5 comments about JavaScript and Ajax for the Web, Sixth Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. This book gives some nice examples of usable code for a few common uses but doesnt give a very good explanation of what is being done and why. if you have great programming experience and a excellent knowledge of the DOM this book would be good way to get some javascript going, but for the average person looking to learn how javascript works and apply it in other ways than those shown in the book you are better off elsewhere.



2. I'm an experienced procedural php, xhtml and css developer with litter foundational knowledge about javascript. I purchased this book to fill that gap and was a little disappointed. It's not a bad book but it assumes a lot and has little instructional flow. The book scrolls though one example after another without much explanation for the actual language constructs behind javascript.
   
   The author states that this book is not for beginners and I don't consider myself to be one, however, I'd advise anyone looking to buy this book to have a solid understanding of object oriented programming principals before they do so.
   
   Overall it's not a bad book for a certain audience but it lacks foundational, and in my opinion vital, information about javascript.



3. I've been learning JavaScript off and on, with some success, for three months. In doing so, I've skimmed about a half-dozen books and tried the following three, so far, "graded" below:
   
   Learning JavaScript (Powers B-)
   VQS JavaScript and Ajax (Negrino & Smith C+)
   O'Reilly JavaScript Pocket Reference (Flanagan B)
   
   It's hard to find good books on this because the subject matter is new and the books are often dashed off quickly. VQS JavaScript and Ajax is essentially a collection of well-explained examples of well-organized code. It's written more to fill pages than flesh out the subject, however. The explanations are unnecessarily wordy and the broader coverage of concepts, context and how to, you would want to include in a teaching book are missing.
   
   Strangest of all perhaps is the author's choice of leaving out how html talks to Javascript or the details of how they link. Since JavaScript's purpose is to interact with html and pass things back and forth, it's sort of like doing marriage counseling and only focusing on what the woman's thinking to herself. Unfortunately, they're not the only authors that make this oversight.
   
   The VQS format is great and they do a good job of using color to highlight the portions of code they're referring to. The is a good, annotated collection of code examples. It's something I've found to be only marginally helpful in getting started.



4. The book arrived quickly. I is new quality. I intend to increase my knowledge of DOM, JavaScrip anf AJAX.



5. This is my first QSG book. I assume the layout is "feature" of the series, if so this will be my last.
   
   Bottom line first: the title is a lie, this is a book about javascript with a chapter on AJAX; this book has good content, but the presentation will drive you insane while you read it.
   
   Layout:
   The book has a good concept but doesn't execute it well. Each page is divided into two columns, the example code is in one column, the text describing that code is in the other. This really is a great concept. It's used in analytic copies of a number of Shakespeare's plays and works well there. It works because they are conscientious about pagination, include line references, and use facing pages not columns.
   Columns are a problem because each line has about three words before wrapping. The dot syntax of javascript is particularly hard to read with such short lines.
   The pagination / line reference is really the biggest problem in the QSG's execution. They let the text and code flow through the columns across pages without much attention. This means you are constantly flipping forwards and backwards to see the code as you read. Without line references the flipping is not just annoying it's really more of a search.
   They make two attempts to address the pagination problem: first, the code being talked about is highlighted in red; second, they reprint the code block being talked about in the text column. Neither of these is helpful. Half of the code ends up being highlighted red - at most you can scan the red blocks to figure out what that code is an example of, and what is just there to support the example. If they are going to reprint the code anyway why not just go over to a normal layout? My suggestion: use facing pages for the next edition!
   
   AJAX:
   This is not a book on AJAX. This is an introduction to javascript that includes a buzz word in its title to jump off the shelf at people. It's not even an introduction to javascript from an AJAX prospective. In fact AJAX isn't covered well in the book. For example there is very little discussion of how to navigate returned XML using javascript. AJAX is mentioned in the intro and then 'taught' in chapters 15 and 16. (Chapter 16 is just a discussion of available libraries!) You can't give AJAX top billing and then devote 10% of the actual book to it.
   
   So why 2 stars?
   
   I was looking for a book that assumed very little or no knowledge of javascript. I was hoping for something that would address canonical javascripting, best practices, and a bit theory behind the topics being covered. I'm self taught and wanted to see how things should be done instead of how they can be done. This book would be a darn good intro for a beginner. The theory and best practices parts were not explicitly addressed as often as I would have liked; however, they were demonstrated and covered at times.
   
