5 comments about 3D Game Textures: Create Professional Game Art Using Photoshop.

1. Unlike the rewiever who gave this book 1 star, I am giving 5. Because unlike him, I find this full-color book very well written and very useful. It goes beyond basic texture creation tutorials. The first half of the book explains theory behind good textures and texture creation as well as ways to take pictures for your own textures. It gives lot of examples to demonstrate various points. The second half of the book is the tutorial part. The tutorials are detailed and easy to follow. The only negative thing I find about this book is, that the tutorials give you exact values for everything without explaining why these values were actually chosen. However, it is up to the user to make his/her own tweeking and see, how changing these values effect the final result. Also, I would like to see how these textures are applied to a specific UV layout, which the book does not discuss. But then again, the book is about creating textures, not applying them to your model, so I do not hold it against it. After all, the textures that are created in the tutorials are nicely done and you certainly can find a good use for any of them. So, five stars it is.



2. This book is useful as a jumping-off point for using Photoshop to create textures, and covers most of the basic topics that someone new to both Photoshop and texturing would need to know. However, you'll need to search for additional resources to complete the journey that this book starts you on, since it's a pretty basic overview with a few confidence-building exercises that give you a taste of the possibilities.



3. I already know texturing and wanted to take my texturing to the next level. I compared textures before and after, and I noticed a difference. Its easier to make hand painted textures for me now.
   There are step by step examples of how to make bricks, windows, doors, etc.
   It even discusses how to take pictures of textures yourself, and how to make your 3d scenes seem more real by placing objects, breaking up plain parts, etc.
   The only thing missing is how to create history on textures and as far as I can tell, there are no books.
   I recommend going to cgsociety and check out the forums. Stephen Morrell has a good pdf on texturing somewhere.



4. There's a lot to like about a book like this for the beginning texture artist, such as myself. It gives you the fundamentals of how to recreate a texture from the ground up without actually having to paint hardly anything! Just use what Photoshop has to offer and you can follow this book all the way through.
   That would be the downside though, must have Photoshop! If you don't then I wouldn't see you getting much out of this book except the techniques, which may or may not be done in another paint program.
   This is just a beginner's book because it doesn't cover anything about skin or human painting and texturing, which is what I'm now looking for in another book. This just covers inanimate objects, but it just blows my mind how easy it now is using his techniques. I'm no longer intimidated by a blank white screen with no textures, and am now cranking stuff out a lot better looking (not professional yet, but getting there).
   Deffinantly worth getting for beginners or people apprehensive towards texturing.



5. the final textures are excellent. the only problem is sometimes the insructions are a little vague and the software in the book is outdated

5 comments about Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age.

1. I was entertained and greatly appreciated the view of the author but the many times I completely disagreed (due to very substantiated reasons) made me skeptical of several ideas of the author. But, the reasons for him holding those views is, in and of itself, interesting. He does have several good and controversial ideas and his experiences are quite valuable to read. Most of the time, I found myself flying high with him as he stated things that really need to be said which ran against conventional thought. Other times, I found myself raising my eyebrows in bewilderment. After all, it really is a book about his thoughts so take it as such. His book, his soapbox.
   
   The book reads well but really trails off towards the end. I found myself finishing the book just so I could say I was through with it. The opening chapters are quite entertaining. Read a few chapters that you find interesting and leave it at that.



2. In spite of the strong desire to punch the author in the face after finishing the book, there are many great truths inside. Basically why is it that most people think salaries on the same position should be the same if work results differ in orders of magnitude.
   
   Also it's funny to see an ultra-capitalist criticize the western decadent corporate structure. It's The Market for Lemons all over the place.
   
   Don't expect to find anything useful to make a dot com startup on this book. It's all anecdotes from his experience and his quasi-religious views. It's more rhetoric on Lisp than business.
   
   As another reviewer said, read first his online essays before diving into this.



3. Paul Graham is very clever (and rich - is that relevant?), however light also bends around his ego. Whether the sum of these qualities is positive is not absolutely clear to me.
   
   If you want to read the best thing that he has written, you might be better served by his book on advanced Lisp programming, which is a monument anybody can be proud of - it comes close behind SICP on my personal list.
   
