Sorry for the intrusion, but...

 if (!ADD_EXTENSION_DEP('simplexml', 'spl', true)) {
  MESSAGE("\tSPL support in simplexml disabled");
 }

This is one example of how ADD_EXTENSION_DEP() was never intended to be 
used, and there are several of them in PHP_5_3 branch at present.

ADD_EXTENSION_DEP() will return error messages all by itself when the 
occasion demands it, for a start.

Can I fix inappropriate usage, or will fixing mean treading on peoples' 
toes?

- Steph

ps Update on the generated .dsp stuff if anyone's interested: everything now 
*builds* on my box excepting SAPI dlls, which I haven't looked at yet. Also, 
the welcome discovery that it's possible to convert VC6 project files all 
the way up to VC9 (and beyond?) from the cmdline means this exercise might 
not be a complete waste of time after all ;)