Teach Yourself PHP MySQL and Apache in 24 Hours

Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL, and Apache in 24 Hours combines coverage of these three popular open-source Web development tools into one easy-to-understand book -- and it comes with one easy-to-use Starter Kit CD-ROM for Windows or Linux.

The book teaches the reader to install, configure and set up the PHP scripting language, the MySQL database system, and the Apache Web server.

By the end of this book the reader will understand how these technologies work, and -- more importantly -- how they can work together to create a dynamic Web site.

After creating a simple Web site using these tools, the reader will be able to manage a simple mailing list, and to create an online address book, shopping cart, and storefront.

The book also teaches the reader how to fine tune Apache and MySQL, and covers simple Web server security.

User review
Perfect Book to Get You Started.
What a wonderful and well-documented book. If you are just starting out with PHP, MySql and Apache then you have found a great starting point. The DVD covers many facets and shows you clear examples of the concepts explained.
I recommend that you start your PHP journey here.

Experienced developers can also benefit, as they will take away at least one good idea or perhaps view a project differently.

The book covers in depth many aspects of PHP, including a few that I have not used in many years. Each chapter builds on the previous and the workshops and full code examples will give you a hands on view on how the code is built.
I particularly like the paper used in the book, because it is bright. Some companies have switched to a duller paper for their own reasons.

The book starts with installation of everything software that you need to start. The book covers database design, generating images with PHP and even fine tuning Apache. The DVD lessons are short enough to remain interesting, but long enough to cover the point.







User review
a `B` on hype a `D` on execution equals 2 stars!
I wish I had taken the time to review this book before purchasing but that's on me. I bought this book because of the title and the work sessions described; very practical material. Fortunatley,these three applications(Apache,PHP and Mysql) came preconfigured with Fedora 10 so I was spared the headache of setting this up like so many others on this forum.I have programming experience but I am quite new to php and mysql. I started off with a little bit of the introductory chapters to become familiar with the syntax and then jumped to chapter 11,Working with forms.
I've never experienced a book with so many typos! Even worse, it's the fourth edition. These things should be hammered out by now!What put the icing on the cake for me was that when I went to the disk for clarification, sections of code on the disk were incomplete. I can't even return this piece of cr*p because I unwrapped the useless disk. This book should be called `Sams Teach yourself Trouble Shooting` because that's what you will be doing.I couldn't get half the projects to work until I check out other sources.I finally had to put this book down after losing faith in the code to actually work. If you are new to Apache, PHP and MySQL, this is not the book for you!
Fortunately, I had another PHP book which had accurate examples; PHP For The World Wide Web: Larry Ullman. This book also has a chapter on working with MySQL.I haven't finished the book but all the examples I've typed have worked so far. Another book I've been working with is Fedora 9 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Bible: Christopher Negus. This gives pretty good information on setting up apache and MySQL. Not so much on PHP. There probably is a `Bible` for other OS. For both of these books I paid less than $8. This compares to $35 I spent on this soon to be door jam called Sam's Teach Yourself!

User review
Fantastic book, covers everything from the basic to the not so basic!!
Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache All in One (4th Edition)

Im new to PHP and MySQL with only minimal coding experience in other web languages. I found this book an invaluable resource when developing my business' website. So many books and reference material give you blind instructions to go from A to B to C with no information as to why you're doing it and how you can use this information in any other way that the specific example they provide.
This book is happily, very different! You gain an understanding of why you're using the code provided, what it's function is and how you can use it in other ways.

I highly recommend this book to anyone setting up a dynamic webpage, anyone new to MySQL, PHP or Apache, and anyone looking to broaden their programming skills. You can't go wrong!!!

User review
too much missing data
I do not recommend this book to anyone. It is sketchy and it keeps pointng you to the internet to accomplish simple tasks. The whole purpose of buying a book is to not have the aggravation of hunting on the net. This author also seems very confused, especially in the beginning. Had it not been for data I hunted for on the net, I would not have been able to install the PHP, MySQL or Apache. Take for example, after installing Apache, she mentions that you need to first configure Apache via the httpd.conf file then does not tell you how. She then goes on to the next section of installing PHP leaving you to figure out how to get Apache working. The MYSQL for me did not install either; I had to download a copy off the net.
Too much missing data in this book.

Marc

User review
My Review will be short and sweet
PROS:
* Learned a lot PHP syntax
* Learned concept behind PHP
* Easy to read and somewhat to follow

CONS:
* Instructions are accurate
* When installing CD i got lost and had to find a way to get back on track
* Difficulty following author when she use codes with which platform(should of stick to Windows ONLY since its the most popular)


OVERALL:
Worth buying, I don't regret it. I recommend this book for people with some experience in programming not a total beginner.