   And, if you do read this book, I suggest you also look at 'The Science of Art' by Martin Kemp, which gives another perspective on the maybe slightly overweighted metaphor of the title, and the relation between theory and practice it implies.



4. The book particularly deals with the nexus between programming, creativity, social commentary, wealth-generation, business-personal-entrepreneurial psychology (his specialty!) and LISP-related stuff. I skipped the programming sections because Im not a programmer. The philosophical commentary was better than 90% of other philosophy books I've read, more cutting and more true-to-life.



5. Hackers and Painters is a good read. I enjoyed learning about the author's perspective on programming trends. I really enjoyed learning about his enthusiasm for Lisp. This book is not a how-to, but a collection of essays describing the authors views, opinions, and experiences with various programming topics. I definitely recommend it.

5 comments about AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications.

1. Enjoyed this book. The authors clearly understand their subject and provide useful workable code that can be used as a basis for your own projects.



2. The book would be ok as a reference or code examples with brief explanations. However, the code practices used, when compared to other current books left me very disappointed.
   
   The Good:
   - Good examples, all code is documented
   - Different projects - code provided online
   - The end results are good. (for Windows)
   
   The Bad:
   - Coding. They practice what I'd call "potluck programming". Basically you get 1 php page with inline calls to JavaScript, PHP, HTML and even some CSS properties. Maybe some programmers like this approach, but personally, I've been moving away from it, keeping your HTML alone, and inline JavaScript calls non-existent. The whole programming is basically obstrusive, taking over the file. Just bad programming practices. This is the biggest gripe I have with this book. Any current book should be teaching the more modern and less obstrusive ways of programming.
   - MAC support. A lot of the applications simply do not work, or work with lots of quirks under Safari and OS X. I know the market share is just around 5%, but it makes some of the applications worthless for those people.
   - There is not much in the way of teaching, I wanted to learn a bit more. The book has a lot of code, but the explanation section seems very lacking. (10 pages of code, followed by a "what just happened" section with less than 10 pages of code (there is less explanation than code, even though a lot of the code is repeated in that section.)
   
   Overall, I was expecting a lot more from this book. I use both PHP and starting to use Ajax, and was hoping this would help, but I would not recommend this book to anybody. There are better books that talk about both Ajax and PHP without having PHP in the title. Professional Ajax is one example and presents the code in different files (though it ocassional reverts back to inline JS).
   
   If you want a book of examples, but don't care much about your coding style, you could very well enjoy the book. If you are striving to become a better programmer, and use unobstrusive practices, stay away from this book, as you will be thoroughly disappointed. Also stay away if you use a OS X for most of your work.
   
   I would title the book: "Code for responsive web applications using AJAX and PHP".
   You will not learn how to build those applications, but they will be kind enough to provide you with their code.
   
   Edit (here is what I mean by potluck/inline javascript, obtrusive and JS dependent code)
   ------
   Copy and paste did not work - so I'll give you a general idea:
   On the main (X)HTML/PHP page, you have inline calls to JavaScript/Ajax functions like:
   Body onload="jsFunction" // inline JS
   onclick="anotherJSfunction()"
   onMouseOver="yetAnotherJSfunction"
   
   Basically the application do not work with JS disabled, they don't degrade gracefully, making them not very accessible. That is my main issue with the book.
   



3. AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications
   
   This is a great book for beginners as well as intermediate users of AJAX.
   
   I have about 5 years of experience with PHP and 7 with Javascript and I had none with AJAX. I read a few tutorials online about AJAX and after reading some of this book, I love it.
   
   This book is a great start with AJAX, especially if you are a PHP programmer like myself.
   
   If you are looking to start building with PHP and AJAX, I recommend this book.



4. The good folks at Packt Publishing have really nailed it with this title. This is one of the best books I have read on the topic of PHP and AJAX. They really broke down what the point and objectives of using AJAX with PHP are and then explained how to do things in a way that makes plenty of sense.
   
   This book has no lack of code to copy, luckily most of the code can be found on the companion site hosted by Packt Publishing. I must say that as of my experience all the code was in working order, which was a pleasant change from some other coding books I have read recently.
   
