5 comments about php|architect's Guide to Programming with Zend Framework.

1. Didn't like the way the book is written. I do not understand the point of chapter called 'super ninja secret classes', why not use simply zend_registry? The author sounds so pretentious sometimes, it's really annoying. I've read Zend Framework In Action from Manning and Practical Web 2.0 Applications with PHP from Apress and there are really ten times better and richer.



2. Good book to start with if you know MVC but don't know ZF. If you're looking to learn the MVC model I'd suggest picking up something else along with book. There is some organization and placement talk but I think it could have been even more in depth. One thing I noticed is he refered to things that were in the sample code and not in the book directly. So if you hadn't downloaded the sample code and worked with it you wouldn't have known what he was talking about. Also the books editing was so so, as there were a good number of typos and thing improper english. But all and all if you want to see how Zend Framework functions it's a great starter piece for that.



3. Although there is some good information. You have to fight the book to get to it. Some of the code examples are broken. Nothing major, but when you buy a book to learn new coding techniques. It helps to not have to troubleshoot the example code. ( plus the author names the application directory "application" but in his paths he refers to it as app ). Also there is only one reference that I saw that points you to the example code. Maybe I missed it but I looked again before I wrote this, and I only found it listed once and within an explanation of some code. Since he doesn't print the entire files in the book and points back to the example code. I would think that you might make a bigger deal about making sure you download the example code. I don't mind not having all the files printed out. But if you going to do it make easy for the people buying your knowledge to follow.
   
   Also when showing you the code example the author doesn't give the file name that you are looking at. So you will be looking at code and you dont know if you are looking at Controller code model or view code ( although view code usually has a lot of print( echo ) statements )
   
   If given the chance to do it again. I would not buy this book.



4. I purchased this book, despite the negative reviews. As other reviewers have already mentioned, the book was poorly edited and several errors exist in code samples. The sample application is esoteric for a general guide. I'm not saying we need another blog tutorial, but jumping into consuming web services certainly doesn't consider what most readers will want to know.
   
   Discussion of the flexibility provided by the Zend Framework in comparison to other PHP frameworks is missing. I also think more references to generally accepted MVC design best practices should have been included.
   
   The Model chapter gets off to a good start describing conventional thought on data modeling in MVC but the rest of the chapter doesn't support the introduction. I did find the Data Access chapter helpful and appreciated the mention of Data Profiling.
   
   Until more ZF titles are available, I recommend reviewing the Zend Framework documentation and available blog posts.



5. Don't bother.
   
   I ignored the advice of others here and ordered this book anyway, mainly because it's the only book in print on the subject. It sucks...bad.
   
   I got the book this afternoon and had the RMA paperwork filed before bedtime. No thanks.
   
   Super thin on information, and it's not even basic of information. Lets skim the surface of some pretty important concepts and libraries, shall we? At least thats how it felt to me.
   
   The database chapter was the final straw for me. You're introduced to the basic db library then promptly directed to the online documentation for all the REAL db libraries that likely even the most trivial of web apps would require.
   
   Good job Nanobooks on being first to market, but don't pat yourselves on the back too soon. You may have hurt ZF more than you're helping it with this book.
   
   If you want a better (albeit not perfect) introduction to the Zend Framework then go check out Mannings Early Access Program and download 'Zend Framework in Action' (or pre-order here). A lot better footing after reading that plus some time spent with the ZF online docs.

3 comments about Open Source Development with LAMP: Using Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl, and PHP.

1. Open Source Development with LAMP (hereafter "OSWB") is the perfect book to learn a wide variety of server technologies that will have you writing useful, clean, fast, and productive websites before you finish reading.

   I was one of the technical editors of this book, and was able to watch it evolve as they wrote. The authors have made a huge effort to make the book appropriate for multiple Linux distributions, and they have achieved the highest degree of technical accuracy.

