|
|
|
Average Customer Review
Share your thoughts with other customers
|
|
|
The most helpful favorable review
The most helpful critical review
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
If you don't have the time for fluff...
Unlike many other programming books, "PHP For the World Wide Web" takes the high-quality low-fluff approach to introducing readers to PHP. Don't let the small size of the book fool you; it is jam-packed with the most important information you'll need to start programming in PHP right away. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned programmer, this book will...
Published on October 3, 2003 by Jamie R. Wilson
|
› See more 5 star, 4 star reviews |
 |
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
A step back for literature on PHP
PHP is constantly moving forward. Version 4 which came out about a year ago, includes functionality such as support for objects and sessions, that make PHP a much more viable solution for robust web applications. This book ignores that functionality. Regardless of this book being for beginners, there have been other books out on PHP4 for almost a year (such as Teach...
Published on April 26, 2001
|
› See more 3 star, 2 star, 1 star reviews |
|
|
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
If you don't have the time for fluff..., October 3, 2003
Unlike many other programming books, "PHP For the World Wide Web" takes the high-quality low-fluff approach to introducing readers to PHP. Don't let the small size of the book fool you; it is jam-packed with the most important information you'll need to start programming in PHP right away. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned programmer, this book will take you step-by-step through the core concepts of the language in the least amount of pages possible. It's hard to say if the shortness of the book is due to the teaching mastery of Larry Ullman or the genius of the PHP language. Either way, this book will serve as an excellent tutorial and great reference guide for future projects.PHP is very similar to other languages and my programming background made learning PHP much easier. However, this book's approach and working examples should serve as an excellent tutorial for beginners as well as programmers. Keep in mind that the book is designed to give you a working knowledge of the language and is not a comprehensive course on PHP programming. After reading the book, however, you will be in a much better position to continue your PHP education through PHP's homepage (PHP.net), learning additional functions and techniques as your projects dictate (and as the PHP language continues to grow). (To me, the chapter on databases alone was worth the price of the book. PHP is amazing when it comes to building web-based applications around databases and this book gives you what you need to get started as well using files and directories, cookies and even an intro on creating web applications.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Great introduction. However ..., May 16, 2005
This review is from: PHP for the World Wide Web, Second Edition (Paperback)
the cover of this book asserts that the book covers PHP 4 and 5. This is, a blatant marketing ploy. The core of PHP5 which its Object-Oriented approach was not explained or even alluded to.
As for what this book is, it definitely is a great introductory book. Even if you an advanced programmer using a different language, migrating to PHP can be somewhat tough and perhaps even counterintuitive. However, Mr. Ullman does an exceptional job at getting you up an running without trying to sound overly smart (by using a thesaurus, like most computer-book authors). He has a no-fuss approach. Very easy to understand. Great for people who are tired of 900-page+ computer books with nothing but rubbish inside them. Highly recommind for beginners as well for those who are coming from a different programming language background.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Great book for beginners (such as myself)..., July 24, 2001
I am somewhat new to programming, even newer to PHP. I have spent hours and hours in local bookstores trying to discern which book to buy. I have now owned 4 books on PHP -- 3 of which have been returned. This is the only one I've kept. Why? Every other book I have looked at is either (a) information overload, or (b) takes forgranted a certain level of programming experience. WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR? The beginning programmer--*not* just the beginning "PHP-er," but the beginning programmer. If you have a decent amount of programming experience, this book will be too basic for you. If you have little or no programming experience, this book is *perfect.* So far every line of code used has been explained so that the beginning coded can not just copy down a bunch of code, but actually LEARN programming concepts in general, and in PHP in particular. ARE THERE ERRORS IN THE BOOK? Errors exist in *every* computer book I've ever touched. If you are looking for a book without errors, don't buy one, you will be disappointed. (Two of the other three PHP books I briefly owned were plagued with errors, one even came with a CD which was missing chapter 2 code, thus rendering the book/CD useless. The third book likely was error filled, I didn't keep it around long enough to find out.) However, there is a companion website .... which lists and corrects known errors...and it appears the list is updated when needed. Also, I emailed the author about an area not covered in his book and he promptly emailed me back. I only hesitate to give this book 5 Stars because I am not the world's biggest fan of the "Visual Quickstart" layout. If you've gotten along fine with other Visual Quickstart books, this one is probably one of the best. (Do not compare this book to the horrible JavaScript book put out by Visual Quickstart, as there is no comparison.) Without reservation, I recommend this book for the beginning--even intermediate--programmer who wants to LEARN, not just copy, PHP.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
A step back for literature on PHP, April 26, 2001
By A Customer
