Andrew: Is that a real name I spy? Zend Core is a *AMP stack-in-a-box, so yes it comes with its own mysql. Two mysqls in fact, just to make life more interesting. Neither you nor I are the target market for this product and my reaction was exactly the same when I first saw it :) For those who want to use PHP and not get up close and personal with it, its a nice idea. For anyone who knows what a distro is and can install mysql themselves, then there are probably more appropriate ways to get PHP!