   The XMLHttpRequest code in AJAX and PHP is quite impressive including try/catch formula for catching exceptions and failures in the code and handling them properly, again a very welcome change to some of the coding books or recent. I was particularly impressed with the structure of the code regarding the handling of responses as well as all the explanations of the code used in each example, never did the authors leave you wondering what any piece of code did, or why it do so.
   
   The book is a short 260 pages, and just full of useful information. A great follow up to this book would be anything DHTML as that is where most of the AJAX examples want to seem to lead a reader. Having a knowledge of DHTML is not important however a firm understanding of PHP and JavaScript would really benefit a reader choosing AJAX and PHP.



5. AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications is the ideal book for those who currently have some PHP, XML, JavaScript and MySQL already under their belt. Little time is spent on the basics of these technologies other than a brief history of the Web and predictions for future Web applications making this book a great segue for those looking to take their basic skills to the next level. The code is well documented and commented so if you are the type of person who prefers to jump right in and work with code, then this book is for you.
   
   The biggest strength of this book is that is provides practical code examples that teaches the reader how to combine and use these technologies together. Some of the most handy examples are server-enabled form validation, an online chat tool and an RSS feed reader. Even if you only need to know one of these items, though there are plenty more, it's well worth it to pick up this book. No only will you be able to create these applications yourself, but you'll learn best practices and understand the why and how of each program as well. Additionally, the book's companion website is quite good and allows you to download all of the code. This can be especially helpful if you find yourself getting stuck somewhere and want to do a side-by-side comparison of the your code and the book code. There are even five free additional PDF chapters for download including an updated version of Chapter 5 - AJAX Chat - which uses JSON instead of XML.
   
   However, if you're the type of person that is looking for a very concise, step-by-step book, you may find yourself frustrated. Just as its strengths are in letting you jump right into the code, if you're not at the stage where you're comfortable with any of the included technologies, you'll quickly find yourself overwhelmed with a lack of direction and an abundance of code. Additionally, while the use of bold type clearly indicates emphasis on specific code lines, if anything could improve this book, just for readability's sake, it would color-indicated code.
   
   In conclusion, if you've already gotten your feet wet with PHP, XML, JavaScript and MySQL then AJAX and PHP: Building Responsive Web Applications will help you get to the next level with real-world code examples and projects. You'll not just "copy code" but gain an understanding as to the "why and how" of creating AJAX Web applications.

5 comments about 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers (Digital Process and Print).

1. Andrew Darlow's "301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques" has expanded my horizons. After a lifetime of traditional photography, trained by Ansel Adams and Morley Baer since my first exhibition prize in 1939, having publihed and exhibited I approached digital photography with apprehension. In the final anlysis all learning is self-taught and this particular guide with almost two dozen authorities as teachers, has helped me become more fluent in the digital printing language. Much as I have had a passion for darkroom silver and platinum printing, I am discovering far greater creative potential with the help of Andrew Darlow's well organzed guide and the assistance of such competent teachers as he has assembled. I am glad I discovered this book. It has been a bridge to a new and better world. Thanks to Darlow, my next exhibition wil be all digital prints. I have learned so much, not only to make my work flow easier, but superior.It is not easy to discard five decades of experience, but this book has made it easy and wothwhile to supplant that experience with superior creativity. Joachim Oppenheimer, M.D.



2. Believe it or not, I pretty much read this book cover to cover despite the fact that many would see this more as a reference volume. I'm a long-term amateur photographer with roots back in the dark room. I own an Epson Stylus Photo 2100 which I plan on replacing with newer technology. I heard the author on the TWiP podcast (highly recommended) and the timing seemed right for buying his book. I get a kick out of presenting friends and family with beautiful prints and "301 Tips" got me motivated and excited about getting back into creating a variety of print based projects. This book was not only inspiring but a pleasure to read. I appreciate the abundance of excellent photographs lavished on its pages.



3. Excellent format for day-to-day usage. Many useful ideas and approaches that will keep me off the streets and out of mischief for quite a while!



