5 comments about Foundation Flash CS3 for Designers (Foundation).

1. Torn between 4 or 5-stars, it is the question "where are the source files" that makes the book less than perfect. Anyone that reads this book will ask the same question and hunt for the answer, so I'll answer it right now. Go to their website at www.friendsofed.com. Click on Downloads. Then scroll down and click on the title of the book. You'll get 2 ways to download the files - 1 big zip file (444 MB - about 2 hours w/DSL) or 14 smaller chapter files. I chose to download the individual chapters because it's quicker and Chapter 8 (video) is 324 MB by itself (Hint: download later!).
   
   The book is so well thought out with a great layout, that I think it's unbelievable that they would overlook such a major omission. All of the content is upfront, even the tech reviewer and cover designer have their own bio pages. In fact when I looked at the blank white page that immediately follows the "introduction" but precedes the "layout conventions" I began to suspect that I probably missed it - and I did. It's written in micro-print as the last line on the copyright page (where?) just before the credits. So what gives? Probably a little joke on the readers and a gentle shove to visit their website for the clicks (uh, content).
   
   If you can get over the fact that the pages are written in b&w or having to create your own cd (flash drive!)- it's really a great book to read and work with. I'll use Chapter 1 (Learning the Flash CS3 Professional Interface) to explain my reasons why. The title is a bit modest because it introduced a lot of material like concepts, keystrokes (PC & MAC), tools, timelines, symbols, movie clips, library, objects, layers, motion and more --- in every day language. Along the way, you're actually using them. At the end, I had a really good general understanding and a nice comfort-level with the features of Flash while being hungry for more. Perfect timing because the remaining chapters are more in-depth and build on Chapter 1. Moreover, I was excited to realize that it bridges the learning curve for the other CS3 programs. Afterwards, I jumped into another newbie book (Adobe's Dreamweaver CS3 On Demand) and nope - no fog! I haven't written a review on it yet but it's looking pretty good and it's in color.



2. Foundation Flash CS3 for Designers provides a good overview of both Flash and Action Script 3.0, even for those who may be new to the program. The setup of the chapters was helpful, with the discussion of the topics being covered followed by the exercises that allow the reader to apply the skills taught in the chapter. The class files were relatively easy to find using a search engine. The instruction in the chapters was clear and proceeded in a logical manner. This is good for someone without a strong background in technical language. In addition to instructing the reader on how to use the program, the text also covers some basics of design, such as the possibilities of using fonts in Flash documents. The highly detailed table of contents made finding particular topics in the book easy to find, with clear lists of the chapters and their respective page numbers. Overall, this text proved useful for my Flash class, and it expanded on the basic knowledge that I already had of the program.



3. I bought this book for a Flash course and it helped me out a lot. The book is easy to read, but is full of useful tutorials and tips. It is an awesome book for beginners trying to learn flash.
   
   The thing I liked the most about this book are the pictures and diagrams. The fact that it has a picture/diagram on every single page makes the book more interesting and easier to read. The book is also separated into different sections so you can just flip to the section you want to learn or need help with. The book also had an informative section on Action-Script. I had no problem reading through the tutorials and understanding it.
   
   This is the kind of book that you'll keep on your shelf and keep referring to whenever you're having difficulties with Flash. I would recommend this book to beginners and intermediates.



4. If you are interested in learning Flash, this is definitely a great place to start. I started with no knowledge of Flash, little artistic talent and a desire to create something cool. After going through this book, I now have a good understanding of how Flash works and I have a lot of cool animations and apps that I can show off to my friends.
   
   The book is very well written and has a nice learning curve. Difficult concepts are explained thoroughly, and the authors give plenty of tips that help a lot when you start to move on to doing your own things. The tutorials are very thorough and come with plenty of files to download, which is very helpful if you're like me and aren't very much of an artist. This allowed me to not have to really worry about drawing anything and focus more on learning how to use Flash.
   
   All in all, this is a great buy for anyone wanting to learn Flash, which can definitely be a daunting challenge to most without some sort of guidance, which this book provides plenty.



