5 comments about Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (Bpg-Other).

1. I was disappointed having bought this book based on good reviews, so here's my review:
   
   1. The author provides just one tool for one particular type of presentation: "pitch an idea to your bosses". The tool is a 3-act presentation using few words and more graphics and presenter narration.
   Although a good tool for some presenters and some presentations, I can only see myself using this in 10-20% of my presentations.
   
   2. Because the author refuses to explore other methods, the book becomes very repetitive and too detailed going on about the same points all the time.
   
   3. Because of this, this is certainly not a book to keep for reference.
   
   4. ...unless you are a total PowerPoint novice and computer-illiterate and want to read a step-by-step instructions about how to resize and crop images in PowerPoint, etc.
   
   5. This is the first book by Microsoft Press I read and I was shocked at the obvious attempts throughout the book to advertise other marginally-related Microsoft products.
   
   The book description says: "Targeted for intermediate to advanced level users". I would never recommend this book to anyone but absolute beginners and even then there must be better books.
   The intermediate user should really just browse the first couple of chapters to get the basic idea (1. set the scene 2. show the conflict 3. resolve the conflict) in a bookstore and then decide for himself if he really wants to waste money on something which can easily be summarized on one page.



2. I borrowed it from the library and I am going to purchase it for my personal business library. I think that this is a great resource book. I decided to try this method since I do a presentation about once a month to pharmacists. This book helped me to organize my thoughts and present the material in a logical manner. I am in the health care industry and the people I present to are used to seeing bullet points BUT they are bored with it. For those that think the information here won't work, I say give it a try before dismissing it. You may find that your audience doesn't want as many bullet points and facts as you think and that you are a breath of fresh air in doing something new and innovative with your presentations. And remember you can put all of that information from your bullet points in the notes pages and print that out for them.



3. Microsoft PowerPoint changed the world of presentations by simplifying the process of creating a computerized slide show. Alas, over time people started squeezing too much information into every slide and using the preinstalled generic titles. PowerPoint's simplicity let people forget the purpose of presentations: to persuade or to inform without being boring. Cliff Atkinson shows you a creative way to build a good presentation without falling into the PowerPoint template trap - tell a story instead. At present, he provides a free template, storyboard formatter and story guide at sociablemedia.com that adds value to the book, which refers to these resources repeatedly. We recommend this to anyone who gives presentations.



4. I bought the book, enjoyed it and then realized that I hasd purchased the 2005 edfition and not the new 2007 edition. be careful as the new one is much better. Amazon should have made this clear!!!!!!!!!!!!



5. I thought there would be much more content. I was already aware of the concept of forming a presentation using a story arc, so there wasn't much new that I can use.

5 comments about Learning Perl, 5th Edition.

1. I learned Perl from the second edition of this book a few years ago, and was very impressed. After a few years without writing a single line of Perl, I needed to learn it again, so I bought the most current version of this book, the fourth edition. I was not as impressed with the fourth edition, it seems that a lot of the more advanced, and useful, stuff has been moved out of this book into the intermediate book. This book is missing a lot of the features that makes Perl a productive language. I'd try a few online tutorials first and then see if the intermediate book would work. Or, if you can find an older edition give that a shot.



2. This book is a gives a gentle introduction to Perll; by the time you have gone through this book, you would have touched on some very simple operations and common language idioms found in Perl. This is not a comprehensive guide; on the contrary the book is selective about covering only those constructs and issues that one is most likely to face early on in programming with Perl.
   
   This does not collect any of the more powerful feature in Perl like Reference; Data Structures; Manipulating lists of list.
   
   I would not recomend this book.



3. I recommend this book to anyone who is new to perl. The only thing I thought could have been better though was add more examples after each chapter. But other than that the book explains the basics very good.



4. Well laid out, easy to follow for a beginner. Serious coders will need a more detailed and in depth book after completing this one.



5. This is the book which led me into the Perl world. It's not the first Perl book I read. Before came to this book, I read some other books, took online lessions, etc. but it's this easy reading book did the work. I also bought the cookbook but never touch it. The knowledge from this book is quite enough for routine use of Perl for basic but useful scripting. If you're new to Perl, this is the right book for you.

