PHP 5 Power Programming

6.2. MySQL

MySQL and PHP have become the “bread and butter” of web application builders. It is the combination you are most likely to encounter today and probably for the years to come. Consequently, this is also the first database covered in this chapter.

This chapter focuses on the new mysqli—or MySQL Improved—extension that is bundled with PHP 5. As mentioned in the chapter introduction, the mysqli extension requires that you use at least version 4.1.2 of the MySQL server.

6.2.1. MySQL Strengths and Weaknesses

This section contains some information about the strengths and weaknesses of MySQL.

6.2.1.1. Strength: Great Market Penetration

MySQL has the biggest market share of any open source database. Almost any web-hosting company can provide ...