4. You'll find information in this book that you could only find elsewhere after a laborious search, if at all. All the good stuff you want to know about that never seems to be available is here. 301 is a beautiful smorgasbord of printing tips and techniques that has you going "oh wow" when you read something you just know is going to be helpful to you. It may not be for beginners (though even they they would find much of value in it as a reference) but it sure is for the rest of us. Coupled with Darlow's excellent web site that keeps everything up to date, it's a winner. If I had to take just one digital printing book with me to a desert island (along with a camera, computer and printer, of course) this would be it!



5. I bought this book in conjunction with one of Andrew Darlow's excellent printing seminars. The books is well organized, laid out with text and technically annotated photographs. I found the discussion on the pro's and con's of various types of printers particularly useful.
   
   What is unique about this book is the companion web site that list the Chapters in the book and provides links to information covered, as well as, new content. This feature will allow the user to keep up with ever changing technical developments. I consult this book frequently to hone my inkjet printing skills and use it as a general reference guild.

5 comments about Design Patterns in Ruby (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series).

1. This book has clear descriptions of very useful design patterns. This is usable for both Ruby and non-Ruby programmers.



2. For many the idea of bringing design patterns to ruby is a terrifying one. Having taken refuge from over-engineered java projects (or for that matter, attempts to apply java engineering approaches to a somewhat dynamic language like PHP) the baggage that often goes along with design patterns isn't what a recent convert is looking for. But as I mentioned in my last review of a design patterns volume, and series editor Obie Fernandez highlights in his foreword, design patterns don't have to be used that way and maintain merit when used as a source of collective experience and shared language.
   
   Russ Olsen's book does a good job of stepping through the key patterns from the Gang of Four's initial offering, showing how they can be applied to and simplified with Ruby, introducing along the way various uses of blocks, mix-ins, and other powerful features of the language that may be unfamiliar to newcomers. Each chapter highlights how the pattern can be used or abused, sounding a note of caution to dissuade unthinking embrace of every pattern between its covers. It's clearly written with a nice balance of code to prose.
   
   Towards the end of the book a couple of "new" patterns are offered, particularly "internal DSLs", "meta-programming" and "convention over configuration." Opinions differ over whether of those can really be considered patterns in the general sense of the term. Certainly those concepts are examples of a community gradually refining its approaches to common problems, but at least two of them are considerably more conceptual and abstract than most of the other patterns in the book. Perhaps the best way to understand them is as giving an insight into the working patterns of the ruby community approaches problems, and pointers to topics worthy of more exploration.
   
   That usage of the final few chapters gives some indication of the probable audience for this book. It seems best suited to those who have dabbled with ruby but don't yet have much experience. A general sense of syntax is all you'll need going in, but you'll come away with a much stronger sense of the language's features than that. Similarly it'll work well for those with a general sense of the major patterns but who could do with a refresher, maybe while transitioning from java or other "enterprisey" development to ruby.
   
   While it won't have the same general appeal of other titles in the series like The Ruby Way, Second Edition: Solutions and Techniques in Ruby Programming (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series) and The Rails Way (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series), this is a handy volume in a series that is making strong contributions to the ruby book market.
   
   Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book for review by the publisher. There were a few pages missing due to a printing defect so I wan't able to read parts of chapters 13 or 14.



3. I have been playing with ruby and rails for one year now. This book put together all the things I've learned so far into design patterns. So if you are a beginner and wondering what are the uses of the cool and lovely features (like Proc, duck-typing, singleton methods, singleton pattern) we find in Ruby, then this book is for you..See how easy it is easy to implement Proxy, Adapter .. the Ruby way!



4. Not sure how to start, so I'll just write what I'm thinking: What a well-written book!
   
   After some general programming/patterns advice, Russ launches into the individual patterns. Each chapter starts out by relating the pattern to a human activity, specifically something that occurred in Russ's childhood. That might sound lame, but it was surprisingly refreshing and effective.
   
   He then proceeds to illustrate the pattern with a simple, understandable, and relative programming example. He usually starts out with the implementation that first comes to mind, then illustrates the shortcomings of the approach to show why it's a bad idea.
   
   He follows up with the right way (or one of the right ways) to solve the problem, addressing the pros (and cons) of the approach.
   
