In a new article from PHPBuilder.com today Marc Plotz starts from the beginning and guides the reader through some of the basics of PHP.

It's been a few years since I echo'd my first HELLO WORLD script. PHP has developed and evolved and yes, it has changed since it was first devised as little Perl extensions on Rasmus Lerdorf's localhost. Still, for a little Home Page script, it has grown into something that is now used on over 200 million websites around the world. That is nothing to be scoffed at. In this article we'll discuss the two most important things we should try to remember when developing in PHP.

His two things are "develop on linux" and "use SVN or CVS". The first tip is up for debate - one of the best things about PHP is its ability to work well on both linux and windows-based systems but the second point is an absolute must for anyone doing any kind of serious development work.