   OSWB covers many different technologies, some complementary, some discreet. By showing you many of the possible tools, this book lets you decide which is best for the job at hand.

   The theory behind OSWB is that knowledge of 20% of a tool's capabilities will let you accomplish 80% of the tasks you face. OSWB does a superb job of giving the user a sizable introduction to webserver technologies that will be sufficient for most rojects, and tells you where you can get information for advanced needs...This is the first book I know of that has written their website with the exact same tools they teach you in the book, and they offer the entire source of their website for download for your investigation and reference.

   The gold in this book is not just the descriptions of how the languages work, but how you can use them singly or together to create interactive websites. Their are many sample projects which let you see how everything fits together, and much of the ode can be adapted immediately to your needs. The book is extremely well integrated and organized.

   I have used some of the languages described in this book, while others were completely new to me. I am definitely not a web design person, preferring to write back-end server software. owever while reading OSWB, I was charged with creating a MySQL database with a customizable web interface for my alumni organization. Using only this book and a few perldoc commands, I was able to create an interactive mod_perl website in a few days.

   This book offers something to everyone, even advanced web designers. If you are starting out in Web technologies, or are curious about other ways you can get the job done, this is the book for you.





2. Open Source Web Development with LAMP is a very long title, but an absolutely killer book. LAMP is Linux (OS), Apache (web server) MySQL (database), Perl and PHP (scripting). This book also includes many languages not covered in other titles. I was particularly glad to see WML (Website Meta Language) which is useful for generating static pages through a robust programming construct. Static pages load faster and without any security concerns that you have with dynamic scripting languages like perl, php, embperl, or mason, all of which are covered extreemly well in this book.

   I've been doing web development for about 8 years, which probably makes me pretty old in the business. I've seen the dynamic web content languages from infancy, but I've never seen a good way of learning them until now. OSWD w/ LAMP is absolutely fabulous.




3. If you want an interactive database-based web site without spending hours and hours wading through dozens of books to figure out how to do it, then you will want "Open Source Web Development with LAMP". The book starts with the very basics and proceeds step by step so you can get your web site up as quickly as possible and with a minimum of problems. So what exactly is LAMP? It stands for the four components of a LAMP server - Linux operating system, Apache web server, MySQL database server, and the Perl programming language.

   The book is divided into four distinct parts and organized in an unexpected way. Instead of giving each part of LAMP its own section the four sections focus on structure (getting them all up and working together), static web pages (creating and using them), dynamic web pages (getting the pages to do something via Perl and MySQL), and embedded programs (to make the whole system run quicker). Each section covers all the components of LAMP as applied to that section. For example, the structural section examines installation, configuration, security, and basic usage of Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl. For Perl it includes a discussion of variables, arrays, operators, flow-control, regular expressions, functions, and file input/output. For MySQL it includes working with tables, insert, select, update, and similar basic commands. This is a very well done section and gives all the basic information necessary to get each of the components up and working with each other. The section on static web pages mainly covers the use of Website META Language (WML) to generate a consistent look and feel across all the web pages on the server. The part on dynamic web pages covers CGI and mod-perl so you can process information submitted by an html page or other CGI script. It also includes information on using Perl to access the MySQL server and generate dynamic information. The final section examines embedded programs such as Server Side Includes (SSI), embedded Perl, MASON, and PHP and how they are used to make a faster dynamic web site.

   I have to say that I really liked this structure. Once a system is set up it is rare to have to refer to the installation information again. If it were organized by Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl then I would have to flip to what I assume is the appropriate section turn past the installation portion and try to locate what I am looking for. This way, since it is organized by the various stages of getting the system up and running it is easier to find what I want.

   The text includes lots of example coding so you can actually write and test it right away. This is a great way to learn the basics. It is not a thorough course in any of the four components but it does give you enough of a background to do most of what you might need to do. Of course, what makes it really valuable is the fact that it covers how to get each of the components to work together without problems. There are good books on each of these components but it is rare to find one that focuses on the interrelationships between them. "Open Source Web Development with LAMP" is highly recommended for anyone who wants to set up a LAMP server or needing to work with one.