5 comments about Creating Web Pages For Dummies, 8th Edition.

1. This is a great starter book, but once you get your web site designed, then what? I wanted to know more about hosting services and costs, etc. Then found another title on here called "The Complete Web Hosting Kit Pro." This is a complete kit that lets you host your web site on your own PC for free. Comes with everything you need... instructions and software to host your site on your PC at home or at work. I recommend both this book and the web hosting kit.



2. This is a great book for the person just getting started in thinking about putting up a web site.
   
   The basic concept here is to use a fairly minimal amount of HTML, which he teaches you, and then one of the hosting services such as GeoCities, Google or AOL to get your site up and running. All in all, he presents an excellent description of what you need to think about, what technologies you need to understand, and the various tools that are available to assist in the construction of the site.
   
   The intent of this book is to enable to get a site up and running, fairly quickly (He says in a day, I think he is a bit optimistic, plan on a weekend, maybe even a three day weekend.) but only after having thought a lot about the various aspects.
   
   Then in chapter 18 he talks just aenough about things like JavaScript, database connectivity, cascading style sheets and more to let you know that you've barely scratched the surface.
   
   An excellent place to get started.



3. Thanks for the quick responce in the product, received what I needed for less



4. I was hoping for something that would help me get started on building my own site. This book is for someone who just wants any site, and is looking for someone else to do for them.



5. This was my first "for Dummies" book purchase and it will be the last (unfortunately, I also purchased "Web Sites for Dummies" at the same time. A How-To book this not....you get no step-by-step instructions, what you do get is a lot of information that is generally available on the internet with a dose of new-age you can do anything you want if you try.........well, at least the title is right..........only a DUMMY would buy this book.

5 comments about Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software.

1. Domain Modeling is the backbone for any non trivial application. Most pattern books concentrate more on behavioral aspects of the application rather than talk about the design of the core domain model. This book fills this need and does it in a very commendable way.
   
   That Eric Evans is an agile practitioner and a great crafter of domain models, becomes evident in this book. He transforms the art of designing a domain model into more like a science. He illustrates his points with numerous practical examples.
   
   I use some sample "requirements capturing conversations" that Eric talks about in this book as excellent examples to illustrate the need for a domain model.
   
   This book is a must have in every architect's book shelf.
   
   Update:
   I find it very hard to read this book from cover to cover tho. Since this book is about sound design principles,it has to be much more interesting than what it turns out to be! But still there is tons of information. Hard to get that kind of information from anywhere else.



2. This book is one the few I have been reading and re-reading since it was published back in 2004. Unlike XP and Agile titles which describe the Bleeding Obvious in numerous tomes, Domain-driven design takes a deep dive into stuff that makes designing and writing software a rewarding experience: understanding the technical problem at hand and then finding an optimal solution.
   
   Too many technical books are written for people who should not be writing software in the first place. This one was written for enthusiasts and professionals alike.
   
   Note to publisher: an electronic version would be nice-to-have.



3. In my idea, it represents "The book" that each developer who wants approach Domain Driven Design methodology must have in his own books collection.



4. This book is just amazing. In this design world, there is so much to look for, and this guy just brings it all into one book. He answers the questions you have been asking. He compiled a lot of knowledge people already had into a wonderful set of ideas. Get it.



5. If your process for writing an application is to start with the database, or to start designing UI, you should read this book.
   
   There is nothing new in this book -- but you really should read it.
   
   This book details the way many architects and analysts have been creating their applications for years, and for good reason. They start by creating domain classes that help represent data in a way that is understandable to both developer and customer. Then building out the application from there.
   
   Read this book.

5 comments about Microsoft® Office Access 2003 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft)).

1. It is an easy to follow book
   plain English with good practical examples
   more exercises will increase the benefit of it



2. thi9s is a quite useful book that covers a range of detailed information. at times i find it difficult t olocate exactly what i want and i feel the book is written with an expectation that you will undestand a great deal of the technical terms before embarking on this work book.



