With a ./configure (php) what is the difference between --disable-[name] and --without-[name]?

Question

I want to avoid compiling php with fileinfo, ereg, and parch. What is the difference between --disable and --without with configure?

Answer 1

According to the manual of Autoconf, and, more specifically, the two following sections :

• 15.2 Working With External Software
• and 15.3 Choosing Package Options

--with should be used if a package requires, or can optionally use, other software that is already installed.

And --enable should be used if a package provides some feature, without depending on any other external software.

Basically, I suppose it means that --with should be used for extensions that depend on another external library ; and that --enable should be used in the other situations.

After that, I'd say that --disable and --without are just the negative form of those two.