As long as there has been the Internet, there have been tools to help keep it running well. More times than not, those tools are the ones associated with Linux. Much of web development is based upon the system of LAMP development, which consists of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This system makes up better than two-thirds of all Internet servers.

In short, LAMP development tools are effective because they offer developers with the ability and freedom to do a lot of different things in website design. Generally, the open source underpinnings of the system of the LAMP tools offer the ability to design websites and databases that are both effective and creative. These tools would be described as being very user-friendly, making them a popular choice of web designers world wide.

LAMP development tools have grown in popularity because of their availability and their adaptability. Both admirable features in a web design tool program, these things offer easy access for web designers. In addition, the LAMP development system has taken the lead as the top web design program because it is continually evolving. The system takes suggestions at many times from the folks who use it. Their effectiveness lies in the fact that they cater directly to the needs of the customers. The system constantly changes and improves itself because it takes to heart the needs of the devoted and informed customer base. Nowhere else in the web hosting and development market does that happen.

With LAMP development technology, web designers can get down to what they do best. They can focus on using creative measures to design and produce great websites. The added advantage of having this system is that the designers can take their focus off of administrative work and onto what they do best. This allows a certain amount of flexibility for a web design business.

The specifics of the LAMP development program all revolve around the Linux system. While it is best to have all of the programs working in unison, it is not completely necessary. The Linux part is the most important, though. The Linux distribution system is an important, but perplexing part of the equation. With so many different types of Linux out there for consumption, it can sometimes be confusing on which one to choose. The best and most effective of all of the Linux systems is probably the Anaconda-based installation system. The advantage with this program is that it allows for the configuration of many different types of hardware options.

While Linux might be important, no one can overlook the Apache portion of the LAMP development program. This open source tool is effective because of its rich code base and its prevalence on the web. The Apache element of the program is effective because it requires really no extra work in order to install. In addition, Apache is something highly configurable and easy to modify.

The MySQL database is an interesting part of the equation. This open source tool has almost revolutionized the way that web pages are hosted. This tool has given web designers an even greater measure of versatility because it allows for real-time web hosting. This allows users to create dynamic websites that are fully functional.

The LAMP development system is something that has always powered the World Wide Web. Combining the powers of Linux with the other features gives web designers the ability to create versatile websites. This system will continue to be powerful tools for web designers as long as the changes of users are noted and implemented.

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Andy West is a freelance writer for PhpMyDev.com . PhpMyDev offers complete web development and hosting using LAMP development. Please visit http://www.PhpMyDev.com for more information.

“Open-source software’s transparent nature and low-cost will make it more popular among developing countries such as China and India (see India State: Linux In, MS Out). Marten Mickos, CEO of open-source database company MySQL, says the fast-growing BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) will be breeding grounds in 2007 for interesting open source startups because of the large market and talent. “China and India are so large together, like they have become the physical goods factories of the world, the same will happen with open source,” Mr. Allison says”

While I hope that Falguni’s prediction materializes, a conversation with my cousin in India a few days ago made me wonder for a second.

My cousin works as an IT Admin for a very large American bank with operations in India. His group develops and manages applications, (along with the related OSes and hardware) for use in the bank’s Indian operations. This isn’t an outsourcing operation. I figured they’d be using lots of open source like LAMP, Tomcat or Geronimo to keep costs down. They weren’t. They’re using a lot of Microsoft technology. When I asked why they weren’t using Linux, he asked about how secure Linux and open source in general was. To be honest I was a little surprised that (1) they weren’t using more open source products and (2) he questioned the security of Linux vs. Windows. Note, this is based on a sample size of 1 (well 2 because I’ve heard similar things from another cousin when I asked about Java or PHP vs. .NET, and MySQL vs. Oracle usage), so take it with several grains of salt.

Upon reflection, I shouldn’t have been too surprised:

1] I’ve heard about how important MCSE and other Microsoft certification is in India

2] Microsoft continues to invest heavily in India. Microsoft also benefits from Indian outsourcing companies working for overseas customers with investments in Microsoft technology. If the overseas customer is outsourcing work on Microsoft technology, then Indian outsourcing firms need employees with Microsoft skills.

3] I came across this post from Christopher Blizzard who writes:

.. students who are in schools to which we suggest that they get involved in open source software in India often ask “how will doing work in open source software help me get a job?”

