5 comments about Murach's Java SE 6: Training & Reference.

1. As a UNIX/C/C++/python programmer, this book has allowed me entrance into the Java world. I went to the Java Conference and was overwhelmed by all the choices, but this book allows learning of the different methods and how to put Java together. I am still in about the fifth chapter so I am not sure if it suitable for an advanced Java programmer, but it is easy for a beginning Java programmer to follow. I heartily recommend this book. It also is accurate and the programs actually work (which is not always the case with a programming book....)



2. This is a great book for both training and reference. I was a VB6 programmer and needed to get into Java and object oriented programming for work. I read this book about 3/4 of the way through from page one and did all of the exercises after each chapter. The book is split so that the left side facing page is narrative description and the right side facing page is bullet points. This is great in that it allows you to read on the topics you don't know and just use the bullet points for the stuff you do know. This is also nice for going back to something for reference while working on a program. I plan to finish reading the remainder of the book within the next couple weeks.



3. I found the book to be excellent and much easier to understand than many other java text sold today. The book teaches the basics very well and is a solid foundation for anyone who wants to learn basic java programing skills in days instead of weeks or months. The expansions are clear and the examples are well thought out.
   
   LG



4. I am very satisfied with whole amazon-purchasing experience, as always ! Book was shipped in solid protecting box and received on time. I would like to say thank you to amazon staff for doing high quality work.



5. What a weird book. I don't program Java, have never been but I've got quite a few years of C++ and C# under my belt. We needed to use some Java-only open source libraries for a project at work, so I figured having a Java reference book would be handy: after all, it can't be 100% identical to C# as they say, right?
   
   Well, this book couldn't fulfill even this modest role: it covers very little, but wastes nearly 6 pounds of dead trees to do it. It takes two pages to explain how to assign a number to a variable. The author uses Windows (!) as a platform of choice and the word "DOS" pops up many times, over and over. It even contains section that teaches you how to use DOS commands like "dir", "copy" and "cd". I am not kidding or exaggerating.
   
   I would understand if it was marketed to teenagers who want to start programming in something, but a book of such shocking size and wall penetrating power can't be possibly aimed at that audience: if someone needs 2 pages explaining the "magic of assigning a value to a variable", one's probably too young to lift this book off the floor.
   
   I covered first 225 pages without seeing any useful information there: every topic is explained in such a shallow manner, that it could be compared to a common-sense knowledge of Java of someone (like me) who never wrote a line of code, but heard other people talk about the language. The book, like many others, uses a sample project that a reader takes on in the beginning and keeps improving upon as he learns new material, but guess what - this book uses a number multiplying program for that purpose: that's right - read two numbers from a console, multiply, print out, repeat.
   
   I am speechless. This is the first time in my life I had to return a book. Yes, Java isn't supposed to be a brain grinder and I expected a super-easy read, but this book is beyond "easy", it redefines an "easy read" by insulting your intelligence, it's that dumb. Heck, one of the exercises calls for documenting a code written for the previous exercise!
   
   It says $52 on the cover, Amazon sells it for $32 and it's available used for about $14 - isn't that telling you something?

5 comments about Bulletproof Ajax.

1. It you're looking for an introductory book into Ajax, then read this book. Good overall intro about "what Ajax is" and how the term "ajax" came about. Nice Javascript primer, the DOM concepts, and finally bringing it all together for some simple Ajax. Read entire book in one sitting.., reading the DOm Scripting which is a bit more advanced...



2. This is an outstanding book. It is well written and easy to read and follow. I especially like that the author builds up the examples as he goes along rather than just putting the whole of the example code at the end of the section. It is another well written book from the Friends of Ed.



3. Bulletproof Ajax is an excellent intro to Ajax. It covers both coding Ajax and also design issues and other considerations, all in a very clear style. The coding examples start simple and are extended step-by-step so they're easy to follow.
   
   So I heartily recommend it to anyone looking for an easy high-level intro to Ajax.
   
   Two concerns:
   
   The title is odd. You'd think "Bulletproof" would have to do with oh say... bulletproofing. But it doesn't. It's a broad high-level intro.
   
   Jeremy strongly believes that the right approach to incorporating Ajax such that it's not required for the site to be usable. So, if say javascript isn't enabled on the browser the pages still work fine as traditional fetch-new-pages-from-the-server pages. He calls this the "Hijax" approach and the examples are structured this way. To me this makes sense and I wouldn't quibble, but it is a design choice and not the simplest one for starting with and learning Ajax.



