5 comments about Reversing: Secrets of Reverse Engineering.

1. This book takes a tutorialistic approach to reverse engineering. It assumes you have a working knowledge of assembly language and C/C++. The author briefly introduces you to some of the programming languages in use, Windows Internals, gives an overview of some of the tools available, and then proceeds to walk you through some example reverse-engineering. The author spent alot of time covering Windows internals. The overview of Assembly language could have been a little more thorough before going into reverse-engineering, instead most of the appendix is devoted to this. More time introducing the debugging tools and the use of it's features instead of the brief overview would have been helpful too. Despite these shortcomings the book is very educational. If you are not up to speed on C/C++ and assembly would recommend reading Assembly Language Step-by-step: Programming with DOS and Linux (with CD-ROM) and The C Programming Language (2nd Edition) before reading this book.



2. This book is a dense collection of information about various aspects of reversing.
   
   There are a few factual errors, and so, while this book can be used for bed-time reading, I wouldn't count on it as a reference.
   
   Before people pounce on me for mentioning 'factual errors' and not substantiating them, let me draw their attention to the description of calling conventions in this book. This book mentions that cdecl and stdcall pass arguments in different orders (i.e left to right for cdecl and right to left for stdcall). This is just plain wrong. I wonder how this important detail could not be caught during editing, and technical review.



3. The book is put together very well and provides adequate explanations on the majority of everything it touches on, but if you've already been reversing for a while and want more in depth knowledge and/or advanced methods for reversing check elsewhere. For the audience it was written for, its great, if your a newbie to reversing it would be a good addition to your library.



4. This book includes a great deal of effective and practical techniques related to the subject. While reading this book it soon becomes very clear that the author is a highly experienced professional in the field. He does a wonderful job presenting the many relevant topics presented in the book. If developers want to discover vulnerabilities in their own applications, this book will give some excellent pointers. Security professionals will very likely draw some great benefits from it as well. This book is loaded with information which is generally easy to read, (more so if you are familiar with some high and low level programming languages), and remains right on topic. This book is definitely a "must read!"



5. I have only read about 1/3 of this book and I already know that it will be a great addition of "treasures" on my bookshelf. The author explains the material in a very clear way and also the way thing are presented to the user is very organized. Buy this book if you want to learn the techniques and how to approach the reversing problems. Do not worry too much about the technical inaccuracies mentioned by other reviewers. You can always write your own little experimental programs to verify those or if you are into reference manuals, you can always download those reference PDFs from Intel anyway. If someone like Russ Osterlund said it's a good read, you should listen.
   
   Understanding how the compiler convert the high level language into the machine code can help you become skillful in the technique of writing good and highly optimized code. It also allow you become a better debugging specialist even if you don't become a brilliant cracker.

5 comments about Java In A Nutshell, 5th Edition.

1. The book is by far the most comprehensive, plain english manual for java that exists. Great book, but anyone who see's it laughs at the title. I think it must be an intentional joke. With 1225 pages and weighing in at a hefty 1.5kg (3.3lb) it's by no means a nutshell. It's more like a bombshell. If it were ever to be divided into 3 books, I would buy it again, just so that using it wouldn't be so cumbersome.



2. This is a great book for those Java programmers who want a rapid reference. The only drawback of this book is its weigth: the large part of the book is made of a Java reference (very similar to the official JavaDoc) that in my opinion is not so helpful, as if I need the documentation for a specific class I can browse the official documentation online.
   Anyway, the first part of the book is well written and gives many examples that can help both new and experienced programmers to understand the main features of Java 5.



3. I very much like this as a reference, but at this point I feel like most of the back 2/3 of the book is unnecessary bulk. The front portion, however, is excellent.



4. I used to like this Nutshell book, but it seems to have grown a little too big for its bridges. Maybe it's not O'Reily's fault. Maybe it has more to do with Java growing so much. But earlier versions were quick and to the point. This is now overly verbose.
   
   This is no longer a sleek Nutshell. Its a back-breaking bomb shelter with 10ft thick walls.



5. I am a programmer, and in a programming language book, I expect to find syntactical diagrams of the language. Anyone can read those, we should not have to glean the diagram from the wordy explanation. It's fine to have all the verbiage, but head each section with the syntax diagram.
   Also, this book goes into lengthy explanations of what object oriented programming is NOT, as on page 104. This is a very bad practice in teaching. Only teach what is correct, not what some novice might ignorantly think. I have gotten better fundamentals in Java free on the w3c site.

