Hi everyone, I'm just starting out with PHP, I've done the basic tutorials. I'm coming from a background of heavy OOP development in .NET, C#, mainly winforms but Asp.NET as well. Also I've previously worked as an SQL Server developer. However, my strong desire is to embrace the open source, hence my interest in PHP. I found out it is rather easy switching from C# to PHP. Because I'm a bit old for "hello-world!" style tutorials which I found so far, I would like to dive in to web apps directly, so I need your advice with the following question: Can you help me by naming some of the most requested web-apps by your clients? Some ideas of web applications that I could make. Or, to rephrase the question: Which web applications would you recommend for a PHP beginner? I found some PHP exercises online, but they are just that - exercises with stuff I already know, like arrays and so on. Thank you very much for taking the time to read through. Best regards, Andrei
Hi Andreimc, I also started with PHP many years ago and have been programming in C# and C++ for a couple of years now. You will find that PHP is rather loose and untrue to OOP compared to C#. Interesting question, at last someone not asking for an entire script to be handed to them for free. From experience it appears that a large number of clients require modification of existing software, such as wordpress, joomla, phpBB and vBulletin to name a few, so I'd familiarise myself with the structure of popular PHP software, as this will increase your employability. Furthermore, I'd be creative and plan and implement "medium" sized projects - those that would take more than a good few hours. This is because in my opinion originality is key when it comes to web development and your own creations, if you have the time and money to do so, can then be marketed and sold without a contract. PHP for me is a tool used to develop product-driven software (create a product with your own constraints to sell later) as opposed to market driven (freelance and contracted work). Being able to create software and then convince potential buyers why they should spend their money is a huge reward. These things hone your skills as a salesman, marketer and programmer, everything an entrepreneur needs. Have a look around websites, pick some functionality and replicate it with your own methods and solutions. Understanding a language's syntax and functionality is only a fraction of web development, as I believe the secret to success is critical thinking. We all know there are an infinite number of solutions to a problem and ways of getting there. To be the best you have to be able to mentally construct answers to the problem at hand, like a game of chess.