Dreamweaver - PHP/MySQL Forums / Newsgroups

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PHP/MySQL Forums / Newsgroups

crash

2006-02-12, 6:38 pm

Any general recommendations for newsgroups/forums for PHP/MySQL?

I've got sitepoint, which is awesome, just looking to add some others (it
will probably be at least a week before I dig through the most recent
sitepoint stuff).

TIA,

Jon

snow boarder

2006-02-12, 6:38 pm

The help menu in Dreamweaver Studio 8 says this:
"To run PHP pages, you need the PHP application server, which is open-source
software available on the web."

Can this software be downloaded from the Dreamwever site? Or is only available
elsewhere, such as: http://www.php.net/downloads.php

crash

2006-02-12, 6:38 pm

from http://firepages.com

PHPDev423 is what i use. It's got all the things a growing body needs.

phpdev423 (upgrade at last) [21-10-2002]
Whilst phpdev5 has teething troubles which I have not had the time to fix...
so I have chugged phpdev423 together which brings the basic phpdev upto date
with the latest PHP & apache1 versions.
a.. Apache 1.3.27
b.. php4.2.3
c.. MySQL4a
d.. Cerebus FTP server

a.. phpmyadmin 2.3.2
b.. InvisionBoard forum
c.. PhpWebsite
d.. mod_perl 1.27 (as an optional download)

mod_perl is a week or so away at most and includes all the modules you could
shake a stick at. This version of phpdev is built on the Randy Kobes windows
binary compilations of Apache and PERL so its mod_perl and SSL ready .
phpdev423 uses the NSIS installer and you should be able to install it
anywhere, please read the destructions on the download page before
installing!! -> get it here

"snow boarder" <webforumsuser@macromedia.com> wrote in message
news:dsgb44$1qs$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> The help menu in Dreamweaver Studio 8 says this:
> "To run PHP pages, you need the PHP application server, which is
> open-source
> software available on the web."
>
> Can this software be downloaded from the Dreamwever site? Or is only
> available
> elsewhere, such as: http://www.php.net/downloads.php
>

David Powers

2006-02-12, 6:39 pm

crash wrote:
> PHPDev423 is what i use. It's got all the things a growing body needs.
>
> phpdev423 (upgrade at last) [21-10-2002]

You must be joking. phpdev423 hasn't been updated since October 2002,
and the last entry on its "support" forum is December 2004 - a plea for
help from two people who couldn't get it working and never got a reply.
phpdev423 was highly regarded in its day, but it's well past its sell-by
date.

I personally believe the best way to install PHP/MySQL is to install
each program individually, but if you can't get your head around that,
XAMMP is much more up to date and is highly regarded by those who use it:

http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://computerbookshelf.com/

kaethy

2006-02-12, 6:39 pm

Is it required that I install a PHP application server on my PC or can I just code my PHP & upload & test online?

Michael Fesser

2006-02-12, 6:39 pm

..oO(kaethy)

>Is it required that I install a PHP application server on my PC

JFTR: PHP is no application server, it's just a script interpreter.
There exist application servers written in PHP, though.

>or can I just code my PHP & upload & test online?

Sure, but a local Apache server with PHP (and mysql or PostgreSQL if
necessary) makes things much easier and faster.

Micha

crash

2006-02-12, 6:40 pm

I had no idea it was so outdated - the program was given to me by one of our
developers as "what we use". Not having used PHP before, I really had no
clue as to what to look for.

I've not had any problems getting it setup and working, I've done it on four
machines thus far, with no previous knowledge of Apache (well, not much,
anyway).

If you're going to install each package individually, do you have a
suggestion of where to download them? I've had problems knowing what I'm
looking at when tryign to track down individual packages. IE, what do I
need to have Python run? What programs already ahve Zope installed on them?
The sites I have found in the past to download these from have poor "system
requirements". Additionally - when I install these on my local windows
machine, what will I need to do to install them on my server? I looked the
other day and was not able to find [somethign that appeared to be] a
server-installable files for some of the things I was downloading (ie,
something to work on a nix system).

I'm checking out the link at the bottom of the page that you gave for the
entire package.

"David Powers" <david@example.com> wrote in message
news:dsgl4g$ekp$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> crash wrote:
>
> You must be joking. phpdev423 hasn't been updated since October 2002, and
> the last entry on its "support" forum is December 2004 - a plea for help
> from two people who couldn't get it working and never got a reply.
> phpdev423 was highly regarded in its day, but it's well past its sell-by
> date.
>
> I personally believe the best way to install PHP/MySQL is to install each
> program individually, but if you can't get your head around that, XAMMP is
> much more up to date and is highly regarded by those who use it:
>
>
>
> --
> David Powers
> Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
> Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
> http://computerbookshelf.com/

crash

2006-02-12, 6:40 pm

never mind, http://www.apachefriends.org/ looks like it's got everything I
need. Wish I had this a bit earlier.

