Programming Tutorials : PHP

PHP Tutorial 1: Intro to Programming

In my years using the internet, I've met many aspiring programmers who had no idea where to start their programming journey. Sure, they could use a computer relatively efficiently, and yes, they may know how to tweak a program to their liking. But a lot of these tasks can be self-taught. If the average person who had any semblance of an interest in computers could not figure out the most trivial of tasks, computer use would not be as commonplace as it is today. After all, companies like Apple and Microsoft spend millions of dollars in research just to make it easier for the user to interact with computers. But programming...? Where do you start?

Unless you can absorb information into your brain through osmosis, there is no easy way to learn, let alone master, the art of computer science. Getting your hands dirty is unavoidable, even for the most intelligent among us. But fear not, this tutorial series will get you started, and you will hopefully have a lot of fun along the way. Think of it as your yellow brick road; follow the path, and the prize will be quite rewarding.

What is PHP? How can it help me? Why learn to program with it?

If you're into the whole "technicality" thing, PHP is considered a scripting language. I like to refer to it as a programming language since it is every bit as powerful as some of the better languages out there. In fact, PHP is the primary language used to develop Mowia. It's also the language I used to teach myself to program.

Didn't I just say you can't learn programming through osmosis? Well don't worry; I, too, had to get my hands dirty--really, really dirty. But after years of digging through thousands of lines of programming code written by other programmers, and after years and years of experimentation on my own, and after countless requests by friends and classmates to assist in solving their nagging programming bugs, and having now worked my way through the majority of a Computer Science degree, I do believe I have the technical and social understanding necessary to make the process of learning to program relatively easy.

PHP was the language that made it easy for me to understand the basic concepts of programming without having to get very technical. As I have developed as a programmer and become more experienced with different programming techniques and concepts, I've been able to adapt what I've learned to my PHP programming. Some languages, such as Java, are used in high schools and colleges to teach students how to program. However, these languages often times rely on types of programming that are very difficult to understand as a newcomer. Java is heavily object-oriented. C and its derivatives introduce memory management obstacles. Python is very syntax-heavy that can be frustrating to programmers of all experience levels. The list goes on and on. While PHP certainly has its pitfalls, I have found it to be one of the most accommodating and easy to get started with languages available today.

Tutorial Series Structure

I am going to use this tutorial series to introduce all of the fundamental concepts of programming. If you are new to programming, or if you want a comprehensive understanding of programming concepts, I encourage you to read the series from start to finish. The next tutorial will cover the basic requirements for getting started with PHP.

By Chris - September 4, 2009 | Read Comments

system    10.29.09 at 12:32 pm

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