Customer Reviews

Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One (4th Edition)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I have been a mainframe programmer for 13 years and have done web design for the past year. The following is my experience with this book.

First the good news:

1. I was able to successfully install PHP, Apache & MySQL.
2. I was able to successfully complete all the projects in the book.
3. I published one of my projects on a website.

Now the bad news:

1. There were critical typos in the book--not just captions under the wrong pictures but incorrect code. I spent many hours debugging the PHP code for the projects. The code errors I found were not in the errata on the SAMS website OR on thickbook.com. I sent one code correction to the editors and received an acknowledgement, but I just checked and the code typo is not included in the errata. There are code errors on pp. 245, 406, 417. E-mail me if you are also having problems with the code on those pages as the SAMS people do not seem to be concerned or aware of these errors.

2. The installation of the products did not go as smoothly as I hoped either. The instructions on what to download did not match how the websites now look. There was some missing information. I was able to get it all working only with a lot of trial and error.

This book contained projects that I was interested in learning: address book, storefront, shopping cart. With a little more diligence on the part of the proofreaders and technical editors, this book would have been great and I would have given it 5 stars.

Hi - I am the author of this book, and I want to make sure everyone understands where this book comes from. It's parts of three different books, with several new chapters. It's fairly beginner-ish in nature, but you definitely have to have a handle on how the Web works, from an administrative standpoint, to get your brain around the Apache chapters. The MySQL and PHP chapters assume less pre-existing knowledge, and are pretty fun, hands-on and oriented through working through lessons.

This is not the be all and end all PHP, Apache and MySQL book -- that would take way longer than 24 hours -- nor is it meant to be. But it will teach the fundamentals of all three things, and provide you with a strong foundation for more advanced books. You can find more info like table of contents, code and errata at thickbook.com.

Best, Julie.

First, be sure you purchase the latest edition of every tech book you buy. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't have the latest edition under Meloni's or Zandsta's name. You have to type the isbn number, 0672326205, in the search box to find the newest edition as of this review. Also keep in mind when reading reviews that Amazon mixes reviews of older editions with new editions which makes it very difficult to make an assessment unless the edition is mentioned in the review. New editions usually correct the complaints given in bad reviews so don't pass judgment so quickly unless you know exactly which edition the reviewer is writing about.

This is an excellent book for beginners who know nothing about programming. However you must know XHTML before beginning this book.

This book and "Teach Yourself PHP in 24 Hours" by Zandstra are built using exactly, word for word, much of the same content. However Meloni's book occasionally has more explicate examples and explanation, however it is missing four essential chapters that can be found in Zandstra's book.

1. Arrays
2. Objects
3. Regular Expressions
4. PEAR - Reusable Components to Extend the Power of PHP

No real concern, because the reader could research these topics on php.net or other sites and my have to do so in order to complete the book since it refers to arrays but doesn't explain them.

Meloni's book, compared to Zandsta's, does have better examples with actual programs that may be usful to you. Meloni's book, as the title emplies, also goes deeper into Apache and MySQL.

After reading this book, you'll wont to get something like, The PHP Anthology By Harry Fuecks Vol. 1&2... or PHP and MySQL Web Development, Second Edition by Luke Welling, Laura Thomson. These books will teach you by example and are excellent.

A note to beginners... Learning to program can be very difficult. Unless you are some kind of genius, you must be dedicated and patient with your quest. Programming is a totally different way of thinking and there is a lot to learn... I think this book is a great way to learn PHP and to learn how to program in general.

Good Luck!

Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache in 24 Hours is the kind of book I wish I had had when I started developing enterprise-level web applications for zdev Corporation back in the 90s.

Back then, it was all about scouring USENET, Listservs, How-Tos, and FAQs while incessantly scratching your head. Although this book is very introductory, there are some good habits and excellent insights that even the more tried and true code-hacker might consider useful even after years of PHP/MySQL development (such as authentication schemes and some inner working of MySQL).

It is astounding how simple the tools, techniques, and technology is seen through the eyes of Julie Meloni. Much simpler than I had believed since I really had to be baptised by fire, and the simplicity and easy-of-use of the package -- MySQL, PHP, and Apache -- is indisputable.

Postnuke, PHP-Nuke, and the other Open Source CMSs are true killer apps today, and there are a million more open source applications your can easily download, install, and start using within a week if you first still your mind and enthusiasm long enough to work through the easy-to-grok lessons as they are laid out in Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache in 24 Hours.

No doubt. You won't be sorry you took the time to measure twice before you cut once.