Thanks,

Jon
"crash" <crash@bcdcdigital.com> wrote in message
news:dsidcr$ql9$1@forums.macromedia.com...
>I had no idea it was so outdated - the program was given to me by one of
>our developers as "what we use". Not having used PHP before, I really had
>no clue as to what to look for.
>
> I've not had any problems getting it setup and working, I've done it on
> four machines thus far, with no previous knowledge of Apache (well, not
> much, anyway).
>
> If you're going to install each package individually, do you have a
> suggestion of where to download them? I've had problems knowing what I'm
> looking at when tryign to track down individual packages. IE, what do I
> need to have Python run? What programs already ahve Zope installed on
> them? The sites I have found in the past to download these from have poor
> "system requirements". Additionally - when I install these on my local
> windows machine, what will I need to do to install them on my server? I
> looked the other day and was not able to find [somethign that appeared to
> be] a server-installable files for some of the things I was downloading
> (ie, something to work on a nix system).
>
> I'm checking out the link at the bottom of the page that you gave for the
> entire package.
>
> "David Powers" <david@example.com> wrote in message
> news:dsgl4g$ekp$1@forums.macromedia.com...
>
>

crash

2006-02-12, 6:40 pm

David-

My server is still using 4.4.1. Is this a huge update to 4.2.3? Is there
tons of difference?

I don't want to use 5 on my home machine if my server is only using 4. But
what of the differences between 4.2.3 and 4.4.1? Are they huge?

Thanks for any input,

Jon

"David Powers" <david@example.com> wrote in message
news:dsgl4g$ekp$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> crash wrote:
>
> You must be joking. phpdev423 hasn't been updated since October 2002, and
> the last entry on its "support" forum is December 2004 - a plea for help
> from two people who couldn't get it working and never got a reply.
> phpdev423 was highly regarded in its day, but it's well past its sell-by
> date.
>
> I personally believe the best way to install PHP/MySQL is to install each
> program individually, but if you can't get your head around that, XAMMP is
> much more up to date and is highly regarded by those who use it:
>
> http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
>
> --
> David Powers
> Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
> Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
> http://computerbookshelf.com/

Michael Fesser

2006-02-12, 6:40 pm

..oO(crash)

>My server is still using 4.4.1. Is this a huge update to 4.2.3? Is there
>tons of difference?

I would always upgrade to the latest major version (currently 4.4.2 or
5.1.2).

>I don't want to use 5 on my home machine if my server is only using 4.

In most cases there won't be much of a difference, unless you use OOP.

>But
>what of the differences between 4.2.3 and 4.4.1? Are they huge?

Mainly bug fixes. If you're familiar with technical stuff then have a
quick look at the change log:

http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-4.php#4.4.2

In terms of bug fixes there are _worlds_ between 4.2.3 and 4.4.1!

And remember: Some bugs can be a security risk! Of course it doesn't
really matter on your own local system, but on a web server it does.

Micha

crash

2006-02-12, 6:40 pm

>>My server is still using 4.4.1. Is this a huge update to 4.2.3? Is there
>
> I would always upgrade to the latest major version (currently 4.4.2 or
> 5.1.2).

Server is not local - server is rented. (not dedicated...yet)

>
> In most cases there won't be much of a difference, unless you use OOP.

i will be

>
> Mainly bug fixes. If you're familiar with technical stuff then have a
> quick look at the change log:
>
> http://www.php.net/ChangeLog-4.php#4.4.2
>
> In terms of bug fixes there are _worlds_ between 4.2.3 and 4.4.1!
>
> And remember: Some bugs can be a security risk! Of course it doesn't
> really matter on your own local system, but on a web server it does.

Thanks Micha. It doesn't tell me a whole lot b/c I've never messed with this
before - windows guy. But the note that there are a ton of bug fixes is
great, and I'm seeing that there are indeed a large number - figuring out
what they mean is somethign else entirely. :)

So what I'm hearing you say is that there are no huge differences between 5
and 4.4.1. The OOP difference worries me,but at least I know the direction
to look in for those problems.

Thanks again,

jOn

David Powers

2006-02-12, 6:41 pm

crash wrote:
> So what I'm hearing you say is that there are no huge differences between 5
> and 4.4.1. The OOP difference worries me,but at least I know the direction
> to look in for those problems.

The OOP differences between PHP 4 and 5 are huge. If you have never done
OOP development in PHP 4, don't even think of starting. Move straight to
PHP 5 - or hold off from OOP development until you can make the move.

