Setting up a proper PHP development environment on Debian 6
 

OK, I tried to work this for about a week now. I give up.

I'm moving from a .NET/Windows environment to a PHP/Linux environment, part of it being I have to for work but another part is because I want to.

Setting up a full fledged environment on Linux is not as easy or as hard as it seems and I'm not a total newbie to *nix.

I did the following:

0. Installed Debian Squeeze (6) in LAMP/LAPP formation
1. Downloaded Eclipse Helios (with PDT)
2. Updated

Now, for the life of me I cannot get the debuggers to work, either as Zend or xdebug.

I can't find a way to setup the debuggers and I have such a headache from banging my head against the desk trying to get this to work.

Zend is reportedly broken (as in their link chain on their PDT downloads). I've read that there isn't a specific reason to go with Zend and that xdebug is just as good.

Can someone tell me, or point me to a simple step by step tutorial of how to setup the a proper PHP development stack on linux? Debian/Ubuntu specific would be VERY nice.

I appreciate this more than you can imagine, heck if I meet you, I'll buy you a beer!