   4 star content, less 1 for layout, less 1 for title.

5 comments about Illustrated C# 2008 (Windows.Net).

1. If you are like me, typically when I read a programming book or article, I feel compelled to download the code, and modify it slightly in order for the content to really "sink in". Remarkably, while reading this book, I rarely felt that to be necessary, as his code examples often fully "illustrated" the topic. The result was that I was able to read this book quickly, 2-3 chapters per sitting.
   
   I feel coverage of the main C# topics was excellent, as well as the order they were presented. His chapters on delegates, interfaces, and LINQ were especially good, with very little wasted time delving into esoteric areas that might be interesting, but not very useful. The only negative feedback I would offer is that occasionally topics were addressed to a general programming newbie audience, but I just skimmed those.
   
   In summary, my kudos to author Dan Solis, it's a terrific book!



2. Suppose you knew nothing of automobiles and wanted to know how they worked. A book using this author's approach would first tell you about every kind of screw in the automobile, it's exact size, material, thread count per inch, and type. Chapter 2 would tell you about the nuts into which the screws would be placed. Even for an experienced programmer, this book will tell you all about the trees, but very little about the forest. Why three stars:
   because it's an excellent reference text about the language, clear and thorough.



3. I now have 4 books on C# and this is by far the best (at least for me). The material is well organized with consice, well thought out explanations. In addition, the figures add a great deal of to clarify the text. To me, this book was written to inform.
   
   As I usually make numerous notes this book fits my needs very well with an ample amount of white space.
   
   Thanks to Daniel Solis.



4. You will not read a better book on C#.
   
   The first edition (2005) was great, this one is even better.
   
   If you only get two books on C# then this should be one of them.
   
   But, if you only buy one book... :) then get this one.
   
   Sorry this review is short on content, but the other reviewer will bring you up to speed. (just the ones with 5 stars)
   
   The 2008 version vs 2005 version
   
   It includes a new chapter on asynchronous programming using delegates.
   It includes a new chapter on the new LINQ features.
   
   One small down side in the 2005 version (not sure about the 2008 version)
   
   The author states that fields should begin with upper case letters and local variable begin with lower case. In 2005 chapter on Methods, the author makes the mistake of using upper case for local variables...
   
   This may have been corrected in 2008 version.



5. This is the C# book that I always keep next to me. If I am unsure about some type of class, delegates, interfaces, etc. I open up this book and get right up to speed. While concise, Dan leaves nothing out in terms of details required for effective C# programming.
   
   The LINQ coverage is outstanding! It is so good that I hope Dan does an entire book on the subject. His mastery of informative graphics would be an ideal format for help to save us T-SQL hacks from having to stand on our heads to get at LINQ.
   
   I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about JBoss at Work: A Practical Guide.

1. I am most of the way through this book and so far, it's been extremely helpful and informative. It breaks all the steps down one by one and takes you from a simple Hello-World type app, to a more complicated enterprise application. A great read all-around.



2. Its a great book if you have just started your development with JBOSS 4. It is easy to read from a developer/deployment perspective and also delves into how to automate the deployment descriptors and deploy into JBOSS. Covers most of the common J2ee/Web applications using hibernate and Ant. Probably needs upgrading to JBOSS 5 but is great if your current development is in JBOSS 4.



3. Aimed at the beginning J2EE developer, this book does a great job of encompassing several exciting technologies and showing how they can all work together (JBoss, Ant, XDoclet, Hibernate, etc.) to achieve the end goal of deploying a robust ear file. XDoclet and ant pair to automate several of the tedious tasks (read deployment descriptor generation) no developer wants to be bogged down with. I am a huge fan of how it introduces all the necessary technologies involved w/o diving into the mundane detail of each and every one. If more depth is required, citations are always provided to other great O'Reilly titles. This book stays true to its title w/o going off on tangents due to other author's personal bias. All decisions are objectively defended (like their decision to illustrate Hibernate as their ORM of choice) and options are always provided. Very practical and a great starting point. Overall, two thumbs up.



