1 comments about Flash ActionScript: Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Flash-enhanced Web Sites.

1. This book is similar to Thomson Learning's Illustrated Series, where you have one topic simply explained with how-to steps on 2 facing pages, including illustrations. No lengthy explanations, not an intro book, you'll have to explore basics or "why" elsewhere; you just get the basic steps to do the task. And since that's what the authors intended, I give them full stars for achieving it with a book that's clear and concise.

5 comments about Macromedia Flash MX Professional 2004 Application Development: Training from the Source.

1. This is actually a very good book. The flow is a little wierd, but it covers a lot of ground not covered in other books. I found the conversion from ActionScript 1.0 to ActionScript 2.0 not a problem, except in one area - flash remoting and ActionScript 2.0. But for flash remoting I have found the MM docs almost totally useless and no other sources adequate. Coming from a programming background, I found Stallons' treatment of some of the many AS quirks, and that strange Flash object, the MovieClip, and how to use it in AS, very helpful. I guess the standard book padding of loops, conditional logic, functions, objects, etc. is unavoidable, but I could do without it. I could really have used a better coverage of the 2.0 components, but there again the MM docs are pretty bad on this topic and I haven't found a book that does cover these.
   
   So I would recommend this book, but the jump may be hard for a first time programmer who is using AS 2.0 and needs to rely heavily on the "copy and paste code" learning process.



2. I'll be brief. It teaches efficient programming and good tips for beginner programmers but don't try to follow the steps outlined in the book. Seems that author got lost in his own steps. For example page 144 step 8 doesn't indicate that you should place the onChanged code in the "calcObject.as" file, instead it says that you sould place it after the onKillFocus event. I lost a lot of time trying to figure out why my program wasn't working (wanting to practice debugging) until I finally looked at the files in the DVD. I'd say just read the book and test using the files that came in the DVD if things don't work.



3. [**this review was made by Denise Maitan from AIR User Group**]With step-by-step exercises, explanations, notes,tips and complementary pictures, Macromedia's book "Flash Mx Professional 2004 - application development" encompasses the simplest functions flash offers through to the most complex, like web services, XML e remoting services.
   Furthermore, the book is accompanied by a DVD-Rom with files containing prepared exercises and 30-day trial versions of Flash MX 2004 and Flash MX Professional 2004.
   The book is really well structured, with instructions before each exercise detailing what the reader will learn, how long each exercise should take and where to find the related exercises on the DVD.
   The book is recommended for whom desires greater knowledge of Actionscript programming. It also give guidance in the use of dynamic + interactive product applications - through the RIA (Rich Internet Application) concept - and provides preparation for Macromedia development certification. A very good training manual.



4. The author and editor obviously did not earn a degree in communication, but programming. By the middle of the third chapter the author must believe the reader is a certified programmer.
   
   I am reasonability intelligent; I am a CPA with BFA and BBA degress, but gee, only after reading her paragraphs 4 to 5 times do I get it. And her follow along examples are torture. More time and paper should have been devoted to thorough scipt examples rather than abridged.



5. Picked up this book years ago and hated it. Macromedia should be ashamed of how bad this book is. You would think a company can turn out a decent instructional book about their own product! After conversing with many people in the Information Architecture and Web Usability fields, I am discovering that many do not find Macromedia books in general to be helpful, especially when compared to others in the market. As for me, I will never buy another book published by Macromedia.

No comments about Conservation Geography.

No comments about Recording, Modeling and Visualization of Cultural Heritage.

1 comments about Geography Crafts for Kids: 50 Cool Projects & Activities for Exploring the World.

1. This is a fantastic step by step approach to learning through INTELLIGENT craft activities. No more growing been shoots,like we've all done 100 times before. This book is full of thought provoking, challenging, unusual craft ideas about the world.It is aimed at late primary to early high school aged kids, but I enjoyed the activities as much as my kids did. We have used almost all of the activities in this book, from making our own mud bricks to the creating a dream travel box. The lay out is fantastic with lots of photo's. I want more books like this please.

5 comments about Introduction to 3D Game Engine Design Using DirectX 9 and C#.

1. This book is not an introduction to DirectX, D3D, or C#. It is a very high-level introduction to game engine design. One could almost gain as much from saying "Compartmentalise your objects" several times a day.
   
