Hi Guys,
I don't know if this is allowed but would it be possible to get your opinion on mySQL? I'm writing a report/project based on the application and your input & views would be great (problems encountered, things you like/dislike etc)? The areas that i need would be "technical fit", "flexibilty" & "ability to handle complex data". Your opinions would not have to stick with these criteria, any form of view would be really helpful!
Again apologies if this sort of thing is not allowed....

Harius

the question is allowed but very vague

here's my opinion: i love mysql for its (mostly) standard syntax and useful functions, and i hate mysql for its loose syntax and proprietary datatypes

e.g. GROUP_CONCAT is fantastic, ENUM and SET are the spawn of the devil

I have the same basic question - but for a different reason. I'm going to decide between mysql & php or ms sql & asp.net for my new site later this year. I have some MS SQL experience, and currently use vbscript / asp. Becuase of cost I am taking a hard look at learning PHP & going with mySQL.

I've heard mysql is very stable, fast and scalable. I had not heard of any 'cons' yet...Harius, could you elaborate on the loose syntax and proprietary datatypes you mentioned?

you mean me? i gave examples of 2 proprietary datatypes already

best example of loose syntax --

SELECT A, B, C, MAX(D) FROM TABLE GROUP BY A

see 12.10.3 GROUP BY with Hidden Fields

Yes r937, my bad - you did present 2 examples...I must have skipped over it at the end of the email (it's like tuning out commercials on tv)...my brain must have accepted that as part of your signature.

Thanks for the link to re non-standard GROUP BY behavoir. Is there a lot of this in the common syntax, or the few you mentioned really the main non-standard syntax rules / exceptions?

Thanks~

you said you were considering php/mysql or asp/sqlserver, but what about php/sqlserver and asp/mysql?

I'm just starting my research into this, but my impression is that php is more tightly integrated with mysql than asp. I was originally thinking to have a flexible, fast - and of course stable - system, I would be best off to stick with what is most commonly implemented.

I know there is a lot more support available for php/mysql than an asp/mysql for example. I'm not totally against your idea though - if I was convinced that I could use asp.net or even just asp with mysql, and have a secure, scalable, managable solution, I would likely prefer it (becuase of my past experience with asp).

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll research some asp / mysql implementations & try to get a feel for how it will look.

Quick question r937,

Could you recommend a reliable host for an asp/mysql combo? What do you think would be a better platform - apache, IIS, others?...seems like most have some sort of solution for supporting both asp & mysql -

I would like to set a up a test environment to dable with mysql, but I want it to be as close a possible to what I will find in a comercial host.

I have no proof, but I would expect PHP to work best with MySQL running an Apache webserver. The webserver running on a *NIX box

I would expect ASP to run best on a IIS server.

To a certain extent the choice is up to you and your experience and your budget. If cash constraints weree aken out of he poicture then I'd probably opt for ASP & SQL Server as these are probably more CV friendly and possibly likely to get a higher salary. I haven't really seen many comparatives between ASP and PHP, nor that many meaning full comparatives between the db engines. Until the launch of version 5 of MySQL for big / complex physical designs I would have favoured SQL server becauase of its support of things like triggers and foreign key constraints, but that has largely gone by the board. Similarly untill the launch of PHP 5 and its dramtaically improved support for using classes I might have favoured ASP as a single site platform, again thats gone by the board.

Intrinscially I don't see why ASP/MySQL should work any better / worse than ASP/SQL server - after all both are probably going to be talking to a remote data server over IP. The same goes for PHP and either of the servers. There may be adifference between PHP and ASP, but I'm not aware of any independant "proof" that either is better

given that you are familiar with ASP I'd use that, and I'd use what ever db that you or your network trolls will permit.

yer pays yer money, yer takes yer choice.....

crystaltech.com

please put referrer as r937.com if you sign up

Thanks for all of the info everyone. I'll keep busy looking this direction for a while now.

If I decide to go with crystaltech.com, I'll give you the credit Rudy.

IMHO, asp.NET is the devil when it comes to creating web pages.

I am primarily a Java programmer. So, C# was very easy for me to learn, and I feel comfortable using it, but the .NET framework for webpages is absolutely atrocious (it tries to adhere to the MVC design, but fails miserably). That, coupled with the limited MS support and the fact that Microsoft uses different names for everything can make things very confusing. (My view may be a little biased, because I learned .NET while also learning Microsoft CMS - which adds another layer of horror.)

My personal preference for web programming: php5 using the smarty templating engine for layout. This helps separate the logic from the layout.

I don't think the database would make a HUGE difference. It's all about what you feel most comfortable with - MySQL has made great improvements in its latest release, as has php. BUT, like healdem said, the best choice would probably depend on your environment.

P.S. (ASP.NET is NOT the same as ASP! They are similar, but different. So don't base your decision on that.)

Thanks for the additional feed back.

I know that asp is not the same as the asp.net, but I was hoping that they would be somewhat related as I already know how to do many things in asp.

My first store's shopping cart was an x-cart, and I was told it used smarty. I could do very little with it (at that time) as I didn't have the time to learn php and smarty - but it is more of a possibility for me now as I have much more time to devote to the web site now...