5 comments about Microsoft Windows XP Registry Guide (Bpg-Other).

1. Not for the beginner or the faint of heart. The registry is that thing down at the bottom of the operating system that controls what the Windows XP operating system does.
   
   Thankfully the first part of the book starts out with pretty basic information like what's in the registry. Then it discusses its structure, and begins to define some of those cryptic things like HKEY_USERS, and a bunch of other HKEY's. At the very least, the information in Part I is of interest and probably something that any fairly advanced user should know.
   
   Part II gets into Registry in Management, this has chapters on Using Registry-Based Policy, Windows Security, Troubleshooting and so on.
   
   Part III, Registry in Deployment is on using the registry to set up individual systems in a broad based deployment.
   
   All in all, this is the most complete, best thought out book on the registry available. This is the second edition of the book on Windows XP, but it follows on previous books where Mr. Honeycutt described the registry on previous operating systems such as Windows 2000. His development of both understanding and the ability to describe that understanding is based on writing several previous books.



2. The Registry guide is chock full of tweaks for fine tuning the registry. If you are advanced in computers this should be the book for you. I advise you though to backup anything you do with your registry because you can really mess things up. The book points this out and gives you a better understanding of the inner workings of your computer's registry. I do think some of the concepts could have been more elaborated on but it is clearer than some books I've encountered.



3. The first half of the this book (200 pages) explains what the registry is and how to change the settings. The next 150 pages give some detail, but misses some very important registery keys. No where in this book does it explain how to turn off autoplay on the CD-ROM.



4. This book is one of several books I have looked at concerning the Windows Registry. It reads just like a textbook. It covers various topics that may increase one's understanding of the registry and come with detail programs one can use to change it. It is a decent book- I would even say it's EXCELLENT. However, It is a little to much for me. For a more leisurely read, I would recommend Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks by David A. Karp. It gives a brief history and explanation of the registry and comes with programs and tricks also.



5. If you want to hack the XP registry this is the book. If you need to know where items in the registry are located, this is the book. Reccomend.

1 comments about Novell GroupWise 7 Administrator Solutions Guide (Novell Press).

1. i bought this book thinking it has great in-depth tips that the usual books would miss..Tay Kratzer is a famous guy in Novell, too bad there are some parts missing which couldn't make me get my GW7 up and running in a shorter time...

5 comments about COM and .NET Component Services (O'Reilly Windows).

1. This is one of the best technical books, I have read. It assumes knowledge of COM and object-oriented technologies. The clarity in the areas COM+ interception, threading, security, transaction handling is exceptional.



2. I have read several books now on COM+ and MTS before it, and I have never quite understood how everything ties together and works together. So I have been stumbling in the dark on this for years. My components work, but I never knew if they worked optimally.

   This book changed all that. Finally, it all makes sense. This is by far the best book on this subject that I have read. Every piece of COM+ is explained clearly and with enough detail to get the point across without bogging down the reader. It even answered some difficult mysteries for me such as "Why is the JITA checkbox greyed out for my transactional components?" I couldn't even find an answer for that one on the newsgroups.

   The .NET coverage is brief and was probably an afterthought (in that it appears in a chapter at the end rather than integrated throughout the book), but it is enough to get started. I am looking forward to a second edition of this book that focuses on .NET and has all the code examples in C#. Juval, please write that!




3. The book was in excellent condition and looks like new. Although the shipping was 2 days late but based on the book condition its worth waiting.
   I can rate A++.



4. Don't get me wrong!! It's a great book, for understanding COM+ and use it, without all the headache of learning "why".
   But i think many people would believe is a good about .NET and how to use COM Services, but you will get only a few pages about implementing both technologies together.
   But, like i've said, it's a good book about COM Services.



