5 comments about Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. The author is a great teacher, does an excellent job teaching absolute beginners basic programming concepts and how these concepts relate to Java.
   
   If you have had some/any previous programming learning experience than you might find this book will go too slow for you. However, if you really don't understand basic programming concepts than this book will explain them.
   
   I recommend this book for absolute beginners in programming, not just beginners in Java but any programming. A very good start for someone who has never created or seen a program before.



2. If you're looking for a basic intro to programming and want to learn a little Java, than this is the perfect book for you. I really enjoyed reading it because the author has such an awesome sense of humor. But, if you really want to learn Java in-depth and have no programming experience at all than I recommend this book along with another more detailed book about Java. After I read this book I read Just Java 2 to get more into Java. Otherwise, this book was really fun to read and accomplishes its goal of a basic intro to programming.



3. I love this book, it has a lot of hands on practical experience. Not like most books where you just read about doing something without actually doing it. This book teaches you entry level hands on Java Programming in real time and as you read along, you actually have to have JCreator open while reading and practicing the basics of Java, it makes for a good solid foundation for later Programming Languages.



4. I liked the author and his methodology right from the start of the book. His lighter and funny way to explain not only makes reading interesting but it helps you to understand the content better and faster.
   
   I did not know Java before reading and now after reading the book, i KNOW Java, i did not Master Java (the book is not for a person to master) but i learnt a lot. The book would definitely do what its intended to do.. It'll teach you Java, if it sounds greek to you.
   
   Highly Recomended.



5. If you know nothing about programming, this book is pretty much for you. It discusses the most basic elements of the Java programming language, with good coverage of syntax and keywords. However, it simply doesn't go into great enough depth about everything. If it's for beginners, it ought to explain all the nuances of Java (what is public static void for), and cover the things most people would take for granted in depth. Overall, a good read for a beginner programmer, though!

5 comments about Expert Oracle Database Architecture: 9i and 10g Programming Techniques and Solutions.

1. If you work with Oracle this is a manual you need on your desk. Not just for DBA's but also for developers who will derive a good insight into how they should be developing their code.
   Very technical but not to the point that brain freeze occurs.
   Would highly recommend it.



2. I actually helps you understand, rather than just throwing information at you (as many books do)



3. This book is accurate and undoubtfully an excellent source to learn more about the Oracle Database.
   Tom is an author full of humor with a versatile approach to performance. In his book he shows his approach to performance and put light on common practice like database independence and read-write consistency or like constraints enforced by triggers and autonomous transaction.
   No doubt I learned a lot in this book!



4. This is hands down the best book I've read on Oracle. It should be mandatory reading for anyone working with an Oracle database. Period.
   
   I have close to 15 years of experience with Oracle, and have designed and developed large scale (>1TB) transactional systems. I've worn the hats of DBA, architect, developer, consultant, etc. The information in this book is invaluable.



5. Wow, could this be the best computer book ever written? Well, if you are using Oracle and you want to understand how Oracle works, it just might be. It's packed with performance information, and even if you are not using Oracle this will be helpful for any (esp for Postgres users)

5 comments about The Definitive Guide to Django: Web Development Done Right.

1. This book basically covers all the parts of Django, and will give you a good overview . It misses some details though, such as middleware, which is just skimmed through. There's also not much on customizing Django, i.e not using it's built in authentication but if you try to roll out your own.



2. Django is a framework I've long (in web years) held in some esteem, despite never having used it before the past few weeks. The framework's creators' many well reasoned contributions on all manner of debates about the web suggested a thoughtful approach, and the range of high quality sites powered by Django has kept growing, with the recent launch of EveryBlock being a prime example of its capabilities. So I was delighted to receive a copy of The Definitive Guide to django: Web Development Done Right for review.
   
   Authored by two of the creators of Django: Adrian Holovaty and Jacob Kaplan-Moss, the book is carefully structured, initially placing django in context by exploring various approaches to web development, and then stepping through initial project creation, templates, models, url configuration, django's famed admin interface, and so on. After eight chapters it changes tack and switches from basic tutorial to more in-depth exploration of areas like the ORM, session handling, caching and deployment. Several appendices provide supplementary material.
   