   The title implies that it will give you some help understanding how DirextX and C# work together to create a game engine. This is false. There is a lot of uncommented code in this book (half the first chapter of 26 pages is uncommented code). The explanations given are abstract to the point of being worthless to someone who truly needs an introduction, giving only light glances at the example code. It is impossible to get a clear picture of everything involved.
   
   There are doubtless those for whom this book is the perfect level of abstract discussion. However, I believe this is the exception rather than the rule. Highly not recommended.



2. For those who have already had an introduction into DirectX, this book is a godsend. If you know a little bit about DirectX and are ready to take the next step in designing your own engine this is the book to get. Just for the engine structural knowledge I have gained from reading this book it was well worth it, and that's not including all of the implementation examples it gives you, such as Terrains, Meshes, Cameras, and Particle Effects to name a few that I liked. If you don't know anything about DirectX, this book will probably be hard to follow. If you do know DirectX then this book will be very easy to follow. What isn't in comments is explained enough (in my opinion) in the paragraphs preceding each class and method. If you are still having trouble understanding this book then I would recommend reading an 'Introduction to DirectX' book, not an 'Introduction to Game Engine Design USING DirectX' book. All in all, this book was extremely worth it. The author definitely has experience in this field. The book's title may be deceiving to some, if you only read the first and last couple words and skip the 5 words in the middle. The previous reviews were incorrect about this book. If you have a little bit of understanding of DirectX, and would like to see how to implement some elements of a game, like the ones i mentioned previously(and there are more than that), then definitely buy this book.



3. If you're looking at engines like axiom, ogre, irrlicht, etc... and wondering how they do that... THIS is the book for you.
   
   Just make sure you've read at least an intro c# book and 1 or 2 direct3d books.
   
   I'm loving this book, I've read 1/4th of it over the period of my workshift... just can't put it down.
   
   Things like octrees were completely confusing me, and lynn does a great job explaining it.
   
   -1 star for not doing an octree implementation instead of a quad tree (so far... i haven't read the whole book yet), oh and i saw a "GOTO" statement in his code, which always urks me in OOP.



4. This was a total waste of my money. If you plan on compiling the code then dont purchase this book. It will not compile and they have known it for a while. But refuse to release a code update.
   
   If you dont believe this visit the Apress website. They know the code is bad.



5. I purchased this book in hopes that I would be able to use the code for examples and as a guidance. However, the code is outdated and unusable. You can download a more updated version of it off of a "fan" website, though still doesn't work. I contacted the author on the matter, and he said, "I'm afraid it is now becomes an exercise for you and the other readers to take the concepts in the book and work out the latest implementation. " I don't see how one can work out the exercises on their own when they're trying to learn the exercise itself!
   
   
   The concepts in the book are a little useful, though without working code it seems so close yet so far away.
   
   I would not recommend this book to those looking to learn from it.

4 comments about High Performance Windows Graphics Programming: Your High-End Guide for Creating Fast, High-Impact Graphics with Microsoft's DirectDraw API.

1. When I got this book, I was a total newcomer to Windows programming and the entire set of DirectX APIs, including DirectDraw, of which this book claims to focus on. My first problem was the code presented relies on MFC. While MFC does make for simpler code, you need to know some basic MFC to understand the code. While the author claimed that MFC was 'beyond the scope of the book', it would have only taken 10 pages or less to explain all the MFC needed to understand the code. This is very frustrating given the fact the book contains 3 fairly useless chapters - a chapter on video playback, one on collision detection and a 'bonus' chapter from his other book on Direct3D. It would have been better to see chapters on basic MFC, Visual C++ compiler (which he uses), and perhaps one on DirectSound. Overall, the book was very helpful to get me started with DirectDraw and DirectInput. However, if you intend to really use this stuff you're going to need more references such as "Inside DirectX", which fills in many of the gaps found in this book. Oh and by the way, the code leaves a lot to be desired.



2. I got this book having no directdraw programing experience, a strong C++ background, and limited Win32/MFC programing experience. The first chapter gives a great crashcourse on Direct Draw, and the remaining chapters do a good job at explaining difficult concepts. Though I don't know if I would recommend this book to a beginer, a quick learner can pick up alot from the book.



3. This book simply rules. Not only does the writer explain the ins and outs of the DirectDraw API *very* well, the author also discusses some common problems (and their solutions) that many programmers may face in a game or multimedia application. I never saw these problems discussed in any other book. For example Stan discusses how to eliminate the flicker of the mouse pointer as you draw it on a pageflipped surface, how to mix Windows MCI and DirectX and more. Usefull stuff indeed.

