5 comments about C# 3.0 in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)).

1. I'm a professional developer but I have no experience using C#. My current project required learning C# at a highly accelerated pace and this book did it for me.
   
   If you are an experienced developer needing to learn C# quickly and thoroughly without resorting to the "for Dummies" types of books this is an effective tool, use it.



2. sits on my desk as a reference when I encounter something I cannot remember or just need to brush up on!



3. For those who has experience with object-oriented programming, this is an excellent book both for learning C# and for being used as a reference book on the desk. The examples are carefully designed in general but can be made better in a couple of places.



4. Pure awesome - if you're a good programmer already and want the skinny on what's new (or even great explanations on what you already think you know), spend the $10-$15 and buy this book. I love it and I buy every version they put out. There just aren't enough people like Joseph and Ben writing tech books!



5. The "In a Nutshell" series has long been my favorite's. I am glad they did C# again with .NET 3.0. The format of the book changed quite a bit with a much better format and lenghthy explainations and demonstrations. I truly hope they redo ADO.NET in a nutshell as that was my favorite as well.
   
   This book is all you really need on C# and .NET framework. [I have many others, but always find myself coming back to this, and for good reason]

5 comments about Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Classroom in a Book.

1. My graphic art teacher made us get this book for our Flash class. The first 4 chapters were pretty good. BUT, the 6 thru 11 chapters are horrible. The instructions give errors on everything, none of the students could do any of the work correctly. The teacher is scratching his head. This is a college grade course and it cannot be completed. I wish we had gotten the Flash Revealed. If your instructor wants you to use this book, do everything to talk him or her out of it!!!



2. After reading Adobe Illustrator CS3 Classroom in a Book and really finding it to be quite good, I expected this book to be good, as well. Unfortunately, as many other reviews here already share, it has many steps missing in exercises throughout the book. Adobe needs to go back to the drawing board on this one.



3. This was such a terrible waste of money. It is too confusing and it does not help as much as it was supposed to. I have used a few of the Classroom In A Book series before,and I was relying on these past experiences, but this book is not as good as the other ones were. It looks like it has been written by some lazy writer who doesn't feel like explaining much. I should have listened to you guys who harshly criticized it. I agree with every one of you now. If I could, I would give NO stars at all to rate this thing.



4. I thought there was something wrong with me until I read through the other comments. I agree with those who say the instruction is imitative and not sufficiently explanatory. It is like following breadcrumbs through a forest-
   what do you do when the breadcrumbs are gone? Show me how to use a compass and a gps and I will find my own way through the forest. I felt the same way about the Illustrator and Photoshop books, though to a lesser extent. I am a middle aged adult returning to school, and something has changed in instructional philosophy.
   I like the program's capabilities and will now have to start over with a book that focuses on explaining how the program works.



5. I have been a graphic designer for over 14 years. I eat, breath and sleep Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark XPress, and have worked with InDesign, DreamWeaver, FireWorks, Acrobat and similar tools of the trade. I've also worked with Flash to an extent, and that's the only real reason I believe I got anything out of this book.
   
   The problem isn't that the lessons don't illustrate real-world applications, but that the author rarely explains WHY he's instructing you to do something. Also, in many of the more advanced lessons too much has already been done for the student, especially with the construction of nested symbols for complex animations.
   
   I had no difficulty completing the lessons successfully, but when I had finished the book and began to design an intro for a photography website, I realized that I didn't have a grasp on the principles of Flash, which should have been exactly what this book covered.
   
   If you've had some experience with the program, I think you'll probably glean something new from it. If you've never worked in Flash before, you should probably seek a different book for your initiation.

No comments about Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Unleashed.

5 comments about Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code (The Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series).

1. This book is required reading for anyone who is serious about software development. If you want to go from good to great then do yourself a favor and get this book.



2. This book is just a real easy read, with lots of good information. You can pretty much flip to any page in the book, read, and learn something. You don't have to read chapter by chapter - it's just real easy to jump into.
   
   Lots of tips seem self-evident, but I doubt they would be to rookie programmers. It's definitely a book new programmers should get their hands on early.



3. Refactoring is the process of changing a software system in such a way that it does not alter the external behavior of the code yet improves its internal structure. It is a disciplined way to clean up code that minimizes the chances of introducing bugs. In essence when you refractor you are improving the design of the code after it has been written.
   
   When I first got this hardcover in December 2000, there were no integrated development environments (IDE) that would have easily allowed applying refactorings like Extract Method or Inline Method. Now, in 2008, any IDE like Delphi allows to refactor in one click. So now this book is even more valuable than it was at a time of first publication.



4. I was referred to this book from a colleague after a quick discussion on "Replace temp with Query" in our projects code base.
   
   I thought I knew it all as a software developer, but reading this book, I soon came to realize that as a software developer I was leaving a legacy of code that was not at the standard it should be.
   
   This book opened my eyes to some really simple concepts, for example, when trying to understand code someone else has written (or yourself in some cases) take the time to re-factor the code (i.e. Extract Method) so that the code is understandable, since most of the work is spent in trying to understand the code in the first place. This concept of modifying code as you understand it is superb.
   
