MySQL in Windows and Linux

[chocolate]

Hi,

My host is a Linux host and it supports MySQL. However I use Windows myself, and this would be my first go at MySQL.

I am just wondering if I download the Windows version of MySQL, how could I use the same database for my site?

Thank you very much.

[Mark T.]

Yes, you can. But setting up MySQL on an NT-system, like Windows 2000 or Windows XP requires some code changes. It is not a simple download and install file.

[chocolate]

Thanks, but I actually have Win98. And I have downloaded and installed MySQL onto my own computer in c:/mysql.

What's the next step I should take now?

Thanks in advance.

[Mark T.]

First, let me tell you something about testing stuff for your website on your own pc. Besides MySQL for the database, you will also need a webserver and a parser for server-side scripting languages.
Most people choose to use PHP with MySQL, so this migth be your best shot. PHP also has a nice learning curve, it doesn't take too long before you can actually do some nice things.

The PHP-parser and the webserver are needed to interpret the PHP code you write. Without it, all the code would just produce a bit of gibberish on the screen.

I recommend you download the Apache Webserver, and the PHP-parser as well.

Or, if you don't want to go through the hassle of downloading, installing and configuring it all yourself, you might want to take a look at PHP-Dev. This is a complete package, which will - after downloading of course - install a the complete bundle I mentioned above for you.