   The first few chapters do a good job of laying out the foci of the framework's architecture and it's Model Template View (MTV) approach. Its pace is measured and while I wonder if it might be a little too much too soon for those totally new to full stack web frameworks, it would work well for those coming from a background building web apps with PHP, Java, or for those of us who are used to working with Rails. There are new techniques to learn and I found the book particularly useful for grasping the deeply pythonic approach, favouring flexibility over convention.
   
   A clear example of that comes in the use of Context objects for passing values between Views and Templates. The authors initially show us the most verbose and rudimentary way to do it and gradually develop that to show how they've provided for various common cases. By going through those steps there's a good chance the reader will be well equipped to work out ways to simplify their own workflow and/or create new subclasses to promote reuse in their code.
   
   Where the book is lacking is in the examples. The introductory material, and much of the reference content is excellent, but as a newcomer to the framework I felt a little lost in how I should structure my code and how different components relate; it's clear how models relate to the database, but how do I pass them around when building associations?
   
   I recognise that django deliberately avoids the strong conventions of the Rails community (though even there you frequently find newcomers unsure where in the directory structure to place certain components) and there's no need for lengthy tutorials on building a shop or how a magazine cms could work, but when I come to a book like this I'm looking for a guide to best practices at the project architecture level, not just the component level, and I was sorry not to find it. The authors clearly have a lot of experience of structuring django sites of all shapes and sizes and it would be good to learn more about how they keep those sites organised.
   
   That said, this is a solid introduction to django for web developers; a solid contribution in a so-far underserved market and it's likely to come in handy for a number of people. Just be prepared to supplement it with a fair amount of time in search engines working out good strategies for connecting the pieces.
   
   Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book for review by the publisher.



3. Although you can read this book for free online, I like having it around for easy reference. The first eight or so chapters are good for learning Django; with the subsequent chapters and appendixes good for reference.
   
   I will say that the online document is updated regularly, with sometimes useful comments from readers. That said, I would still buy this good.



4. Even though I'm not a real world user of Django (I'm a Grails guy), I thought I'd give this book a try as Django is in the same category of web development frameworks as Grails. After reading this book, I had a solid foundation knowledge about how Django works and principles behind it. And it is well written. I would recommend it for any serious real world user of this framework.



5. I've dabbled with what I consider to be all the major web frameworks: TurboGears, Pylons, Rails, and Django. Religion and other biases aside, what really made me finally settle on Django was the documentation (though community/all-in-one-ness/robustness aspects are also nice factors). What's notable out about Django documentation? Precision, attention to detail, comprehensiveness, and general emphasis on polish.
   
   To many people, a book is what makes a new technology both accessible and credible. A couple years ago when I thought TurboGears was the framework I wanted, I got the book, and it was crap. Subsequently, other things about the framework started to feel lacking. Then with Pylons, there is no book, which reflects the constant state of flux of the component mix. Cool framework, admirable ideals, but no book. Now with Django, there is *the* book, and it's beautifully done, and you discover that the framework is, too.
   
   I see this book as a true community resource. Its examples directly extend *the* tutorial. Being available in its up-to-date entirety as a living document, anyone can simply answer a question by consulting a link to a book section. I applaud the authors opening this book up to be accessible to everyone, both in ease of reading, and in being free for download. It is always reassuring to find a book about a tool being written by the authors of a tool, and that should contribute to making it the canonical Django resource.

5 comments about Flash CS3: The Missing Manual.

1. Let's face it - no single book is going to tell you everything you might ever need to know about Flash but I'd say this is pretty much a perfect first book for anybody trying to get to grips with this software package.
   
   It's written in a very clear, accessible style - not at all the dry-as-dust style that blights so many of these technical books - but it's surprisingly comprehensive.
   
   I only started using Flash within the last month but this book got me off to a flying start.
   
