5 comments about Programming in Visual Basic.NET 2005 Edition w/ Std CD.

1. This book is one of the best tools any beginning .NET or Visual Basic programmer can have. It teaches a very wide scope of material.
   
   I did every single problem in the book. Most of it out of my own desire to learn. I think this is the reason many people who are required to read this book for a class fail.
   
   The key is to do everything step by step. It is not a book for someone looking to skim over content. It is very in depth and if used properly it will teach you a great deal.



2. This book is filled with errors, incorrect information, and simply improper use of the VB.NET language. If you learn from this book and practice it's teachings at a real job, you would most likely either be fired or warned to learn the proper way. Why would any college ever think about using this book? It's just wrong. I mean the book is not how you use VB.NET it's just not.



3. This book isn't bad, but it would be confusing for people (like me) who had never been exposed to basic programming terminology before.
   
   If you know what an "argument" is (in a programming context), what it means to "call" a process, and are familiar with other similar jargon, this book may be just what you need. Otherwise, this book does not explain terms like this clearly, and you'd be better off with another one.



4. Without the fact that you have to re-write code over the authors to even get some of the "example" projects to work, ("example" projects meaning that they write all of the code and you basically copy it to gain a better understanding of how it all fits together) after chapter one you are expected to be a wizard programmer that needs only hints as to the hows and whys of the functions discussed in the later chapters. The hows and whys are described but in a disjointed fashion and badly explained throughout the book. The chapter on Arrays is horrible and made more sad by the fact that nearly every program a professional programmer will write will have complex Arrays inside of it. My college will no longer be using this book as of next semester thanks to students like me and an overall poor GPA for the programming class. Bottom line....Buy this book at your own risk. There are much better ones out there.



5. How long does it take for me to get refund? I havent received any refund yet from the time i returned it.
   -Gempanix-

5 comments about Absolute Java (3rd Edition).

1. However, Amazon needs to find publisher that can scale down the prices on school textbook. The book was expensive!



2. It took me a couple months of my own time reading this book to prepare myself for a second round back to school. I have not programmed in almost 8 years and it was in C. I have to say that as an introductory programming book, Savitch did a superb job. You cannot get any more clear on the topics of the basics and foundations of the Java language than this. If you're just a passerby that just wants to get yourself started in Java, I recommend this book.



3. I've tried three other Java intro books, and they either aren't well-organized or they take such a dim view of the reader's abilities that it's like reading Programming for Pre-schoolers. Absolute Java is well-structured with both breadth & depth: it doesn't ignore programming basics, but covers a much larger scope of material than other books I've tried, while still including detail about intricacies of more sophisticated aspects of the language. Uses lots of good, robust examples. Love it.



4. I learned JAVA language a couple of years ago. As I have to reuse it recently, I borrow the 2nd Edtion from a computer science guy in the school, because many people told me this is the best one. After I read through it, I decided to purchase the newest edtion. It's INDEED the best one of the JAVA guides I've ever read.



5. I have read both books by Savitch and Deitel, and Savitch is by far clearer, although Savitch could still buff the textbook out a bit more with explaining "Compositon" topic better and clarifying paramater type .
   
   Also Savitch summarizes every subsection and I am not 100% sure this is necessary in all subsections.
   
   Savitch should urge his publisher not to begin a new subsection at the bottom of a page!
   
   Savitch should make available more solutions in a separate manaul for those wishing it.
   
   Overall I would say Savitch saved my day with my 2 JAVA courses. Deitel starts out with graphics, assuming the student will graps Java better but Deitel introduces some rather major concepts when doing this and I don't think the students would appreciate the complex ideas without using Savitch step by step methodologies. Deitel assumes a student undestands the concept of "extends", "implements" etc and this is exactly what graphics class uses and Deitel assumes students will understand these concepts just because they are graphical in nature. Savithc covers these concepts later when other major concepts are covered so that a student will appreciate the "extends" concepts much better.
   
   So Savitch and Deitel cover the same material, but in different sequences. And I believe that Savitch's approach works better and helps the student understand the more difficult concepts later in the textbook.
   
   gerard sagliocca,
   gerard_sagliocca@yahoo.com

5 comments about Embedded Linux Primer: A Practical Real-World Approach.

