The newly coined terms "WAMP" and "XAMP" reflect how effective it is to bundle solutions. The first is Windows OS with Apache web server, MySQL Server and PHP support. The second is the unix version of the package.

While looking at some bridging modules (modifications), noticed a couple of new product names. Had already ran across Drupal as a web interfaced management system, but found these two - Joomla and XOOPS. Google the embolded names for their sites.

They are termed Content Management Systems (CMS), created with the intent to make sites easier to create, manage and update. This goes way beyond MS FrontPage by a far reach. As a lot of PHP-based forum solutions were allowing for HTML or BBCode sections, the CMS is intended to allow customization on a grander scale. What is more interesting is that they are free solutions.

Naturally downloading and installing a new program like one of these onto your XAMP/WAMP servers isn't something you have to do in order to keep up with the pack. That specifically means the pack of nerds and geeks that have already downloaded, set it up and are showing it off unbeknownst to everyone not already familiar with them. Not sure if it makes the in-house web design teams look brillant in short order or lazy in the long run. Either way, if it's a working solution that allows for a myriad of options while they go about collating their needed multimedia files, it's serving it's true purpose.

There will still be issues to cover regarding security. Will they support SSI's? Will there be an issue with any spywares? Yet typically these questions will be tied in more with the underlying XAMP/WAMP software applications (and their particular settings). The key is the PHP functionality that will allow for script customization that know what they are doing in that language.

While some may continue to ask how such wonderful solutions come about at no cost to end-users, it certainly never hurts to look at something that doesn't carry an initial purchase price which factors into a decision of whether it should be utilized.