5. I had no previous experince with Flash. I am about to finish this book and this is a great book.Authors and the design of the book are top quality.Source files are well designed with two folders every chapter Completed and Exercise,this is a convenience for readers.Also inside the book there are many great links to websites of good Flash designers.If you need a flash book from the beginning this is the book to go..

5 comments about Head First C# (Brain-Friendly Guides).

1. I would like to say that I am very impressed with this book. It is not often I find books that keep me interested. I have read books on C, C++ and Java but they all had programs that were of little value. With this book the first program your create shows what you can do with C# by creating a simple Contact program. I am very pleased with this book and recommend it to anyone wanting to learn c# for windows applications.



2. I'm going to agree with most of the other reviews here. I think this book is a spectacular learning device. I just finished the book off over two weeks, and feel like I've gotten more out of it than any other book by far. I still used some other books to get a little more in depth, but all in all I have no complaints.
   
   I think a new user could take this book and write some good code when they were done. Make sure you do all of the interactive exercises, they will help to ingrain your knowledge.
   
   I have over 20 Beginning/Professional C# books and this is by far my favorite.



3. A read a lot books about C# and .net stuff. But there are one big problem with all them they are all so boring... It's not about this book i never think that book about writing code can be so fun and interesting. Thanks amazon for open this book for me because i couldn't find this book in my country.



4. bought this book with very little programming experience and must say, its a fantastic book for those looking to dive into the world of object oriented programming.
   
   It's easy to read, the projects are well thought out and get you involved right from the get go.
   
   The authors are very clear in the beginning of the book that if you are an experienced programmer, or looking for a reference guide, this is NOT the book for you.



5. Head First C# is exactly what I was looking for in a programming book --- minimal technobabble and light on the concepts. I wanted to see what the language can do and that's what this book delivers. It's a hands-on book so it's geared toward readers who learn by doing. It's not for readers who want to sit down and read it cover to cover.
   
   If you want to be a real C# programmer, this book is a great place to start!

5 comments about Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job (Programmer to Programmer).

1. This book is really a good resource not only to be used while you are preparing for interviews but also when you are willing to have a quick lookup of some of the core programming concepts. However, I believe that there is still some provision for improvement specially in threads. However, it is a must have book for those who have been away from core programming structures like LinkedList etc because of their availability in newer languages by default.



2. This is a good book. Covers topics on data structures,logical problems,all that is needed for interview preparation. This book helped me quite a lot.



3. Buy this book if you are interviewing with MSFT anytime soon. I have two brothers and both work for MSFT. They both think this book is a very good prep. Moreover, my eldest bro is an interviewer at MSFT and he uses this book! So does the other 4 interviewers he knows at MSFT.
   
   1) This book has sample interview questions for you to solve and several approaches for each question.
   2) The book then tells you which approach is the best and why. VERY VERY NICE!
   3) This book also tells you how to approach problems, how to make sure you are not stuck, how to brainstorm and get the best answer.
   4) There are puzzle/riddle type questions too.
   5) How to write resumes and cover letters as well.
   6)Finally, the book also has very nice simple tutorials of all the important/basic concepts of OOP.
   
   Very comprehensive book. A MUST buy!



4. This book played a significant part in landing me a job at major technology company. Although out of the entire all-day interview process there was only one question that was actually very similar to one I read about in the book, I did benefit greatly from the advice on how to approach the interviewer, how to be verbal with my problem solving process, how to dress, even how to write my sample code on the white board. These are intangibles that relate particularly to the software development world, and some of the specifics were a welcome departure from the 'generic' advice you get from most sources.
   
   It was my first interview with a major tech company, and I was fresh out of grad school, so though some of those things may be obvious to the more experienced, for me it made a world of difference bringing that with me to the interview. Just made me very comfortable and familiar in what should have been a very unfamiliar environment. And the one question that was very similar to the one I read in the book came from an interviewer that I later found out was pivotal in the final decision to hire. So.. you never know.
   
   Reading this book is not a substitute for being technically adept, and certainly will not guarantee a job, but it does leave you better equipped to handle the interview. Seasoned and beginner alike should find many useful tidbits.



5. I picked this book up, and I got Interview tips from a chronic job hopper by Tom Elsa on kindle and between the technical aspects in this book and the how to wow them secrets in the interview tips kindle I should be straight!

