5 comments about Foundations of BizTalk Server 2006 (Foundations).

1. When I was between projects I attented a BizTalk 2006 deep dive (a week long) training session. The training session was for intermediate to advanced users. I had no experience with BizTalk. Before the class I got this book on the weekend and did all the exercises in the book. 2 days were enough to go through this book and it gave me a solid understanding of BizTalk. The training session made so much sense to me because I read this book. Had I not read this book I would have not understood any of the training that assumed that everybody in the class know orchestrations well.
   I highly recommend this as the first BizTalk book. This book will make you ready for the advanced level books.



2. Got the book on Monday and was able to read through it and work with the examples and finished the book by Friday (had some down time at work). I had never worked with BizTalk before so this book was very helpful in getting points accross and examples were mostly spot on.
   
   Author had a very easy going writing skills with little humor and did not bore me with lot of technical jargons. Liked the way the book was organized.
   
   I wish there was a chapter on how to debug and monitor your Orchestrations using BizTalk Health and Activity Tracker tool. That would have come in handy when I goofed some of the examples. But I found out about Orchestration debugging from blogs and Microsoft site and was able to work through the examples.
   
   Like other reviewers had mentioned this book is very elementary and will get your feet barely wet with BizTalk. You need to buy an advanced book to compliment this one. I myself have bought the Pro BizTalk 2006 from apress.
   
   If you have already worked with BizTalk before then you may find this book of no use to you. Neverthless a good start and kudos to the author on a job well done.



3. First Day and I read 9 chapters. Looks like will be done with the book tomorrow. This is my first time hands on on Biztalk even though I have read some white papers before but this book rocks!. Samples are easy to understand and implement and very well chosen so you start to get the hang of biztalk.
   
   This is great addition on my shelf and highly recommend to the ones who are venturing into biztalk for first time.



4. I usually never get all the way through a software book for a variety of reasons, but this one I read twice. It has as thorough and step by step set of procedures for getting a new product up and running as I have ever seen. I doubt if the MS installation guide is as thorough. In addition to the step by step instructions for installation it also shows you how to set up the main components of Biztalk as well as giving a helpful overview of the product and its uses and requirements. As someone who resides mostly in the mainframe world this was very beneficial for me; I don't even know XML but was still able to follow along. Even for a web/pc person the detailed level of the instructions is likely to be helpful without being too elementary. And even if you are a dot net c sharp java whatever expert it's likely useful to have this book for the first week or so to help get things up and running, although the author freely and continuously points out that you will probably need to get a more advanced book soon.
   
   The writing style is light without being flippant, most instructions are concise and examples are well thought out. The chapter on Orchestration I found a little difficult to follow- it is where the meat of the logic takes place in a BizTalk process, typically, but this was probably due to my unfamiliarity with dot net terminology more than with a flawed presentation.
   
   A good book, written especially for the beginner, but would probably save anyone time with the helpful step-by-step instructions for installing and setting things up. Very, very highly recommend- although check back in a few weeks after we migrate to the product and see if my review stays this rosy.



5. This is an ok introduction to BizTalk. It does a decent job of introducing you to the different pieces involved. I also like fact that it gives you exercises to practive with.
   
   With that being said, there are some negatives in the book and I am surprised no one else brought them up. The book sometimes ask you to reference Visual Studio projects midstream that were never mentioned in any previous text or chapter. I also ran into a section that involves using expressions and the exercise references properties that do not exist on the message object. Also, steps are sometimes skipped. Finally, there is a lot of steps I was doing in the exercises, but I didn't understand WHY I was doing it.

3 comments about Microsoft Office Word 2003 Inside Out (Microsoft Office Word Inside Out).

1. I'm a fan of Microsoft Press's "Inside Out" series and own half a dozen books (or maybe more) from it. I bought this book to become an expert at Word 2003, but I found that while the book covers a lot of ground, it lacks depth on many topics. And it's writing style is quite confusing. For example, I tried to understand how to customize headers and footers by section, and after reading and re-reading the parts of the book that deal with this topic several times, I stil couldn't figure out. In the end, I just experimented on my own. Word is a complex piece of software. This book unfortunately does a poor job at making Word easier to learn, even for someone like myself who was already quite proficient with the software at the basic-intermediate level.



