1 comments about An Introduction to Python.

1. I have read several texts on python, all of them basically teaching me Java with python syntax. This is the first book I've read that taught me python with python syntax.
   
   Pros: You will finally understand how to write python code. The book leaves no part of the language uncovered.
   
   Cons: This is really a language reference, if you don't know how to program well in another language I don't know if it would be spectacularly useful. It does not cover any API's extensively.
   
   I love it, and for the price you can't go wrong.

5 comments about Beginning XML with DOM and Ajax: From Novice to Professional (Beginning: From Novice to Professional).

1. Being a developer who uses XML extensively but for very specific applications I was interested in reading this book to help expand my understanding of XML-specific issues as they relate to Ajax and the browser environment.
   
   I feel that Sas has accomplished her mission in giving a very thorough overview of the topic of XML. This book was very well written, clear and concise. Of particular interest to me were the examples of developing with XSLT, using the CSS functionality and developing in tandem with server side scripting. I thought the examples were relevant and the sections that were shorter led me to other resources where I might continue my explorations in depth. I prefer that the author accomplish the stated task and leave deeper explorations for other books - I felt that what was covered was perfect for the length of the book and gave me the information I was looking for based on the title. Interestingly, it's one of those books that I really did read from cover to cover. A rare event for me with computer books.
   
   This is an excellent book for those who are looking to expand their use of XML in development projects for the browser.



2. This book tries to do too much and falls down on many accounts. The two chapters on XSLT left me wondering what in the world was going on. Jacobs provides examples of how to use XSLT, but fails to explain how the code really works.
   
   The examples are very contrived. For instance, Jacobs shows how to use PHP to retrieve a result set from a MySQL database. Then, we see convoluted steps to convert the data into XML. Then we have to write XSLT to manipulate the XML. It would be much more efficient and practical to use PHP's object-oriented MySQL capabilities to spit the results into XHTML, or use PHP's own DOM capabilities to manipulate the XML.
   
   This book simply fails because it tries to cover too much information in its short length, and also due to the many weak, impractical examples throughout. To sum it up, it's all examples and no substance.



3. This book is excellent as an introduction to XML as used in web development. Whether you've been using XML for data storage but would like to take it to the next level, or haven't ever used XML, this book is a must-read. It doesn't tell you everything you need to know, but it gets you started and tells you how you can find out the rest on the Web. Its countless examples are all well explained.
   
   I use Professional Ajax by Zakas, McPeak, and Fawcett along with it. If one book may leave a question the other has the answers.



4. The book barely touches XML, and when it does, it keeps comparing it to XHTML. In fact, a lot of examples are about XHTML (and I thought this book was about XML). There aren't any real-world examples in how to use XML, just theoretical talk on ideas of use. I can understand that XHTML is the marriage of HTML and XML, but does the book have to use more examples of XHTML than explaining what XML is? Obviously I was still lost about the use of XML. The book also covers formatting XML with CSS, for presenting XML in certain formatting light. Um, isn't that what XHTML is for? Presentation? I know XML is for holding data, even configuration files, but this book doesn't even introduce you to such ideas, nor does it explore those type of concepts. Just more focus on presenting XML as a displayable document in the web browser (XHTML anyone?) I found myself skimming pages until I reached the end, and felt ripped-off. I was also lost on the whole idea of using namespaces for XML, which the book did a good job of not explaining the use of it in real-world scenarios. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this book.



5. I am a beginning web designer as i was assigned by the church i work at to pick up books and learn how to make a website. I bought this book after deciding to follow through a roadmap series, provided by apress publishers, that i found on the back of Beginning CSS Web Development, which by the way is a great book for those wanting to learn CSS and enjoy doing so. Simon Collison is very entertaining and knows how to properly instruct and teach you in the arts of CSS web development.
   
   Maybe i should have read Sas Jacobs Beginning XML with DOM and Ajax before reading Simon Collison because after reading Simon's book first i was very disappointed in Sas Jacobs way of teaching XML. This book is full of theory which isn't necesarily a bad thing, but it also shoots code out there and half the time there is no explanation as to where it came from. XML isn't applied very well to web development in this book so if you are looking for ways to tie XML into web design don't expect much out of this book.
   
