 'opensearch', 'robots.txt', 'xd_receiver.html', 'facebook');
+        if (in_array($this->adminNick, $blacklist)) {
+            $this->updateStatus('The user nickname "' . htmlspecialchars($this->adminNick) .
+                         '" is reserved.', true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        if (empty($this->adminPass)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("No initial StatusNet user password specified.", true);
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        return !$fail;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set up the database with the appropriate function for the selected type...
+     * Saves database info into $this->db.
+     * 
+     * @return mixed array of database connection params on success, false on failure
+     */
+    function setupDatabase()
+    {
+        if ($this->db) {
+            throw new Exception("Bad order of operations: DB already set up.");
+        }
+        $method = self::$dbModules[$this->dbtype]['installer'];
+        $db = call_user_func(array($this, $method),
+                             $this->host,
+                             $this->database,
+                             $this->username,
+                             $this->password);
+        $this->db = $db;
+        return $this->db;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set up a database on PostgreSQL.
+     * Will output status updates during the operation.
+     * 
+     * @param string $host
+     * @param string $database
+     * @param string $username
+     * @param string $password
+     * @return mixed array of database connection params on success, false on failure
+     * 
+     * @fixme escape things in the connection string in case we have a funny pass etc
+     */
+    function Pgsql_Db_installer($host, $database, $username, $password)
+    {
+        $connstring = "dbname=$database host=$host user=$username";
+
+        //No password would mean trust authentication used.
+        if (!empty($password)) {
+            $connstring .= " password=$password";
+        }
+        $this->updateStatus("Starting installation...");
+        $this->updateStatus("Checking database...");
+        $conn = pg_connect($connstring);
+
+        if ($conn ===false) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Failed to connect to database: $connstring");
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        //ensure database encoding is UTF8
+        $record = pg_fetch_object(pg_query($conn, 'SHOW server_encoding'));
+        if ($record->server_encoding != 'UTF8') {
+            $this->updateStatus("StatusNet requires UTF8 character encoding. Your database is ". htmlentities($record->server_encoding));
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        $this->updateStatus("Running database script...");
+        //wrap in transaction;
+        pg_query($conn, 'BEGIN');
+        $res = $this->runDbScript('statusnet_pg.sql', $conn, 'pgsql');
+
+        if ($res === false) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Can't run database script.", true);
+            return false;
+        }
+        foreach (array('sms_carrier' => 'SMS carrier',
+                    'notice_source' => 'notice source',
+                    'foreign_services' => 'foreign service')
+              as $scr => $name) {
+            $this->updateStatus(sprintf("Adding %s data to database...", $name));
+            $res = $this->runDbScript($scr.'.sql', $conn, 'pgsql');
+            if ($res === false) {
+                $this->updateStatus(sprintf("Can't run %d script.", $name), true);
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+        pg_query($conn, 'COMMIT');
+
+        if (empty($password)) {
+            $sqlUrl = "pgsql://$username@$host/$database";
+        } else {
+            $sqlUrl = "pgsql://$username:$password@$host/$database";
+        }
+
+        $db = array('type' => 'pgsql', 'database' => $sqlUrl);
+
+        return $db;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set up a database on MySQL.
+     * Will output status updates during the operation.
+     * 
+     * @param string $host
+     * @param string $database
+     * @param string $username
+     * @param string $password
+     * @return mixed array of database connection params on success, false on failure
+     * 
+     * @fixme be consistent about using mysqli vs mysql!
