[GLLUG] Learning SQL

[Jeremy Bowers]

Caleb Cushing wrote:
> Perhaps I should explain why I'm learning SQL, I'm trying to learn LAMP 
> (Linux Apache MySQL Perl/Python/PHP) I have the Linux part down pretty 
> good (hopefully pass my tests). But the other parts I need to work on. 
> The only thing I really know about SQL is that it has something to do 
> with databases, or at least prior to what you all are telling me. Thats 
> one of the reasons I'm thinking of getting a book, books tend to be more 
> in depth than tutorials, although a lot of books are crappy. I also have 
> a problem with tutorials, I like to get lazy and copy and paste.

At least the one I linked is less tutorial than a step-by-step 
explanation of SQL starting from scratch. There's not actually a project 
in it (IIRC), and you'd still have to set up databases and stuff on your 
own. It is unlikely to be all that different from a book.

Your money, of course, and I'm an oddball in that I almost never buy 
books. (Not unique, I've met others with my philosophy online, but 
definitely a firm minority.) But this is one place where I *really* 
don't see an advantage to shelling out for a book. SQL is really, really 
old and the core has changed very little since the late 80s, maybe 
longer. It's just like I really wouldn't recommend a book to learn HTML 
anymore, because as a relatively static topic (emphasis "relatively"; 
what advances there have been with XHTML for instance can still largely 
be ignored in practice) the free resources have had plenty of time to 
mature.

By comparision, a book to learn Ruby might be worthwhile, at least if 
you've never used anything like it before. (Probably not worth it if you 
already know Perl or Python, for instance.)

> I like 
> the compiler vs language comparison, however can't say as I know much 
> about compilers 10 years ago, as I would have been 11, and didn't have a 
> computer.

Well, I wouldn't have been much older. That's just the next best example 
I could think of where there is a programming language standard that you 
can theoretically learn, but there are quirks.

I suppose HTML would be a modern-day example if you drop the programming 
language requirement. Theoretically you shouldn't need to learn 
"Internet Explorer HTML"; in reality, you pretty much do.