Before you can even get started with PHP, you really need a place where you can feel free to experiment with it and all of its tweaks and features. If you've been a bit scared off by the concept of setting such an environment up for yourself, you might want to check out this new article from IBM's developerWorks on setting up a PHP/MySQL dev environment.

Their goal here is to help you set up PHP, Apache, and MySQL as a development environment on a Windows XP machine. This tutorial gives you step-by-step instructions on how to get it all up and running painlessly.

The tutorial is directed toward web developers and those familiar with some of the concepts that surround that area. They will help you get set up on a Windows XP platform quickly and easily, and show you how you can work on your local machine - even when you're not connected to the internet!