   I must say I was skeptical at first but the benefits are really starting to show. This book is written with the knowledge of Martin Fowler, and as such is written with experience of what it is like to be a developer in a commercial environment, for example, trying to explain to management the trade-offs of re-factoring first instead of "tacking on" that new feature. Something that is difficult in any environment.
   
   This book will by no means solve your problems, but it will empower you with a new found love to make the IT project(s) you work on better (i.e. not thinking of the now but the future) practice some of the smaller concepts this book presents on a daily basis and the rewards are well worth it, break those bad habits today.



5. What is better? Replacing delegations with inheritance or replacing inheritance with delegation?
   
   The answer is the ultimate answer to most software engineering decisions: DEPENDS, there is always a trade-off that has to be analyzed according to the context! This book addresses those trade-offs very well.
   
   Moreover, I like the examples in the book, good to use in class when teaching. They generate interesting discussions.

5 comments about Beginning PHP and MySQL: From Novice to Professional, Third Edition (Beginning from Novice to Professional).

1. I purchased this book because I needed to use PHP and MySQL for a project at work. I never had any exposure to either before reading this book. By using this book and the w3schools website I was able to successful build a meager database and have a fully functioning php front end. It was very pleasing to see the project come to fruition and I have this book to thank for that. I used it mainly as a reference book. For example, I knew exactly what I wanted to do so I would search this book for an example of that and adapt the code to my situation. I didn't use this book to "learn PHP." I think you need to have a project to do in order to best use this book.



2. Despite the title, this book is not for the novice. Even the introductory first 100 pages or so assume that you are above a novice level. The examples lead to more questions (for me, the novice) than they answer.
   
   Having said that, this book has a tremendous amount of information in it and, as other reviews mention, it will work well as a reference. Now, I hope to find a true beginning PHP book to provide the basis to use this book!



3. I have recently bought this book and have to say it is execellent, it does help if you have a little prior knowledge as some new readers could find it a little difficult to understand. But if you have an interest in PHP and MySQL it is a great book to get your hands on. I highly recommend it.



4. This book does have a lot of information, making it a great reference book. However, after 10 chapters I still do not know how to use any of the information to "build dynamic, database-driven web sites..." as the subtitle states. If you're a beginning programmer, as I am, try to find a true beginner's book (wish I could give a recommendation).



5. This books is written for someone who is familiar with other programming languages and databases and now wants to use PHP and MySQL. It is not written for somebody completely new to programming. For example, if you came from Perl or ASP, and you wanted to know how arrays, loops, and objects in PHP, this book will cover that.
   
   The topic coverage is broad but not deep. The book has a feel of "semi-reference" in that each topic stands on its own. This is not a cookbook or "learn by example" book. There is enough information to get you started, but if you have a complex/niche problem, this book will not help you. For more information, you will have to consult books that specialize on the topic you are interested.
   
   I have one major gripe with this book. There is not any significant coverage of XML manipulation or XSL/XSLT aspects of PHP. When you look at the table of contents or index, there is no mention of XSL/XSLT and only a brief mention of XML (and RSS) in the Web Services chapter. For a book that covers a lot of subjects, this is a weak area.

4 comments about Blogging For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. Blogging for Dummies is an excellent resource for those of us just startting out in the blogosphere. I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about starting a blog.



2. Blogging For Dummies is a fabulous resource for bloggers, new and old. This book is full of great information, tips, ideas, suggestions and resources that any blogger can benefit from reading. Written by two Pros in the field of blogging, you can't go wrong if you're looking for a one-stop, desktop reference on the world of blogging. Highly recommended!



3. I'm toying with starting a blog with my distorted views of the world, both as to legal issues and general editorializing. This will help me along the way. The book is helpful to someone with some intelligence, but who is totally ignorant of application of techniques.



4. The Christmas Trilogy (3CD/DVD)
   
   Great book for the newbee, or moderate computer users

5 comments about Software Requirements, Second Edition (Pro-Best Practices).

1. This book is a classic. Well written and to the point. It helps resolve what requirements are and should be. I have done requirements for 30 years and I learned a lot! Wish it had been out sooner in my career.



2. Needed to understand and learn how to get software requirements. Very informative and helped me fit into my new role at the time.



3. I work for CDW and this book came highly recommended. It did not disappoint as it is clear, well written, and organized in a logical format. I have been writing requirements for many years and this is by far the best overall book on the subject that I have read. The suggestions for labeling and writing requirements alone make it worth the price of admission.



4. Absolutely happy with it. Having recently completed a project this book gave me the opportunity to look back and think about things I could have done /planned better.



5. 
   I have had this book for some time and recently realized how often I use it as a reference when I am trying to figure out a way to document or model a feature. This book is well worth the price, I have definitely benefited from keeping this book near my desk.
   
   Although this book is not to replace books dedicated to topics such as Use Cases, technical writing, UML and modeling, change control, or test case development it is a great place to see them all work together in context.
   
