Getting started with LAMP web application using Vista notebook

For my pe开发者_开发百科rsonal development, I want to learn web application development on the LAMP stack. (Previously I have done web applications on Windows, using ASP.NET, RIA Services and Silverlight front end.)

I want to do this on my home computer, which is a laptop running Vista.

I am grateful for any advice on how to do this best.

Which LINUX system, and how to run it on my Notebook?

• Ubuntu? desktop or server?
• dual boot mit Ubuntu
• run Ubuntu in a virtual machine
• run ubuntu as a windows application in Vista (e.g. with portable ubuntu)

Which IDE can I use for development?

• Can I do everything using Eclipse?

If you like to stick with your well known MS OS, then ubuntu server as virtual machine e.g. via VirtualBox or Virtual PC (workaround for ubuntu possible) are a quite nice solutions. This way you can easily copy the VM from one PC to another or give a current state of the VM to another developer/client. The performance is good (providing enough RAM...).

<.repeat>If you like to stick with your well known<./repeat> IDE, then Eclipse is a good choice. PHP Development works great with it. You could also checkout NetBeans.

I installed Ubuntu server on my machine, in a separate partition to my Vista installation. It works fine - in fact I rarely boot into Windows anymore. Ubuntu runs much quicker - even my wife prefers it!

It's a bit of a leaning curve using a LINUX desktop - but that's what I wanted anyway.