No comments about Gesture Generation By Imitation: From Human Behavior To Computer Character Animation.

5 comments about AJAX and Flash Development with OpenLaszlo: A Tutorial (A Tutorial series).

1. The online documentation for openlaszo is very good, especially the interactive examples, where you can try out what you just learnt. I spent quite some time reading tutorials and writing some of my own laszlo code.
   
   The reason I bought this book, is because I expected to get a deeper understanding on openlaszlo, and an easier to follow description of more advanced concepts, than the one provided on the online documentation.
   
   I got the book about an hour ago, I browsed thru it, but I have to say I am disappointed: off the 300+ pages about a half are API's, which you can get online easily. The page numbers on the Table of contents are messed up: All references from Chap 11 thru the index are page 197 ! (Please next time: somebody look at the table of contents before printing the book !
   
   If you did not look into openlaszo yet, and you are just interested in how you can make great looking UI's using open source technologies, I still think this book is worth reading, but if you already spend a fair amount reading thru the online docu, this book is probably not for you.
   
   Actually, the book says it is a tutorial .. probably I just need to wait for a reference book, so I still give it three stars.



2. I ordered this book using 2nd day shipping. I need to evaluate whether openlaszlo is a replacement for flex. I am not expecting a lot except that I can get a little bit more than the online documentation.
   
   The books is just a reprint of online documentation. Each chapter just reprints the tag/attributes/methods. The examples the author gives are so simple that they don't teach me anything more than the documentation.
   
   Then finally comes the last chapter that teaches how to integrate google map. The author thanks to Manabu Togawa for allowing him to reprint it on the book. He did just reprint the code and didn't give any explanation of the code.
   
   The only thing intuitive I found in this book is the appendix A: Introduction to XML and appendix B:Introduction to JavaScript. If you don't know these two, you may want to buy this book?
   
   I doubt that author has done anything in OpenLaszlo himself.



3. The online documentation for Laszlo is pretty good, and has the advantage of interactive examples. But there are a huge number of tricks and undocumented details that can be very frustrating to figure out. My hope was that this book would help in those areas. Unfortunately this was not the case.
   
   As others have mentioned, this book is just a rewrite of the online reference manual, and not a very good one at that. In most cases the online docs are more complete and easier to follow. The "A Tutorial" subtitle is not accurate, as the book is almost entirely reference material. Only the two pretty good appendixes on XML and JavaScript basics are anything resembling a tutorial.
   
   Unfortunately, errors in the book make it more of a liability than an advantage to own this book. The inaccurate contents, index, and typesetting errors are mostly just annoying, but it is shocking a publisher would let such blantant errors get through. Far more problematic for a professional programmer are the errors in the content. We thought we had actually found some valuable information in the book regarding working with data, that was not in the online documentation. After wasting a day of programming, we discovered the reason the feature wasn't in the online docs is that it was never in Laszlo to start with.
   
   I strongly recommend sticking with the online documentation, user forums, etc. and not bother with this book.



4. First off, this book wasn't put together well at all. What I mean by that is the index and Table of Contents page numbers rarely match. How this got past the publishers is beyond me but it makes this book really difficult to use as a reference. I bought this book in hopes for more of a tutorial than what was available online but alas it's mostly a reiteration and provides very little value. If you can get over the fact that the page numbers don't match the TOC and index then it's a decent reference but really no better than the docs that come in the openlaszlo.war and at least those links work ;).



5. What I am looking for is how openlaszlo integrated with Ajax.
   
   And ajax is in the title of this book.
   
   But after I got the book, it just metioned what is ajax (I know that very well) . There is nothing about AJAX in openLaszlo( I am eager to know).
   
   What in it is all about the tag description from openlaszlo.
   
   I felt that I was misleaded and lied by the auther.

1 comments about Linear Algebra: An Introduction Using Mathematica.

1. This is a modern interpretation of Linear Algebra that effectively uses Mathematica to illustrate concepts and bring them to life. At the same time, rigor and theory are not sacrificed in any way. In fact, detailed yet easy-to-read proofs are ubiquitous, and are almost always accompanied by examples using the software.

