Ok, so you have decided to learn a new programming language. The ones you learned in school didn't really do it for you, so you thought about something more... practical. Like PHP, for instance.
Learning PHP requires you have some knowledge about other languages (e.g. JavaScript, OOP) but that can be done. Once you've gotten tired of reading tutorials, you'd probably like to give it a shot.
The first thing you need to do is install a server tool that's capable of running PHP (as well as other necessary tools).
There are a few options on the free online market, but one of the most popular ones is XAMPP.
XAMPP is a pack that runs on Apache and contains PHP, MySQL, and Perl.
Once you have installed it (XAMPP will recommend you deactivate Window's User Account Control - for security purposes), you can run the XAMPP Control Panel.
Here you can see the various modules you can activate - Apache, MySQL, FileZilla, Mercury, and Tomcat.
In order to get things cracking at the PHP learning thing, make sure you have the first three options running. The rest... you will discover for yourself.
In Service Settings you can choose for the XAMPP Control Panel to run as service, and automatically make specific modules active at startup.
In addition, you can set up an account and password, in case you're sharing your computer with someone else.
The modules eat a lot of CPU and memory, so try not to activate everything just for the sake of it. Only run the modules you need.
There you have it! Now you are free to start your career as a professional PHP developer. So, yes, XAMPP is indeed the kind of tool you most definitely need for programming purposes.

What's New in This Release:
· Apache (2.4.2)
· MySQL (5.5.25)
· PHP (5.4.3)
· phpMyAdmin (3.5.1)
· OpenSSL (1.0.1c)
· XAMPP Control Panel (3.0.11)
· Strawberry Perl (5.16.0.1 portable)
· Added msvcr100.dll