Do I have to have mysql even if I'm only accessing a database on a remote server?

Yes and no.

MySQL comes in two parts: the actual database (the server stuff, also known as the backend), and the aforementioned <q>client stuff</q>, which provides an interface (a basic commandline interface, but also an API for other programs, I think). The client talks to the server either on the same system (localhost) or a different system.

So you don't need the server-side MySQL daemon on your PC, but you do need the client portions.

Have I unzipped cygwin-1.3.9-1.tar.bz2 in the wrong place.

Maybe. Is there any documentation? Downloads the file and checks... Hmmm... despite the pathname in the URI, I don't see anything MySQL-related in that tarball. Looks like a (very stripped-down) cygwin root directory tree to me. Google turns up this and of course this, among other things.

Also note that the MySQL server you are accessing has to be set up to allow you to access it remotely. Permissions in MySQL can be granted to a user only when connecting from a certain host (e.g., localhost).

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Posted by jonadab. I'm having trouble with Perlmonks automagically logging me out tonight whenever I post, so if this comes out as anonymous... it's not my fault. There are messages in the sidebar as I write this that say I've got replies...