Seems like to know PHP, though, you need to know all the history that the author has picked up by following the PHP space since forever. Which mysql functions

Seems like to know PHP, though, you need to know all the history that the author has picked up by following the PHP space since forever. Which mysql functions are appropriate, etc. If knowing the language means "being a working programmer in 2010 so that you could gain a working knowledge of the old APIs and some context for the new ones" I'm out. Keep PHP, I'll move to a different language where knowing historical baggage isn't a prerequisite.