3 comments about Creating Web Pages All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. Like most of the "dummies" books this one doesn't go into great detail about certain aspects of web design, but it is a great starting point for anyone with zero web design experience.
   
   It walked me through the interface of Dreamweaver easily and within a few hours I had a page up and ready complete with links and flash buttons.
   
   Again not good for the pro but great for the beginner.



2. Great overview of the processes and techniques for creating Web sites. Well written and clear.



3. I am new to the whole web site building, so this book was for me. It gave me a basic understanding of web publishing, free tools available to create my web pages and how to add links, blogs and graphics to my web site.
   This book though, does not go into great detail about web design so if that's what you are looking for, this is not for you.
   This is for the beginner who wants to get a feel for the process and work it takes to get a web site up and running.
   I found it very helpful in getting me started on the road to creating a great web site.

1 comments about Visual Basic 2008 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (Recipes: a Problem-Solution Approach).

1. I was looking for a good summary of threading for a current project and this book provided the code I needed. It is one of the best books I have seen that explains the examples and concepts in well-tested fashion. Too many times I have bought books where the examples don't run on the latest software or they are written by C# programmers who don't know VB. Although some of the samples are trivial, the book is a great reference from anyone doing daily VB 2008 programming. My only complaint is that I wish the source code for the examples was available on a website or CD. You can cut-and-paste the code from the ebook, but it is a bit cumbersome.

1 comments about Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 Unleashed.

1. This is actually one of the best books I have seen in support of a product. Not only does it provide in depth information, it is specific to certain 'views' about the product, including technical, business, adoption, etc. If you are implementing Project Server, this will be one of the wisest decisions you could make to purchase this book.

5 comments about Unix Network Programming, Volume 1: The Sockets Networking API (3rd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series).

1. The book contains everything that I want to know about the Unix Sockets API. The book is well structured, and the explanations are generally good. I would give it 4½ stars if it was possible.
   
   I do have a few minor gripes though. The text can be a bit dull compared to other books. I bought "Programming with POSIX(R) Threads" by David R. Butenhof at the same time, and this book is much more entertaining while still factual and correct.
   
   I dislike that all the examples in the book uses a special header defined in the Appendix. That makes it impossible to use snippets of code from the examples to make your own applications.



2. This book is excellent. I had previously bought "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment" by the same author and I loved it so now that I have to do network programming in Linux I got a copy of UNP. The book is well organized and has a lot more information than I expected (Raw sockets, Packet capture, IPv6 etc). Everything is explained clearly and with a lot of examples. It's a shame that the author passed away because I would buy any other book he wrote. Buy this book, it's expensive but It's so professional that is a "must have" for anyone that's going to be programming network applications in UNIX systems.
   
   Thank you, Richard Stevens. Rest in Peace.



3. This book consists of "in the trenches" information Mr. Stevens learned over the years by reading source, testing thoroughly, documenting extensively, and assembling carefully all this data into one heck of a book on Unix programming. I feel certain in declaring that many who've developed code on Unix know instantly of Stevens' works. This update to his book appears just as thorough.
   
   I do agree with a previous reviewer who was unhappy with the code samples' dependency on a header file in the back of the book. It's a clumsy technique, but it's difficult to imagine another way to accomplish the goals of including the header.



4. If you are reading this review you probably are looking for a comprehensive text on socket programming. Look no further. This is the One. You can stop reading reviews trying to find the perfect one and go hit the Add To Shopping Cart button with confidence. Detailed, comprehensive and clear. A favorite.



5. The Best series of books to learn Network programming from. The BEST in the world. Nothing comes close.

5 comments about Eclipse IDE Pocket Guide.

1. I found the book to contain several tips and tricks that were new to me and I have been using Eclipse for over two years now. I would highly recommend this book to new Eclipse IDE users to help you get a leg up on learning the Eclipse IDE. I found this book well worth the price and will be looking for more pocket guide books by O'Reilly to add to my bookshelf.



2. I expected a little more from this book than creating a simple java file and compiling it. This book is for someone who is new to IDEs. This is *NOT* for someone trying for a quick reference to migrate from another IDE to Eclipse - which was my purpose.



3. The most common comment from the people I showed this book to was "I wish I had it when I started using Eclipse".
   
   While this is a very small book, the contents have been selected to give you a best start with the main features of the Eclipse IDE. The topics are short but concise and include scattered tips for the points of interest.
   
   If you're just starting with this IDE, the Eclipse IDE Pocket Guide will give you a great head start and will continue helping you as a lovely reference to refer back to as the features become familiar. Having all of these critical features pointed out earlier will save you a lot of bother in the future, since you'll be annoyed if you only find out about them much later by accident or experimentation!
   
   Experienced users are less likely to get much from it though. The authors made a decision between content and size, and I feel they chose to stick with a smaller, simpler book than I would have expected. There is a final section on places to go for more information, but it just refers to various community sites.
   
