PHP is the most widely used web scripting language. This great software enables even relatively inexperienced programmers to develop dynamic web sites for virtually any web application. In a nutshell that's why you should learn it. Don't let anyone tell you that learning PHP is a piece of cake. Like any other programming language, mastering PHP is not a simple task. In spite of any promises, you won't become a master in 48 hours. So let's take a closer look at why you should make the commitment to learn this language. But first a word of encouragement, you won't have to master this extensive language to see the benefits.

Let's look briefly at what you need to develop and test PHP programs. After all, you can't learn to program without running and debugging (finding the errors in) real programs. The good news is that it is free. You can easily download it and other useful associated applications for free. We recommend that you start with Version 4 unless you are an experienced programmer. Later on you can move up to Version 5. The rest of this article talks mostly about Version 4. A companion article discusses Version 5.

PHP can run on old computers. For example, I downloaded it, copied it to a USB pen drive, and then copied these files onto a Pentium computer that had been purchased new in August, 1999. I couldn't access this program under Windows 98 because it didn't recognize my USB pen drive. But I ran it under Windows 2000 on this computer, which had an Internet browser but no live Internet connection. The entire system required less than 60 Megabytes. Moral of the story: You can run PHP even on outdated computers.

So you can do PHP. Why should you? First of all, it is open source. Free. Why should you pay big bucks for Microsoft or other competitive products? PHP and its friends are the most popular kids on the block. And it's popular with all kinds of users renging from strict beginners to hard-nosed professionals whose careers depend on performance.

PHP integrates well with HTML. You can do most of your web pages in HTML if that's what you are familiar with. If you prefer the newer XML you should move up to Version 5. It supports object-oriented programming. This article is not the place to explain object-oriented programming, the preferred methodology for developing sophisticated projects. Version 4 is a fine tool for learning the basics of object-oriented programming.

You won't have to reinvent the wheel. PHP provides more than 100 libraries of programming functions and over a dozen database access functions. Because it is open source scads of programmers are constantly pushing the envelop.

PHP is fast and flexible. Many claim that for technical reasons it runs faster than its competitors including the Microsoft offerings. PHP programs can be moved from the Windows environment to the Linux environment and still run. Word to the wise: If you are even thinking of going Linux make sure that you pay strict attention to capitalization. Linux treats File1 and file1 as two different files unlike Windows which treats them as the same file. If you are totally strict in the use of lower-case and capital letters, it's very easy to move your web pages from Windows to Linux servers.