   I guess what i'm trying to say is that this book isn't going to get you going asap into utilizing XML in your dreamweaver program or Flash CS3. I would like to compare this book as a very borring Junior level college lecture class. the kind of class that forces you to go out and learn stuff on your own.
   
   The book impliments different coding techniques and languages to impliment with XML such as CSS and XSLT and Javascript. There is a whole chapter on CSS which isn't bad but i had also already read a book on CSS so i was ready to go, but the XSLT chapters were quite dreadful. I had no clue what was going on or how to properly form an XSLT stylesheet. Its something that i'll have to look at on my own from other sources. The book showed examples of things you could do with XSLT rather than show you how to write XSLT.
   
   I really wish the book wouldn't waste so much time on code that isn't going to work on cross browsers. Jacobs repeatedly will show you an example that will work on IE 6 but wont work on Mozilla or Opera or Safari. Or it will work on Mozilla and not the others. Either way it just seems like she could give you the examples that work on all of them and then say if you do it this way it won't work on these browsers because... there never really is much of an explanation.
   
   The plus in the book is that Sas Jacobs does know what she is talking about. She gets too indepth for having the book labeled as "Beginning XML". So maybe they could have picked a better title for the book and it would be alright. The book is more intended for those wanting to expound on XML beings it is a Metalanguage and has a vast amount of capabilities. Its a book for those who are very intuitive when it comes to coding. People that are good problem solvers and already have a web portfolio started. Its a book for people that are not me, and thats someone that is looking how to build a dynamic website from scratch with no prior experience in web design and web development.
   
   So if you are a beginner looking to pick up on XML watch out for this book. Maybe try somewhere else. The book will give you a good lecture on XML and will help you understand XHTML better as well as a few other languages, but you won't be utilizing XML very well any time soon.
   
   Other books i own and have read and would recomend to beginnig web designers:
   
   "The essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS3 with CSS, Ajax, and PHP" -good book.
   "Beginning CSS Web Development from Novice to Professional" -great choice buy it.
   "Foundation Actionscript Animation" -great book.
   "Learning ActionScript 3.0" -good book.

5 comments about The Robosapien Companion: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks (Technology in Action).

1. Honestly I have not finished reading this book, but I have enjoyed every page of it that I decided to give it a well deserved review. Very well written, simple, and enjoyable. This book goes from the very beginning, history and development of the Robosapien, interviews with Mark Tilden (Robosapien creator),from packaging of the robot, tips, tricks, and ways to Hacking it, with lot of black & white pictures of the robot and its internal parts. The book also give a preview of the Robosapien online community with info and resources, and insights for the new Robosapien v2. If you own a Robosapien or going to buy one, you owe this book to yourself.



2. I bought a RoboSapien about 8 months ago. I tell people that I got it for my kids, but I just couldn't resist it - it looked so cute. Anyway, I played with it for a few hours and then got bored with it. It has spent the last 8 months collecting dust on a shelf.
   
   Yesterday, I happened across this book at B&N and have been reading it ever since. Way to go Jamie! The shell of this thing totally threw me off and I never thought to crack it open. I like the mods you made - very practical and I am strongly considering adding the camera so I can check on my home when I am on vacation - or maybe spy on my kids.
   
   Very good book - easy to read - really cool subject - I highly recommend it.



3. Having read a number of robotics books, what struck me first was how well structured Robosapien Companion is. This is not simply a collection of hacks and technical tidbits. Rather, it is a companion in the truest sense. Samans deftly follows the full curve of Robosapien's life, starting with Mark Tildens early BEAM endeavors and Robosapien's development, moving to cracking into the box and getting the most from a virgin 'sapien, and rounding it out with basic and advanced hacking techniques.
   
   Two different but alike audiences will enjoy this book. The first are those looking to get more play from the Robosapien toy. The text offers plenty to do. Though I bought my Robosapien to hack, I found myself keeping it in one piece and trying out the programming lessons and "secret" functions. The second audience are those who admire Mark Tilden's work and want to know how he applied it to Robosapien.
   