2 comments about FileMaker Web Publishing: A Complete Guide to Using the API for PHP.

1. If you are just starting out using FileMaker with the web it's a must read. It shows several outstanding techniques for setting up pages.
   
   This is a very good book for beginners in FileMaker and PHP. It puts down a good foundation for starting but like so many other books it starts out with several chapters explaining the extreme basics so you are half way through the book before you get to the meat of the topic. Once the books starts getting in to the functions of PHP with FileMaker it stops just short of a little more involved explanation. I don't mean for that to sound like a rip on the book, but would like to see a little more advanced book on this subject.
   Like I said I think this was a very well written book and covered the topic well I was just hoping for something a little more advanced.



2. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Allyson, Stephen and Michael have put together an invaluable resource for putting FileMaker data on the web via PHP. The book is very well written with extremely clear example that are easy to follow. As a bonus, it's also a survey of html and css, too.
   
   If Amazon allowed a 6-star rating, this book would have earned it. Great job, guys!

5 comments about Core Web Application Development with PHP and MySQL (Core Series).

1. For a recent project that I needed to build I had to dive into PHP and MySQL. I have purchased quite a few books on the subject matter. A books real value to me is how much the book is used after you finish reading it. This is one of those books that has just enough to get you going on most PHP topics. With the help of this book and a couple of others I have been able to build a complex CMS system. This is the best of the bunch.



2. I don't write reviews unless I feel very strongly about the book. This is indeed the first time I wrote in amazon.com.
   I feel this is the one book you must have for web application development using PHP and mySQL, although frankly there are many good ones around too. I have seen many books and I strongly recommend this.
   It has a comprehensive coverage. Many reviews have mentioned it so I am not going to repeat. I find that I learned something not covered in other books - about building robust, secured, and efficient codes. I have not seen people write that kind of codes for PHP. Marc has been most generous in shraring these with the readers. The 3 last projects were superb. It is well suited for the techie.



3. I looked in several books regarding this subject and think this is the best book about PHP/Mysql. I just read the first chapter because I am presently too busy with adobe Actionscript. Hope have time soon to continue it.



4. I have had bad luck with the core series of books in the past, they are in desperate need of both a copywriter/spellchecker, and technical fact checker. However this was a very pleasant surprise - it suffered from neither of the above mentioned problems . the author covered topics most other books cover i.e., Unicode handling, Security, and his explanation of OOP in PHP is the best I have ever read.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyone planning to write PHP.



5. As an experience programmer from ASP.Net, I can say that this is a good book for getting into PHP. The book paces pretty well, making sure you get the necessary basics but not bore you with overstuffed material.
   
   The only thing that annoys me, is the amount of typos on the samples and sample codes. If you are a seasoned programmer like me, you will pick them up with no problem before testing them. But for the novice, it could give them extra time debugging.
   
   Still I recommend this book.

5 comments about Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP and MySQL.

1. Sitepoint (both the books and the website) is an excellent resource for quick learning of the latest and greatest in web development technologies, and this book proves it. Very clearly written and easy reading; a practical, hands-on tutorial. Provides everything necessary to develop and serve up a top-notch website backed by a powerful database.



2. By reading just the first 4 chapters I was able to create my own webpages using php and the mySQL database to store tables of data. It has some good example programs that you can follow.



3. I highly recomend this book. I think it best serves those who already know the syntax of PHP, but it is a excellent book. I recomend either "Learning PHP" (The O'Reilly book) or "PHP for the World Wide Web : Visual QuickStart Guide" for a beginner. Both of these books will help you learn the syntax and concepts of PHP, but then it is best to move on to a book that gives practical examples, and this book excells at giving practical examples.