4 comments about Pro WPF in C# 2008: Windows Presentation Foundation with .NET 3.5, Second Edition (Books for Professionals by Professionals).

1. I have the first edition of this book (Pro WPF: Windows Presentation Foundation in .NET 3.0), so I was hesitant in buying this version. WPF 3.5 did not have major feature upgrades from 3.0. I am glad that I did buy it, but I can't really recommend doing so for other people with the .NET 3.0 version, only because there is not that much new material.
   
   However, I highly recommend the book if you don't own the previous edition. I also highly recommend it even if you have the first one and you are like me and pretty much trashed my first edition copy. It has been through several storms and has a lot of notes and ink running all over it. So it is nice to have a new copy to beat the crap out of. I also like having the latest information I am using up to date.
   
   Here is what is new in this release:
   --Firefox support for XBAPs.
   --Data binding support for LINQ.
   --Data binding support for IDataErrorInfo.
   --Support for placing interactive controls (such as buttons) inside a RichTextBox control.
   --Support for placing 2-D elements on 3-D surfaces.
   --An add-in model.
   
   Matthew has added content for all the topics listed above.
   
   Some of the highlights of the book I like:
   --His in-depth coverage of printing.
   --His Custom Elements chapter.
   --The new chapter on Application Add-Ins.
   --The chapter on using ClickOnce with WPF.
   --Everything is gone into in depth. This is not a brush over the topic book.
   --The usability of the code makes the book all that much more valuable.
   
   The book focuses on WPF only. It has a few pages on LINQ, but that is about it as far as the rest of the .NET 3.5 framework goes. In other words, the book does not cover how to best use WPF in relationship to WCF, WF, or LINQ. This does not take anything away from the book because Matthew does not claim that the book does this. I only mention it because his ASP.NET 3.5 book does go into LINQ application integration.
   
   The downloadable code is very well organized and is very usable.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone getting into WPF with .NET 3.5.



2. Please buy this book if you haven't explored Windows Presentation Foundation. The separation of the UI (with XAML) and the code-behind page controller (C# or VB.NET) will revolutionize .NET development. If you don't have a designer you must learn Microsoft Expression Blend, but a UI designer will push your view (from Model-View-Controller) to the extreme.
   
   The browser-based XBAP works like a Winform app, but it can be viewed in Internet Explorer. If you've ever tried to create a dirty flag to denote changes in form data in ASP.NET, you know how superior Winforms are for this purpose. XBAPs give you the ability to access the textbox text changed event like Winforms. This takes a ton of JavaScript to accomplish the same programming task in ASP.NET forms.
   
   The update of the application to the client machine (the XBAP runs on the client) can be done with new technolgy called ClickOnce. What a technology!
   
   I've even tried to learn the XAML markup from a very good chapter on this.
   
   This book is really well done. Kudos to the author.



3. I've bought three books about WPF, including Windows Presentation Foundation Foundation Unleashed and Silverlight 1.0 Unleashed. Matthew MacDonald's book is for developers and is what I needed. It uses Visual Studio 2008 and is up to date with current development tools. I've also read his books on ASP.NET and this is one top-notch author. I fully recommend this book.



4. The book is good so far. Only about 150 pages into the book, but so far easy to read, examples range from simple to more advanced. I will post another review upon completion.

5 comments about The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master.

1. It's undeniable that this book is full of good values, principles, and techniques that programmers should strive to follow in order to delivery good software. In spite of it, almost none of the topics covered by the authors go deep into the subject, what opens space, in my opinion, for future improvements.



2. Since I was young I wanted to be a programmer. I got my first development job only a few years ago, and have spent much of my free time reading blogs and the like. The problem with that was there were too many conflicting schools of thought on too many different methodologies and practices.
   
   I found this book only a few months ago, and poured through its pages. After finishing it, my approach to software development has changed so drastically that I would say it changed my life. That may be a dramatic way of saying it, but I think it certainly did. I began writing tools that would allow me to follow the simple development guidelines in this book.
   