4. A Brief But Thorough Tour of Ajax
   
   Bulletproof Ajax will surprise you at first at its slim 196 pages of content. But as with any book, it's the density of good information and quality of writing that count the most. I find both to be on the mark in both respects. The content is timely, relevant, and very up to date. As we all know, the landscape in web design can make one thing hot and another not in a matter of months. It is a credit to the New Riders/Peachpit group that they could get such a relevant book on shelves while it still packed a punch.
   
   This book is best suited to the newcomer to Ajax that will appreciate the entire survey of how it came to be, how the XMLHttpRequest limitations hold you back from accessing any other domain than the one serving up the page. However, Jeremy quickly shows you the workaround -- JSON and the script tag, which have no such limitations. This is an example of the dense and useful content I said this book is notable for.
   
   The author then explains his methodology for gracefully degrading Ajaxed pages that he calls the "Hijax" approach. You would be right to ask, why do I need the author to tell me about degrading? I just want to Ajax everything on my pages. But the author gives you insight into the hodgepodge of support the various Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari browsers provide, each with their own quirks. This is a real timesaving chapter. Learn from the author's research on this topic.
   
   Lastly, the book gives you a full beginning-to-end tour of applying all you have learned in the book in a chapter they title "Putting it all together." As a "just get me to the code" kind of guy, this is the chapter I immediately turned to when I opened the book for the first time. I definitely think persons new to Ajax will covet this chapter. It assembles all the building blocks for Ajax in a way that will make it click for most developers.
   
   In summary, this book is brief, and not exhaustive, but that's the very reason I purchased it. It doesn't get wordy, the chapters are accurate and information-packed, and the book concludes with a nice bringing-it-all-together example that lets you see a tangible manifestation to everything you have learned. This books comes with my strong commendations.



5. I bought the book to get a better understanding of the back-end basics of Ajax-piggybacked websites. We hear plenty about the compilation of technologies (asynchronous server requests, JavaScript, the DOM, etc.), but until this point I hadn't come across a book that was enticing enough in terms of its credibility now and down the road.
   
   Bulletproof Ajax fills this void - Jeremy Keith adeptly walks through the technology and its components by defining Ajax and its appropriate objectives for a Web that is accessibility-conscious; gives an overview of JavaScript and the DOM; gets to the heart of Ajax by picking apart the XMLHttpRequest; discusses data formats for using Ajax on your site; goes over progressive enhancement (aka Hijax) for creating a site that is entirely usable for someone without JavaScript but that is enhanced for people who do have JavaScript; brings to attention the challenges and difficulties with Ajax; devotes a chapter to Ajax and accessibility; runs through the creation of an entire site (viewable at http://bulletproofajax.com/shop/ ) in PHP (though it's unnecessary to know the language) that utilizes Ajax gracefully using object-oriented programming; and finally discusses Ajax toolkits and frameworks.
   
   Throughout the book, Jeremy uses good coding examples, and works through the idea of progressive enhancement in a way that anticipates the reader's questions of optimal programming practices with Ajax. The book prepares the reader for designing sites in a very reliable, professional, accessible way. And while the book is filled with functional coding samples of the various topics (which are then all pulled together in their completion at the end of the book), this book does *not* try to be the Bible of Ajax to go to for any obscure programming solution that a web programmer might imagine. It presents a methodology and gives the reader the tools for producing that solution on their own - to me, that is one of the great successes of the book.

5 comments about Prioritizing Web Usability (VOICES).

1. This is an essential book to all who design pages for web or work with hipermedia and would like your own work to be easily navigated. The content is very clear and helpful.



2. Here it is Feb 2007, and I've had a website for my business since Feb of 2002. For five years I've been asking people to visit my site and give me feedback for how to improve it. What I usually got back was "lots of great information, Dan." "Easy-to-use navigation." "Loved it. Great site."
   
   That wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted a REAL critique with REAL suggestions for how to make it better.
   
   When I came across this book it was like an answer to prayer. I devoured it on a cross country flight, and then I followed some of its advice. In the book, they talk about how they worked with people individually, giving them tasks to find or do things online. The people were asked to perform those tasks without any guidance and also while "thinking out loud" ... that is, explaining what their thoughts were re: likes and dislikes, what they expected to see on certain sites, why they were doing what they were doing, etc.
   
   The one piece of advice in this book that they keep suggesting over and over is "do this with your site."
   