1. Wow!
   So far the book proves that embedding Linux while not easy can be fun and interesting. You never know what Tux will do during his startup sequences, even if you did indeed write the stuff the kernel is using for that series of startup steps.



2. I am an experienced embedded developer that just inherited an embedded Linux-based project already in progress. As there happens to be no one else at my company with any embedded Linux experience, I automatically became the de-facto Linux expert and I needed to come up to speed on a lot of topics very quickly. I found this book to be an excellent survey of the must-know topics for the embedded Linux developer. It also contains many references to the most definitive sources of information on the various topics. Highly recommended for coming up to speed on embedded Linux.



3. This book is very well organized, and provides a good level of detail of the topic. I do recommend it.



4. This book, the CALAO SYSTEM USB-A9260 card, an eeePC and a cross over cable is all that you need to study embedded system everywhere (even along the Seine river in Paris - yes I did it !).
   The chapters about the U-BOOT bootloader, the BUSYBOX embeded Linux and an extra piece of information on the JFFS2 file system are welcome. If the cross-development environment chapter had been about BUILDROOT, this book would have been THE BOOK for the present embedded Linux based systems designers.



5. For those engineers who start their first embedded Linux project, this book is a must have. The book is not for those who want to understand how kernel runs but it gives you the most important concept and work flow to bring up the OS on your development board. The author also provides a useful further reading list in case you want to dig more. A very practical and clearly written book and I would recommend it to those who have solid experience in embedded development but just start to explore in Linux.

2 comments about Consider it Done! Ten Prescriptions for Finishing What You Start.

1. "Dr Stanley Hibbs in his latest book, Consider It Done! Ten Prescriptions for Finishing What You Start - has tackled one of life's most universal perplexing problems in a practical down-to-earth way that will give every reader fresh insight and guidance. I predict that Dr Hibbs' book will become a must have, well-thumbed, much consulted classic guidebook which every minister, coach, mentor or therapist will use with their congregations, mentees, clients and patients." -- Rev. Dr. John Clements, author, international speaker and life coach of Norwich, England



2. No other book gets into the dynamics of procrastination and how to overcome it better than this book. I read it and I immediately put into use ideas that worked for me. The best idea, for me, was the idea of obtaining an Accountability Partner. Now I could go ahead with a project I'd been considering for months.
   Side bars really put this approach into life and make the ideas much easier to grasp. Read this and get your own project moving. Soon, you'll be able to "consider it done."

5 comments about OpenGL(R) Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL(R), Version 2 (5th Edition) (OpenGL).

1. OpenGL isn't a beginner's topic. It is a (seemingly) complex world of graphics processing at the lowest levels. It is not for the timid or mathematically illiterate. This book addresses the topic in a very logical manner. When you know and understand OpenGL, it is easy to understand that some elements of a logical progression do not necessarily make the best sense to a newcomer to the technology. When first embracing OpenGL, there is a relatively steep on-ramp for some kinds of thinkers. So what's new? Everyone thinks a bit differently.
   
   This book will point your thinking in the direction of OpenGL. It takes a very steady, but fundamental course toward that objective. It is not full of fluff, nor does it attempt to overwhelm the uninitiated with superfluous content. It does a really good job at combining elements of the nitty-gritty of OpenGL code with the practices and underlying architecture of the OpenGL system as implemented by the standards-conformant graphics hardware/drivers. It has a very comprehensive expose of the OpenGL pipeline and every reasonable aspect of using OpenGL at the fundamental level and with the GLUT.
   
   My copy of this book is well-worn from countless flippings back-n-forth of pages and chapters as I continue to extract useful information about OpenGL from it. Perhaps it deserves 5 stars, but I have no frame of reference nor am I a gift to OpenGL programmers, so I rate it conservatively at 4.5 stars.
   
   The book reads very easily. It is not wordy or overly terse. It does assume that you've had at least fundamental mathematics representative of college-level computer science majors. Even if your math skills are not so well-developed, this book doesn't try to drown you in such things, rather, it directs you toward the practices of accomplishing OpenGL programming assuming that you will learn that math that is necessary for the work you intend to do. It also assumes that you have strong fundamentals in C programming. It also assumes that you're able to read and comprehend English. I don't find any of these to be worthy of a disclaimer as might another reviewer.
   