   Being a member of this last, I found two chapters of particular interest. First, I appreciated the chapter on the development of Robosapien. Samans discusses some of Mark Tilden's design principles and shows how they culminated in a biped at the Telluride workshop. This was, of course, the first Robosapien. Samans goes on to capture the excitement of Robosapien's early days. Next, I enjoyed Chapter 6 on controlling and walking. This showed where Robosapien falls in the spectrum of passive-dynamic machines. Passive-dynamics is a hot topic in robotics circles and Robosapien Companion hints at the potential of using a 'sapien for exploring these ideas
   
   In fact, finishing Robosapien Companion leaves me with an urge to explore all sorts of things with a Robosapien. Samans provides a good framework for such explorations, weaving in commentary from Mark Tilden, expanding upon the ideas, and rounding out with links to the online community. Companion is a good book and I recommend it.
   
   J Wolfgang Goerlich



4. I was very upset when I received this book. This book does not help in the least with your robot. It is more the maker of the robot just cursing and telling about how you can add things to the robot. I wanted to know more about the robot and how I could use him not create a new robot.
   If you do not mind cursing and you would like to ADD things to the robots than you may like the book.
   You must be interested in building robots.



5. This is a good book to have for ur robot, has a lot of neat ideas and ways to modify your robosapien and make it that much more fun to play with

5 comments about Building Embedded Linux Systems.

1. It would be a good guide to a person to prepare for a project to develop embedded linux system. It gives you the information what is necessar, what is work well and how to get them. But you should have some experience on linux language.



2. Book is based on 2.4 kernel. Since we are currently at 2.6 kernel this book does seem to have outdated information



3. On the one hand, a typical Linux user is going to install a pre-built package (Red Hat, Suse, Ubuntu, etc) on pre-built PC. This book isn't for them - there are plenty of books for learning and using Linux.
   
   On the other hand, embedded systems developers often have a good, working toolchain from a vendor like WindRiver or DataLight. This book isn't necessarily for them, either.
   
   But if you're building your own system: your own DIO controllers, perhaps with a mix of flash drives and conventional storage, perhaps remote booting ... and if you've decided to use Open Source as your platform ...
   then you NEED this book.
   
   There simply isn't any other text out there that covers the breadth of subjects (toolchain, kernel build, kernel tailoring, media types, etc etc etc) with the wealth of details as this book.
   
   It's an excellent book, and an indispensible resource.



4. I'm a beginner in embedded development on Linux. I find the book very good. It's compact, very well written and has detailed descriptions of the procedures to building embedded Linux systems.



5. This book was a highly recommended reference book at my previous job at an embedded systems company. As the title of the book suggests, this text gives the reader a good foundation on the concepts required to build an embedded Linux system.

1 comments about Dissecting Pinocchio: How to Detect Deception in Business, Life, and Love.

1. This book is great! In all the cases the author speaks of in the book, I can relate to seeing these "leaking emotions" in my real life. Well written for the general public. This is easy to understand and easy to apply these practices to detect deception in your everyday life. IF you want to know what people really think of you and who is telling you lies, spend the money on this book. I will read it over and over again. (By the way, it also gives you some interesting examples of interviews with real criminals.)

5 comments about Statistics For The Terrified (4th Edition).

1. For those of us with mathmatical weakness, an understandable work on basic statistical methods is a godsend. Having found myself in a graduate level econometrics course, Statistics For the Terrified is rarely out of reach. All too often statstics manuals, texts and instructors speak in tounges not always understood by the uninformed. However, Stats for the Terrified allows the reader to look up concepts and terminolgy and actually understand the explanations. The authors use few formulas to explain concepts, and when mathmatical equations are a necessity, the methods are explained in such a way that the Greek symbols and letters make sense. Indeed, regardless of field, Statistics for the Terrified is helpful in any work which requires statistical anaylysis.



2. In this small book the author managed to explain statistical concepts in the way that no other book that I looked at could do on hundreds of pages. You will definitely learn a great deal of statistics. The author does not overwhelm, is consistent with his presentation, and EXPLAINS. That final touch, simple explanation (in the language anyone can understand) is what's missing from all other books.
   
   Great choice and don't worry about the typos. When was the last time you picked a perfectly edited book?



