[slade]

Originally posted by Mark Hensler
manual + hacking + debuging others' code

I've found that debuging other people's code is a learning experience by itself. You'll get to see all kinds of stuff you may never otherwise see. For example, I work on one project at work. But when I come home, I'm debuging code for several people who each have a project different from mine. This gives me more exposure to different problems and different solutions.

Exactly. You don't need to spend any money, in my opinion to learn PHP at all. Like Mark said, the PHP and mySQL manuals are invaluable. Also, find a community devoted to PHP (www.phpbuilder.com or www.tek-tips.com) where you can ask questions and debug other code. It worked for me.

-Vic