5 comments about Build Your Own Website The Right Way Using HTML & CSS.

1. I knew a bit about css and html back in high school, but needed a refresh, so I got this book. It did help me alot to not only remember css/html, and also help me do it the right way. After reading this book, you should be able to create a pretty decent website (assuming you have a creative mindset and apply these techniques to your own logic).
   
   The book also covered tables and forms pretty well. Other useful stuff include how to put the site online, how to activate the forms, and other web-related advice.
   
   There are a few minor cons to this book. There wasn't any info on frames (i would like to know). Theres a one small typo in the form chapter which confused me a lot. Also, the author could have skipped a couple of pages that deals with people who also beginners with computers.
   
   Overall, I recommend this book for people who dont know anything about css/html and people who know css/html a little bit but wants to learn to do it the correct way. I would also like to note this book is probably not worth the money for people who know decent css/html.



2. This book really couldn't have been more useful.
   
   I've been working in HTML and CSS for about a year using Dreamweaver. I didn't have a great grasp of the basics, but didn't want to spend money on a book to cover what I already knew. I took a chance on this one and I'm glad I did.
   
   The author's writing style is upbeat, but not overly playful. Other How-to books tend to take the humor too far (____ for Dummies) but this one strikes the right balance.
   
   More importantly, the information is well explained and usually works on the first try. In other words, one can learn a great deal and build a working product quickly with this book.
   
   I now have a knowledge base that helps me in every facet of web design. If you feel you're missing a few pieces of the puzzle, or are new to web design- you'll love this book.



3. I teach college courses on Web development that emphasize Web standards and usability. This is one of only two entry-level (X)HTML + CSS books that I will recommend to students, and this is THE book I recommend for those who want to get started in the field as an in-depth guide to standards-based Web development, or as an excellent, no-frills reference for your Web development bookshelf.



4. This is a very good book. I have been stumbling around for some months now trying to figure out how to do web site development, yet never having had any training to do so. I'm only half way through this book, but it is like the lights have come on. This book really made sense to me. It was easy to understand and the directions were written in terms that anyone could understand and follow. I agree that it would have been nice to have some color, but it was okay not having it if that meant keeping the cost down. Once I finish this book, I'll be moving on to another that will teach me how to work in the Dreamweaver CS3 Suite, a program I have been stumbling around in for some months now with no success. I feel like Ian Lloyd's book has provided a firm foundation on which I could build before moving on to DW and CSS.
   
   If you are a first time wanna be web site designer, with no computer training or experience, yet want to learn a firm foundation on which to build, I would highly recommend this book.



5. This book is brilliant, CSS is easy to learn using this book, the progress you can make is also very good as it is easy to understand. The book arrived earlier than stated and was in perfect condition. Full marks to everyone. ThanksBuild Your Own Website The Right Way Using HTML & CSS, 2nd Edition

5 comments about Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)).

1. Ask a number of developers what beautiful code looks like and you'll get different answers. Take those answers and compile them into a book and you'll get this text. I don't particularly find the code in this book beautiful at all, mostly because the code was written years ago when ideas like readability (read Refactoring) were not as important, and where better tools were not available. There are a few chapters where I agree with the author's ideas on beautiful code. However, I find that in these limited cases, the case study that the author presents and the ideas on beautiful code are disjoint. I find it too often that authors re-iterated how short code is beautiful (think Perl), which is not always the case and shouldn't be something that is emphasized too much over readability, maintainability, and extensibility.
   
   My belief is that if you're a college student, this text might give you some ideas on what good code should do (though don't specifically use the code examples, use the ideas). If you work in the industry, your code should look better than the ones presented.



2. Two older books that you should buy instead:
   Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.
   Programmers at Work, by Susan Lammers.



3. This book is a mixed box of chocolates. Don't read it expecting a lot of useful ideas on how to improve your code: It's more of a book you read to widen your horizon a bit. Each chapter stands on its own and talks about a different project. Languages include C, Java, Perl, Python, Lisp and others.
   
   Fortunately, most authors don't dwell too much on their definitions of "beautiful" code (a rough consensus appears to be that beautiful code is readable, concise, efficient, and, surprise, does something useful). The meat of this book are code fragments and explanations of the code and algorithms (and their context).
   
