Due to rather strange circumstances, I only have until Monday to learn (at least
ID: 653188 • Letter: D
Question
Due to rather strange circumstances, I only have until Monday to learn (at least) the basics of PHP and .NET programming. I'm already fairly competent (though there is a lot of room for improvement) in C++ so I feel I have some of the concepts nailed already, but I need to get into the two languages in a bit more depth in a very short time frame.
Unfortunately I won't have time to get any books so will need to exclusively use online resources, I'm more of a 'do-er' so any way to test my skills in a practical way would be a huge bonus :-)
Explanation / Answer
Well, the good news is that you already know how to program. The vast majority of that knowledge transferrs between languages.
Read the wiki articles on both. It would tell you the basic things you might be missing. Like how .NET isn't a language.
I won't have time to get any books
Yes you do. You have a full weekend. Stop everything else. Swing by a store. Buy two. Read like you mean it.
And this is the most important part: CODE SOME PHP (with .NET). Hit the tutorials, make some small projects, hit some walls, log some bugs, solve those bugs, and overcome your ignorance. Port some of your C++ programs into PHP. You've ALREADY solved how to do the problem, this is just translating. If you want to learn how to program in PHP, the best advice I can give you is to go program in PHP.
Will you "know" PHP by Monday? No, of course not. Who are you kidding? And don't lie to anyone by claiming otherwise. But you WILL have more knowledge then you had Friday. And you WILL have learned a lot.