No comments about Data Structures and Algorithms for Game Developers (Game Development Series).

5 comments about Why Software Sucks...and What You Can Do About It.

1. Although targeted towards explaining to ordinary people why computer software is hard to use, Why Software Sucks...and What You Can Do About It by David S. Platt is something that software developers would do well to read and understand how we blow it on a regular basis. Five words... The. User. Is. Not. You.
   
   Contents: Who're You Calling A Dummy?; Tangled In The Web; Keep Me Safe; Who The Heck Are You?; Who're You Looking At?; Ten Thousand Geeks, Crazed On Jolt Cola; Who Are These Crazy B@st@ards Anyway?; Microsoft - Can't Live With 'em And Can't Live Without 'em; Doing Something About It; Epilogue; About The Author
   
   Platt takes a look at software and web sites from the perspective of the user, someone who's just trying to get something done. And his overwhelming conclusion is... software sucks. In large part, this is because the computer geeks who design the software are completely mistaken as to who is the target user. They design something that works for themselves, thinking that everyone thinks and reacts as they do. They think that complexity is cool, and whiz-bang features should be appreciated in and of themselves. The reality is that the basic user does *not* think like a computer geek, and they get tired of sites that make no sense or make them work (or rework) for the reward at the end. Using good/bad site contrasts such as Google (guesses the language to use based on the IP address/location) vs. UPS (ask for your country EVERY SINGLE TIME before you can do anything), it becomes quickly apparent when a site's been designed by computer geeks rather than design/interface specialists who are able to think like a user. Armed with this book, a person can start to understand why things are harder than they need to be, and what steps can be taken to make your displeasure known. It may not change anything, but being silent isn't a viable option either.
   
   Now for computer software designers like myself, this book can be humbling. I think I've done a few of the things he condemns, and I found myself rethinking (*and* changing) a few of my website project features after reading this. I realized I was forcing the user to understand my world before they could do something. And if I couldn't explain it well, how did I expect them to grasp it? But aside from being a useful and extremely funny book, there's one chapter that was a joy to read. Ten Thousand Geeks explains the concept of software conferences and what they're like. Furthermore, he talks about what it's like to be a speaker at one; the joys, trials, and adrenaline rushes that come with being in front of people and mingling with your speaker peers afterwards. It was like reading my own story, and it was incredibly accurate. I would love to print out about five paragraphs of that chapter and post it with the title "This Is Why We Speak At Conferences." That chapter was worth the price of the book by itself...
   
   I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to someone on a number of levels and for a number of reasons... Well worth the time spent reading it.



2. This book was really funny and provided good insights into usability design principles for software.



3. An enjoyable read and I'm now encouraged to complain about all that annoys me on the computer, particularly bad websites. David's website, suckbusters, looks all good from the screenshot in the book, but I can never access it, despite trying several times from different computers. Waiting over 5 minutes while Explorer sucks power from my machine trying to access it really does suck.



4. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. There's nothing better than realizing you're not alone when trying to make sense out of the non-sense of computer software. However, I wanted more instructions on HOW to get around these difficulties and get on with my life. There just weren't enough of these examples. Also, I could've done without the liberal "preaching."



5. Most of Platt's criticisms are spot on, but page 87 contains a story about measuring the height of a building by using a barometer in creative ways. Platt claims this as a personal anecdote which happened to him, but the exact story has been around for decades. I remember my high-school physics professor telling me the same story, and Snopes has documented it back to 1958, attributed to a different author:
   
   http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/barometer.asp
   
   It seems highly unlikely that the exact events happened to Platt, too, in the exact order... Unless Platt was somehow the original author's student? I'd like to be proven wrong, but this looks sketchy.

5 comments about Visual Basic(r) Graphics Programming: Hands-On Applications and Advanced Color Development, 2nd Edition.

1. I am happy with my decision to buy this book, it has what I was looking for and even more than expected.

   Highly recomendable.




2. If you just HAVE to develop graphics apps in VB, this is your best bet.



3. This book is very close to perfection in covering topics of the graphics manipulation, which up to the current times was an option of C/C++ developers ( as far as availability of information and samples). It's good for novice and seasoned developers alike.