   The book is presented very well. I can not say enough how straight-forward and logically it proceeds through the topics necessary to get up-to-speed with OpenGL programming. It reads well, too. That is, you don't necessarily need to be sitting at your computer in order to enjoy elements of this book while learning about OpenGL.
   
   The included examples are well-chosen to illustate the points made during the course of the text where they are found. I had absolutely no problem compiling and executing them on my GNU/Linux-based system using Mesa and GCC.
   
   I would suggest that you plan to spend some quality time with this book if you're serious about learning OpenGL. Some of the topics take more than a brief reading to fully sink-in...at least they did for me! There are a few sections that I spent several hours on and re-read several times, which I credit to the technical-aspects of the content rather than reduce to an "issue" with the authors' presentation skills. OpenGL isn't going to be easy if you're relatively new to 2D and 3D programming. It is probably an "advanced" topic for all but the most severe.
   
   The book is thoroughly enjoyable and when completed and you're banging away OpenGL code with style and grace, there is a notable sense of accomplishment. I had a lot of fun dissecting this book until my brain finally decided to learn its contents.



2. I've recieved my product without problems. Good book, fast ship. I'm satisfied.



3. When we migrated from DirectX to OpenGL and from Microsoft to Linux this book was a constant reference during those weeks of hard work. It is concise, clear and documents well OpenGL. You have to know what you are looking for, but... that's the purpose of a reference guide, right?.
   Great job on compiling the material !!!!
   Gabriel



4. Recently I had my first experience in programming computer graphics with OpenGL. After considering many sources I would recommend the Official Guide to Learning OpenGL the best option for beginner in the computer graphics area with mathematical background. Besides, book is very helpful for use as a reference during the entire programming process with OpenGL.
   
   It provides the necessary level of detail, not going too deep in underlying mathematical concepts explanations unlike many other books. For anyone interested in more detail each subchapter has "Advanced" section providing in depth explanations. It also contains working sample programs written in C/C++ (which could easily be integrated to other programming languages) being really helpful during learning process.
   
   The complete reading of book not required once started, as after having understanding of how main concepts of OpenGL works, it could be used as search convenient reference manual. One can easily find the subject of interest and gain rather complete understanding of topic after reading corresponding section.



5. If you're a serious OpenGL programmer like I am, this book is basically a bible. Unlike DirectX, there aren't a ton of decent places to find documentation for OpenGL. I've had to do some pretty complex programming and every single time the "Red Book" helped me accomplish the goal.
   
   Honestly though, I think a lot of this material should be online. This is not a book you read cover to cover. It's something you need if you're having trouble with blending operations in your scene and you need to know more about how OpenGL works (not for novices). I would suggest buying the "Blue Book" along with this (The OpenGL reference manual). The blue book goes over each API call in detail (similar to what you would expect from MSDN).

5 comments about Developer's Guide to the Windows SharePoint Services v3 Platform (Charles River Media Programming).

1. I have read more than half of the book and am very disappointed with the content. He spends far too much time explaining how things were done in SharePoint Services v2 and then how they are different in v3. I was hoping for more information about how to do things in SharePoint v3 but there is not enough meat to actually get in and do anything.



2. For WSS v3, the new version of SharePoint product, it's not easy to find a good book. Yes, you can download the SDK. But somehow it's not a good start point for beginners! This book was the first one did a good job on providing guidance for the beginners of WSS developers. Even over, it show us many different aspect of programming for WSS, such as Event Receiver, Custom Field Type, and Web Part.
   But this book contain many typos error! The publisher did introduced many error!? Very often, you must go to the CD to find the correct code or Fig.
   But I still recommend this book. Very valueable! True.



3. Todd Bleeker is enthusiastic about SharePoint, and it shows. This book is a great resource for people wanting to get up to speed with programming in SharePoint 2007. Todd gives a lot of examples and lots of background on the subject covered. I'm not a developer and I could understand the book and was able to follow along and even use some of the examples.
   
   If you want to get your feet wet with SharePoint programming, you can't go wrong with this book.



4. I would recommend "Inside Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 " instead of this book. That book feels more upto date with the subject.



5. The author is to be commended for getting this published as quickly as he did. For a time (first half '07) this was the best, most in-depth coverage of deep development of SharePoint features with .NET. However, these topics receive more current and relevant treatement in "Inside Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (Pattison and Larson) and I would recommend that book instead. Hence the three star rating.