   So I did. I instructed some clients on the "think out loud" process, and then gave them the following scenario: "I'm your boss. I just came back from a luncheon and heard Dan Bobinski speak. Here's his card; his website is on there. See if you can find out how much he would charge to come out and work with our managers."
   
   I then sat back and took notes while my clients tried to accomplish that task while they 'thought out loud.'
   
   All I can say is I was devastated. They couldn't find the information. Even when they were on the right track, they couldn't identify the links or the proper info. And when I say I was devastated, I mean I was cut to the core. My website was TERRIBLE.
   
   On the plane ride back I went through the book again, and then made a few changes to my website as soon as I could. I saw improved results almost immediately. I went from getting two or three inquiries from my website each month to getting two or three per week. And, with more changes, it's now up to two or three per day.
   
   My team is now in the final stages of a total (and I mean TOTAL) site redesign based on the suggestions in this book, and it should be ready to launch in a few months. Everyone is excited.
   
   This book retails for $50 ($33 here on Amazon at the time of this writing). That seems steep to some, but I must say, I would gladly pay ten or twenty times that amount for the information it contains. It is probably one of the few books that is literally worth its weight in gold.
   
   If you run a website, or have any say whatsoever in how your website is designed, this book is an absolute must read. That's a "must" with 18" bold Helvetica letters. And get your entire web team to read it, discuss it, and beta test their ideas using Nielsen's and Loranger's suggestions.
   
   If it doesn't pay off for you and you don't think the book was worth it, just get a hold of me and I'll buy the book from you. :-)
   
   Oh -- and the only reason I'm giving it five stars is because I can't give it ten.



3. This is a great book (bible?) when it comes to usability issues. Reading is easy if you're not totaly new to using and coding websites.
   
   The only "downside" to this book is that it is very US website oriented. As web design/usability in the US is way behind Europe and especialy Scandinavia many of the design/GUI examples in the book feels "old school".
   
   If you are into improving usability for websites - buy this book!



4. I've been on Nielsen's mailing list for a couple years now and supported most of what he said, so I bought this book thinking I'd get more good info. There is a lot of information in this book, but I was so dry all I can think was how much "easier" Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition was to read. So, I ended up only skimming through 2/3s of the book. Now, when I start a new project and want to touch up on my usability principles, it is Steve's book I reach for, not Nielsen's. I hope others can get more out of it.



5. This book validates things I've have known for years and guarantees I have been on the right track. It also allows us as Information Architects to reference areas of workflow that are up for debate daily, such as what users look for on a page, where and how often.
   
   This book is a must for any IA or web designer.

5 comments about C Primer Plus (5th Edition).

1. I tried couple of C books but, never worked.
   C Primer start from the scratch and go through
   all the topics which a beginner should know
   very well.
   The book is thick and has lot of assignments.
   It helps new C student to grasp the language
   easily.
   I recommend "C Primer" for the beginners of
   'C'.



2. I have just started reading this book the day before yesterday and I'm only on pg.124 in ch.4 but I already know that this book is a must have for any beginner in C and with their index in the back of the book tells me that it is a great reference guide for veterans of C. I have read other programming books like Teach Yourself Visual Basic 2005 in 24 Hours (which is bad book-doesn't teach very well) and I have to say that this is one of the best programming books out there and it is a must own for any C programmer!



3. This is simply put the best beginner book I've found on C.
   
   I've been reading it for over a year, and have yet to finish it all of it.
   
   It covers all the C language aspects (and also the C99 extensions) and provides lots of exercises to train your skills.



4. Over the years, as I've flirted with the idea of really sitting down to learn C, I've looked at a variety of intro-to-C type books; I've even bought a couple - only to set them aside to collect dust. This book (C Primer Plus, 5th ed.) is, frankly, one of the best intro books I've seen. I've read the first 13 chapters thus far and have been very pleased with the content. Topics are presented logically, explained well, and include numerous sample programs in the text body to reinforce newly introduced ideas. If you take the time to walk through the sample programs, look at the review questions, and work on the end-chapter programming exercises, you'll be in good shape. This book is worth every bit of the purchase price; it will stay in my personal library for years to come and I will highly recommend it to friends and colleagues looking to learn core C programming skills.
   
   Note: I do have basic programming skills in other languages, but I think this book would be fine for any "true" novice as long as they gave themselves time and diligently worked through the exercises.



5. This would be a great book if not for the fact that the first 100 pages are about printf() and scanf(). The beginner does not need to read technical specs on these two functions. That's what the C99 spec is for. It just goes on and on and on. What the author should have done is very gradually introduce these important functions over the course of several chapters, mix it in with control statements, expressions, operators, etc. with a more complete and in-depth coverage saved for an advanced chapter on functions.