2. I just ordered this book to prepare me for the Microsoft certification exams. I've just flipped through it, but I don't think I'll be able to use it. It has very detailed sections on how to do things within Word, but I need more of a workbook. I expected the CD to contain exercises, but upon inspection it's just a PDF version of the book and some "extras." If you want a workbook version with exercises to do, I just purchased the PowerPoint version of the Step by Step series, and I think I'll have to order the Word version of that.



3. I found this book to be thorough & easy to understand. A great purchase that delivers all that I've come to expect from the "Inside Out" books! Love it and I use it often.

5 comments about Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users.

1. If you analyze data and make maps, this is well worth the money.
   It helps if you use ArcGIS too....



2. Since I am relatively new to the world of GIS Mapping, this book was an invaluable aid to designing more attractive maps. It's a beautifully laid-out book with lots of common-sense tips in it. Well worth the price!
   
   Linda Pierce
   Pray, Montana



3. This book reviews the very basics of map design and hardly touches on cartographic representations. It is probably a good starting point for first timers to GIS and mapping, but for the average map maker/cartographer it is too rudimentary.



4. An excellent book, but a bit tedious. Gives the GIS user an excellent review of what makes a map visually useful. GIS users aren't necessarily the best cartographers and this can help them along



5. This book addresses all major topics needed when considering what color to assign to a group of layers, which symbols and scales to use, how to annotate maps and how to complement maps with text boxes.
   
   It is well written so it's easy reading and does not require extensive background from other fields.
   
   Getting from here to there is simple enough by scanning the chapter index.
   
   Great reference for map designers, both beginners and experienced ones.

5 comments about Security Warrior.

1. This book should be titled "General Security Buzzwords 101 For The High Level User." The information in it just misses the information that one would be looking for in a technical environment.



2. Security Warrior has good overall coverage and plenty technical details for people like me who are interested in the technical details.



3. This book is outstanding and an essential read for anyone doing web-based application development.
   
   It is very eye-opening to the current state of web security.



4. This book contains some okay level of steering, but that's about it. The technical accuracy I see exhibited here can only be rivaled by your grandma explaining Windows system internals. It doesn't end at just the author's confusion of C and C++ (classic "strcpy() and other C++ functions" babble); the very explanation of why a program crashes, or how an attack works, or how variables and buffers get created is flat wrong.
   
   I had to stop reading this in the buffer overflow chapter. Highlights include the flawed interpretation of the error message from when bigmac() returned (it returned to non-mapped memory, the book says it read past the end of a string); the horrible explanation of how buffers work (buffers are not simple variables, and variables do not allocate multiple chunks of memory for themselves as explained); and the incorrect description of the return-to-text attack (returned to existing code, but the book says it's run code you injected onto the stack). After reading a stream of these such inaccuracies, I stopped looking for something that actually came out right.
   
   The buffer overflow chapter can easily be replaced with Hacking: The Art of Exploitation. Read that instead. It's also got better networking and WEP attack explanations.



5. This is one of my favorite security books from O'Reilly, primarily for the first four chapters which are dedicated to reverse engineering software. While there are a few texts out there that are dedicated to the subject and go into almost painful detail, this book is great for someone who is new to the skill. The other chapter that I was happy to see was chapter twenty-two which covers forensics and anti-forensics. While the coverage on anti-forensics was a bit light, it was great to actually see it included. I would be very interested to see (perhaps write?) a full book on this from O'Reilly sometime in the future, particularly given some of the attack methods on full disk encryption coming out of Princeton as of late.
   
   Overall, a great tome on security with a good body of solid and applicable information. I'm hoping to see an updated edition.

No comments about Practical Prototype and script.aculo.us (Expert's Voice in Web Development).

5 comments about Active Directory for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Technical Reference (Pro-Technical References).

