Not really for Dummies

I was a dummy -at least about PHP and MySQL. I know HTML fairly well. I'm not a hacker but I am usually a power user on the apps I use. I just didn't know much about PHP and MySQL so I needed a good feel for the overall scheme of how these two fit together and what that meant for site design.

While this book has a good scope, it was just a step or two above the dummy level and that proved an obstacle for me. I found the OReilly Head First book on the same topic a much better introduction. The OReilly books do a lot of basic hand holding so I expected it would take longer but I found that in the same amount of reading and doing time I learned much more about the important skills and concepts and also have a very good understanding of the big picture regarding design.

I now use the Dummies book as a reference, so it is indeed useful, but I thought the Title "...For Dummies" a little misleading if this is your first foray into PHP and MySQL.

Other Reviews

• read it and completed the assignments
• Picky Don's review
• Excellent tutorial, but not a good reference
• Not really for Dummies
• Damn fine piece of work