What do I need

MySQL is a bit terse compared to MS SQL - I like T-SQL better than MySQL's brand of SQL. (T-SQL is the brand of SQL used by MS SQL.)

T-SQL is also closer to ANSI SQL which is nice.

PHP is also a bit terse and suffers from several serious problems. There are multiple commands that do the exact same thing in it. In ASP, there's just 1 command to do something. That's a part of the price you pay for open source stuff vs. commercial software.

But you're in the wrong place for PHP stuff too. Most people here use MS technologies over open source stuff. Of course a lot of us also use open source stuff as well, but most people's preferences here are for MS.

PHP is relatively easy though. And so is MySQL. If you use MySQL, go out and get MySQL Front - excellent front end for it. The one that comes with MySQL is very weak. I own a copy of that myself because it is the only way that I want to work with MySQL.

A major concern with choosing which technology to use for a lot of people is cost - but that aslo includes your time to develop and maintain the application. I find that MS is cheaper because it lets me develop and maintain easier. Someone else will say the opposite, but whatever. You cannot create an application in MySQL that is more maintainable than one that you can create in MS SQL. That's just a fact.

However, you're developing a relatively small app from the sounds of it. So it won't matter too much unless you plan to expand it later.

For PHP vs. ASP, they are about the same for maintainability and dev speed. I'd rather use ASP than PHP because I know it better, but also because then I'd be using a Windows server and later if I wanted to rewrite the app or make it larger, I'd have the option to do it in Visual Studio with ASP.NET.

I'm nitpicking a bit, but ultimately it doesn't matter which you use for a small application. Whichever you feel most comfortable with will be the best choice for you.

Cheers,

Ryan

I'm surprised that your web host offers access on a linux server. I'd check that if I were you.

Most linux web hosts offer LAMP technology (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

MySQL and MSSQL typically run on their own db servers that are separate from your hosting web server. Access runs under Windows and usually it's the same server as your web server.

MSSQL and Access run only under Window.
MySQL can run under either Windows or Unix

From Linux, you can access a MSSQL server but it usually requires some intervention from your web host to do it. I don't think you can get to an Access DB from linux.


If you're trying to develop on your windows PC and then migrate to a Linux web server, your best bet is to install PHP, Apache, and Mysql on your PC and use those for developing.

If you want to develop on your PC and migrate to a Windows web server, you'll need to install IIS (XP Pro only) which comes with ASP and Access drivers (if you don't already have them).
You can install the .NET framework on top of it if you want to develop in asp.net.
MSDE is the free (limited connection) version of MSSQL that you can use for development.

with that deal you can choose what type of server/db you want to use. given what programs you have already, and that its a fairly low-end project i'd reccomend going with hosting on a windows box, and using access as ur db. It means you don't have to bother with downloading other db front ends etc.

Edited by ub3rl337ch3ch - 21 August 2005 at 9:58pm

From a technical standpoint, it doesn't matter.
People with a C, C++, or Java programming background will probably pick up C# quicker than VB as the C# syntax is closer to those languages than the VB syntax. - It's also just different enough to be a PITA - lol.

If you have an asp or vb background, vb.net will make more sense to you.

If you have no real programming background, and it doesn't make a difference to you, I'd go with C#. Mostly because more of the apps and utility type things you might want to incorporate/mod later on are written in C#.