3. this is a fabulous book for non-mathematicians - if you are working working on a PhD in physics or mathematics then you will not need it but if you are business school major who want to try out little un-authenticated statistics then try this book - I am serious this is a easy to read book - it does not go into details but skims the tops extremely well and we know that the cream is in the top (lol)



4. I have taught a basic statistics class at the college level nearly twenty times. Since the students who take the class range from the math major to the nursing and psychology majors, I have seen a great deal of math anxiety. However, I cannot say that I have ever seen a student terrified. Anxious, yes, terrified no. Therefore, when I cracked open this book, my presupposition was that the title is overstated for effect.
   That opinion was not changed as I read through the book. It covers all of the topics one considers essential to basic statistics, and to do statistics, one must be able to handle mathematical formulas. The authors place a great deal of emphasis on the fact that mathematical formulas are abbreviations. This is essential to understanding them, as at times mathematics is a very compact language.
   While there is a bit more light-heartedness in this book than in other statistics books, I really do not see where it will relax the severely anxious student. In the end, the greatest hurdle to being able to do statistics is realizing that it is a hurdle that can be leapt over. No amount of cutesy dialog or cartoons can substitute for clear explanations of what the symbols mean. Some of my non-traditional students have told me that they find barely relevant cartoons to be a distraction at best and an annoyance at worst. I have no plans to adopt this book as a textbook or ever recommend it for self-study. The explanations are too brief and there are not enough worked examples.



5. This book will not help advanced students of statistics, but then, advanced students of statistics would not need to read a book entitled "Statistics for the Terrified." For people who truly panic when they see terms like "ANOVA" or "chi-square," this book will come in handy. The book explains basic statistics concepts in easy-to-understand language.

5 comments about Programming with Visual Basic 6.0, Enhanced Edition.

1. I can only confirm the opinion of all the other reviewing persons. I purchased this book living in Germany and if anybody would translate it to the german language, I'm sure he could earn himself a lot of money. No german book equals this one.



2. If you dont't have any idea about Visual Basic, this's very good book. You can learn easily.



3. This is a course text book and does not come with the solution files to the exams found at the end of each lesson. After speaking with a rep from Thompson Learning - the book's publisher - I was advised that the solution files were part of the instructor package, and was not available to individuals. In other words, if you are not a certified instructor, or part of an instructor led course that features this book, you will not be able to measure your progress from the exams in the book.
   
   I found speaking to the reps of Thompson Learning to be a particularly frustrating experience as I was treated rudely by both reps I spoke to. They offered absolutely no help whatsoever.
   
   The book, in itself, is very well written and easy to follow. However, if you are not part of an instructor led course that features this book with access to the solution files, you may want to invest your money elsewhere.
   
   As for this buyer, Thompson Learning is a definite two thumbs down.



4. I had bought this book for a class but this book is an excellent one for self study also. It basically starts assuming you know nothing about programming or even computer. After a few chapters you end up writing very good programs for Windows. If you want to learn Visual Basic 6 to program for Windows, this is your book.



5. Yes the book is fairly easy to follow, but the tutorials ask you to perform tasks that are not possible with the supplied software.
   
   Don't waste your time trying to learn from this book unless it is required for a class!
   
   Besides VB6.0 has reached the end of the support life cycle, and it doesnt run on xp 64bit.

5 comments about TCP/IP Sockets in C: Practical Guide for Programmers (The Practical Guides Series) (The Practical Guides).

1. As a self taught programmer who formalized his hip-pocket knowledege with a formal degree in Semi-Conductor Physics and Applied Electrical Engineering, I still appreciate a easy to read and understandable treatise on any programming subject. This little book is packed full of relevent information and programming snippets to aid even the most basic of programmers. Sometimes even the multi-degreed can be taught or refreshed in a subject. These authors provide a lot of information in a small form factor. It is concise and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn or relearn the programming of TCP/IP sockets.



2. Before I got this book I thought writing C programs, that interfaced with TCP/IP sockets, was hard, but with this book in ones reach nothing could be simpler. With the help of this book and the HTTP Pocket Reference: Hypertext Transfer Protocol I was able to write a simple Web server.
   
   The way book gives you the sample codes as complete listing and afterwards dissecting it line by line worked for me.



3. This book gives you an amazing jump start in socket programming, the language is very easy to understand and very clear.
   
   All the examples just work!.
   
