
                     ionCube PHP Encoder 8.3
                     -----------------------

Thank you for installing this version of the ionCube PHP Encoder.

Please take a moment to review the information here before exploring the
product further.

Product Layout
==============

The product directory is structured as follows:

README.txt              - This file!

ioncube_encoder         - The PHP Encoder for PHP 4 based scripts.

ioncube_encoder5        - The PHP Encoder for PHP 4 and 5 based scripts.
                          PHP 5.0.3 or newer is required to run files from
                          this Encoder.

ioncube_encoder53       - The PHP Encoder for PHP 4, 5 and 5.3 based scripts.
                          PHP 5.3 or newer is required to run files from this
                          Encoder.
 
ioncube_encoder54       - The PHP Encoder for PHP 4, 5, 5.3 and 5.4 based scripts.
                          PHP 5.4 or newer is required to run files from this
                          Encoder.
 
ioncube_encoder55       - The PHP Encoder for PHP 4, 5, 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5 based scripts.
                          PHP 5.5 or newer is required to run files from this
                          Encoder.

make_license            - Program to create license files for your PHP scripts
                          if required.

docs/                   - Documentation. 

docs/LICENSE.txt        - Your End User License Agreement.

docs/LICENSE-HOWTO.txt  - Instructions for how to license the software.

docs/README-COMPAT.txt  - Information on program compatibility with different
                          FreeBSD versions (FreeBSD version only).

docs/RELEASE-NOTES.txt  - Information about changes in this release.

docs/USER-GUIDE.pdf     - The detailed user guide. Recommended reading, with
                          full details of how to get started.

loader-wizard/          - The ionCube Loader Wizard script for assisting with
                          installing the ionCube Loader on a target server
                          (required for running encoded files). 

loader-wizard/loader-wizard.php
                        - The Loader Wizard script. Note that a more recent
                          version may be available from:

                            http://www.ioncube.com/lw

                          On most servers, the Wizard will automatically
                          detect and indicate if a new version is available.

loader-wizard/README.txt
                        - Wizard documentation.

** PLUS ** earlier edition Encoders!

So that you can encode files to work with older Loaders (the runtime component)
we have provided older versions of the Encoder too.

The previous release (7.0) Encoders can be used for producing encoded files
that work with version 4.0 or greater of the ionCube Loader.
			  
The Encoder from two major releases ago (6.5) can be used for producing
encoded files that work with version 3.1 or greater of the ionCube Loader.

The Encoder version is added to the filename. e.g. ioncube_encoder53_7.0
is the version 7.0 Encoder for PHP 5.3. 

REMEMBER that the programs with no version number are the latest ones.


Using Encoded Files - the ionCube Loader
========================================

A free component called the ionCube Loader is provided to process encoded
files. Loaders are available for many platforms, and with ionCube technology a
widely used industry standard, many hosting servers have the Loader component
installed by default. Where it is not pre-installed then depending on the 
web server configuration, a user can either easily install it themselves, or
otherwise server administrators / hosting providers would usually do this
if required.

Two tools are provided to assist with Loader installation from 
http://loaders.ioncube.com. A Windows program called the Loader Installer is 
recommended, which can deploy a Loader to a remote server using FTP or sFTP
and make the necessary changes to a php.ini file. An alternative is a PHP script
called the Loader Wizard. The Wizard will indicate which Loader package and file
are required to be installed, and advise on the PHP configuration changes.

Loaders can be downloaded from http://loaders.ioncube.com

To get a Loader setup for yourself, use the Loader Installer or simply install
the Loader Wizard script (loader-wizard.php) onto a target web server, 
point your browser to the script and follow the instructions. 


What Next?
==========

The User Guide PDF will guide you gently into the product with some simple
examples, and then covers all the available Encoder options in detail.
Other topics such as license file creation and an API in the Loader are
also covered in later chapters. For a quick reminder when using the Encoder,
running it with the --help option will give a summary of all available options.

We hope you enjoy using the product, and we can be contacted via our 
Support Helpdesk if you need assistance at http://support.ioncube.com

Copyright (c) 2002-2014 ionCube Software LLP