   Despite the explanations, several of the chapters left me scratching my head. Understanding and appreciating all of the code (including that from unfamiliar languages and domains) requires a lot of effort.
   
   Curious to see if they'll come up with an "Ugly Code" book next. Should be more fun ("Daily WTF", anyone?) and less pretentious. Plus, I dare say, they could even re-use some of the chapters from this book...



4. i regret buying this book. i dont see the beauty of the code nor do i see how many of the contributors think. much of the material described here is accessible else where and probably in a more readable and enjoyable form.
   
   the map reduce article is lame compared to its original version. the authors had to put something in there from google, i felt.
   
   the beautiful concurrency in haskell is overstated.



5. There's a critical need for a book on code aesthetics, elegance and comprehensibility that goes beyond simple style guidelines -- this isn't that book. The contributions are uneven, a few border on the incomprehensible, and most are simply not worth the time. There are no revelations or insights to be had.

5 comments about Programming in C (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library).

1. For an experienced assembly language programmer looking to apply C programming to embedded systems, this book has just the approach that suits my needs. Logically organized and very readable, it keeps layering concept upon concept, subtley bringing in different techniques, while informing not only about the language, syntax and use, but also about how compilers interact with various constructs.I also enjoyed the well thought out example programs and exercises.



2. First and foremost, this is an excellent book. Everything is explained very well with not too much "fluff". I found a few errors in the text but that's to be expected in any programming book.
   
   Now the reason I gave it only 4 stars is because of the style of the code. He uses "thisVar" or "this_var" in programs and many times uses both in the same program! The same for braces. He goes from same-line braces to line-after braces many times in the same program!
   
   For those unaware, that's:
   
   blahBlah {
   ....
   }
   
   and
   
   blahBlah
   {
   ....
   }
   
   This doesn't affect the functionality, but when coding in the real world you need a consistent style. These are the only issues I have with this book.



3. This was the only text required for my college level C-Programming Course. I honestly didn't read as much of it as I should have. I did feel that most of the examples were thorough and helpful.



4. The book covers the subject matter very thoroughly, albeit in a very simplistic manner. The code samples perform very rudimentary operations and I found it difficult to combine find the syntax for combining multiple coding concepts into the most concise way. The writing style is easy to follow and the code examples are well explained - much like the Safari books.



5. I was required to purchase this as a textbook for college. As I have no programming experience, I really wish I had a way to check my answers to the exercises. Unfortunately, the link provided in the textbook does not work. The author has not answered my email. There is also no working link for errata.
   
   Don't buy it if you don't need to because it's useless without a working link for errata and answers to exercises. Hopefully that will change someday soon, but until it does, I can't recommend this book to anyone who is learning C.

5 comments about The 2007 Microsoft Office System Step by Step.

1. This book mostly emphasizes what's new in Office 2007. It is not, however, a book for someone who wants to learn the concept of Word/word processing, Excel/spreadsheets, Access/databases, PowerPoint/presentations, etc., etc. I teach Microsoft applications and I'm frustrated using this book because the exercises are "lame" and go from simple to advanced stuff in the same practice. Especially bad are the Excel exercises because they have been poorly proofread; they have mistakes and mix beginners with advanced stuff in each chapter and in each exercise, it's hard to assign any of them as homework. Also, it totally skips Page Setup and the very useful AutoSum button, not to mention a lot of other basic stuff a beginner needs to know. It's as bad a book as the previous Office 2003 Step-by-Step series. I am not happy with it at all and would not recommend it for beginners. It might help someone who is gearing up for the MS Office 2007 certification, but don't bank on this book alone for study material.



2. I consider this book to be one of the most informative and easy to use manuals I have ever encountered. I am over 80 years of age so have tried a few! It is clearly set out, easy to follow instructions, and useful tutorials in the accompanying disk. Together with several other Step By Step manuals, I would never consider purchasing anything else.



3. I bought this book, for my brother so he could use his computer easier. It seems to be helping him. I would recommend this to anyone that needs to understand Window's and their computer better.



4. Since VISTA is new, it sometimes hard for a IT professional to use it, particularly the new feature. (I spent 22 years in IT.) This new book is excellent, fairly easy to use.