5. Don't worry about the slight .Net presence in the book; there is no "new generation" of COM+ in .Net, .Net simply includes COM+ (of course there is a new name for it: Enterprise Services, but this is just pure marketing matter)!
   I haven't finished the book yet, but I can say Juval found the right way in explaining most of the COM+ features and why are they indispensable in building enterprise apps by focusing on the business logic and not on the plumbing (object pooling for supporting scalability, transaction management, synchronization etc). The writing style is clear, the content is exhaustive enough for covering all the aspects of COM+/.Net Enterprise Services and, the last but not the least, the book has less than 400 pages.
   Other recommended books about COM+:
   -Transactional COM+, by Tim Ewald: if you need to know more COM+ internals about contexts, apartments etc.
   -Programming Distributed Apps with COM+ and VB6, by Ted Pattison: excellent lecture, easy and explains very well the "why"s.
   - Visual Basic and COM+ Programming: by Peishu Li. Very similar style with Juval's book, except that the code is VB instead of C++.

5 comments about MCDST 70-272 Exam Cram 2: Supporting Users & Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Windows XP Operating System (Exam Cram 2).

1. The book had a lot of useful information, however it did not really go indepth on any of the subjects. I wish the book had given more examples or details on the topic. It provided only 145 questions, compared to other books for the test that provided over 300. I gave the book 3 stars because it is a useful study guide that can fit into my purse so I can take it everywhere. I would suggest reading something more in depth first.



2. This book provides a good high level overview of the material. The main shortcoming is that it makes statements like "make sure you know this or that" but doesn't explain or provide examples. I took the test and passed, but don't think this book contributed a lot to my success. This book is worth a read, but don't rely on it.



3. I recently became involved in a project to setup a course for the 2 new MCDST exam, 70-271 and 70-272. These new exams appear to give you an entry in the Microsoft arena with out requiring a full blown MCSE track. The book takes the finer points of the objectives and breaks it down in to 9 chapters.
   
   The 70-272 exam is focused on the application side of XP and with that this book shows you a lot of customizing, optimizing, configuration and troubleshooting. You'll cover XP, email, Office and the internet and the book includes 2 complete practice exams.
   
   The book has a cd rom with the Measure UP testing engine, but there should be more questions included. Overall this should be on the list of material to use in the study process.



4. I will say that I am a fan of ExamCram2 Series of Study Guides, and that is what they are: "Study Guides". I was disappointed about the lack of material in this guide, do not rely on this book to pass the 70-272 Exam. If you pass the test just by reading this book you may have all ready had enough knowledge to pass. This book does not cover all the material in the exam by any means. The MeasureUp testing software is nice to get you use to the way some of the exam questions are. I would use this book to just go over questions and answers before you do a final write. I highly suggest to get Microsoft 70-272 Training Kit if you are new to alot of the material covered by this exam.



5. My IT background: ten years as a Unix admin, pursuing a Master's degree in Telecom. Extensive familiarity with desktop OS's and apps both as a user and LAN admin.
   
   Newcomers to IT hoping to use this book as a primary study source will be disappointed.
   
   I scored a 754 on 70-272 (700 is passing). The Exam Cram helped a bit in focusing which aspects of the Office, Outlook, and IE GUIs with which to become familiar. However, entire topics on the exam were completely unaddressed by this book ("Security Center", GPOs). Moreover, The book was apparently written before XP SP2 was released; the test requires knowledge of SP2 features.

3 comments about Survey of Operating Systems (Mike Meyers' Computer Skills).

1. This book is great for students who want to become IT professionals. It's more than just learning how to use client-side operating systems. In this book, you learn how to install, configure and troubleshoot, and includes coverage of networking. Read this and you're on your way to an A+ certfication not to mention a desktop support or help desk position. It's a beautifully designed book.



2. Looking for the A+ certification? As you know this certification has 2 exams, I for hardware and 1 for the Operating systems. This book is a great prep tool for the OS section as it covers several key operating systems and few that aren't on the exam.

   The book starts off with a hardware overview, which is very helpful in the understanding of software. Then you deal with the older operating systems like Windows 3.X and DOS, this is a nice foundation to learn the roots of the operating system.

   Then comes NT, 2000, XP and there is even section for the MAC OS and Linux group. What I liked about this book was the exercises and labs; they would prove to very helpful in understanding certain concepts.

