PHP5 compiled without readline, therefore php -a (interactive mode) doesn't work

[Cysioland]

1) Release:
Linux Mint 16 Petra, using Ubuntu Saucy repos, therefore reporting here
2) Version of:
php5:
  Zainstalowana /installed/: (brak)
  Kandydująca /candidate/: 5.5.3+dfsg-1ubuntu2.1
  Tabela wersji /version table/:
     5.5.3+dfsg-1ubuntu2.1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy-updates/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy-security/main amd64 Packages
     5.5.3+dfsg-1ubuntu2 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ saucy/main amd64 Packages
3) Expecting:
php -a will execute every PHP command after tapping [RETURN]
4) What happens instead:
php -a works exactly like php without any parameters, executing things after Ctrl+D

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

Based on this changelog entry in Debian:

php5 (5.5.2+dfsg-1) unstable; urgency=low

  * New upstream version 5.5.2+dfsg
  * Update and refresh patches for 5.5.2 release
  * Add handling for mpm_itk to libapache2-mod-php5{,filter}
    (Closes: #720278)
  * Add php5-readline to php5-cli Recommends to hint that it's needed
    for functional php -a

 -- Ondřej Surý <email address hidden> Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:17:24 +0200

Have you tried installing php5-readline?

Please answer and change the bug status back to New or Invalid as appropriate.