4. JBoss at Work: A Practical Guide
   
   Great book. It is as the subtitle implies: a practical guide. It was easy to work through the book and the sample code and get a quick yet detailed overview of JBoss and Java web technology. Unlike some huge books, I did not get lost in the complexities. Any technology like this is complex enough as it is. I like to start with an overview, and this book is exactly that: a great introduction and overview. Even so, it's practical enough to put the knowledge to work right away. Hence it's "JBoss at Work."



5. Some books have alot of pages with little information. This book is short, but every page is rich with facts and insights.
   
   I work with integrating a 3rd party application that uses JBoss, and come from a Microsoft development background, so this whole world of Java/JBoss/EJB was a bit new to me. I needed a good guide which would explain what JBoss is, how it works, and how to set it up.
   
   JBoss at Work was exactly what I needed. It walks through setting up JBoss and using it a practical application of a car sales website. Though the entire system is quite complex, the authors have distilled the essence of how it works and why. The examples are simple, yet reveal the full power of JBoss. And the examples build on each other, with sample code that you can edit, compile and deploy yourself. It was an incredible thrill to me (a java newbie) to actually create and deploy a full EJB application on my low-end laptop in just a few short chapters!
   
   Though I know this is the tip of the iceberg into the JBoss world, Tom Marrs and Scott Davis have written an excellent map, laying down a good foundation for anyone who wants to understand JBoss.

5 comments about Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2005 (Programmer to Programmer).

1. I learned C from Ivor Horton and i liked his style.But this book is not good in my opinion for a few reasons.First half of the book is talk about standar t and and cli c++ but not in detail.Second half of the book is about MFC and WinForms but again i do not find them enough.It is very hard to follow the examples about MFC and WinForms and i couldnt manage to get to the end of them because of compiling errors and i was very bored.Putting all the things in just a book : ansi c++,c++/cli,databases,mfc,winforms is not useful at all.



2. This book is and has everything you need to learn VC++ and MFC. It takes you through every step to get you on track.



3. I own many programming books and I code in many languages. I need a book that cuts through the idle chatter and lets me get to work. Ivor Horton's book is well organized and follows a format of: topic, example, explanation. The examples are good real-world examples and the explanations are easy to follow.



4. I found this book of little or no use. When a buy a book that is this big (1180 pages) you think, "Wow this thing is so big it must be the one." I am more and more of a mind that programming books that are bloated are just poorly thought out. I would not recommend this book to anyone.



5. This is a great book. However, the chapters are long and can be boring.
   
   Also, if you hate math then you might be a little annoyed at all the simple exercises using basic math. Maybe, if Ivor Horton referenced food instead .. hmmmm.
   
   One other downer about this book ... as you get more advanced you will find yourself working on only one example. The author should have used new examples in each chapter to help the learning experience.
   
   I've found that if you work with one example and someone misses something along the way ... they will have difficulty as they progress.
   
   Other than that ... this is a great book and very well written. You will definitely learn a lot reading this tutorial.
   
   I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

5 comments about Programming Windows®, Fifth Edition (Microsoft Programming Series).

1. This is truly a great reference book for all 'real' programmers that are capable of coding in c /c++, as it is assumed that you already know how to do so. There is no VB crap and other such slow and useless languages mentioned. The shear simplicity and power of low-level programming is demonstrated with clear concise examples that compile to 32k executables that are NOT dependant on 3rd-party dll and VB runtimes etc. Only assembly can produce tighter code. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is serious about programming on the Windows platform. If you want a point and click solution - go use VB like the rest of the fools only to be disappointed in the end when you want to do anything outside of the box.



