title: How to install symfony on PHP 5.2.8 with no phar support (Composer dependency)?
body: <p>I have been attempting to install symfony on my website however I have had little success as it depends on composer.</p>
  
  <p>To install: </p>
  
  <pre><code>php -r "eval('?&gt;'.file_get_contents('https://getcomposer.org/installer'));"
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>When I attempted the install (all install options appear to require phar support) I got this output:</p>
  
  <pre>
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  Warning: Unexpected character in input:  '\' (ASCII=92) state=1 in Command line code(1) : eval()'d code on line 378
  #!/usr/bin/env php
  Some settings on your machine make Composer unable to work properly.
  Make sure that you fix the issues listed below and run this script again:
  
  The phar extension is missing.
  Install it or recompile php without --disable-phar
  
  Your PHP (5.2.8) is too old, you must upgrade to PHP 5.3.2 or higher.
  -----------------------------------------------------------
  </pre>
  
  <p>I do not have privileges to install a different version of php as I am using a paid webhost that is somewhat restrictive. What are my options? </p>