How Much of This Do I Need to Know?

Not very dang much. I know plenty of folks who are happily humming away with PHP-Nuke, having done nothing more complicated than finding a friendly looking File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client with which to upload files to their Web site. They have yet to crack open a PHP file or a database. One of them, www.windowsauditing.com, is run by a guy who is fairly technical but just doesn't have the time to fuss with any kind of Web programming. Another, www.howlermonkey.com, is run by a complete techno-peasant (his words, not mine) who couldn't program a Web site if his life depended on it. So clearly, using PHP-Nuke doesn't require a lot of hardcore programming or Web site design skills.