   He ends each chapter with a discussion on using and abusing the pattern, and where the pattern can be found in the real world.



5. I am a Java developer whose Ruby experience is limited to firing up the interactive Ruby shell for a Hello World, or reading the first chapters of Programming Ruby before drifting away and vowing to learn Ruby "when I have more time". I work with the author, and purchased this book solely on the strength of his training courses and lectures. Russ Olsen in book-format is just as effective a teacher as he is in person.
   
   The book is a hybrid reference/Ruby-introduction book which provides the best of both worlds -- I was able to read it cover-to-cover without losing interest, something I could never quite accomplish with the original GoF Design Patterns text. Each chapter also functions as a modular unit, with concise introductions and conclusions that will be great on a day when I pull it off my shelf for use as a reference book. The Design Patterns provide a nice playpen for the sections on Ruby coding practices and features, and the coding sections give a better context for the Patterns.
   
   Each Pattern is discussed in theory and in real-world code, and the author is very clear about the benefits and pitfalls of employing them. In addition, the book provides a solid, likable profile of the Ruby language without the evangelizing common in other books. Code examples are concise and useful, and the writing style is humorously engaging without falling into the trap where engineers-turned-authors suddenly believe they are stand-up comedians and sprinkle every paragraph with a multitude of grating jokes. There were a few mistakes in the text, but all of them were already captured and corrected on the book's web site.
   
   In my library of tech books, the best books, the ones I constantly revisit, are not the ones that show me how to do something -- they are the ones that place what I do in a wider context and show me the possibilities of what CAN be done. Although I do not currently use Ruby in my day-to-day work, I can see this book becoming invaluable when that day comes.

5 comments about Oracle Automatic Storage Management: Under-the-Hood & Practical Deployment Guide (Oracle).

1. Someone recenlty mentioned that Oracle Automatic Storage Management (ASM) is probably the best thing ever happened to Oracle next to SQL*Plus. I would second that. However there was no definitive text available in the market and Nitin & co perfectly filled the gap with this classic one.
   
   This book starts with the basics of the storage technology and moves towards the center of the ASM with deep discussions on ASM data structures, ASM in operation and ASM troubleshooting. Nitin probably probably knows more about ASM than anyone I know and excels in explaining the complex technologies in easy to understand manner. You will immensely benefit from his wisdom and real life experience.
   
   A must read for Oracle Storage Administrators and DBAs working with RAC/ASM.



2. One of the authors of this book is the director of development for ASM. Who would know more about it than the developers? The other 2 implement it in many different environments. Lastly, the technical reviewer Charles Kim wrote the 11g new features book for Apress. There could not be a better group of people to write a book about ASM and review it than these individuals.
   
   I would highly recommend this book for any DBA that will be working with ASM and / or RAC. The high performance, ease of use, and low cost make it a very attractive solution. This book will teach you everything you need to know about ASM (that's why it's called an "Under-the-Hood" guide). It also makes an excellent reference.



3. Oracle Automatic Storage Management Under-the-Hood & Practical Deployment Guide.This is a must have book for those who are working on ASM or who are planning to implement ASM.Chapters like "ASM Space Allocation and Rebalance","ASMLIB Concepts and Overview","Managing Database in ASM" and "ASM and Storage Array Configuration" gives you in detail information.
   
   After reading the book I can say that now I know what actually is ASM/How it works/How to Implement ASM and I don't need any more training on ASM.
   
   
   -MOHAMMED MOINUDDIN UMAIR
   Senior Tuning Consultant,LEHMAN BROTHERS,NEW JERSEY



4. Other than Oracle documentation, this is the only ASM source of information that I know of. This book is a relatively fast read and comes in at under 300 pages.
   
   The first chapter is very helpful and I learned some information about disk storage that I did not know. I am more comfortable talking with SAN and system administrators now. They also get the feel that I know what I am talking about. After the first chapter, the book dives right into ASM architecture and management. Each chapter is well written and easy to understand. This book also covers the new features in Oracle 11 and you can see that Oracle is dedicated to maturing ASM. ASM is here to stay and it will gain in popularity.
   
