Rating: 
Summary: Excellent primer for php web development!
Review: As a php beginner, like myself, I bought this book to learn some of the nuances of the code and be able to manipulate it myself.First off, the structure of the book is great! You start out with primers on MySQL, with installation instructions and very basic instructions on creating tables and inserting data. These instructions are through a dos window, which is fine, although I would've liked to see some phpMyAdmin instructions as well. But it is about php, so I can't complain! Second, the author gives a quick look over the Apache server software. Excellent small tutorial, and gives you enough to get you going. Then you get into the php. The book is an extremely easy read, the text is clear and concise. The examples in the pictures are a tad small, but otherwise a useful reference. You go through many things, including creating simple mail forms to setting up user authentication. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars because it answered all my questions. Excellent book for beginners. I was disappointed at a few aspects of php left out, but I could've got more if I wanted to spend more money.
Rating: 
Summary: Riddled with errors and inconsistencies. Garbage.
Review: I am so disapointed in this text. Not only does the content/code on the CD NOT match the text in the book, some of it is just plain wrong. An errata is available on the book's Web site to some minor credit of the author but with errors in a book for beginners is completely unprofessional. Don't waste your money on this text. Sadly, this book is rated highly by others. I wonder if they got though the code.
Rating: 
Summary: Page 8
Review: I couldn't get past page 8 in this book. The mysqld-opt command to use to start the mysql server is not what www.mysql.com recommends for a windows machine. The book looks like it's easy to read. But I couldnt get out of the starting block with the mysql effort in the first chapter. It was easier to buy a mysql book and do it the correct way. Some URL's are needed in the install area that take one to some type of Mysql installation help. There are some at the back of the book, but I only saw those as I was dropping the book in the trash. It's probably not the books fault, but mysql installations on a windows machine... well you have to be lucky. There is no forum easily accessbile at mysql.com and google points mostly to linux resources...
Rating:
Summary: Great Introductory Book!!
Review: I went to the book store looking for begining PHP by the Wrox group but I saw this book and decided to take a look at it. When I did it looked like a good tutorial/beginners book. I compared the two and after about an hour I went with this one and boy am I glad that I did!! I especially like the fact that Ms. Meloni goes into detail about how to install mySQL, Apache, and PHP on a Windows computer. I bought several other books and returned them simply becuase I couldnt get these items installed on my computer.
Rating:
Summary: Learn easily by DOING - even if you're weak at being a geek!
Review: If you're the type of learner who benefits from *doing* and *playing around with possibilities*, I think you'll find Meloni's approach workable. I hadn't done any programming for decades (and that obviously was neither MySQL nor web-based), and was used to FoxBase and Filemaker style databases, but this book was the easiest of all those PHP/MySQL books I looked into -- so that I was able to get set up and connect with my ISP's MySQL db and begin playing around with web pages through PHP. Sometimes the examples are worked through with painfully repetitive details, but this enabled me to get more comfortable with the PHP approach to sending commands and getting information from a MySQL database. The examples (code helpfully available for online download) left with models whose operation I understood and could modify into boilerplate for experimenting with my own projects. And for me it really worked to be able to get into the throws of development BEFORE I had to learn vast amounts of PHP that was not yet relevant to me. The book begins with a section of installation and configuration of PHP, MySQL, and Apache (which was unneeded since I used my ISP's setup. Then three brief chapters nicely outline just the basics of PHP you'll need for using its language. In a third section she shows the use of PHP for querying for types of browsers and operating systems, sending email, and working with files through a browser. Finally, the fourth section walks you through basic MySQL database processes such as creating the db and its tables, listing information about them, and displaying selections of their data -- all done through PHP/HTML in browser pages (e.g., for a 'My Music Collection' db) in ways that you'll want to use when you develop your own sites. - Very helpful! The fifth section has chapters to help you regulate visitors to your site -- setting up ids & passwords, storing them in the database and in cookies.The sixth section puts all this together in a full "Contact Management System" - still walking you slowly through the process. There is not a lot of detailed explanation about exactly why one must use the exact PHP or MySQL commands (from among alternate strategies), but I'm content now to start learning that from intermediate level books. What Meloni offered me that other "introductions" did not was a quick way to get in and actually toy around with my own actual MySQL dbs through PHP/HTML pages that I created and got online. As a beginning experience - it sure worked for me!
Rating:
Summary: Learn easily by DOING - even if you're weak at being a geek!