+     * @fixme escape things in the connection string in case we have a funny pass etc
+     */
+    function Mysql_Db_installer($host, $database, $username, $password)
+    {
+        $this->updateStatus("Starting installation...");
+        $this->updateStatus("Checking database...");
+
+        $conn = mysql_connect($host, $username, $password);
+        if (!$conn) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Can't connect to server '$host' as '$username'.", true);
+            return false;
+        }
+        $this->updateStatus("Changing to database...");
+        $res = mysql_select_db($database, $conn);
+        if (!$res) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Can't change to database.", true);
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        $this->updateStatus("Running database script...");
+        $res = $this->runDbScript('statusnet.sql', $conn);
+        if ($res === false) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Can't run database script.", true);
+            return false;
+        }
+        foreach (array('sms_carrier' => 'SMS carrier',
+                    'notice_source' => 'notice source',
+                    'foreign_services' => 'foreign service')
+              as $scr => $name) {
+            $this->updateStatus(sprintf("Adding %s data to database...", $name));
+            $res = $this->runDbScript($scr.'.sql', $conn);
+            if ($res === false) {
+                $this->updateStatus(sprintf("Can't run %d script.", $name), true);
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        $sqlUrl = "mysqli://$username:$password@$host/$database";
+        $db = array('type' => 'mysql', 'database' => $sqlUrl);
+        return $db;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Write a stock configuration file.
+     *
+     * @return boolean success
+     * 
+     * @fixme escape variables in output in case we have funny chars, apostrophes etc
+     */
+    function writeConf()
+    {
+        // assemble configuration file in a string
+        $cfg =  "<?php\n".
+                "if (!defined('STATUSNET') && !defined('LACONICA')) { exit(1); }\n\n".
+
+                // site name
+                "\$config['site']['name'] = '{$this->sitename}';\n\n".
+
+                // site location
+                "\$config['site']['server'] = '{$this->server}';\n".
+                "\$config['site']['path'] = '{$this->path}'; \n\n".
+
+                // checks if fancy URLs are enabled
+                ($this->fancy ? "\$config['site']['fancy'] = true;\n\n":'').
+
+                // database
+                "\$config['db']['database'] = '{$this->db['database']}';\n\n".
+                ($this->db['type'] == 'pgsql' ? "\$config['db']['quote_identifiers'] = true;\n\n":'').
+                "\$config['db']['type'] = '{$this->db['type']}';\n\n";
+        // write configuration file out to install directory
+        $res = file_put_contents(INSTALLDIR.'/config.php', $cfg);
+
+        return $res;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Install schema into the database
+     *
+     * @param string $filename location of database schema file
+     * @param dbconn $conn     connection to database
+     * @param string $type     type of database, currently mysql or pgsql
+     *
+     * @return boolean - indicating success or failure
+     */
+    function runDbScript($filename, $conn, $type = 'mysqli')
+    {
+        $sql = trim(file_get_contents(INSTALLDIR . '/db/' . $filename));
+        $stmts = explode(';', $sql);
+        foreach ($stmts as $stmt) {
+            $stmt = trim($stmt);
+            if (!mb_strlen($stmt)) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            // FIXME: use PEAR::DB or PDO instead of our own switch
+            switch ($type) {
+            case 'mysqli':
+                $res = mysql_query($stmt, $conn);
+                if ($res === false) {
+                    $error = mysql_error();
+                }
+                break;
+            case 'pgsql':
+                $res = pg_query($conn, $stmt);
+                if ($res === false) {
+                    $error = pg_last_error();
+                }
+                break;
+            default:
+                $this->updateStatus("runDbScript() error: unknown database type ". $type ." provided.");
+            }
+            if ($res === false) {
+                $this->updateStatus("ERROR ($error) for SQL '$stmt'");
+                return $res;
+            }
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create the initial admin user account.
+     * Side effect: may load portions of StatusNet framework.
+     * Side effect: outputs program info
+     */
+    function registerInitialUser()
+    {
+        define('STATUSNET', true);
+        define('LACONICA', true); // compatibility
+
+        require_once INSTALLDIR . '/lib/common.php';
+
+        $data = array('nickname' => $this->adminNick,
+                      'password' => $this->adminPass,
+                      'fullname' => $this->adminNick);
+        if ($this->adminEmail) {
+            $data['email'] = $this->adminEmail;
+        }
+        $user = User::register($data);
+
+        if (empty($user)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        // give initial user carte blanche
+
+        $user->grantRole('owner');
+        $user->grantRole('moderator');
+        $user->grantRole('administrator');
+        
+        // Attempt to do a remote subscribe to update@status.net
+        // Will fail if instance is on a private network.