   If you want to get into the inner workings of ActionScript 3.0 then you'll need a separate book for that. For everything else, this is the place to start.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. Generally you can count on "The Missing Manual" to provide what you need to learn a software package quickly. In this case, however, I didn't get anything I needed, and a lot I didn't need.
   
   I already own FlashCS3 Professional Advanced, the Visual Quickpro Guide, and am very happy with it. As a reference book, it's well-organized and thorough, aimed as much at the Interactive Designer as the Animator. But what it lacks are tutorials that can get me up to speed quickly on new features and shifting paradigms, in an application that has changed radically since moving from Macromedia to Adobe.
   
   Having been very happy with the great tutorials in the Dreamweaver CS3 Missing Manual, I went ahead and purchased the Flash volume.
   
   I should have looked more closely before I bought, instead of relying on my experience of The Missing Manual series. There is not a single tutorial in this book! It is far less thorough and sophisticated than the Dreamweaver volume, with most of the pages being devoted to very basic step-by-steps, mostly on drawing and animating tools. Less than 100 pages on adding interactivity, and not even a single chapter devoted to learning and using Action Script. Finally, there are 60-some pages on testing, debugging and publishing, which might be of limited value to me.
   
   If you're looking for a book that will quickly get you up to pro speed on a pro application, I'd say that -- unlike the Dreamweaver CS3 Missing Manual -- this ain't it.



3. The biggest upgrade in CS3 is the incorporation of Actionscript 3. It is beyond me why this book focus so heavily on Actionscript 2.
   
   This is a good guide for beginning to learn Flash, but beginners should also learn to use the latest most flexible tools available. There's basic material on the timeline, drawing, creating symbols etc. These are all things Flash developers need to know.
   
   There's not a lot of advanced stuff here. A tiny bit on video and audio and nothing on using XML with flash. Again, a good beginner's book as long as that beginner isn't going to be doing too much Actionscript programming.



4. This book is geared towards those who have never used Flash. If you are familiar with any other version of Flash, this manual will just tell you what you already know. This manual doesn't go into AS3 or anything complicated. As a 5-year Flash veteran. this manual wasn't really what I needed, but great for an intro-level designer!!!



5. I bought this book because I liked Dreamweaver CS3 the Missing Manual and thought this would be similar in terms of the way the topic was thoughtfully covered.
   
   The first section on learning the application with regards to drawing and animation were fine. Organizing the storyboard, utilizing the various tools etc. were good and I was able to essentially create what I needed.
   
   Now comes the real problem with this book. CS3 incorporates actionscript 3 as well as 1 and 2. Actionscript 1.0 and 2.0 are going to be around for awhile but as the world turns and so do they days of our lives - actionscript 3.0 is going to gain traction since there are things you can't do in the earlier versions and 3 is going to be more compatible with newer apps like Flex. We'll be moving toward version 3 more and more.
   Chapter 9 deals with interactivity and scripting. Unfortunately they don't remind you that you should have openned your document as a actionscript 1.0-2.0 document and all of the scripting that's being done after chapter 9 is in 2.0 only.
   The very beginning of the book does have you open a new doc as actionscript 2, but they don't mention that they'll be scripting ONLY in that version later on. If you skip around, you'll miss that point entirely and waste a lot of time following directions that won't function.
   
   If you're going to use Flash CS3 and take advantage of all of its features, you'll have to script in 3.0 anyways. At least it makes more sense to head in that direction. This book seems to have had a good start, but almost seemed rushed to complete based on the authors choice to omit the basics of actionscript 3.
   
   A better book is "Flash CS3 Professional Visual Quickstart Guide". All scripting is done in Actionscript 3.0 and they tell you so much as I mentioned that, that version is going to become standard and 1 and 2 will eventually be out.
   
   If you need more information on actionscript you'll need another book. If you want to create buttons in Flash you'll have to use actionscript so you'll need another book which there are a lot of.
   
   The best one that bridges the gap for a beginner is "Learning Actionscript 3.0" Blue cover - Shupe, Rosser.
   Great book and I use it exclusively along with the Visual Quickstart Flash CS3 book to clear the confussion.

5 comments about FrontPage 2003 (The Missing Manual).

