5 comments about The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects: Creative Techniques for Photographers, Artists, and Designers.

1. The GIMP is an image editor whose power and easy use rivals the industry standard Photoshop - and is a popular free software item. While The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects could've been explored in our Computer Shelf area, it's reviewed here to alert every artist working with computer images. It shows how to use the GIMP's powerful features to apply to ads, photos, and business pursuits, and comes from an author who has used GIMP since its first public release. From specialty photographic techniques available within the GIMP model to advanced web design features for special effects, no photo artist using the computer should be without THE ARTIST'S GUIDE TO GIMP EFFECTS - and any collection strong in Photoshop-type books needs it.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. Should have purchased this book months ago. Not for the absolute beginner, but a must have for the advanced beg or int user who wants to learn more about using gimp.



3. GIMP, or the GNU Image Manipulation Program to give it its proper name, is a graphics-editing program broadly similar to Adobe Photoshop in terms of functionality. The GIMP is an open source program that can be freely downloaded and installed on most computers, including maps. But on the downside it doesn't come with a manual, so figuring out how to use GIMP can be tricky.
   
   But 'The Artist's Guide to GIMP Effects' isn't simply a book explaining what all the different tools and features do. Michael Hammel pitches this book quite a bit higher than that, focusing instead on how to use GIMP to perform a variety of useful and common tasks. From trick photography to building graphics for web sites, Hammel leads the reader expertly through nicely illustrated tutorials. The end result is more than simply a better understanding of the program, but a richer appreciation of what the program can be used to do.
   
   There are six chapters, the first of which introduces many of the basic concepts. Although there is some attention given to where the relevant tools are found and how to use them, the focus here is on what they do and why you need them. Fundamental to success with any graphics program is understanding how different tools work when applied together, and Hammel finishes off this chapter with a set of multi-function tutorials that underline this point.
   
   The second chapter concentrates on manipulating photographs. These include softening images, adding motion effects, and creating reflections. In each case the process is taken step-by-step, with clear text and relevant screenshots. At this point it's also worth mentioning something about the layout of the book. No Starch has really done a good job here. The book is wider than it is tall, and each page holds two columns of text. The flexible binding lets the book stay open at any page. As a result, it's an easy book to use alongside the computer.
   
   The next chapter is about creating artwork for web sites. These include things like tiles for web page backgrounds, buttons, tabs, and menu bars. The first tutorial in this batch is all about creating glossy, gel-like buttons of the type Macintosh users will be familiar with. One of the later tutorials looks at the ubiquitous rollover buttons, though from the perspective of creating the actual artwork required rather than the necessary JavaScript or CSS coding. That said, if you use a WYSIWYG web page layout program like Freeway, you probably won't need to manually any of that sort of code to your page anyway; all you need are the graphics.
   
   Like all the other chapters, the web design chapter finishes with a collection of useful tips. Some of these should be required reading for any web designer, and it's great to see the author lay them out fair and square.
   
   The fourth chapter is very unusual but actually makes a lot of sense. It's a chapter devoted to creating advertising. While no substitute for a degree in marketing, there's some great stuff here for anyone who needs to produce things like packaging and posters. Small businesses attracted to GIMP by its low cost will likely find this chapter worth the price of the book alone. On the other hand, some of the tutorials in this section are only incidentally useful for advertising purposes though, and could be just as relevant to anyone creating computer artwork. Again, there's a wrap-up section with a slew of useful tips and tricks.
   
   Chapter five brings text into the mix. This chapter kicks off with some tutorials covering things like neon, metallic, and gel-like text, among other typographic effects.
   
   The last chapter is specifically for software developers, and illustrates the ways in which GIMP can be used to design and prototype application interfaces. While a clever and potentially useful chapter, what was obviously missing from this section of the book was something on designing icons for programs. The book then rounds off with a detailed index.
   
   For $45 this isn't a cheap book, especially when you consider that GIMP itself is free and comes with its own online guides and tutorials. The question is whether having things laid out clearly and logically in a nicely illustrated book justifies the cost. In the opinion of this reviewer at least, the answer is yes. For the GIMP user looking to go beyond simply cropping and resizing digital images, this book is highly recommended.



4. If you don't know what GIMP is, it's an alternative to Photoshop that allows you to do the same things (essentially) but is free.
   
   I was impressed and surprised (in a good way) on the depth of tutorials in this book. I was really looking for something that would give me a good overview of using GIMP from the top, and was surprised at how many things you can do creatively that I hadn't even thought of. My only criticism is the paper used is flat and it would be nice to have something a little glossier for the images. The images are in color, which is nice though. I've used photoshop and now GIMP from probably a pretty basic level (I'm not a graphic artist) for album coverwork for compilation CD's for myself and friends, posters, and just playing around with abstract art to frame and hang on my own wall. I've been impressed with GIMP as an alternative to Photoshop and I think this book is a great companion to help me get the most out of it. If you've tried GIMP, which is free to download, and want to get more out of it, I would recommend this book.



