3 comments about Understanding Directory Services (2nd Edition) (Kaleidoscope).

1. This book provides more than a theoretical overview. The authors dig deeper and explain design ideas to implementation issues. The book is written for technical professionals and not "managers". (no offense)



2. This book is for technical managers who are evaluating directory services, and enterprise architects who are designing the infrastructure component of an encompassing enterprise solution. Other audiences include: portal designers and developers who intend to employ directory-enabled identification and access, and IT security professionals who are designing enterprise-wide role-based access controls and application-independent security architectures.

   In a nutshell (with apologies to O'Reilly & Associates) this book gives a balanced view of the major directory services solutions on the market. It starts with a high-level overview of directory services, how they can fit into an enterprise architecture, and the mechanics of directory services in general.

   The first directory service discussed is the grandfather of them all: X.500. If you are evaluating directory services as an enterprise infrastructure component, carefully read this part because it will give a solid basis for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each approach that follows. This section of the book is suitable for "technically-challenged" managers, as are the introductions to each of the directory services discussed in the book.

   X.500 is followed by a detailed description and technical discussion of each of the commercially available directory services. The descriptions and technical discussions follow a fixed format and structure, making comparison easy.

   The directory services that this book coversare: LDAP (lightweight directory access protocol), DNS (domain naming system), Novell's NDS and Microsoft's Active Directory. It is interesting to note the order in which directory services are discussed. The authors start the book with open standards-based services (X.500, LDAP and DNS), followed by NDS, which is proprietary, but conforms to LDAP version 3. They save Active Directory, which is completely proprietary, for last. Also note that this book is written by what looks like a husband/wife team, one of whom holds Microsoft certifications and the other with Novell certifications. Both demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of directory services discussed in this book, and they have managed to give a completely unbiased view of the advantages and disadvantages of each service discussed.

   The reason I gave it four stars is because it badly needs to be updated to reflect what is currently happening today. I took into account the fact that this book was published in December 1999. I also took into account the fairly long lead time between the time a book is written until it is published, and the fact that the information in this book probably reflects the market and state of technology as it was in early 1999. However, the publisher should realize that this book needs to go into a second edition if it is to remain authoritative and valuable.

   Here are some examples of gaps:

   (1) Novell's NDS now goes by the name "eDirectory" and has been strengthened by their DirXML product. eDirectory is LDAP version 3 compliant, and DirXML is also on its way to becoming an open standard via the DSML consortium (see below). DirXML integrates with eDirectory to monitor and report change events through an XML interface. This is an important management feature for enterprises.

   (2) Another gap is Microsoft is not standing still either and is giving some signs of embracing open standards. Their SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)approach might open Active Directory, making it a safe choice that might actually go across platforms. I am not saying that it will happen - just saying that it is possible.

   (3) Finally, I feel that this book should be updated to include DSML (Directory Services Extended Mark-up Language. This is an open, industry standard specification that is sponsored by some large players. DSML will provide a standard for querying the data in directories and allow cross-directory exchange of information about their data. The exchange mechanism in this standard is XML, making the extended directory services available to any Web application that supports the XML standard. This is obviously of interest to the target audience and needs to be addressed in a second edition.

   Despite the gaps I found this book to be a valuable resource, and the best book available for learning about directory services technology. I applaud the authors for their unbiased treatment of the subject and hope that they will update this book with a second edition.




3. This second edition represents a major overhaul of the first edition, and addresses each of the issues cited in the previous review. The authors have done a remarkable job in this edition by clearly explaining the fundamentals of directory services in general and going into the details of specific implementations that have either a large installed base, are used by large corporations or both.

   Highlights include complete and clear explanations of directory services at the conceptual level, how they fit into an enterprise-wide infrastructure, and how they have evolved as the foundation of identification and authentication, as well as a more pervasive security approach.

   The early models, DNS and X.500, are given detailed treatment. Although DNS is not a feature rich directory service, it does qualify as a legitimate one and its inclusion is a nice touch. I liked the clear explanation of LDAP, which either is implemented in many organizations or is the basis for commercial products such as Novell's eDirectory.

   Two commercial products that are covered in great detail are eDirectory and Microsoft's Active Directory. Since each author has extensive experience with, and certifications in, these products the material is credible and sets the book apart by giving a balanced view of two competing products without bias towards either.

