Mysql or mysqli ?

I noticed both dlls in the package. I read MySQLi offers Improved MySQL
support when using MySQL 4.1 or higher
Can anyone tell me in layman's terms why and when I want to use this instead
of 'plain' mysql ?
What features do I get extra ? I have MySQl 4.0.20, according to MySQL site
the latest stable/production release.
Is MySQL 4.1 recommendable ? Should I be implementing everything with MySQLi
from now on anyway ?

Thanks in advance for your opinions & explanations!
Pjotr

I have just upgraded my MySQL 4.0.20 to 4.1.3 on my development PC and I
have discovered one important fact - to access MySQL 4.1.3 or higher you
must use the 'mysqli_' functions as the ordinary 'mysql_' functions do not
work. If you try you will get the following message:

Warning: mysql_connect(): Client does not support authentication protocol
requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client in
F:\Apache2\HTDOCS\testmysql.php on line 28 Could not connect to MySQL

It is also not possible to access a pre-4.1.3 database with the new
'mysqli_' functions. So when you upgrade to version 4.1.3 of MySQL you must
also upgrade your PHP code. For a lot of people this could be a major
problem but for me it is a simple matter - my code can auto-detect which
MySQL extension is installed then include() the relevant class file at
runtime. I have one class file for the 'mysql_' extension and another for
the 'mysqli_' extension.

This is one big advantage of the 3 tier architecture with its separate data
access component.

--
Tony Marston

http://www.tonymarston.net



"Pjotr Wedersteers" <x33159@westerterp.com> wrote in message
news:411a1cf1$0$34762$e4fe514c@news.xs4all.nl...
>I noticed both dlls in the package. I read MySQLi offers Improved MySQL
> support when using MySQL 4.1 or higher
> Can anyone tell me in layman's terms why and when I want to use this
> instead
> of 'plain' mysql ?
> What features do I get extra ? I have MySQl 4.0.20, according to MySQL
> site
> the latest stable/production release.
> Is MySQL 4.1 recommendable ? Should I be implementing everything with
> MySQLi
> from now on anyway ?
>
> Thanks in advance for your opinions & explanations!
> Pjotr
>
>

> I have just upgraded my MySQL 4.0.20 to 4.1.3 on my development PC and I
> have discovered one important fact - to access MySQL 4.1.3 or higher you
> must use the 'mysqli_' functions as the ordinary 'mysql_' functions do not
> work. If you try you will get the following message:

Here's a solution for the problem you mentioned, may be useful for some
people that aren't willing to switch to mysqli.
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/Old_client.html

> Warning: mysql_connect(): Client does not support authentication protocol
> requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client in
> F:\Apache2\HTDOCS\testmysql.php on line 28 Could not connect to MySQL

kind regards,
David