5 comments about Mastering Oracle SQL, 2nd Edition.

1. Half of this 450 page book surveys basic SQL, and the other half is on features Oracle added to SQL in versions 9i and especially 10g. I bought the book because I believed the title, and the reviews here that said it was an excellent reference. But, to quote one of its authors, "This book is NOT a reference manual, and it is NOT an administrator's guide". It's an overview of SQL only. It is not an introduction; nor can it be used, reference book-fashion, all by itself.
   
   So for my purposes, I was quite disappointed. But the book has some utility, in its explanations of what can be done with Oracle SQL. Especially in the explanations of analytic functions, regular expressions, and XML. It's like a series of magazine articles, with discussion and examples.
   
   The book has some weaknesses:
   
   * The index is very skimpy and incomplete. This is what you'd expect actually, in a book that isn't ever meant to be referred back to.
   
   * The focus on SQL is diluted and inconsistent. For example, there is an explanation on how to set up partitioning. Another section compares Oracle's implementation of regular expressions to Perl's . Sometimes background and comparisons are present, sometimes they're not.
   
   * There isn't much explanation of *why* you'd want to do some of the *whats* that can be done. Yes, it's possible to build classes and objects into a database, but why do it in SQL instead of Java? (Of course the *hows* would be quite inadequate, if this were a how-to book).
   
   * There is too much explanation of how things used to be done in 8i. That version was five years old back when this edition was published. 8i shouldn't take up more than a paragraph or three in a book that purports to cover 9i and 10g.
   
   In summary, if you don't read trade magazines, and you don't care to spend your time on Oracle websites and forums, and you know you won't have access to 11g anytime soon, you may find this book a decent (altho somewhat pricey) way to broaden your horizons of what you can do with Oracle SQL.



2. I'm no SDE, but I had a need to learn enough SQL to enable me to hit my company's Data Warehouse tables directly and employ some complex joins. This was the book recommended to me, and it did the trick. I sat down and began reading it and was quickly writing increasingly complex queries. I found the explanations easy to follow, and the format intuitive. The only fault I found is that there is a lack of more complex join examples, as when there are more than one field being joined on or more than two tables being joined.



3. The goal of the authors is to explain how to write good readable SQL queries in Oracle 10g. The book starts with how to construct SELECT statements to group, filter and format result sets for dates, reports and data analysis. Then it proceeds to cover Oracle-specific queries and functions for hierarchies (data in tree structures), object-oriented types, XML documents, regular expressions and models (spreadsheet-like objects). Where relevant, there are notes about the differences between SQL for Oracle 10, Oracle 9 and the ANSI standard.
   
   As expected from the title, the chapters using declarative programming (i.e. SQL queries) for relational data, hierarchical data and reports are the most comprehensive. Chapters on interfacing Oracle SQL with other technologies such as scripting (Oracle's PL/SQL), object-oriented types, XML and regular expressions, or on optimization, are brief but sufficient to get you started, especially if you have a existing background in those technologies.
   
   This is the 2nd edition, so it's not surprising that the scope of the book is well-defined and that the writing is easy to read and polished. The example data and queries are just complex enough to demonstrate the issues without obscuring the main points. Minor annoyance about Chapter 15, "SQL Best Practices", which does not explain how to use the query analyzer and bind variables.
   
   I was already familiar with basic Oracle SQL but didn't really understand the language; this book blew away many of the fuzzy concepts in my mind and provided me the framework to tackle more complex problems.
   
   Kam-Hung Soh, 21 May 2007.
   [...]



4. The book does a nice job of dissecting the syntax of SELECT statements and their various components, but in my opinion would fall short for most practical users. The examples are closer to what you might find in one of those "SQL for Smarties" books than what a normal developer writing applications that interface with Oracle databases might be looking to master. For example, there isn't in depth coverage of flow-of-control mechanisms and only a few pages in the first chapter covering DML operations.



5. It's the only Oracle book I seem to need. Great explanations. Includes new Oracle features. One of the best descriptions on inner, outer, left, right joins. Saved my tail a couple of times. It includes just the right amount of information.

2 comments about Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio and Video Podcasting, Second Edition (Solutions).

1. Yes that's right, this is the perfect book for any and all podcasters. If you are a podcaster, or want to be one or just want to find out what it's all about buy this book.
   
   The title says it all; Podcast Solutions. Chock full of info, written concisely, humorously, intelligently, informatively and in language that anyone can understand (even me) this is the one book to buy on the subject. It takes you step by step down the road to conceiving, creating, recording, producing and profiting from your show idea. This book covers every nook and cranny of the considerable field of information on both podcasts and vodcasts.
   