1. When I first took this book at the local bookstore, I was astonished by its simplicity, straightforward and structured arrangements of explaining the active directory concepts. Unlike any other books that guide you toward the design process and explains jargons inline within the text, or using insets below the pages; this book introduces and explains EVERY JARGON FIRST as the building blocks of the active directory. The way it is arranged is that, every component of the active directory has its own section of explanation, which makes easier to find as reference. Besides, the book has a very good flow, i.e: the concept of "domain" must come before "trusts"; which makes even easier for new learners to catch up. The thing I like most about this book is its modularity, so you can learn one thing at a time and master it before going to the mnext concept; so you wont keep forgetting or getting things mixed up (you won't be confused on where to start, or saying "huh?")
   I like this book very much, and would like to recommend it to others, whether you're an MCSE with 10 yrs of experience, or just a newbie; you'll love this book!



2. While I generally have a low opinion of the quality of MS Press books, this one is absolutely the best book I've read on active directory. It is clear, concise, authoritative, and comprehensive. Don't waste your time or money with any other books on Active Directory.
   
   I was given this book for free for attending a Microsoft Technet briefing and commented sarcastically to my colleague sitting next to me, oh great another MS Press book. I decided to read it on a whim, and boy was I surprised and even impressed. This book not only explains very detailed functionality within active directory, but also covers high level planning and design and does a phenomenal job of tieing it all together so that the information is useful. Don't let the size of this book fool you.
   
   Every Windows 2003 Administrator should have this book on their shelf.
   
   RT
   MCT, MCSE, MCDBA, MCSA



3. When Windows 2003 was first released, if you were shopping for an Active Directory title, it was to solidify your administrative abilities with the emerging technology prior to implementing what at the time was a new platform. Today, if you're looking for an AD book, you are probably looking more for a reference guide to facilitate either advanced configuration and troubleshooting, or to enhance your understanding of the more "behind the scenes" aspects of the AD.
   
   In 2002 (when this book was published), I could have recommended this title. Without a doubt the book gives good historical information on where AD came from, and provides a solid foundation for the systems AD relies on (DNS), as well as planning your AD configuration, deployment in either a clean or migrated environment, security configuration, and AD object management. Much of the information presented in the domain design, deployment, and security sections however, are either direct reprints or consolidations of already posted (and free) Microsoft documentation, from such titles as Windows 2000 Server Domain Migration Cookbook, Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Domain Rename Tools, Step-by-Step Guide to Kerberos 5 (krb5 1.0) Interoperability, and several other cited Microsoft KB and "Step by Step" articles. These references are not hidden, but mentioned in side-bars throughout the text, and you are quite often encouraged to read those texts in addition to the information in this book.
   
   The layout of this book lends itself well to those learning or solidifying the basic to intermediate points of the technology. Although the title would suggest that this is a good reference, references allow one to look at the index or table of contents for the information they need, and get the answers without having to cross-reference many other topics. Picking a topic, such as application partition creation and management, shows that the information on this is not in one location and in fact requires the reader to have read the preceding topics in order to get a clearer picture. This is not detractive to the value of the book, but a better classification for this would be textbook.
   
   Today, the 2003 AD has been out for many years, more professionals have mastered the topic, and better books are available that provide a less Microsoft-centric take on the AD, as well as proven experience in management in more standard implementations. Instead of this title, look at ISBN 0321228480 "Inside Active Directory Second Edition".



4. If you're new to Active Directory, this is an acceptable starting point to get you up and running. However several points are not mentioned in this text:
   
   - First of all, issues regarding an Authoritative Restore; specifically Group Memberships. This is a CRUCIAL topic, as you'll see in the field, after doing an authoritative restore "by the book" you will have group membership inconsistencies
   - Poor explanation of tombstones & how to actually modify them; specifically which Object Attributes are saved in the tombstone by default [hint: user's group memberships is NOT one of them] and how to modify this property.
   - Insufficient coverage of crucial tools such as LDP.EXE, ASDIEDIT.MSC, FRSDIAG, REPLMON.
   - No explanation of Object's Back Link's [i.e. a user's Group Memberships] vs Object's Forward Link's [i.e. a group's User Members] and how Active Directory treats them VERY differently [esp for purposes of performing a restore].
   - No coverage of the Journal Wrap & issues this causes w/ FRS replication
   
   There are other books, but unfortunately the only place I've found any information on these vital topics is support.microsoft.com. I HIGHLY suggest you spend your time reading the following technotes if you plan on using this book: Q840001, Q280079, Q216993, Q909265, Q292438.