5. In my opinion, there can never be too many books like this one by Michael J. Hammel. This project-based book has great examples of how the graphic designer can use the GIMP software to get the job done. Each tutorial in this book is an individual project, allowing the reader to pick which tutorials best meets his or her needs. But read them all. Each technique is not presented in a vacuum. Hammel discusses these techniques in a way that prepares the readers to reproduce the results in their own projects.
   
   Besides being a project-based book, I also liked that Hammel did not waste the reader's time, and his own, discussing every detail about each panel, menu command and keyboard shortcut. Instead, he commits those pages to more information that you can really use. Don't get me wrong, he does give a short overview of the GIMP workspace in order to orient the novice to the software. But he does a good job of giving the readers only the information that they will need for the rest to the book.
   
   So what does Hammel cover in this book? He writes each project-based tutorial from the point-of-view of the graphic designer. He begins with a short description of the design criteria for the project and ends each tutorial with suggestions for other projects where the reader might apply these techniques. He divides the book into six chapters and each chapter covers a different area of graphic design. Once he covers the basics, he moves on to techniques for the photographer, web designer, advertising designer and UI designer. Throughout each chapter, he discusses how type applies to the project and he also devotes a chapter to type effects.
   
   For the photographer, he begins with some simple techniques for adding steam to a photo and creating a vignette. Then he covers more advanced techniques such as simulating depth of field. Have you ever wondered how graphic artists get type to look so good on top of any background? Hammel shows you how this is done, along with some other nice text effects. Also, he has one of the best techniques for converting a photo into a sketch that I have seen so far. His technique goes beyond the usual examples that you find in books and on the web.
   
   Moving from photography to web design, Hammel states that "color is king" on the web today. Only just a few years ago, books were preaching just the opposite. But now with the better monitors, Hammel can share some of his techniques for creating mood, simulating 3D and reflections, and "popping" an image. He also has some great techniques for creating folds from texture and gradients and for creating the popular Toon style.
   
   With the advent of widgets and other ways to create your own desktop applications, graphic designers are being asked to design user interfaces (GUI) for these applications. Hammel devotes the last section of his book to take you through the design process for creating a UI for a video player. He starts with the face plate and designs each part of the UI individually. However, these same techniques could be used to create environments for digital games and other design applications.
   
   Hammel has been working with GIMP from its beginnings in 1996. He has authored and co-authored many GIMP related books and articles.

5 comments about The Algorithm Design Manual.

1. Nice to have this book handy if you need to design efficient algorithms for your programs. This is more of a reference than to teach you what algorithms are out there, so you better know them before using this book. That said, this book is quite unique since it differs from a typical algorithm book on the market. Skiena has done a great job in presenting the material. I find this book really handy, definately recommanded.



2. There are many reasons I like this book more than other Algorithms books I own (e.g. Sedgewick). One is that Skiena's book comes with an HTML version, so it's easy to keep it with you at all times (e.g. on your laptop, at work, and at home). Another is the "war stories". I found that I wanted to read the war stories first, rather than the technical content. Another is that the book points you at existing implementations, which really is what you'll eventually need to look at if you're going to use or write any code.
   
   Overall, I found that when confronted to real world problems, the "Algorithm Design Manual" was a better resource than other Algorithm books. This is why I'm recommending it to software engineers out there. It seems to be written for people working with algorithms to solve problems, rather than as a support for an academic course.
   
   On the negative side: I find the resource catalog to be exhaustive but somewhat shallow. As I'm getting older and slower, some things are not as obvious as they used to be. For example, I was quite unable to derive how to use Voronoi diagrams to perform nearest neighbour search, although it is supposed to be "a simple matter".



3. I found this book extremely practical, especially for professionals that don't have everyday the occasion to be confronted with real algorithmic problems (I assume that most of the industry-related software programmers / designers / analysts are in this category), thus beeing in need to have a reference at hand "just in case" :-).
   