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://computerbookshelf.com/

Michael Fesser

2006-02-12, 6:41 pm

..oO(crash)

>
>Server is not local - server is rented. (not dedicated...yet)

OK. Managed or not?

>
>Thanks Micha. It doesn't tell me a whole lot b/c I've never messed with this
>before - windows guy. But the note that there are a ton of bug fixes is
>great, and I'm seeing that there are indeed a large number - figuring out
>what they mean is somethign else entirely. :)

From my own experience I can tell you that most of the bug fixes are
rather exotic or wouldn't have much effect in common scripts. But from
time to time there are also some really nasty bugs, so keeping up with
current versions is always a good idea. If not the latest, then at least
the second-latest. ;)

>So what I'm hearing you say is that there are no huge differences between 5
>and 4.4.1. The OOP difference worries me,but at least I know the direction
>to look in for those problems.

One could say that the object model is completely turned upside down in
PHP5, there are some really fundamental changes which could break old
scripts.

Micha

crash

2006-02-16, 6:40 pm

replied inline.

>
> OK. Managed or not?
>

The hosting company manages a shared server. It's a simple platform until
we're ready to deploy.

>
> From my own experience I can tell you that most of the bug fixes are
> rather exotic or wouldn't have much effect in common scripts. But from
> time to time there are also some really nasty bugs, so keeping up with
> current versions is always a good idea. If not the latest, then at least
> the second-latest. ;)

Being new to Apache, I really had no idea how far behind we were. I have
addressed this in-house and we will be moving to an updated version starting
Friday. I didn't enjoy hearing we were so out of date, but it did a lot to
answer why I was running into so many anomolies.

I don't think our use of old PHP is going to hurt us so much as our use of
an older version of PHPMyAdmin. That one's been fairly apparent for some
time and it took this to really point out why. I sure do appreciate it.

>
>
> One could say that the object model is completely turned upside down in
> PHP5, there are some really fundamental changes which could break old
> scripts.

I'm goign to take a look at this. Our server is still sitting with PHP
4.4.1 - is 5 heavily adapted? Our server is

> Micha

Michael Fesser

2006-02-16, 6:40 pm

..oO(crash)

>replied inline.

As I expect. ;)

>Being new to Apache, I really had no idea how far behind we were. I have
>addressed this in-house and we will be moving to an updated version starting
>Friday. I didn't enjoy hearing we were so out of date, but it did a lot to
>answer why I was running into so many anomolies.

Recently I came across this part of the manual:

Chapter 33. Keeping Current
http://www.php.net/manual/en/security.current.php

Short, but to the point.

Micha

crash

2006-02-16, 6:40 pm

Those are comments I'm finding echo'd across the PHP forums. I don't
understand - it appears many many hosts are slow on their PHP adaption.

A dedicated host is in our future plans, but at the moment my current job
duties do not allow me to learn the ins and outs of security on a new
webserver. I could probably set one up - but set one up optimized w/o
leaks - seriously doubt that one.

"Michael Fesser" <netizen@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:1gk1v1t2cugdbupdvl9u4lrpqdqth35h3l@4ax.com...
> .oO(crash)
>
>
> As I expect. ;)
>
>
> Recently I came across this part of the manual:
>
> Chapter 33. Keeping Current
> http://www.php.net/manual/en/security.current.php
>
> Short, but to the point.
>
> Micha

Michael Fesser

2006-02-16, 6:40 pm

..oO(crash)

>Those are comments I'm finding echo'd across the PHP forums. I don't
>understand - it appears many many hosts are slow on their PHP adaption.

In some cases that's understandable. The switch from PHP4 to PHP5 for
example really took a while, simply because new major versions tend to
have many hidden bugs. Many hosts simply wanted to wait a while for the
next minor upgrades. In some cases it's better not use the most-recent
version, unless its stability and reliability was confirmed.

But minor upgrades should IMHO be made available and installed as soon
as possible. But it's the server admin who decides that.

>A dedicated host is in our future plans, but at the moment my current job
>duties do not allow me to learn the ins and outs of security on a new
>webserver. I could probably set one up - but set one up optimized w/o
>leaks - seriously doubt that one.

Me too (I only maintain my own little local development server). While
an own server would be nice, a good and reliable host is even better.
Saves a lot of work. The machines simply work, so I can use them. ;)

Micha

crash

2006-02-16, 6:40 pm

> Me too (I only maintain my own little local development server). While
> an own server would be nice, a good and reliable host is even better.
> Saves a lot of work. The machines simply work, so I can use them. ;)
>
> Micha

which would be great, so long as you could depend on them to have the most
recent versions. <grumble grumble grumble>

i almost miss iis. (no, not really!)

