Linux, Apache, MySQL & PHP for Beginners
Instructions:
PHP: Scripting Language
Hypertext Preprocessor is a server-side scripting language, meaning that PHP is written directly into the code of a Web application, usually accompanied by HTML. While HTML is primarily used for formatting and aesthetic issues such as colors and alignment, however, PHP is a dynamic language that manages different prompts from users and coders. In other words, PHP is used to manage the changing attributes of a website. If a programmer wants a picture to change when the user puts his mouse over it, for example, a PHP command can be used to first establish the condition (mouse over image) and the result (image changes). These commands are often coded as simple "if/then" statements.
Linux: Operating System
Linux is not a programming language but an entire operating system, an application used to manage all of the applications and files on a computer. Similar to competitors such as Windows and Mac OS X, Linux basically organizes all of the information on a computer so that users can run programs, look for documents, open folders and display information. Unlike Windows and Mac operating systems, Linux is based on free and open-source software distribution. The operating system is available for download free from the organization’s website and the code is open and available to all programmers who wish to make a change. The only condition is that they publish their changes, setting in motion a process by which the code is continually improved by thousands of individual inputs and re-released to the public in successive and improved versions.
Apache: Web Server Software
In addition to the script that determines what a certain website looks like or how it behaves, the process by which users access a website also requires software management. Apache is one such software, known as server software, that manages the server in which the site’s information is stored and the different requests that come into that server from users – everything from making sure the website pops up when a user enters the Web address to providing the website with the information it needs when a user selects a different page or section to view. Just think of a server as a big hard drive and server software as the operating system. Essentially, Apache’s server software executes scripting languages such as PHP, organizing the code stored on the server and making sure it has the information it needs when a user requests it. Apache also offers supplementary services such as user authentication and secure server navigation and, like Linux, is an open-source project.
MySQL: A Database Management System
MySQL is a relational database management system used to handle huge amounts of data and numerous requests for that data. MySQL acts like a database server full of information that allows multiple users to query the database at the same time. Facebook and Twitter, for example, use MySQL database management to store all the information users input and then allow other users to ask for that information and view it on their computers. MySQL is an open-source project and free versions of the system are available for non-commercial websites, although large for-profit users must purchase paid versions with added support features.
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