   I personally have used both editions of this book to help me get my podcast going as well as optimizing it once it was up and running. What I really enjoyed about this book is how the authors explain things so that not only do you know what to do next but also why it works. Not only that there are many highlighted sections where the authors share a personal experience that really drives a point home. This brings the whole process into very sharp focus.
   
   And their personal experience goes way beyond the technical aspects of podcasting and vodcasting. On page 85, for example, they share a tip that is critical to anyone who really wants to make effective communication with their material. And that is this; "speak as if you are speaking to one person". That one piece of advice can turn a blah and lifeless presentation into one with depth and impact. This book is loaded with tips like that.
   
   I can't say enough good about this book. Without it I may not have gotten my podcast going. The two guys who wrote it have been doing this since it began and they know all the tricks. Don't think about, just buy the book. You'll thank me and more importantly you'll thank the authors Dan Klass and Michael W. Geoghegan.
   
   Geoffrey Leigh Tozer
   Producer - Sly Crooner



2. A couple of years ago, I got Podcast Solutions and was really impressed with its' overall content. For its' time. Of course, with everything on the web, practically everything changes and thus, a new edition of this book had to be released. And it's still probably the best book out there. Lots of updated information on how to create, edit and upload podcasts and for the most part, do it on the cheap since if you're really looking to make a million bucks doing this, keep looking. Lots more stuff on video which has truly taken off thanks to YouTube and similar sites and newer ways to promote and get advertisers to your site. You'll also learn how to use WordPress and similar blogs and create a podcast site as a result. That's what I did with one of my clients. Not as thick as the Bibles out there but at least you won't get a hernia trying to lift it. You should be getting ideas for your own (or your clients own) podcasts within minutes of surfing thru this book.

1 comments about Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games.

1. This book is honestly an answer to my prayers! I'm using the first half of this superb book to remodel my introductory game design class & after school game design club. The included exercises are definitely geared toward capturing the attention of the type of kids I want to attract to my program. I think I'm going to have to buy a 2nd book as my son is using the last half of the book to develop and market his senior game project and plan for his Indie game company :)

5 comments about C++ Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design.

1. I have just completed my order with Amazon.com for a copy of this book, so I don't have the book yet. Why the decision to purchase ? Well, I read the reviews here and decided to download the source codes from the author's website and see what the fuzzes are all about. I opened up my Ultra Studio and start going over the codes. Holly smoke, these stuffs can saved you hours of programming, the author's got items on stacks, queues, linked list, etc. I read some sample writing from the website, and the writings do seem more accadamical than an easy read on a Sunday afternoon. For me, this is fine, as I am used to this type of writings.
   
   Overall, seem like a safe purchase.



2. I took an introductory c++ class a few years ago and the textbook for that class was much more difficult to follow. Malik does a great job going over things so that difficult concepts are easily understood. If you are a beginner you may have a hard time understanding some of the concepts in this book. However, learning to program takes effort to learn well and the lengthy code examples in this book are an excellent way to see overall programs instead of just snippets. Some reviewers complain about the math in the book. There is actually very little and what there is fairly basic algebra. You can skip through most of the math problems and be fine. A good use of color as well.



3. This book presents C++ programming in a fairly rigorous fashion. Many of the examples are somewhat long, however, this is what happens when you need to move beyond simple stuff like finding the maximum number in an array, counting a series of numbers with a loop, printing a triangle of asterisks, and so on. Such problems are examined in this book but the author doesn't stop there. This is one of the few books that actually demonstrates the kind of programming skills that the "real world" demands.



4. Whenever I go to learn a new language, I always look to see whether there is a book from Thompson's, 'From Problem Analysis to Program Design' series available on that language. This style of textbook always seems to get it right when it comes to academic learning.
   
   After trying a couple of C++ texts, I found that with this particular book, I could understand those niggly bits of the language that can be very hard to explain/learn. This book has brought me much further than I was able to go with other texts. Clear explanations and useful case studies make for the best way to learn a language. Especially the case studies, as they show you how you can use what you have learnt constructively.
   
   My advice: learn C++ with this book, and use C++ Primer Plus (5th Edition) as a reference companion.



5. this isn't worth the price. it's comprehensive, but often belaboredly so. there are concepts that are introduced too early in the book and might not be of immediate use to the beginner. this book could be more concise, physically lighter, and cheaper.

5 comments about Timing for Animation.

1. This book is simply a must have for animators. It's very clear written and has great examples, I consider it a must just as the two masterpieces "Illusion of Life" and "Animation Survival Kit". Being about the timing I think it works great not only for traditional animators but also for CGI one (like I am).