   Don't forget to visit the `Requirements Engineering" section of the authors' site. There you will find the samples from the book and other useful articles.

5 comments about Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (The Addison-Wesley Signature Series).

1. As a newcomer to enterprise architecture this book educated me on possibilities for decisions to be made in designing an enterprise architect. It will also give you a language for describing existing characteristics of an existing enterprise application which may use some combination of the patterns describe in this book. The discussion of where to keep session state for a webapp was particularly helpful to me.



2. For me, this book is an invaluable reference for building business apps.
   
   Want help choosing a framework? Want some guidance for solving common business problems? These patterns help solve these kinds of problems.
   
   NOTE: I have tried to find other sources for these patterns, and I have only found Fowlers website, which is really only a summary and recommends purchasing the book.
   
   This book has examples in both Java and C#. You can certainly use these patterns in .NET.
   
   Under .NET you are not actually forced to use the Table Model. I think the purpose of this book is to help you realize this.
   
   There are frameworks for .NET that use the Domain Model and Data Mapper patterns, but you would never know this unless you were familiar with the patterns in this book.
   
   For me, reading this book didn't allow me to write new code, but it did allow me to understand my choice to use a particular framework/technique over another.



3. This is a must read book if you are a developer, architect or in anyway related to technology.



4. Even if you don't do "Enterprise Application" development, this book is a must have in your library. If you have been developing for more than a couple of years and you haven't seen 1/2 of the patterns in this book, then you are probably doing something wrong and this book could greatly help you.
   
   Even if you do know 1/2 or more of the patterns in this book it is a great reference to the details of these patterns. Unless you are a Sophomore Software Engineering Student I'd recommend this book over the GoF book. Gof is a must have too, but if you can only have one. Get this one!



5. This book is a complete beginner's handbook for enterprise patterns.
   
   1) The "Mapping to Relational Database Patterns" section discusses patterns that are completely intuitive. I recall logically coming to this conclusions when I started programming in Visual Basic in 99. Nothing new in this section.
   
   2) The "Concurrency" section is criminal in nature and assumes that the application runs on high-cost server. Process-per-session? Thread-per-request? Come on!! Has the author missed out on the Reactor, Proactor and Active Object patterns (he does reference ACE but only as a reference). These patterns have been recognized as not scalable in the late 90s.
   
   3)The distribution patterns are clearly incomplete and desire a lot of details.
   
   If you're just starting out,as a System Architect :-), you'll find this useful. Otherwise, use MSDN or ACE for enterprise patterns.

5 comments about Core Java(TM), Volume I--Fundamentals (8th Edition) (Sun Core Series).

1. This is a very fine book. Althought I am still progressing through the first third of it, I have found it to be very useful.



2. This is a great book, it provides detailed descriptions about how to write in Java. I recommend it if you have some, (but not much) java experience, or even if you have a lot of experience. It includes great programs, references, and notes describing how to use the most commonly used peices of java. If there are certain methods not in the book, it gives exact references to them online at the sun website.



3. I am an extremely experienced Java programmer and Ph. D. computer scientist. I write and teach courses and develop technical assessments, so it's important to me to keep up with language developments. While I've bought a great many Java books over the years, I've been neglecting Core Java for many editions, thinking it would no longer be of any use and being tired of repurchasing books. I'm part way through this one, and I am astounded at how much I am discovering, especially about Java 5 & 6 (even though I thought I knew all about their new features). I'm also enjoying the detailed comparisons with C++, as I used to use and teach that too. No matter how much you know about Java I would strongly recommend this book, if only to read all the well-delineated comments and clarifications that appear frequently. A particularly nice feature is that where portions of the API are summarized there are indications of the version in which the feature was added -- it helped reduce my feelings of chagrin when I read something surprising to find that it had been introduced in v6 or was a part of v5 I hadn't yet explored. Unlike so many other books this one provides meaningful and useful examples. I am eagerly anticipating the second volume.



4. The book does well is saying what's new in JDK 5.0 and later. It doesn't do well in actually covering it. The book shows results of certain arguments, commands, etc..., without actually showing you the command that would be executed to achieve the result. It leave you to the trial and error of figuring out the syntax by yourself.
   
   It also lacks explanation at the beginning chapters, making this a book I wouldn't want to start out learning JAVA with. I don't have other JAVA books covering the new specs, so I don't have anything to compare this to. However, I learned JAVA initially with FAR superior books to this. One was Introduction to JAVA Programming by Liang. It explaned everything a beginner needs to know, and included plenty of example code, and explained the code. I don't know if there is a new version though, and the one I have would be outdated now.



5. If you're looking for a solid book on Java 6 (this is a two volume series though) that is part reference material and part insight from a veteran educator and programer then this book is for you. It's not a Java / Comp Sci 101 book but one that is geared towards folks with some programing experience, particularly in Java. I highly recommend this to the Java programmer that needs a good reference and wants t know how Java works in te real world.

1 comments about GO! with Microsoft Office 2007 Introductory (Go! Series).

1. book was a good price, sold with the course disc, only the disc was for the 2003 course.