3. I did not find this book very useful. It does not give you enough practice. It gives you files and lets you make changes but does not give indepth explainations about what you are doing. It gives you an overview of Access but not enough information to set up a simple data base.
   
   I purchased the Microsoft Word book at the same time and it is worse than this one.



4. I needed this to help me with my work and was happy with the price paid. Thanks for the fast delivery!



5. This book is not very concise and I suspect this to be because it's geared toward the beginner and it wants you to play with the demos that's on the included CD to see how everything all comes together. In other words, "Trial by Fire" training method is how you learn.
   
   It does, however, give you enough input to get you into trouble and have an adequate to professional looking database. There is one thing that it doesn't do. It doesn't STRESS, enough, the importance of Outling your ideas for the way you want your database design to look, feel, and be like. That is the most important factor you are going to have to consider, first.
   
   Plagiarizing sample databases almost, always, proves to be a "must do" in order to get your database to work like the Pro's. Maybe, plagiarizing isn't the best word to use. Oh well, too late. Have fun!

5 comments about ASP.NET AJAX in Action.

1. Like many people who develop ASP.NET applications for a living, I was extremely interested in learning about ASP.NET AJAX. This is the only book I bought on the subject, and it has been extraordinary. I can't recommend it highly enough. Read this book and you'll be an expert.



2. Ok for me its a must have book.
   Why because I want to know all about what the micrsoft javascipt injection is actually doing, how I debug applications with it, how I make it leaner (versa using CSSQuery,JQuery and MooTools), how I wire up events and become articulate with this tecnology. You can use the MS Ajax framework on its own in say PHP.
   So this book is really all about the client side of MS Ajax. If you are familiar with javascript libs like prototype.js you can absorbe this book easy. If you are a UI/Frontend developer then this is a must have.
   If you are a PHP developer then why not use it to pick up a robust framework.
   If you are a C# UI developer this will allow you to go beyond stuff that all the other can only drag and drop from the toolbar.
   Worth while looking at writing control extenders in 3.5 as this would be the place to put the results of your ajax efforts (write one - use many).



3. WARNING: Examples are in C#
   I purchased this book due to the abundance of positive reviews. Unfortunately, the author/publisher fails to include in their description that the examples are based in C#. I was looking for VB. (Note to ALL publishers of technical books: Be VERY SPECIFIC in your Product Description as to what language your examples are based in. If you don't, then you are just pushing paper for the purpose of making a sale....) While I have some experience in C#, converting the examples to VB became a nightmare! And, even when I did try running the examples in their native C#, several failed.
   
   During the first chapter the author provides some quick and dirty examples of Ajax as implemented by Microsoft. In doing so, he gives you the code in well explained fragments, but, leaves out some key points. Mainly, the fact that the JavaScript (your code) to be used with MS/Ajax MUST come AFTER the asp:ScriptManager declaration. Which means that you cannot include your .js code in the "header" section of a web page (as many experienced JavaScript programmers would do...). When MS compiles a page, it adds it's own .js code AFTER it encounters the asp:ScriptManager tag. Therefore, any .js code you add, MUST come AFTER the asp:ScriptManage tag. This is a CRUCIAL point the author left out. If the author had mentioned this, I wouldn't have wasted an hour trying to figure out why his example kept blowing up on me. There are a number of examples that required you to add or include something that wasn't mentioned. Generally trivial things, but annoying to troubleshoot none the less.
   
   While the depth and coverage of the material is very good, giving plenty of under-the-hood information about AJAX and Microsoft's implementation of such, this is almost nullified by the fact that the code examples are continually presented out of order. A (very annoying) example of this is in chapter 5 where the author attempts to explain how to make cross domain calls to the Yahoo mapping API. The author provides the code to create a webservice (GeocodeService) that includes a reference to a class (Location) that isn't provided until later, which has a reference to another class (YahooProvider) that isn't explained until after that...(lather, frustrate, repeat, or should it be rinse, repeat, lather?) Had the examples been presented from inside-out it would have been easier to code and follow in a step-by-step manner. Instead, you are constantly required to read ahead, then code from back to front. Annoying to say the least.
   
