eclipse pdt php plugin failure

I spent this afternoon trying to get the Eclipse PDT plugin to install and work in Eclipse 3.4 . I have never been able to get the PDT plugin to work on the first try since the PDT project was started. There has always been some fumbling and bumbling on my part trying to follow their terrible directions and having no luck. This is, of course, followed by some magical event that suddenly makes PDT work great until I run in to a silly bug.