4. This is an excellent book. It covers many aspects of Computer Graphics including Vector Graphics, Raster Graphics, Animation, Curves and Surfaces, 2D and 3D Transformations, and Rendering. Each chapter comes with lots of sample code on the CD. The underlying mathematics are also nicely explained.
   
   I only wish their was a 3rd edition for VB.NET.



5. I'm not a VB programmer, but I was able to understand the theory in this book, and I could easily work through the code examples to translate them into Delphi and C#. It's very hard to find a book (for any programming language) that explains 3D graphics in simple terms, and with useful code examples. Even though this book is getting a little dated, this book will still be among my highest recommendations for years to come. The basic theory does not change, even though programming languages evolve.

1 comments about Extending and Embedding PHP (Developer's Library).

1. I purchased this book based on an immediate need at my job, and have since created two nice PHP extensions. I found it to be extremely helpful at getting started into an otherwise poorly documented area of PHP and the Zend API. It does lack depth in some areas, such as PHP5 objects. I found that consulting the source code of several existing PHP extensions was necessary to fill in some of these gaps.

5 comments about Managing Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Multimedia Information and Systems).

1. As others have said, MG is a good introductory text for Information Retrieval. However I think it spends a little too much time on compression techniques and lacks a good discussion of incremental or on-line indexing. The book tends to assume that the set of texts to be searched is static - if new documents can be added or old ones deleted it makes the whole problem much harder and many of MG's techniques are no longer relevant. That said, I strongly look forward to Managing Terabytes (if it ever appears).



2. This is the only book there is that will actually teach you how to build an information retrieval system (aka search engine). It discusses all the algorithms and tradeoffs, and comes with free downloadable source code to experiment with. Some of the material is standard, but covered in more implementation detail here than anywhere else. Some of the material is novel: you won't find better coverage of compression unless you hand-assemble twenty research papers, and reverse-engineer them to figure out how they're implemented. But with "Managing Gigabytes", it's all here. (Although, after a particularly envigorating discussion of how to string together a bunch of techniques to compress their corpus and save a couple 100MB, I did a check and found you could buy 512MB of RAM for less than the cost of the book. Knowledge is Power, but sometimes a little cash is more powerful.) The only negative is that this book is not called "Managing Terabytes", as the first edition promised/threatened it might be. RAM and disk are cheap, but not that cheap, and for now terabytes (and sometimes petabytes) are managed only by NASA, Google, and a few others. I can't wait to see the third edition!



3. Managing Gigabytes is the best book out there on information retrieval. If you're interested in implementing your own IR system, there's nothing available that comes close to this book. But the book is good not just because it's the only one out there: the writing is excellent, the algorithms are presented clearly and explained well, and the coverage is thorough. Additionally, the coverage of compression algorithms is the best I've found in any book. All algorithms and pseudo-code in the book are presented clearly enough such that any competent programmer should be able to implement them. If all else fails, however, the free downloadable source code for the mg system can fill in any gaps.

   All in all, this is the best computer science book I've purchased in years. I wish all CS books were written like this one: it doesn't skimp on the theory or on the implementation details.




4. A wonderful feature of this book spans out practicality for various topics including compresion algorithms and theory, document and imaging system and information retrieval. On my personal interest, the authors highlight a vast list of not only the theory but present it in a simple common sense logic.
   
   There are several examples that break down complex processes into simple and easy to understand logic and the pages provides a smooth flow of the structured topics. Well organised, presented and fully informative.
   
   Truly an ideal book. This serves as a superior text for students studying document and imaging systems, processing and information and multimedia retrieval subjects. Beautiful!!!
   
   Just on a personal note, it would be great to see some emphasis in the future editions in regards to web mining applications.



5. It has been 8 years since it was published and I could see it is still one of the best in IR field. Without much long magic equations, it is not hard for common user to pick it up. There are mainly 2 parts in the book, the first book is compression, most of them are just principle introduction since it does not make sense for the read to invent or implement an algorithm. The second part is indexing (plus some query) which I highly recommended because it is "practical".
   The authors are smart guys who could do sth, google mg for their website and mg4j for the ported java implementation.

