I use XAMPP as a local test server on my Mac for testing and debugging. I mean, nothing is more embarrassing than making file changes to a live site and bringing it down. One thing always bothered me, but not to the point of solving it. WordPress, Drupal, and other CMS software provide built in automatic updates or installation - but out of the box it does not work on XAMPP.

Watching file sizes and following coding standards are only one simple way to optimize your website. Proper HTML will ensure you page is processed as smoothly as possible, but does not mean a major speed boost.

The easiest way to learn PHP is to be able to create and edit code and see instant results. When I was younger and learning I couldn't afford to have my own web server so I installed a WAMP environment - I also didn't have a spare machine laying around to toss Linux on.