On my personal computer I use xampp: apache, php, mysql

On servers I use: apache, php, mysql.

I would recommend mysql over mssql. As for your question about what works better with each other I would assume they all work together fine, but I could be wrong, since I don’t use java or python.

@pjanaway – If you don’t use Java or Python, what do you code in? And is it open source?

PHP – Its open source and widely used, easy to learn!

@pjanaway – What does it resemble? c, java, etc? Or more like Pascal or VB?

Well its written in c, and influenced by a number of languages such as c, perl, java and others.

Html, javascript can easily be written into the code with the php.

Many websites use php, such as facebook, wikipedia, its really widely used!

@pjanaway – Cool! And it’ll work together with MySQL? And it doesn’t do anything funky (like MS Visual Studio .NET) and so the executable can run from any web server like Apache, Xampp, or IIS?

Oh! And do you run all this under Linux, or Windows?

Yes it works perfect with mysql.

It works on any webserver which has php installed yes.

Well I run xampp/apache/mysql/php on my windows pc. As for webservers I run it on linux.

Ultimately, you can probably use most of the technologies you mention interchangeably although some combinations work better. For instance, the “LAMP” (linux, apache, mysql, and php/perl/python) is pretty common. So is “WISA” (windows, IIS, SQL Server, and ASP.NET).

My personal recommendation is to go more towards the LAMP stack and learn one of the more dynamic languages if you’re just starting out. I am a Python programmer, but you can also use Ruby or PHP.

If I were you, I would just learn either django (python) or rails (ruby). They just make a programmer’s life so much easier.

I rock PHP and MySQL on a Linux based server. It just works.

Servers
Apache is popular, open source, and free. It runs on a variety of operating systems.
IIS works well with other microsoft products
Xampp is Apache bundled up conveniently for development.

Languages
Java is free and common in “enterprise” environments. There are a lot of tools, documentation, etc.
Python is free and easy to learn. The python community is friendly and helpful.

Databases
MSSQL is proprietary. It works well with other microsoft products. It is designed for large, enterprise systems and has more advanced database features. It only runs on windows.
MySQL is free and open source. It runs on a variety of operating systems. It doesn’t have as many features, but it tends to be faster.

They are interchangeable. However, IIS and MSSQL will only run on the windows operating system.

There are even more options than you’ve mentioned. For example, where I work we use ruby (ruby on rails), postgresql, and apache on linux. A lot of it depends on your needs are and what is available to you. A web framework, like rails or django, make web development a lot easier (fluther uses django).

I think PHP is a poor language. I would recommend ruby, python, or maybe a few others depending on what you are trying to do.

I’m a LAMP man myself for two reasons. 1—I’m a tightwad and there is tons of open source software for that stack. 2—I don’t care for Micro$oft’s “We are the Borg, you will be assimilated.” way of doing business.

As to Web design software for the PC or Mac, Dreamweaver is the Cadillac, but it can crank out some pretty bloated code if you just leave it to its own devices. It’s also expensive. If you know how to write XHTML code in a text editor, then something like Coffeecup is a great little program with a good toggle to view feature. It has WYSIWYG capability built in too, but that is best avoided as it produces really messy code using embedded styles and absolute positioning.

Thanks, everybody! You’ve all given me good information. I especially appreciate @phoenyx for actually listing advantages and disadvantes of eash – exactly what I asked for in my question :)

And I like that acronym @amnorvend “LAMP” to help me remember what combination is most common. I what a combo that’s fairly standard so I know I won’t have unsupportable compatibility issues. Fast is important to me, too, so MySQL sounds good.

And @ETPro, I’m glad you second LAMP. I like Windows as an end-user, but the way it automatically installs updates and reboots itself in the middle of the night (I’ve tried, but I can’f find a way to make it stop doing that) makes it totally unacceptable for use as a web server, IMO. So I’m probably going to go with the consensus and run my server on Linux. I don’t want a lot of bells and whistles, small efficient code low cost is most important to me.

My biggest expense will be buying the box, and paying my ISP for a static IP.

FYI, I’m a programmer so I’m comfortable with development and learning new technologies, but by day I use COBOL, CICS, and DB2.,

Okay, peeps… What version of PHP do I want? 5.2.12? 5.3.1? 5.3.12? 5.3.2RC1? (Like many of you, I’ll be doing my development on Windoze, but intend to run my live site from Linux)

BTW: Have a merry Christmas and a bountiful Boxing Day!

@HungryGuy

We code alot in 5.2.5 as it’s available on my server and widely supported. It was the #1 distribution a year ago.

@HungryGuy – I’d recommend coding it in whatever version your package manager will install for you on Linux. If this is a shared hosting environment, then you would probably want to go with whatever your host has installed.

Also, I’d recommend going with a VPS provider like linode rather than hosting your own site. Yeah, it costs $20 a month (or higher if you need more muscle), but when you consider that you don’t have to buy a static IP from your ISP, maintain the hardware, or run it off of your own electric bill, it ends up being cheaper most of the time. Plus, you’d have just about all the power you’d get by running off your own box as you’d get full admin rights.

And you program COBOL by day? I couldn’t handle it.

@amnorvend – Well, I dont have a package manager AFAIK. As I said, based on information I received here, I probably plan to develop the site offline in a Windows LAMP environment (as you and others recommend, and provided that I can download everything and install it all without any problems) and then decide what to do about hosting when the site is complete enough to go live. Right now, I know zilch about Linux, but that’s what I’d be inclined to use (rather than Windows) if I were to set up my own server. I’ll consider your advice to use a hosting service, but that’s a long way off before I have to make that decision.

As I said, I will be developing my site on a Windows platform, so I just started downloading PHP 5.3.1 (VC6×86 Thread Safe (2009-Nov-19 10:20:08)) since it’s the latest version and my choices are 5.3.1 and 5.2.12. Is there a compelling reason why I should not use the ThreadSafe version (why do they even make a non ThreadSafe version???)? Also, if I develop and test using the Windows version of PHP, will the code run under the Linux version of PHP unchanged?