   The book comes full circle in the finale with an exposition of the SVD. In the process, it brings together concepts described throughout the book.

   In summary: As a working professional in computer imaging, I enjoy this book as my standard linear algebra text. It is a thematic book that really drives the point home, truly giving worth to the suggestion that the SVD should be called the fundamental theorem of linear algebra.

5 comments about Fireworks MX Fundamentals.

1. The book takes a different approach to integrating graphics, animation, and the web. Easy to read literature with tons of
   visual aids.



2. This book was very informative and gave me a good foundation to build from. The book includes many exercises with the necessary files available on the CD that's included. A trial version of Fireworks MX is also included on the CD which would save download time if you didn't have a copy.

   I feel the order of the chapters and information presented could have been better organized. There are a couple of spots where the author refers to topics as though you should be familiar with the subject that hadn't been discussed. However once she covered the topic later in the book I felt comfortable with the topic and tools.

   This is a good book for the beginner.




3. in the H.O.T. tutorial style. I bought this book on the recommendation of Garo Green. He and Abigail authored Dreamweaver MX Hands-On-Training. They did a great job with the layout of the lessons as well as never assuming that you knew what they are talking about.

   I find Fireworks MX Fundamentals lacking in the wording of the instructions as well as the lack of visual reference as you go through each numbered lesson. I have already put the book down out of frustration and currently looking around for another book on learning Fireworks MX. Maybe it is just me that I got spoiled by the format of H.O.T. books. I think Abagail should redo this book but through Lynda.com...I bet it would be 10x better. If you are self taught, this book might fall beneath your expectations.




4. I read and fully enjoyed Dreamweaver MX HOT and got through it in 2 days flat not a problem. Got this as it is by the same author and the same cannot be said for this title. The examples are flawed in a good number of cases....procedures are missed out and many examples just don't work (try the masking a bitmap with text which they even supplied a full example for on the CD and following to the letter the text dissapears) I am a qualified lecturer in the implementation of software and this book has done nothing but frustrate me



5. I really loved this book because it was fun and interesting and it taught me exactly what I wanted to know. I thought the writing was clear and so were the examples. Do more!

No comments about M Is for Mexico (World Alphabets).

5 comments about Developing for Microsoft Agent (Microsoft Professional Editions).

1. The book completely describes how to use Microsoft Agent from Visual Basic. I includes all commands and their usage. It is very clear and complete. You can begin using the agent the same day! You should have and possess a beginners knowledge of a 32bit version of visual basic ie vb4-32bit or vb 5.0.



2. This book will not teach you to use the MS Agent API. It simply documents it. Further, the entire content of this book is available on Microsoft's website(a fact which I was unaware of when purchasing the book). Even worse, the book is out of date with the advent of the newest release of the API(which has some good improvements). Worst of all, if you're a C/C++/Java developer using COM/ActiveX, this book is only marginally useful as a reference, as the majority of code is in VB format(leaving out important information like typing.....a trend I hope MS reverses). Save your money; go to the website.



3. the author of the book doesn't seem to know the agent technology at all. none of the so called examples will work. it is another pure marketing piece from microsoft to cover the fact that microsoft knows nothing about agent technology. dont waste your money.



4. While this book could be written in a more step by step approach to assist beginners in learning how to use Agent, it is one of the only books available that documents Microsoft Agent technology. Some of the information included in the book is available on the web site, however most developers will find this book useful as a reference tool.



5. This is basically a printed version of the Agent 2.0 SDK that can be accessed from Microsoft MSDN. I like the book format to read offline. Many may not find this necessary.
   
   I was able to find answers to some of my questions on objects, events, properties and methods. I am developing in JavaScript. The examples are in VBScript or VB 6. Not a difficult transition if you have some other examples to work from.
   
   More examples would have helped a lot.
   
   The CD that was enclosed had formatting errors. The Micosoft KB acknowledged this a provided a replacement procedure.
   
   Microsoft Agent is a great technology. It has been put on the back burner by Misrosoft for a variety of reasons.
   
   Since it is only supported in Internet Explorer, many developers have lost interest. Firefox users can add an "IE Tab" for IE use.
   