1. Instructional manuals lack the one-to-one human connection that make learning more interactive. As complete as this manual strives to be--and it's very good--it can't take the place of individual instruction from a knowledgeable, experienced professional. Case in point are the directions for creating a navigation menu: follow them to a "T" and encounter a surprise when the outcome doesn't match what's listed in the manual.
   
   It takes some savvy to blend one's own personal knowledge and intelligence with that of a great instructional manual. If you're really a beginner, opt for a class first, then use this manual as your constant companion.



2. Step by step instructions and screen prints. Perfect for beginner. Also purchased FrontPage 2003 the missing manual. An excellent complement.



3. I've been designing web sites for quite some time now. By no means am I a professional but I can make web sites using basic coding and that's what I had to do until I found FrontPage 2003. FrontPage 2003 greatly reduced the amount of time it took me to create a web site. Although I had been using the program for a while, after I decided to start a business designing web sites I bought several books on FrontPage 2003. I wanted to have the most knowledge about the program as possible and be able to produce the most professional looking web sites for customers. Out of the several books that I purchased all on this one program, I found this book to be the most helpful and overall best book on the topic. It covers everything you need to know from start to finish. It starts out by explaining basic web site design features of the program and then progressively describes more detailed processes as the book continues. All instructions are easy to read and understand. Out of all the books I've purchased, this book has helped me fully understand the program the best. If I had to recommend one book on FrontPage 2003 to a friend, this book would be the one.



4. Wonderful book. Easy to read. Simple instructions. I followed and built my website just like I had taken a class to learn how. I would recommend this book to anyone that needs a quick way to learn FrontPage 2003.



5. I am still working on the front page book. I knew nothing when I started. I am now nearly finished covering chapter 4. there are a few places I strugled to understand what the author was talking about but overall the book is serving my purpose. I never expect to be a front page expert but one of these days I do expect to have a running website. I recomend the book although I have not looked at other book on the subject.

5 comments about Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design (Voices That Matter).

1. First, there are way too many full-page pictures and quotes in this book, which could have been used to provide meaningful content. Second, the author gives a lot of his opinions, and comes off as pretentious. The book's back cover says that you'll be able to "implement highly original designs through visual demonstrations of the creative possibilities using markup and CSS." I disagree, because much of the book is a discourse on Web page-related subjects such perspective, grid-based design, and using a scrapbook for inspiration. A scrapbook! It's doesn't contain a lot of instructions on how to implement CSS, and for the amount that does, it's accounts for about 30% of the book. This book is $49.99. It's a lot of money for a lot of fluff. If you're looking for a hands-on instructional book on CSS, look somewhere else.



2. This book is amazing in it's holistic approach to web design using CSS. It's from a designer's perspective and helps a lot in the thought process and workflow departments, then shows you a wonderful way to build up a design from the ground up based on a content-out approach. In some ways I wish that I had read it before any other CSS book, but I don't think I would have been able to appreciate it as much that way - it's an advanced book that has great pacing and brings a large number of design concepts all together. It gave me the feeling that I was tying up a lot of loose ends in my personal knowledge base and making it all complete. Great book! *I wouldn't sell my for anything*



3. Transcending CSS is a book that, as it explains in its opening, isn't intended as a basic overview of CSS. It assumes a solid base of knowledge, and if you have that, the book can be extremely beneficial.
   
   That's not to say that the book wouldn't be useful to a novice designer, but they might want to pick it up again after they have more experience with the CSS selectors and attributes Clarke uses.
   
   The book has a lot of material regarding separating layout and style and making semantically correct HTML, which is important for both designers and developers to understand as web pages become more and more feature-rich and stylized. Clarke presents it in an easy-to-understand format, and helps the reader see semantic markup everywhere.
   
   The sections regarding layout and inspiration were very well done, however I felt that more could have been done here. I suppose that it's forgivable since it is a book about CSS and web design rather than design theory, but I found those sections to be the most interesting.
   
   I highly recommend this book to any designer or developer looking to get a better grasp of where web design is going and what constitutes good web design.