5 comments about Business Process Change, Second Edition: A Guide for Business Managers and BPM and Six Sigma Professionals.

1. In 2004, I worked in a business unit at my company that had experienced a period of declining performance. Our senior management felt that one of the causes was work processes that had become cumbersome and inefficient over the years. I was asked to sponsor a process improvement initiative to try to simplify and streamline how we did work. I didn't know where to start, so I went on a crash course to learn everything I could about improving business processes. I read some great books by Geary Rummler, Roger Burlton, Michael Hammer, and many others. I learned about things like process modeling, process redesign, process improvement, process automation, BPM tools, swimlanes, value chains, CMMI, process owners, Six Sigma, Lean, process architectures--and the role of IT in enabling all of this.
   
   This intense study provided me with a valuable foundation of knowledge, but I still didn't know how pull all of the pieces together. Organizations are extremely complex systems. To improve performance, which approaches work best under which situations? Which tools to use? What skills are needed to improve and redesign processes? What's appropriate, and what's not?
   
   In early 2005, I discovered Business Process Change, First Edition, by Paul Harmon. This book provided me with the big picture perspective of the BPM world that I sorely needed. It helped me to ask the right questions and to structure our process improvement plans more effectively. The issues we have been addressing require long term solutions, and this work continues today. But, we are building an infrastructure that will integrate people and technology into our process change initiatives to ensure the sustainability of our efforts and results.
   
   The First Edition not only helped me organize a more effective process improvement strategy in our business unit, but I also consider the knowledge and perspective gained to be a significant factor in my being selected to lead our relatively new Center for Process Excellence (CPE), a central BPM group located in our corporate offices. The mission of our CPE is to promote a process-based culture throughout our company. We currently lead process improvement and redesign projects to solve specific business problems, and we have begun to develop process modeling skills in our lines of business. We are now focusing on establishing an enterprise business process architecture for our organization and securing executive support for large-scale business transformation.
   
   Thankfully, I now have the Second Edition to consult as we continue on our process journey and take our work to even higher, more ambitious levels. I bought my copy two weeks ago, and while I haven't read it cover-to-cover yet, I have read enough to know that this is not the First Edition with just some cosmetic changes. It is a complete overhaul. It reflects the newest and best thinking in business process change and management today. Like the First Edition, it is a surprisingly clear, practical and useful guide. That's the bottom line for me--what works and how can I use it.
   
   If there was ever a must read book for business process change professionals, this is it.



2. I have been leading business process management projects and working in the BPM space since the late 1990's. I found this book to be as complete and well written as any reference could hope to be.
   
   From my perspective, this book does for BPM what Harold Kerzner's books do for project management - set the standard for others to follow.



3. This is about the best Business Process book I have read so far. I worked in a IT transformation for a big Telecommunications company which entailed adopting a new approach to Business Process and Operational Process Development and I found this book very useful. This book with the book Business Process Management - Practical Guide to Successful Implementation provided me with most of the knowledge needed.



4. I think this is the best book that I have seen that allows an organization to consider business process at the enterprise and department level. I have been engaged in business process management in the government for years, trying to define the processes, trying to communicate them, trying to improve them. This is by far the best treatment and guide I have seen. This is what I have been looking for and couldn't find.



5. Business Process Change provides a very clear and comprehensive discussion of the methodologies surrounding successful business process management. This has become my new guide for developing a BPM Group within our organization. I very much look forward to more writings by Paul Harmon.

5 comments about Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works (2nd Edition) (VOICES).

1. As a web programmer (server-side and client-side), as well as a web designer, I found this book to be invaluable. I discovered it while working for a company that did most of their web development by the seat of their pants. I was able to establish a series of milestones using the forms and suggestions in this book, which transformed the company and their relationship with their clients. No longer was every conversation with the client about what they'd misunderstood or programmed incorrectly. They started to be proactive about getting specs, understanding the clients needs, and producing the website in a logical progression. They were transformed from an rinky-dink, amateur web development company into a focused, professional one.
   
   I highly recommend this book. I've owned the first and second edition. They both rock. Not only is it good for the all-in-one programmer/designer like me, but it's good for a development team so each player in the development process can see how their part fits into the whole and how their success contributes to the success of the project.



