AMP stands for Apache, MySQL, PHP and it represents one of the most compelling categories of Open Source software. Apache is the number one web server on the Internet today, hosting the lion's share of websites you visit every day. MySQL is a powerful database server that has been chosen to drive almost all Open Source software. PHP is a web scripting language that is used to create dynamic and interactive websites. All three of these elements are developed together in such a fluid fashion that they require no configuration to work together. Apache seemlessly ties together with MySQL and PHP with no setup required.
There are possibly more AMP Open Source software solutions available today than anything else. Besides the ease of setting up AMP, there is another benefit to this software in the form of portability. AMP software will work anywhere you can install Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This gives you great flexibility in choosing the best server to host your business software and data. This flexibility continues to the client workstations since your users will interface with your AMP software solutions through their preferred web browser. This means you never have to worry about upgrading software on each of their workstations to take advantage of the latest upgrade to your business software. You only upgrade the server. It also simplifies training as everyone is familiar with a web browser.
AMP Versions
Each of the elements of the AMP platform continue to be developed and improved. The most popular AMP solutions that are commonly deployed on Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server these days work with Apache 1.3, MySQL 4.0, and PHP 4.3. New versions are available for all three of these solutions but not all software has been reworked to support the latest versions. MySQL 5.0 is very stable with most AMP software and can probably be safely used in most circumstances. Apache 2.0 is shipped with Mac OS X Server but is turned off by default. This means you can't use Apple's GUI tools to manage Apache 2.0. PHP 5.0 is quite recent and has the least support among AMP projects so far. It has great promise for delivering very exciting solutions in the future however. Future advances
MySQL 5.0 is now available and rivals high end proprietary databases in some of its most advanced features. At this point few AMP solutions have been written specifically for MySQL 5.0 and it is unlikely many will do so any time soon. PHP 5.1 adds Object Oriented programming to PHP development making PHP more like a high end programming language than a simple scripting solution. It is very likely that advanced new versions of AMP projects will be revised to depend on the advanced features of PHP 5.1. AJAX is another area that will get a great deal of attention moving forward. AJAX website act more like desktop applications with drag and drop functionality and streaming instant responses rather than waiting for a submit to process. This is done by bringing a good deal of the work to the client browser which is in constant communication with the server to refresh your content. |
