FGG

Well in their reply they said my package doesn't include and php or mysql support.. so I think that means they might just not be willing to help me with it, but if I can get it installed... I don't know.. I'll probably end up upgrading.

another side note is that I don't have ftp access with my crappy cheap account.. it is probably going to be worth upgrading just for that.. also they don't even tell me if it is windows or linux. I'm trying to install XAMPP by downloading the zip file then upload & extract it and see if I can start apache, i'm not sure if i will be able to or not..

Hi all, I would like to try installing a php script i found that uses PHP and MySQL on my server but when I tried I noticed it didn't work, then I realized php wasn't installed. I started looking at my host's page and it seems like my plan (a cheap one $10/mo) doesn't automatically have PHP and a MySQL database. For $12-$30/mo you can get varoius plans with PHP installed and a 50MB or 100MB MySQL database. My question is, can I just install PHP and make my own MySQL database or am I going to have to upgrade my account to get this functionality? If I can, can you give me an idea of how I go about doing this. Another question I have is I will be installing my script on multiple subdomains, will I need a new MySQL database for every subdomain or will 1 database handle all the info? Or does this depend on how the script was written particularly? Also, if I do upgrade my account i have the option of a Windows or Linux server. The last time I had a server I went with Linux b/c Windows servers were a little less reliable. Is there any reason I should go with one type or another? I was thinking since I am using PHP & MySQL linux might be the better option whereas if I was going to use an ASP script then it would be better to go with a windows server.. is there any truth or logic to this? The server is www.interland.com , I've used them before, they are pretty good.. I wish I would have known that php and mysql wouldn't work with the cheap plan.. last time I had a server Perl was the big thing and I got a cheap plan and it came with a cgi-bin and perl and javascript installed... I guess the times are a changing. Thanks for any help. FGG

Joomla looks like it is very appealing, I am still a little confused as to what this CMS will do and not do though.. I feel like I need an instruction manual to it..haha.

okay I went and checked out a bunch of different CMS programs, how do I transform them into a freebie site? I kinda understand why you suggest them, but am a little lost.

Hello PHP freaks, I'm new to PHP, I used to do some programming in Javascript and C++ but am afraid its been several years and have forgotten most of it, however, I remember most of the basic principles (dropped my CS major, haha). Anyways, I am starting an 'incentive site', you've probably seen them around. They offer things like free ipods or free xbox 360s for doing offers and getting referrals. Anywas, there are several things I'm going to need do on my site with php and I'd like to know, which tutorials or books would be good for me to start reading to help me get on my way. #1. Accounts - usernames and passwords. Users will create accounts and login to their accounts to check their status on offer completions and their status to receiving their product. #2. "url tracking" - I don't know exactly the right term for this but basically, if I would give you my link to signup with and you used it, then your email would show up under my account and when you did an offer my account would show that as well as yours. #3. "more url tracking" - well i'm sure that my affiliate networks will help me with this but this requires the "offers" on the site track when people complete them so that I can update their accounts or in some cases if the offer is 'instant' it automatically updates their account, other offers will require me to manually update their completion status. #4. Help/Support forms - well I'm sure that I can figure this out b/c I used to use forms and such just using plain old javascript and html but I am wondering if php can improve this process.. I know the old way it used to be pretty messy.. #5. Sub-domains - the site will use subdomains.. hence if I am offering pcs, xbox 360s, and ipods then there will be a pcs.freegiftgalaxy , 360.freegiftgalaxy, and ipods.freegiftgalaxy... so people will have seperate accounts on all of them, but also lets say they do Offer A on ipods and Offer B on 360s.. I would like that to all show up on some "admin" page and let me approve them all from the same page and let it update each account accordingly. So my main question is How much knowlege of PHP are we talking about, I can pick it up pretty fast.. but would being able to do all these things be considered "beginner" "intermediate" or "guru" php-scripter status? My next question is what "sections" or "tutorials" in PHP should I focus on? I know there are lots of things it can do I'm not going to have to worry about to do these things, and I'm sure there are other things that are much more essential. If you would like some examples of what I am talking about freepay.com and giftfiesta.com are prime examples of what I am looking to emulate.... but it is time for me to go to class now.. so I am looking forward to hearing your responses. Thanks, FreeGiftGalaxy oh yes, and logging ips when people create accounts to make sure that people don't create multiple accounts underneath their initial account is important as well.