4. This book is a real gem! I read it often just for inspiration. The author is passionate about design, markup, and styling and it rubs off on me. Transcending CSS fills a niche somewhere between the technical manuals and design books. It has had a clear impact on my work.



5. I wanted to like this book. If you are new to design, it contains useful sections on page prototyping, grid-based design, color, and design practices. These are things designers should learn about, especially if they arrive in web design from other fields. I give the book three stars for these positive features and for its high production values.
   
   Physically, the book is about two inches wider than a standard programming book. The paper is heavy and coated with full color all over the place. This is nice, but the author goes too far. Some pages include pictures of websites, but many other pages are filled with seemingly random photographs and montage works. In fact, pages 239-242 are fully dedicated to a scrapbook sample. Page 243 includes some text, but 244 is another wasted page. The images are sedate, and these picture pages seem to take up a quarter of the book. White space abounds. Consequently, as others have noted, the book is light on useful information.
   
   I understand the attraction of grids. CSS divs and table cells both lend themselves to grid layouts. I know it is in vogue to emulate the multi-column layouts found in a newspaper page. I've read plenty about usability and how people actually surf. Unfortunately, the author's fixation with these conventions leads to dull page design. The most interesting, useful technique in the whole book involves the intelligent use of relative and absolute positioning to displace background images so that they break up the outlines of the blocks.
   
   On the down side, the author advocates the use of browser-specific style sheets and the use of CSS3 style rules. Current browsers still have problems with some CSS 2.1 rules. The CSS3 rules will be great when browsers support them, but they won't help you write pages that work on multiple browsers and platforms. And that's the real issue with this book. It contains information that is useful to beginners, but it's not really a beginner book. This book won't have you writing CSS and XHTML in a few hours. The strange mixture of beginning and advanced materials mixture may confuse beginners while offering little that is new or useful to more experienced designers. Add in the sheer volume of wasted space and I have only one recommendation: Borrow the book from the library.

5 comments about Murach's Visual Basic 2008.

1. 
   I have been using the Murach books for a number of years, and have
   never been disappointed. I also read many other computer programming
   books, but Murach books constantly prove superior.
   
   The one best thing that sets the Murach books apart is the complete
   application given at the end of the chapter. It's difficult to learn
   a new language by just working with snippets of code. Murach puts
   together an entire business application to demonstrate the concepts of
   the chapter, and this more than anything else will help the programmer
   on the job.
   
   Another good thing about the Murach approach is that the applications
   are business-related, which is what most programming is all about
   today. Other books have silly applications with animals and games. I have nothing against animals and games, but do not want to see this in a
   computer application.
   
   Finally, I have found with other computer books that their code is
   often not tested properly. When I try to use their code, the
   programs often don't work correctly and are riddled with errors.
   These books have many errata on their web sites. But why couldn't
   they get it right in the first place. To me this is just sloppy,
   sloppy work. On the other hand, with Murach, the code works properly
   the first time. Murach took the time to do it the right way.
   
   I completed reading and working with the programs of nearly all the
   25 chapters in this book.
   
   My Rating: 5 stars out of five.
   
   Thank you Mike Murach and Anne Boehm for getting it right!



2. I purchased this book to learn Visual Basic 2008 as I have been "out of the loop" since VB6. The book helped me with that task as it presents each topic in a manner that really drills home the information. Half way through the book, I had to create an app us VB08 and the book then doubled nicely as a reference guide. I would highly recommend it and will be looking for Murach books on future technical topics.



3. This book is easy to read and follow and doesn't induce sleep even after lunch. One way this is possible is the unique layout of the book: facing pages contain narrative on the left and examples on the right. This makes it easy to glance back and forth between the text explaining some subject on the left page and the example illustrating it on the right. I was a bit suspect of this layout at first, but before the 1st chapter was out I found myself liking it a lot. Another layout difference that I appreciated is the physical size of the book. At 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall, it's a bit bigger than most technical books. This helps get the examples on the page without squeezing the font down to unreadable sizes.
   
