Using base classes in CodeIgniter can be very beneficial to a developer but the framework doesn't have very good support for using base classes on the fly. Using a simple hook, autoload support can be added to work consistently and not get lost in the clutter of config files.

CodeIgniter is a great framework for building web applications but it takes a little work to get it running out of the box. Editing config files and database settings is standard for any framework, and CodeIgniter is no different, but with a few extensions of the core libraries you can quickly and easily build much more powerful tools.

In the early days of web development, most web sites where made up of complete HTML pages that had to be loaded and reloaded every time a request was made. This system is not very efficient as all data must be resent every time a small change is made which, in turn, affects the user experience and can increase bandwidth use and server load.

Poor software choices can be very costly for companies who get taken down the wrong path. It's worth asking the tough questions early on.

MySQL has long been the most popular open-source database solution for web designers. It is free, fast, stable, and widely supported. Until version 5.1 was released, MySQL's feature set was quite limited compared to the "big dogs" in the database industry, including Oracle, DB2, and MS SQL Server. Many of the new version 5+ features enable MySQL databases to operate more independently than before, because the database itself can process and validate data, rather than relying on outside software.