[imap_open() "couldn't open stream" with GMail, but works locally.]

<?php

$mbox = imap_open("{imap.gmail.com:993/ssl/novalidate-cert}INBOX", "myemail@gmail.com", "PASSWORD");
 
$old_msg_numbers = imap_search($mbox, "");
 
echo "This should report the message numbers retrieved from GMail\r\n";
var_dump($old_msg_numbers);
echo "\r\nimap_errors:\r\n";
var_dump(imap_errors());
echo "\r\nimap_alerts:\r\n";
var_dump(imap_alerts());
 
imap_close($mbox);
 
phpinfo();
 
?>
 

When I run this locally on my Windows machine, with XAMPP and PHP, it runs and works properly. any time I give it to a hosting company, it doesn't run, instead it generates the PHP warning here: 

 

PHP Warning: imap_open() [<a href='function.imap-open'>function.imap-open</a>]: Couldn't open stream {imap.gmail.com:993/ssl/novalidate-cert}INBOX in /path-goes-here/test.php on line 3

 

I have used this on two different hosting providers, hostmonster.com and godaddy.com, they say they are not blocking port 993, which GMail requires.

 

Using Port settings defined by Google ( http://support.google.com/mail/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1668960&page=ts.cs&rd=1 ), and that shouldn't matter, because its working fine on my local machine.

 

What do?

[is there a web-based Notepad++ ?]

Thanks tons,

 

(mods: feel free to move this to Misc board?)

[is there a web-based Notepad++ ?]

I'm just starting to learn PHP, and I'd like a recommendation on a website that I can use to test code. I want it to keep revision histories if possible, and color coding things appropriate to the language, would be nice. (I'm thinking of something like a google docs for coding) any suggestions? TIA