5. I have been an MS Office user for more than a decade. I have been using Office XP or 2003 on my systems but needed to add a new PC to my office and it came with 2007. While I do not need instruction on the basics of using Office, there are some new things about this version that are unique and it would be nice to know what the critical changes are, other than the graphics design and where they hid the buttons! And the 'manual' that comes with the MS software is, politely, a joke.
   
   So I bought this book because my business runs a number of things on Excel that are critical and I upgraded the other PC to 2007 for consistency. Primarily I needed to understand what be gained or lost from critical files in converting them to the new Excel format.
   
   For example, if you are working on an existing Excel file in 'compatibility mode' and hit 'save', you may well be presented with a dialog box that says that some formatting may be lost if you do not save in the Excel 2007 mode. It will nicely even tell you how many instances of formatting loss you will have and how 'important' those losses may or may not be. What it will NOT tell you is what the formatting losses are!
   
   How about the 'Save As' command? You have the option of Saving as Excel Workbook, Excel Macro-enabled Workbook, Excel Binary Workbook and Excel 99-2003 workbook. Each option has a brief description but is not at all clear on when and why one format should be used over the other. Even using the Help files is of no Help.
   
   Enter this book. Certainly a book sanctioned by MS would give me some good clues about what I gain or lose by using the compatibility format or certainly the binary format. Nope. The book offers NOTHING on what would seem to be a fairly basic bit of information - why use any given format and what is gained or lost when using one vs. another.
   
   Thankfully I know how to use most of the functions that I need anyway, even if I now have to hunt for them since the menu format has so radically changed. But what I wanted from this book it has failed to deliver in every instance. Other than helping to understand the way the new ribbon bar works and a few other fairly minor issues, this book makes a wonderful paperweight. Maybe if you are a first time user of Office this book can be useful. But if you are converting from an earlier version and have some critical documents that you will be using in an ongoing manner, look elsewhere - this book will be of no help.

5 comments about Data Structures and Algorithms in Java.

1. It is worth to have waited for 10 days for the book
   It covered up to date java technology and provide additional informations about the implementations of algorithms in real life.
   I got many usefull java and algorithm theories from this book and I think it fits to people who want to learn java and the other who have java knowledge.



2. I strongly recommend this book as a textbook for learning how to program Data Structures in the Java Programming Language. It has very clear examples with full code, and very nice explanations that explanation an abstract subject. I learned Data Structures in C++ and this book made learning them in Java a piece of cake.



3. This book, as many have said, is used in numerous introductory courses in computer science. It was recently dropped by my college after it was disowned by the professors who chose it---we students threw so much scorn on the book no one wanted to admit they had anything to do with it.
   
   The book has a very idiosyncratic style. It likes to use some unnecessarily specific class and method names for its examples, and fails nearly every time when it attempts to justify certain proofs about big-O and algorithm runtimes. In fact, the authors seem to think it adequate to make a broad statement and then give a simple example.
   
   All in all, you're best finding webpages written by random professors than purchasing this morass.



4. This is for the fourth edition, which from other reviews doesn't suck as bad as the first two...
   
   It's an okay text book - but I pity anybody who doesn't have either experiance working with data structures in C or C++ OR who hasn't taken a Finite Math class specifically for CS.
   
   Only get it because you need it for a course, spend as little as possible and then dump it on eBay as quick as you can. Not worth keeping as a reference.



5. This was a mediocre text that is a rewrite of the same text in C++. As is common, the book reads like it was updated by search and replace.

5 comments about Assembly Language for Intel-Based Computers (5th Edition).

1. A little surprising that no reviews have already appeared on this 5th edition. The previous editions have been some of the definitive texts on the subject and the author is quite well known.
   
   Anyhow, if you have used an earlier edition, much remains unchanged. Intel has gone to great expense to make its microprocessor family largely compatible as each new generation is released. Here is a thorough description of the assembler commands. Giving examples of how to use each. Along with brief assembler programs that illustrate ideas in a chapter. There are generous numbers of section review questions for the student to tackle.
   
   Plus, how C commands are translated into Intel assembler instructions is gone into at great depth. Takes the mystery out of how compilers work. You can follow the mapping from C-level structures to how they are implemented.
   
   Perhaps surprisingly, there is considerable discussion of MS-DOS. You might have thought it was safely dead and gone. But MS-DOS still is present in many legacy applications. For some jobs, you need to know this stuff.



2. Kip's book is an excellent book suitable for textbook purpose as well as table-reference. If I could I would give it 10 stars.
   