5 comments about Exploiting Software: How to Break Code (Addison-Wesley Software Security Series).

1. The one major strength of this book, from a computer science viewpoint, is its emphasis on "attack patterns". This systemization of these issues really differentiates this book from many of its competitors (which tend to be either the latest 500 hacks or descriptions of standards). Put simply CS is the study of algorithms, and this book fits nicely into that tradition.



2. One of the authors here.
   
   Thinking carefully about how things break is a good idea. You should read this book and you should also read the Shellcoder's Handbook" by Litchfield et al. Pretend security nonsense crumbles under the weight of real attacks.
   
   However, if you're interested in fixing the problem, get "Software Security: Building Security In". It's time to DO software security!
   
   On the other hand, if you're looking for the ultimate weapon in the attacker's toolkit, go get "Rootkits."
   
   In the end, the only smart move is a combo package of "think like and attacker" and "build like a pro." For your best all around bargain, get "The Software Security Library."



3. I read Exploiting Software (ES) last year but realized I hadn't reviewed it yet. Having read other books by these authors, like McGraw's Software Security and Hoglund's Rootkits, I realized ES was not as good as those newer books. At the time ES was published (2004) it continued to define the software exploitation genre begun in Building Secure Software. However, I don't think it's necessary to pay close attention to ES when newer books by McGraw and Hoglund are now available.
   
   On the positive side, I appreciate three aspects of ES. First, I like the attention paid to attack patterns. This concept makes sense and should be used by other authors who want to describe a means to exploit a target. Second, I am impressed that ES features a whole chapter (5) on attacking client software. When ES was published, client-side attacks were just becoming popular. Discussing this problem shows great insights on the part of the authors. Third, several of the examples in ES are great case studies on exploiting software. When explained in sufficient detail they make for educational reading.
   
   On the down side, I agree with several other reviewers that the book seems somewhat erratic. Attack patterns that are two sentences long are probably candidates for inclusion in a chart, not listed in the main text. I don't think the predictions found in ch 1 were necessary, and I think some of the criticism of detection methods in ch 6 border on the ignorant. I agree that perfect detection is impossible, but there are plenty of methods that work in the real world. They may not be real-time, but no intruder is perfectly stealthy in all aspects of an attack.
   
   Regarding chapters 7 and 8, on buffer overflows and rootkits -- at 170 pages, those could almost have been their own book. The material doesn't seem to match the rest of the book, and it's obviously Hoglund's work. Add in a like-minded chapter on reverse engineering (3) at 74 pages and you definitely have a stand-alone book!
   
   It's probably sufficient to read Building Secure Software, Software Security, and Rookits if you like the McGraw/Hoglund approach to attacking and defending software. Take a quick look at the attack pattern material to get a feel for that concept.



4. This book is a great review of software security and deserves to be on any security professional's bookshelf. The chapter on Rootkits (Chapter 8) is well worth the price of the book. While the book isn't too long (at just over 400 pages) it does deliver in a concise, easy to read format that makes the book a rewarding read.



5. Nutshell review - You must read this book if you have anything to do with building software, from developer to development manager. Hoglund and McGraw are required reading.

5 comments about Beginning Active Server Pages 3.0 (Programmer to Programmer).

1. This text is so packed with information, it even goes beyond asp and introduces XML and COM+....so well written, so concise, publishers throughtout the country need to learn from wrox' writers on how to do technical books right! Every bit of code is explained in great detail, and while there are some errors, the website covers nearly all of them. Case in point: I won't be selling my copy back!



2. This book starts by giving an overview of how the browser, server, and pages interact to deliver web-based data and pages. The first 3 chapters, and the XML intro, are worth the cost of this book. I started this book with very little understanding of how dynamic web pages are delivered over the net, and am now ready and anxious to take on my first web development challenge. Can't wait to put the info in this book to use! The writing style is great also - very seamless and easy understand, even after 6 authors compile their knowledge into one volume!!!