   My only concern was that this book does not cover unix domain sockets and link layer sockets such as AF_LOCAL and AF_LINK.
   
   I strongly recommend buying this book.
   
   thanks,
   
   Magesh.



4. Haven't finished the whole book yet, but I feel like it pretty much gave me what I needed by page 102. Recently I was asked to help with a project for embedded FPGA programming. The programming IDE is Eclipse with Altera's NiosII plugin's.
   
   The existing code base did not include any TCP/IP interface, so that has to be implemented. Luckily, the Nios-II platform ships with a simple example project to show the concept and programming style, it did not give too much insight for what is going on behind the scenes.
   
   The project I am working is to create a Socket server interface to this FPGA with a defined application protocol and command set. Having not coded seriously C since graduate school, it started somewhat of a challenge. After a few weeks, I got the urge to understand what is going on behind the scenes.
   
   Knowing what I know about networks, this book solidified and explained the concepts behind socket programming and helped me understand the program calls from the sample application. Step-by-step and clear concept explanation style is also appreciated.
   
   In short, I would recommend this book to anyone who is tasked with creating a socket client/server interface in C language. As a final note, me and another seasoned C programmer co-worker did not get the "code fragment" on page xii, even though I typed and executed in the code in a compiler. We just scratched our heads thinking why anyone would write like that?... hmmm... There is probably a reason that we don't know. Overall good book, instructional, to the point, and as they say, practical. Would definitely recommend it, if you deal with sockets in C.



5. This was just the book that I was looking, at the right price and in good condition.

5 comments about Introduction to MFC Programming with Visual C++ (Microsoft Technologies Series).

1. MFC programming is a bear, especially in VC++ 6.0 (not .NET). This book does a decent job of introducing key concepts, and comes with a mountain of sample code on CD. If MFC/VC++ were my first programming language, I would look for a book geared more towards total complete novices; otherwise, it does the trick.



2. This is the best programming book that I read from page 1 to the last page. I hope Jones can write more books on MFC or Visual C#. Not only did I learn MFC concepts and programming skills, but also I found Chapter 1 and 2 are very useful because they are basic and fundamental to C++ that I sometimes forgot. I love the pace and layout of this book. User-defined messaging and modeless are explained in a very nice way. The Appendice are very useful too.
   
   I give this book a full 5 stars.



3. Shipping is prompt, and the item is in good condition as described.



4. I waisted my money buying this book. It should be sold less than 1 dollar. You don't get far using this book. I recommend the book by Ivor Horton.



5. I have found this introductory book very useful to start with Windows desktop applications development. Although it is quite outdated and uses Visual Studio 98 as build environment, it guides you through the basics of the MFC framework (main classes, dialogs, graphics, document/view architecture) and Win32 programming in general (messaging, maps, data types), leaving room for personal development in the exercises after each chapter, and providing in-depth coverage of advanced topics like bitmap manipulation and database access for the advanced reader. With an additional introductory chapter on COM it would have been perfect.

4 comments about Java: A Beginner's Guide, 4th Ed..

1. Some computer books are nothing but dry text, and others are so full of intense graphics that your eyes burn. This book strikes an ideal balance between those extremes. The teaching style is engaging, and there's also plenty of reference material, making this a great book to start with and keep handy as you advance.



2. This book may be good if you can sit down and work your way through it from beginning to end, but I prefer the Sun Java tutorial online. I got through the first 5 chapters in this book and was still shaky with the concepts. Somehow it missed conveying the big picture to me. When I then went to the Sun tutorial it was a big "Aha!, so that's what they were talking about." Also, the Index is sparse.



3. I read this book to get a good start with Java. It's an excellent book to pick up if you have little/no java background or if it's been a while. I used this to build my foundation then went through a certification book and passed the scjp 5.



4. This is an amazing book. I retired from engineering research 16 years ago and have not done any programming since. Things have changed a lot! (all for the better). This book has an excellent teaching style, thorough and clear. It was my second book on Java, the first being Barry Burd's "Beginning Programming with Java for Dummies". That book is a good foundational start but it has not quite kept up with the rapid pace in the development of Java. Schildt's book is up to date (JDK 6 and Java SE 6) and makes a great reference work on the subject. I recommend it highly.