5 comments about 2007 Microsoft® Office System Inside Out.

1. I find myself buying the InsideOut series, even if I have other books on a topic, because of the included eBook. I love the fact that I always have the information on my computer and can search it for whatever I need. This book is not very detailed, but it helped me with relative references in Excel just last week. I opened the eBook, searched for "relative reference" and found what I needed. Paid for the book, in my opinion. Oh, and I use the hardcover to page through and look for new information, when I have the time.



2. This book is pretty good for somebody that doesn't know anything about using Microsoft Office. If you are an advanced user, this book is too basic.



3. I don't normally read Office-related books as I've been a PC user and techie for so long. But with Office 2007 Microsoft changed so much I felt I needed a refresher. I hate the Ribbon toolbar btw, but Office 2007 does have many improvements.



4. Of all the texts available on Amazon on Office 2007, I felt this was the most comprehensive and most articulately crafted reference guide available. It's amazingly versatile in its scope, drawing on a very eclectic and experienced range of experts in the Office field. The text is very user friendly, and covers ALL of the programs you would find in Office, just not the basics such as Word, or Excel, or Powerpoint. Every excercise is illustrated with a mirror image guide of what you would see on the screen as youwork along with it. It is a text that is very adaptable to the user, in that it could be used by a beginner, as well as someone looking to become very sophisticated in their usage of Office. For most people, this will be plenty, and there is a wonderful index in the back as well as a CD-ROM which has an amazing assortment of supplemental materials. I plan on using this to become more familiar with the basics of Office 2007 as well as a reference guide for my advanced business reporting in Excel and Access. As long as I own Office 2007 this will be the only reference I will need.



5. This item has served its purpose. I provides insight about the newly release Office Suite explaining the newest features and how to effectively use them.

4 comments about Deploying Rails Applications: A Step-by-Step Guide (Facets of Ruby).

1. I buy a lot of books, mostly Ruby and Rails books. Most of them are follow-me guides that don't explain anything. Sure, ya did it, but you don't know why. Not this one. Ezra Zygmuntowicz actually explains how it works, why you need to do it and then, how to do it. And few people know as much about deployment.
   This is an extremely well written, "must have" reference.
   
   TW Scannell



2. This is a superb book, the best compact writeups i've seen on setting up Apache load balancing and proxies, nginx, mongrel, SVN server and repos, DNS, MySql caching, capistrano, rake, profiling apps (and there's a lot of blogs, books on these subjects. Entire mailing lists, in fact). Compact means they don't go into every option or configuration conceivable, you get everything (to almost 2 sigma) you need to know to get it going reliably, scalably, loggably, plus a lot of hard-won knowledge about what can go wrong. Just not quite the detail they go into, in, say the Frisch and Nemeth/Snyder/Hein unix admin books. I think for a lot of people (many java or PHP devs don't have to worry about the infrastructure of their production boxes, they had STDIFT (somebody to do it for them), this is a must have.
   
   This book isn't perfect. What it covers it covers beautifully, what it doesn't cover, well, it kinda slows down to 30 MPH for a red light. Witness pp 234-5: covers nested sets, STI, indexes and normalization, AR duck typing, polymorphic associations. Geez, that's a lotta topics for slightly less than 1 page. Well, they're outside the scope of this treatment and there aren't a lot of references given. What about all the Yslow stuff that everybody's talking about: JS /CSS compression/lazy loading, CDN, reduce DNS lookups. Some topics are here, some aren't. Basically, that's what you worry about after you've dug thru logfiles and profiled, topics this book covers in excellent depth.
   
   There are a few editing/editorial slips. 3 authors flip-flop between debian/ubuntu & RH/centOS/FC families (and don't talk about FreeBSD /solaris). Page 92 seems to suggest the default Leopard ruby install is fine. p 212: they're comparing a ubuntu, single CPU machine against a 2-cpu, windows machine running ??. I figure the editor should have said "huh?". and p 172 they write a lot about mySQL clustering limitations, when they could've talked about postgres instead of/in addition to.
   