Review: If you're the type of learner who benefits from *doing* and *playing around with possibilities*, I think you'll find Meloni's approach workable. I hadn't done any programming for decades (and that obviously was neither MySQL nor web-based), and was used to FoxBase and Filemaker style databases, but this book was the easiest of all those PHP/MySQL books I looked into -- so that I was able to get set up and connect with my ISP's MySQL db and begin playing around with web pages through PHP. Sometimes the examples are worked through with painfully repetitive details, but this enabled me to get more comfortable with the PHP approach to sending commands and getting information from a MySQL database. The examples (code helpfully available for online download) left with models whose operation I understood and could modify into boilerplate for experimenting with my own projects. And for me it really worked to be able to get into the throws of development BEFORE I had to learn vast amounts of PHP that was not yet relevant to me. The book begins with a section of installation and configuration of PHP, MySQL, and Apache (which was unneeded since I used my ISP's setup. Then three brief chapters nicely outline just the basics of PHP you'll need for using its language. In a third section she shows the use of PHP for querying for types of browsers and operating systems, sending email, and working with files through a browser. Finally, the fourth section walks you through basic MySQL database processes such as creating the db and its tables, listing information about them, and displaying selections of their data -- all done through PHP/HTML in browser pages (e.g., for a 'My Music Collection' db) in ways that you'll want to use when you develop your own sites. - Very helpful! The fifth section has chapters to help you regulate visitors to your site -- setting up ids & passwords, storing them in the database and in cookies.The sixth section puts all this together in a full "Contact Management System" - still walking you slowly through the process. There is not a lot of detailed explanation about exactly why one must use the exact PHP or MySQL commands (from among alternate strategies), but I'm content now to start learning that from intermediate level books. What Meloni offered me that other "introductions" did not was a quick way to get in and actually toy around with my own actual MySQL dbs through PHP/HTML pages that I created and got online. As a beginning experience - it sure worked for me!
Rating:
Summary: Typos...typos...typos!
Review: Its a really good book to get you started, BUT, if you haven't coded with a similar language (such as asp), you might be in for a surprise! The code you download from the website, and the code in examples in the book have multiple typos. I spent a few hours just finding some spaces in the code downloaded from their site--spaces that caused the contacts database to not run. Sure would be nice if they tested the code first. Given that, I would not consider this the "fast&easy" development.
Rating:
Summary: Best Computer Book Ever!
Review: No kidding! I found this book extraordinarily helpful. It's written in a clear and concise style for people who don't know much about programming. The author explains stuff that seems to come naturally to experienced programmers, such as why semi-colons go in certain places but not in others. (I have no idea what that other reviewer is talking about with regard to being unable to read the type in the book; all the examples are in a very clear typeface with all the "code" examples in what looks to be about 11 point Courier. If you can read the average newspaper, you'll have an easier time reading this book.) In a couple of hours I knew everything I needed to know to make working databases and PHP pages that talked to them. And I was able to adapt that knowledge to enable me to make edits to well-known PHP/MySQL packages (such as Postnuke) for creating very sophisticated blogs and websites. If computer books usually intimidate you, trust me... this one won't. If only every computer book were written in such a clear and friendly fashion, there'd be no mystery left to computers at all. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Thin on content, but very gratifying!
Review: PHP Fast & Easy Web development is an ideal introduction on setting up your own local Apache server, complete with PHP and MySQL support, for Windows and Linus alike!! This book focuses on developing locally, which is a bonus for those of us who don't have acces to a PHP-enabled shared-hosting account. Meloni helps you get started quick, and holds your hand along the way, all the way: if you are really stuck, you can send her an e-mail and you will get a brief, but to the point, answer. This book is meant for beginners, and it shows: it is quite thin on content and will provide too little information for getting a proper grounding in programming languages. Stuff like Arrays, Variables and Database Design are NOT explained in detail. Instead, this book showcases the basic possiblities of PHP and MySQL by guiding you through examples of database connections, user authentication, sessions and more. As such it is a great way to get a grasp of the things you can do with PHP, and the time and experience required to do them. I forgive Meloni for glossing over EVERY SINGLE PROGRAMMING CONCEPT THERE IS, since almost all other books will cover those in detail. However, I would ask of her to at least explain debugging PHP (What to do if your script doesn't work).
Rating:
Summary: thin on content, but very gratifying!
Review: PHP Fast & Easy Web development is an ideal introduction on setting up your own local Apache server, complete with PHP and MySQL support, for Windows and Linus alike!! This book focuses on developing locally, which is a bonus for those of us who don't have acces to a PHP-enabled shared-hosting account. Meloni helps you get started quick, and holds your hand along the way, all the way: if you are really stuck, you can send her an e-mail and you will get a brief, but to the point, answer. This book is meant for beginners, and it shows: it is quite thin on content and will provide too little information for getting a proper grounding in programming languages. Stuff like Arrays, Variables and Database Design are NOT explained in detail. Instead, this book showcases the basic possiblities of PHP and MySQL by guiding you through examples of database connections, user authentication, sessions and more. As such it is a great way to get a grasp of the things you can do with PHP, and the time and experience required to do them. I forgive Meloni for glossing over EVERY SINGLE PROGRAMMING CONCEPT THERE IS, since almost all other books will cover those in detail. However, I would ask of her to at least explain debugging PHP (What to do if your script doesn't work).
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