GOOD PHP RESOURCES Back in May 2007 I mentioned that I would take a look at some useful PHP resources (after reviewing these cryptic books), and though it has been a long time in the making, true to my word I'm going to share with you some of the better resources I've found.

PHP from the Ground Up
by Tim Ziegler

This webmonkey article may be a little dated, but it's still a great way to get acquainted with PHP. The tutorial is humorous, fun, and easy to understand. Tim Ziegler has done a great job of meeting people at a beginner level and using language that's not patronizing or puzzling. This tutorial gets 5 out of 5.

PHP for the World Wide Web by Larry Ullman This book is another great resource for beginner to intermediate level programmers. It may not be quite as exciting as the aforementioned webmonkey article, but the use of diagrams, images, and white space make it easy to read. The language is plain and not patronizing. It's a great reference as well. I give it 5 out of 5.

PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites by Larry Ullman I've never been disappointed with Peachpit books, and this book is no exception. I dove into this one shortly after reading the previously mentioned webmonkey article and it helped me immensely. However, the pace with which the book proceeds is rather quick and though the tutorials were helpful, I found myself confused with some of the terminology and it became increasingly harder to differentiate between certain concepts. This book is definitely for intermediate to advanced programmers. I give it 4 out of 5.

Happy programming! This article was written by David Andrew Wiebe, web designer, graphic designer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter, guitar instructor, and music expert. Interested in winning a free CD? Click here for more info! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Recommendations? Email me.

Published on January 2, 2008