   Beginning programmers will find the first two sections (the first 12 chapters) ready for immediate consumption. These chapters begin with an overview of the IDE, move on to basic Windows Forms concepts and then cover VB language basics. More advanced programmers can either skip or skim these chapters: the engaging writing-style (almost tutorial without talking down to the reader) and unique layout (the facing-pages) will hold your attention. You might even learn something you didn't already know.
   
   Later chapters cover Database programming (including bound controls, data sources and datat sets, and ADO.Net), Object Oriented Programming (with copious examples of VB syntax), File IO, XML, and a brief explanation of LINQ.
   
   Note that this book DOES NOT cover asp.net web programming using VB.Net. That topic is covered in other books by Murach books (Murach's ASP.NET 2.0 Web Programming with VB 2005 for one). This is probably a good thing, since - at 797 pages - this book is long (and heavy) enough.
   
   Overall, I really liked this book. It was easy to read, easy to understand and held my attention through its explanations and examples.



4. Not a bad book, but it could be a lot better. There are too many places where the really interesting material is dismissed as being beyond the scope of the book, not enough attention is paid to the transition from VB6, and the author flip-flops from "I" to "We".
   
   On the other hand, it does contain a lot of good information.
   
   I certainly plan to keep my copy, but I shall be looking around for another book or two on the subject.



5. I really can't add much to what has already been commented buy others here. The relevant thing I have to say is that out of 3 kids (1 intermediate & 2 beginners with little experience in programming) working on a same project (at High School) bought this book and came up with results and - more importantly - with solid concepts, within less than 4 weeks, after unsuccessfully trying 2 other authors.
   
   After browsing the book myself I would say that if you can't learn to program in MS VBE2008 from Murach's then programming is probably not something for you.

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 Murach's Java Servlets and JSP, 2nd Edition.

1. The previous version of "Murach's Servlets and JSPs" was a good book, and this one is too.
   
   The book is described for use as "Training and reference", and while books tend to be good for one purpose or the other I found this one did manage to accomplish both objectives. The information is presented in small, distinct and incremental sections, and each block of code is clear and concise. It also contains all of the important information required to get a good start developing Servlets. I also found the same layout worked well when accessing the information as a reference.
   
   It was very amusing that the book managed to get through four whole chapters before addressing Servlets or JSPs in detail, but given that many people leap into Servlets while their other technical skills are still growing, this prelude will be valuable to many beginners. These chapters are spent introducing web programming with Java, setting up Tomcat and the Netbeans IDE, and a one chapter crash course in HTML.
   
   All of the required topics are covered elegantly, and enough room is left over to provide the same level of coverage for the next level of knowledge such as SSL, JavaMail, connecting to databases, container managed security and even some raw HTTP.
   
   While I would not usually consider 10 horseshoes for a programming resource, this one is less likely to be read and forgotten, and should be of use for the first few years of Servlet programming for the novice. Therefore it is easy to recommend adding this one to your bookshelf.



2. Hi guys, if you are looking for a book that guides you step by step thru servlets and jsp's this is the book you should buy, the method that is used in this book is learn and practice, for me this kind of studying is very proactive and it is better than just reading a bunch of pages with just a final example.
   So do not hesitate to buy this book, this is the only one you need.
   
   "Working hands are better than praying lips"



3. This book takes you through a well structured learning journey of JSP, Servlets and related technologies such as Netbeans, Tomcat and MySQL for developing complete web apps. The book has provided me with the skill and confidence to start building my own web-app. The book finishes with a completed e-commerce example that builds on the earlier work, and gives the reader a basis for their own future development.
   
   The book provides comprehensive details on how to set up the environment for developing and deploying web-apps, with the installation of Netbeans, MySQL, libraries etc covered in the appendices. The set up is generally a difficult part of learning a new computer concept and this book explains this very well.
   
   The material, the downloaded code, and exercises are well integrated and provide for a comprehensive learning experience. I was able to successfully complete the vast majority of exercises readily.
   
   I have ordered the Murach Java book as I found the JSP and Servlets book very useful.
   
