PHP 5 Installation

What Do I Need?

To start using PHP, you can:

• Find a web host with PHP and MySQL support
• Install a web server on your own PC, and then install PHP and MySQL

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Use a Web Host With PHP Support

If your server has activated support for PHP you do not need to do anything.

Just create some .php files, place them in your web directory, and the server will automatically parse them for you.

You do not need to compile anything or install any extra tools.

Because PHP is free, most web hosts offer PHP support.

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Set Up PHP on Your Own PC

However, if your server does not support PHP, you must:

• install a web server
• install PHP
• install a database, such as MySQL

The official PHP website (PHP.net) has installation instructions for PHP: http://php.net/manual/en/install.php

Microsoft's first Windows Phone 8.1 update arrives next week

MICROSOFT has announced the first update for Windows Phone 8.1, after accidentally spilling details of the update earlier this week.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1, which is set to arrive as a Developer Preview next week, won't deliver a radical overhaul, but will bring a handful of new features to the operating system.

The first of these is Cortana, with Microsoft announcing that its digital assistant will be coming the UK and China with the impending update.

The firm has tweaked the feature to appeal to British users, Microsoft boasted, saying in a blog post on Tuesday, "Cortana has been tailored to support UK spellings and pronunciations and Bing-provided local data on sports teams (for the EPL), the London Stock Exchange, commuter conditions, and more.

"The voice and accent is, of course, local, and Cortana's personality in the UK has also been tweaked to be more locally relevant."

While visually Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 doesn't add much, it does bring with it a new feature called Live Folders, allowing users to drag apps onto one another to create a folder - a feature that has been available on iOS and Android for years.

Microsoft added, "We call this Live Folders because the live tiles of apps appear in the tile of the folders - you won't miss tile updates because you group apps in a folder!"

Other visual tweaks include the new live Store, which will update to show information on the latest app releases, and the Xbox Music app has also been refreshed with better list scrolling and design enhancements.

Beyond that, Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 brings with it SMS merge and forwarding, voice over LTE (VoLTE), support for smart covers like HTC's Dot View case and support for 7in devices and 1280x800 screen resolutions. A number of privacy and security enhancements are also included, such as the ability to send and receive data through a VPN network when connected to WiFi hotspots.

Windows Phone 8.1 will be available to developers - and ordinary users who have signed up as a developer - from next week, with a full rollout to take place later this year.

Another leak confirms that Windows 8 is a goner, Windows 9 coming this year

MICROSOFT WILL ANNOUNCE Windows 9 before the year is out, according to the latest leak from reliable Russian mole Wzor.

According to the rumour, Windows 8.1 Update 2 will be released in August, drawing a line under Windows 8, with Windows 9 - assuming that will be its moniker - to be announced within a couple of months. Beyond that, Windows 8 will be patched, but not enhanced.

The Wzor rumour echoes that of ZDNet analyst Mary Jo Foley, who made nearly identical claims last month, further fueling its credibility.

Wzor was among the first to confirm the return of the Start Menu and Microsoft climb downs over the Modern or Metro interface in Windows 8.

According to a translation on the My Digital Life forum, Wzor said, "Windows 9 will be announced this fall, Microsoft's advertising budget this time will be fantastic. The slogan of a promotional campaign will be "You want Start button and new menu and you will get that".

"On the advice of marketing experts, flaws of Windows 8 will be accepted and used as lessons for developers while releasing Windows 9."

This is the first major leak from Wzor after the closure of his website, following the reprimand of a Microsoft employee for being the source of such leaks, and shows that despite this, the well has not completely dried up.

Wzor also suggested that development has been delayed as Microsoft overhauls its product activation systems, primarily to stem the traffic in illicit versions of Windows in China.

The Chinese government has denounced Windows 8 as spyware and ordered its government departments not to use it.

Facebook Messenger scrapped from Windows

Facebook has reportedly announced end of Windows support for its Messenger app.

The social networking giant announced the end of support in the form of a notification to users within the app, saying that it would stop working on March 3, 2014.

According to PC World, Facebook Messenger debuted on Windows around two years ago and around a million people had been using it.

Although, the social networking giant has announced the burial of its Messenger for Windows, the company has maintained that it would continue to work on the app for Windows Phone.