Login code won't accept "PASSWORD" sql datatypes

[kilbey1]

I haven't run across this previously, but it took me awhile to figure out my login script wasn't working because, when I set 'password' to the SQL datatype "PASSWORD", it takes it literally. Hence, when I try to type in my password as, say, 'test', PHP informed me it was incorrect - but if I put in the encrypted version, it accepts it!

So I tried putting in 'test' as a password without using the "PASSWORD" datatype in mysql, and bingo. It worked.

This is new to me, what's going on and how can I change my code to allow it to accept 'PASSWORD" datatypes in mysql?

if(isset($_POST['submit'])) { 
   if(!$db) { 
      print("<h1>Can't Connect to the DB!</h1>\n"); 
   } 
   else { 
	  mysql_select_db("mydb",$db);
   } 

   $sql       = "select * from users where username = '".$_POST['username']."'"; 
   $result    = mysql_query($sql); 
   $row_count = mysql_num_rows($result); 

   if($row_count == 0) { 
?> 
<h3>Wrong User Name! Try Again</h3> 
<? 
      unauth(); 
   } 
   else { 
      $row = mysql_fetch_array($result); 
      if($_POST['password'] != $row["password"]) { 
?> 
<h3>Incorrect Password! Try Again</h3> 
<? 
         unauth(); 
      } 
      else { 
		mainbody();
      } 
   } 
} 
else { 
   unauth(); 
}