2. I have to say I was dissapointed in this book; not because of *how* the material was presented, but because of the *type* of material presented. It says "the definitive guide to the Win32 API" printed right on the cover, but the selection of topics seems limited only to those which deal with output and presentation (text, fonts, graphics, bitmaps, sounds, etc). Personally, i was looking almost exclusivly for the more "under-the-hood" API functions, which almost no mention is made of.
   For example, there is no mention of memory management, manipulating files on the hard disk, serial and parallel ports usage, processes, debugging/kernel, and console-mode functions, just to name a few. Multi-threading, DLL files, and TCP/IP are included at the end, seemlingly only as an afterthought. To give you an idea, the chapter about the "Palette Manager" is over 170 pages long; the chapter on DLL's is only 30.
   Also slightly annoying was the large amount of printed code in the book (my personal pet peeve). Many times, you'll find complete programs that span ten or more pages, with little explanation to accompany them. This seems completly unnecessary, especially considering the stout size of the book to begin with (1500 pages!), and the fact that all the code is included on the CD anyway.
   So if you're looking for a in-depth book about the more 'visual' aspects of Windows, then this could be your book. But if you're looking for more low-level stuff going on behind the scenes, not even one page of this will be worth the shipping you'll pay.



3. This is by far the best book on the windows API, even today is really worth it.



4. I bought this book because MS keeps trying to hide information about how to make basic Windows apps in favor of pushing flavor of the day technologies like MFC and .Net. I remembered that this is the huge tome that all the Windows programmers from the 90s used to lug around so I bought one. I didn't want a book that would allow me to write "hello world" and then leave me stranded. I wanted to be able to port games (or applications) from other platforms in a way that will work across the entire Windows family. I also wanted to be able to make Windows code that could compile with GCC.
   
   If you want to make a simple Windows app, or port a basic app from Linux or Mac to Windows, this book is a key component to doing it quickly, with a minimum of fuss. If you want to make a Windows app using Dev C++ or another open source development kit for Windows, this book is a must have!



5. This book is very well written and the author does a great job explaining every topic that he covers thoroughly. His answers are full of relevant content and he leaves no room for ambiguity. Do take note that this book is dated, but you will not likely find its equal anywhere in its own class of books. If you want to learn about, or become really familiar with the Windows 32 API, this will give you a good reference provided that you refer to msdn for the updated changes to the API which have taken effect since the publication of this book. I won't detail all the helpful topics which are covered as they are already mentioned in other reviews. I had no real problem compiling and running most of the example programs that were contained on the CD included with this book. I used Microsoft Express Visual C++ 2005 and 2008 versions IDE. These IDE's have an option that will convert the syntax for you when applicable. I was not able to compile any of the program examples for chapter 22, Sound and Music. If you are learning to write programs using the Microsoft foundation class library then this book is probably not much help to you. There are other great books available to consider for learning MFC's.

5 comments about Oracle PL/SQL For Dummies.

1. This book has a lot of good technical data, but it's not well organized for learning, more of a reference. Also, it assumes you are already an experienced SQL programmer.



2. I am very pleased w/ the purchase of the book. If your goal is to learn PL/SQL quickly and comprehensively, this is the book to buy. It covers all the fundamentals you need to know about PL/SQL and it is excellently written. I have been a developer for 20 years in many languages. Learning new languages from overly technical books and writters, I find, often times make your learning process slow and ineffective. I took this class at Oracle, but there were topics that the training manual and the instructor did not do a good job presenting. This book clarified many of the topics I that were presented in class in a simpler, clearer, and more effective manner. I highly recommend it.



3. Fantastic text for beginners in PL/SQL. Clearly laid out concepts and samples, and hints at naming conventions and other standards to be used. A very solid introduction to the language.



4. This is absolutely, hands-down, the worst computer-related book I've ever had the misfortune to read. It's also the first "For Dummies" book I've read, so it may be the fault of the series rather than the book.
   
   The book is poorly written and poorly edited. There are errors in the code examples and numerous inconsistencies in the text. The book doesn't really say anything except, to paraphrase, "There are many things that you should know, but they're beyond the scope of this book. Check somewhere else."
   
   I bought this book based on the recommendations on this page-- my mistake. I'll never buy a "For Dummies" book again.



5. Easily one of the best programming books I've ever bought, in my life. I can't tell you how many strange programming assignments I have been able to pull off because of this book. From cursors to clobs and whatnot. Everyone in the office thinks I'm a wizard because of this book. It is also a very good reference book with great examples anyone can pick up easily. I agree, with one of the reviewers, not really really a beginners book, but if you write PL/SQL for about 3 months this should be an indispensable resource.

5 comments about Python Essential Reference (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library).

