Advise: Make or hire out PHP site

How difficult is it to learn PHP/MySQL?

[Learning Curve]

I need to make a database site. It seems pretty straightforward. I just need to have users register for free to be able to update their data and then the data is available to the world.

I don't know PHP or MySQL. I do know some Perl. I've written hundreds (not thousands) of lines of code. (Even wrote a Schwartzian transformation once - don't ask me how it works.)

What's the "learning curve" like with PHP/MySQL.

[bonanza]

Learning_Curve,

If you know/understand Perl, especially for CGI programming, then PHP should come pretty easy. The concepts behind a simple relational database with MySql are also not difficult.

The question doesn't seem to be if you can learn them, but if you want to learn them.

If you sit down with a good tutorial/book on PHP/MySql web application development, you'll likely end up with your application practically done from a framework perspective.

[benihana]

i second bonanzas comments.
i havent really had any programming experience, but got a good book and picked up the basics of php/mysql quite easily (with some help from the relevent forum here :))

i found it quite satisfying to get my first dynamic site online so anyone could add content to it.

<edit> can recomend book via stickymail if you wish - let me know</edit>

[Schoolbag]

if u know Perl, even a bit, then PHP should be a snap, I find it MUCH easier than Perl for many applications.