Things to consider before learning PHP

 I would like to think about some things to consider before starting. Before learning PHP, I originally had experience with a language called ASP (now known as ASP.NET).

However, such programming languages are heavily influenced by the operating system

1.What operating system to use as a server

In the case of ASP, it is a language developed by Microsoft and naturally works best with Windows and products developed by Microsoft.

PHP, on the other hand, was created by a person named Linus Torvalds and is best suited for the Linux operating system, which is freely distributed.

(I used to use Red Hat Linux, but now you have to pay to use Red Hat Linux.)

There are other Linux distributions available for free, so you can try using them.

Therefore, it is important to decide which operating system to use as a server and for programming. Of course, any operating system can be used interchangeably, but it requires several complex processes and is inconvenient, so typically Linux is used for PHP, Windows for ASP, and Unix for JSP (a product of Oracle)

2.If you have decided on PHP...

In my case, I switched to PHP from learning ASP due to cost issues. Looking at the long term, running ASP requires a Windows server and a database. As I mentioned earlier, since it generally works well with products developed by a specific company, it seemed difficult to sustain the costs in the long run.

If you have decided to use PHP, the best combination would be PHP+MySQL (database)+Linux.

By the way, MySQL database has transitioned to being called MariaDB under Oracle, but the usage and functionality remain the same.

3.If you cannot set up a Linux environment...

For those who cannot set up a Linux environment for installing Linux, I will provide various methods to test PHP in the future.

4.Things to know before or alongside learning PHP

Both PHP and ASP, as server-side scripting languages, handle various functionalities such as database integration, file and image processing. However, HTML is responsible for expressing the design aspects, while JavaScript handles mouse and keyboard events, browser control, and dynamic visual representation.

There is also CSS, which provides functions like adjusting the thickness of table borders that HTML cannot provide, or changing the appearance of buttons and input fields.

So, if you say you are learning the PHP language, considering just the language itself, you should also learn PHP+JavaScript+HTML+CSS.

You don't have to memorize everything like studying, as there are tutorials and many publicly available source codes that you can understand and utilize effectively.

Please take a look at the website below called "w3schools.com" You can find tutorials and references there.