php short tags

Im running cent x64 2gigs ram

php.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-cli.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-common.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-gd.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-imap.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-mbstring.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-mysql.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-odbc.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-pdo.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-pear.noarch 1:1.9.4-4.el6 @base php-pgsql.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-snmp.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates php-xmlrpc.x86_64 5.3.3-3.el6_2.6 @updates wbm-php-pear.noarch 2:1.5-1 @virtualmin-universal

Ive got a php script that I bought that insists on using short tags in every file... i see its turned off by default in php 5

Webmin->Php Configuration->Other Settings

and set to yes Allow PHP scripts starting with <? ?

I should be done right? I restarted apache... still nothing.. the php file when called from a browser just shows the php code so I know its not seeing the short tags for some reason.

If I do the <?php tag it works great but I dont want to change this tag on 2000 scripts and what about updates? Id rather keep short tags on till they update their script. I already told them to.

I read in a php book the following:

Choose the --enable-short-tags configuration option when you’re building PHP.

✦ Set the short_open_tag setting in your php.ini file to on. This option must be disabled to parse XML with PHP because the same syntax is used for XML tags.

So it looks like even though I turned allow on it wont do anything until I re-make the php file...is that right!?!? If so how do i do that?

Thanks!