   One of the areas that I thought could have been better is the discussion and explanation of RAC, ASM and how the cluster registry is affected. It would have been nice to have a chapter on OCFS just as a supplement. Some shops will utilize both OCFS and ASM. OCFS will host the OCR and voting file as ASM can not be used.
   
   If you are new to ASM or you are an expert, this book is a good read. If you are new to ASM will get more out of it (obviously) since it covers everything you need to know to install and maintain ASM. Fortunately since this is the only ASM book (as of today) and it is great source of information you will not be wasting your time. This book comes highly recommended.
   
   George Loewenthal
   Denver, Colorado



5. This is a essential book for beginners and advanced users. DBAs can have good references to implement ASM without problems. There are many information not found in conventional forums.

5 comments about JavaScript and Ajax for the Web, Sixth Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. This book gives some nice examples of usable code for a few common uses but doesnt give a very good explanation of what is being done and why. if you have great programming experience and a excellent knowledge of the DOM this book would be good way to get some javascript going, but for the average person looking to learn how javascript works and apply it in other ways than those shown in the book you are better off elsewhere.



2. I'm an experienced procedural php, xhtml and css developer with litter foundational knowledge about javascript. I purchased this book to fill that gap and was a little disappointed. It's not a bad book but it assumes a lot and has little instructional flow. The book scrolls though one example after another without much explanation for the actual language constructs behind javascript.
   
   The author states that this book is not for beginners and I don't consider myself to be one, however, I'd advise anyone looking to buy this book to have a solid understanding of object oriented programming principals before they do so.
   
   Overall it's not a bad book for a certain audience but it lacks foundational, and in my opinion vital, information about javascript.



3. I've been learning JavaScript off and on, with some success, for three months. In doing so, I've skimmed about a half-dozen books and tried the following three, so far, "graded" below:
   
   Learning JavaScript (Powers B-)
   VQS JavaScript and Ajax (Negrino & Smith C+)
   O'Reilly JavaScript Pocket Reference (Flanagan B)
   
   It's hard to find good books on this because the subject matter is new and the books are often dashed off quickly. VQS JavaScript and Ajax is essentially a collection of well-explained examples of well-organized code. It's written more to fill pages than flesh out the subject, however. The explanations are unnecessarily wordy and the broader coverage of concepts, context and how to, you would want to include in a teaching book are missing.
   
   Strangest of all perhaps is the author's choice of leaving out how html talks to Javascript or the details of how they link. Since JavaScript's purpose is to interact with html and pass things back and forth, it's sort of like doing marriage counseling and only focusing on what the woman's thinking to herself. Unfortunately, they're not the only authors that make this oversight.
   
   The VQS format is great and they do a good job of using color to highlight the portions of code they're referring to. The is a good, annotated collection of code examples. It's something I've found to be only marginally helpful in getting started.



4. The book arrived quickly. I is new quality. I intend to increase my knowledge of DOM, JavaScrip anf AJAX.



5. This is my first QSG book. I assume the layout is "feature" of the series, if so this will be my last.
   
   Bottom line first: the title is a lie, this is a book about javascript with a chapter on AJAX; this book has good content, but the presentation will drive you insane while you read it.
   
   Layout:
   The book has a good concept but doesn't execute it well. Each page is divided into two columns, the example code is in one column, the text describing that code is in the other. This really is a great concept. It's used in analytic copies of a number of Shakespeare's plays and works well there. It works because they are conscientious about pagination, include line references, and use facing pages not columns.
   Columns are a problem because each line has about three words before wrapping. The dot syntax of javascript is particularly hard to read with such short lines.
   The pagination / line reference is really the biggest problem in the QSG's execution. They let the text and code flow through the columns across pages without much attention. This means you are constantly flipping forwards and backwards to see the code as you read. Without line references the flipping is not just annoying it's really more of a search.
   They make two attempts to address the pagination problem: first, the code being talked about is highlighted in red; second, they reprint the code block being talked about in the text column. Neither of these is helpful. Half of the code ends up being highlighted red - at most you can scan the red blocks to figure out what that code is an example of, and what is just there to support the example. If they are going to reprint the code anyway why not just go over to a normal layout? My suggestion: use facing pages for the next edition!
   