   About the only thing missing is cds with evaluation copies of the operating system(s), in case you don't have access to them. Overall this book is a great compliment to the Mike Meyers All in One A+ Study Guide. As an Instructor, this book becomes a valuable add on to the curriculum.




3. As an IT student, I occasionally run into material that I find stale, boring, and overwhelming. This book isn't like that. I am able to review study material that is not only useful, but fun to read! You can't go wrong with this book, it is a valuable resource to learning OSs and what makes them tick.

2 comments about The Accredited Symbian Developer Primer: Fundamentals of Symbian OS (Symbian Press).

1. This book summarizes the most important facts of C++ development for Symbian OS mobile phones. All relevant topics of the Accredited Symbian Developer-exam are dealt with. The concepts and tasks are explained in-depth, so you will almost certainly learn about new details that you were not aware of before - no matter how experienced you are.
   
   The main target group of this book are people who do already have experience with Symbian OS and want to expand their knowledge or prepare for the exam. However, it is equally well-suited if you do already have programming experience and want to learn the facts about correct Symbian OS development as fast as possible. Keeping those two reader groups in mind, it naturally rules out people just starting with development. Even though the book includes a quick review of the most relevant C++ topics, the pace will be too high for beginners. For them, other books like "Developing S60 Applications" will be more suited, which introduce readers to the relatively complex world of development for Symbian OS at a slower speed and with more practical examples.
   
   A big advantage of this book is hat it's - at the time of writing this text - new and therefore covers the latest aspects of Symbian OS 9 (e.g. Platform Security, RBuf-descriptors, ...). Most other currently available Symbian OS books do not include those parts yet.
   
   A short word of warning: Some sections of this book are identical to "Symbian OS Explained", which was written by the excellent author Jo Stichbury as well. That book is also highly recommended - but if your budget is limited, you should probably not buy those two books at the same time. Which one you want depends on your needs. The "Primer"-book is more up-to-date and more fact-oriented. In contrast to that, the "Explained"-book is based on Symbian OS 8 and therefore does not yet include some new concepts, but gives a broader overview of topics that are not directly relevant for the exam, but are still very useful.
   
   In conclusion, "The Accredited Symbian Developer Primer" is highly recommended and you can buy it without thinking twice. No matter how experienced with C++ development for Symbian OS you are, you will almost certainly find something interesting in this book. However, it's better if you do already have some Symbian OS development experience, as the pace of this book might be too high otherwise.



2. Very good book. Very complete. I think that it is a good book for people interested in Symbian Development.

5 comments about Developing Series 60 Applications: A Guide for Symbian OS C++ Developers (Nokia Mobile Developer Series).

1. This book explores thoroughly all aspects of Series 60 development. Suitable for both beginners (first chapters, 1-4) and advanced developers alike. The information is presented clearly and expanded along well written examples. A definite reference for professionals working in Symbian or Series 60 development. Easy indexed access to content makes it also an excellent programming guide.



2. I am new to Symbian C++ programming and find myself referring to this book almost daily. It is useful for learning high level concepts and then for digging into the details. The examples are easy to follow. Everything that I have needed to find out has been covered in the book so far. Congratulations to the authors for being so thorough.



3. I am begunning writing our first Symbian OS Software and need a reference book. I choice this book because the SDK do not provide systematic instruction for new programmer.
   For this book, you can get this.
   The first two chapter is fundamentals, it provide detail information for build up and usage of tool for developer.
   The chapter 3 say Symbian OS fundamentals, but i thing this so different to understand for first time developer.I suggest rapidly read this chapter, next read chapter 4 and 5,and come back for read more detail.
   For this book, we should open the example for fully understand. Because it only said about the main point. This provide the guide for you but if you want more detail should be reference to SDK.
   At the end,this is a good book for learning series 60,provide useful information for good programming , but can not replace the SDK document.



4. This is a very good guide for S60 devlopement. Some of the
   Symbian programming paradigms are quite new for traditional
   procedural language (Like C) programmers. This book provides
   an excellent insight to the rationale of Symbian style. It
   also provides a detail description of most of the important
   classes and how they can be used. I'll recommend this book
   for anyone trying to get into S60 applications development.