   The way the author progresses the material makes it very easy to follow, and very enjoyable to read.
   
   There is no CD comes with the book. But you can freely download the Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition from Microsoft website.
   
   I have another book, Assembly Language Step-by-step: Programming with DOS and Linux (with CD-ROM) by Jeff Duntemann (Paperback - May 24, 2000). Comparing to Kip's book, that book is almost like a joke (no doubt for Jeff's expertise or authority on Assembly language but the way he put stuff in the book makes you feel somewhat stupid).
   
   Get the book, and enjoy the beautiful binary world with Assembly!



3. I have read a lot of programming text books, but I have never seen so much errata before. My fellow classmates and I are amazed at the amount of errors.
   
   It all started early with the book claiming that George Bool invented the Analytical Engine, instead of Charles Babbage.
   
   We also wonder if the author just cranks out new editions and just adds a few things and doesn't update the rest of the book. It took me awhile to figure out the solution to an assignment, right out of the book, that didn't compensate for newer processors(or any processor in recent history). Actually it seems like it hasn't been changed for 7 years or longer or it's just plain errata. So, I was wondering for a long while why my programming assignment would not work. I finally figured out the book was the reason. Later on there was a programming exercise that required adding to existing code in the book, but when adding lines, it would not work. I would get jump too far errors.
   
   This book could use some better organization too. Simply putting related things together in a chapter is not enough. Yes there is an index and appendices, but the organization in the chapters is poor. Better explanation would be great too.
   
   I guess I am just spoiled by Deitel's books. They are great. Too bad they don't have one on x86 Assembly.
   
   This book was supposed to have a cd-rom disc, but I don't think anyone got one. I sure didn't. The files on the cd-rom are required for the programming assignments to work. Luckily you can download the files off the web site. If you figure out that the files might be on the web site and you go there.
   
   Finally, the binding is weak, I had to re-glue mine within a couple of weeks of receiving a new copy. My professor complained about the binding too. It's too thin(or something) to hold up.



4. Having written many 8086 assembly language programs many years ago, and after having used PPC and SPARC chips for a number of years, I decided to purchase this book to refresh my knowledge of Intel assembler. I was very disappointed in the contents of this book. The title would suggest that the subject matter covered relates to writing Intel assembly language perhaps in a platform agnostic manner, however the book should rather be titled "Assembly Language USING MASM for Intel based computers RUNNING WINDOWS". The book does not even seem to acknowledge that there are other OSs apart from Windows that run on Intel based machines, and also makes use of features and peculiarities of the MASM assembler. If you are looking for a text that will assist you in writing assembler using MASM for Intel based machines running Windows then this is it, otherwise stay well clear, and try to find a text that is less partisan.



5. The books its really step by step have very good example and exercises. It covers basically evreything and has a set of table where they cover all the registers and subroutines. It was really helpful while I was taking the class.

5 comments about Agile Web Development with Rails, 2nd Edition.

1. It does not reflect the current state of Rails at this time. A new version is supposed to come out in October 2008 that covers 2.0. If you get this version you will need to switch to an older version of Rails, otherwise you'll only get about 68 pages in before the examples stop working.



2. I love the framework, the Agile philosophy and I love how the book is structured: straightforward, practical, easy to follow, programmer-oriented.
   I truly recommend it for anyone willing to begin in the Rails universe.



3. This book is a great intro to Rails, very readable and easy to understand. It also seems fairly comprehensive. The only downside to this book is that it's not Rails 2.0, so a number of the examples are outdated or don't work with the latest versions of Rails (there were significant changes). I was taking a class in Ruby on Rails, and since we were using Rails 2.0, we had to get "The Rails Way" which covers Rails 2.0 but sucks in comparison to this book. "The Rails Way" is a good book for learning Rails if you already know Rails.



4. Not only is there a great framework to this textbook will introduce you to, but this is written in the perfect balance of interesting style and serious technical content along with compelling example that I've ever seen in any book. I give this book my very highest recommendation and I give the rails framework five stars as well for being an excellent easy to use and very functional framework.
   
   This book seems to cover everything that I'm interested in and is able to adapt to different levels of knowledge that I'm able to arrive at in programming in Ruby language. The book does not insult the reader and while it challenges the reader doesn't over challenge or overwhelm any point. I can only recommend it for my particular demographic of rails newbies, but I think this book will work very well for anyone else who might be more familiar with Ruby and the rails framework.