   But really with stuff they could've written about, we're talking about a 600 page book, not this 250 page book with nice margins, easy to read fonts. So that' s my story and i'm sticking to it.



3. I guess because this book was anticipated for so long, the expectation were a bit high. In the mean time I've read loads of information to setup a server on the internet.
   
   Best chapters for me were 8. Scaling out (MySQL clustering was new and interesting) and 9. Performance where you go from a solid base line to the best number of mongrels for your server.



4. Ezra's book delivers precious info to every developer interested into Rails applications deployment. Staring from an hardcore-developer point of view maybe the book might had been condensed by eliminating some not-so-useful topics, such as the first chapters about hosting options. Furthermore cloud-computing it's never mentioned. Anyway it remains the only authorative reference about one of the Achilles' heel of the Rails framework.

5 comments about Adobe InDesign CS2 Classroom in a Book.

1. This book is extremely helpful with the Adobe InDesign program I wish I would have had it a year ago!!



2. I'm only giving it 1 star because CS3 has now been released, so the book is of modest value except for those who wish not to take advantage of the new and improved. Try taking this one to a used book store and you'll see that at "1" it's over-rated.
   
   Aside from that, this is an excellent series of manuals, particular valuable as software publishers no longer include manuals! As they say at O'Reilly: "The book that should have been in the box."



3. I am a convert from PageMaker, so I was already familiar with a lot of the functions in InDesign. However, the book has still been very beneficial. The examples and already finished or almost finished documents that come on the disc are great tools to learn with.
   
   The book is easy to read, despite being written by Adobe. Sometimes the only way to learn is to buy a book written by a third party, but I've found that is not the case here. Adobe did a great job.



4. I was just starting to learn InDesign and had not taken any classes. This book was great. It really helped me through many projects. A definite plus to your library if your are an InDesign user.



5. I bought this book and yes, it is a good book but it is not the reference book that I was looking for. I need to be able to look up how to do a particular application or what a certain button does. I have to figure out which lesson this might be found in and then go through to the lesson. This is time consuming and I do not always find the information I need. I am really looking for a great index with step by step on how to perform certain funtions.

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

1. This is a good reference to have in your library if you're a web designer or web developer. The process map makes a useful project management template to start with which you can customize for your own projects. I thought it was nice to have some of the templates available on their website too.
   
   This process map and methodology isn't as comprehensive as a full blown project management process like you'd find at the Project Management Institute (PMI) but it is nicely streamlined for Web Design projects.
   
   I took pieces from PMI standards and injected them into this process map where I wanted more detail. I was happy with the purchase and recommend the book to anybody interested in managing web design projects.



2. This book gives a good overview on web site design projects. It describes the project steps, workflow and lifecycle in a fairly simple and practical style. This kind of a straightforward hands-on approach worked pretty well for me and the book was fast and easy to digest. The downside is that topics are not discussed in detail very deeply. The simplified workflow that is presented in the book is suitable for relatively small web site projects but big application oriented projects need a lot more things to be covered.
   
   One big disappointment was the expert sections or articles. They were too short (page or two) to say anything really useful and I think using these kind of short "teasers" from wed design celebrities is just a way to promote and sell the book. An other thing that could have been improved are the different checklists/document samples throughout the book that can also be downloaded from the website. They are nice to have but are too simple to be used without modification in actual projects.
   
   It is a shame that the book don't go into more detail in describing web design projects because I think the authors would have a lot more to say on the subject. The book uses a lot of imagery and white space (and is a kind of prited version of a web site) when actual content could have been added instead.
   
   The most obvious reader for this title would be a project manager coming to the web design world from some other industry or someone else new to the business. A good overview that is fast and easy to digest.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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.

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!

3 comments about Professional Windows PowerShell for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (Programmer to Programmer).

1. It's about time this book was written and published. If you own one or more of the half-dozen E2k7 books that have been written and published in the past year, you have just one more to pick up - this one. This book is written to be exactly what E2k7 administrators need after their initial installation of Exchange. Nearly all E2k7 books focus on the management of E2k7 but primarily from the Exchange Management Console perspective. (Actually, a book that does a very good job on command shell topics is the "Mastering Exchange Server 2007" book by Gerber and McBee. It's very good.)
   
