Five-star treatment for “PHP Solutions”
December 9th, 2006
Waiting for the first reviews of a new book is always a tense time for an author, so I was delighted to visit Amazon.com today and see not only one, but two reviews that give PHP Solutions five stars. It’s as though Christmas has come early. All I need now is for lots of people to take notice of what one of the reviews says: “this book is a must have”. Although I enjoy writing books, it’s hard work, and the author gets only a tiny portion of the cover price in royalties. Buying through the Amazon links on my site can actually double the amount that I receive for a single copy.
20 Comments
1. Caroline Schnapp | December 20th, 2006 at 10:56 am
It is truly a remarkable book. You are insightful about other aspects of web development as well, you integrate all pieces — and best practices ! — of xhtml, css and php together.
You are an amazing writer : you explain everything so well, and in a different way. I never felt like I was reading a book from someone who had read all books on the market and re-hashed what was said in a new way. You’re not making a new book out of old books, you’re making Tha book that was never written.
It was worth so much more than its price.
I am half-through and learnt so much, even if I am an experienced programmer. I would rarely go to some author’s blog to tell him/her how much I like Tha book. Actually this is my first time.
Thank you! And looking forward to read other books from you… that was my first.
Sorry if I sound overly-enthousiastic. I am not.
2. David | December 20th, 2006 at 11:44 am
Wow, Caroline, thank you! You’ve made my day. I do spend a lot of my time reading other books and searching for information on the internet. So, I’m very conscious of the danger of just rehashing what others have said before. What I hope distinguishes my books from others is that I try to put myself in the position of the reader and anticipate the things that might go wrong.
“PHP Solutions” is my most recent book, so if you read any of the earlier ones, you will see some overlap of material. Unlike novelists, technical writers can’t reinvent the world every time. There are only a few ways you can describe variables, arrays, and functions. And some things are fundamental, such as validating and processing online forms.
3. Caroline Schnapp | January 8th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
I insist : you explain like no one else, and maybe it’s just me (I doubt it very much) but my brain likes the way you explain things.
I hope that your book sells thousands & thousands of copies, not so that you make so much money - I don’t think there’s much money to be made from publishing - but so that people understand php better (just have a much easier time, life is about… enjoyment, not pain) and their coding habits improve. Mine certainly have. I am almost embarrassed about some of the things I had assumed about php… Your friendly (never condescending) explanations in gray boxes concerning “beginners often…” (better-phrased than this actually) were often targetting me
I am still not finished with your book! It goes in depth, yet it covers so much… (and that’s exactly what I was looking for). Some books you can read over the week-end (and that’s fine in some instances…) but your book needs that I take breaks and work at it to integrate it… step by step. And I really need each chapter… It will take another month before I finish it.
Realllly David… you are an outstanding writer.
4. Erik | January 9th, 2007 at 6:18 am
I’ve just bought php solutions and was thinking of foundations php for Dreamweaver. Would it be worth my time to buy it, or would I be retreading stuff I have already learned in phhp solutions? I love your book by the way, very clear! I kinda wish someone would update the only book I found on phpmyadmin….ah well.. Keep writing!
5. David | January 9th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Glad you like “PHP Solutions”, Erik. “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ does cover a lot of similar ground, as both books are intended to be a standalone introduction to working with PHP. The major difference is that “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ shows you how to work with the automatic code generation of Dreamweaver server behaviors.
To be honest, when writing “PHP Solutions”, I realized that readers who enjoyed “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ might want to buy my next book. So “PHP Solutions” deliberately covers sufficient new ground for readers of the Dreamweaver book to feel as though they’re adding to their knowledge. Quite how it would feel reading the books the other way round is hard to say.
If you feel as though you have learned enough PHP from “PHP Solutions” to dive into the Dreamweaver code, you may find “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ doesn’t really teach you anything new. On the other hand, if you find yourself baffled by Dreamweaver’s way of doing things, it does cover the full range of server behaviors and shows you how to build simple ones of your own to speed up the development process.
6. Eric Z. | March 1st, 2007 at 7:39 am
David,
I am a long time fan of PHP, CSS and Flash. Like you, I am an avid reader but so much of the material is “rehashed” and “regurgitated” (sorry for the visual).
Everytime a new PHP or Flash book pops up at B&N, I am there with my wallet open. Your book was the first that inspired me to actually hunt down the author’s site just to say, “GOOD JOB.” Not to say that other books were not well written and educational. It is how you write. No buyers remorse here. =) You have a new fan.
Any suggestions on a reading material for incorporating PHP into my Flash work. I use Flash MX, DreamWeaverMX, PHP 4.4, Apache 2.0 and whatever the latest MySQL that pops out. Your book was so backwards compatible that EVERYTHING worked. Current books on the market only seem to encompass the latest Flash, DreamWeaver, PHP (not much for OOP here), etc. I want a book like yours where everything works.