   Finding Technical information is an exploration process. I found that there are a couple of dozen strong sites on the web. Simple to complex. Lite use of Agent Technology to comprehensive commercial Avatar sites.
   
   A good starting point for discovering the use of Agents is [...]. They offer a scripting helper MASH that created code for web pages. They have created several VB6 products. I learned a lot to complement this publication by reading their code.
   
   Another publication with a more comprehensive treatment is needed. For now, this title fills in a lot of blanks. I would recommend it. The only copies I found were used.

4 comments about Maya Character Modeling and Animation (Graphics Series).

1. Designed for the beginning to intermediate user, this book is aimed at the artist who want to learn 3D character modeling and animation using Maya. It is suitable for either classroom or individual use.
   
   This book has an interesting combination between a theoretical/reference book and a tutorial book. Each chapter starts with a theory or reference section that gives the basic concepts for that chapter. This is followed by a detailed tutorial or two. For instance Chapter 2 is entitled 'Fundamentals of Computer Animation.' The theory section goes into the physics of how things move. This is important because people have an instinctive understanding of movement. The first tutorial then is on making a light and then a heavy ball bounce on the screen. Then the second tutorial makes the ball squash as it hits and then stretch as it bounces back into shape.
   
   At the end of the book you won't be quite up to Pixar standards, but you'll be well on your way.
   
   The CD-ROM supplied with the book contain project files including all of the figures from the book, organized into folders by chapter, all of the movies, organized by chapter and contained in folders called movies, and all of the Maya working files.



2. Both beginners and intermediate designers and 3D artists who want to learn the basics of character modeling and animation with Maya will relish the blend of step-by-step instruction, an accompanying cd-rom filled with chapter-oriented details and backup movies and presentations, and an attention to clear explanations of the animation process from start to finish. Screen shots and step-by-step examples on building a character model make MAYA CHARACTER MODELING & ANIMATION a top pick, especially for college-level art and computer libraries strong in Maya references.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. This is a very good book! I really like it. I am still reading and find it very helpful.



4. Thi book, is really good for all,
   with simple exercises it teach about a character, from modeling to animation.

No comments about Puerto Rico in Pictures (Visual Geography. Second Series).

5 comments about Lingo in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)).

1. This is a wonderful book, but don't make the samae mistake I did. I didn't look close enough, and it is OUTDATED. It is for Director 6. The most recent version is 8.5...and they are totally different.



2. This one sat next to the 'Bible' in class and at home. The Lingo dictionary if you would...
   Now to see if they have an updated version.



3. I can't emphasize enough how I would encourage readers NOT to purchase this book. Not only is it out of date (to no fault of its author), but it is incredibly disorganized (directly the fault of its author). This, however, is not unusual for O'Reilly books which are notorious for a general lack of order and the inclusion of irrelevant material. Should you ignore my advice, I'm certain you'll find yourself flipping back and forth as you read each chapter in succession, as nothing is covered ("Refer to Chapter X for details on X" is something you run into practically on every page) in cohesive chunks. And you'll also get other useful tips like "Experiment until you have a firm grasp of when the different handlers in different scripts are being called or until you are totally confused. Then start with new movie, and try it all again." That little gem applies equally as well to reading the book as it does to handling Lingo's archaic structure...



4. Beware if you're buying this book, it covers lingo up to version 6, and director's most recent version is 8.5.



5. This book was written for Director 6.5, and currently Director is past 8.5 (MX is basically Director 9). So forget about anything about behaviors, library palette, anything 3D.. in short, this book was out of date 5 years ago.

   Beyond this, the nutshell library is designed as a reference for programmers who want to quick-reference a new language. If you're already up to speed on C++, Java, SQL, etc, then the nutshell format will make sense as you seehow Director includes functions and classes in the form of handlers and properties. However, for the novice programmer looking to learn more about scripting Lingo, this book is awful.

   I'd recommend the Director Demystified series instead, whatever's the latest edition. Macromedia's version updates aren't drastic, so at this point a book covering 8.5 is just fine.

No comments about Discrete Dynamical Systems and Difference Equations with Mathematica.