+
+        if ($this->adminUpdates && class_exists('Ostatus_profile')) {
+            try {
+                $oprofile = Ostatus_profile::ensureProfileURL('http://update.status.net/');
+                Subscription::start($user->getProfile(), $oprofile->localProfile());
+                $this->updateStatus("Set up subscription to <a href='http://update.status.net/'>update@status.net</a>.");
+            } catch (Exception $e) {
+                $this->updateStatus("Could not set up subscription to <a href='http://update.status.net/'>update@status.net</a>.", true);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The beef of the installer!
+     * Create database, config file, and admin user.
+     * 
+     * Prerequisites: validation of input data.
+     * 
+     * @return boolean success
+     */
+    function doInstall()
+    {
+        $this->db = $this->setupDatabase();
+
+        if (!$this->db) {
+            // database connection failed, do not move on to create config file.
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if (!$this->skipConfig) {
+            $this->updateStatus("Writing config file...");
+            $res = $this->writeConf();
+
+            if (!$res) {
+                $this->updateStatus("Can't write config file.", true);
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!empty($this->adminNick)) {
+            // Okay, cross fingers and try to register an initial user
+            if ($this->registerInitialUser()) {
+                $this->updateStatus(
+                    "An initial user with the administrator role has been created."
+                );
+            } else {
+                $this->updateStatus(
+                    "Could not create initial StatusNet user (administrator).",
+                    true
+                );
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        /*
+            TODO https needs to be considered
+        */
+        $link = "http://".$this->server.'/'.$this->path;
+
+        $this->updateStatus("StatusNet has been installed at $link");
+        $this->updateStatus(
+            "<strong>DONE!</strong> You can visit your <a href='$link'>new StatusNet site</a> (login as '$this->adminNick'). If this is your first StatusNet install, you may want to poke around our <a href='http://status.net/wiki/Getting_started'>Getting Started guide</a>."
+        );
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Output a pre-install-time warning message
+     * @param string $message HTML ok, but should be plaintext-able
+     * @param string $submessage HTML ok, but should be plaintext-able
+     */
+    abstract function warning($message, $submessage='');
+
+    /**
+     * Output an install-time progress message
+     * @param string $message HTML ok, but should be plaintext-able
+     * @param boolean $error true if this should be marked as an error condition
+     */
+    abstract function updateStatus($status, $error=false);
+
+}
diff --git a/scripts/install_cli.php b/scripts/install_cli.php
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..61fbe18ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/install_cli.php
@@ -0,0 +1,217 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env php
+<?php
+/**
+ * StatusNet - the distributed open-source microblogging tool
+ * Copyright (C) 2010, StatusNet, Inc.
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ * @category Installation
+ * @package  Installation
+ *
+ * @author   Brion Vibber <brion@status.net>
+ * @license  GNU Affero General Public License http://www.gnu.org/licenses/
+ * @version  0.9.x
+ * @link     http://status.net
+ */
+
+if (php_sapi_name() !== 'cli') {
+    exit(1);
+}
+
+define('INSTALLDIR', dirname(dirname(__FILE__)));
+set_include_path(get_include_path() . PATH_SEPARATOR . INSTALLDIR . '/extlib');
+
+require_once INSTALLDIR . '/lib/installer.php';
+require_once 'Console/Getopt.php';
+
+class CliInstaller extends Installer
+{
+    public $verbose = true;
+
+    /**
+     * Go for it!
+     * @return boolean success
+     */
+    function main()
+    {
+        if (!$this->checkPrereqs()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        if ($this->prepare()) {
+            return $this->handle();
+       } else {
+            $this->showHelp();
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get our input parameters...