   Also covered in the book are topics of Troubleshooting, SCC and CR high-availability shell strategies. These three topics alone are worth the price of the book - to have all the PowerShell cmdlets in one place is truly convenient.
   
   If you are looking for a excellent book on Exchange Command Shell from A to Z - and NOT generic Powershell coverage and Exchange-absent ramblings - then pick this book up. It's a resource for us messaging consultants and admins. who don't want to be Powershell gurus - just real good at Exchange Command Shell.



2. This is a good book for Exchange Administrators. i have quite a few E2K7 books including the MS Press E2K7 Admin Companion and some of the earlier PowerShell books to include MONAD. this is a very easy read/reference book that gives you solid examples of how to use PowerShell. what i would have liked was a comprehensive listing of ALL options and a good reference is technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124413%28EXCHG.80%29.aspx it breaks down cmdlets by role so you can choose exactly what you want with specifics.
   Bottom line, good book for both novices and experts.



3. But they left out a big section regarding migrations. Having just completed migrating 2000 mailboxes, I found this book to be rather useless in that task. It may be good for day to day admin, and it may be good at creating 1000 mailboxes automatically, but it had little to no information on scripts and recommendations for automating a migration.

5 comments about Applying UML and Patterns: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Analysis and Design and Iterative Development (3rd Edition).

1. I have 30 years in the industry (and in different industries in IS management) and one thing I dislike is the author's persistence do down-grade the waterfall or modified waterfall models. He should be more objective on his comments since the waterfall and modified waterfall do have their merits on projects -- refer to "Rapid Development, Training Wild Software Schedules" by Steve McConnell, Microsoft Press, ISBN 1-55615-900-5. I have used them very successfully on big programs. The key here is, with any model, in order to be successful you need quality communications with ALL stakeholders. Just like in our personal life's, communications is everything; the models can be secondary.
   
   The author should also strictly follow the attributes of writing good requirements. On page 72, he wrote for "frequency of occurrence", "Could be nearly continuous". Now, I ask, how ambiguous is that????



2. Craig Larman's classic has reach 10 years of prime position on my professional book shelf, the 1st edition now replaced with the 3rd. Whenever anyone asks for an introduction to UML, this is always my first recommendation. Though the book focusses on software construction from scratch, it still contains much brilliant guidance for enhancement work or implementation of software packages.
   
   This book takes you in a logical, distilled process through pragmatic application of Unified Modelling Language on real projects for which people pay. Of course the examples are simple, but relevant and helpful. The book is chock full of diagrams and little text, which makes it quick to read and easy for reference.
   
   You could do little wrong if you used only this book to guide your first application of UML to a real project.



3. I found the previous edition 5 years ago, and completely marked it up. This book was instrumental in passing the OOAD test certification.
   I continued recommending this book to my colleagues.
   Then found the UML 2.0 edition, and plan on using this book as much as I did.



4. This book was purchased for the Business Analyst in our IT Department. She is very pleased with the graphics which make the instructions much easier to understand. There are many practical applications in the book that have already been extremely helpful in her job.



5. It's a "must read" for a programmer. This book has opened my eyes for lots of things connected with programming I didn't realize before.
   
   After reading this book I recommend you reading followings:
   - "Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices" ew. "Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C#";
   - "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture".
   
   I have to say that English is not my first language, but I found this book "readable" with no problems.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself Java 6 in 21 Days (5th Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. This books didactical approach is great, with lots of good examples convers pretty much everything you need to get started in the world of Java. So that once you finish the book, you can start practicing and programming without any problem.



2. My closest experience to Java was C++ coding some 7 years ago. Then I got a job requiring Java.
   After reading this book, I had all the confidence I needed to jump in and do well.
   Great examples and up to date. Highly recommended!