   Together with "Programming challenges" also from Skiena & co. constitutes a powerful known algorithms references, and supplied with some natural problem-solving talent, could be a succesfull preparation for something like ACM contests or topcoders.com



4. For those computer science students and programmers who are put off by the style of "Introduction to Algorithms" by Cormen et al., this book is a good alternative. Rather than just being a catalog of algorithms with code and little explanation, this book covers a much needed middle ground and contains a good deal about the analysis and design of algorithms in general along with discussions of common algorithms themselves in an accessible style. In fact, the author makes a point of mentioning in his preface that you will not find a single theorem in this book, and that the purpose of his book is to get working programmers up to speed quickly on both the generalities and specifics of algorithm design.
   The first part of the book is on techniques, and covers the basics of modeling algorithms along with "Big Oh" notation, data structures and sorting, dynamic programming, graph algorithms, combinational search, and the concept of intractibility. What makes this section of the book particularly interesting are the author's "war stories" that talk about real world applications of the ideas discussed in each chapter.
   Part two of the book, "Resources", is an extensive catalog of algorithmic problems organized by type. For each problem mentioned, the book includes a problem description and discussion, possible implementations, and other algorithmic problems that are related to this one. In the implementation section for each algorithm, the author demonstrates the kinds of questions that the reader should ask when designing his or her own implementation. The C, C++, Fortran, and Pascal code for all algorithm implementations mentioned is on the accompanying CD rather than in the book itself, which helps make the book more compact.
   This book is a very good introduction to the methods of algorithm analysis and design, and an encyclopedic reference on many different types of algorithms. Highly recommended.



5. This book is splitted in two parts.
   The first part mostly contains general advices about algorithms, performances, and such.
   The second part is more like a huge catalogue of "classical" problems and algorithms related to those, with advices about how to work them. It does not contain algorithms or pseudo-code (or very little), but is more about how to address the problem (and also contains pointers to an implementation).

5 comments about Tomcat: The Definitive Guide.

1. Chap 3: Deploying servlet and JSP Web Applications in Tomcat.
   Writing a book about a servlet container whose app deployment methods have most users puzzeled is a challenge. I dont think this book does any better than the online docs (which are bad).
   
   Chap 4: Tomcat performance tuning.
   Capacity planning, now thats one area where my knowledge general and tomcatwise is a little thin - the chapter only list the topics but provide no hints or answers. Could have been interesting but wasted my time.
   
   Chap 6: Tomcat security.
   Locking down with java policy file, unix chroot and bsd chroot, request filter - wellwritten and very usefull.
   
   Chap 7: Config files and their elements:
   Hmm a new way to run the server on lower 1024 ports without root user - why present this now and not in chap 6? A few details from previous chapters repeated - dont the authors two talk together?
   
   Chap 8: Debugging and troubleshooting:
   Only the obvious things - too thin.
   
   All in all i found the chapter on security and clustering usefull but the book as a hole seems to lack a clear structure/vision and some chapters dosent do more for me than the lousy online docs. Configuring tomcat is not easy and this book dosent help much. Never the less i like working with tomcat! :)



2. This book is hopelessly incomplete. I'm always having to augment it's contents with on-line information. I just attempted to determine the difference between "path" and "docBase" in the "Context" tag in the server.xml file but again it struck out. All page 175 says is that "context" configures the web application directory within a host. End of story. I strongly suggest that you look to another source for Tomcat.



3. All of these other reviews, including some of the popular spotlights, seem to be about the first edition with quite a few people saying they were disappointed. I never read the first edition, so I can't remark on its content. However, this second edition seems to have all the details you need to get up and running, and Tomcat is not an area of my expertise.
   
   In many cases Tomcat is a good choice for a web server, and it is well suited as a high performance production web server. It is also a free and open source servlet and JSP engine. You can use it by itself or with other web servers such as Apache httpd. The book is a user's guide for Tomcat, not a tutorial on how to write web applications. That misunderstanding might have had some readers disappointed. Thus, you don't need to be a programmer to understand the book - it is targeted more at system administrators. The following is a run down of the table of contents:
   
   Chapter 1. Getting Started with Tomcat - explains how to install Tomcat, get it running, and test it to make sure that it's functioning properly.
   Section 1.1. Installing Tomcat
   Section 1.2. Starting, Stopping, and Restarting Tomcat
   Section 1.3. Automatic Startup
   Section 1.4. Testing Your Tomcat Installation
   Section 1.5. Where Did Tomcat Come From?
   
   Chapter 2. Configuring Tomcat - shows the various places to look for information about your server, how to find out why things aren't working, and gives you some examples of common mistakes in setting up and configuring Tomcat.
   Section 2.1. A Word About Using the Apache Web Server
   Section 2.2. Relocating the Web Applications Directory
   Section 2.3. Changing the Port Number from 8080
   Section 2.4. Java VM Configuration
   Section 2.5. Changing the JSP Compiler
   Section 2.6. Managing Realms, Roles, and Users
   Section 2.7. Controlling Sessions
   Section 2.8. Accessing JNDI and JDBC Resources
   Section 2.9. Servlet Auto-Reloading
   Section 2.10. Customized User Directories
   Section 2.11. Tomcat Example Applications
   Section 2.12. Common Gateway Interface (CGI)
   Section 2.13. The Tomcat Admin Webapp
   