   Three other parts of this book are valuable:

   (1) Discussion of metadirectory services - this section covers the basics and contains good (but brief) material about Siemen's DirXMetahub, Sun/Netscape's iPlanet metadirectory and Microsoft's metadirectory services, Novell's DirXML and Radiant Logic's RadiantOne VDS. While these products are in many ways niche players (except for the Microsoft and Novell offerings), the description of them indicates where metadirectory services are evolving.

   (2) Directory mark-up languages - this section covers XML and offshoots that are specific to directory services, such as DMSL and Novell's DirXML. Given the fact that XML is a web services building block this section of the book is particularly valuable.

   (3) Evaluating directory services - the complete, unbiased method for evaluating directory services that the authors provide reflect their objectivity as well as a sensible approach to ensure that both business and technical factors are taken into account.

   If you are exploring directory services as an infrastructure component or need to understand them, this book provides the most objective and complete explanation of the fundamentals and key issues, as well as a survey of standards and products. It's up to date and easy to read.

5 comments about Professional Dcom Programming.

1. This book is very confusing. A lot of high level words without any clue as to what do they mean. COM features are explained extremely poor.



2. The book's title is totaly wrong, it should be like DCOM Programming in VC++ with ATL, because that's the only area it focus to, it's good on that though it lacks a lot for being professional, discusess very little DCOM itself.



3. This coming from an author of 2 books on the subject. It is a difficult read, but the content is by far the most accurate and complete.



4. It is a great book for average COM programmer who wants to fully understand details of security, marshalling and multithreading in distrubuted environment. The author concisely explains these complex topics in lucid manner. The combination of theory and code samples is optimal. The book may not be good for beginners(who don't understand COM) or very advanced COM/DCOM programmers, But it is just prfect for intermediate level COM/DCOM programmers.



5. Micro$oft is famous for its ability to push out new development technologies. The reason behind this planned obsolesence is obvious, every time they come out with something new people will have to open their wallets to "keep up."

   DCOM is just another disposable technology. As such, it was a complete failure; one that the marketing folks at M$ have tried to bury as quickly as possible under an avalanche of .NET hype.

   DCOM was hard to port because, like COM, it is based on a binary standard (i.e. a standard that changes when you leave x86 and go to 64-bit RISC). Not only that, but DCOM doesn't support distributed transactions. Worst of all, DCOM is a very, very complicated technology to use. Three strikes... YOU'RE OUT!

   The half-wit MBAs at Micro$oft realized their mistake and have abandoned DCOM, leaving it forever in the backwaters where the only record of its sorry existence are stupid books like this.

   I have no idea why someone would want to buy this book. Folks, this is a dead technology. It is no more. It is an ex-techology. If you buy this book, you are lying to yourself. This book will sit an gather dust, unless you can find more productive uses for it...like burning it to stay warm.

5 comments about Distributed Applications With Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 McSd Training Kit: For Exam 70-015 (Dv-Mcsd Training Kit).

1. I only program 1 year. I read book and pass exam no problem I love it. I recommend for new programmer.



2. This has got to be the BIGGEST rip off of all time. It is quite an achievement to write a 750 page book that contains NO USEFUL INFORMATION whatsoever. A full useless pages here, a few pages copied from the MSDN guide there, and very quickly we have a book full of useless information. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! The explanations of COM, ATL etc. are so short that, unless you already understand them this book will not help you and if you do already understand them you don't need this book. In either case the book is worthless when it comes to these topics. The authors have clearly looked for every opportunity to increase the size of the book without considering the worthiness of the content. We have 4 pages of installation instructions for programs that do not come with the book anyway. Each of these programs (Windows NT) will come with their own set of instructions so these are a waste of space. The chapter (10-20 pages) on the Document/view architecture, printing etc in MFC is an EXACT copy of what comes with the MSDN CD's. If you don't have these CD's it is all available at Microsoft's website. The authors even go so far as to copy their own work on numerous occasions, e.g. the chapter summaries. These 1 page summaries usually consist of a word-for-word copy of what was written two pages ago. Again this is a geat way to make a thick (and expensive) book. Another example; Using Spy++. I am not a complete idiot and neither are the other people who read this book. Anybody who uses a computer can see what Spy++ offers simply by running the program. What we need are specific examples of when this utility is useful; maybe a test exercise for a program that is not working properly that we need to use Spy++ for in order to find the problem and fix. I have plenty of other examples of why this book is a BAD buy. If you want to pass the exam get a good book on MFC and another one on ATL, read the MSDN info. and read Inside OLE that comes with it. This way you will learn ATL, COM, MFC and learn how to write and distribute applications using Visual C++.