   I wish I had this book when I started using Eclipse.



4. I've come to expect a lot from O'Reilly guides, and this one didn't let me down. It really helped me past some areas of confusion I had with Eclipse, although I think I may want a larger book eventually that gets into more detail on some of the add-ins.



5. I thought this would be a handy little "tips and tricks" reference. It basically just tells you all the obvious stuff you already figured out on your own. Save your money and just use the doc from the internet.

5 comments about Pragmatic Unit Testing in C# with NUnit, 2nd Edition.

1. You keep hearing about it.
   "Unit Testing, Unit Testing, Unit Testing"
   The time is now. Stop talking about and start becoming a more responsible developer.
   This book takes you through the scenarios. Well written, and easy to get going.
   This book has been the key ingrediant to get other developers at my company involved with NUnit testing.
   
   NUnit is freely available. If you have VS2005Pro, then plugging in NUnit make the most sense.



2. This is a great introduction to writing unit tests in C# with NUnit. The authors do a good job of explaining why unit tests should be created, how having unit tests are better than not having unit tests, and what exactly should be coded for in a unit test. The book is well-written, easy to follow, and includes helpful guidelines for things that might be confusing to developers.
   
   The real strength of this book is not the author's approach to writing unit tests, but rather they clearly illustrate what exactly should be tested in a unit test. The authors show how adhering to the guidelines they set forth results in unit tests that are well-written and fail at appropriate times. The authors then generalize this to some extent and provide an excellent discussion on the properties of a good unit test.
   
   My favorite section of the book was actually one of the appendices. In the first appendix, the authors go through a list of gotchas--both in writing unit tests in general and specific to unit tests in C#. This is a very short discussion (only 6 pages), but they identify some issues I've seen with poorly written unit tests.
   
   This is a great book as an introduction to writing unit tests. The authors clearly explain why unit tests should be written, they show clearly what should be tested in a unit test, and they describe some of the problems that have been avoided by writing intelligent unit tests.



3. The book is packed with practical advice on unit testing. Why should you do unit testing, what do you need to know to write good tests, how do you know if you're writing good tests, how can unit tests not only improve your code, but also your design, can unit tests doom a project (if not done right) --- you'll find answers to all of these questions and more. The authors also give numerous short code examples that help solidify the concepts. You'll also find extensive references and links to web-sites where appropriate. The authors' writing style is fluid. If you enjoy reading good technical books, you'll read this like a novel!



4. I have to respectfully disagree with all the fawning reviews. It's a chatty, drawn out, tedious read, something of an accomplishment given the fact that it's only ~200 pages long. Frankly, anything more then something like the O'Reilly Pocket Reference is overkill on this subject. NUnit is a snap to use and the freely available documentation and tutorials are more than adequate and not nearly so time-consuming to digest.
   
   The first passage that discusses actual test coding (~20 pages or so into the book) presents a simple case where a method should accept an integer array as a parameter and return the largest element. The book then explains how this function, if it behaves properly, should perform. A series of simple test cases are discussed before we get to the real toughie for all you computer scientists out there - a data set consisting of negative integers. A test vector consisting of the array [-9,-8,-7] is passed to the method and -7 is returned. The book explains 'It might look odd, but indeed -7 is larger than -9. We're glad we straightened that out now, rather than in the debugger or in production code where it might not be so obvious.'
   
   ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? Just what audience was this thing written for? One would have thought that that little gem wouldn't have been necessary... but in fact that is the tone of the entire book. Expect to have your hand held in this manner throughout. If that's the sort of thing that appeals to you, you'll love this one. If, on the other hand, you're trying to learn to incorporate NUnit testing into C# development in an efficient, professional manner, save your money and time and read the NUnit docs.



5. This is a decent getting started book, but it doesn't give good coverage of things such as NUnit projects or using app.config files with NUnit.
   
   Unfortunately, this book isn't good as a stand-alone. I'll admit that it did help me get started, but it lacks so much that I can't give it more stars. A second volume that covers more advanced topics is suggested, or the next edition can add the missing parts.

5 comments about VBA and Macros for Microsoft Excel (Business Solutions).

1. I found this book to be one of the best references for Excel VBA development. The book is easy to understand and follow. Contains a large amount of examples that can be easily understood. Addresses many critical aspects of excel VBA development. Not too much was spent on forms/GUI development so you will have to look elsewhere if you into that. Also addresses interfacing Excel to databases using ADO as well as API programming which is critical for superusers to extend the power of excel without the limitation of data storage. Overall, the authors have a superb job and I consider this book to be an essential of my Excel VBA library!



2. The book is useful. The worksheets downloaded from the Internet are also very clear.
   Sometimes you expect more explanations on statements which use new features not connected with the subject being reviewed.
   I think that I shall not need to purchase any other book on this subject.