3. This is a good, quick introduction or review of Java. Also good as a reference.



4. Great book, i was migrating from DBXL (dont laugh) to Java 6 and this was the first book i read. The structure is sometimes out of whack and i found myself reading chapters out of order on 2 occasions but asside from this i found it to be an EXCELLENT way to upgrade my knowledge!



5. The book does a pretty good job introducing the fundamentals of Java. It took me about 4 days to go through it. It's not very good as a reference, but then again there are the Java docs at Sun which are comprehensive.

5 comments about PHP Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly)).

1. I'm coming to PHP with a strong background in Perl and this book is perfect for me. In my mind, I know what I'd do in Perl to handle a given situation. With PHP Cookbook, all I need do is turn to the table of contents, find the section I need, and there's the solution. The code is well written and the descriptions very useful.



2. This book is not for someone who doesn't know programming. If you haven't coded at all in your life and don't basic PHP syntax you need a different book.
   
   It also isn't a full solution for your site. You can't by this book and expect it to provide a complete solution for your programming needs.
   
   What is it. It is a collection of discrete coding examples of how to program. It's not a book of syntax. It is a book of techniques that you can learn and then use as needed on your own projects.
   
   I haven't read this book from end to end but when I recently had my first XML project it was useful to learn my different options on how to approach the project. Next I will be working on improving security. Again it has good examples that I can use and MODIFY for my own needs.



3. Each recipe states a Problem, gives a Solution, adds Discussion to help you understand the "why" behind the "what", and tosses in a "See Also" section if you need more info. There are 26 chapters of problem-solving recipes that will not only get you over the current hurdle but provide for learning in quick bits. Take a couple minutes, try something that interests you, and add it to your toolbox.
   
   Awesome book!



4. O'Rielly is a name I trust, and often look to for technical manuals. Their cookbooks and pocket guides are particularly sweet.
   
   
   I am constantly pulling this book for snippets of code. Converting dates all around, array manipulation all the mundane but oh-so-common choirs.
   
   I have already added an extensive collections of methods and classes based on the book's code. With my newly found admiration of Object-Oriented design and development I am able to reuse the code I create once again and again.
   
   If you are new to Object Oriented coding, check out
   Object-Oriented PHP: Concepts, Techniques, and Code
   
   Together you can build powerful classes of date or array methods to handle anything you'll come across, and anything new only makes them better!



5. This book is a good reference for people who already have a fair amount of programming knowledge. You don't need to necessarily know PHP since it's pretty similar to all the other languages out there. You should however have an idea of how a data driven website works.

5 comments about Lessons Learned in Software Testing.

1. My opinion about this book is that this is very useful in order to learn about the facts that happens when you need to lead a group of testers, basically. To read this book you need a previous experience as a tester, in order to understand very clear the ideas. If you have this experience , great!!!!! The book is very very graphic about the facts that happens when you do your job as a testing leader.



2. Lessons Learned in Software Testing
   
   As a new QA tester I have found that books written by Cem Kaner and associates are extremely helpful. This book in particular (Lessons Learned...) has been a wonderful help to me. I was able to be on guard before I had to learn the lessons the hard way. This book is easy to read and to the point. It is written in a way that the layman can easily uderstand it. This book is extremely insightful and is a good buy for anyone new to the field or not.



3. Through a series of nearly 300 "lessons", the authors share their accumulated wisdom about how to test application systems - not so much which buttons to press but more how to establish and manage a test team, plan the work and dynamically adjust the testing process according to what is found and how much time is left.
   
   The chapter titles ably illustrate the book's scope: 1. Role of the tester; 2. Thinking like a tester; 3. Testing techniques; 4. Bug advocacy; 5. Automating testing; 6. Documenting testing; 7. Interacting with programmers; 8. Managing the testing project; 9. Managing the testing group; 10. Your career in software testing; 11. Planning the testing strategy; [Appendix] The context driven approach to software testing.
   
