LAMP

Choosing a database

April 14, 2004

DevX has a good article about the current state of various databases. PostgreSQL vs. MySQL vs. Commercial Databases

MySQL date format with correct sort

March 16, 2004

As a reminder (as much to myself as anyone in blogland) when using MySQL the formatting options for dates turn them in to strings and sort alphabetically instead of as a date. To correct this use the actual date field in the sort not the name assigned to the formatted field.

The Myths of Open Source

March 16, 2004

CIO magazine has a great article debunking many myths about open source. The article debunks several myths including:

MYTH 1 - THE ATTRACTION IS THE PRICE TAG
MYTH 2 - THE SAVINGS AREN'T REAL
MYTH 3 - THERE'S NO SUPPORT
MYTH 4 - IT'S A LEGAL MINEFIELD
MYTH 5 - OPEN SOURCE ISN'T FOR MISSION-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS
MYTH 6 - OPEN SOURCE ISN'T READY FOR THE DESKTOP

There are many great examples of how open source is working for companies of all sizes.

Using MySQL to Stop Editing Web Pages

February 23, 2004

OReilly's ONLamp.com has a good article about using MySQL to stop editing web pages. What it really suggests is a good way for storing page layouts in MySQL so that the designers can edit the templates. It suggests how to do so in Perl but the same thing could easily be done in PHP.