   The book might not be too swell for beginners though. Stan assumes some basic knowledge about Windows and DirectX, meaning he doesn't explain how to set up DirectX, how to create a message loop, how to set up a window, and so forth. This is ofcourse good, because the book is not polluted with stuff that's already described in so many other books. But it means, as a programming newbie, you need at least another book to get the basic understandings. A good beginners book is Games programming for Dummies from LaMothe.

   Authors who are interested in advanced graphics programming should get the Graphics Programming Black Book from Abrash. It's not specifically about Windows, but it contains some valuable resources nevertheless.




4. I tried the executables and Bumper, BMP View, SuperSwitch and I think other examples do not work. I tried opening the workspaces in the source folder and compiling them gives you errors. It would be really hard to copy all the examples from the book and compile it then that will take a long time since the whole thing is not all put in the end of the chapter and there are many functions. He also fails to explain the implementation of the Wizard he has on his cd and that would be important since it's not like you would want to copy the stuff from the cd onto other computers. Also the SDK isn't even included in it. The book is written quite well except I don't see a point in making the first chapter a crash course in DirectDraw if that's what the whole book is about. The examples are well described and few errors exist and a few jokes are put in to lighten the mood. I would give the actual book 4 stars, but since the CD is COMPLETELY WORTHLESS, this is a book WITHOUT A CD. Books without CDs aren't too good because examples that are already assembled are easier to experiment with, and the examples in the book will take a while to copy. So if the CD had another use besides maybe playing frisbee with it with your dog(if you had one), then the book would be a good one. Too bad...

2 comments about Quantum Methods with Mathematica.

1. 
   Quantum methods with Mathematica is one of these concept books that combine a traditional subject with a new and powerfull way of presenting and analysing it. Quantum mechanics due to its mathematical nature is particuarly well suited for a Mathematica face-lift. I think the book is well suited for teaching undergraduate QM since you do things instead of just reading about them and that usually works with students. On a proffesional basis, it is not particularky well suited for heavy duty work but having said that to do such a thing would destroy its usefullness as a textbook. It can act as the starting point for more serious work with Mathematica and QM, and I would recommend it as a reference book or teaching aid with no hesitation.



2. The previous review was for the 1994 edition of the book. I bought the 2002 version of the book. This edition does not have the disk packaged with the book. Instead a broken link to the TELOS web page is given. After much searching on the internet I did find some of the notebooks for the book. But not the notebooks and ASCII text for each chapter. Without the chapter notebooks the 2002 version is just about worthless. It has only been four years since this edition was published and TELOS does not support the book. So I give the book two stars.

5 comments about Inside Flash MX (2nd Edition) (Inside).

1. Hands down an awesome collection of data that is extremely well laid out and well written. I use this book in all of my intermediate level Flash classes that I teach. I would recommend this book to anyone in the industry looking to further themselves in their trade.



2. Lets face it, if you do any programming at all, you know how the cost of reference material can add up. So I take book purchases very seriously almost fanatically and try to research like crazy before I make a purchase.

   I was on the fence about this book and it took me a while before I decided to get Inside Flash MX. I'm not sorry I did. It's quite different than the majority of the other books I have concerning Flash. It goes into topics that a lot of other books don't delve into. The Drawing API for one, printing in Flash, using Named anchors, scriptable masks, Flash Remoting, and some App. Development to name a few. Some Component stuff also. This is not the book to buy to learn Actionscript. Its really not the book to learn the basics of Flash either. The book really focuses on the more "hidden" or less traveled aspects of the program. It's certainly well written and organized well. It will really help round out your flash reference library. Sometimes I am even surprised myself at how often I use it. It's neither advanced or beginner _level. I give it a 3 1/2 really because it just is.




3. Inside Flash MX by Jody Keating of Fig Leaf Software provides an advancing bell curve of information to users. Beginners to Flash will be overwhelmed with the information provided but will also discover the incredible power that is carried within Flash MX. Good at Flash programming but not necessarily a mathematics wizard? This book is for you. The intermediate and advanced users of Flash MX will find this book a valued learning tool and resource with a plethora of examples and help in the appendices.