   COMPARED TO HEAD FIRST
   ***********************
   I am a big fan of the Head First series, a series which has taught me everything I know about Java, XHTML, CSS, Design Patterns Ajax, OO Design etc. I love it. But as a novice, I found Head First Servlets and JSP: Passing the Sun Certified Web Component Developer Exam (SCWCD) difficult to get into. Mainly because the HF book is directed towards accreditation, and contains some curved balls to prepare for the exam that distracted me from learning.
   
   Instead, I did the Murach book from cover to cover, and skim read the HF book (partially because I am in love with that bossy HF girl!). The HF series is more fun and engaging, but for JSP and Servlets I found the Murach approach worked best for me. While the Murach book is as as well written and presented as can be expected of a more traditional text book, it is not as interactive as the HF series. I therefore found completing the exercises in the Murach book important for engaging with the content.
   
   Murach does a better job than HF on the MySQL and IDE side of things. HF probably covers the nuances of the Servlets more comprehensively.
   
   I recommend both, depending on what you need.



4. This is a very good text for a beginning JSP/Servelet developer. Very clearly laid out, with copious examples, well orgranized, slanted to a novice Servlet developer. You cant go wrong with this text. Additional benefit is a chapter on how to use the NetBeans IDE.



5. Java can be used in countless applications and websites with very little problems from the viewer; an ideal component for a designer. The second edition of "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" is a complete and comprehensive technical guide for those who wish to master the program and use it to its very fullest. Covering just about anything one can do with the program, and enhanced with a web address that can be accessed for further resources for programmers, "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" is a top pick for community library collections.

5 comments about Beginning XNA 2.0 Game Programming: From Novice to Professional (Expert's Voice in Game Programming).

1. well,this book is not for just anyone, i guess it will only help those that are half way there. i was lost in the first step. coz all they want you to do is copy the codes and run then and then make you think that you did it.i recomend this book for anyone who alread knows what they are doing.



2. First off, I will say that of the 4 XNA books I own, this one is easily of the best quality. It covers a substantial amount of material but manages to maintain only a small code-base, which is excellent for learning purposes and maintenance.
   
   If you are looking to not only understand 2D and 3D games, but also Live integration, networking, scene management, audio processing and overall project management, it's in here. Really. Some of it is slipped in so subtly that you won't notice you learned it until after the fact. Kudos to the authors.
   
   If you don't know C#, I would highly recommend you go learn a bit about it (particularly in ASP .NET 2.0 or higher, due to the use of generics.) If you don't know the language this uses, you will indeed be lost. Otherwise this is an excellent introduction to the topic, and building your own network-enabled 2D game or your own 3rd-person, Gears of War-style shooter is quite empowering.
   
   Face it, game development is a difficult task that encompasses many areas of required expertise. You can't get a book to help you much more than this one does.



3. You should understand C# code before diving into this book. I tried online tutorials and nothing comes close to just reading and using this book! Although there were a few places where I had to use an online resource to figure out exactly what the author was talking about, it still supasses any other online XNA intro.



4. This is a great book to help you get started with XNA. I like the fact that it's straight and to the point with no fluff. Covers 2D and 3D game programming including skeletal animation. All sample code compiles and runs as advertised and is explained in detail. I had a bad experience with another XNA book so I'm glad I found this one.



5. This book doesn't beat around the bush, which can be a good thing for an already experienced developer. However if you aren't experienced it could easily leave you lost. If you are a "novice" like the book claims to cater too you'll probably never get to them without further reading from other materials.
   
   The QC for this book was very poorly done. There are tons of errors in the spelling and in the code. They completely forgot to explain certain things and then expect you to have figured them out on your own later.
   
   The book covers a decent amount of useful information, but it seems like they just pushed it out a bit too soon. If they had gone through the tutorials and tried them out and made sure all the steps were covered, it would have been a lot nicer to learn with. Instead the tutorials left me lost most of the time. I spent hours trying to figure out what steps they forgot to include.
   
   I think this book could be quite a useful tool if you are already well versed in the .net C# environment. However I would recommend a different approach if you have little C# experience.