4. True to Site Point's method and style, this book makes it easy to jump into the basics of it's subject. Easy to navigate and full of helpful tips and hints, all the matieral is easy to access.
   However a word of warning for those who may wish to purchase this book- get a newer version! This version covers PHP4.0 which is being discontinued from use in November of 2007. Learning PHP4.0 will not be very helpful after November, so Look for the newer version of this book and you will be set.
   I found this to be the newest version as of this posting: Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP and MySQL
   I was quite sad when I realized I had purchased, and then read through, the whole book and then found out that PHP4 will be discontinued. You need PHP5 or PHP6 to be effective and up to date.
   Also, if you are not an absolute beginner at the subject, this book is probably not for you. You can find more advanced books on the subject that will help you in your php quest. I found the first couple of chapters to be a bore, and maybe even an insult, because they covered 'how to use windows' how to open notepad, or how to do the equivalent in mac.



5. This book is way out of date. There are more up to date versions available.

5 comments about Textpattern Solutions: PHP-Based Content Management Made Easy (Solutions).

1. Despite using Textpattern (TXP) since I started my own website I knew there was still a lot for me to learn and also a few things that could be improved with the way I setup my site. Needless to say when I got wind of this book there was no doubt in my mind that it would help me to be a better TXP user.
   
   The book is well-written and takes you through every aspect of TXP. Everything and I mean everything about TXP is covered in this book. You'll learn the ins and outs of installation, navigating and accomplishing various tasks in the administrative interface, go through the process of building a complete site covering articles, forms and pages, and even learn how to build you're own plugins. There are also 3 case studies that help to further demonstrate just how flexible TXP can be. What more could you ask for?
   
   This book was a great read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is new to TXP, thinking about using it or who currently uses it and would like to learn more about this wonderful CMS.



2. I have been reading the e-book version and I am very dissapointed with this book. I needed a simple CMS for a 3 page site, and wanted an alternative to Jooma! which seemed overkill for this.
   After doing some research I decided to use Texpattern due to its simple core, with this book as a guide. What can I say? The book is so poorly written that I am seriously considering to just use Joomla!
   The authors use a sample site approach to illustrate how to use Textpattern. This usually is a great approach to learning, except they do an aweful job of it. The illustrations are never on the same page as the explanations. And instead of a clear and concise step by step approach (install this file here, modify it there...), authors dwell into lengthy passages including jokes and useless analogies, that by the time you wake up, you realized you missed some vital step which always seem to get lost in this verbosity. Usually actual instruction is merely mentioned or not clearly indicated.
   In comparison, Building Websites with Joomla, is a much better text that makes Joomla! (a far more complex CMS than Texpattern) easy to understand.
   If anything, "Textpattern Solutions" has made a potentially easy CMS become a nuisance to learn. You will be better off reading the online documentation.



3. Textpattern solutions is a great resource for those looking to learn how to use this excellent Open Source CMS. The example site (Buzzbomb) is not quite as linear as I would have hoped and doesn't quite function like you would expect a tutorial to, but I was able to follow along with a little help from the TXP forums. Regardless, the book serves as a great launching pad to get into the nuts and bolts of the cms and begin creating your own sites using TXP. It is also the only book out there on the subject, so the choice is either to use this book, or to muddle through the online resources (which you will need anyway). The book certainly cuts down the learning curve (which isn't that steep, really) and gives you the tools you need to start using the cms with more confidence.



4. I'd have liked to give this book more stars, because I do love Textpattern, but I just didn't get enough out of it. I don't consider myself an expert, but I've been using Textpattern for a couple of years. I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but mostly what I got was a validation that Yes, I'm doing this-or-that correctly or the most efficient way. I didn't gain a lot of new knowledge or tricks, except for the (small) section on plugins.
   So this book might be good for Textpattern beginners, but even then most of the information presented is in the very complete Textpattern wiki, or elsewhere online.
   So I'm glad this book was published, to promote Textpattern, but for me it was a slight disappointment.



