Hot skills: Open source platform lets developers mix and
match
What is it?
Lamp is a web development and deployment platform assembled from
open source products. It includes a webserver, database and
scripting language. These products can be downloaded free or
bought, with support, from Linux distributors, specialist suppliers
such as Activegrid, and major software players, particularly
IBM.
The acronym usually stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP, but
the scripting language could also be Perl or Python. Variants
include Postgres database (Lapp), and Wimp or Wamp (Windows with
IIS or Apache).
The most recent companies to announce Lamp "stack" support,
through partnerships with MySQL AB, are Novell and Dell.
Where did it originate?
The acronym was coined in Germany in the late 1990s, when it was
first recognised that open source products could be brought
together to compete with commercial platforms. The idea was taken
up by MySQL AB and developers' handbook publisher O'Reilly.
What is it for?
Lamp is an evolving integrated architecture for writing and
deploying applications. In terms of coherence and tool availability
it still has some way to go to catch up with J2EE and .net, but the
flexibility and freedom from lock-in provide other advantages.
End-users can choose between the promise and uncertainty of the
leading edge, or the security of support from a major supplier.
Lamp has been viewed as a low-end development platform, although
some of the world's biggest web-based businesses run on some or all
of the Lamp platform elements. More conservative enterprises are
now considering other parts of the platform as alternatives to J2EE
and .net.
What makes it special?
Users can mix and match components to suit their needs. The
software can be free but the cost of ownership is harder to
establish. Open source in general lacks a single unifying
authority, and the products were not developed with interaction in
mind. But services are becoming available from organisations such
as Sourcelabs to test if the components of Lamp will work
together.
How difficult is it to master?
None of the Lamp products is particularly welcoming to
beginners, and there is a daunting gap between the many "Hello
World" introductions and intensively detailed practical advice on
offer.
Where is it used?
The four usual components of the Lamp platform are well
established. The webserver survey organisation Netcraft said 40
million of the 70 million installations it tracks run Apache. MySQL
AB claims six million installations, probably a considerable
under-estimate.
Analyst firm Gartner has described PHP as "the lead scripting
model for enterprise web development".
What systems does it run on?
Apache, MySQL/Postgres and PHP/Perl/Python are available for
Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris and others.
What is coming up?
Microsoft is fighting back with lightweight Express editions of
its development and database tools, such as Visual Studio .net.