5 comments about Approximation Algorithms.

1. Very good, it is easy to read the book if you have a good level
   of knowledge and the experience to think some details in the
   proofs of the theorems.
   I think it is a very good book for a graduate student.



2. I have been looking for books related to solving NP-complete and NP-hard problems approximately. There is another book by Hochbaum and I have that too. Unfortunately, that book is more of a research oriented book as it is written by several researchers. It's like reading several research papers within two hard covers. This means that one needs to have a sort of intermediate level of experience with approximation algorithms.
   
   For a beginner, one would expect a book that starts from ground-up and that has been written as a textbook rather than as a set of research papers. The book by Dr. Vazirani, is the only book that is written by one author with a step-by-step evolution of concepts and ideas related to approximation algorithms.



3. This is a fanastic topics book in approximation algorithms. The problems and proofs are challenging and concise, but written in a very accessible manner. It is a great reference book, and also a convenient place to grab a lecture from if you need something to fill our a course. I have found it extremely useful, and even fun to read. I highly reccomend it for any person interested in theoretical computer science.



4. This is a quite nice book by an author who is well-known in the field. The book is not thematic, instead it presents certain problems in each chapter along with the main approximation algorithms and correctness proofs. Yet, each new concept is well introduced with the problems. For instance, the author presents LP-based techniques on the same problem (set cover) in the second part of the book. This makes it quite easy to compare and understand different techniques. The last part of the book is a little bit advanced compared to the first two parts which uses combinatorial or LP-based analysis of the algorithms. The presentation of the PCP theorem- arguably the deepest theorem of computer science- and its consequences are also in the last part.
   
   A warning though: The book is quite terse at times, which enforces a dense reading. This may not be suitable for an undergradute study. My only complaint is that the PCP theorem might well be introduced with a little more intution.
   
   Overall, I rate this book as excellent. If you are interested in algorithms, you should definitely buy it. Also, buy the "Complexity and Approximation" by Ausiello, Crescenzi and others. They provide a more comprehensive and thematic treatment. It also has an excellent bibliography and list of NP-hard problems. These two will make a great couple. The book edited by Hochbaum (Approximation Algorithms for NP-hard problems) on the other hand presents detailed information on the algorithms.



5. Vazirani's book seems well suited for a computer science researcher who has had a rigorous background in pure maths. The level of difficulty can be quite advanced. Also, it is not the sort of book that gives algorithm examples in an actual programming language. Not that this should be a handicap to a skilled reader. The algorithms are usually described in high level pseudocode. You have to manually instantiate these in the language of your preference.
   
   The 30 chapters span a wide variety of computational topics. Some are simpler than others to understand. Like the chapter on finding the shortest vector from the integer lattice made from a set of linearly independent vectors. That requires only a year or so of introductory linear algebra.
   
   There are exercises for each chapter. Some exercises are formidable. Essentially like little research problems in their own right. Another plus for the book.

5 comments about The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System.

1. For the other side of the story, you may wish to check out the most recent "Inside Microsoft Windows" or "Microsoft Windows Internals" by Mark Russinovich.



2. A BSD Bible. I never could read the Bible. I do Believe ...
   
   650+ pages of truth and gore. I (as a sysadmin and BSD boomer) related most to the History (Ch.1) and Startup/Shutdown (final Ch.14). Memory management and other gore escapes me. GOOD JOB!



3. First of all you should be warned that this is not an introduction to get started with UNIX kernel programming. The Design of the UNIX Operating System by M.J. Bach provides a good general introduction to UNIX kernel programming. The design and implementation of the FreeBSD operating system is an excellent book to deepen knowledge of the UNIX kernel by looking how a current UNIX is implemented in practice. Even if you plan to write code for another kernel, working through the FreeBSD kernel with this book as a guide is a good excercise to become consious of the fundamental problems and solutions in kernel design. FreeBSD (or any of the other BSDs) is a good starting point, because the BSDs have relatively stable kernel subsystems and APIs due to the long cycles in BSD development.
   
