howto plan migration to joomla?

Hello. I know that the question might have a technical answer similar to what was described here:
http://discussion.dreamhost.com/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=3rdparty&Number=59237&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&part=

but I am fishing for specific experiences related to what I am trying to do. I am currently running a site at foo.bar.org. I want to start running Joomla on this site, but there are some apps installed below the root level that need to stay in their location. Would this plan actually work.

1. Install joomla at joomla.bar.org
2. copy over content/scripts from their subdirectories on the old server space
3. mv /home/foo.bar.org to something else and mv /home/joomla.bar.org to /home/foo.bar.org

My question is, how much of joomla would break by moving the home directory. The other scripts have some paths hard coded into them and I figure that keeping them on the same path would be a good idea, but if moving the directory would kill joomla then I will go back and look at what it would take to migrate the hard-coded scripts and then just have the subdomain point to the joomla.bar.org directory.

Am I making any sense? Thanks in advance.

--chris

I just noticed this while reading the forum to decide whether or not to switch to Dreamhost as my hosting provider, and I noticed your question.

I am a web designer and I use Joomla pretty extensively for many of my sites because my clients are decidedly not web-savvy and it helps them feel a little more in control of their content. So I felt the need to stop and answer your question since I know the answer.

The path to Joomla is only found in one file, configuration.php . Joomla.org's forums have more information on migrating from one directory or one host to another, but if you're doing it on the same server, same domain... you should have no trouble telling Joomla where its new home is.

Here's the code in Joomla's config file that tells it where its home is:
$mosConfig_absolute_path = '/home/bar/foo/public_html';
$mosConfig_live_site = 'http://www.foo.bar.org';

you would just change, I think, to:
$mosConfig_absolute_path = '/home/bar/joomla/public_html';
$mosConfig_live_site = 'http://www.joomla.bar.org';

I think that answers your question. I have only changed directories so far, not subdomains.

If you have trouble or you don't think you want to try, there is an extension at Joomla.org that has a commercial license that will allow you to copy an entire joomla site as a backup and then place it anywhere new that you want... even on a new host, etc. It's under $100, I think it's $35-50, not sure.

Good luck.