4. Inside Flash MX is a great book if your looking for a quick and engaging way to learn about the finer points of Flash, or simply want to brush up on your basics.

   This book is so easy to understand. The language is encouraging and clear without being patronising, and Flash features that I've found confusing in the past (shared library) are made perfectly simple.
   Each chapter explains the basic principles behind the topic and then goes on to explore them using practical projects. It's obvious that these projects are written by someone with a lot of experience in Flash because they are constantly dropping hints that you wouldn't otherwise know.
   There is also a useful actionScript reference (if this is all you're after you will find a more thorough one elsewhere), and a handy little resource CD that contains all the source material you need for the projects, demo versions of Flash-related Software, and royalty-free sound files.

   I like this book because it's fun and it inspires me to explore areas of Flash MX that I don't otherwise get the chance to dive into, while at the same teaching me solid methods for designing and developing in Flash MX.




5. (this review is for the first edition of the book dated June 2002)
   I enjoyed reading this book, but didn't find it to be the reference I was looking for. I found the first chapters too focused on explaining differences from earlier versions of Flash: These chapters are probably excellent for users upgrading to Flash MX rather than people entirely new to Flash.

   Also, the authors sometimes are a little too happy with Flash MX, which indeed had many improvements over previous versions but still was lacking in many areas that are now partially fixed in MX 2004. Although other languages are mentioned throughout the book, the authors are very positive about even minor OO improvements in Actionscript that really don't warrant such enthusiasm.

   Although the authors mention different kinds of application servers, it is clear that their background is mostly with ColdFusion and ASP rather than JSP/Java (which is what we use). Some of the comments on choosing between server technologies don't sound as informed as could be and is very biased towards traditional Macromedia/Allaire-related technologies.

   In all, I think the book is easily readable, offers good insight into specific features for current Flash developers, and contains some chapters with very useful techniques and knowledge for making effects, animation effects, and even emulating natural world object and their physical behavior. I wasn't looking for such information, however, as I am creating a foundation of Flash ActionScript knowledge to create forms-based business applications.

   Finally, the authors do a decent job of including references to the Mac authoring platform, but the book is really focused on Windows and uses Windows screenshots exclusively.

   For the overall purpose of this book, I liked "Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Advanced for Windows & Macintosh" better. It has better screenshots, a nicer format, is more platform-agnostic, and is easier to use as a reference. Chapters 4 through 22 do offer valuable information on specific subjects, however. So I recommend looking at the table of contents and determining from that whether this book is valuable for your specific purpose.

5 comments about The Usability Engineering Lifecycle: A Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design (Interactive Technologies).

1. This book gives concrete data on the "how-to" of usability engineering and realistic data regarding the *selling process* of these concepts to management. Additionally, it can function as a "how-to" handbook with its many examples. To name a few, the examples include: pre-evaluation, evaluation and post-evaluation questionnaries, data collection sheets and data analysis and report sheets.

   The book has a fantastic index for quick reference and is organized well.




2. This book is great ! Really ! I pratice OO development especially following RUP. This book describe a full Usability process, with activities, guidelines, workload estimation and artifacts. You can directly put it at work, because you naturally see why an activity leads to another. All the book is good, even if it seems heavy (500+ pp), there is no waste of space. As a RUP practitioner, it's very easy to integrate this approach into the RUP and it naturally fits with Use Cases. Believe me: get it !



3. I have never written a review before, but I am so impressed with this book - it is indispensable. I particularly like the way the information is presented - very readable. Also valuable are the sections that address shortcuts and alternatives for applying techniques in the real world. I often am called to get involved during and after development and have to adapt "perfect world" techniques into very short cycles. This is a must have for people in our profession.



4. Or do other people think there is a need for creativity in user interface design? This book, while very helpful in providing a set of procedures to follow when evaluating users and their particular needs, leaves out the very important concept of the ART of user interface design. I see plenty of recommends for Tufte's trilogy of user oriented design books and for the book "Don't Make Me Think". These books are much more readable, and none of them are nearly so formulaic in their approach to user interface design.
   
   Another problem I have with this book, and with many other computer books, is the size. Why does it take so much to say so little? Is there an editor in the house? There is definitely some good content in this book. I happens to be buried in a mountain of text.



5. This book is very well written, content-rich and provides a plethora of examples that I can use on the job immediately. What more can a software developer ask for? I would give it 10 stars if the option was available.