Rating: 
Summary: A Good Starter Once You Get Past the Win2K MySql Install
Review: Can't go 3 1/2 stars and 3 isn't fair, so 4 it is. The author has done a pretty good job and uses an easy to understand colloquial style of communications that takes you through the nuts and bolts of an apache, mysql, and php install. She completely misses on Win2K though. I wish I'd read some of the MySQL install comments here before being forced to "figure things out." There is an errata section on the website that caught a few problems but Win2K and MySQL still isn't addressed and emails to the author were left unanswered. Solution for Win2K users.. go to the MySQL website and download the newest (non 30-day eval) version and .PDF documentation. The process of getting MySQL running as a service for WIn2K is addressed on page 100 or so. Then... go back to the book. The examples run well and are truly instructional.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy is right
Review: I love this book.. Its really great to get started with. I only found a few misprints. I continue to refer to it. It would be nice if julie would update it with a few more tips and updated versions of apache,php,mysql. other than that for those just starting out its a perfect first step.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Clear PHP introduction
Review: PHP Fast & Easy it is! What Julie C. Meloni does is lead you by the hand as you type in the code (which you often don't understand until several pages later) and learn PHP character by bloody character. I came to this book with a firm background in HTML but only brief forays into programming and scripting. This book let me see the logic of it all and had me writing useful scripts before I was halfway through. It falls down in a couple things: 1. Installation turned out to be more difficult than Meloni predicted. I had a wayward .dll file and no way to find out why PHP wasn't working. Meloni tried to help through email (how many authors would do that?!?!). Eventually, I stumbled on the problem and all was better. 2. Searching a database is only just barely touched upon. Why else would you have a database than to be able to search it? This could easily be an entire book, of course, but this one could have gone into that a little further. In summary, it's a really great way to start PHP and gives a solid foundation to continue. Best of all, it leaves you excited about this tool, wanting to know all the ways to use it best.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a good book even for a beginner !!
Review: She just let you follow codes line by line, again and again without explanation for what she wants her readers to follow. Plus, too many typo. The good of this book is the step by step installation instruction for MySQL, PHP, and Apache but not good enough for commercial or professional use; just enough for work on her codes in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good book even for a beginner !!
Review: She just let you follow her codes line by line, again and again without explanation!! Plus, too many typo.
Rating:
Summary: Not a good book even for a beginner !!
Review: She just let you follow her codes line by line, again and again without explanation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Starting Point for PHP Development
Review: The author has constructed example exercises beginning with the basics and moving on to form submission, error checking and database management. You will want to sit down in front of your computer and dig in! Examples support both the Windows and Linux OS. In the first chapter, you will use the CD-ROM included to set up your own Apache Web Server with PHP4 and MySQL! This make the entire process easy for anyone to use, right on your own machine. Some basic knowledge of open-source programming is helpful as details on errors that you encounter are pretty skinny. The book assumes that each example works and moves on. PHP does help you through this as each error will echo a parse error indicating the line that you need to fix. With a little patience and some basic knowledge of scripting such as Javascript or Perl, you will learn to use PHP4 in no time!
Rating:
Summary: Good place to start for Beginners
Review: This book lives up to its title. Fast & Easy - It is a good place to start, and is quickly digested. I have rated this book at 4 for beginners, but would not recommend for more experienced programmers.
Rating:
Summary: Exelent!
Review: This is an extraordinarily helpful and well-written book for the person who wants to move from static web pages to data driven pages. Each step is carefully explained in detail, and each chapter builds a useful category of web page, so that you find yourself moving very quickly into doing useful work. I started out learning PHP with a different book and was bogged down with esoteric details, but when I went back to PHP with this book everything fit and everything worked. For those who do not yet have Apache, PHP and MySql on their machines, the book furnishes a CD with these programs for both Linux and Windows, along with the usual detailed explanation of how to install and configure them. At some point you will probably want to get a more advanced book to do wild and crazy things, but if you are like me, you will still find yourself coming back to this one to be sure you got it right. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: The best book for beginning PHP!
Review: This is without a doubt the best book I've ever read for PHP beginners! This books starts you out nice and easy and gets you into writing PHP and using MySQL. The book also teaches you how to create several SIMPLE PHP applications that you can integrate into your SMALL website (or expand to meet your needs). This book is NOT for intermediate/expert PHP programmers expecting to learn how to build large, complex applications! For you, I STRONGLY recommend "PHP and MySQL Web Development" by Luke Welling & Laura Thomson. Yes, this book does have some typos (many technical books do). However, if you have half a brain, you can usually get around such typos and make the code work.
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