Reviews for PHP and MySQL for Dummies

1. 4 Stars for complete dummies

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2006

   I picked this book up after a few weeks of playing around with PHP and MySQL and found it a very good book to get started with. The reason I say this is 4 stars for Dummies is because for the very new people, I think this book is great. It shows you good examples of the basics and enough to get you running in to PHP/MySQL but thats it. It doesn't go in to vast details but I think that is not what this book is about.
   
   To be fair, the bit on installing PHP/MySQL is TERRIBLE. I got SO stuck on this, so my advice, google a tutorial on this, as its very simple, but for some reason, this book makes it complicated, I can do it with my eyes closed now, but back then, this book did me no favours.
   
   Putting that aside however, once you get to the actual code its a good book. If you are very new to the world of PHP/MySQL I fully support getting this. I now code Javascript. VB, PHP/MySQL, SOAP, Ruby, C++, Java, ASP, .NET and it all comes from starting with PHP and fundermentally, this book.
   
   Alot of people might slate this book, I can see why, its just not for them, but for me back then it was great. Two big projects to work on at the end, and massive referance at the beggining, good for having at your table when you first start out.

2. Severely lacking for the beginner with little practical advice

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, October 12st, 2006

   I picked up this book because I have enjoyed and found other 'for Dummies' books useful and friendly. Sadly I found this book to be poorly written and excessively dry (especially for a 'Dummies' book).
   
   The author takes an excessive amount of time explaining the basics of PHP and MySQL and does so poorly, (you get the impression that she was a bit lost trying to explain them), while at the same time skipping over practical information and advice. The first two chapters left me with more questions than answers, and this is coming from somebody with a background in Computer Science and Software Engineering!
   
   If you're looking for a practical, easy to understand, step-by-step guide to getting PHP and MySQL set up and running on your computer, then this definitely isn't it. The author spends far too much space explaining all the possible permutations of web-servers that you might possibly have, in a very theoretical way, whilst providing very little practical advice for the rest of us on a home computer.
   
   The author also provides absolutely no explanation of how to use an existing database (for example, from Microsoft Access) with SQL and PHP, but instead only explains how to create one from scratch.
   
   Also, I'm surprised that the author recommends the user learns HTML4, instead of recommending its successor XHTML. In this day and age, HTML 4 should not be mentioned to beginners, let alone recommended.
   
   That said, there are some good tutorials at the end of the book, (like creating a "members only" website), but if you're looking for something to give you a solid grounding in PHP and MySQL I wouldn't recommend this.
   
   I'm very disapointed in this book as it didn't fill any of the criteria I wanted from a PHP and MySQL tutorial, namely *practical*, real-world application, and instead seemed entirely too focused on theory.

3. Useful to a point

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2006

   Unlike many of the dummies books, and I have loads of them, this one took more time in reading. A lot of the examples and the use of the code wasn't explained well enough in my opinion. I got the impression that you should have some basic knowledge of php before reading it. Though with that said, I still think it's a good book.

4. Good if you know your way around a hard drive.....

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, July 12st, 2005

   I bought this book as a tool for setting up a dynamic web site quickly - I just wanted a "recipe", with step by step instructions and explanations for a competent non-expert. The book is very easy to follow, with clear explanations and step by step instructions for installation, set up etc. So far so good.... However I quickly discovered that MySQL installation is not that simple! And when problems occur - which they do - this book alone is not enough. The other thing to be aware of is that, even though this is the 2nd Ed (2004) of the book, it's already out of date as the software is constantly changing. Again, this can lead to confusion. If you are more confident at finding your way around a hard drive, then this may be a useful book for you, if not, then be prepared to spend a lot of time sorting out conflicting advice and asking elsewhere for help.

5. Good for something but not perfect

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, May 12th, 2005

   This is quite a nice book. Its well written and easy to understand.

   PHP and MySQL for dummies spends quite a lot of time talking about the considerations you have to make when producing a data driven website. These considerations are not necessary specific to PHP and MySQL. If you are looking to understand these two systems in any depth I'd suggest buying more specialist books as this book is really only an elborate cheat sheet for these two languages.

   I found the book slightly frustrating telling how to plan a website and consider all the things I'd want to include when i just wanted to get down to some nitty gritty.

   However PHP and MySQL for dummies is great for helping you set up simple data driven websites and coping with the many areas of difficulty that commonly arise. In particular it provides well commented PHP/MySQL code for things like displaying product listings, adding new products, user login all that stuff.

   Summary:
   Good if you want to create a simple data driven website and you've not got any database experience or any idea of how these systems work.