2. This book is very good at providing the nuts and bolts steps for a re-design project. Its helped me be detailed enough for the micro-managers and large scale enough for the hands off managers. Definitely worth having on hand for small and large projects.



3. Back in the Olden Days of the 20th Century, during the waning days of the dot-com boom, (when a lot of us pioneers thought that we were really awesome web-studs when we actually didn't know diddly-squat) Kelly Goto's first edition not only saved my tail, but actually helped me get a job with a large State located on the west coast of the USA. (I think you've probably heard of the place if you think about it..) I was able to go into the interview and knock 'em dead with my knowledge of web project management.
   
   Kelly clearly explains step-by-step what you need to do at the start of a web project in order to avoid an unmitigated disaster at the end of the project. Her advice is straight-forward, logical, and accurate.
   
   Flash forward, and suddenly I find myself a web project manager once again, called in to Save the Day because someone else did some really embarrassingly stupid things with a public website. What was the first thing that I did after getting this assignment? Find my Kelly Goto book! What was the second thing I did? Order the newer edition!
   
   Kelly offers good solid practical advice. Kelly Goto offers templates on her website. Kelly Goto has sage advice at Adobe.com [...]
   
   Heed the wisdom of the sage, Grasshopper, and you will find enlightenment.



4. My company was recently hired to do a site revision for a HUGE site. This book helped us keep our ducks in a row and do lots of up front work before we started changing over content. The client resources provided at the web site were very helpful! HIghly recommend for any web site designers/developers library.



5. I had to use this book on college, out of all my books this is the only one that I burned. I even kept my math books. Now that I am an instructor and author myself I look back on this book as the single worse publication currently in the industry of web design. Yes they do spend to much time boasting about themselves. The book goes way off topic about topics unrelated to web design without even a single attempt to justify why it has done so.
   
   Kelly is (and I quote from the book) a self-proclaimed "design ethnographer," I do not buy into this line of crap at all. A professional does not self-proclaim anything, if through hard work your peers gave you this title that is one thing. Other then that this is a sign of a person with serious egotistical issues about themselves.

No comments about MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-646): Server Administrator Core Requirements (PRO-Certification) (PRO-Certification).

4 comments about SolidWorks Surfacing and Complex Shape Modeling Bible.

1. I believe this to be the best SolidWorks book for advanced part modeling currently available on the market. This is a good and informative book aimed at the intermediate/expert SolidWorks user.
   
   A good understanding of SolidWorks is required to get the most from this book.
   
   The book covers all the advanced features available in SolidWorks in detail and where it can it tells you where you would use a particular feature.
   
   The title is self explanatory. This book is primarily aimed at people that do consumer product design where appearance and smooth surfaces are required.
   
   The only reason I gave this book 4 stars is because I believe there is always room to make things better. That said, this is my best SolidWorks book yet.



2. I highly recommend this book along with Matt's "SolidWorks 2007 Bible" for those wanting to get the most out of SolidWorks. I am very impressed with the content and layout of this book. Very easy to read and the color illustrations are perfect for understanding the material. Matt's writing is clear and concise. When I first heard that this book was being written, I eagerly awaited its release. Now that I have gone through the book, it has far exceeded my expectations. Well done.



3. This book is not as good as the author's "bible" in that this one does not have as many step by step tutorials. This one covers Solidworks 2008 and 2007 mostly. I was impressed with the author's bible book so I ordered this one too. If he added more tutorials instead of writing mostly theory and details of Surfacing it would be easier too learn. The print quality of the book with colored images is very good. It did not come with a cd of tutorial files and the book in pdf format. You are told to visit website for tutorial files. So I recommend the book but it is not for beginners.



4. The book is absolutely not for the beginner or the intermediate user. It should say Experts ONLY! And even then? I've been using SolidWorks for approximately 15 months, and got very frustrated trying to understand the book.
   
   It does have many items on surfacing, mostly theory, but does not provide many practical tutorials or detail instructions. It reminds me of a person jumping off a cliff who thinks they can fly. There is no CD in the book with models to back engineer, if you can not follow the text. The book does not cut the mustard and the writing style is poor. I think I need a VAR class?

5 comments about Manage It!: Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management.

1. Plenty of books promise project management skills and most contain concrete, practical information - especially when it's applied on a case-by-case basis meeting certain conditions rather as a global strategy for everything. This book is for software managers but also for business managers who would understand the special applications and methods for building and managing projects. From using life cycles and creating a fine team to managing meetings and multiple projects and goals, MANAGE IT! YOUR GUIDE TO MODERN, PRAGMATIC PROJECT MANAGEMENT is a highly recommended acquisition for any business library.