   Chapter 3. Deploying Servlet and JSP Web Applications in Tomcat - shows web applications composed of servlets, JSPs, and other files, and several approaches for deploying them. It ends with a discussion of the Manager web application, which can handle some deployment operations for you.
   Section 3.1. Hosts
   Section 3.2. Layout of a Web Application
   Section 3.3. Deploying an Unpacked Webapp Directory
   Section 3.4. Deploying a WAR File
   Section 3.5. Hot Deployment
   Section 3.6. Working with WAR Files
   Section 3.7. The Manager Webapp
   Section 3.8. Automation with Apache Ant
   Section 3.9. Symbolic Links
   
   Chapter 4. Tomcat Performance Tuning - some ideas on performance tuning the underlying Java runtime and the Tomcat server itself so that you service requests more efficiently.
   Section 4.1. Measuring Web Server Performance
   Section 4.2. External Tuning
   Section 4.3. Internal Tuning
   Section 4.4. Capacity Planning
   Section 4.5. Additional Resources
   
   Chapter 5. Integration with the Apache Web Server - covers the use of Tomcat with Apache httpd and talks about the several ways of making Tomcat thrive in front of or behind an Apache httpd installation.
   Section 5.1. The Pros and Cons of Integration
   Section 5.2. Installing Apache httpd
   Section 5.3. Apache Integration with Tomcat
   Section 5.4. Tomcat Serving HTTP over the APR Connector
   
   Chapter 6. Tomcat Security - details about what security is and how to improve it in your Tomcat installation.
   Section 6.1. Securing the System
   Section 6.2. Multiple Server Security Models
   Section 6.3. Using the SecurityManager
   Section 6.4. Granting File Permissions
   Section 6.5. Setting Up a Tomcat chroot Jail
   Section 6.6. Filtering Bad User Input
   Section 6.7. Securing Tomcat with SSL
   
   Chapter 7. Configuration - Using realms this chapter shows how to set up an example JDBC domain to talk to a relational database. Realms are lists of users authorized to implement specific sections of your web site. Many of the other configuration changes you can make are discussed too.
   Section 7.1. server.xml
   Section 7.2. web.xml
   Section 7.3. tomcat-users.xml
   Section 7.4. catalina.policy
   Section 7.5. catalina.properties
   Section 7.6. context.xml
   
   Chapter 8. Debugging and Troubleshooting - Ways to look for information that helps discover why things aren't working and gives examples of mistakes that are commonly made but may not be obvious. Also discusses why Tomcat may not shut down gracefully and what to do about this common problem, as well as ways of preventing abnormal shutdowns from recurring.
   Section 8.1. Reading Logfiles
   Section 8.2. Hunting for Errors
   Section 8.3. URLs and the HTTP Conversation
   Section 8.4. Debugging with RequestDumperValve
   Section 8.5. When Tomcat Won't Shut Down
   
   Chapter 9. Building Tomcat from Source - How to compile your own Tomcat in case you don't want to run a prebuilt binary release of it. Gives step-by-step instructions on how to install the Apache Ant build tool, download all necessary support libraries, and build your Tomcat.
   Section 9.1. Installing Apache Ant
   Section 9.2. Obtaining the Source
   Section 9.3. Downloading Support Libraries
   Section 9.4. Building Tomcat
   
   Chapter 10. Tomcat Clustering - Some options for running multiple Tomcat servlet containers in parallel for both fault tolerance and higher scalability, while discussing the pros and cons of various clustering approaches.
   Section 10.1. Clustering Terms
   Section 10.2. The Communication Sequence of an HTTP Request
   Section 10.3. Distributed Java Servlet Containers
   Section 10.4. Tomcat 6 Clustering Implementation
   Section 10.5. JDBC Request Distribution and Failover
   Section 10.6. Additional Resources
   
   Chapter 11. Final Words - Overview of the Tomcat open source project's community resources, including docs, mailing lists, and other web sites.
   Section 11.1. Supplemental Resources
   Section 11.2. Community
   
   Appendix A. Installing Java
   Section A.1. Choosing a Java JDK
   Section A.2. Working Around Older GCJ and Kaffe JVMs
   Section A.3. Sun Microsystems Java SE JDK
   Section A.4. IBM J9 JDK
   Section A.5. BEA JRockit JDK
   Section A.6. Apple Java SE JDK
   Section A.7. Excelsior JET
   Section A.8. Apache Harmony JDK
   
   Appendix B. jbchroot.c
   Appendix C. BadInputValve.java
   Appendix D. BadInputFilter.java
   Appendix E. RPM Package Files



4. Jason Brittain and Ian F. Darwin's TOMCAT: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE, 2ND EDITION has been updated for the latest version of Tomcat and offers a complete guide to installing the servlet container, from basics of installation to using web applications, securing Tomcat from online intruders, troubleshooting and customizing the program. Any advanced computer collection strong in Java programming needs this.



