[Resolved] Should I Learn PHP4 or PHP5

frombumps2babes

My partner and I have decided to start up a pregnancy and parenting website and its fallen on me to do all the coding for it. Now I am very inexperienced with web languages but having researched PHP, ASP and Coldfusion I feel that php is the way to go.

I'm in the process of getting the site together using CPG-Nuke but eventually want to code the whole site myself but I'm just wondering where I should start my studies.

As I understand it PHP4 is quite established and there are many authorative texts available however PHP5 is still going through major tranisitions and some books are already out of date. (I may be wrong on this just the feeling I'm getting from reading some other posts.)

Basically what I'd like to know is would you recommend learning 4 or 5 and if so why? And if I start at 4 how easy/difficult is it to port that knowledge to 5.

Thanks (and apologies for rambling on)

Michael

robert_w_ark

To me, theres really no difference in the version that I have found out yet. So Just learn 'PHP' from looking around at www.php.net - Maybe that will work/help 🙂

frombumps2babes

Thanks for your quick reply Robert

Yes I find www.php.net a very useful site however I tend to be one of these people who learns best from a book.

I guess my main concern is maybe learning things the "wrong way" for example if 5 is transitioning that much maybe advice in a book may be outdated.

As a 30yr old looking to career change I feel I only have 1 shot at getting this right (well they say we dont learn as well at my age hehe) So just want to make sure I make the right choice.

Michael

rpanning

Basically what I'd like to know is would you recommend learning 4 or 5 and if so why? And if I start at 4 how easy/difficult is it to port that knowledge to 5.

Well, if your just starting off, a PHP 4 book might be easier for you. Unless you plan on building a large system, then go with 5. The big difference between 4 and 5 is objects/classes (which can be a bit tricky to learn, for me anyway). PHP 4 has a more basic object/class usage. Where as PHP 5 is made with more object/class features which can be more complex. So, if you go with 4 you'll get the basics of PHP faster/easier. IMO anyway.

Try looking at the PHP manual for objects/classes in PHP 4 and PHP 5, that might help determining. Either way, the best books out there for PHP are Woxio books. Beginners for PHP 4 and PHP 5.

rehfeld

ditto on php4

the main things that are different in php5 are generally for more advanced coders.

learning php4 first will not be taking a step backwards for a begginer. php4 and 5 are extremely similar. to learn one of them, is pretty close to learning both of them.

however, there are some significant differences between the different php4 versions. i would try and get a book written as recently as possible.

stolzyboy

it won't hurt to start in php5 as the backwards compatibility is there for just about everything except OOP, which is way different...

so, you'll find it NO easier to learn PHP4 over PHP5 if you aren't using OOP, and honestly, the OOP with PHP5 is easier to learn than PHP4...

if you need some links to any books, i may know some folks around here with some ideas 😉

Ceril

I'am just a little bit frustrated on php5 after my last try to install it on my Win32/Apache1.3 which ended in horror, thank god I made a backup of my entire server directory.

I better make it again someday soon, I'am lousy at using OO. My main problem with is being:

Why o why should I realy? I havent yet run into where its should have been realy usefull, or maybe I have but I have not the OO in me enough to realize that I should.
Once I did use it for several diffrent DB connections, but else?

stolzyboy

you don't really have to... it's more of a preference thing if you're building smaller to mid sized apps... if you get into higher end things, you can see improvements when using OOP, tho they aren't staggering, if you use the procedural method in a neat, concise method...

frombumps2babes

Well I've bitten the bullet and been out and bought your book stolzyboy. It actually seems perfect for my needs concentrating on 4 but referencing any differences in 5. Thanks for all your replies.

frombumps2babes

Lol - typical just been to wrox's website and see there is a new version out. oh well hehe.

Michael

stolzyboy

Originally posted by frombumps2babes
Lol - typical just been to wrox's website and see there is a new version out. oh well hehe.

Michael

it's been a year... and since the final release of PHP5, twas kinda necessary 🙂

jami3

If you learn php4 you will find php5 mcuhe easier to pick up as there are only a few diffrances, i have noticed there arnt any easy to read php5 books for begginers.Most of them are in depth as there are a wide range php4 books so if your on a tight budget just go straight to php5 and vice versa. There arnt many difrances between php 4 and 5 except for the SOAP functionality

stolzyboy

Originally posted by stolzyboy
it's been a year... and since the final release of PHP5, twas kinda necessary 🙂

wrox has a beginning php4 and beginning php5 book out...

learning 4 or 5 is a moot point, if you learn 5, minus OOP and some other high end items, you'll know 4, and vice versa