   Had the examples been better organized, and more explicit on including that button, the onclick event, the assembly reference, etc., it would have been a four or five star book. Instead, the frustration factor made the attempt to learn-by-example impractical.



4. I really enjoyed this book. Not only does it explain things thoroughly but the author also gives very intelligent, practical examples to help flesh out the theory. It's really good.



5. I wonder why people who did not buy the book but are allowed to review the book. This opens the door for many dishonest reviews.

5 comments about Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (2nd Edition) (Prentice Hall Series in Artificial Intelligence).

1. Pros: Well organized, Description is clear and complete, good for beginners.
   Cons: Examples chosen are not the best, author's attempts at humor are quite lame in most cases.



2. Form your own opinion on this book, don't let the gushing over this book force you into questioning your instincts
   
   I thought I liked this book at first, but I had confused interest in AI with regard for this book.
   
   Sure this was ground breaking. But, currently, it is bloated, full of wordy, unclear descriptions. I particularly dislike the coverage in: ch. 7, 8, 9 (logics + reasoning). ch. 13, 14 (prob, belief nets). Make the search chapters shorter, fewer. We get the idea, no need to spend so much time on it. Make the logic chapters shorter, dig deeper into those subjects if you want to use that much of the readers time. Scrap chapter 13 or write it over again (refer reader to Pearl's or others coverage of probability). It is partially to elementary, stating obvious rules with very simple usages. The rest of it jumps around, with unclear explanations. Chapter 14, skims past ideas, not enough time spent explaining ideas.
   
   I particularly like the detailed references at the end of each chapter.
   
   After glancing at Winston, Nilsson, and Poole books, I am leaning towards Poole, especially since I am more interested in the knowledge rep and reasoning than other areas.



3. Following the accolades in the reviews and having a keen interest in AI (as a physician and computer scientist) - I have dived into this book. It took me more than half a year of stubbornly trying to read and understand it. What a disappointment...
   On one hand, the math is inaccessible, least you have a major in computer sciences / statistics, math - or all of the above. It seems some, if not all of the math "proofs" are unnecessary for the matter at hand. Unless there are some sinister motives behind these superfluous math complications - such as providing professors with ammunition for students testing. But why should someone interested in AI - get bogged down in this? Is it really what the authors had in mind?
   On the other hand there are not enough examples to follow and the examples that are there - are inconsistent and insufficient (for example: the `wumpus' world that is used in the logic chapters, actually succeeds to stir an interest in the reader and then ....it is not followed up in the subsequent chapters such as the one on Bayesian networks)...
   Some easy to grasp principles (such as basic propositional logic) are repeated ad nauseam while some difficult subjects (such as MCMC) are left as puzzling axioms, for us to decipher on our own.
   
   I summarize my disappointment asking myself what I got from this effort that I have invested into this book, absorption and digestion wise, professionally speaking:
   1. Did this book help me better understand the depth and breadth of the AI domain? - No.
   2. Am I able to develop, even conceptually a plan for an AI application / "intelligent agent"? Absolutely not.
   3. Did the book clarify for me the fields of logic, machine learning, reasoning, uncertainty, probability and so on? - No. I am as confused now as I was before embarking on this study project, maybe even more so.
   4. Am I a smarter person, able to read now the multitude of scientific articles out there on the AI subject - after finishing this book? - No.
   
   The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of the single one it deserves - is because of the historical and bibliographical summaries the authors have nicely detailed at the end of each chapter. I've seen other books recommended in these reviews - and I intend to look into them shortly. CAVEAT EMPTOR (buyer beware) !



4. I enjoyed this book as a student taking an AI class. However, it was too heavy to carry it to the class. I did like book website and Google code page.
   
   On the negative part I'd say the layout of the examples/pseudo code was ...rather inconvenient. LISP style made it a little bit awkward for a person who never saw LISP before. Some examples about evil king and his brother, and such were a little bit off... I'd rather get some real life examples. Problems at the end of chapters did not encourage going and doing it on your own.
   
   I am not sure I'd be able to use this book as a self-study guide, but in the class it did make sense.