2. Every organization/team is different, the things that work well for one may or may not be applicable for another. It is not a beginner's book or a step by step guide to software project management. It's a great reference on things you can expect, what you can do about it and why you would want to do it that way. The great thing about this book is that it gives you the information to determine which practices you want to use and how to adapt it to your situation.



3. Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management by Johanna Rothman is the best project management reference I've ever read, and I've seen my share of project management tomes. Here's what I like best about the book: it's not theological. By this I mean Rothman doesn't advocate one "true" way of running projects. She is very careful to be continually cognizant of context when she talks about different approaches you might take. In this sense, she is very situational about prescribing solutions, which I like because it helps a project manager develop what I think is a critical attribute of a good project manager: good judgment.
   
   One of my favorite chapters is Recognizing and Avoiding Schedule Games, which uses comic art and prose to explain and fix schedule games that can occur on projects. Here are a few from the book:
   - Bring Me a Rock
   - Hope Is Our Most Important Strategy
   - Queen of Denial
   - Sweep Under the Rug
   - 90% Done
   and so on, for a total of 16 entertaining schedule games that every project manager eventually needs to face.
   
   Rothman is an entertaining writer with a knack for interesting prose and practical advice. Unlike most PM books I've read, I've not found anything yet where I was inclined to ignore her advice or felt an approach would require too much work and yield too little benefit. She definitely has a propensity toward simple, sustainable approaches to project management, something I sincerely appreciate due to my strong disdain for any approach with substantial overhead.
   
   Another great feature of this book is you can read it out of order, either by opening it randomly or by simply reading the sections that interest you at the moment or that apply to problems you are struggling with.
   
   Buy it. Try it. It's worth it.



4. Manage It! will help you understand how to manage projects effectively, taking into account the needs of the people working on the project as well as the needs of the business sponsors. In this regard Johanna Rothman follows in the steps of authors like Jerry Weinberg in showing you how to set up a project environment that helps software developers be more effective and thus be better able to deliver value to their customers. This book has lots of pragmatic advice on how to make progress and issues visible, how to plan a project, and most everything else you need to help a project come to a good conclusion. This book is unique in that while it discusses the benefits of agile lifecycles, it shows you how to make progress in a variety of software lifecycles, and how to introduce techniques that will help your team to be more effective even if they don't really "fit" into your defined process.
   
   Buy this book if you want to be a more effective project manager (or technical lead who works with project managers), or if you want to be more agile but are not sure how. What I liked most about this book is the focus on how project management processes can help people be more (or less) effective; an understanding of the primary role of people in a project is key to being more agile.



5. This book is years of experience condensed to its best. It addresses all important aspects of modern project management. It is objective towards many different processes but it clearly makes the point that agile is the best choice in most cases.
   
   While reading this book, it opened my eyes again and again -- Yep, been there, seen that.
   
   I encourage every project manager to read this book from beginning to end; this will put hooks in your mind to come back later and re-read the appropriate chapter when needed. After having read this book, it makes a great reference. I use it to make sure I have not overseen anything when reaching certain life cycle events.
   
   Thanks Johanna, this book was overdue for a long time!

5 comments about Microsoft Expression Web For Dummies.

1. I really was hoping that I could cobble together an actual website after reading this, but no. As another reviewer said, it's a mix of the extremely simple and the very complex. There's no in between for someone like me who has created websites in Front Page and other such applications and would like to to the same in Expressions Web. Alas, there is no bridge from one to the other in this book.
   
   Maybe, after I go out an buy another book that tells me how to use the application I can go back to this one and cull some good tips out of some of the chapters on CSS. I thought that the Dummies series was supposed to have that entry-level book, but I thought wrong.



2. This book may not be the best book available to get you up & running with expression web quickly, but it has been a valuable resource for me. It has a good index for finging topics quickly, and the explanations of how to do things in Expression Web are fairly simple.



3. This book may seem a bit redundant for frequent users of FrontPage as there are many similar GUI features.
   
   However first time users of Expression Web or limited FrontPage users will find many helpful tips, tricks and quick facts for using Expression Web.
   
   Well worth reading



4. I like the Dummies series so I expected to like it. It provided an easy format for me to learn Expression Web. Good book



5. I'd been trying to use a book from Microsoft, but it didn't help much. I got this book, and I was able to work on my website much more quickly. I'm not completely done yet, but I couldn't be as far as I am without this book. I give it high marks.