WAMP

I've been trying to load Apache, MySQL and PHP on Windows XP. It is possible to do it, but you've to go through a lot of documents.
Reading documentation is okay, and in most cases I prefer going through documentation before getting into any product.
But many times it is not easy to find errors in documentation. Most of the time I was able to resolve problem after googling the error messages. But it takes time. I'd like to allocate that time to explore the features instead of fighting with installation.
So far Open Source Softwares have not been as efficient in this aspect. Many Open Sources Software Gurus feel that command line interface is better choice over GUI. True, but if you've time constraints, then copying and moving setup files, setting configurations etc is a problem.
After setting up AMP manually, I was struggling with some additional modules (PDF and MSSQL), I noted another open source project - XAMPP by ApacheFriends (http://www.apachefriends.org/en/ ). I was not willing to uninstall everything and try it, but after struggling with these modules, I gave it a chance. And setting up Apache, MySQL and PHP on Windows XP was like setting up a simple Windows application.
If you are looking for these this combination in development environment, a product like XAMPP is a good starting point. There are few concerns about using this for production environment. I read these elsewhere, and maybe I'll be writing about these concerns and solutions, once I explore this.
Still installing everything manually and making it work together is important, as it gives the real understanding of what is happening inside. I also plan to write about the issues I encountered while manual install.

ajaysajay