5. 'Tomcat: The Definitive Guide' is a great resource for all Tomcat programmers and administrators. Jam packed with 450 pages of material over 11 chapters, you will learn everything you need to know. Security, configuration, performance tuning, integration with Apache and building Tomcat from the source, this is a wonderful guide that should be on every Tomcat admin's desk.
   
   **** RECOMMENDED

1 comments about VBA and Macros for Microsoft Office Excel 2007 (Business Solutions).

1. This book was very helpful for some projects that I needed to accomplish with Excel & VBA. Some of the chapters were extremely enlightening in seeing the big picture of using VBA with Excel and other MS Office applications. Other chapters are excellent resources that I will refer to many times in the future. I would recommend this book for both the beginner (in using VBA) as well as the experienced VBA user.

5 comments about Microsoft® SQL Server(TM) 2005 Analysis Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft)).

1. I was extremely disappointed. The book appeared to be a good one but it was just a waste of money. I was not able to attach the database file to do the practices. I do not recommend anyone buying this book.



2. I am not sure why some people had problem following the examples or used the CD. I haven't had any issue except write-back excel example in chap 10 and some mismatched data in chap 9 (account dimension). The book is very helpful in building your understanding by working the examples step by step. It explains most concepts in SSAS clear and interesting to learn. Right after I finished the book, I was able to utilize the knowledge in a small scale SSAS project. Even now I have purchased and studied several other SSA books, this is still the book I enjoy the most.



3. I ran into a problem early in the book in Chapter 3 going through the Schema Generation Wizard. I went through the steps and it said cannot find the matching TimeAttributeType. Now I'm stuck!



4. If your goal is to actually learn something about Analysis Services and OLAP cubes / datawarehousing, I wouldn't bother buying this book. Well, the first chapter brought some insight to the topics, but the rest of the book is really a step-by-step - point-and-click tutorial in the Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS), and the SQL Server Management Studio. The chapter about MDX left me more confused than before.
   
   If your goal is to get a simple datawarehouse and cube up and running, with the least amount of insight, it might do the trick. (But where's the fun in that...)



5. Execellent Step by Step book
   I dont know what all the other reveiws are whining about. M.Anwar states book is boorley written. sb poorly. sigh. Bottom line is the book gets to the point, covers the main topics, and for just 384 pages, (400 is a stretch) does not contain any fat. It usually does a great job in explaining the topics covered. I had a problem with ch6 - aggregrate function - ByAccount , but probably just my fat fingers getting the way. The CD does come with answers, so help is available. The Glossary may be sparse but is very functional. The index details the topics well. I made a few manual entries, but what is perfect. It is better written than most tech books I have. And W.Salkin states book has (no .ldf). not true. I had isses reading cd on my computer so I installed on another computer, copied files and continued on just fine. And Jon Anderson - the book does state on the title - "Step by Step" , does explain the steps very well, at least to me. you're right, MDX can be confusing, and it was a little hard to grasp. page 188 states that unless you're creating a custom report generator, you'll probably have little occasion to write MDX, BUT, knowing will enable you to understand clearly what the subquery is doing. And K.Johnson - had problems with ch 3 Schema Gen Wizard. I did not, Kind of surprised, but had problems elsewhere, but just looked at the answers folder. Wole Babalola had database attach problems. I did to but once I got past it, found the book to be very very good. would be nice to have a web site to download code from. This is an execellent book to get you started, and show you the 101 steps of ssas.

5 comments about The Art and Science of CSS.

1. I've bought and already finished to read this book.
   
   I'm a interface developer with a good background into CSS and XHTML; i think that this book was not written to somebody interested into the fundamentals and step-by-step of the CSS.
   
   It's a collection of code-based insights (for each chapter, 2 or 3 progressive explanations) from the authors; it's amazing if you (like me, when i bought it) are searching for some inspirational examples, relying on standards to achieve impressive visual results.
   
   This book also encloses some aspects of CSS 3, and how it will unequivocally improve the standards-based design, with things like multiple backgrounds, table pseudo-classes, and others, even before the integral adoption of this standard into the mainstream browsers. It put the reader one step ahead, acknowledger of the future possibilities of CSS.
   
   I highly recommend this book. But if you are searching for something less visionary and more instructive, you'll need to search other options.



2. The Art & Science of CSS is a good book if you looking for creative ideas or inspiration for CSS but while the book says all you need to is some familiarity with HTML, you do need to know some basic knowledge of CSS. This book would be a good addition to you web design library but only after you learn the basics of CSS from another book.



3. There are many excellent tips and workarounds offered in this book. I have been working with CSS for a few years now but as it is a moving technology, one can never be "ahead." The authors do a good job of bringing newer tips and tricks forward along with offering some useful workarounds for cross-browser issues.



