Tips For Choosing A Good PHP Book
Authors that write PHP books are in a predicament: making a PHP book for a certain person’s situation is going to be a tough problem to sort through. But some authors have the process down fairly well, and can teach beginners and advanced users alike something new all in the same context.
The first step in buying a PHP book is to look at one’s current skill set. If you are a beginner, you should obtain a rudimentary introduction into the language and other technologies that work with it. If other languages are known, readers may opt for an intermediate or advanced book so as to skip the “easy” stuff and get straight to it.
Thankfully we have the Internet to judge how well books are written. An author’s writing style is going to be a key component in how one retains the information. Good examples and analogies are going to be key in learning the language as quickly as possible- but also for keeping the fundamentals down for good. Try to look at both sides of the fence when it comes to reviews, as there will always be those who enjoyed the book and those who felt it wasn’t up to par.
Most importantly, those wishing to learn PHP should pick a book according to the latest PHP version. At the time of writing, PHP 5 is currently the latest version. PHP 6 will be well on its way in due time, but until then readers will need to focus on books that cover PHP 5, so as to not use deprecated code or use outdated constructs. Also be sure that your webhost supports the PHP version 5, as some haven’t made the switch.
MySQL tutorials shouldn’t be the basis of a PHP book, but the right PHP book is going to cover the topic so that readers can do more than just simple tasks with their knowledge. MySQL, a database language, is going to allow readers to store information in a remote spot. This is the basis of all web applications today, from social networks to news websites. As such, knowing the information is going to be necessary in finding a job or coding an application.
In the end, those who read PHP books should keep an open mind, and not should never forget to be courteous enough to leave a review on the book once they have read it through and through. This will let future possible readers decide on whether or not the book is a good buying decision for their current situation.
Closing Comments
PHP books are quite plentiful- it could easily take half an hour just to peruse the most popular. Be prepared to go through many comments and reviews- you won’t regret it once you get a perfectly written PHP book delivered to your door.
Filed under: Software