I should have known not to buy this book after having read "Sam's Teach Yourself Flash MX Actionscript in 24 hours"--also poorly written. The main problem with this book as well as the sam's flash book is that it leaves HUGE gaps in its explanations which force the reader to supplement the lessons with the Internet. For example, the beginning of the book says that no prior knowledge is necessary except for an understanding of HTML; in the intro chapters, it introduces you to databases in general, explaining what they're for. The next chapter on databases (besides the one on how to install mysql) however ("learning basic sql commands") is prefaced by saying:

"...This is a very hands-on hour, and it assumes that you are able to issue queries through the MySQL monitor on Windows or Linux/Unix. Alternatively, if you use a GUI to MySQL, this hour assumes you know the methods for issuing queries through those interfaces."

What is that!? It goes from explaining what a db is to magically expecting you to know about issuing mysql queries without anything in between? I'm sorry, but this makes no sense whatsoever.

I'm sorry I cannot recommend another book, but perhaps you'd have better luck with ANY OTHER MYSQL,PHP, or APACHE book!

I agree with the previous poster as to how challenging this book makes php, mysql, and apache. at least several of the examples don't work (whether this is a function of poor testing by the author/publisher or a limitation of php, mysql, or apache is left to the newbie reader to figure out -- a great way to learn, but not worth the cost of the book; incidentally so far all of the problems I have encountered fall squarely on the shoulders of SAMS). There are typos, illustrations of output in the book that don't correspond to the text, and from time-to-time, the included sample files (on the CD) don't match up with the files in the text.

I can't recommend this book, though I'm still trying to wade through it. There have got to be better books out there. Perhaps my mistake was trying to find one book to introduce me to all three tools in one swoop. If it seems too good to be true... (and so on).

Good luck to anyone using this book, I'm emailing all of the problems I find to SAMS, hoping that they'll improve it in future editions, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Before purchasing this book, I tried to install Apache, MySQL and PHP on my Windows machine without any luck. I was frustrated because this is all quite effortless if you use any flavor of Linux (Red Hat 9 in my case).

I purchased the Dummies book on the same subject(s) and I found it confusing, particularly getting PHP to interact with Apache. I returned the book and got this one and I was up and running with Apache, MySQL and PHP in about an hour.

I would have given the book 4 stars, except for the fact that the software on the CD caused me hours of grief.
As far as the book is concerned, I am very satisfied with the book, considering that I am a web developer that is now learning databases and php. I fully understand that this is just a basic 'touch the bases' book. I have already bought another MySql book and another PHP book - and intend to buy one more php book. I only installed these 3 programs on my desktop computer so that I can work with php and mysql before I upload my work to my websites - so that I don't have to do all my testing online.

My main complaint is with the programs on the CD. The version of Apache conflicts with the outdated version of PHP. So, after spending hours troubleshooting and posting questions to online tech forums, I figured out the conflict and downloaded the current version from the PHP web site. (This is after I uninstalled and reinstalled Apache - the problem was with php).
The version of MySQL is a 'future' beta version. It does not work on Win98. After messing around with it for a while, and again posting questions to forums, I figured that I had to burn up over 2 hours of dial-up time downloading the current version (a lower # version than on the CD?!).
A lot of help the CD was! Very disappointed. One reason I purchased this book was that I thought it was indeed a 'starter kit'. Wrong.
Also, I felt the book did not tell me quite enough about how to start Apache while it is not running as a service. Since I only installed Apache to run PHP and MySql, I had no need for the configuration chapters on Apache. Overall, I had to spend a lot of time just figuring stuff out for myself.

Overall, it is a decent book. I do not regret buying it. The main reason for me bothering to write a review is to save someone hours of trouble and forewarn them that there are problems with MySql and php on the CD.

In 1978, I built two Heath Kit computers so that I could better understand what a computer was and how it worked because I had been unexpectedly assigned as the project manager for automating a very large manual process. Until then, I had only a vague notion that they existed, and I knew I was in trouble. I also taught myself to program proficiently in 4 languages: FORTRAN, Basic, PASCAL, and NATURAL as well as JPL.

Since then, I have kept up with the technology on the business side and I still build all of my new computers. But I let my programming and system admin skills atrophy over the years.

A couple of weeks ago, and now 62 years old, I decided to pick up where I left off many years ago but developing a dynamic web site using Apache Server, MySQL and Access, Info Path, and PHP. I also plan to explore CGI, and evaluate the pros and cons of APS and APS.NET, but that's a different project for a couple of months from now.