5. I found couple good infomation in this book, which is not cover in other books. It is a good book again!

2 comments about Mobile Phone Programming: and its Application to Wireless Networking.

1. I have more than 6 years experience in this industry and can tell that this is the first book of this kind I saw. It will allow you to get your own hands-on experience with many different platforms, from Series 60 to Qtopia. Due to real programming examples, it is very praxis oriented, but also with several scientific aspect rising open questions. And all this without any "hypes" or "bubbles", as you maybe know from other books about "mobile". If you are an expert, it will also allow you to get a piratical impression of other platforms in a short time. So, in the nutshell, this books is worth each $$ use spent on it! Great book!



2. Very good introduction and high-level overview of the different mobile "primary" application platforms (Symbian/C++, JavaME, and WinMob). The book even dedicates chapters to Maemo Linux and Qtopia Greenphone -- although, as a critique, I doubt too many mobile developers would currently be focusing on either one of those OS platforms. Given today's environment, it would have been nice to see some mention of Apple's CodeX or Google Android; but, the book was published in 2007 when those platforms were just starting to bubble up. Giving the book an additional star due to its coverage of Device Discovery, P2P, Power Consumption considerations during design, and Cross-Layer Communication. If you are new to -- or just interested in -- mobile application design, this is a great resource to start with to see how vast the playing field is....and what the future may hold.

1 comments about Operating Systems Principles.

1. hard to read. difficult to understand. not recommended. waste your money if you buy it.

5 comments about Palm OS Programming Bible, Second Edition.

1. Along with "Palm OS Programming: The Developers' Guide", this is a must have addition to your bookshelf if you wish to be proficient in devloping Palm applications. It is more up to date than the other book; but is complemtary to it. With the two books together, all aspects of Palm programming for the serious developer are handled. But beware, this is not a trivial beginners book.



2. I've been a programmer for 10 years but was new to the Palm OS development environment when I bought this book. It shaved weeks off of my development time. While there is a huge amount of free Palm OS development information online, the online information is geared towards those that are already experienced in the field. There is a paucity of comprehensive, introductory information. This book serves that function excellently. Each topic is introduced in a very understandable manner, while also being discussed in great depth. When embarking on a new area of Palm Programming, this is a great place to start.
   
   Regarding the review beating up this book for lacking more examples and reference information, this type of information is amply supplied by PalmSource.com, user groups, and other sources, all for free and all in digital format. PalmSource.com alone released several reference volumes in searchable PDF format that are a great compliment. It would be a waste of paper to put it in this book.



3. This is a "must read" for people programming or interested in programming apps for the palm.
   
   BUT:
   
   a.- Does not cover Palm Developer Suite (Eclipse).
   b.- It covers the Codewarrior and AFAIK this is not available anymore (at least for now) from Metrowerks.
   c.- Even if it says "covers palm os 5" you will also need to read all the newest info from Palm to get a real feeling of "what's new" with OS 5.
   
   Again, I insist, is a MUST READ, but it will not be your only reference.
   
   1 star goes down because of what I mentioned before.
   4 stars go up because of I did NOT mention. This is a really great reference for Palm OS Programming.



4. Well organized, understandable, and has a good index. Associated web site also useful.



5. Perhaps this was my bad planning but I purchased this book after having already purchased the "Professional Palm OS programming" book by the same author. Don't get me wrong, I assume any book by the same author will contain some of the same information but this book duplicated more than HALF of the same material from the other book. I was hoping to read something new to cover what the other book didn't but instead I found myself reading the same thing.
   
   Let this be a lesson to those who pay closer attention to what they purchase. This book is helpful but not any more helpful than the other book "Professional Palm OS programming". I guess I'll just have to use the Palm example programs to learn the remainder of what I need to know.
   
   Maybe I'll write my own book some day. Yeah.. I guess that might not happen any time soon (or until I take a class in school or something).