3. Prior to purchasing this book I had no experience with ASP whatsoever. One day at work I was told that I needed to study up on ASP, and fast. I didn't really know where to start, but I ended up with this book, and it has been a lifesaver. I took the time to work through the examples in a select few key chapters, and was amazed that after only a couple of days I had developed the skills necessary for basic ASP development.
   
   Now its been a few months, and the book still serves as a useful reference. It is extremely well organized. The examples are basic, but definitely teach the fundamentals needed to become a competent ASP developer. It will not make you an expert, but that's not its purpose anyway. It excels at relating the relevant information in an understandable and easy to learn format. For me to be developing with ASP in only 2 or 3 days is a testament to the quality of this book. I've never read a Wrox book before now, but I will definitely only purchase Wrox books in the future.



4. Beginning Active Server Pages is an all encompassing book on classic ASP web server development. The authors explain in great detail from the beginning on how dynamic web development works. No matter what technology you use (PHP, Coldfusion, JSP), how a web browser requests a page, the web server send the request to the server-side engine and/or does a database request and send the result to the browser. The book assumes no previous knowledge of web development and explains the basics very well so that any reader can start from any skill level.
   
   The beginning of the book discusses what software you will need to get started which basically is either IIS (Internet Information Serve) or PWS (Personal web Server) in a Windows environment. How to install, test and configure the web server is discussed as well as setting up user permissions and virtual directories. This is a great starter to making sure the reader has all the information to get started on creating their first ASP web page.
   
   The author continues explaining basic scripting techniques and language syntax of web scripting (VBScript) and explaining the differences between client and server side scripting and how the IIS engine interprets the request. Also covered early are the intrinsic ASP objects such as Request, Response, Server objects. A good review of some of the basic components of this very robust development technology.
   
   The book then goes into send and receiving data from web forms in showing the reader some very useful but basic examples to get you started. The book covers in the next few chapters (4 - 5), in detail the basics of VBScript language such as variables, operators, strings, arrays, control statements (if, case, loops) and functions. The next chapter (6), goes into the concept of objects, methods, properties and events which explain to the user that almost everything is an object in ASP and the importance of this fact as well. Some OOP concepts such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism are reviewed with some nice examples.
   
   The next two chapters cover many important ASP objects in great detail such as Response, Request, Application, Session, and Cookies. These chapters cover most of the most used objects that will be used in almost any ASP application. When you can master these objects you will have a great understanding of the fundamentals of ASP applications. The authors do a great job of explaining these important topics to the reader that it gives you more motivation to read more and learn more. Unlike other books that try to explain too much and confuse the reader, this book explains just enough in English other than techo-bable.
   
   The rest of the book covers all types of database access using connects, recordsets, cursors, ADO, locking, filtering data, SQL syntax, and much more. Among other topics covered at the end of the book are focusing on advanced topics such as XML, Transactions and COM+.
   
   The book is really all you need to learn and master ASP to develop dynamic web applications for yourself.



5. Like the others have said... this is a good starter book for those looking to learn the older ASP technologies, since you may need to know a little of this if you are messing with older sites. I would recommend this book. However, the one thing that is wrong with this book is the MASSIVE amount of grammatical errors and typing errors.
   
   Its calling out the wrong variables in certain situanions and mislabeling methods and procedures. Once you are aware this is happening in the book you just need to be mindful and know you aren't crazy, its a typing error. I hope Wrox has started taking their textbooks to the editor and getting them proofread, because it's a shame a book this good is peppered with so many errors.
   
   In closing, this is worth the read and it will surely help you on you way to learning ASP 3.0.

5 comments about Automated Software Testing: Introduction, Management, and Performance.

1. As an engineer involved with software QA for a number of years, I found the book to be so generalized as to be essentially worthless. The authors devote page after page to explain methods and procedures with diagrams that depict the intuitively obvious. Their ATLM (Automated Test Life-Cycle Methodology) is as complicated as diagramming the Earth's water cycle. I don't need to spend Forty odd dollars and peruse 600 pages to learn that I might be able to use some nonspecific automated testing tool somewhere along the software development process.



