Message from Dean - May 8th 2007

I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.133
EAN: 9780596514013
Edition: 2
ISBN: 0596514018
Label: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 428
Publication Date: August 17, 2007
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Studio: O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Rating: - Wrecked by coding errors
This is an adequate, though uninspired, look through the basics of using PHP and MySQL to build dynamic web sites. Because it is trying to cover two major topics from a starter level it is unable to treat either in the depth needed for the reader to become fluent in either the use of SQL databases, or PHP.

However, the book also suffers from a serious flaw which renders it unfit to be used by those wishing to learn the subjects involved. The sample PHP code is frequently incorrect, and this will cause endless confusion for newcomers. It is clear that insufficient attention has been paid to making sure the code is correct, which would seem to indicate that the authors haven't even tried to run the code they present.

What the editors at O'Reilly were thinking of when they let this go through, I really don't know.

Not recommended.

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Rating: - Full of mistakes, utterly unprofessional
I'm on the verge of giving up with this book. I'm not a qualified programmer, so I want to be able to trust that the book I'm using is accurate. This book isn't.

Some typos are stupid simple things that anyone with internet experience can probably fix - e.g. it says apache.or/... when it means apache.org/... They'll cause what you're doing to fail, but will only cost you about 5 minutes to fix and a few units of sanity as you curse O'Reily Media for being so shockingly unprofessional.

Others are fatal (figurativly speaking!), or at least for someone like me of the level this book pretends to be aimed at (experience with HTML & CSS, no formal programming background). E.g. when it's guiding you through setting up PHP to run with Apache, it leads you by the hand as far as opening the .conf file you need to modify in notepad, takes you to the right section in the file, and then... "Restart Apache so it can read the new configuration". But I haven't changed the configuration! ... Read More

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Rating: - Good intro, but too many typos
Good overall introduction to using php and mysql, that also introduces you to using tools like PEAR and the smarty template engine. I bought the book because a) I've been impressed with O'REilly books before and b) It included chapters on Security and on Sessions and Access Controls. I was also impressed that the Mysql parts included basic dba necessities such as backups, imports and use of indexes etc. However (and this is why I'm not giving the full 5 stars) there were a lot of silly typos in the code I typed in from the book. Once I looked at the Oreilly site (they correct some typos there) I was able to hunt down the rest. I suspect it would be a showstopper for someone who hasn't the relevant programming experience however. Since the book didn't come with code on disk I can only give 3 stars (or three and a half).

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Rating: - Learning PHP and MySQL
PHP and MySQL are highly adaptive programs that can be used to create a variety of dynamic website potentials. Although fairly simple to use once you understand the basics, the learning curve on these programs is a little high at first. In order to use the capabilities, the user has to not only understand what the programs do and how they work together. However, probably the hardest part of the process is learning all the vocabulary associated with these systems.

Learning PHP & MySQL is a very good reference, especially for this latter challenge. The guide not only defines and explains each of the different concepts but gives examples that better illustrate these aspects while giving the user a glimpse into how they could use them for their own purposes. Especially for the more difficult sections, I really liked that I could replicate the code on my computer and see the results for myself. This aspect gave me a far better idea of how I could use these programs in conjunction to create ... Read More

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