4. I think there are many books that cover this ground a lot better and cheaper as well. Friends of Ed actually has a couple that I would recommend before this. And most certainly Bulletproof Web Design by Cederholm.
   
   This book is really light on details and light on content. It's not at all worth its price, and it's only covering the very basics in a small number of areas. This is definitely not one of the first books you should be looking at about CSS.



5. I really like this book. It is EXACTLY what I seek in a design/development book. I want examples, code and explanation. Nothing more.
   
   I've been doing this stuff for 7 years, so much of this wasn't particularly new to me, but the value is in seeing what experts think (and why) and then taking what you want from it. No cruft; just good solutions.
   
   My only gripe is that it could be considerably longer. The book covers 7 topics really well. I'd like at least 10 more, please. I'm sure this is the most common complaint. Additionally, I could do without the fancy book layout design, but I guess it doesn't hurt.
   
   Definite value here. It's next to my desk all the time and I use almost all of their techniques in my projects. It's disappointing that more publishers don't create this kind of book.

5 comments about Accelerated C# 2008 (Accelerated).

1. It has been a good read so far but it is lot of pages and lot of information so not sure if it is really accelerated. I have enjoyed Essential c# more than this one in some aspects but this book nicely explains the new c# 3.0 features. Problem is it covers all the old c# stuff also which is not necessarily a problem for everyone and might be a good refresher for some. I would still highly recommend this.



2. The book is appropriately titled as it includes the fundamentals for novices and a fair amount of advanced material to satisfy the intermediate developer. Don't expect to see too many pages devoted to any one topic as this book covers everything from basic C# syntax to Lambda Expressions. For a language book, it was refreshing to see some mention of best practices for once. Just about all of the chapters are sprinkled with advice and tips relating to real-world scenarios.
   
   The book is very readable (which is extremely important to me) and the author did a great job presenting his thoughts in a coherent manner (which is very difficult to do). Again, if you are looking for a detailed reference on the new features in C# 3.0 such as Lambda Expressions or LINQ, you may want to find another book. This book covers those topics, but I believe the primary goal of this book was to give novice and intermediate developers a quick refresher on all of the language features from versions 1.0 - 3.0.



3. I bought this book last Wednesday and figured it would be a decent enough overview of the new language features. I don't want to downplay the job he does covering new langauge features becuase that coverage is superb, but the job he does covering C# fundamentals is so well done that it eclipses everything else.
   
   So it's a great book for beginners? Well, probably not. I think beginners would benefit by it but it's not a beginners book by any mean. What I do mean is that he does a really in depth job of covering just about every aspect of C# so that he can show the benefits of the new features as well. I've read over 100 books on .NET in the 7 years I've been working with it and frequently the Go to guy when it comes to exception handling for instance. So I really wasn't expecting to learn anything new here. But stylistically, the points he raises in showing how one could elegantly handle a Transaction rollback scenario is just really brilliant. And that same brilliance is exemplified throughout the book.
   
   To that end, the examples in this book are it's real strength. As someone who's written a few books myself, I know how tempting it can be to come up with really simple and overused examples b/c basics aren't much fun to write about. Trey however totally resisted that temptation and I for the life of me can't see a single area that looks like he just 'wanted to get it done'. Everything is seemingly well thought out and written in a way that can clearly make his point clear. He also harkens back to C++ and the fact he has a ton of C++ experience shows through everywhere. It has a feel to it reminiscent of my senior computer science textbooks but without the stuffiness and without coming off as academic. On the contrary, it's the whole aire of advance business scenarios that makes it so cool
   
   Now on to the new language features. I've read several books on LINQ and Lambda expressions. And while they are all great, his explanation of Lambda exprssions and the walk down Functional Programming memory lane is priceless. Had I read this book early on, the nuances of Lambda expressions would have been a lot easier to understand. His coverage of LINQ is in depth as well but he manages to really keep on track and show the business aspects of LINQ without every going down the path of sounding like a 'cool new feature cheerleader'.
   
   I'll admit I have a pretty strong like of Apress books and have a pretty high expectation with their stuff. When I read Faison's Event-Based Programming : Taking Events to the Limit - I found it to be one of the most compelling and well done books I had read in ages. Internally, I thought it would be a longgg time before I came across a book anywhere near that good. Well, all I can really say is that Trey Nash proved me quite wrong. He exceeded any expectation I had by tenfold and got a lot out of this book - not just in C# terms but across the board.



4. This is a pretty good book. This author is obviously a strong C++ programmer or was for many years, so his approach to the writing about
   C# is very C++ bias which I think is very refreshing and pretty neat, to compare the OLD way and the NEW way. Dont get me wrong I am not implying
   C++ is dead, I think is still by far the strongest most powerfull language ever, i am just saying C# is more practical, more FOR NOW, for the 21th Century..............
   I like many 1990s programmers started in C, C++ so C# is like back to the good old days. C was one of my favorite language for many years..I did some java but I feel C# has gone beyond it by far.