3. I am very satisfied with the transaction. The shipment was on time and the product is in good quality



4. Bill Jelen is a brilliant self-promoter. His book is even more brilliant. His newsgroup, MrExcel Message Board Forum at www.mrexcel.com, is an invaluable resource.



5. If I could give 0 stars, I would.
   
   This book is poorly written and poorly edited...and I have the version "Reprinted with corrections." Flipping through it in the bookstore, it seemed promising - enough so that I actually bought it. After three chapters, however, I am ready to throw in the towel.
   
   This is a technical book. It's about programming. It contains examples of actual code. The examples have to be correct to have any credibility. Once you lose that, every line becomes suspect. Let me provide you just a few examples.
   
   On page 32, the colorindex for "yellow" is given as "6"; on page 33 it is "30".
   On page 41, "Selection is actually a property and not an object." When I reach page 50, "Selection" has become an object again.
   On page 62, in the third example within Table 3.1, the delimiting comma is inside the quotes.
   On 67, " Notice that that the offset..."
   Also on that page, the resizing example at the bottom is wrong. If I have a column and add two more to it, I end up with three. Maybe Mr. Excel is using a higher level of math when he says "Range("Produce").Resize(,2) and says "Remember, the number you resize by is the TOTAL number of rows and/or columns you want to include."
   
   What really rolled my eyes back in my head was on page 63, when I encountered .range(.range, range) with insufficient introduction. A relatively simple statement with a single range reference suddenly morphed into a triple range reference with an indecipherable comment about "an extra range at the beginning of the code line." This makes absolutely no sense, and coupled with the authoring or editing miscues mentioned earlier, it is not even possible to determine if this is a typo or simply a badly written passage.
   
   Whether I ultimately can gain any value from this book remains to be seen - assuming I am able to actually make sense of the content. For me, it was a total waste of the purchase price.

1 comments about Adobe ColdFusion 8 Web Application Construction Kit, Volume 3: Advanced Application Development (Web Application Construction Kit).

1. I got this book, along with Volume 1 and 2, and I will say that I was more than a little disappointed. The biggest issue that I have is that half the book is not included in the book. Basically, in the front of this volume, it says that chapters 41-54 are only on-line. For me, I like having the books for reference when I am not at my computer, so having those sections on-line only are more than a little annoying!
   
   I also noticed more typo's in this volume than the other two. The actual content in the book is fairly helpful and have helped me out.
   
   -Matt

No comments about Maven: The Definitive Guide.

5 comments about OCA: Oracle 10g Administration I Study Guide (1Z0-042).

1. This is the only book I used to prepare for the OCA exam. and I passed the exam



2. this is the first book i read to prepare for my OCA exam. at first i was a bit overwhelmed because the chapters are quite long and the languages are not very easy to understand (sometimes i have to reread a sentence two or three times before it clicks). but i guess it was also because by then oracle was still rather new for me. if you are an experienced dba (maybe a 9i oca or ocp) then i guess this book alone should be enough to get you a 10g oca. but if you are new to oracle, i would suggest you to study John & Damir book first (OCP All-in-one exam prep guide), it's easier to absorb and the chapters are shorter (although there are more chapters). then, if you still have the time (and the money) get this book to wrap up your preparation for the oca. i'm sure you will pass the exam like i did.



3. I just received the book and it looks like it has the content. But I must say that the paper stock used is appalling. I have seen toilet paper thicker than this paper and its already yellowing. You can see the print on the other side of the page! The print and screen shots are so small, maybe they are trying to save paper? I almost considered returning it, but it does have the content. I don't think after the exam you can use this book for a reference since it should have deteriorated by then.



4. I used this book to study for the OCA test for a month and thought I would pass with my SQL & limited Oracle experience. I did not pass the test because the test has changed to Senario Driven with Multiple Choice & Multiple answers. You would receive a long paragraph about a user's needs. You would need to select two answers out of five; 1 would be easy to pick, 2 would seem wrong and 2 would seem almost identical and right. That is where the test has gotten harder.
   
   Where this book gives you the foundation of all the "What's" involved, the test needs the "Whys".
   
   I recommend SELFTEST software Oracle pushes on thier site. I find the questions and style are very similar to what I had experienced.
   
   I still recommend this book if would like to understand the concepts and have an oracle DB at your disposal
   If you then need or want the cert buy the selftest software because I'm positive half of my questions came from that product. By spending your money on both of those products you will still make out very well because the Live course for this subject is around $2,500.
   
   My experience with Oracle has been from the Healthcare IT environment where the database is already set up and just needs tuneing and Reports. If you are an Oracle Finanicials person you may only need the SelfTest software to practice from.



5. Getting Oracle certifications is not easy. The material is difficult and extensive not matter how you approach it. The Sybex study guide does a good job of presenting the material in an organized manner.