php 4 vs php 4.3

[Gurzi]

hY GUYS [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/unsure.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":unsure:\" border=\"0\" alt=\"unsure.gif\" /]

i started learn php yesterday and i bought a book called PHP 4 " a beginner's Guide" from Bill McCarty - Osborne..."

The shop where i bought the book for the money i have to spend only had php 4.3 from 2 authors from Portugal..(i'm Portuguese) and the book i bought..

my question is.. the php 4 and php 4.3 are too much different ?

i want your advice ..

thnks

[wildteen88]

They are both the same! 4.3 just has bug fixes and secuirty updates that it.

Obviously the advantage between the two is go for the latest one as it has the bug fixes and the security holes fixes.

[zq29]

Books that teach PHP4 often cover alot of the features of PHP 4.x.x, PHP4 is just a generalisation as "sub-versions" get released on a some-what regular basis.

Although, there were a handful of new functions that were implemented in PHP 4.2.x, there would be no fundimental differences in the syntax or functionality of the language.

[Gurzi]

thnks a lot.. i saw somethings on book but didnt work like... echo "$name

i search and i saw that i must use $_POST[name] ;

why all tutorials says that the name inside the array for example $_POST[name] use $_POST['name'] the [b]'[/b] but if i use i receive a error.. if i dont use.. its everything ok and running..

my other doubt.. which advantages i have passing variables into the url ?

[wildteen88]

Because prior to PHP 4.3.x a setting called register_globals was turned off by defualt, however the tutorials/books you are reading either old or haven't been updated yet. You can tell when a book has been updated as it'll have something like: [i] edition x[/i] some where on the cover. x being the number of times books have been rewritten.

But most tutorials was done before PHP 4.3.x was released, however still people tunr this setting register_globals on despite this setting can cause secuirity holes within a script.