Apache Friends Support Forum

Hi,

I’ll start with some back ground. My experience with computers, for the most part, is sitting down and playing (simple) games and surfing the web. A few months ago I started messing around with HTML and CSS. Less than a month ago I started looking into JavaScript. Now I want to expand my learning to PHP and found that I need access to a server to make it work.

That led me to Apache friends and XAMPP.

With that said, I’m going to have some very stupid questions and comments so please bear with me……..

After reading about XAMPP (installation, configuring, Vista problems {I have Windows Vista home premium SP2}, etc…) on the Apache site, Apache Friends forum, SitePoint forums and in the book I bought (PHP for absolute beginners by Jason Lengstorf) I feel very intimidated and afraid to even download it.

I’ve read where you need to fix code in the program and I don’t have a clue how to or where to do that.

Another issues that worries me is, I only want the server for learning purposes (for the moment) and have been told by “computer savvy” people I work with, that having a server on my computer will allow outsiders access to my computer. I don’t know if there is any truth to this or not but it concerns me.

Also, in the installation instructions, it said

“Warning:
All files in the target directory will be overwritten!”

(default is "C:\")

To me (and probably anyone with the same knowledge level as myself) that sounds like it will wipe out all the files/programs on my computer. The information talks about a “developer computer” which makes me think that “work” is the only thing that is on the computer and that feeds the fear that it will wipe everything out.
I don’t have and probably won’t have for some time, a second computer so if this is so I guess that PHP and other server related languages is out.


There was mention of using USB connected directories.
That leads me to the question:
How much space do you need for XAMPP and is it possible to download and install it on a USB Flash drive instead of on my computer? Currently flash drives are inexpensive compared to external hard drives.


That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks for your help in advance.........

Scout1idf.

No help for someone that wants to learn????

Hello and welcome scout1idf...

I'm a beginner myself and i'm finding out alot myself, but i'm doing alot more then you with the PHP... I'm learning PHP and MySQL and that is how I became involed also with XAMPP community. Now as far as your friends are concern about people access you computer information, this is not true. Unless you actually active your service through the net, (which takes alot of doing) Setting up a static IP and, port forwarding and firewall settings, installing DNS clients, then your OK. cause you'll be only working with the local part of the server on your computer, and not through the net... There is alot to understand, and I've been on this journey for about a monthm and I can tell you that there are some duzzies out there. Uses that default answers to the installation of XAMPP.

I would like to suggest that if you are going to learn PHP, that you also learn MySQL. It will benefit you to learn this along with PHP...

tinkertron wrote:Hello and welcome scout1idf...

I'm a beginner myself and i'm finding out alot myself, but i'm doing alot more then you with the PHP... I'm learning PHP and MySQL and that is how I became involed also with XAMPP community. Now as far as your friends are concern about people access you computer information, this is not true. Unless you actually active your service through the net, (which takes alot of doing) Setting up a static IP and, port forwarding and firewall settings, installing DNS clients, then your OK. cause you'll be only working with the local part of the server on your computer, and not through the net... There is alot to understand, and I've been on this journey for about a monthm and I can tell you that there are some duzzies out there. Uses that default answers to the installation of XAMPP.

I would like to suggest that if you are going to learn PHP, that you also learn MySQL. It will benefit you to learn this along with PHP...

Thanks for your response.

So, I was wondering, would it be possible to install XAMPP, on a 1GB flash drive and use it from there?

That way it would be separate from my hard drive and if need be I could take it with me.

scout1idf wrote:...would it be possible to install XAMPP, on a 1GB flash drive and use it from there?

Yes.

Here is some useful, helpful reading for potential new XAMPP users that may contain answers to some of your questions:
http://www.apachefriends.org/winxampp/readme_en.txt
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/faq-xampp-windows.html

Thank you for the links.