Datasheet

confuse the masses). Its flexibility and relatively small learning curve (especially for programmers who
have a background in C, Java, or Perl) make it one of the most popular scripting languages around. PHP’s
popularity continues to increase as businesses, and individuals everywhere embrace it as an alternative
to Microsoft’s ASP language and realize that PHP’s benefits most certainly outweigh the costs (three
cheers for open source!). According to Netcraft, PHP code can now be found in approximately 16 million
Web sites.
The version of PHP referenced in this book is the most recent stable release at the time of publication:
version 5.0.0. Although we discuss several of the most common uses and functions of PHP, you can find
a complete list of PHP functions in Appendix B of this book. As you continue to program in PHP and
your comfort level increases (or the demands of your boss grow), we encourage you to expand your use
of built-in PHP functions to take advantage of its tremendous power. You can download the PHP soft-
ware from PHP’s Web site at
www.php.net.
MySQL
Another open source favorite, MySQL is the database construct that enables PHP and Apache to work
together to access and display data in a readable format to a browser. It is a Structured Query Language
server designed for heavy loads and processing of complex queries. As a relational database system,
MySQL allows many different tables to be joined together for maximum efficiency and speed.
This book references version 4.0.20, the most stable release of MySQL at the time of writing. You can find
a complete list of features at the MySQL Web site (
www.mysql.com), but some of the more popular fea-
tures of this program are as follows:
❑ Multiple CPUs usable through kernel threads
❑ Multi-platform operation
❑ Numerous column types cover virtually every type of data
❑ Group functions for mathematical calculations and sorting
❑ Commands that allow information about the databases to be easily and succinctly shown to the
administrator
❑ Function names that do not affect table or column names
❑ A password and user verification system for added security
❑ Up to 32 indexes per table permitted; this feature has been successfully implemented at levels
of 60,000 tables and 5,000,000,000 rows (version 4.1.2, currently in development, will allow 64
indexes)
❑ International error reporting usable in many different countries
MySQL is the perfect choice for providing data via the Internet because of its ability to handle heavy
loads and its advanced security measures.
For more information on how MySQL was developed, or other specific information not covered in this
book, visit the resource Web site at
www.mysql.com.
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Configuring Your Installation
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