5. Extremely easy to follow and well written. My only problem was a lot of the times the illustrations or images weren't on the same page as their textual reference. Not a big deal, but I lost my place a lot while flipping back and forth through pages.
   
   This book is really aimed at beginners. Luckily for me, I was one. Since I purchased this book a few months ago, I've made three sites using Textpattern and they've all been a hit with my clients. The admin interface is superbly easy to use and I love the clean XHTML.
   
   So, in conclusion, buy this book if you're wanting a beginner's guide to Textpattern, but do not buy if you already know your way around as a lot of this content may be redundant for you.

5 comments about Pro PHP Security.

1. PHP applications written without a concern for security risk cross-site scripting, SQL injection, session hijacking, and a multitude of other potential problems. This book examines how to setup a secure environment including encryption, hashing, SSL and using PHP to connect to SSL servers. The authors also examine how to install and configure OpenSSH and using it with PHP applications. Of course they also deal with the usual concerns of user authentication, permissions, restrictions, validating input, preventing SQL injection, preventing cross-site scripting, preventing remote execution (including PHP code injection and embedding), security for temporary files, and preventing session hijacking. The Pro PHP Security is written specifically for PHP programmers working in the Apache, MySQL, and PHP 5 environment and is highly recommended



2. Unless you're already very well-versed in the subject matter, ( sql injection, cross-site scripting, session hijacking, remote execution, sanitizing user data/input, ssh, encryption, ssl, dangers of shared-host scenarios, bulletproofing db installations, user verification, captchas, remote procedure calls ) this material is relatively comprehensive and valuable. Well-organized, well thought out, I won't hesitate to recommend this one.



3. The book is entitled PHP security. But the actual content covers very little PHP at
   all: less than 20 percent. It tries to cover everything from UNIX permission,SSH
   and all other security issues, but really doesn't have much to do with PHP. So I
   think the title is highly misleading. For someone interested in the general
   security issues, it might be a fine book. But not for programmers want to know
   the security about PHP.



4. Like the title states this book tells you about a lot of security issues you should be aware of, but doesn't go in depth for many solutions. Especially xss which is the only reason i bought the book. For how much the book costs i figured it would include some really good php solutions. I mean the thing is in black and white, what's with the price tag that doesn't tell me anything that i can't find on the web.



5. I found Pro PHP Security a very informative book. I received this book around the same time that I began developing online financial software. This book lived up to the name and answered a lot of my questions.
   
   I found the chapter on encryption and hashing very interesting. I knew what each system of protection accomplished but not how. Next the authors proceeded to discuss Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and how certificates are created. It was fun to be able to create my own certificate and keys, and gain a better understanding of how the whole process works.
   
   After covering server security and connection security, the authors moved onto secure programming. The first chapter covers user input validation. This is one area that many programmers, myself included, do not devote much time. If you can sanitize the data you get from the user, you have overcome one of the largest hurdles of securing your code.
   
   After that chapter, each following chapter begins with the presentation of an exploit and how it works, followed by discussions of sites affected by these exploits, and concluding with how to prevent it. SQL injection, cross-site scripting, remote execution and session hijacking are some of the exploits discussed. This section of the book gave me plenty to think about and more than enough to work on implementing.
   
   If anyone is a PHP programmer and deals with any kind of sensitive data, then this book is a must read. The authors attempt to provide all the best practices because one method may not work in a given situation, but they also let you know the disadvantages of each method. As Snyder and Southwell discuss in the first chapter, as developers we cannot eliminate risk but we can do our best to mitigate it.

5 comments about Learning PHP & MySQL: Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Database-Driven Web Sites.

1. It is not quite clear to me how any technical editor, let alone from a publisher specializing in technology books, could pass this text as is. It is quite obvious that the authors may know their way around developing simple database-driven web sites but completely miss basic programming topics (OOP, constructors, static variables etc. - all are explained in confusing and, at times, incorrect language).
   