   I would definitely encourage anyone who thinks `test automation' is a great idea and is perhaps contemplating the purchase and use of automation tools, to read chapter 5 before they commit the budget and finalize the project plans. The authors eloquently explain the advantages and disadvantages of common automation techniques such as user input replay tools, providing a real-world counter to the tool vendors' optimistic sales pitches. They don't say "Forget it", rather "If you can live with these significant drawbacks, automated testing may be useful for a certain subset of testing activities". This is a good example of the pragmatism and wisdom found throughout the book.
   
   The book is not an academic treatise full of theoretical constructs/models and testing methodologies. Nor is it a step-by-step manual on how to test a system. It is an excellent read for testing practitioners who are seeking or at least open to advice on how to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. "This book is for anyone who test software, anyone who manages testers, and anyone who has to deal with testers in their software development projects. That includes project managers and executives." The hints and tips plus career development advice are valuable for testers, especially if they have a few years testing under their belts already. The technical content is minimal and should be readily understood by any IT professional while the management advice should be appreciated by those with management experience or who aspire to become managers.
   
   The book strongly encourages testers to work with developers and project managers, becoming an integral and valuable part of the team rather than an impediment to progress and a threat to delivery deadlines (lesson 12 is typically direct: "Never be the gatekeeper"!). The subtitle's reference to being `context driven' introduces a dynamic approach to testing, relating test activities to the development lifecycle and promoting those that will be of most help to the project at any point. The approach is described further in the appendix but is only subtly referenced elsewhere, unlike certain other books that insist on pushing their One Big Idea down the reader's throat at every possible opportunity.
   
   All three authors clearly have solid testing experience, some 60 work-years between them. There are also numerous (but not intrusive) citations to other helpful resources, further demonstrating the authors' pedigree. Cem Kaner, a consultant and IT professor at Florida Institute of Technology, was the lead author of Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition, one of my all time favorite IT books. Cem also practices law. James Bach is the founder of a software testing and QA company with silicon valley experience. Bret Pettichord is an independent consultant who edits the Software Testing Hotlist and founded the Austin Workshop on Test Automation.
   
   The "lessons" format leads to a somewhat disjointed flow in places although overall the book is well-structured. At times, successive lessons are directly contradictory, again emphasizing the need for readers to be both alert and open-minded. This is another example of being `context-driven'. Which lesson you choose to follow depends on the circumstances facing you, a form of contingency planning if you will.
   Unusually for a published book, several critical comments from reviewers of the draft, as well as occasional differences of opinion or approach between the three authors, are included as footnotes or asides. The authors openly acknowledge the ambiguities and leave the reader to think about them and make the final decision - I like that. This is a book for grown-ups. There are valiant attempts to describe and promote `the tester's nose', that seemingly innate ability of experienced and successful testers to sniff-out aspects of the system that are likely to harbor serious bugs and to design targeted tests that will reveal them. The advice on unstructured `guerilla testing' is not quite so useful, in my opinion, but I'm impressed that the book even tackles such ephemeral concepts.
   
   Even if you only learn something new from a few of the lessons, this book is well worth the purchase price. Testers relatively new to the profession will learn more than grey-beards but even they will probably find some of the suggestions make them re-think long-established ways of working (habits) and subconscious assumptions (prejudices). In the main, the lessons are pragmatic. Some are a bit contentious, perhaps deliberately, and most are both thought provoking and helpful.
   
   Bottom line: recommended for any thinking person involved in application testing including development project managers and IT auditors.



4. This is a good text on how to avoid time consuming mistakes in software testing. Experience is the best teacher around and this encapsulates that. This would be a good book for the novice to learn from. It may save you from going down a "rat hole" in your testing thus wasting time and resources.



5. *This book is a must for those organizations that has trouble figuring out how to slash down their budget without sacrificing their effectiveness in shipping quality software.
   *This book will open your mind that spending much time in creating test steps is Good but not excellent.
   *This book is unique. The author will not force you to follow what is written inside but instead give you idea to invent your own model cognitively.
   *This book will never be obsolete because the lessons stated inside is generic. I always bring this book wherever I go until I memorized it all.
   *I have so much to say but to make it short this book passed my criteria in my own idioms.