PHP 6/MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner

Using games as an example, describes how to write computer programs using PHP and create databases using MySQL.

Andy Harris grew up in a time when nearly all programmers were self-taught. He taught himself to program because it was fun. He enjoyed the act of creating. He was amazed that logic was the most fascinating building toy of them all. Many years later, his attitude about programming is largely the same. Andy loves computing, but he loves teaching more. His first degree was in special education, and he taught young adults with severe cognitive and behavior disabilities for several years. During this time, he also served as a freelance programmer and taught computer science classes part-time. Andy has taught computer science full time at IUPUI for 12 years. He was originally hired to manage the non-major courses. He created many courses on numerous programming languages, and created a distributed education laboratory for creating streaming media course content. He now teach the entry-level freshman course for CS majors, and various other courses, especially in game programming and web development. Andy has taught courses in nearly every mainstream programming language and a few obscure ones. He is active in the technology community, with regular conference talks and consultation with libraries, museums, and the state of Indiana. He has been active in helping individuals with disabilities help to form their own web development companies.