   For instance, after reading the section about the DRY principle (Don't Repeat Yourself), I wrote a script that would read through my application's codebase and find similar chunks of code, and identify them. I ALWAYS found a case where I could refactor, writing easier to follow code, and consolidate repeated code into one area.
   
   Instead of spending tons of time trying to filter out the noise of the blogosphere, buy this book, read it, and then live it (my apologies for any "religious" connotations...)



3. This book is brilliant. It helps reinforce ideas with wit so the information isn't in one ear and out the other. This book will definitely be on that i tell others to buy.



4. The book is a must read for every serious programmer. Authors shares their expertise in software development and the book is filled with a lot of advises and tehnologies to be used in software development process. If you are a pragrammtic programmer or want to become one, the book is a must read. It will confirm what you will already know and bring new things to you. The book can be a learn start point for other technologies and techniques you need to study. Reading the book, I found out about a lot of new things i didn't even know they exist, things that i need to study more.
   
   The reading style is very easy. The book is written in a chatty style, a pleasure to read it.
   I 100% recommend this book to everyone who is involved in software development and want to progress in career.



5. Enjoyable and short to read. Provides timeless and technology-agnostic guidelines on how to create software. A must read for all software engineers.

5 comments about JavaScript: The Definitive Guide.

1. This book will take you from zero to hero! I read it cover-to-cover twice after having a year or so of javascript experience, and each time I learned a great deal. The reference section is indispensable too.
   
   If you want to learn the language inside and out and start playing with the big boys, get this book.



2. Excellent reference book -- well organized, especially the DOM reference section, and easy to understand. Clear explanation in the introductory chapters.



3. Authoritative, very well written, very well structured, complete, a pleasure to read.
   The intricacies of Javascirpt are very well explained, it might not be an easy read for the average script kiddie but if you want a book that thoroughly describes the language and its browser integration, events, dom, css handling ... look no further.



4. When I first started programming javascript that lasted only a week or so (this was around 2000), the trouble I had with it was with the loose typing and the generality of the language. After reading the core portion of this book, I got to see the advantages and power of what I had problems with. It only took me 12 hours to go from literally clueless to semi-proficient. It also helped that I went through a whole semester of software design in C++. Another subtle part of the book that you do not need to have a semester of software design to learn the language, the author does well to explain the material well. If you are new to javascript, I'd probably get another book to go along with this.



5. If you want to master Javascript and read just one book, then this must be the book you want to buy. Covers A-Z, detailed. If you are beginning on AJAX then this book is must read if you are Javascript beginner. 5 Stars.

5 comments about Agile Project Management with Scrum (Microsoft Professional).

1. This book provides a simple introduction to Scrum. Author briefly explains basic Scrum concepts based on real life case studies. However this book is not sufficient to start practicing Scrum in real projects. You will need at least a Scrum Master training course in order to fully understand Scrum techniques.
   
   Coming from PMI PMP background I have noticed that the author does not understand the foundations of "traditional project management". For example on page 88 he draws a Network Diagram and refers to it as to Gantt chart... He also very often mentions PERT charts as one of his painful memories from waterfall projects.
   Being such an expert in software project management Ken should know that there is no PERT chart, just the PERT technique (for estimating the duration of a task). PERT chart is a name of Network Diagram, wrongly introduced by Microsoft Project. It really strikes me how many people confuse MS Project with project management.
   
   All in all, this book is worth reading if you need a brief introduction to Scrum.



2. As a newly appointed ScrumMaster I have chosen this title to gain overview of the methodology. The book indeed gave me basics. Examples and stories helped me to build up my own approach (and maybe to avoid some troubles). Now I run the scrum process and through its iterations I improve myself. However, it is not an in depth manual or how to" cookbook. Gaining proficiency is left on your own work experience or some of suggested training courses. For me the book was fine and I would recommend it. I am only in doubt whether the pricing is set appropriately.



3. This book is a sales pitch for agile project management, not a book on how to use it. There is chapter after chapter with the same format. 1) describe long list of problems company has, 2) implement agile 3) magic happens. There is a small amount of information on agile and how to use it.