   Add to that grammatical errors, and perhaps a reminder that "kraut" is a derogatory term better left out of a mainstream publication, and it's quite baffling how this book made it to print in its current form.
   
   I haven't seen other publications on the topic to compare against but this one certainly was a disappointment.



2. While this is a typical O'Reilly book (marvelously and expertly written), there weren't many examples of utilizing what you just learned such that it would sink in. It also pre-supposed a bit (not much mind you) of programming experience/knowledge of which I have none. The description is a bit mis-leading that way as it states that if you know HTML and are ready for the next step this is the book. It should say, if you know HTML, a bit of C, or PERL, and some SQL you will benefit from learning PHP & MySQL. Not disappointed, just not the book for me...



3. I have not bought a textbook in over five years. Back then, O'Reilly was a reputable brand. So when I needed to learn PHP and MySQL, I bought this book without doing any research. I will never blindly buy an O'Reilly book again.
   
   I got to page 11 before finding my first typo. After that, I lost track of all the typos and coding mistakes I've seen. Mind you, this is the 2nd edition of this book. Clearly, the authors did not proofread their book, nor did anyone else at O'Reilly, nor did anyone who read the 1st edition (?). I have learned to not trust anything in this book and instead use google for my php/mysql questions. Also, the mistakes are not all obvious typos -- some are mistakes in reasoning, which I can catch because I have extensive experience with computers.



4. Maybe a genius or someone who already understands PHP basics will benefit from this book. I have made great progress with a number of instructional books, but got stuck in Chapter three of this one. It seems that important terms and concepts are not explained, not explained well, or explained in pages after the terms and concepts are first used.
   I'm going to search for another book on PHP & MySQL.



5. This dreadful book is so far below O'Reilly's normal high standard that it's hard to believe anyone at the company saw it before publication. It is riddled from start to finish with typos, technical errors, bad coding practices, contradictions and statements that are just plain wrong. It's quite baffling that O'Reilly would let a book this bad hit the shelves.
   
   What is particularly worrying is that this is the second edition. The first was also full of mistakes (see the reviews on the O'Reilly website) and the publisher seems to have acknowledged this by rushing out this second edition only a year after the first, but the new edition fixes few of the problems of the first while introducing a host of new ones. One of the worst books ever published by O'Reilly. Avoid at all costs.

5 comments about PHP Pocket Reference, 2nd Edition.

1. Don't buy this book; you won't use it. The function explanations are rarely more than a sentence, and worst of all they are many times self-referential.

   "string urlencode(string str) - URL-ecodes a string." The function name makes that clear, but what does that mean, if you don't already know? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of referring to a book for clarification?

   "array pathinfo(string path) - Returns information about a certain string." Does that description clarify anything beyond the function name?

   They should have trimmed out more functions and included more information about the most important ones. Sadly, this is also the book used in Dreamweaver MX 2004 for online help, which is frustrating.




2. This is a very good small concise reference to PHP 4. Most of the book consists of a summary of the basics of the PHP language plus a function reference to about 1400 PHP functions. If you are in need of a handy reference to PHP 4, this pocket reference would be an excellent companion for "Programming PHP" (which is a fuller reference to PHP and is also published by O'Reilly).
   
   I would not get this pocket reference unless you are already somewhat familiar with PHP and already own "Programming PHP" (or rough equivalent). This book, though well written, is not designed as an introduction to PHP. Oh, and you need to be OK with it not covering PHP 5.
   
   If you want more detail, you could take a look at my somewhat longer review on the Oakland Perl Mongers site.
   
   George Woolley of Oakland.pm and Camelot.pm



3. it seems like a handy thing and all but if you have an internet connection open when you code (presumably, since you're doing web development), the php.net documentation is much more helpful... not sure why anybody would use this. not even sure why i really bought this. i guess it looks good with all of the other little o'reilly guides that i own but it really was a waste of 5 dollars...