   AJAX:
   This is not a book on AJAX. This is an introduction to javascript that includes a buzz word in its title to jump off the shelf at people. It's not even an introduction to javascript from an AJAX prospective. In fact AJAX isn't covered well in the book. For example there is very little discussion of how to navigate returned XML using javascript. AJAX is mentioned in the intro and then 'taught' in chapters 15 and 16. (Chapter 16 is just a discussion of available libraries!) You can't give AJAX top billing and then devote 10% of the actual book to it.
   
   So why 2 stars?
   
   I was looking for a book that assumed very little or no knowledge of javascript. I was hoping for something that would address canonical javascripting, best practices, and a bit theory behind the topics being covered. I'm self taught and wanted to see how things should be done instead of how they can be done. This book would be a darn good intro for a beginner. The theory and best practices parts were not explicitly addressed as often as I would have liked; however, they were demonstrated and covered at times.
   
   4 star content, less 1 for layout, less 1 for title.

No comments about Modern Systems Analysis and Design (5th Edition).

5 comments about Web Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook (Pioneering Series).

1. This book is the 2nd one by Dan Cederholm that I bought and can be used as "Advanced Chapters" to his short but overall excellent "Bulletproof Web Design" (ISBN-10: 0321346939). These two combined will surely set your brains straight about standards-based HTML/CSS development.
   
   It explains how to make your markup short. It shows why using purposeful HTML tags (such as "label") is preferred to using generic divs with classes. It destroys new and "hip" myth about tables being "taboo" for modern HTML.



2. Through simple illistrations and small code snippets this book covers pretty much what one would need to know in order to create great web 2.0 sites.



3. With only a casual tinker in Dreamweaver split view under my belt starting out, I learned how to hand code XHTML and CSS with this book alone (well, and some web research here and there and CSS Mastery is an excellent follow up). It's written clearly and gives multiple solutions for each case, while explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each. I cannot recommend this book enough, as even after I finished it, it remains close by as an invaluable desk reference that I refer to here and there.



4. This is an excellent book that all web designers should own. When I look at people's sites, I often validate them just out of curiosity, and it is so rare that I ever find a valid site. I always pay attention to validation, and this book just validates (for lack of a better term) my opinions on the importance of following web standards. This book is good for helping with workarounds for certain browsers (cough, IE) that don't support standards that most others do.



5. Web Standards Solutions is reasonably solid title that discusses the benefits and approaches of using web standards in the design of (X)HTML markup. CSS is also covered as a means to remove presentational elements from web page markup. Lists, tables, headings, hyperlinks, forms, quotations and layouts are all covered to a foundational level.
   
   The information covered in the book is especially suited to new web site designers who are yet to understand these concepts. Web application developers - who might not focus their craft on the quality of their markup, would also benefit greatly. For others already possessing an basic understanding of semantic markup and presentation through CSS, the book might contain a few useful tips only.
   
   Throughout each chapter the book doggedly follows a pattern that can become tedious. For each chapter, non-standards approaches are considered before the 'correct' standards based approach is shown. After this the 'extra credit' portion of the chapter provides practical applications of the given solution. Whereas the correct solution and extra credit sections are useful, the repetition of the defective non-standard approaches for in every chapter is sometimes repetitive and slightly contrived, and could be discussed more casually as required without dominating the format of every chapter.
   
   Having said that, the book is easily read, has examples and practical applications, covers the breadth of the topic well and could certainly be used to bring anyone up to speed on the basics of standards-based approaches to the web page markup development.

3 comments about SAS for Mixed Models, Second Edition.

1. I am a Ph.D. student, and I work with longitudinal and hierarchical data. I bought this book recently and I have only had a look at it. I like it very much. This book presents mixed model methodology in the setting of numerous applications and many examples are included from several applications areas. It is a useful book even to people with no muck knowledge of analysis of variance an regression analysis. You do not need to read the book from cover to cover. This book is certainly applied.



2. A pretty good book which is very suitable for some people who needs to use the mixed model. The content of this version is better than the previous version. I recommend this book.



3. Positive: 1.Well written in a field with limited sources.
   Negative: 2. Not enough explanations for a lot of procedures.
   2. Expensive