Thanks for writing PHP Solutions. It is a true marvel.
Regards,
USMCsky
FlashbyZ Blog and Fish
7. David | March 1st, 2007 at 9:47 am
Wow, thanks for the terrific feedback, Eric Z. Please spread the word among your friends and get them to buy a copy, too.
If you like my style of writing, Foundation PHP 5 for Flash is probably what you’re looking for. Although the title refers to PHP 5, it’s fully backwards compatible with PHP 4. We chose that title to distinguish the book from its out-of-print predecessor, which was written by a different author.
My book was published two years ago, so is based on Flash MX 2004, but the download files are also available in Flash MX format.
8. Eric Z. | March 2nd, 2007 at 12:22 am
David,
Consider it bought. =) You caught me and your repsonse was very intuitive. I did avoid the book based on the title. Slap me on the hand. I have several of the Foundation series and most are heavy reference reading. PHP5 to me means OOP and MySQLI and I am barely sinking my teeth around PHP. The “Bible” series are about the same to me, UGH!. They are packed full of knowledge but a hobbyiest(?) like myself needs a project and a trial and error approach to really learn and retain. Hence, the popularity of your new book. I hope you were at least able to pay off the mortgage and treat yourself to a new Hummer. =)
Alas, one more question and I will take these email style blogs elsewhere… I had to work around the COREFUNCS… it was vacant from the Chapter 4 includes and I did not locate it in the “new” batch either. Where did I miss it? I was not going to bring it up but its been bugging my “Monk” side. I have to know. =)
Thanks again, I will head to B&N tomorrow for Foundation PHP5 for Flash.
Regards,
EZ
FlashbyZ Blog and Fish
9. Eric Z. | March 2nd, 2007 at 7:09 am
Disregard!
My zip is deleting random files. Very strange.
EZ
10. Peter | March 30th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Hi David,
I have purchased both “PHP Solutions” and “PHP for Dreamweaver 8″. I cannot add much more than Caroline but I would like to add my name to the list at least. I first purchased a book by O’Reilly which was so full over mistakes that I couldn’t even get PHP and Apache installed and configured and gave up frustrated and defeated.
You have given me renewed hope; I enjoy your writing style and as a complete beginner to PHP your books step by step instructions are easy to follow and are very well structured, it seems to cover all options and serves as an excellent introduction to PHP and your use of XHTML and CSS along with DW suits my style.
Although I am only up to chapter 11 of PHP Solutions, I am certainly looking forward to your next book and have recommended your book to people I know.
Many Thanks, Peter
11. Francisco Cerquella | April 4th, 2007 at 6:48 am
Hi David,
I bought “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver” two weeks ago and I think it’s the best book on PHP.ever. It’s FUN(never thought PHP could be fun) reliable, revealing and encouraging. Thank you!
I have looked at “PHP Solutions” table of contents and I think it’s quite similar to “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver” so I may not buy it.
Are you planning/writing a continuation to “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver”?
Thank you again
Francisco Cerquella
12. David | April 4th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Hi Francisco,
Glad you like “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″. There is, inevitably, considerable overlap of material in “PHP Solutions” because the second book focuses entirely on hand-coding, so I have to show readers how to do the same things by hand that Dreamweaver automates. Still, there is quite a lot of new material in there, too. “PHP Solutions” covers file uploads, working with the file system to read and write files, generating thumbnails, and creating a lookup table in a database.
I’m currently busy writing “The Essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS3 with CSS, Ajax, and PHP”. Most of the PHP material is based on “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″, but well over 50% of the book is completely new, focusing on the new features in CS3, such as CSS management and Spry, the Adobe implementation of Ajax. I’ll try to get some details about the book on my site in the next week or so.
13. Francisco Cerquella | April 8th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Hi David,
After reading your post- it sounded more convincing than the Table of Contents- I couldn’t but buy “Php Solutions” I have already read chapters 6 and 7(I want my visitors to upload photographs) and I find them as good as the ones in “Foundation..”, especially chapter 6.
I downloaded both books. I hope you get same or more money as when they are “physical” books.
Will “Php Foundations for flash” ever go virtual? I really feel more comfortable reading an e-book. It’s easier to keep it open!
Well, David
Thanks
Francisco Cerquella
14. Sebastian | June 28th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
David,
I am just about to finish your book “PHP for Dreamweaver 8.”
First of all - thanks you for providing such a good instruction for newbies like me! I am German and I study Web Development at the Montgomery College (near Washington DC, US). Your book is one of the best programming books I read. Actually I normally avoid those books because they can be frustrating if you are a beginner like me.
It is sad that the Kollection 3 software is not available anymore. But everything else is a really good help for me to get started creating my own dynamic sites. Do you think “PHP Solutions” would be a suitable book to extend my knowlege in PHP?
