So I needed to install phpMyAdmin, and having those epiphanies on how simple it is to install crap on Debian/Ubuntu, I typed in sudo apt-get install phpmyadmin and it worked fine. Mapped out all the dependencies, installed them all, and then popped up a nice user-friendly config window where you select which server to install it in.
So I googled it, and there were all these success stories. I went and tried sudo dpkg-reconfigure phpmyadmin, that same window popped up, this time i tabbed over to the ok button. and pressed enter. Checked again, still broken?
So i found this guide, and it turns out you have to press space to select it -_-