3. When I 1st started reading and studying this book, I thought it was great. Then I realized that I thought this only because it covered areas I was not familiar with. When I got to areas I WAS familiar with, I realized that the explanations were hard to follow and perfunctory compared to other books I had read on the same subjects. The EXAM CRAM series is much more readable and in-depth. The coverage of IUnknown, IDispatch, ATL and COM in general are hard to follow and too advanced for beginners. The accompanied CD is missing files required to compile and run the examples. All in all, it still won't hurt to have it as a reference once you do learn the basics elsewhere.



4. The book is extremely trivial and doesn't give you in-depth & thoroughly coverage of any of its topics. A lot of material is monotonous & repetitive and the author doesn't provide comprehensive clarification of some distinctive and important terms...In general, this book is completely waste of time and money...



5. A brilliant book that every seasoned Windows C++ professional developer must read.

   Firstly, I must take the time to correct the first set of amateurs that wrote bad reviews about this book. THE BOOK IS TO BE USED BY PEOPLE WHO ALREADY WHO KNOW SOME VC++ and want to get prepare to pass the 70-015 exam. Microsoft Visual C++ is probably the worlds greatest development environment for RAD development for the Windows environment and only the true gurus of industry can prove that they have what it takes to tackle this exam. Anyone expecting to tackle the more advance elements of windows programming from a C++ perspective should definitely add this book to their reference collection.

   IF YOU DO NOT KNOW ANY VISUAL C++ DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. There are several other books on the market that that will run you through the topics that will aid you to becoming a competent VC++ developer. As a starting point, I recommend "Visual C++ 6: The complete reference" , "C++: The complete reference" , and "programming applications for Windows" and that's just for starters.

   BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU KNOW SOME VISUAL C++ (v6) and want master more advance topics. So far I have read the chapters covering topics on COM, DCOM, Document View Architecture, MSMQ, ADO, Sockets, Data Access, and ActiveX and that is not half of the advance topics that are actually covered by this text and I believe that they have been covered brilliantly.

   ONLY OWN THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR VISUAL C++ KNOWLEDGE.

2 comments about Numerical Recipes Example Book (C++).

1. The C++ source code given here can be useful if you are in a hurry to implement an algorithm given in the main Numerical Recipes book. One might consider that a CD of the source code would be more useful. But the examples are short subroutines. Manually typing in the code from the book should not be a big deal for any of you.
   
   The example data sets used for inputs to some of the subroutines is also useful for unit testing.



2. Very good with Numerical Recipes. If you are experienced, it is good, if you are a fledgling, complement it with a beginers book. I recomend it.

4 comments about More C++ Gems (SIGS Reference Library).

1. If you are an experienced C++ programmer, its the book for you.



2. This book contains a number of very useful columns from the recently deceased C++ report. I found particularly useful the articles on implementation of assignment operators, exception safety, and the inner workings of the standard library containers (Gillan, Austern, Sutter). Actually, they are all really about exception safety - clues on how to write robust code that I needed to learn.

   The introduction to Lakos' Large Scale Programming tome was also a useful tipoff about physical architecture: I've been using Rational Rose for about 18 months, and now have a better overall picture about what the component diagrams are trying to do apart from represent the receptables my classes get put in.

   A rule one might apply is: if the cost of the book is less than your time spent to remove the errors you'd make if you didn't read it, then buy it. This one passes the test with ease.




3. You can read the State Pattern in the famous "Design Patterns" book, but the article in this book, "Finite State Machines: A Model of Behavior in C++" by Immo Huneke, explains why the State Pattern is the way it is. That explanation was missing from the "Patterns" book. Also, Robert Martin's intro to this article was helpful. Mr. Martin mentioned he has a freeware "State Machine Compiler". I downloaded it, and it works! Really cool. This one article alone was worth the price of the book.



4. This is a collection of articles from C++ Report. A big book at 500 pages, but well-read C++ users, even if they've never read The C++ Report, may have come across a lot of the material before.
   
   All of Herb Sutter's contributions (apart from a parody article about a 'BOOSE' language) have appeared in his Exceptional C++ trilogy, John Vlissides' article turns up in Pattern Hatching (itself a distillation of his columns in C++ Report), three articles by John Lakos are a distillation of his Large Scale C++ Software Design, and Robert C. Martin's discussion of The Open-Closed Principle is reminiscent (although by no means identical) to his coverage of it in his Agile Software Development book. That makes up about a third of the book.
   