I will recommend your book on my school!
Sebastian
15. Milind Parikh | June 30th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Since I respect Caroline’s opinion a lot, I will now go to Borders and get PHP Solutions.
16. David | July 7th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Thanks very much, Sebastian. I’m glad to hear you found “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ so helpful. “PHP Solutions” will definitely take your knowledge of PHP further. However, it’s not based on Dreamweaver server behaviors, so it takes you more into the realm of hand-coding. There are some areas of overlap between the two books, but I think you should find plenty of useful new material in “PHP Solutions”.
17. Jonathan | July 9th, 2007 at 8:07 am
On comment 13 by Francisco Cerquella, she says she downloaded both books. Where can I purchase digital copies of your books? I’m particularly interested in “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ or “PHP Solutions”.
I’m new to dreamweaver and PHP, and i’ll be using Dreamweaver to create a website. I’d to know if the “PHP Solutions” book will be readable for a novice if I’m going through the exercises with Dreamweaver.
I wanted to write an email but i didn’t find any address on the entire website. I hope you’ll catch this post in a timely fashion.
Jonathan
18. David | July 9th, 2007 at 8:59 am
All the digital versions of friends of ED books are listed on this page of the friends of ED website. The list shows the books in the order they were published, with the most recent first, so you’ll find “PHP Solutions” close to the top, but “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ much further down.
“PHP Solutions” is definitely OK for a beginner, but you might find it better to start with a Dreamweaver book first. If you have Dreamweaver CS3, it might be better to wait a couple of weeks for The Essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS3 with CSS, Ajax, and PHP. It’s due to be published on 23 July. The printed version is already at the printers, so the ebook version should be available within the next couple of weeks.
“PHP Solutions”, by the way, was created entirely on Dreamweaver. The major difference is that it concentrates entirely on hand-coding; it doesn’t make use of any of the Dreamweaver server behaviors.
I don’t display my email address on the website, because I don’t want it to be picked up by spammers. Messages posted here or in the foED forum always reach me.
19. Sebastian | July 10th, 2007 at 1:45 am
David,
did you think of offering you books in other languages than English? I can imagine that there is also a demand for a German version.
If you think this is interesting, just write me a private e-mail.
Regards
Sebastian
20. Jonathan | July 19th, 2007 at 11:46 am
I posted my previous message only 10 days ago (comment 17) and I was surprised with the timeliness of your reply. Shortly thereafter, I went to Friends of Ed and picked up an e-version of your book, “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″. When I have the free time, I just plow through large chunks of the book. I’ve gotten halfway done in only 2 sittings. What a great book! I’m thoroughly impressed with your writing style. It’s the only book of this nature that I’ve managed to stick with past the first couple of chapters.
Every other technical book is littered with show stopping errors that prevent you from proceeding, but “Foundation PHP for Dreamweaver 8″ is short on mistakes, with any problems already having an errata. Kudos to the very detailed updates for the Apache and PHP software installations. I’ve only encountered a few hang-ups, but they only deal with situations outside of the books material, like my email settings. (Still can’t get the online forum to auto generate an email.)
I’ve never touched Dreamweaver before purchasing this book, and I already feel very capable of proceeding to the end of the book. When I went shopping for Dreamweaver books, I scoured Amazon for reviews on all the titles. The reviews for your book on PHP simply made me want to buy the book. I had a friend in Hong Kong search high and low for copies, but to no avail, that’s when I came here looking for the e-book. (I’m in Mainland China, so English books are in short supply, especially ones of this nature.)
I didn’t know anything about PHP at the time. In retrospect, I should have bought a book on ASP, because that’s what my company uses, but I’m not leaving PHP now. I can’t imagine ASP having a book this well written. I’m sticking with PHP, and if you ever come out with any other books, I’ll stick with those technologies as well.
I’m a David Powers fanboy now.
Just a few more questions relating to your other titles.
First your new book, if I don’t have Dreamweaver CS3, can I still work through it using Dreamweaver 8? I can’t imagine dropping $400+ just for the software when this whole web development thing is still just a side hobby to satisfy my need for continuous education.
Your Flash book, what is Flash and should I try to get into it? If the book is written half as well as the title I purchased on Dreamweaver 8, I’m sure I can learn it. I just don’t really know much about it. I’m kind of looking for an excuse to pick up any titles that you’ve written.
Just some background on my web development goals, I’m an online rpg gamer so I was wanting to build a guild website. That’s where the dynamic stuff comes in, guild rosters and DKP reports. (DKP is just a member’s currency that they spend to buy in-game equipment). Other things I’d like include: a member login, forum, blog area. What other web development technologies can I use to jazz up this kind of site?
Sorry for the long post, but feel the amount of praise here is well deserved.
Jonathan
Trackback this post