function _readConfigDataFrom($file)
    {
        $fp = false;
        if (file_exists($file)) {
            $fp = @fopen($file, "r");
        }

        if (!$fp) {
            return $this->raiseError("PEAR_Config::readConfigFile fopen('$file','r') failed");
        }

        $size = filesize($file);
        $rt = get_magic_quotes_runtime();
        set_magic_quotes_runtime(0);
        fclose($fp);
        $contents = file_get_contents($file);
        if (empty($contents)) {
            return $this->raiseError('Configuration file "' . $file . '" is empty');
        }

        set_magic_quotes_runtime($rt);

        $version = false;
        if (preg_match('/^#PEAR_Config\s+(\S+)\s+/si', $contents, $matches)) {
            $version = $matches[1];
            $contents = substr($contents, strlen($matches[0]));
        } else {
            // Museum config file
            if (substr($contents,0,2) == 'a:') {
                $version = '0.1';
            }
        }

        if ($version && version_compare("$version", '1', '<')) {
            // no '@', it is possible that unserialize
            // raises a notice but it seems to block IO to
            // STDOUT if a '@' is used and a notice is raise
            $data = unserialize($contents);

            if (!is_array($data) && !$data) {
                if ($contents == serialize(false)) {
                    $data = array();
                } else {
                    $err = $this->raiseError("PEAR_Config: bad data in $file");
                    return $err;
                }
            }
            if (!is_array($data)) {
                if (strlen(trim($contents)) > 0) {
                    $error = "PEAR_Config: bad data in $file";
                    $err = $this->raiseError($error);
                    return $err;
                }

                $data = array();
            }
        // add parsing of newer formats here...
        } else {
            $err = $this->raiseError("$file: unknown version `$version'");
            return $err;
        }

        return $data;
    }