2. I recently joined a firm that simply wanted to purchase an automated test tool within two weeks; "it made little difference which tool". Using this book, they became convinced we should install at least three tools, on evaluation. Good thing we did: we found that only one could deal with "customized" Java applets used in their applications.

   Little did our test team know beforehand that new automated tools require evaluation: what technologies are your applications using? what levels of test planning and scripting skills will be required for each tool? what other tools may be necessary sooner or later? and, does your test tool vendor of choice market such complementary tools? And much, much more.

   "Automated Software Testing" guides readers through each step in the planning, selection, and implementation process to assure that automated software testing will be developed in a systematic manner.

   See the table of contents. You will find that for less than the cost of a testers time for two hours, your business will be investing in knowledge that will save perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of your applications.




3. This is one of THE books if you plan on implementing automated testing in your software shop. Covers everything from Lifecycle to tool evaluations to best practices. This one that is definitely on my "bookshelf on the go" that follows me to all projects. I especially appreciated the Appendix with real world stuff and references to tool manufacturers. Great work!



4. Unfortunately this book (like nearly all other books on software testing) does not teach you how to test software. Instead it only gives you information needed to manage software testing. And, like many other books of management, it is highly repetitive and redundant. For somebody needing compressed information this is the wrong book. I think it would be no big deal to reduce the number of pages to 50% and still deliver the same message. The exmamples given in the text read like from a psychology book, not like from a technical book. Despite my critique I have to admit that the annexes in the book can be highly valuable. Personally I liked best the review of the big number of test tools.



5. This book as far as I am concerned is best automation software testing book written ever.

5 comments about Signals and Systems with MATLAB Computing and Simulink Modeling, Fourth Edition.

1. I found this text to be very interesting. It contains material that I have not seen in a single book. All theorems and definitions are well and simply expressed and illustrated with practical examples. I've found few but insignificant references to equations and figures, and I've informed the author. It is an ideal text to learn both the material and MATLAB. Appendix A
   is a very good introduction to MATLAB and it helped me very much.
   M. Phillips



2. Now in an expanded and updated second edition, Signals And Systems With MATLAB Applications by electrical engineer and educator Steven T. Karris is an invaluable textbook and resource especially written and organized for students of electrical engineering. An easy-to-learn-from text, with practical MATLAB applications to use and drive the theory home, Signals And Systems authoritatively covers a wide selection of mathematical and engineering topics in seasoned and technical detail, including delta functions, the laplace transformation, fourier series, analog and digital filters, and much more. Signals And Systems is a confidently recommended advanced instructional resource especially for dedicated students or veteran electrical engineers looking to brush up their basic skills.



3. Easy to read. Good balance of just enough theory and an ample amount of examples and problems to test one's knowledge. Can be used as either a main textbook or as a supplement for self-study. Perfect for those looking to use MATLAB as an integrated study tool.



4. The author's discussion of the material is excellent. He presents good examples and tries to integrate proofs or theorems into what he has told you.
   
   Unlike many engineering books, he actually puts solutions in the back of the text.
   
   This is a refreshing change from publishers who tend to keep this information "restricted".
   
   When you are working with a higher level subject such as Signals and Systems, you want to build practice with problems.
   
   Another point I especially enjoyed was the clear discusion of state space analysis in both the laplace and the Z domains.



5. Awesome textbook.
   wish I found it early enough to not by the course's texbook.
   Unlike many others that I have been forced into purchasing for classes, this books explains everything down to a T, along with graphical representations on every page!
   Another great thing I really appreciate is the fact that the text/math is spread out nicley, making it easy to highlight and take you own notes (which I do all the time, and find it very helpful when reviewing). The fashion in which the material is presented is free of leaps and bounds which I have found is not the case at all for many other signals books. I was quite happy to find that in this case I paid less for a better book. I have since ordered the electronic devices book as well from the same author/publishing-company. Thanks Steve!
   -pat

No comments about Beginning iPhone 2 SDK Development (Beginning).