5. I'm currently teaching AI. Since it's the standard textbook for AI courses, I decided to use Russel&Norvig's book, and I am really disappointed.
   
   The book is too superficial, trying to cover too much, and their notation and explanations are not always clear. For example, try to understand the Viterbi algorithm for HMMs. It's perfectly clear if you read an introductory article, but this book gives a very confusing idea of how it works. In several other parts of the book the same thing happens.
   More often than not I have given other texts to my students.
   
   I do not think using "one big book" is the right approach for teaching AI, because "AI" is too large. If you are teaching undergrad students in a "BS in AI" then you should use specific and in-depth books for each course: knowledge representation, vision, uncertainty, etc.
   But if you are (as I am) teaching a short AI course in a Computer Science context, then I think you should probably pick very few subjects and treat them *in depth* -- otherwise your students will have no benefit in taking your course (whatever you tell them in that short time, they could learn by other means).

5 comments about Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2008.

1. I was not prepared for the extra cost of Microsoft's Visual Studio 2008 Standard, Professional or Team Edition in order to use Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2008. It would have been nice to have been informed before making the purchase that Microsoft Visual C++ Express Edition was not sufficient to work through this "beginners" book. Although I have no real problem with them requiring a certain IDE, I had only found out about this added expense while reading the books introductory pages. Perhaps this could have been displayed on the BACK COVER where it indicates "Who this book is for". Had this book NOT been titled "BEGINNING Visual C++", it may have been obvious that some initial investment in another IDE would be expected in order to work through the examples contained therein. I think it's a lot to assume that people who are in fact "BEGINNING" programming in visual C++ really desire to go out and spend extra money for an IDE they may decide to not continue using. In retrospect, serious programmers who may have already purchased an IDE would not likely be pursuing a BEGINNER's C++ book. Then again, perhaps some might. This book was written on the assumption of no previous programming experience, ( "No prior experience of any programming language is assumed" - written on the back cover). The unexpected investment of money in an IDE just to follow examples in a beginner's book can be quite inconvenient at best especially at a beginning level where someone is just starting out. A person may decide after several chapters of studying that programming is just not for them and give it up. In any event, and in all fairness, this information should be indicated on the book cover with the rest of the advertising so consumers may make an educated decision.
   
   In addition to this, I am not content with how some of the content is explained. There are certain topics which are covered in better detail than others. The chapter on DLL's is one particular area where I wanted to learn a bit more in depth information, (This was one of the main reasons that I purchased this book). I was left hanging with relevant questions due to lack of information on this important subject. This is definitely a book that I wish I had not purchased.



2. I have used Ivor Horton's books on Visual C++ since Beginning Visual C++ 4 and this latest book conforms to the very high standard set by the previous books.
   
   First of all, the book is written for the IDE(s) provided and not the other way round. This book covers the ISO/ANSI standard C++ and the Microsoft extension C++/CLI, together with the Standard Template Library, in the first 11 chapters. Windows Programming is introduced in Chapter 12 and covers both MFC and Windows Forms.
   
   Now, if you want to go down the traditional game Programming route, then Win32 and Standard C++ is what you will need, together with DirectX or OpenGL at a later stage. The book covers all the C++ you will need for that. However, should you want something for business applications, together with a graphics capability and a rich GUI, then that is covered also with Windows Forms and, although I have never used it, presumably Visual Studio Express is perfectly adequate for this exercise.
   
   A problem emerges if you have used and want to continue using MFC, since these classes are not part of the Express version. Presumably, Microsoft considered that those who would want to use MFC have done so in previous versions of Visual Studio and would simply upgrade to, at least, the 2008 Standard version.
   
   The fact remains, however, that this book covers Windows Forms, and all that you could do with the MFC can be done as well, if not a lot better, with Forms. And since the Express version contains Windows Forms, it is difficult to imagine there being any problem with reaching project objectives.
   
   Having said that, I would like to conclude by saying that this is a truly excellent work, and it is very difficult to see how this beginning text could be improved upon, even by Wrox standards.



