Jon Duckett, PHP.
To my developer ears, it’s a match made in software education heaven.
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🚨 ALERT: UPDATE 🚨
Jon Duckett’s PHP & MySQL has been released!!!
In fact, I have a sweet, sweet copy in my own hands:
But in case you were wondering what I had to say, read on…
TLDR
😀 I have been eagerly awaiting the Jon Duckett PHP book for years.
😐 I preordered it in a fit of desperation.
🤡 I now wonder if it will ever be released.
Number one, Jon Duckett is probably the only prominent and well-loved instructor who will touch PHP.
Other popular instructors like Andrei Neagoie, creator of a similarly uber-popular online coding bootcamp, has been quite vocal about its alleged outdated nature. He says in the course description: “We won’t be using outdated technologies like PHP, WordPress and JQuery. “
This kind of makes me sad. But it’s a common sentiment shared amongst top-tier instructors.
Not Jon Duckett though.
No.
Jon was going to be OUR GUY.
Number two, Jon Duckett dropped a game-changing book on JavaScript and jQuery a few years back. This book was a revelation for thousands of new and aspiring web developers.
In fact, it’s the one book I regret not having as a code newbie:
This book is in a class by itself.
Also, with the exception of A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript, good beginner vanilla JS resources are tough to find. . .Making this book even more special for new developers.
It has glossy pages. Not boring-a$$ academic tissue that can be used to wipe your fingers after a 4-piece KFC dinner.
It is FULL COLOR.
And it’s engaging. For example, it’s non-linear, it’s playful, and there are lots of entry points for new developers.
In short, it’s a modern classic.
So when a Jon Duckett PHP book was announced over two years ago (or was it three?), I took note.
If he was capable of producing such an excellent JavaScript & jQuery book, certainly he could carry that energy over to PHP & MySQL.
But every time I went to its Amazon page, the release date was bumped forward by a few months.
(As of today, November 28, Amazon says it will be released on February 24, 2021).
This process has been happening for YEARS NOW.
And in a fit of desperation, I went ahead and preordered earlier this month (November 2020).
I guess I was hoping that my modest additional purchase may put more pressure on his publisher to release the book.
I know, I know. But desperate times, desperate measures, y’know?
Well, I checked in tonight and while the Amazon date was still scheduled for February…Google is now saying its expected in May:
PHP & MySQL: Server-side Web Development
That’s the official title of the book. . .Which makes it even more appealing because MySQL is yet another popular yet dumped-on technology by prominent developer instructors.
Duckett’s giving us a twofer here.
RIP Jon Duckett PHP?
I don’t know. I may write Duckett’s publisher Wiley and ask what’s going on. He doesn’t seem to have a personal website or social media presence based on his name. I’d prefer to get the scoop directly from the man himself, but at this point, how to we know he even exists? I mean…
Was Jon Duckett a figment of our collective imagination?
Was he willed into being after we were deprived of good beginner JavaScript books for so long? And then unceremoniously returned to space dust by The Powers That Be before releasing his final overture?
Is he an alien testing out his writing skills?
Or could he be a completely terrestrial force, working in tandem with a super evil spy agency?
The lack of an online presence supports all of these theories.
I’ll take Collected His Royalty Checks and Colonized Jupiter for $500, Alex!
Or could this the evil misdeed of a book publisher?
Whatever happened, the desperate part of me will continue to not cancel my preorder.
Jon, if you’re out there…Please blink twice if you can hear us. We need you!
Who is Jon Duckett?
Jon Duckett is the author of multiple web development books, including HTML & CSS, JavaScript & jQuery, and his upcoming PHP & MySQL.
When is PHP & MySQL by Jon Duckett going to be released?
As of November 2020, according to Amazon the scheduled release date of PHP & MySQL is February 24, 2020. However, Google currently claims it will now be released on May 5, 2021.
Who is the publisher of PHP & MySQL by Jon Duckett?
PHP & MySQL will be published by Wiley. Wiley develops digital education plus learning, assessment, & certification solutions. In addition, their online scholarly, scientific, technical & medical journals, books, plus other content builds on a 200-year history of publishing.