4. What went wrong? I have many of the O'Reilly pocket references and I bought this one on the assumption it would measure up to the others. It doesn't.
   
   Starts out promising but once it reaches page 34 the remainder is unorganize junk with no examples, no hint of what you would use it for.
   
   Shame on O'Reilly for putting this out under their name; they have done their faithful customers who buy on their name's reputation a disservice.
   
   You need a no stars category for this book!



5. O'Reilly must sell a ton of these. Why not get a new author willing to do a good job of updating and improving. We all owe Lerdorf a lot for starting PHP in the first place. Having said that, O'Reilly needs to get an author who can update this and make it a useful reference. PHP is now on version 5.2 and this book is on version 4. It is nearly useless. I try to use this book from time to time, but never seem to find the information I need. Ie: Each function in the reference section needs at least two sentences of explanation, not a half sentence.
   
   PHP needs a couple of good current reference books. Where are they?

4 comments about Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 with ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP: Training from the Source.

1. I have quite a bit of experience building static sites and pages and realized the importance of expanding my understanding of building dynamic sites. I have a pretty good understanding of using Dreamweaver but am just getting started on using Dreamweaver CS3. I was hoping to get a better idea of how to use all of the new features in CS3 while also specifically learning php. I got more than I bargained for. Specifically, I was not aware of the differences between ASP, ColdFusion and PHP. Now, I have a much better feel of which one to use for different situations.
   
   One of the things that struck me right away is that anyone, regardless of your current level of experience, that is interested in using Dreamweaver can start out with this book. For those of you who already have Dreamweaver experience, you can speed through a few of the first parts but it is always great to see how someone else approaches things.
   
   The tutorials and sample files were great and very easy to use - very intuitive and the sequential steps made lots of sense. I am still in the process of implementing all of the things I am learning. As a result of using this book, I am now planning to revise an existing static site and launch a new dynamic site. I love the way the book is written - very practical. I almost feel like the authors are having a dialog with me all along the way.
   
   I would strongly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn how to use Dreamweaver CS3 to build dynamic websites and applications.



2. This is truly the missing book that belongs on any up-and-coming web designer, or someone who would like to learn how to design dynamic pages. This book walks you through the necessary steps of static website creation and then beautifully aides you in the setup of a webserver and related technologies to run dynamic content. Then the reader is taken through all necessary steps to create asp, php, and colffusion pages. I have MANY books on php, mysql, asp and coldfusion but NONE are as useful as this. This book is more for someone who has some web designing experience and some dreamweaver knowledge. The sample files are beautifully constructed so that you can start on any chapter or work from the beginning, and the files all build upon each ther toward a single website which will reinforce good techniques. I would recommend this book to anyone who has NO experience in writing programming code or someone with a lot of experience but needs help using it in Dreamweaver. Perfect Book!! Well done.



3. I found the book to be so superficial that it is essentially worthless to anyone who needs to use Dreamweaver CS3 dynamically. The book is well written and the tutorials are thoughtful but there is so little understanding of the material covered (server side scripting, XML, databases, AJAX, etc) that any designer who is asked to build a dynamic website will look to other sources. Use this book if you are already familiar with backend development. However, the tutorials presented are so limited in scope that if a designer/developer's only experience of backends is this book, you're in a LOT OF TROUBLE.



4. Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 with ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP: Training from the Source
   
   I've used other Jeff Bardzell books before and found them very good for beginning code.
   
   The latest edition, covers Spry somewhat, which is helpful. And, as in the previous edition, Bardzell conducts tutorials to build an application in ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP for the fictious company Newland Tours.
   
   However, there are abundant code typos, which can be very difficult for beginners. The book should have an errata site/blog somewhere; this is a major disappointment in this new edition.
   
   Guido T. Sarducci