4. I have enjoyed reading this book. The overview of Scrum is based on analysis of case studies and provides a complete vision on how to manage the software development using "art of possible". The book targets beginner as well as intermediate experienced Scrum practitioners. Being not new to the Scrum process I had several practical "How to?" questions. While answering some of them, some questions remain unanswered. The questions remaining were:
   * would Scrum work when requirements are complex, and code is complex?
   * Is Scrum the best method for developing complex products which comply to complex industry standards and regulations?
   * What to do with defects encountered during the SPRINT? Write them into Backlog List? Etc.
   * Usability of Scrum approach: The overlapping nature of Team member role implies that he analyzes requirements, architects and designs the software, tests the software, writes documentation. It is hard to find people with skills all-in-one.
   
   I decided to take a ScrumMaster Certification Course from www.scrumalliance.org. Co-incidentally Ken Schwaber will be the speaker :D



5. I've read this book short after taking Boris Gloger training of Certified ScrumMaster. It has numerous case studies of Ken's role as ScrumMaster in several companies. I don't know if it's a good book for someone that was not trained or studied scrum at all, but for someone that already has some small background on the topic it's a very good book.

5 comments about LINQ in Action.

1. During my attempts to learn LINQ and implement it into my work, I've searched several sites looking for answers related to syntax, deferred execution, LINQ to XML, LINQ to SQL, and LINQ performance statistics. I spent hours going from one site or blog post to the next. This book covers all of these topic and more. If only I had this book sooner...



2. Linq in Action is a clear and deep presentation of a technology that, even in its first incarnation, is increasing the productivity of programmers, and setting an even higher standard for dynamic websites and programs. The authors, who were instrumental in the development of Linq, proceed in an intuitive path from the basics of the technology, all the way to very sophisticated ideas and examples. The authors also participate online to answer questions and add even more material for an even more through presentation. I recommend this book for any developer or aspiring developer.
   
   Paolo



3. I am a newbie both in visual basic and Linq, and I have to say that this book is really great. It provides a LOT of understandable explanations, that are so useful for who's not a guru already.
   
   There are tons of examples, plus quite a lot online resources that can be extremely useful.
   
   Great book, probably one of the best on LINQ subject, and it's definitely worth the price



4. A good book, very complete and full of infos. All topics are well and deeply explained. I give only 4 stars for two main reasons
   1. I don't like the writing style. It is too friendly, I prefer a formal and clean one.
   2. Some explanation is 'obscure' and needs to be rewritten, for example the SelectWith extension method.
   Anyway it really worths to have a copy on your desk.



5. I've read every LINQ book that i"ve come across and on the whole, they are all really good. As a subject area, the coverage is amazingly well done. This book is a natural fit b/c in every important respect, it's excellent.
   
   First off, it's easy to read. Learning the basic mechanics of LINQ isn't all that difficult. Learning advanced LINQ mechanics is still pretty straightforward. However understanding why certain approaches should be used over other ones, understanding potential pitfalls (getting something back you weren't expecting) and ensuring your code performs well after you get back more than a few records, well, that takes some effort. I think this book helps you accomplish each of those in a manner that's very clear and very straightforward. [As a stylistic note, I think really understanding Lamda expressions, which admittedly aren't a linq feature per se, is challenging at first. This book did not shy away from them and went at them head one. B/c learning them isn't a linear process (at least it wasn't for me or anyone i know), you often make no real progress, then have a moment of understanding that gets you to the next level. That type of learning is best facilitated by seeing several examples - seeing several ways to accomplish something and then reverse engineering the differences. The extensive number of examples really makes that process a lot simpler].
   
   Another really strong point is the examples themselves. In the LINQ to XML coverage, there's an example of how to create a RSS feed from a collection with one linq query. It's beauty is its elegance and b/c most developers have given writing RSS a try, it's a great juxtaposition to show how powerful and useful LINQ can be. That example isn't alone though - there are several others that extend beyond the cliche'd Hello World samples that leave people wanting for more.
   
   The coverage of each topic is superb as well. At no point did I finish a chapter with unanswered questions in mind. Often, authors will make an assertion "you should do it this way b/c otherwise you'll open up security vulnerabilities" or whatever without explaining what the downside is that they are talking about. I know it's a seemingly unimportant thing, but I found that they always explained the points they make, even the minor ones. It's a typical example of the attention to detail the authors put into this book.
   