PHP is constantly moving forward. Version 4 which came out about a year ago, includes functionality such as support for objects and sessions, that make PHP a much more viable solution for robust web applications.This book ignores that functionality. Regardless of this book being for beginners, there have been other books out on PHP4 for almost a year (such as Teach Yourself PHP4 in 24 hours) that are also geared toward the same audience yet don't ignore these important topics. What this book does is akin to a college reverting from C/C++/Java to make COBOL their vehicle for teaching computer science. Sure, you'll learn the minimum basics, but what are you going to do when you confront some PHP code that includes objects and sessions? You are going to be clueless and you are going to have to go out and buy another book. If you are an amateur webmaster and are in need of SOME coverage of PHP basics, I recommend OReilly's Webmaster in a Nutshell instead, because it ALSO covers Apache, CGI/Perl, HTML, Javascript, etcetera. Sure you may need to buy something else on PHP4 in the long run, but you will get a grounding in so many other essential topics, ALL for a very reasonable price as computer books go. PS....this is a note to the authors/publishers which Amazon is free to remove: QUIT YOUR SMEAR CAMPAIGN WHERE YOU RATE REVIEWS AS UNHELPFUL BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THEM. It's unethical, and another reason to not buy this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Beginners could begin here, July 23, 2001
Recently I decided to try PHP for a little task, involving forms, file scanning with regexp, and other basic things. Although I've scanned numerous online PHP guides before, I wasn't sure how to do this, so I went to the local computer store and scanned the PHP titles. Many books filled those shelves, and I had little time to scan them. But then I spied a peachpit book on the topic, and since I've found them helpful (and inexpensive) before, I picked it up without even scanning it.This was Larry Ullman's book. Within minutes I had a basic idea how to do what I wanted, and within an hour I had code working. Now, some of this is just that php is a good language -- and a familiar one, to Perl users like myself -- but part of it is that Ullman has crafted a fine little book, easy to navigate and easy to digest. Like all Peachpit books, this is aimed at beginners. And, like most computer books, the details matter less than the framework. I gather, from other reviews I've seen on Amazon, that this book suffers some errors, e.g. in a discussion of prime numbers. I'm not sure I care, or that others should care. This is because I can't imagine reading this book (or any computer guide) from cover to cover, studying the details. Rather, readers do what I did. I needed to know how to open and read a file, so I looked in the table of contents and flipped to a page stating clearly how to do that. Ten seconds of scanning, plus a minute of study, and I was back to my text editor, typing in code. Ditto on the use of regular expressions (which is done in an odd non-perlish way in PHP). Did I read all the details of regular expressions? Lord, no. I just found the name of the subroutine, checked whether the search string or the pattern goes first, and I was back to my coding. This is the essence of computer books of this ilk. The _defining_ textbook should be very clear, very detailed, and very accurate. (Think of Kernighan and Ritchie for the C language.) But a quick-start guide is not meant to be studied labouriously. It is meant to be flipped through one evening, and then put beside the terminal the next day. Finding information should be quick, and digesting it should require scanning only a page or so. In these regards, Ullman's book shines. Another factor is cost. This book was about 1/3 of the competitors in my local store. One should admit that these books are really throwaway items anyway, since once you get familiar you'll go to online resources of the latest developments. This might argue that cost is significant, and that the best scheme is to buy a cheap and digestable guide to get started, switching to online resources once you've reached your stride. In a nutshell, this is what I like about Peachpit books, Ullman's being no exception. The bottom line is that it got me coding in a few minutes, really, within the time it took me to write these words!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
How to learn PHP, July 7, 2001
I have picked up "PHP for the World Wide Web Visual Quickstart Guide by Larry Ullman" and love the book. From reading his easy to follow hands on examples in the book I taught myself PHP and mySQL in 3 days. His book was very informative and enabled me to redo my entire site in PHP. I have emailed the author on different questions and problems and have received very helpful and informative replies. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn PHP.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Easy as PHP, May 4, 2006
This review is from: PHP for the World Wide Web, Second Edition (Paperback)
This is the most perfect programming book I've read, and the most easily understood. I only wish I'd had it 3 years ago. It's great for beginners not only to PHP but to programming in general.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent, March 13, 2006
This review is from: PHP for the World Wide Web, Second Edition (Paperback)
Very, very, very good book. I couldn't be happier. I even bought the php & mysql visual quickpro by the same author, and I am anxiously awaiting the release of the advanced php. The author is very friendly and happily provides help. I have been very happy with all the visual quickstart and quickpro books I've purchased.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
This is a great, practical and super clear book., February 26, 2006
This review is from: PHP for the World Wide Web, Second Edition (Paperback)
Ok, so I know very little about computers... I needed to learn some php as part of my work... And I chose Larry's book because the table of contents seemed to touch on a good variety of functions and all under 300 pages (and it was a good price too)!
I cannot say how much this book surprised me with its clarity, its great approach and clear language.
Larry is a great teacher, and there is a really good website and forum to go with the book. I ran into trouble a few times, and got answers very quickly. Larry posts frequently and solves problems online with you as clearly as in the book: he's really supportive of his readers!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
A great book for first time php user, April 10, 2001
By A Customer
I've gone through several php books, but this one is easy for the beginner php'er and not so technical user. The examples were easy to follow and definitely worth while, unlike some other books that include examples that you would never use in a real life situation. I probably would not recommend this book for someone who has some background in php, since the contents covered within this book are very basic. But for a beginner like myself, it has helped immensely
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
