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PHP and MySQL
PHP ("Hypertext Preprocessor"), a programming
language, and MySQL, a database application, are currently the best
combination for data-driven Web sites. An unofficial Netcraft survey
(http://www.php.net/usage.php) shows that PHP usage has jumped from
2 million hosts in April 2000, to 6 million in April 2002.
About PHP
PHP is a server-side, cross-platform, HTML embedded scripting language
that creates dynamic web pages. The power behind PHP is that it
allows webmasters to create very sophisticated web pages with complex
operations that are easily interpreted by all web browsers. That's
because, like ASP, it's the web server that processes the PHP scripts
and returns simple HTML instructions back to a browser.
Many web programmers have found PHP to be a welcome
alternative to Perl CGI scripts because it was developed specifically
for the web. PHP offers simplicity and elegance, often saving dozens
of programming steps and keeping the number of files to a minimum.
Unlike Perl, PHP scripts are embedded within your HTML file, making
the program easier to read, debug and understand at a glance.
PHP also supports a massive number of databases, including
Informix, Oracle,
Sybase, Solid, and PostgreSQLas well as the ever-present ODBC.
PHP contains many Web-specific functions that facilitate advanced
Web features such as:
authentication
XML
dynamic image creation
WDDX
shared memory support and dynamic PDF document creation
form interpretation
cookies
http-header manipulation
database access
automatic headers and footers
dynamic page generation
Events Online servers support PHP version 4.0.6.
About MySQL
MySQL is a small, compact database program ideal for business
applications.
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