XAMPP

Review:

XAMPP is an answer to common woes of aspiring web programmers using open source technology like Apache, MySQL, PHP and Perl. The common experience is that installation of Apache web server alone is already a difficult task. The integration of SQL server MySQL and web scripting languages like PHP and Perl makes installation a lot more difficult. As a result much time is spent on configuration --and cursing to a certain extent instead of learning the open source programming environment.

XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is very easy to install and use. You just download the distribution for your desired operating system, extract the files and start your development in Apache environment. You do not need to change Windows registry and edit configuration files. At the moment, a stable XAMPP version is available for Windows and Linux. A beta version is available for Solaris and Mac OS X.

Once XAMPP is installed you can check whether it is working or not through sample programs included in the package. Sample programs include a small CD collection program (written in PHP using MySQL) and a small guest book software (written in Perl) and several other utilities.

If you decide that XAMPP is not needed any more, you can easily discard this program by just deleting the XAMPP directory. Once its directory folder is deleted, it is completely removed from your system.

XAMPP copy falls under GNU General Public License. It is distributed for free without any warranty and without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Support is available in its forum/chat site.


Value: (8.9/10) This is a multi platform package and is regularly updated to integrate current component updates. It is a free program under GNU General Public License. This program package offers a big help to aspiring open source developers particularly along PHP and MYSQL.

Use: (8.6/10) The software is easy to install and use. It spares web programmers from the difficulty of learning the technical configuration aspect of Apache, MySQL, PHP and Perl. Thus, readily preparing them to actual development tasks.

Overall: (8.75/10) XAMPP is a compilation of free software (comparable to a Linux distribution). It's free of charge and it's free to copy under the terms of the GNU General Public License. This program is a must for aspiring programmers of dynamic websites for internet and intranet use.