+     * @return boolean success
+     */
+    function prepare()
+    {
+        $shortoptions = 'qvh';
+        $longoptions = array('quiet', 'verbose', 'help', 'skip-config');
+        $map = array(
+            '-s'         => 'server',
+            '--server'   => 'server',
+            '-p'         => 'path',
+            '--path'     => 'path',
+            '--sitename' => 'sitename',
+            '--fancy'    => 'fancy',
+
+            '--dbtype'   => 'dbtype',
+            '--host'     => 'host',
+            '--database' => 'database',
+            '--username' => 'username',
+            '--password' => 'password',
+
+            '--admin-nick' => 'adminNick',
+            '--admin-pass' => 'adminPass',
+            '--admin-email' => 'adminEmail',
+            '--admin-updates' => 'adminUpdates'
+        );
+        foreach ($map as $arg => $target) {
+            if (substr($arg, 0, 2) == '--') {
+                $longoptions[] = substr($arg, 2) . '=';
+            } else {
+                $shortoptions .= substr($arg, 1) . ':';
+            }
+        }
+
+        $parser = new Console_Getopt();
+        $result = $parser->getopt($_SERVER['argv'], $shortoptions, $longoptions);
+        if (PEAR::isError($result)) {
+            $this->warning($result->getMessage());
+            return false;
+        }
+        list($options, $args) = $result;
+
+        // defaults
+        $this->dbtype = 'mysql';
+        $this->adminUpdates = true;
+        $this->verbose = true;
+
+        foreach ($options as $option) {
+            $arg = $option[0];
+            if (isset($map[$arg])) {
+                $var = $map[$arg];
+                $this->$var = $option[1];
+                if ($var == 'adminUpdates' || $arg == '--fancy') {
+                    $this->$var = ($option[1] != 'false') && ($option[1] != 'no');
+                }
+            } else if ($arg == '--skip-config') {
+                $this->skipConfig = true;
+            } else if ($arg == 'q' || $arg == '--quiet') {
+                $this->verbose = false;
+            } else if ($arg == 'v' || $arg == '--verbose') {
+                $this->verbose = true;
+            } else if ($arg == 'h' || $arg == '--help') {
+                // will go back to show help
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        $fail = false;
+        if (empty($this->server)) {
+            $this->updateStatus("You must specify a web server for the site.", true);
+            // path is optional though
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        if (!$this->validateDb()) {
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        if (!$this->validateAdmin()) {
+            $fail = true;
+        }
+
+        return !$fail;
+    }
+
+    function handle()
+    {
+        return $this->doInstall();
+    }
+
+    function showHelp()
+    {
+        echo <<<END_HELP
+install_cli.php - StatusNet command-line installer
+
+    -s --server=<name>   Use <name> as server name (required)
+    -p --path=<path>     Use <path> as path name
+       --sitename        User-friendly site name (required)
+       --fancy           Whether to use fancy URLs (default no)
+
+       --dbtype          'mysql' (default) or 'pgsql'
+       --host            Database hostname (required)
+       --database        Database/schema name (required)
+       --username        Database username (required)
+       --password        Database password (required)
+
+       --admin-nick      Administrator nickname (required)
+       --admin-pass      Initial password for admin user (required)
+       --admin-email     Initial email address for admin user
+       --admin-updates   'yes' (default) or 'no', whether to subscribe
+                         admin to update@status.net (default yes)
+       
+       --skip-config     Don't write a config.php -- use with caution,
+                         requires a global configuration file.
+
+      General options:
+
+    -q --quiet           Quiet (little output)
+    -v --verbose         Verbose (lots of output)
+    -h --help            Show this message and quit.
+
+END_HELP;
+    }
+
+    function warning($message, $submessage='')
+    {
+        print $this->html2text($message) . "\n";
+        if ($submessage != '') {
+            print "  " . $this->html2text($submessage) . "\n";
+        }
+        print "\n";
+    }
+
+    function updateStatus($status, $error=false)
+    {
+        if ($this->verbose || $error) {
+            if ($error) {
+                print "ERROR: ";
+            }
+            print $this->html2text($status);
+            print "\n";
+        }
+    }
+
+    private function html2text($html)
+    {
+        // break out any links for text legibility
+        $breakout = preg_replace('/<a[^>+]\bhref="(.*)"[^>]*>(.*)<\/a>/',
+                                 '\2 &lt;\1&gt;',
+                                 $html);
+        return html_entity_decode(strip_tags($breakout));
+    }
+}
+
+$installer = new CliInstaller();
+$ok = $installer->main();
+exit($ok ? 0 : 1);