   Having co-authored several books, I know how hard it is to write a book with a unified writing style. The editing for this book is done in such a way though that it looks like one author wrote it. Yes, there are some differences in their individual writing styles, but it's all close enough that it really does feel as though one person wrote it. That is a huge plus and again, it's just one of those small things they do that shows a serious attention to detail.
   
   So it's easy to read, they cover everything really well, they selected great examples and explain them well and they start out with general coverage and move onto very detailed coverage - making it ideal for both a LINQ newcommer or a seasoned vet.
   
   It's a great book and IMHO, the authors are to be commended for putting it together. Although I've found all of the LINQ books I've come across to be very good - this one made an impression and it's excellent from start to finish.

5 comments about PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide.

1. This is an excellent book. All the codes works! I recommend to buy it. It is worth for the money.



2. This is definitely not for someone new to programming or relational databases. The pace is fast which works well if you already know those things but need to know how to do them in PHP and mySQL. Those new to either of those two concepts should probably look for something more basic



3. Larry Ullman's "PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide" is great because it can be applied to real world websites. Mr. Ullman does a fine job in conveying the finer points of PHP.



4. Larry Ullman's extensive experience as a developer and writer shows. This book is very well structured and builds upon itself intuitively to the reader. The exercises are pragmatic. The only thing that he might have touched upon in this book is OOP--fortunately his book PHP 5 Advanced: Visual QuickPro Guide covers the subject extensively.
   
   This book also provides several key reference tables that I go back to often, e.g., MySQL data types (pg 110...got that memorized). So, the ongoing value is there. There have been a few times where the index didn't point me to the page I was looking for even though I know it's in the book somewhere.
   
   I noticed that Larry's next book is on AIR (has his enthusiasm shifted, or perhaps it's just that he's covered PHP from every conceivable angle at this point??). While I'm sure he'll shed valuable light on AIR, I look forward to his return to PHP prose.
   
   On a side note, Larry makes himself tirelessly available to his readers on his forum and via email. That's pretty extraordinary, too, I think, yet I'm bewildered how he finds the time.



5. This book is a complete waste of money. You can find all the material covered here for free online. The book is difficult to read because of all the author's tips, the small size of the letters in the text, and because the text in each page is divided in two columns wich is absurd. buy something else instead.

5 comments about Joomla! A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla! Powered Website.

1. Great book for someone wanting to learn Joomla! 1.5 from the ground up. Knowing HTML and CSS is not required, but would be very helpful. Lots of "golden nuggets" of information throughout the book, such as SEO tips, average client monitor sizes, etc. Instructions include specific examples and walk-throughs. An excellent primer!
   
   The only criticism I would offer is that some of the example images are difficult to read because they are printed light gray and the small text in the image.



2. Edit.. ok I gave a not great review for what turned out to be a user error.
   I'm still working through making my template BUT I was able to install and view my template on joomla (note make sure to have joomla 1.5 installed)
   
   Thank you for the help Barry, sorry for the negative remark.
   
   
   again for the review part, I do like the language. The book explains how and why which is helpful. It's an easy read. Recommended for the novice (like me)



3. Well-written. It's aimed for someone with slightly less ability than I, but more than the average never done more than surf the web user.
   
   Some portions of this book are available on-line for free.
   
   I was disappointed with the templates section. I wanted something on finding and modifying other people's templates. Instead it includes how to make a basic template, which is helpful to know, but I need something more robust and found myself struggling with this part. I know others who have found this a tough step.
   
   I found it useful to buy another book on CSS and XHTML, as I needed to brush up my skills in order to get into things with the templates.
   
   Still, this may be the best Joomla book out there for a first introduction.



4. I thought this was a excellant introduction to administering a Joomla powered site. As I worked through setting up my site I found this to be a very handy reference book after the fact.
   
   I found it written for a begginer but also serving as a handy reference guide as I become more familiar with Joomla.



5. I found this book to be very helpful. I recently started work on a Joomla 1.5 web site and wanted a book geared towards that version. Since this version is new it was difficult to find much written on it. I look forward to an update.