The rapid development of PHP has already surpassed Java and ASP to become by far the most popular Web development language. Its unique syntax mixed with C, Java, Perl and PHP own innovative syntax, supports almost all popular databases and operating systems, and can use C, C++ to perform program extension. With the release of PHP 5 and the adoption of the Zend framework (now the Laminas Project), the marriage of PHP with agile method, design patterns, and unit testing has become a mainstream topic.

As is known to all, Robert C. Martin is an expert in software development, software engineering master, and specialist of object-oriented technology enjoying the worldwide reputation. Also, he is software engineer and one of the pioneers of design patterns and agile software development movements. Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C# was written by him and his son Micah Martin (an experienced software engineer). The Java edition of this book has won the highest honor of computer books - Jolt Awards.

The Design of Design: Essays from a Computer Scientist is the winner of Turing Award, father of software engineering and author of The Mythical Man-Month Frederick P. Brooks's another masterpiece - specially designed to reveal the essence of software designing!

PHP 5 Power Programming is a classic must-read authoritative book with 720 pages of content published in 2004, cooperatively written by 3 PHP masters (PHP 5's chief designer - Andi Gutmans, PEAR's founder - Stig Saether Bakken and PHP's core contributor - Derick Rethans). Now its full copyright has been completely free.

For knowledge placing emphasis on the theory, only books like the Head First series that focuses on the cognitive science and learning theory can bring us multi-sensory and light learning experience, so as to avoid using too much text to make readers feel drowsy and harvest little just like most textbooks.