1. This book is a highly detailed reference to the Python language. The introductory chapters build on one another and give the reader a decent introduction to the language. The later chapters need not be read sequentially as they are a reference on more advanced features.
   
   The book has superb coverage of distutils, C extensions, network I/O, and introspection. The index is well organized so you can find text on obscure, subtle concepts easily. Need to know how to raise an IOError in C? Not a problem, it's in there. Need to know how to quickly generate a tuple from C? Not a problem, it's in there. Need to know how to split apart or join paths and filenames in a platform-independent way? It's in there too. How about creating a memory mapped file? Or parsing a date? Or resolving the IP address of a hostname? Parsing a python string? Running a python expression as a string? Grabbing the caller's call stack? All of these nifty and possibly dangerous features are all covered in this wonderful book.
   
   Normally, I'm a fan of O'Reilly books but O'Reilly's Programming Python (OPP) is disappointingly basic, and you'll quickly outgrow it. I found OPP very unhelpful as a reference for writing large, scientific simulations in Python. In such situations, the data sets are often large, and thus, one must be careful not to gratuitously waste memory with range() when looping over several arrays in the same loop. For example, there is no mention of the xrange construct, which creates a generator object used for incrementally generating numbers over a range. However, it is extremely rare I find an omission in Beazley's Python, and the omission always involves an extremely obscure and uncommon feature.



2. Very concise and precise information. I would recommend for anyone who wants advance book on python for reference and learning.



3. This little book isn't missing a thing! It's extremely well organized; I find it faster to get answers from this book than from the Internet. Can't say that too often!



4. I say Outstanding Reference, because that's what this book is. While there are examples, they are short and concise - this is not a "how to" book (though the introduction provides an excellent overview). Rather, this is a text to keep alongside a book like Learning Python. It's dimensions are smaller than your typical computer book, so it fits nicely on my desk. Also, the index is the best you'll find (Dave actually generated it from a Python script). It's faster than looking stuff up online.



5. I love the book. Use it with Python in a Nutshell. Use the Nutshell as a more comprehensive reference and this book to get exactly what I need when I have a general idea of what is needed. I see Python Essentials as more of a 'nutshell book' than the actual nutshell book. It is clear and concise and I find the print size to be very acceptable. The book is a maverick when it comes to being able to compare different approaches/elements. It will not do it for you, but since it is so precisely laid out, it is easy to think in terms of: "If I used this then I could do this; If I used that then I could do that, but not this, etc." If you have a basic background in python or other language, you will likely be able to frame up your ideas/knowledge into specifics and start coding to learn more or if you are already an accomplished programmer you can check and refine code in progress or established code projects.

5 comments about ActionScript 3.0 for Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training.

1. I had a really tough time with this book. The explanations are inadequate and often very confusing. I found Learning ActionScript 3.0 by Rich Shupe much easier to understand. This book might be a nice reference for people who have some AS3 under their belt, I haven't tried using it for that purpose, but if you need a way into AS3, this book will frustrate you. Perkins may be good at programming, but a teacher he is not. He's completely out of touch with what it's like to be a creative person trying to learn programming and he has no idea how to bridge that gap. He's a computer geek, not a communicator. Shupe is better.



2. I am a regular user of Flash, however ActionScript (other than the really basic stuff) has always been a mystery to me. This book helped me to understand it in a way I never thought possible. I highly recommend it.



3. The author takes you step-by-step through useful examples that make the learning flow very easily from basic to intermediate. The style is crisp, with just the right amount of humor. Perfect to get your grounding if you are just getting into ActionScript 3.0



4. If you are an animator looking to enter the world of actionscript, or you just don't have much development experience, then this book may be appropriate, but for anyone else the useful content could be compressed to the size of a pamphlet.
   
   As for the accompanying CD, I found the content on this to be totally useless, there are much better video tutorials available on-line for free.



5. What this book does, it does very well. It illustrates the new syntax and methods of AS3, and shows you exactly how to use them. It is illustrated and organized so efficiently that it can function as a "cookbook" reference.
   
   It's a deceptively compact book, very handsomely bound and thoroughly illustrated with color screenshot examples. It is much better printed than earlier lynda-dot-com H-O-T Flash books (cleaner typography, opaque paper for color printing), though inside there's a superficial family resemblance. You get a series of step-by-step, read-and-type exercises, as well as a few supporting video tutorials. It even uses the old "snowboarder" example that the H-O-T books have used for the last three versions of Flash.
   
