Server for PHP

[wood1e]

Hi,

I am looking to learn either PHP, or ASP. I know this is the PHP section, but what are the main advantages/disadvantages, betweeen the two?

Also, can PHP and MySQL run with just IIS installed or do I need to instal Apache Server as well?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[DRJ478]

1. PHP is free and platform agnostic. That means you could run your scripts on *NIX or a Windows installation etc.
I prefer PHP as it is not bound to a commercial entity which has a name starting with "M". If you learn ASP you'll be bound to Planet Windows.

2. AFAIK there's nothing in the way of running PHP and MySQL with IIS as the web server.

 

[smah]

Interestingly enough, I just started a short free couse in PHP & MySQL offered by HP at:

http://www.hplearningcenter.com/course/course.jsp?courseId=2854

An excerpt from lesson 1, differences between active website technologies:

* PHP ( PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor): PHP is a structured, server-side language (and one of the main focuses of this course). This means that it has rules (structured) and all of its code is run on the server. It can be run on Unix- or Windows-based servers and can integrate with databases, such as MySQL, PostGres, and others.
* ASP ( Active Server Pages): ASP is a proprietary system used only on Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services) servers. It's not a language like PHP, but uses VBScript (Visual Basic Script) or JScript to create and run ASP. All code is run on the server. The pros of using ASP include the ease of learning VBScript if you already know how to program in Visual Basic. If you're running a Microsoft server, it's easy to get up and running, but ASP is said to be slower, more cumbersome, and less stable than PHP. Plus, there are a limited number of components built into ASP, so you may end up buying additional components if you need to use features not included. And of course, IIS servers tend to be more expensive than Unix-based servers are.

Of course, this viewpoint could be slightly biased.

 

[sleipnir214]

Also, can PHP and MySQL run with just IIS installed or do I need to instal Apache Server as well?

You can run PHP with IIS and access MySQL.


Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[wood1e]

Many thanks for you advice, bias or otherwise. I certainly agree with the 'M' sentiment!!!!

Therefore I will be uninstalling IIS, and downloading Apache et al.

Once again many thanks.

 

[Bastien]

PHP has something like 700+ function relating to:

image manipulation (MS does not have any)
native database operations for many dbs (MS has ODBC)
arrays (ever try sorting an array in ASP?)

and more

Its powerful, flexible, stable and free...



Bastien

Cat, the other other white meat

 

[sleipnir214]

Although I have found Apache to be a vastly superior web server than IIS, in terms of functionality, flexibility, stability, and freedom from bugs, it is not necessary to dump IIS.

PHP will run as an ISAPI filter with IIS and comes with MySQL support built in.


Want the best answers? Ask the best questions!

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[Harlequ1n]

Woodie.

Take it from someone who only a few weeks ago wouldn't dream of using PHP.

Take the plunge...!

PHP and MySQL are probably the easiest languages I've leaned. Yeah sure, I'm a newbie but within a few short days I created a user login facility and have hand coded a couple of dozen pages.

I've got lots more to learn but have found that PHP is quicker and easier to learn, MySQL is far quicker than ASP ever will be and there's lots and lots and lots of help available.

Hope that helped woodie.


-----------------------
Michael Mason

http://www.arraspeople.co.uk

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[ingresman]

now hold on, look at ASP.NET the .NET class library is enormous and in my opinion is just fantastic !