   Not so good but still useful if you have some databases and web development experience or you have specific/demanding requirement for your site. Could still proove useful in answering some common questions but for the most part not be in depth enough.

6. Somewhat okay, but was confusing at the time...

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2008

   This book was very interesting to read. At the time I read this book I had only knowledge of HTML and was interested in learning PHP. This book was a total disaster in some respect, it baffled on to very complex terms right at the start for someone who has never learnt a scripting language before, not the way to go. I obviously learnt a few things out of it, including variables and loops, and the likes - but after that Janet went onto explaining very complex code. But, for me, I want a book that gets right into the code and let me actually code something instead of just showing me the code without a clue of, a) how to use it and b) where to put it.
   
   Lastly, the MySQL chapters weren't descriptive enough to understand but despite the fact it was explained in early chapters of the book, I'd rather learn the basics of PHP before being taught SQL queries and the MySQL facility.
   
   The way I learnt PHP in the end is doing so over the Web, and learning it by producing something with what I understood already, which is the best practice for most people learning scripting languages alike of PHP. PHP is very easy and logical, and obviously this book author makes it seem too easy in her description of what PHP is, before actually being disappointed with this book.
   
   I'd stay completely away from the 'for Dummies' books, absolutely a waste of money, although very affordable prices.

7. Has it's uses...

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2008

   ...Good for killing flies, propping tables or pressing flowers.
   
   While this has some genuinely good points (which aren't worth buying the book for alone), there are too many things here to throw off newcomers to PHP & MySQL.
   
   The example applications are poor and mostly unrealistic. While it can be a difficult subject for a newbie to take on, the book tends to patronise rather than educate. If you need the softly, softly approach then this might be a book for you. If you're looking to hit the ground running (as is the way with most web designers/developers), I'd personally suggest looking at the Sam's range or any of the New Riders publications.
   
   After thumbing through a friends copy of this book, I was amazed to see that some of the example code wouldn't run on a number of PHP-enabled machines (needing many code modifications to work).
   This might be good if you're a fast-learner as you can fix these issues.
   
   Having said that, a number of people have used the sections from this book to look further into aspects. One thing a reader might gleam from this book is an idea of the terminology and the uses that PHP has for everyday applications.
   
   Worth getting if it's on a special offer, gift voucher or present - I'd think twice about spending your own money though as I doubt it'll offer the value that many people look for from training guides.
   That is to say, don't expect to be writing the next Amazon, Ebay or Play after reading this book.
   Maybe the worlds most basic pet shop site though!

8. Fanstastic

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2008

   I know No HTML or PHP coding, and i mean the max i know is < b > etc etc.
   
   I have started an online business and this book gave me the information I needed for creating dynamic pages, connecting to databases and so on and so forth. All the examples in the book can be downloaded from www.janetvalade.com which i found very useful, each file she creates you are allowed to use on your own without having to add any information apart from your database credentials.
   
   The book starts with the very basics, telling you how print simple statements like "it is raining" using the echo" " functions. It then progresses with using if statements and conditionals, functions and other parts of the PHP code which are useful. The book then goes into in depth information on how to build a MYSQL database with PHP MYSQL queries, it tells you how to DROP, CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE etc which i personally found useful
   
   The book then carries on and shows a live running example on what PHP applications can be used for, giving a useful example of a online catalogue and a Members only Area which is what i use. The code can be edited to your needs, for example i added a user level to the database and extra code to the top of every page that disallowed entry depending on the user entry (if you want that code, please email me at dominic.langmead@college-downloads.co.uk and i will send it to you).
   
   The online catalgoue is also very useful, i added it to my site then removed it for the paypal alternative. Janet Explains what she is doing in her coding examples with #number which is explained on the pages after, very useful i must say.
   
   With the help of this book i have been able to create a fully dynamic site within 3 weeks, okay, its not the best read of all, and not fantastic examples, but her pet shop model is easy to follow and edit, whether it be Dreamweaver, Notepad or Publisher that you may be using.
   
   Overall i would recommend this book to anybody who is having some problems creating what you need, Janet also refers to some free PHP sites that help, although personally i prefer this book as the free sites are harder to follow and understand.
   
   I hope my review helps you.
   
   Dom,
   Seadogs

9. Unclear

   Rated 1 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2007

   Frustratingly unclear and cluttered in it's approach. The worst book of it's kind that I have encountered. Look elsewhere

10. Not Enough Practice

    Rated 1 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2007

    I am usually a fan of the for dummies series but this book disappointed me. I couldn't beleive how bored and annoyed I was when trying to learn something from it. Trying to remember some of the stuff was so hard because there was no practice to reinforce it into my brain. Very disappointed.