   As I say, the resemblance is only superficial. The tutorials are much more concentrated than is usual. The chapters and subsections are short--a key concept may be covered and demonstrated in just two or three pages--but this concentration of material can make it very slow-going, requiring two or three re-reads. The few videos provided seem to be there merely for tradition's sake and add little to the tutorials.
   
   I recommend this book but do not recommend attempting to learn AS3 from this book alone. Its virtue is its limitation: the author covers all the basics, seldom digressing from his lessons, so you may feel cramped and distracted if you try to cover more than one chapter at time. What you're missing is commentary and elbow room, a sense of overall context and practical application. For this you should get the Shupe/Rosser book (Learning ActionScript 3.0) and two or three others.
   
   You might also get Todd Perkins's follow-on to this book, '...Beyond the Basics,' also from lynda. Though more advanced, it recaps this book's material very well, and being a series of short video tutorials is easier to follow. Put both Todd Perkins efforts together, and you get one fine five-star tutorial on how to code ActionScript 3.0.

5 comments about Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.

1. I refer to the activities in the book all the time. It really gives a fresh look at the retrospective and keeps the team engaged. It's very easy to come out with some actions to carry forward which the team is committed to doing.



2. This year, I found myself leading an agile development team. While I've been in the software industry for several decades, I'm new to agile. I was lucky enough to attend the Agile 2007 conference, where I participated in a session with Esther Derby and Diana Larsen. That's where I first learned about retrospectives - from the co-authors of this book.
   
   First, the idea of retrospectives, as opposed to post-mortems (are our projects really dead?), as an ongoing process is challenging and exciting. Rather than waiting until the end, reviewing not just progress but the state of the team makes great sense.
   
   Then, the way that they put it all together - stating the value of the process, giving an outline for how to conduct a retrospective - makes it something you can indeed do right from the book.
   
   But as much as anything, the exercises/activities that make up a large part of this book are a tremendous value. Rather than trying to figure out "what should we do/say in a retrospective?", we are guided through combinations of activities to help us achieve the most effective results.
   
   And it's not just about agile. While the concept has developed through the growth of agile development practices, this is a tool that can benefit any organization of any type doing anything.
   
   It's a quick read with benefits that far outweigh the time it takes to read it. Ready to change the life of your organization? Introduce retrospectives.



3. This is a really useful book. Most practical. Being into scrum (sort of) for 3 months, we've tried to change our retrospective meeting agenda applying methods from this book. We did this just once as yet, and applied only a single combination of methods from virtually countless variants possible. The result is great: retrospective meetings became more meaningful and fun.
   
   Every scrum master (and anyone leading retrospective meeetings) should read this book.



4. I have read at least 10 books of the Pragmatic Series and this is the first one I couldn't finish because it was so terrible (I actually threw it out). This book is exactly what is wrong with corporate culture. Placating overly sensitive employees who need emotional coddling instead of trying to improve the process of software development. I prefer to work with adults, that have the maturity to get their emotional needs fulfilled outside of work, so time at work can be spent being productive. This book should have been titled "Cloy Retrospectives" or "Agile Dianetics". If you are looking for a worthwhile, and even entertaining, book on software management see Managing Humans by Michael Lopp.



5. This is one of those "common sense" books. It's full of really obvious practical advice. The difference I found however is in the multitude of simple and practical exercises it contains.
   
   The book is a really quick and easy read. It's now constantly on my desk as a reference. I plan to use a few of the exercises in our next retrospective in a week.
   
   Whilst this is an agile/scrum focused book, many of the exercises could be easily adapted to other "review" type situations in business and teaching.

2 comments about Beginning Microsoft Visual C# 2008 (Wrox Beginning Guides).

1. It is a good book for beginner. But Don't expect much from it, It may not go into greater details and will leave you at mercy of MSDN.



2. This is a super book for those of us who have never programmed, or who started programming using another language like Visual Basic. It has helpful articles, and lots of hints if one gets stuck. It's easy to read, and lacks the boreing quality of many text books.