I found the opening chapters of the book to be easy to follow. The open source software for Apache, MySQL, and PHP on the CD that came with the book can certainly be used effectively, but I found that newer version of all three applications were available for downloading from the Web--all free, of course--and the instructions in the book work just fine for the newer versions of the software.

I was able to install the Apache server, MySQL, and PHP on a development computer (i.e., localhost or 127.0.0.1)and had everything working and a basic HTML only web page developed on Dreamweaver CS4 in about an hour.

This is fine for me because I intend to use a web site hosting service and so I only need to develop and test on my local computer and then upload everything to my ISP site.

If you intend to run your own dedicated web server and you are a beginner, you will need to pick up another reference book to learn how to obtain a static IP address and set up a web server. It's not hard, but this book won't be of much help. Try one of the "Building a Web Site for Dummies" books on setting up a web server at home or work. Be careful, though, because there are several still being sold and you want to be sure you purchase the newest version. I accidentally purchased an old version and ended up having to take it back to exchange it for a newer book.

Once you are up and running, the book takes you through descriptions and projects for writing basic PHP scripts, then it shows you how to use PHP to integrate MySQL (the chapters that were of the most benefit for me), and finally it ends with how to administer the Apache server.

If you have never done any programming before, then you might find the PHP a bit daunting at first. It was easy for me because even though I haven't done any serious programming since 1982, the basics for functions, procedures, calls, declaring variables, strings, data types,et al hasn't changed much in 26 years.

The same was true for MySQL. I have had experience on the business side creating relational databases and the NATURAL language that I taught myself in 1978 was either the precursor to SQL or it was an early competitor because the MySQL query language was virtually the same as that used in NATURAL. Therefore, while I'm very rusty in my programming skills, understanding the basics in the book probably came easier for me that it would for someone who had no previous programming or query writing experience.

Not to worry thought. I was an infantry officer in the US Marine Corps in 1978 and had spent the first 10 years of my career leading Marines in combat and in infantry units. My first actual staff officer assignment at a major headquarters was the Project Officer responsible for automating the Marine Corps' officer assignment system. At that time, I had no idea what a computer was and I had no idea why the Marine Corps would assign someone like me to a technical position that obviously required expert knowledge in developing advanced custom computer software and custom outputs to optimize the assignment of all officers in the Marine Corps. Frankly, I would have preferred serving another couple of years in combat armed with only a Swiss Army Knife over working with computers.

What's my point? If you are new to programming and databases, don't let it intimidate you. If an old war horse like me can do it, you can probably do it faster and better. If you don't know a variable from a data type or the difference between functions, arrays, and objects; just stick with it and just when you think you'll never understand it, a light will come on and you'll make a big leap forward and the pieces will begin to fall into place more quickly as you make progress.

The examples in the book are easy (harder for a complete novice), but as one previous reviewer pointed out, there are a few errors in the sample code that will cause you to think that you are doing something wrong.

The key is to work through all of the examples. If you have followed the instructions precisely and you example project still doesn't work, then you have hit one of the unreported errors. I suggest you go on to the next project in the book, or take the previous review up on his offer to email you the corrections.

If you are a complete novice and don't know a web site from a construction site, then I suggest reading the "for Dummies" books for building web sites and developing web pages. There are a number of good free and inexpensive web page editors that you can use. I suggest trying out the free version to get a feel for what's involved and then deciding where you want to go from there. If you are just interested in a web site with a few personal pages on it, then high end web page editors and this book are definitely overkill. If you find that you are interested in developing more complex dynamic web sites, then this book will help you get started on the web server side and I would recommend that you consider purchasing the Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 web page editor. But be forewarned--Dreamweaver is expensive and the learning curve can be steep, so make sure that you really want to put the money and effort into web page development before you go the high end route.

I have one final comment. If you are already using Microsoft's Access database, then you may want to skip the MySQL part of the book. Integrating Access is not hard, but you'll have to download the ODBC connector for PHP (it's free) and you may have to search the Internet for a little help on how to do the integration, but it's basically the same as integrating MySQL. Since I want to use Microsoft's Info Path to cut some of my development time, I intend to use both MySQL and Access.

Enjoy the journey.

This book was exasperating to use. It described easy topics at length while leaving important details murky or omitted altogether. Many commmands and structures are described out of context, leaving you with little idea of *why* a person might use a particular form. It doesn't try to put the ideas together into a unified application until the end.

Much better is _PHP and MySQL Web Development_ by Welling and Thomson, which introduces concepts in the context of building an e-commerce site. Even though it is longer than the SAMS book, the writing is tighter, more concise, better organized, and generally much easier to understand.