5. Overall, this is a decent book. But, simply because the author didn't properly define his audience, I have to mark it down a notch. From the 1st sentence of the "About This Book" section in the Introduction (on page xxvi), the author states:
   
   "I assume that you already have a working knowledge of some object-oriented programming language, such as C++, Java, or Visual Basic .NET."
   
   So, I assumed that since I'd already learned C, C++, and Java, but just dabble in programming, I could use this book instead of plowing through another 1200 page book that starts out with a chapter on sequential statements, a chapter on conditional statements, a chapter on iterative statements, etc.. But, that was a faulty assumption. Instead, this book is REALLY designed for programmers who've done some fairly advanced work in other object-oriented languages UNDER THE WINDOWS .NET FRAMEWORK. For instance, at the start of Chapter 1 (page 1, paragraph 1, line 1), it says:
   
   "Since this is a book for experienced object-oriented developers, I assume that you already have some familiarity with the .NET runtime."
   
   And, on page 231:
   
   "I'm assuming that you're already familiar with the nongeneric collection types and collection interfaces available in .NET 1.1--specifically, those defined in the System.Collections and System.Collections.Specialized namespaces."
   
   So, if you're not very familiar with .NET, you'll have problems with the book. Also, the author tends to slip out of even that "advanced .NET programmer" audience in another way: he sometimes writes to programmers who've used previous versions of C#. For instance, when he introduces Delegates in chapter 10, he never really ties them to the C/C++ model of function pointers or Java's inner classes. The closest he comes is saying they implement a callback function.
   
   The author also assumes knowledge of various design patterns from the "Gang of Four's" Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series) book (and a few other sources, too). Here are the patterns he references and the pages where he makes those references:
   
   - Abstract Factory: p 451
   - Bridge: p 262
   - Collection: p 36
   - Disposable: pp 3, 19, 106, 187, 189, 374, 376, 377
   - Expert: pp 172, 193
   - IOU: pp 320, 354, 355, 362
   - Monitor: p 337
   - Non-Virtual interface (NVI): pp 117, 143, 144, 236, 238, 365, 366
   - Observer: p 265
   - Singleton: pp 74, 143 285, 377, 381
   - Strategy: pp 122, 266, 276, 291
   - Template Method: p 366
   - Visitor: pp 424, 437
   
   There are also some smaller things that are a bit irritating. First of all, his code formatting is inconsistent. His use of braces ({}) changes constantly. Sometimes he'll start a block with the first "{" immediately following a keyword on the same line. At other times, he'll put it at the start of the next line. Sometimes, he uses both in the same hunk of code. Ditto for his positioning of instance variables (fields in C# terminology). Sometimes he'll have them at the top of the class. Other times, he'll have them at the bottom. Sometimes, both. And, least importantly, he uses too many forward references (especially referring to Chapter 13).
   
   Overall, if you happen to be an advanced programmer who programs in an object-oriented .NET environment for a living and you want to pick up the latest version of C#, this is a very good book. It certainly won't bore you with trivial stuff, and the way the author presents things will be very helpful. But, if you're just a dabbler with limited experience, the book will probably be confusing. As such, I can only rate it an OK 3 stars out of 5. In future printings, if the author merely revises the stated audience to reflect the actuality, and standardizes the formatting of the code, this book would easily be a 4 star book.

5 comments about Apache Cookbook: Solutions and Examples for Apache Administrators.

1. The kind of solutions this book gives are not aimed at someone like me, new and uncertain when it comes to linux. This is a dissapointment for me, as I have normally always been very pleased with O'Reilly books.



2. I read this book about a year ago and recently re-read it. Coar and Bowen provide an excellent pragmatic approach to taking care of common Apache administration tasks. The Apache "recipes" are well organized, and presented with sufficient depth to be understandable for intermedia users.
   
   The tips in the "miscellaneous topics" section and the troubleshooting guidelines are excellent, and will save Apache administrators significant amounts of time and frustration.
   
   The good:
   * Broad coverage of all tasks that Apache administrators will commonly encounter.
   * Excellent writing style - concise yet sufficiently descriptive.
   * Good organization of topics and very useful book index.
   * Very good coverage of virtual hosts (required in most web hosting environments).
   * Very appropriate "see also" references associated with each recipe.
   
   The bad:
   * Almost 25% of the book is taken up by installation, loading modules, and logging. These are good topics, but they take up too much of the book in my perspective.
   * No information on the use of mod_python. mod_snake (a dead sourceforge) project is referenced. Blech.
   * No information on co-hosting two versions of PHP (PHP4 and PHP5 on the same server).
   
