Great point, Joe. I hear this a lot and it is worth noting. I would like to share my perspective on this and encourage the folks here to kick it around. Here is how I have approached the subject and please understand that this is my opinion more than a fact or policy from Zend. While Zend's "policy" has always centered around giving the customer a choice, a little guidance can go a LONG way.
There are certainly differences between PHP4 and PHP5 and most of these center around the OO model of PHP5 vs. the procedural model or PHP4 & lower. It is my belief that a lot of what we hear about the consternation of PHP4 and PHP5 is the community coming to grips with OO and, in many cases, Frameworks. But, it should be stressed that PHP continues to support the procedural model. Therefore, much of the code in PHP4 is still forward compatible as procedural code. Yes there will be idiosyncrasies, but for the most part the code will work. So why do I bring this up? Simply because of the fact that PHP offers the optional "long on ramp" of using the language in a procedural model and being VERY productive while the developer is adjusting to the syntax and constructs of the language. I have never made it a secret that the end goal should be OO based PHP and hopefully a Framework. But starting with Frameworks can be a bit intimidating to someone who has just been ripped, kicking and screaming, from their RPG III green screen PDM environment and told to develop PHP NOW!
With that said I believe there is value in these books and I have just ordered them myself to see how much. But, for folks who really want to explore PHP in a PHP5/OOP world I would strongly encourage you to check out the website
http://www.phpclasses.org/ . There is a TON of free code out there and like anything else you "may" get what you pay for. But, you just can't beat this community when it comes to sharing things. I always encourage my students to steal as much code from the Internet as possible. But, as they steal they must be aware of the fact that anything they implement they must understand and be responsible for. This helps accelerate folks from the procedural world to that of the OO/Framework universe of PHP. Much like how I learned subfiles...By reading "OPC" or Other Peoples Code!
If I were to put a finer point on it, folks with an OO background should probably start looking at Frameworks right away as the begin to explore PHP. The syntax and OO constructs will probably not be a huge leap for these people so getting in a good Framework would make sense. Folks without the OO foundation may find Frameworks a bit much to swallow and, therefore, the procedural model of PHP might be the right place to start. But make no mistake that the goal of PHP should be to move forward and not stagnate over a particular model of the language. Change can be a real bitch, but it is the only constant in our universe these days.
It breaks my heart to talk to an RPG developer who has not explored RPGIV and ILE. There is so much good value in the newer flavors of the language! But the old stuff still works and has value. Did I mention the fact that PHP on IBM i can call RPG II programs...ick!!! (Thank goodness we don't call OCL!) ;-)
Regards,
Mike
mike.p@xxxxxxxx Cell: (408)679-1011 Office: (630)928-1476
Zend Server for IBM i avilable at
http://www.zend.com/en/products/server/zend-server-5-new-ibmi
-----Original Message-----
From: web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Joe Pluta
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 10:22 AM
To: Web Enabling the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: [WEB400] PHP Books at Sitepoint
Thanks, Bryce!
I will definitely take advantage of this.
However, I want to caution folks. I read the comments, and one in
particular caught my eye especially considering the conversation we just
had here:
-----
Gábor Sörnyei 6:27 am
The main problem with the PHP Anthology is that it is based on the PHP4
version. The OOP of the version is totally different from the PHP5 wich is
generally used nowdays. I don't know what the other books/video lesson
offer in terms of the PHP but if they're still using PHP4 then it is just
waste of money.
-----
This goes directly to my earlier point that lots of what is out there is
PHP4, even though PHP5 is over six years old. The adoption of PHP5 has
been very slow.
Joe
Also for those who don't know... sitepoint.com is a great site for
learning and keeping up with the latest in web development. If you see
any of the other sales at the url Mike provided but are sad you missed it,
be patient and sign up for the news letter. Last year on Day23 of the
sale they opened up all the previous deals for that day again back to the
first day of the sale. On Day 24 last year they opened up all PDF
versions of their books for $4.95 a piece. So if you only want 1 of the
books listed in a bundle, sit tight, you'll get your shot at a great deal.
Thanks for sharing this Mike. I should have shared this with the Web400
List long ago :D
midrange.com