   However, the rest of it was new to me. In addition to Herb Sutter's articles on exceptions, further treatment of exceptions is given in articles by Richard Gillam and Matt Austern. There's also coverage of the Monostate and External Polymorphism patterns, a couple of threading patterns by Douglas Schmidt and some architectural patterns: Taskmaster (for GUIs), and Alberto Antenangeli on object-relational mapping patterns.
   
   The quality of the articles is uniformly high, but of course the book does not feel particularly cohesive, given the large number of authors and topics covered. I would not say that, from the perspective of 2007, there's insights here that you absolutely cannot find elsewhere. And to some extent, if you're sufficiently into C++ that you would consider buying this, you've probably got a lot of the books I mentioned earlier.
   
   But taken on its own merits, there are lots of good articles covering lots of subject matter, including that oft-ignored topic in C++, threading. If you're a C++ junkie, and the compilation format of the book appeals to you, this is worth your time.

1 comments about Problems & Solutions In Scientific Computing With C++ And Java Simulations.

1. The book is mostly a first course in numerical methods. Where the authors have provided code examples in C++ and Java. The methods in each topic would typically be found in several other numerical texts. On this basis, the main attraction of the book seems to be the example code.
   
   Readers experienced in C++ or Java coding should be able to write code from scratch to implement methods.

5 comments about On to C++.

1. On To C++ is a very well written book. It describes every topic clearly and completely, and does not skip over anything. However, it is a little short, and it does not explain some non-C++ parts completely (it gives a VERY skimpy paragraph or so on reading data from files). Also, it does not give any recommendations or even basic instructions for buying and using compilers. On To C++ describes and explains C++ very well, but it is somewhat sketchy in describing certain areas related to programming.



2. SUMMARY: Excellent book! My highest recommendation if you need to get up and running with text-based C and you are starting from zero.

   DISCUSION: This book separates itself from almost all others by sticking with teaching the reader how to write programs in C. Topics such as Windows programming, details about using specific products (Visual C++, C++ Builder, etc.), and historical anecdotes about the history of computing are left for others to cover. These subjects are indeed interesting, but the novice is easily overwhelmed by them (for me, the transition from Apple IIe line number based BASIC to structured, compiled programs was rough enough!). Winston's approach allows the programmer to begin solving problems quickly. Once the user is used to the language and has a few programs under his belt, he can think about tackling K & R, Schildt, Perry, etc.




3. In my experience, On to C++ is by far the best introduction, and perhaps one of the best books in general, on C++. It is extremely well written and allows one to move from procedural programming to object oriented programming very quickly, especially if you are already familiar with C.

   It is not comprehensive, and is not meant to be, but covers all of the basics of the language quite well. The use of essentially the same example throughout the book strengthens it as a tutorial, but weakens it somewhat as a reference text.




4. I think this book is good for someone who has programmed in C and would like to gently move "on to C++". However, it has two shortcomings: 1) the author uses the same monotonous example of trains throughout the text. 2) there are quite a few concepts in C++ (e.g. copy constructors, operator overloading, streaming) that the author spends little or no time on. 3) the author's explanation of templates at the end of the book seemed somewhat confusing, and could have been

   simplified.

   On the positive side, I think it provides a good place to start for a programmer who needs a gentle introduction to C++ and knows some C.




5. After going through several C++ books, I switched back to Winston's 3/4" paperback from 1994. In brief, it is a very well written, concise, and clear book well suited for those that would like to learn C++ on their own. It is leaps and bounds better than any programming book I have ever owned. The idea of learning C++ by building a simple train car program may seem hokey, but it allows you to get a solid groundwork in which to build specific platform programming experience.
   
   Pros: Very well written. Teaches you the concepts and building blocks, so that by the time you've gone through the book, you have a very good understanding of the language and its philosophy.
   
   Cons: It is a touch outdated. The book was written before the ISO C++, so a few minor things have changed. With a decent compiler, and a few Google searches, you will have no problems.

No comments about Using C++: An Introduction to Programming, Second Edition.

5 comments about Simple C++: Featuring Robodog and the Profound Object-Oriented Programming Method (Poop).

1. This is the greatest book ever. The author is very gifted in teaching. He made C++ very incredibly fun. You will easily progress as you build the INCREDIBLE RoboDog. I recommend that you buy this book. If you can't buy the book from Amazon, there are a few left in Bangkok.