5. This is THE book for Rails. Top notch...only WAIT to buy it. As others have said, there is a new edition coming out soon that covers Rails 2.0. Of course...if you can't wait, go to the publisher's web page. They are selling copies of this edition for 50% off, while supplies last. But, some of the code in this book will not work anymore in Rails 2.0. Still, a great book and well worth it even for a quick introduction to the Rails world while you wait for the new edition. Once it's updated, though, for sure, GO FOR IT!

5 comments about Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World.

1. Erlang really appears to be an interesting language, and the author's enthusiasm for the subject shows - which is good. It helped me to keep going, when at times the code was a little hard to follow.
   
   The book does a good job of introducing the language. In particular later chapters give emphasis to the topics of concurrency through multiple processes, multi-cores and distributed programs. All very timely subjects for a world that is connected to the Internet, and where even laptops have multi-core processors
   
   I gave the book a 4 star rating because I feel the author somewhat forgot who his audience is.
   
   On page 5 he starts out with a description that fit me almost perfectly, and probably many other readers: "Once upon a time a programmer came across a book describing a funny programming language. It had an unfamiliar syntax [...] it wasn't even object-oriented. The programs were, well, different....Not only were the programs different, but the whole approach to programming was different."
   
   After reading the book I don't feel like the "Erlang Master" that the road map described (pg 9). While the syntax is now familiar, I still look at the Erlang code and it feels foreign. I still have to "decipher" the code instead of read it.
   
   I would have liked the book to more fully address the items from the "Once upon a time" paragraphs. Being that "the whole approach to programming" is different than the OO that many readers are used to, I would have liked to have seen a chapter (or three) on how to best get into that mode of thinking.
   
   I do think the book is a good jumping off point. It gives you more than enough to get started.
   
   However, if you are unfamiliar with languages where functions accept functions which also accept functions as parameters and return another function as a result, you may end up feeling (as I did) that you only have half the puzzle.



2. This book was recommended by a colleague and I was hesitant at first, but it really is an excellent read.
   
   After flipping through the first few chapters, taking in the examples and absorbing what it was spelling out, it really altered the way that I fundamentally look at software modeling. Joe Armstrong's style of teaching by example and breaking things down into the smallest possible space makes this book worthwhile.



3. I've been working through this book and am very glad for it. I'm not sure how else I'd efficiently have gotten up to speed on Erlang.
   
   The book does need lots of minor work, though - it still feels like a beta piece of software. There are examples / explanations that make use of not-yet (or never) explained functions/modules. The appendix describing some of Erlang's modules only claims that the set of documented modules is incomplete, but doesn't mention that the set of functions within some modules is also incomplete. Etc.
   
   Another issue is the license of the code examples. The author shows some example code for how to do certain things, such as a distributed map function (pmap). After reading the book, it's hard (at least for a newbie) to imagine a different solution than the author's. But if you go to the website containing the example code from the book, you find a pretty restrictive license on the example code. So this leaves the reader in a difficult position: the book only shows you one way to do something like pmap, and the author has a license on that code that makes it unusable to many readers. This is more than a little frustrating.
   
   Finally, the index is very incomplete.
   
   If you're new to Erlang you still want this book. But it would really be a good thing for the author to gather criticism (if he hasn't already) and go a second round.



4. I made an attempt at working through this book 6 months ago and didn't feel quite comfortable so I dropped it and instead pursued Programming in Haskell. Yesterday I decided to get back into Erlang and found it a complete breeze, powering through the entire book in a few hours.
   
   A lot of things seem to become really easy after working with Haskell, not to say that programming in Haskell is hard, just it twists and bends your mind into a different shape.
   
   Now that I'm abreast of the material covered in this book, I am leaping into a large project with great confidence.
   
   5/5, excellent book!



5. Overall, I liked this book. When I read this, I was looking at doing some Erlang work; I didn't end up using Erlang, but the book was still enjoyable, and gave me a good overview of the language.
   
   Some things were a bit odd: the organization was not clear, and the order of chapters was confusing. The authors choice of material was seemed unusual to me: he covered a streaming MP3 server, and mentions ID3 tags; he does not, however, describe what they are or describe in detail how his code processes them. Still, the important details of Erlang itself are covered, and perhaps that's the most important part.
   
   Take it easy,
   
   Dave