2. I have referred to this book for nearly ten years, and it is still my favorite with regards to the fundamentals of creating naturalistic movement.
   
   More concise, less self-indulgent, and less bulky than either Richard Williams' "Animator's Survival Kit" or Frank and Ollie's "Illusion of Life", Whitaker and Halas' "Timing for Animation" allowed me to advance in my knowledge of timing charts and the creation of believable, naturalistic movement more efficiently than either of those two venerable books. While I tend to agree with reviewers who question the book's price, the no-nonsense explanations it contains provide a solid base from which an animator can embark upon further exploration without being too tied to a particular guru's insights.



3. As an animation student I found this book very helpfull. Not too heavy, just enough facts and examples to get the point across. If you are an animator or a student, you should own this book.



4. My instructor recommended this book for my special effects animation class. It was such a life savor.
   
   It covers all the basic animation topics like Squash and Stretch, Anticipation, Slow In and Slow Out, Exaggeration, etc...



5. Timing for Animation is the best choice for those who would like to have a clear view of animation-timing. It delineates the basics very concisely, which are long enough to understand, but short enough to run through anytime when needed. Has a good partition, right examples and illustrations, contains only practicable things which makes it very easy to read and highly practical. John Halas has made a good job, happy to be his compatriot :)
   Would recommend to anyone.

5 comments about Software Requirement Patterns (Best Practices).

1. Stephen Withall's "Software Requirement Patterns" can help any analyst write better requirements. The patterns Steve presents can help analysts ask the right questions to properly understand and specify requirements of many types at an appropriate level of detail. This book communicates a wealth of wisdom and insight for writing stellar requirements. The patterns point out the value of using a consistent style when exploring and documenting requirements. Even if you don't apply the patterns rigorously, Steve provides hundreds of practical tips for specifying better requirements.
   
   This book does not address the entire requirements development and management life cycle. You aren't going to sit down and read through the whole book, either. Instead, it's a valuable reference when you have questions about how best to explore and specify certain types of requirements. It will help you discover essential information that you wouldn't otherwise think to ask about. I used the "Report Requirement Pattern" this morning (literally) to get some new ideas about effectively specifying requirements for reports.
   
   This is the most comprehensive resource I've seen on thinking carefully through the information associated with effective functional, data, and quality requirements of many different kinds. I highly recommend it.



2. The purpose of this book is to help you decide and define what a new software system needs to do and to suggest what extra features to add to make it a very good system. It saves you effort and enables you to be more precise, by providing detailed guidance on how to specify individual requirements.
   
   Requirement patterns are encapsulated expertise, conveniently prepackaged for reuse. The book contains 37 requirement patterns, each of which describes an approach to tackling a particular type of situation that comes up repeatedly in all kinds of systems, but focusing on commercial business software. Only a fraction of any system is specific to its business area; the bulk occurs over and over again no matter what your system is for. These patterns cover more than half of all requirements in some systems, and even more if you add the extra requirements the patterns suggest. Each pattern conveys not only the basic information that a requirement needs to convey, it also offers guidance on supplemental information that you need in your requirements in order to make them complete, comprehensible, and properly cross-referenced. This book contains over 400 example requirements, many of which are suitable for applying unchanged to any system and others that are a useful starting point for a requirement to suit the reader's needs. These examples are the heart of the book. Currently, the product description does not show the table of contents, so I do that next:
   
   Part I: Setting the Scene
   Chapter 1. Synopsis of "Crash Course in Specifying Requirements"
   Section 1.1. What Are Requirements?
   Section 1.2. Where Do Requirements Fit in the Grand Scheme?
   Section 1.3. A Few General Principles
   Section 1.4. A Traditional Requirements Process
   Section 1.5. Agile Requirements Processes
   
   Chapter 2. Synopsis of "The Contents of a Requirements Specification"
   Section 2.1. Introduction Section
   Section 2.2. Context Section
   Section 2.3. Functional Area Sections
   Section 2.4. Major Nonfunctional Capabilities Section
   
   Chapter 3. Requirement Pattern Concepts
   Section 3.1. Introduction to Requirement Patterns
   Section 3.2. The Anatomy of a Requirement Pattern
   Section 3.3. Domains
   Section 3.4. Requirement Pattern Groups
   Section 3.5. Relationships Between Requirement Patterns
   
   Chapter 4. Using and Producing Requirement Patterns
   Section 4.1. When and How to Use Requirement Patterns
   Section 4.2. Tailoring Requirement Patterns
   Section 4.3. Writing New Requirement Patterns
   