3. Any serious programming will require more than the free edition of C++! This is a great book to learn the language comprehensively from the bottom up - I have recommended it to several colleagues and none of them have been disappointed to date - well done again Mr Horton...



4. Just read an interview with Bjarne Stroustrup, the inventor of C++, where he studiously avoided talking about C# as much as possible. Understandable, perhaps - in my opinion most (not all, but most) programming projects for Windows systems would benefit greatly from using C# instead of C++.
   
   Not that the above observation has anything to do with "Ivor Horton's Beginning Visual C++ 2008"; I just felt the urge to pass along that opinion in case the reader of this review has not yet decided whether to start learning C++ or C#.
   
   For those who are interested in learning C++ for use with Windows, I can recommend this book. It is well written and covers everything you need to know to get started. In fact, at 1356 pages (not 1392, as currently listed at Amazon) it covers much more than most people need to know.
   
   In Visual Studio 2005, and continuing in Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft introduced a new dialect of C++ called C++/CLI. The great advantage of C++/CLI is that it allows you to integrate "managed" programming (programs that run on the .Net Framework) and "unmanaged" or "native" programming. This is a unique ability of C++/CLI, and for this kind of programs C++/CLI can run circles around C#.
   
   Ivor Horton's book provides a good introduction to C++/CLI, with most chapters being divided into two parts; the first part about classical (ANSI/ISO) C++ and the second part about C++/CLI. However, as a beginner's book, it does not get into the really exciting managed/unmanaged "interop" parts of C++/CLI. For that you will need a more advanced book, for example Expert Visual C++/CLI: .NET for Visual C++ Programmers (Expert's Voice in .Net) - and some experience in creating both managed and unmanaged programs.
   
   On the other hand, if C++/CLI is of no interest to you, then you can easily ignore those parts of the book.
   
   Turning to more general comments, this book is well written and does a good job of describing all of the (sometimes messy) details about C++. There are many programming examples, all meticulously explained. The source code for the examples is available on the publisher's web site. There is even an online service - at one point I mistakenly thought I'd found a bug in one of the examples and I reported it as errata. In response I received a kind message from Mr. Horton himself telling me why I was wrong.
   
   I liked the occasionally humorous tone of the book too, and was especially intrigued by Mr. Horton's reference to a book called "Paneless Programming" from 1981.
   
   There are no major negative aspects, but I did find the fairly large number of typos somewhat irritating. Another surprising experience was that the index, although huge at 38 pages, was missing obvious entries such as "enum" and "typedef". Occasionally material was presented in a slightly illogical way, being (prematurely?) mentioned briefly in one chapter and then finally described properly in a later chapter.
   
   As mentioned by other reviewers, in order to do the MFC parts of the book you need to have access to one of the non-free versions of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.
   
   This is a very good introductory book about C++ and C++/CLI for Visual Studio 2008.
   
   Rennie Petersen



5. This book was great for helping teach how to create a gui from just the windows.h files. It also went through creating one with other headers but those headers are only in the full visual Studio 2008 profesional. I enjoyed it. It will be helpfull to other intermediate programers to even advanced ones. To the ones just starting out it is alright but not the greatest.

5 comments about Head First Software Development (Brain-Friendly Guides).

1. Head First Software Development is another home run from the Head First series. I have bougth the HTML/CSS, Design Patterns, Object-Oriented Analysis & Design, and now this book. These "Brain-Friendly Guides" are such wonderful learning tools packed with great information, and so much fun to read. Keep them coming!



2. The way this book is writen is just fantastic. Wonderful book to LEARN how to develop GOOD software.



3. I've been eyeballing the Head First books for a while, specifically the Java and Object-Oriented Analysis & Design. I don't program in Java and I think I understand OOP very well. Because of this, the Head First structure looks to offer a bit less structure - so a good "read as you can" book.
   
   I got this title in a raffle. I'm glad I did. It whetted my appetite for more Head First. Not so much for the content (Which I will review further down) but because it's almost like reading a comic book. Easy, entertaining and something my busy dizzy mind could readily grasp in small chunks. I will probably get another Head First book in the future. Probably more than one.
   
