Hi there,
I am looking to do some simple server includes on my web site and thought it would be nice to see them on my test machine. Is Xampp all that easy to install and is it worth the time or should I just upload my files to my FTP?
Is Xampp good?
Is there anything easier?
Xampp is awesome. It allows me to develop locally, and manage multiple projects. It takes less than 1 minute to get everything setup. Use it!
Great Brandon… sometimes a simple word of encouragement is all someone needs. Thank you!
I’ve used XAMPP before and liked it a lot - back when SitePoint’s BYO book recommended installing AMP seperately. I had so much trouble setting things up I got frustrated and installed the bundle instead. Easy-peasy.
Ironically, I now have AMPP installed seperately and the current edition now recommends installing a bundle. 
The thing you might want to take care with is that your versions and configs match the live server as closely as possible. It will save you a lot of checking for deprecateds and the like when something works for you local but errors live.
Xammp is great. A good alternative is Bitnami. I have used both and you will find them roughly equivalent.
Using XAMPP too, it`s a great piece of software, lightweight and can simulate a real server flawlessly. Give it a try, i recommend it!
XAMPP is extremely flexible. No other tool comes close to it. I managed to install locally ionCube loaders in 2 minutes. Priceless.
Where can I go to download XAMPP free?
Howdy,
@Ranjeet_Jadhav - Google will show you 
Although I have used XAMPP, my personal fave for the last few years now has been The Uniform Server. A very small footprint, fast, updated frequently and does not “install” anything; no “registry dust”. Can also be run in a production environment, which I have one eFront installation doing now for over a year and with 1,300 active users. The only negative that I can say is that their forum is not that well attended and questions remain unanswered for quite a while (if they receive a reply at all). On the other hand, the price is right
Cheers!
Lyle