<?php
header ("Content-Type: text/xml");
echo '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1" ?>';
########################################################################
### editable stuff begins here #########################################
$sitename = "test";# The Name of your website
$sitedesc = "testing the feed";# a description of your website
$siteurl = "http://www.test.com";# don't forget the http://, NO trailing slash!
$permafile = "news.php"; # the name of the file where your permanent link is directed (which displays only the single entry)


$table = "news";# the name of the table you want to use for this
$dbhost = "localhost";# Your database host (usually localhost)
$dbname = "******";# Name of the datebase you'd like to use
$dbuser = "******";# Your database username
$dbpass = "******";# Your database password
### end of editable stuff, proceed with care ##########################
#######################################################################
mysql_connect ('$dbhost', '$dbuser', '$dbpass');
mysql_select_db ('$dbname');

$query = "SELECT * FROM $table ORDER BY timestamp DESC LIMIT 10";
$res = mysql_query($query);
$num = mysql_num_rows($res);

echo "<rss version=\"2.0\">\n";
echo "<channel>\n";
echo "<title>$sitename</title>\n";
echo "<link>$siteurl</link>\n";
echo "<description>$sitedesc</description>\n";

  while($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($res)) {
$id = $row["id"];
$date = date("D, d M Y H:i:s O",$row["timestamp"]);
$title = htmlentities(strip_tags($row["topic"]), ENT_QUOTES);
$entry = htmlentities(strip_tags($row["post"]), ENT_QUOTES);

if (strlen($entry) > 500)
{
$entry = substr($entry,0,500);
$entry = "$entry...";
}
    echo "<item>\n";
    echo "<title>$title</title>\n";
    echo "<link>$siteurl/$permafile?id=$id</link>\n";
    echo "<description>\n";
    echo "$entry";
    echo "</description>\n";
echo "<pubDate>$date</pubDate>\n";
    echo "</item>\n";
  } # close the while loop
echo "</channel>\n";
echo "</rss>\n";
?>

mysql_connect ($dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass);
mysql_select_db ($dbname);

for anyone who cares for the bench code..used globals so passing time was irrelevant. PEAR :: Benchmark is used. This deomstrates the against argument and i just modified code for the for argument.. too lazy to write 2 sections :D

  require_once 'Benchmark/Profiler.php';
  require_once 'Benchmark/Iterate.php';
  
    $rand = rand(0,25);
    $foo = array(range('a','z'));
      
      $profiler = new Benchmark_Iterate;
    
      function myFunction(){
         
        global $foo;
        global $rand;
        
        echo $foo[$rand];    
        return;
     }

    
     $profiler->run(1000, 'myFunction', '');
     $result = $profiler->get();
     echo "1 = ".average($result).'<br />';
    
     $profiler->run(1000, 'myFunction', '');
     $result = $profiler->get();
     echo "2 = ".average($result).'<br />';
    
     $profiler->run(1000, 'myFunction', '');
     $result = $profiler->get();
     echo "3 = ".average($result).'<br />';
    
    
    


function average($arr)
{
   if (!is_array($arr)) return false;

   return array_sum($arr)/count($arr);
}