   The writing style of the authors is to the point (don't expect a novel) and clear. The troff typesetting of the book gives it a consistent style and simple, but clear diagrams (though I heard that some diagrams were hand-drawn). The book doesn't just drop the reader in a kernel subsystem. The second chapter gives a detailed explanation of the various kernel subsystems, and the relation between the subsystems. The third chapter gives a summary of what is expected from a kernel from the user level. Combined these two chapters give the reader the necessary conception of the FreeBSD kernel to start looking at individual parts of the kernel in detail. Most remaining chapters are logically ordered, in that subsystems are ordered from parts with less dependencies to parts with more dependencies (e.g. memory management and I/O are covered before filesystems).
   
   If you are interested in UNIX programming, you should have this book on your bookshelf (as well as a CVS checkout of the FreeBSD kernel tree to read the implementation).



4. Before I encountered this book it was quite a bit of frustration in attempt to learn BSD and UNIX to the point I can really use it. For some reason there so many good books in a subject with one of two inclinations: or the book is too theoretical and very little of the real workflow provided or it is too down to earth and it is difficult to understand what is behind the sophisticated command line zingers.
   I found this book to be well balanced, well written and generally providing good, accessible way to get into BSD. I have followed advise in someone's review here and coupled this book with Linux and UNIX for a beginner training suite, 4DVDs + 2CDs includes 4 Unix Academy Certifications ed.2008. To my great surprise I have to say they really have made an outstanding training outfit!
   If you really ready for a training and do not expect that UNIX will come to you overnight it is worthy book and deserves your attention.



5. A very good book for those who want to learn advanced concepts in OS. Since it is a open source the book is very useful in understanding how they look like. The paper quality is too good, which makes u read non stop. i luv reading this book. Price worth it. A good buy.

4 comments about Objective-C Pocket Reference.

1. I have three different books for objective C programming, which by the way are very hard to find. This book, which was published just recently, is the best objective c book I have read yet.

   Objective C is a great language for all platforms, not just the Mac OS, and this book leads you to it. It gives you both Cocoa and standard C information. If you are interested in learning Objective C, this is the book for you! It's inexpensive, small concise and packed with information.




2. O'Reilly's OBJECTIVE-C POCKET REFERENCE follows in its line of slim booklets designed for quick reference while at the computer. I found it a very helpful book.

   While titled "a pocket reference", the book is not something that should be put on the shelf right away and merely consulted from time to time. For a beginning Objective-C programmer, reading the book straight-through can be very enlightening. The basics of Obj-C are easy to grasp, and an Obj-C beginner can immediately start constructing solid applications without knowing about categories, protocols, or root objects. But O'Reilly's book is the best place to start becoming familiar with these obscure topics that might just help one solve a particularly tricky problem.

   I have only a few complaints about the book. One is that it talks about the #import preprocessor directive, but nowhere does it mention the advantages of using #ifndef guards. Another problem is that in some parts it is Cocoa-specific; I would have preferred that it concentrate on the OpenStep standard in general so that other OpenStep implementations might not be left out (but the book does occasionally mention GNUstep, which is great).

   O'Reilly proves itself the best publisher for developers again with this book, and any Objective-C programmer should invest in it.




3. Andrew Duncan's Objective-C Pocket Reference is just the book that budding Cocoa programmers should have on their desk. It is well written, well indexed, and succinct enough to read in an evening if desired.

   After reading it cover to cover, I think this will be a valuable resource for looking up any Objective-C related questions I have.

   Note, you should have an understanding of C before trying to read this book. Also - it will probably make more sense to you if you already have some experience with Cocoa. This is a quick reference - probably not the best way to learn the language. However, the book contains a list at the end which recommends other books and websites which are more thorough.

   I'd say it's well worth the cost.




4. Probably the best book to read to learn Objective-C, if Apple's PDF on the language is not enough for you. Covers Objective-C both from Cocoa and non-Cocoa perspectives. Try Apple's PDF first, and if it's not enough to let you jump into one of the Cocoa programming books (which all mostly assume knowledge of C and Objective-C), then this book is recommended.

1 comments about A Semantic Web Primer, 2nd Edition (Cooperative Information Systems).

1. 
   If you've read about the basics of the semantic web online, you won't get much more from this book. There's only 6 pages devoted to SPARQL, and no mention of RDFa. Later chapters (especially "Ontology Engineering") are thin and weak. You learn the dirt basics, but not how to build anything meaningful with it.