   Overall, this is a great book. If it had slightly better coverage on mod_python and mod_PHP I would give it five stars for certain.



3. Beware that several of the cool sounding recipes you might see in the table of contents are tricks; once you actually turn to the correct page to see how the author has managed to implement something you might have formerly believed to be impossible, you will be greeted only by a placeholder paragraph stating that what you want to do IS in fact impossible. Why on Earth would you waste paper printing this?
   
   The other, less cool, recipes are pretty standard faire, and if you have any experience with Apache whatsoever they will probably not be very useful to you. Complete newcomers however will probably find it somewhat handy, though I'm not sure it's worth the price even for them.



4. Apache Cookbook is a great resource on various best-practice tips and tricks on how to setup and run Apache HTTP server day to day.
   
   The included HOW-TO recipes are:
   * Extremely practical and relevant
   * Easy to follow and implement
   * Well-explained so that not only do you know what you are doing, but also why you are doing it
   * Neatly categorized and indexed so that they are easy to find when needed
   
   While this book can be very useful to Apache novices, people who would benefit the most from it are the ones who've had some previous exposure to Apache administration and are familiar with the basic concepts behind Apache (configuration files, included programs, modules, directives, sections, and such).
   
   If you are an Apache administrator, this book ought to be on your bookshelf.



5. Some of the reviews for 'Apache Cookbook: Solutions and Examples for Apache Administrators' have stated that this book is a little too basic and simple for Apache administrators out in the world, but I would disagree. Apache is a solid technology that has proven it's mettle in the world for many many many years but there aren't a whole lot of books out on the market for it. It is of this reviewers opinion that even if some individuals feel this book is too simplistic that ANY book on the market that covers Apache would have to be pretty poor to get a negative mark. With over 200 tidbits of information that cover the gambit of Installation, Module creation, Logging, Security, Virtual Hosts, Aliases, SSL, Error Handling, Performance, etc. etc. etc. this is a solid text. Unlike other bloated books this one clocks in at under 300 pages and the tidbits are short and to the point. If you are an Apache admin there is definitely something that you can get from this cookbook so get out the bowl, eggs, flour and start cooking!!
   
   ***** RECOMMENDED

5 comments about C++ Templates: The Complete Guide.

1. The title says it all :)
   
   To keep it really short and sweet, learning about C++ templates is really painful till this book came along :)
   
   It's my opinion that advanced C++ developers use this book to guide them in understanding and navigating the world of C++ templates. It's simply easy to read and it has amazing clear presentations



2. I used the book when I was working on templates. Book is very clear and concise with proper layout of chapters. I was able to read relevant sections and get clear understanding. It is possible to get all information by reading C++ specs and other sources, but having this one book is a real time saver.
   
   If you work on templates and have some doubts ever then have this book next to you.



3. I like all those description and examples: the topic may be complex, but really an interesting thing when enjoying it slowly.



4. Nicolai Josuttis has written by far the best book on C++ templates. His is literally the only work out there that makes any sense of the utter mess that is C++ template programming. Absolutely essential for anyone using the STL or (especially) Boost libraries.



5. This is best book on C++ templates. C++ programmers who wants to learn modern template programming should start reading this book first, no more no less.

5 comments about Microsoft® Office FrontPage® 2003 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft)).

1. I ordered this book as well as Special Addition Using Ms FP 2003 The only FP2003 book you'll ever need. This is the book to get!! The microsoft book does not really do a good job of fully explaining the topic. To me it was very confusing. The other book I just mentioned is 3 times as thick and goes from very basic to very advanced. So as you grow the book will be there for all the information. I will be returning this book and keeping the Special Addition.



2. The book did not follow what appeared on the screen. So difficult to follow that we just gave it up and tried another book.
   Some of it was useful for reference, but step by step no way!



3. I never got it. The FrontPage 2003 that I ordered in September 2006 never arrived.
   I sent you a message about it, and apparently you have on your records that I re-ordered it.
   In fact, you supposedly sent a replacement copy. In fact, you sent a 2nd FrontPage Step by Step
   instruction book, which I had also ordered in September and received at that time. So, I have
   2 instruction books, no software, I've stopped payment on my Visa for this purchase, and I've given up.
   I will likely NEVER order from Amazon.com again.
   
   Charla



4. I purchased this book and the software a year ago. I found out a few months ago that Microsoft is no longer supporting this software and has come out with a new program. Of course microsoft did not notify any registered users of this. I am now out the money for the software and the book. Microsoft instead of changing this program so that extensions are no longer used, came out with a brand new program which cost $299-.



5. An excellent book to start learning Frontpage. The layout and style are very clear and the practice examples lead you through the steps in a logical manner.