So this one is interesting.

I just took a new site with a large firm. I had to use CVS for the first time, and that was just neato. Then, when I was talking to the tech guy who hosts the page, I asked for php and mysql. He wondered why. I told him that it would be much easier to have the marketing guys be able to change content dynamically, so the page content could be pulled from the database (mysql). The response was as if I'd asked him to pave the road from alabama to new york with dead skunks!

He felt that making pages pull from the database each time would slow things down too much. I have much larger sites running on small servers pulling from the database every chance they get and I've never seen them slow down for even a second. Even a page like.. oh let's say... hey WEBMASTER-TALK.COM seems lightning fast to me. I mean, isn't this what mysql and php are for?

Am I wrong? Do dynamic sites put too much load on the servers to be useful? Is it wasteful to make sites which pull their content from a database? what does the great collective YOU think? Thanks.. and links would be helpful for or against, I want to know if i should raise a stink about it.

Well, I would have to disagree with the tech dude.

From what I used and php sites I have seen, I would have to say " It doesn't slow it down "

The server should always be able to handle a little fetching from your mysql database. I dunno about CVS. But if dynamic pages are what the firm wants, dynamic pages is what the firm should have. If they see that it is alot easier. Then I'm sure they would prefer it. ( They don't need to have someone continuely changing the code / content ) They will be able to do most things by themselves, at home or what ever.

Only site I have seen that has been going crazy slow due to server overload is gunbound.net, they use ASP, and their servers were just hacked and have been having problems for about 2 weeks now. AND then they gave away some free stuff for the game, and now everyone is logging into the site to get the free stuff.

To sum up, I dont think that the mysql database will slow things down, I spose it really depends. But it sounds like the tech guy won't like the idea no matter what you say.

Don't act soley on what I am saying, wait for some more people to respond and see what the majority think.

Lothop

I've seen this before in the business world. Where I work I made a quick little search engine tool to search through ada codes and their insurance plan riders. I made it quicker and more efficient streamlining the whole thing with php. Their response to this was to stop making it. They are already making one with javascript and html and its going to take them over a year. It took me a week to develop the whole thing with php and mysql.

The older generation of techies are very much stuck in one way that makes them lots of money and they don't want to simplify things as it means less work for them therefore less job security.

Any additional resource usage from the data layer is likely to add overhead. If the server is busy and is not a dedicated web/ db server then it could have numerous processes on the go causing some waiting.

However I dont notice it and nor will the majority of internet users. Indeed I find that waiting for images is the most time consuming part of browsing.

PHP is interpreted pretty fast but slows down when you are banging out oo code. This does not meen to say you would notice.

The content in the files may be rather small thus using a database and php may be an overkill.

If the site is large:

Then you have to take into account the development and maintainace of the thing.

If your one of those who would trawl through files looking for a small paragraph to change then your a better man than me.

The seamless integration with MySQL, Apache and PHP make the life of a web developer/ master complete.

The gains made by using such technology far outweigh the few extra second (if that) that may incur.

http://www.blueshoes.org/en/developer/php_bench/
Some php benchmarking tests

milomedia,

You clearly invaded into an area where this guy has no experience. I have found this "syndrome" to be quite common. A guy with basic skills walks into an office and shows a little skill so everyone places all their trust in him despite the fact that he is only marginally knowledgeable. To protect himself from outside experts and the degradation of his reputation, he will assert himself in this manner without having any real clue as to what he is talking about.

It's a defensive measure brought on by extreme ignorance.

I like your explanation. Much more graceful and too the point than mine.

Wow, quite a response from this one. Thanks, everyone. I'd love to find some specs on the overall drain to the servers. I mean, if we have so many hits we have to be load balancing, then heck, we can afford it!

In defense of the tech guy, he's an IT guy more than a web guy, and it is possible he hasn't noticed that just about everywhere you go online you see php pages dishing mysql stored content in your face. His work with the authentication systems and other non web systems has been unreal. Which is why I even bothered to ask everyone what they thought instead of just insisting that we use mysql/php for content.

Now that I think of it, this site answered my question without me having to ask. Does anyone know how many, if more than one, servers this site uses to run? What kind of server? etc

The proof is in the pudding, lads

thanks!!!