Re: Storing point and polyline data to file

yeah, but the problem I had with trying to store points AND lines in a
db was that without geospatial extensions, you would basically have to
handle points and lines differently. Maybe you could do them in the
same table, with the first point of the line in the lat and lng feilds
but it just becomes a bit of a pain in the arse to write code to see if
any point of a line is within a certain area not just it's start.
With geospatial extensions, you treat a point and a line in exactly the
same way - the back end SQL engine does all that horrid geospatial math
for you :)
Regarding mysql 4.1, I wouldn't worry *too* much.
MySQL is probably the most common db engine out there for web space,
and ISPs are upgrading all the time. Just find one that does do mysql
4.1 or find out when your ISP intends to upgrade.
It may well be that your ISP intends to upgrade in about the time it
would take you to write your site...
In the mean time, use something such as WAMPserver (www.wampserver.com)
on your windows box to develop your site.

Also bear in mind that it isn't just mysql that has geospatial
features, postgres does it too. I just chose mysql cause it was the
main one people have for their web space.