   As for the content of this book, it was well laid out and for someone new to the concepts of formal software design, it was nice to see all the little pieces come together. I did have a hard time with the Java specific environment, but I guess it would be a much larger book if they covered other systems. The steps were clear, some of them a smidge corny, but most of them logical.
   
   After having read this, I was inspired to put it to use. That's when it hit me. I can't see this working unless the entire development group reads the book - or they were all newbies. Well I can see it, just not in the places I've worked.



4. Although I was initially put off by the non-serious cover and gimmicky premise, I decided to trust to O'Reilly and give this book a try. That turned out to be a great decision!
   
   Be forewarned that the real title should be "Head First AGILE Software Development," so don't expect other methodologies, but it definitely delivers. Whether you're just beginning to take the plunge into agile development, or you've been sort of trying to do it for a while but don't have a real clear picture of your goal, this is a great book for you.
   
   However, if you've been developing agilely for a while, then what you'll find here isn't much more than a refresher course or reminder of how you should be doing things.



5. I first lend this book from collage developer an have read with great enthusiasms and finally ordered my own copy of this book.
   The book gives detailed information on how to developing software from scratch, taken you by hand and leading you de hole way step by step.
   With the different way to present the information en with lot of illustrations its newer a boring read.
   
   Anders Kjaer
   
   [...]

5 comments about Microsoft Windows Internals (4th Edition): Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

1. pretty amazing book over all. you'll need some pretty deep background knowledge to understand this book. and on the bad side some of the wording is very tricky, id dare say that some words are left out. there are parts when he talks about "objects", "object headers", "object body" and then goes on a bit, and refers to "object" when im PRETTY sure he should have said "object body". i catch my self tripping up over things like that a bit too often.. but... again.. an AMAZING book.. i dont think any other book will go this deep in to windows..



2. An excellent coverage of the Windows architecture. Very strong on using tools to examine the state of a machine, from the kernel debugger to the many tools written by one of the authors. Of course, Windows being closed-source, it isn't possible to show any of the source code (or pointers thereto) that allow us to see what really happens under the hood.



3. This book does a good job of walking you through the internals of threads, synchronization, memory, and the IO manager. However, it does NOT cover bus-related driver technologies (PCI, USB, 1394, ...). A good book to understand the Windows core, but I would have liked some USB and PCI internals to help driver developers produce higher quality USB and PCI drivers. A "theory" book that I will read once and refer back to infrequently. After reading it once, you can find much of what you need in the WDM header files or WinDBG.



4. I think the thing that's impressed me the most while reading through this book is just how hellishly complicated these operating systems really are - the number of situations that they have to handle - things they have to take into account - and the co-operation, co-ordination, and communication between the varies components is nothing short of phenominal.
   
   So to have a hope in hell of getting to grips with a beast like this, one really needs to start with solid foundations & accurate overviews - and that's what this book does. In fact, I believe that it's "standard issue" for new Microsoft employees. From the solid-foundation, the book branches out into all of the major areas that you'd expect.
   
   In all honesty it's NOT a "casual read" for anyone just getting into the IT "game", but for those (programmers, IT consultants, Network Engineers) who make the effort to digest it's contents, the payoff will be a MUCH deeper understanding of what's going on "under the hood" - information I've already put to good use in solving a relatively bizarre issue relatively quickly.
   
   I suspect that for many who's livelihood comes from working in these kinds of areas, the return on investment would come PDQ.



5. As a former Microsoft technical lead who was a part of the "core" Enterprise server support team I will tell you that this is the one book that is (still) handed out to all new members of our team!
   
   Within Microsoft server support this book is the architecture "bible".
   
   Also David and Mark's elegant shareware tools were also the only 3rd party tools that were sanctioned for recommendation to Microsoft customers.
   
   This book is the defacto standard for all things relating to Windows architecture. Not always an easy read, but if you are persistent and just keep re-reading (which is what I had to do for a long time!) eventually it will sink in, and when it does you will understand (and appreciate) Windows on a very low level.
   
   Highly recommended!
   
   Vic Rozumny
   
   btw- MS recently bought sysinternals and you will be redirected when you go to the site. Congrats guys.