2. It's funny, great for anyone who knows nothing about C++ but wants to learn. If you know anything about the language this is not for you, the title is true << "SIMPLE C++!";



3. I had heard of this book after it was out of print, and searched bookstores all over North America for it. When I did find a copy and read it, I wasn't disappointed. Personally, this is by far the most fun I've had in my programming career. Not only is this a fun book, but also it readily dispenses an amazing amount of information for the beginner, or any programmer who has stayed away from the O-O paradigm out of confusion. If more technical writers wrote as well as Jeffrey Cogswell, we'd have many more talented analysts and technologists. Even for a pro, it's a treat to have in the library. Thanks, Jeffrey. This book belongs back in print. And, even if you don't want it for yourself, give it to a young one. They'll learn more from this book than from hours in a classroom setting.



4. I haven't read very much of this book, but the very first code that I typed in from this book had compile errors. I went to a C++ forum asking what was wrong and I found out that the code is outdated. While there wasn't very much wrong with the code, the fact that all of the code in this book will have errors isn't comforting.

   Aside from that, I enjoyed reading it and I really wish the code wasn't outdated. Maybe I'll still try to learn from it but correct whatever is wrong with the code. Luckily, I have 2 other C++ books that I can learn from, and I'm going to buy another one as well (since this one has problems).




5. This book is a classic! To Derek who posted a recent review (October 2003), note that this book was written something like 10 years ago! That's why it's outdated. Still a great book, though!

5 comments about The C/Unix Programmer's Guide.

1. well, this book has proven handy for reference and review, but i would certainly NOT recommend it. the author repeatedly used obscure functions(imho) that were prone to bugs, and he introduced totally new concepts in breif 10-word sentences only to use them all-too-frequently in most examples following. yes, im a 16 year-old, shift-key-fearing mexican, but i've seen good code, and mr.bacon's code doesn't fool me. if you want to take full advantage of this book, read the ENTIRE THING in one sitting so every little concept sticks with you throughout, and don't you dare approach a computer without reading a book that emphasizes on structure, organization, and clean, effective code first



2. The C Unix Programmer's Guide was the only book I could find that provided useful background information as well as thoughtful, applicable coding examples. What impressed me most is the fact that all the information found in the man pages on C as well as further insight was combined into an easily readable and searchable format. As a student of computer science, I was familiar with Borland/Microsoft C++, but I had no previous experience with C or Unix. This book helped me get an A (one of three) in Operating Systems! While my classmates struggled on assignments, I was able to find exactly what I needed to complete the assignments on time. I truly believe that without this book I would not have performed nearly as well. Thank you Mr. Bacon for writing such a great book!



3. This book did an amazing job of introducing many important concepts about C, and C in UNIX.
   
   The description of the material is very clear, and the examples are well thought out.
   
   If you're looking for a beginner/intermediate text on C and UNIX, this is THE book to get.



4. I wish this had been my First C programming book. It teaches all the basics required for you to start some worthful programming under *nix. It doesn't go into as many details for e.g., as given in 'C programming: A modern Approach by King but it still gives many details on what things are. It starts with basics of Unix and provides a lot of information on the C development tools in *nix. A very good starting point for learning programming in C under *nix.



5. I have seen good C programming tutorials, and this is not one. It isn't very descriptive. It will introduce you to new library functions and not give a good explanation on it, and then it rarely describes the code snipets. The C Primer Plus by SAMS is far superior to this for learning C. Having said that, this book is decent in its coverage for UNIX system calls with C, in that it is easier for a beginner to understand the code snipets in this book as compared to other books I have seen. Other books I have seen require you to at least already be an intermediate C programmer, and use examples that require you to study the complex code snipets before you can begin to understand what is being accomplished with the system calls.
   
   The author/publisher hasn't updated this book with regard to hardware, and it talks about 286's, 386's, 486's and Pentium processors. It considers 16 bit and 32 bit processing, and it puts too much emphasis on 16 bit, when every compiler I have seen for C is 32 bit. It even gives suggestions based on 16 bit technology. It references DOS, and if anyone is still running DOS, they shouldn't be reading a book about programming. They should be reading about survival skills and moving to Montana and building a bomb shelter.
   
   So, to learn C, this isn't a good book. If you are dealing with the C/UNIX environment and are a beginner, the end of this book is decent for understanding system calls, as long as you already understand C from some better, more up to date source.