5. It's better than most AD books from MS Press. A great resource and not a bad cover to cover read either. Something very hard to say about MS press books.
   
   If you just need more of an understanding of AD and how everything works together in 2003, than grab this book. it will be worth it.

No comments about JMP Start Statistics: A Guide to Statistics and Data Analysis Using Jmp, Fourth Edition (Sas Press Series).

5 comments about Eric Sink on the Business of Software (Expert's Voice).

1. Software development is not yet a science. More than a craft, when done well it can become art with its own aesthetic. A practical art, sooner or later its practitioners have to pay the rent, which is where the business aspect comes in. Written by an admitted programmer-geek for other programmer-geeks, it provides an excellent overview of personal and professional growth that is part and parcel of any business that creates value for customers. Well written, with illuminating anecdotes, pointers, seasoned with a rant or two, an in-depth index and very useful external references, the book is organized into four parts that roughly correspond to any business organization's structure. Interestingly, a little over half of the book deals with marketing and sales, and the unusual challenges with various ways that these can be addressed, that this poses for programmer-geeks in particular and Independent Software Vendors in general. Not just for programmer-geeks, this book has lessons for anyone interested in, or involved with, the business of developing software. An excellent companion to this book is `Micro-ISV' by Bob Walsh, which provides valuable and detailed road maps through the mechanics of organization, meeting schedules, and other business aspects of the business of software.Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality



2. Really I'd prefer to give this about 2.5 stars. The information and advice in this book *seems* good but my main complaint is that Eric Sink has never started a micro-ISV, and worse, for the sake of the book he did attempt to start a micro-ISV and it failed miserably. He did this near the beginning of the book. I always thought he was going to go back to this later on in the book and apply some of his own advice to his failed first attempt and turn it around but he never did.



3. The pace of the book is pretty fast and light. Unlike many business books, Eric generally gets down to the point in just one or two paragraphs. No long antidotes about how someone felt in there situation. Simply, the facts as he sees them.
   
   Eric Sink's message is a bit ironic. He states that geeks are not the end all and be all in the world. But at the same time, we know that geeks can code adavanced architectures using design patterns and refactoring, so how hard can writing a business plan be?
   
   One of the things the books does do is inspire techies to grow out of their shell and tackle the business world with the same gusto as their code. In the end, Eric demonstrates though his own example that this strategy can and does work.



4. This book is great in the sense that here's this guy who decided to do exactly what I want to do: start a software business from scratch. Except he blogged most of the major steps including mistakes and thought patterns for others to be able to use. That's the plus side.
   
   The book gets a bit redundant as it's still in blog format, which means on different days similar thoughts may be included in different articles. So don't expect a minimalist approach to writing. That's not such a big deal to me.
   
   The one star I didn't give to this book was because even though it started great, from the mid-point on it started becoming a "vision" book just like most books out there. My disappointment is that though it started out telling me how exactly to put something together step by step assuming I don't even have the idea, from the middle, suddenly it became a tactics book and left a big gap. It's as if the author suddenly discovered success, got distracted for a while and then lost touch with the average person who hasn't directly seen the "aha" moment.
   
   Overall, if you're contemplating on starting a business and you have a technical background, I would recommend this book as a part of your reading. It does get you thinking about the right stuff.



5. I enjoyed this book. It was an easy and quick read that offers practical advice like you'd get over a beer from someone you respected and trusted. Use it as a framework for DIY. Thanks for sharing, Eric.

5 comments about Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Core Reference.

1. The discussion on how to use the new SqlCacheDependency class is wrong. The book claimed (in page 623) that "with SQL Server 2005 no setup work is needed and no external objects must be added to the Database.". In reality, you need to setup several permissions in the database side. In addition, you have to make sure that the compatibility level of your database is set to 90.
   
   The source code example in page 622 will not work. The reason is that the SqlCacheDependency object was created after the command was executed. SqlCacheDependency must be created and linked to the command object BEFORE executing the command.
   