Remember that many of these students are becoming the highest earners in their (extended) family by securing an IT job. This sometimes means that they are, wholly or in part, supporting their parents and siblings through these IT jobs. As a result, they’re very focused on taking steps that will directly result in “a good job with a good company“. Why contribute to an open source project when I can be studying, (which is what classmates are doing)? Sure contributing open source code is good experience, but good exam results often play a larger role in securing a job in India. And yes, one can argue that if you contribute a lot to, say, kernel.org, you may get a job with a commercial Linux distro vendor, but that’s an edge case scenario today.

Maybe the increasing penetration of open source in North America & Europe will drive the need for more open source skills within Indian outsourcing companies. As a result, students will have an incentive to work on open source projects while in school. As this happens, some will surely decide to found an open source-based venture, or decide that such a venture is “a good job with a good company“. It’s also good to see commercial open source vendors like Red Hat hiring more Indian staff. And from a personal standpoint, we have a sizable team of IBM India employees working on Geronimo & WAS CE development & support. Oh, and let’s not forget about the buzz from Indian Government agencies adopting Linux, which should drive more interest for working on open source projects.

The future is definitely bright for open source innovation from India and other emerging countries, but there’s plenty of work to be done yetit’s going to be a fun ride indeed!

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I am taking a semi-break from IBM life as I return to finish a PhD in Industrial Engineering. I’ve held roles in market intelligence, strategy and product management. I’m ex-product manager of IBM WAS Community Edition, and blog about enterprise open source topics.

MySQL dropped a lot of names at last week’s LinuxWorld Conference and Expo. Those who spend enough time online should recognize websites like YouTube, Flickr, and Digg among many others.

The company said its status as “the database-of-choice” for next-generation innovative firms comes from its MySQL’s speed and ability to be scaled on inexpensive hardware. That has something in common with the ascension of Linux in the world of open source software – good performance even on older PCs.

MySQL has been part of one acronym that has been very familiar to founders and developers at startups. It’s the M in LAMP, which stands for the Linux operating system, Apache web server, MySQL, and Perl/Python/PHP scripting languages.

“Without the LAMP software stack, many Web 2.0 companies would have never got off the ground,” Tim O’Reilly, CEO of O’Reilly Media, said in a MySQL statement. He very likely has this correct.

O’Reilly’s ONlamp website still stands out as an excellent resource for the software that comprises its stack, and that includes MySQL. For example, those database developers who have an interest in utilizing the federated engine in MySQL 5 can find expanded documentation on doing so on the site.

MySQL will have to continue to improve, even as it finds favor throughout web startup companies. Other databases want to prove themselves worthy of adoption by companies with strong demands for higher-end database features.

Competitors like PostgreSQL and Ingres both want to gain more mindshare in the marketplace. Each may be obtained as open source software. Both tout advanced features, and formal support services as options.

Though neither has the highly placed branding O’Reilly has brought to MySQL, it could only take one influential startup using an alternative to MySQL to bring it to broader media attention and mindshare. MySQL plans to keep improving as well to head off that competition.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

The three Ps of LAMP – Perl, PHP, and Python, have support in the Yahoo Search SDK, along with C/C++ and Java languages, and others. Yahoo’s Jeremy Zawodny announced the updated SDK on Yahoo’s Search blog.

He noted how the Yahoo Developer Network has come a long way in the year and a half since its inception. After starting life as a BSD-licensed kit with a few search-related web services, their Developer Network has grown substantially.

Search service developers can join up with Yahoo’s Developer Network by reviewing the project’s documentation, requesting an Application ID, and obtaining the SDK.

Yahoo allows developers to use data from the following sources:

•  Audio Search

•  Content Analysis

•  Image Search

•  Local Search

•  MyWeb

•  News Search

•  Site Explorer

•  Video Search

•  Web Search

Developers can look through the Gallery for ideas on building search applications for examples like Rollyo, a personal search engine creation website, and other ideas.

Discuss this article with your fellow WebPros at WebProWorld.
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- cell phones, cameras, computers and other nerdly gadgets. Find em, compare em, buy em and use em. If you ever wanted to play with cool toys and get in on the ground level of building an entirely new Yahoo! site, here’s your chance!