David Powers

2006-02-16, 6:41 pm

Michael Fesser wrote:
> The switch from PHP4 to PHP5 for
> example really took a while

I don't have access to accurate data myself, but a delegate at the UK
PHP conference last week told me that the current take-up of PHP 5 is
still only 5%, even though PHP 5 was released in July 2004.

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://computerbookshelf.com/

crash

2006-02-16, 6:46 pm

That makes me feel a lot better, as does my research that's showing
something similar.

We're currently reviewing (yea!) all software we're using.

XAMP is too new - I don't want to develop in 5 and then publish in 4.4.1 Do
you have a suggestion on which package I might look for? They've got a
listing on sourgeforce here:
http://sourceforge.net/project/show...ackage_id=89552

with all the outdated software. However, I'm not finding notes on many of
them. I've looked on ApacheFriend's site, but didn't find like a Version
Number for Apache/MySQL version number matching.

Any help is appreciated. I'm sure I'll find it eventually. :O)

Thanks again, while I hated hearing it, it made a lot of sense and I'm glad
to get this kick in the butt.

Jon

"David Powers" <david@example.com> wrote in message
news:dsr4fq$f83$1@forums.macromedia.com...
> Michael Fesser wrote:
>
> I don't have access to accurate data myself, but a delegate at the UK PHP
> conference last week told me that the current take-up of PHP 5 is still
> only 5%, even though PHP 5 was released in July 2004.
>
> --
> David Powers
> Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
> Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
> http://computerbookshelf.com/

David Powers

2006-02-16, 6:49 pm

crash wrote:
> XAMP is too new - I don't want to develop in 5 and then publish in 4.4.1 Do
> you have a suggestion on which package I might look for? They've got a
> listing on sourgeforce here:
> http://sourceforge.net/project/show...ackage_id=89552
>
> with all the outdated software.

I have never used any of the so-called "easy install" packages, so I
can't recommend any of them. I always have the latest versions of PHP
and mysql installed, even though my remote server isn't always up to the
same versions. All Dreamweaver-generated PHP code is backwards
compatible with PHP 4 and versions of mysql as far back as 3.23.

Developing on newer versions of PHP and mysql has the advantage of
checking that your scripts won't fail when the remote server is upgraded
at a later date. Unless you are using OOP and a handful of new
functions, PHP 5 is fully backwards compatible with PHP 4.

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://computerbookshelf.com/

crash

2006-02-16, 6:50 pm

> I have never used any of the so-called "easy install" packages, so I
> can't recommend any of them. I always have the latest versions of PHP and
> mysql installed, even though my remote server isn't always up to the same
> versions. All Dreamweaver-generated PHP code is backwards compatible with
> PHP 4 and versions of mysql as far back as 3.23.

Since I'm new to PHP, I'm a bit worried that I'll use new tags not realizing
they're new and then run into problems when I publish. Thanks for all of
your help, I really appreciate it.

Looks like Release 1.4.15 is what I'm looking for. At least, it's what I
know I'm looking for from it's notes. :)
http://sourceforge.net/project/show..._id=61776Notes: Notes: - Apache 2.0.54 - mysql 4.1.13 - PHP 5.0.4 + PHP 4.4.0 + PEAR -eAccelerator 0.9.3(PHP5) / 0.9.4- dev(PHP4) - PHP- Switch win32 1.0 (vonApachefriends, man nehme die
"php- switch.bat") - XAMPP Control Version 2.1from www.nat32.com - XAMPP Security 1.0 - SQLite 2.8.15 - OpenSSL 0.9.8 -phpMyAdmin 2.6.3- pl1 - ADODB 4.65 - Mercury Mail Transport System for Win32and NetWare Systems v4.01a - FileZilla FTP Server 0.9.8c -
Webalizer 2.01-10 - Zend Optimizer 2.5.10a> Developing on newer versions of PHP and mysql has the advantage ofchecking that your scripts won't fail when the remote server is upgraded ata later date. Unless you are using OOP and a handful of new functions,
PHP 5is fully backwards compatible with PHP 4.>> --> David Powers> Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)> Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)> http://computerbookshelf.com/

David Powers

2006-02-16, 6:50 pm

crash wrote:
> Since I'm new to PHP, I'm a bit worried that I'll use new tags not realizing
> they're new and then run into problems when I publish.

PHP doesn't have tags (apart from the opening and closing ones (<?php
and ?> ); it's mainly a function-based language. You can find a list of
functions that are exclusive to PHP 5 here:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/migration5.functions.php

Stay away from OOP and the new functions, and you should be just fine.
Apart from the creation of OOP classes, the syntax of PHP 4 and 5 is
identical.

--
David Powers
Author, "Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8" (friends of ED)
Author, "Foundation PHP 5 for Flash" (friends of ED)
http://computerbookshelf.com/