PHP5 and MYSQL Bible
Chapter One
Why PHP and
MySQL?
This first chapter is an introduction to PHP, MySQL, and the interaction
of the two. In it, we'll try to address some of the most common
questions about these tools, such as "What are they?" and "How
do they compare to similar technologies?" Most of the chapter is
taken up with an enumeration of the many, many reasons to choose
PHP, MySQL, or the two in tandem. If you're a techie looking for some
ammunition to lob at your PHB ("Pointy-Haired Boss" for those who
don't know the Dilbert cartoons) or a manager asking yourself what
is this P-whatever thing your geeks keep whining to get, this chapter
will provide some preliminary answers.
What Is PHP?
PHP is the Web development language written by and for Web developers.
PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. The product was
originally named Personal Home Page Tools, and many people still
think that's what the acronym stands for. But as it expanded in scope,
a new and more appropriate (albeit GNU-ishly recursive) name was
selected by community vote. PHP is currently in its fifth major
rewrite, called PHP5 or just plain PHP.
PHP is a server-side scripting language, which c ... read full excerpt from PHP5 and MySQL® Bible ebook
