Backing up MySQL tables

[Alex Thurlow]

I need to start backing up MySQL tables on one of my machines, but I've 
heard that to you run the risk of table corruption if you just copy the 
mysql directory while MySQL is running.  Stopping the database is not an 
option, and the only solution I've come up with is having another script do 
a mysql dump and then backing up that.  It seems like a waste of time and 
resources to basically do 2 backups though.  I was just wondering what 
anyone here does for MySQL backups on their own systems?

Alex Thurlow