   Further, the book made no mention of the requirements of the SQL statement of the command to be linked to the SqlCacheDependencyObject (e.g. you cannot use *, and table names must be qualified with its owner). If you do not follow these SQL rules, caching using the SqlCacheDependency will not work.
   
   I have not finished reading the book; I don't think I will have motivation to do that. I'm not very confident that what I'll be reading is accurate because of the above errors and omissions.



2. Learning to program is a hands-on activity. The best teaching texts are those that provide example programs which the student can reproduce, tinker with, and observe, to learn the concepts illustrated thereby.
   
   Unfortunately this book does not take that pedagogical approach. The textual descriptions are high-level, supplemented by abstract and simplified diagrams, as well as tables that list in exhaustive (and exhausting) detail the various classes, their methods, properties, &c. One looks in vain however for a good program to illustrate how an actual ASP.Net website might work (I gave up looking after Part I).
   
   The author advises that this book should not be the first to be read on the subject of ASP.Net 2.0. Accordingly, I read a more basic text on the subject, which, through well-constructed sample programs, gave me a firm grasp of the basics and whetted my appetite to learn more advanced techniques I could use to build practical websites. I hoped this book would supply those techniques, but I was disappointed.
   
   This book might be of use to a developer who already knows the essentials of ASP.Net 2.0, and needs a desk reference for use in day-to-day programming tasks. As a learning tool, it is about as useful as trying to learn a foreign language by reading a dictionary.



3. Even though I haven't finished this book (not enough time in the year), it's a very well written book. Not too hard to read, but complete and covers a ton of information. Highly recommended.



4. WAY TOO MUCH FLUFF. Buried in all of this filler text are obfuscated details of the language. There are no real examples that can be followed. I wish I could get a refund because I really feel like I wasted my money.



5. I am really unhappy with this book. As stated in other reviews, there are no examples anywhere, just discussion of different topics. For example, there is a chapter on the various controls that are available to add to a page, but no example. Yet, I didn't see that what he said about the control was so earth shattering, that it could not be known elsewhere.
   
   Dino does preface his book, that it is not for beginners. But then, he goes on to "introduce" VS 2005. He "introduces" many of the controls, and what they do. But then, no examples. Excuse me? In a book that **is** for beginners,a control is introduced, its behaviour is described, and then there is usually an example. You get everything Dino gives you, PLUS an example that you can see the control in action.
   
   In my opinion, he talked alot and said a little. Fluff, pure and simple.
   
   I would *not* recommend this book, for anyone.

4 comments about Big Java.

1. Big java is a good place to begin learning how to program, and to begin learning the Java language. It teaches all the basic control structures and syntax necessary to begin programming quickly. They also have an optional WileyPlus program for testing / additional review and source code. It might have been nice if the source code was included for free with the book on a Cd or through a download but still a good book.



2. Don't get me wrong; this is a good Java text. The concepts are explained in a pretty clear manner, which is a trick when trying to explain OOP concepts to someone who has never programmed (which is the book's target audience). But that also leads me to my main criticism of the book: it tries to cover too much material. Anyone who knows C or C++ will find significant chunks of the book to be only review. Even Visual Basic coders will find parts of the book that cover stuff they already know (e.g. rudimentary programming concepts).
   
   So if you've never written a computer program, and you want to learn Java, this might be your best bet (although your goal -- and the price of the book -- are a bit daunting). If you already know how to program, but don't know about objects or Java, I would recommend Eckel's "Thinking in Java" (4th edition), or "Head First Java" from O'Reilly.



3. Having never taken a program course before this, I was pleasantly surprised at the candid nature of Horstmann's writing. Often, author of textbooks will sound promising in their introductions but not deliver in the execution of a tome. Here, however, we find in Horstmann a author gifted at explaining difficult concepts with a lucidity that cannot always be taken for granted. Bravo!



4. So-so ho hum textbook. Only got it as it was required for a course I was taking. I would NOT recommend this as a resource to learn the language - you are gonna get rid of it as soon as the class is over. Buy it as cheap as you can and dump it after the class.