What’s Apache, Perl, MySQL? Will I need to know these for my clients?
I recently had this question put to me, and I thought it would make an interesting blog post:
"What’s Apache, Perl, MySQL? As a web designer, will I need to know these for my clients?"
Apache, Perl, MySQL
Apache = a web server. The most popular (in terms of use) in the world. If your host is on Linux, they are running Apache.
You don’t need to know much about Apache as a web designer, since your hosting company will configure that all for you.
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Perl = a programming language used a lot on Linux servers. It can be used to do all kinds of things but it is mostly known for its legacy as the programming language used to write CGI scripts – think guestbooks etc …
You don’t need to know much about Perl as a web designer. But Perl is still widely used and you will find that many scripts out there (like guest books,) are created with Perl.
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MySQL = is a database program. Database software like MySQL are used to store information. Used a lot with things like message boards, e-commerce shops and other programs like that. MySQL is often used with PHP (a programming language) to create database driven websites.
MySQL becomes important to learn IF you want to learn how to create dynamic/database driven websites.
A final point:
There is so much (out there) in the web design world, that you will probably never need to know or use. I can tell you from 12 years experience, that nobody knows everything – there is just too much.
My advice is to concentrate on what you need NOW and to continue to work on basic skills … let the projects that come up dictate what you’ll learn.
May 20th, 2006 at 3:31 am
Hey Stefan, this is great. Please take this one step further:
1. What do we need to know NOW? Is the “basic” group: XHTML, CSS, standards, optimization and accessability?
2. What’s next? PHP or Javascript? Do we need to learn Javascript before we learn AJAX?
thanks!
May 21st, 2006 at 7:07 pm
HI,
Your best bet is to move into PHP just because there is a lot more demand for PHP people than there is for AJAX.
About AJAX:
With all its’ hype, at the end of the day, AJAX is something that I think will play a minor (but still important) role in most web sites.
BTW: you need to know JavaScript to use AJAX because AJAX is just an extension to basic JavaScript.
May 22nd, 2006 at 12:25 am
Cool. By the way, was my 1. statement correct? Would you add something to that? Thanks for answering this.
May 22nd, 2006 at 7:44 am
Yes, your #1 statement is correct.
Stef
December 16th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Hello,
I’ve been learning quite a bit about php,forms, etc., for my website by browsing the web. Your video tutorials are the best. I have also found that your information has been MOST helpful to me. I appreciate your clarity and help for all of us beginners in programming.
My question:
I have Linux & MYSQL, and have composed some php script for my contact form on my website, How do I securely place my website files and sensitive information in my server, so that it will be most secure and difficult for hackers, do I need to do something with the .htaccess file? do I need to use APACHE in order to do this?
Thanks for your help.
December 27th, 2007 at 4:14 am
You can secure pages with .htaccess or you can use php in a number of ways like using php to password protect your pages using PHP sessions.