Rating:  - Great book on PHP and MySQL
I have recently bought this book and have to say it is execellent, it does help if you have a little prior knowledge as some new readers could find it a little difficult to understand. But if you have an interest in PHP and MySQL it is a great book to get your hands on. I highly recommend it.
Rating:  - Not for the novice!
Despite the title, this book is not for the novice. Even the introductory first 100 pages or so assume that you are above a novice level. The examples lead to more questions (for me, the novice) than they answer.
Having said that, this book has a tremendous amount of information in it and, as other reviews mention, it will work well as a reference. Now, I hope to find a true beginning PHP book to provide the basis to use this book!
Rating: - This was my first PHP/MySQL book
I purchased this book because I needed to use PHP and MySQL for a project at work. I never had any exposure to either before reading this book. By using this book and the w3schools website I was able to successful build a meager database and have a fully functioning php front end. It was very pleasing to see the project come to fruition and I have this book to thank for that. I used it mainly as a reference book. For example, I knew exactly what I wanted to do so I would search this book for an example of that and adapt the code to my situation. I didn't use this book to "learn PHP." I think you need to have a project to do in order to best use this book.
Rating: - The Ultimate Bible for Web Programming!
First off let me address a common review, that the book is too advanced for beginners. Plain and simple, it is not beginning programming, it's beginning PHP and MySQL. To even know what these applications are, you should have some programming background anyhow.
That said, even if you don't have any prior experience, the book does a great job of introducing you to the key concepts, and is flooded with examples, the best way to learn.
This book has become my programming bible, but it maintains a great balance. It has everything you could ever wish to look up later (and you will), but still follows a nice rhetoric and flow for someone looking for a tutorial-esque book. Some of the examples he wrote are key frameworks in my website! I actually used his book as my main source to build my website from the ground up. Even if it doesn't have something, it arms you with enough knowledge to know the right questions to ask. Which leads me to the greatest part of all... he backs his product!
I battled a bug for over 4 months that I was unable to solve from searching anywhere on the Internet. It's then I remembered that he listed his E-Mail address in the book and challenged readers to contact him if they needed help! Not expecting a response, I was shocked when he speedily replied that day, and solved my problem finally to boot!
To sum up: Not necessarily for beginners period, great for programmers beginning PHP and MySQL, the only book you should have to buy, and a very supportive author.
Rating:  - Great amount of depth, not so much context
This is a great reference book. It delves very deep into both PHP and MySQL. One thing I found lacking was some context. Practical examples so that I can see what I've learned being implemented in real world applications.
Other books that do not get so deep often include these types of exercises and I find them extremely helpful to gain a true understanding of the material.
In my opinion, if this book included excerises, case studies, etc.. it would be perfect.
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