[thelist] What tools should I use?
Maximillian Schwanekamp
lists at neptunewebworks.com
Mon Sep 12 15:34:22 CDT 2005
Ian Anderson wrote:
> You don't have the
> multiplicity of versions that is inherent in PHP and Apache configurations.
Eh? With MS servers you may have only a "version" few years, but in the
interim you have "service packs" whereas in the FOSS world you get minor
version updates. Basically the same thing.
> Versions of MySQL are analogous to versions of SQL Server, but there are
> a scad load more of them.
Erm, MySQL 3.23, 4.0, 4.1, with a few minor version updates. SQL Server
versions:
http://www.sqlteam.com/item.asp?ItemID=8318 (older page, but
illustrates my point well)
> Thanks for the other great PHP tips, although you kind of
> substantiated the learning curve argument! :)
PHP is extremely popular specifically because it is easy to get going
right off the bat, without requiring expensive licenses or a large IT
staff to get stuff done. Most shared hosts are set up to accomodate the
beginners while maintaining a modicum of security, e.g. enabling
magic_quotes and so on. But since it's also quite powerful as you get
into it more deeply, there are some basic practices that can make your
life easier as a programmer. Is this unusual?
> php. ini - isn't this used when you start PHP? I don't think I have
> access to this on shared hosting.
This is a php fundamental - using ini_set to override the defaults in
php.ini. On Apache you can use .htaccess files to do this as well. One
of the big strengths of PHP is its flexibility.
It's always easy to see ones chosen environment as "safe, dependable and
reliable." ColdFusion guys will swear by it, PHP folk will swear by
that, etc etc. Getting back to the OP's question, which tools to use
really depends on your particular situation and ambitions. Do you want
to join a corporate web team? Get into Java right away. Do you foresee
working with Windows networks, e.g. intranets or other
controlled-platform environments? .NET might be the way. Etc. Then,
once you have tentative direction, look at the development tools for
working on those platforms, their costs and complexity, the variety of
alternatives, etc.
I started out on classic ASP (before .NET) & MSSQL 7, in a local
ecommerce startup. In ASP, I kept finding that some tasks required 3rd
party commercial products - e.g. an object for uploads (e.g. SA FileUp),
another for PDFs (PDF Writer), etc. I found that PHP had generally had
extensions and/or libraries for these things freely available. When I
went freelance with very little investment capital, it made total sense
to abandon ASP for PHP, where I could get started with an $8/month
shared host, with no fees for either MySQL or PostGreSQL, and reasonably
decent capabilities in a low cost (<$30 or free) editor. When I worked
in an MS environment we could call Microsoft and get great support - for
a fee that was no problem for a corporation, but would have been
prohibitive for many of the clients I've worked with since. Major FOSS
solutions have become so ubiquitous that it's easy to get top class
support from the community, for free. Anyway that's my own experience
as a smalltime freelancer.... :)
--
Max Schwanekamp
http://www.neptunewebworks.com/
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