What’s the job entail? According to the official description:

We’re looking for smart engineers who can express ideas clearly in written and spoken communication. Knowledge of HTTP, XML, XSLT, Apache, web services, HTML, PHP, Perl, UNIX systems, and MySQL are required. A BSCS/MSCS and at least 5 years of experience with large scale, fault-tolerant systems is also required.

So send him your resume. Send me your resume. But don’t just sit there any longer. You could be getting paid good money instead of reading my blog.

Seriously, this looks to be a cool job working on a fun new project. Who knows, maybe you’ll get to play with some of those new toys too…

Disclaimer: If you get hired and list me as your referral, I get a bonus. But is that so bad?

Reader Comments…

Jeremy Zawodny is the author of the popular Jeremy Zawodny’s blog. Jeremy is part of the Yahoo search team and frequently posts in the Yahoo! Search blog as well.

Visit Jeremy’s blog: Jeremy Zawodny’s blog.

And while it’s possible to create a perfectly functional web interface to a web application built with PHP using only HTML and stylesheets, it would be nice to create something a little more compelling with interactivity, slick graphics, sound and maybe even a video tutorial to guide the new user. And what’s better than Flash for creating just such an interface? Nothing, that’s what.

Not at the moment, anyway. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) adopted something called SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphics) to carry in XML the kinds of content that Macromedia’s de facto standard SWF file format already encodes in its own proprietary, yet open way. SVG has some technical advantages over SWF as well as some drawbacks of its own; but, in any event, SVG is slow to catch on in the browser world while Flash is on fire.

SWF has the upper hand in more ways than simply in the near omnipresence of the Flash Player, which displays SWF in the browser window. The first it enjoys is the fact that Flash technology is stable and mature, a big deal when your web application is the life of your company. It’s also platform-neutral — Flash looks the same in any browser where the Flash Player runs, whether you’re using Windows, a Mac or Linux. That’s good for designers.

Speaking of designers, most SWF is the product of creative people using a killer interactive development environment called Flash MX Pro. While SVG is easier than SWF to edit with a text editor, nobody in their right mind wants to create graphic interfaces that way, and neither Adobe nor anyone else has seen fit to create anything comparable to Flash for creating SVG.

Finally, the embrace of the open SWF format by third parties, most notably for our purposes the open-source community, has resulted in the creation of a growing number of tools for generating and manipulating SWF files, even on-the-fly by, for example, PHP. Tools like Ming (yes, Flash and Ming are now friends!) and FreeMovie make it possible for open-source web application developers to add some interest to their browser-bound interfaces.

Add to this the responsiveness Macromedia has shown in extending Flash with some things the development community needed, and you can start to see what makes Flash compelling way to develop your web application’s front-end. ActionScript was added to allow programmers to communicate with Flash “movies” and recently ActionScript was extended with so-called “remoting” components which allow Flash movies to interact directly with various web application servers. Another Open-Source project, AMFPHP, extends Flash remoting to PHP. For a nice example of what this can accomplish visually and funtionally, check out http://panodiscount.com/panomaker/index3.php

About three years ago, the company for which I work, CafeID.com, started building an online website builder written in Flash that can create and edit Flash websites right in the browser window. Our account administration backend, which handles domain-name registration, e-mail administration, etc. is a PHP application running on Linux, served by Apache. We’ve only begun to explore the possibilities this combination offers, but we’ve been impressed with our results and our customers love the flexibility the Flash-based Site Editor offers them in comparison with template-based solutions.

The LAMP server environment is wildly popular for very good reasons both technical and economic. It’s stable, high-performance technology that doesn’t carry a pricetag. Online support is readily available and your choice of hardware platforms runs the gamut from screwdriver-shop PCs to IBM mainframes.

At the same time, Flash is wildly popular for some of the same reasons and creative professionals can create stunning user interfaces using it. Using Flash to build your web application’s front-end while taking advantage of superior open-source backend technology is getting easier and makes perfect sense.

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Trevor Bauknight is a web designer and writer with over 15 years of
experience on the Internet. He specializes in the creation and
maintenance of business and personal identity online and can be
reached at trevor@tryid.com. Stop by http://www.cafeid.com for a free
tryout of the revolutionary SiteBuildingSystem and check out our
Flash-based website and IMAP e-mail hosting solutions, complete with
live support.