Jamie Said:

How long does it take to learn PHP for a newbie?

We Answered:

PHP is a very accessible language, so you'll be making your first step in a matter of minutes. And there is plenty of help around on the internet, so you'll probably never get stuck.

Becoming a master, as in every subject, is a project for life, just like chess or painting. You'll always be learning.

You need either a Windows server or an Apache server to run your PHP code. The Apache server is just another program that you run on your computer (regardless of the operating system). I recommend Apache, so go for XAMPP, a very easy-to-use version.

Denise Said:

How should I go about starting to learn PHP?

We Answered:

You know how to code. Orielly's cook book for php will show you how to solve common problems with php and build a better understanding of the language.

Next, stand on the shoulders of giants. Download an open-source project that does something your interested in written in php and figure out how it works.

For example:

Wordpress uses a 'simple' code structure that shows off good code standards. (without too much OOP)

Magento would be the opposite extreme; a great example of OOP, design patterns, php5 and the Zend Framework.

Russell Said:

How should I learn PHP and the uses of it?

We Answered:

u can read this tutorials for reference and u can download free ebook there

Jimmy Said:

i want to learn php scripting so how can i start?

We Answered:

You will experience many problems with your PC set-up as a server. Even loading WAMP and setting it up properly will not make your PC a "server", and the skills required to get your server running properly are far beyond your current knowledge (no offense intended, but you don't even know Php...)
Your best bet is to buy a domain and rent a server: this won't cost you more than 50$/year: a good investment if you are serious about learning!
THEN:
go to www.w3schools.com and do as many exercises as you can: you first need to be proficient in HTML, javascript and CSS. You can't go any further before that.
Once you are at ease with these, learn Php and Mysql together.
Download all the scripts available at http://www.web2coders.com, edit them using notepad, READ and UNDERSTAND the code!
Learn-by-example is, I have found, the easiest way to learn WELL.
Good luck!

Greg Said:

How hard is to learn PHP comparing to Java?

We Answered:

I can only assume that you are referring to javascript which is different from java.

If this is the case then you are in two different worlds. PHP is a server side scripting language and javascript is a client side scripting language. They both offer different functions and although AJAX is a nice marriage between client side and server side functions, there is no other correlation between what happens client side vs. what happens server side.

If you were talking about javascript then you should not try to use it as a basis for learning PHP. You should start with C or Perl to get the basics of control structures, data types, operators, etc.