Which tools to use?

I am fairly new to all of this, but I'm trying... to build a little web app to help me with my thoroghbred handicapping. The application would take past performance data for each entry in a race and use that data to compute a wide range of numerical ratings (speed, pace, class, ability, odds, etc).

I have set up an environment that uses mySQL and Apache (both for now running on the same XP machine). At present I'm not serving this site anywhere (I'm developing in order to learn the tools). My question is which tools, and what architecture, assuming that I might eventually want to make this tool available to other racing enthusiasts.

I am storing data in mySQL and what I want to do is get the raw numbers from the database and perform the calculations on them (not store the calculated numbers, as the calculations may change), and display the results in the browser. Eventually, I'd like to be able to sort the information on the browser by result. Calculations range from simple arithemtic to more complex indexing of computed values with protentially several hundred calculations per page (if a race has 10 entries, then on any given page there may be 10 - 20 calcs per entry).

I'm sure there are a variety of ways to do this.

I have begun the exercise using PHP for everything, but wonder if it makes more sense to get the raw data from the dB using PHP and then to pass the information to the client and do the calculations on the client side using JavaScript or Java or something.

OR should there be an interim application (in Java, C++, PHP as a standalone) between the dB and PHP that gets the data and crunches it. And then PHP takes the crunched numbers and passes them to the browser for display.

I know there are probably a million ways to do this, but My instinct tells me it makes more sense to do the computing at the client end of the equation, then you have all of the results there locally for use if necessary (and if you have multiple users, you aren't slowling the server down to do the math for each individual).

In any case, I just don't know the tools well enough to know which ones to choose. Since I'm doing this to learn the tools, I'm not concerned with what I do/don't know. I am looking for the ideal configuration.

What would YOU do?

As far as environment, I would recommend that you consider using a *nix box since they are the norm for internet servers and normally a little more secure and stable. LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL & (PHP, Perl, Python)) systems are becoming more popular so you really wont go wrong with using any of those. As far as doing the calculations on the client side, that is a definate no. The reason why is simply what if the client has scripting turned off on thier browser? Then the calculation wont be done. Now you did hit on a good point about an interim application. Lets say that you stay with php, then you can split it up into two to three different sections. 1) Data (interaction with the database), 2) Processing (perform calculations and any other logic needed for the script) 3) Presentation (format and display the data to the user, typically done with templates). All of these can be done with php also, but now they are broken down in such a way that they server a logical order.

Just my 2 cents

Thanks, Onslaught!

I will try breaking things down this way as I move forward.

BTW, I had initially planned on a LAMP environment (would love to get away from Microsoft altogether, and hope to over time), but opted for XPAMP for the time being -- since I have an XP machine. I plan to migrate eventually.

Thanks again.