<SOLVED> Can/Would I use XAMPP on more than one

[Lawson]

I have an old computer that I am going to use as a server, if it works. It is a power pc G4. I am running OS 10.4.11 on all machines on the network. (3) Other computers are a dual core G5 and an intel Imac running 10.5. I may eventually add a laptop. If I work away from the office, I may want to be able to work on web projects. Can I have XAMPP on my local machine and on the network? I know I would access the XAMPP interface through my browser at http://localhost/ but if I add a second installation, how, or would it work?

I am using XAMPP for a Joomla test server, it will not be live or accessible from the outside. I am using the extra computer as an experiment and test area. To some degree I don't want the server running on my work machine. The original plan was to just install XAMPP and Joomla on one machine, then I thought I might as well use the external server to keep it all separate.

Just thinking, perhaps erroneously, If I only have one version of XAMPP activated, then I would only find that localhost. Of course there is the whole file issue of what is on what machine, but if I work on multiple websites on my in house server, but work on the project at hand locally, then the files aren't an issue. Am I making life unnecessarily complicated? Thanks.

As a side note: My root folder is htdocs. In that folder I will install a folder called "CMS Apps" and within that folder install my Joomla download folder. Also within the htdocs folder is where I planned to install folders for each of my projected web projects. If I am following everything correctly. I can have multiple Joomla databases, each installed into it's own specific website folder with it's own data prefix for tables and such. End result, I can use XAMPP at home or away and I can develop multiple Joomla 1.5 websites and keep everything unique to the particular folders. I hope everyone isn't on the floor laughing at this point.

My background. Some html. Have done a few websites with GoLive, Dreamweaver. I know some basic html. I know even less CSS. I know InDesign, Photoshop and such well. Trying to get more comfortable with how a server accesses data, where it is stored, and how to copy and transfer the appropriate files to the final server. In the past it was just a button in Dreamweaver and all was magically fixed. Just so you can see what I have done and have a point of reference, the GoLive site was yedi.com and the Dreamweaver site was http://pci-envirotek.com/. Ok, let the fun begin. Thanks.

[MegaChriz]

Can I have XAMPP on my local machine and on the network? I know I would access the XAMPP interface through my browser at http://localhost/ but if I add a second installation, how, or would it work?

If you want to install two XAMPP-installations that must be running at the same time, you will need two machines running XAMPP.
Your websites on your 'XAMPP'-webserver are not only accessible via http://localhost/, but also via the ip-address of the computer XAMPP is installed on, for example http://192.168.1.1/, so your websites are accessible on other computers in your network as wel, unless you've disabled it. I'm not sure if the webpages also are accessible from outside your network, this depends on your networkpreferences.

I can have multiple Joomla databases, each installed into it's own specific website folder with it's own data prefix for tables and such.

That's correct. It's possible to have installed multiple Joomla installations, each which its own database. (It's even possible to use only one database for all the Joomla installations, but I would not prefer that.)