>I have PHP 4 running as a module on windows XP, I also have MySQL and Apache
2 running on windows XP.
If I write a big website on my computer that has XP and I use PHP, MySQL and
Apache 2, and HTML and Javascript to write my web site, how hard will
it be to transfere my whole website from my home computer to a hosting
company that I find on the web.
Does anybody know how hard the portability issue would be? Are there a lot
of hosting companies that I can find on the web that would be good for this?
There are a number of portability problems you may encounter with PHP that
don't depend on differences between the OS it's running on.
- You may find it difficult or at least very awkward to write PHP that works on
BOTH an older version that doesn't support the $_GET, etc. superglobals, AND
one which has register_globals turned off and you are administratively
prohibited from turning it on. Granted, there was a fairly long period of
overlap when the superglobals were supported and register_globals defaulted
to on, but some web hosts don't update their software very often.
Check their PHP version and policies before signing up.
- Don't use new features if you want it to run on versions of PHP before that
feature was added.
- PHP is built with or without a number of modules (e.g. MySQL
client, CURL, etc.): the more of these that are necessary for your page
to work, the more likely it is you will discover that your web host doesn't
and won't include one or more of them.
- Running in "safe mode" is rather different from running with "safe mode" off.
Some web hosts require "safe mode". I don't know if there are any hosts
out there that refuse to let you turn it *ON*.
- Values passed from the web server may vary with the type and version of
web server running (Apache vs. IIS, Apache 1.3 vs. Apache 2.0, Apache +
one of various add-ons to do SSL vs. a different add-on to do SSL, etc.)
- Things like hardcoded path names are potential trouble even with the same
OS, PHP version, web server version, and same machine, but different virtual
hosts.
Gordon L. Burditt