The days of the boring and static Web site are over. Today`s Internet user is used to dynamic sites with constantly changing and up to date news and the option to customise their experience. Achieving this is not always that easy, however, and often includes a fairly substantial upfront cost to set up even a test site on which you could learn basic scripting skills.
With PHP, even a novice programmer can quickly learn to develop dynamic and engaging Web sites.
Alastair Otter, journalist, ITWeb
While open source software doesn`t have replacements for each and every commercial piece of Web development software, it does have the basic elements at a more than reasonable cost of nothing.
The first step is to get a copy of Apache. The most popular Web server on the Internet, Apache is a robust Web server that makes both a great test site as well as being strong enough to handle even the most serious of traffic. Download it from Apache.org and follow the installation instructions which are fairly straightforward.
The next part of this three-part toolkit is a database. There are a few options on this score and while most have their own fans, MySQL is my database of choice. Again, download from MySQL.org and follow the even simpler binary installation instructions. If you want to try some of the other open source database options, then give PostgreSQL a go.
The third and crucial part of the dynamic Web site pie is the scripting functionality. When it comes to open source scripting tools, there is only one true way: PHP.
PHP, now in version 4, is rapidly gaining ground as the scripting language of choice on the Internet because of its low learning curve and powerful capabilities.
Of course, if you`re an absolute beginner, then skip the MySQL. PHP doesn`t require SQL to operate, although in the long run the added abilities gained through a database are significant.
PHP scripts are intertwined with standard HTML code, offering a range of new options such as sucking in content from external sources, building tables and graphs on the fly, and even opening and writing files, particularly useful for keeping track of users or keeping information up to date.
The most recent versions of PHP also include the ability to track user sessions which simplifies (once you`ve got the hang of it) tracking users through your site and even customising the site based on a particular user session. Previously, most Web designers would have achieved this through the use of cookies, small pieces of data stored on the user`s hard drive, but as more and more users switch off this functionality for privacy reasons, they have become unreliable as tracking measurements so sessions are the best way of achieving this goal.
Because PHP works on the server side of the Web transaction and not on the visitor`s machine, scripts are processed in advance and visitors never get to see the actual code. Also, complex sites involving multiple sources of data can be built up without needing to be sure that the client has the right type of browser and plug-ins installed.
PHP also makes for a great introduction to Web site scripting and a number of really good tutorials can be found on the Internet to get you going. With PHP, MySQL and Apache, even a novice can turn in a powerful and feature-rich Web site with just a little bit of learning and experimentation.
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