Videolamer Search Project Redux: Install Wordpress

Task: Install a local copy of Wordpress
Estimated Pomodoros: 1
Actual Pomodoros: 2

Pre-Goal Thoughts
Wordpress claims to have a five minute installation process.  While I don't think it takes that little amount of time, it is pretty damn fast, if memory serves.

Last time I tried this,  I used a MAMP instance for installation.  I still have MAMP, but I might just try using the local version of Apache provided by OS X, along with the MySQL server I compiled from source a few months back.  Or maybe use the MySQL instance in MAMP, and the local Apache?

Post-Goal Thoughts
I decided to use MAMP, as I remembered that Wordpress requires PHP.  I still ended up wasting time during my first Pomodoro.  Let me count the ways....

1. First, I tried using the client program from my source installation of MySQL to connect to MAMP's instance. 
2. Then decided I'd just delete my source install (I didn't like where I had originally installed it, I guess?).  
3. I fiddled with the ports that MAMP uses for Apache and MySQL, before reverting them back to their original states.  
4. Once I began the wordpress install in earnest, I started using PHPMyAdmin to create the database and user it required.  Then I decided to ditch that and find a way to use the command line client.

Once I finally got MAMP's command line MySQL client working, I started making real progress. By the end of the first Pomodoro, I had the DB and user set up.

The second Pomodoro began with me trying to create a virtual host in Apache to point to my wordpress folder. I like keeping all of my programming related material in a specific folder, as it makes it easier to keep track of everything.  A nice virtual host pointing to wordpress would eliminate the need to copy files into MAMP's htdocs folder.  All in all, this task took up too much time, and failed to work.  I didn't go looking into the cause, as I decided it would be easier for the time being to create a symlink in htdocs that pointed to Wordpress.  I'll add a note somewhere to remind myself to clean that out when I'm done (if I'm going to use MAMP, I'd like to keep it as clean as possible, so I don't come back another day and wonder what the hell all these files are, and what I did to the configuration.

My only other small hiccup had to do with database privs.  I typed them in wrong, so Wordpress couldn't install.  With a simple fix, I had it up and running just before the end of the first Pomodoro.

Lessons Learned
This goal took me twice as long as I expected. I may have to adjust my estimation of future goals accordingly.  This may be difficult, since these tasks have less and less concrete steps that I can identify (and far more potential hurdles).