   Part II: Requirement Pattern Catalog
   Chapter 5. Fundamental Requirement Patterns
   Section 5.1. Inter-System Interface Requirement Pattern
   Section 5.2. Inter-System Interaction Requirement Pattern
   Section 5.3. Technology Requirement Pattern
   Section 5.4. Comply-with-Standard Requirement Pattern
   Section 5.5. Refer-to-Requirements Requirement Pattern
   Section 5.6. Documentation Requirement Pattern
   
   Chapter 6. Information Requirement Patterns
   Section 6.1. Data Type Requirement Pattern
   Section 6.2. Data Structure Requirement Pattern
   Section 6.3. ID Requirement Pattern
   Section 6.4. Calculation Formula Requirement Pattern
   Section 6.5. Data Longevity Requirement Pattern
   Section 6.6. Data Archiving Requirement Pattern
   
   Chapter 7. Data Entity Requirement Patterns
   Section 7.1. Living Entity Requirement Pattern
   Section 7.2. Transaction Requirement Pattern
   Section 7.3. Configuration Requirement Pattern
   Section 7.4. Chronicle Requirement Pattern
   Section 7.5. Information Storage Infrastructure
   
   Chapter 8. User Function Requirement Patterns
   Section 8.1. Inquiry Requirement Pattern
   Section 8.2. Report Requirement Pattern
   Section 8.3. Accessibility Requirement Pattern
   Section 8.4. User Interface Infrastructure
   Section 8.5. Reporting Infrastructure
   
   Chapter 9. Performance Requirement Patterns
   Section 9.1. Response Time Requirement Pattern
   Section 9.2. Throughput Requirement Pattern
   Section 9.3. Dynamic Capacity Requirement Pattern
   Section 9.4. Static Capacity Requirement Pattern
   Section 9.5. Availability Requirement Pattern
   
   Chapter 10. Flexibility Requirement Patterns
   Section 10.1. Scalability Requirement Pattern
   Section 10.2. Extendability Requirement Pattern
   Section 10.3. Unparochialness Requirement Pattern
   Section 10.4. Multiness Requirement Pattern
   Section 10.5. Multi-Lingual Requirement Pattern
   Section 10.6. Installability Requirement Pattern
   
   Chapter 11. Access Control Requirement Patterns
   Section 11.1. User Registration Requirement Pattern
   Section 11.2. User Authentication Requirement Pattern
   Section 11.3. User Authorization Requirement Patterns
   Section 11.4. Specific Authorization Requirement Pattern
   Section 11.5. Configurable Authorization Requirement Pattern
   Section 11.6. Approval Requirement Pattern
   
   Chapter 12. Commercial Requirement Patterns
   Section 12.1. Multi-Organization Unit Requirement Pattern
   Section 12.2. Fee/Tax Requirement Pattern
   
   This book is very good at taking a dull subject - software requirements and their specification - and making it interesting and accessible. Highly recommended.



3. Stephen Withall should be congratulated for slugging through about 300 pages of examples of requirements. Many of them are quite good. For that alone, I recommend the book for all those who want to know what a fairly well written requirement might look like. If you want to know what a very well written requirement looks like, then you should go attempt to read Tom Gilb's book Competitive Engineering. I say attempt because Gilb is not an easy read.
   Withall is honest from the beginning in that this is a book of examples using a pattern language. I don't have much enthusiasm for pattern languages, they seem to confuse me, but that is probably a personal problem. There is little to explain what requirements are or how to get them. This book focus is on writing them down. He does have a really brief (very, very brief) intro to requirements with more promised on the web. I didn't read the web stuff.
   What I did learn, and colored my whole perception of the book, is that the working definition of requirement is focused flat on functional requirements. Yes, there is a nod to not functional requirements but they get a short shift throughout the book. Frankly, functional requirements are not that interesting. Yes, they are needed but they are typically really easy to get. It is the not functional requirements that get teams into trouble. It isn't that the software doesn't do what you want, it just does it in a way that you hate.
   This is clear in the section on User Function requirements where (even if he told us earlier to specify the problem, not the solution) the examples are full of solution. "The system will refresh itself" and "Whenever a sound is played for the purpose of alerting the user, a visual cue shall also be invoked". Why I ask you? That is solution talk.
   Now to be a bit more fair, problem and solution is a relative area so, without a clear description of the context, I can't say what those two examples really are, but my money is on solution. A problem UI requirement for the above is more like, "The user will correctly recognize an alert within X seconds 95% of the time" or something like that.
   Bottom line, if you want to have a book of lots of examples, not to bad. In those examples are some good questions. But there is much more to do than to write them down.



4. This book provides a great "kick start" for specifying large system requirements. The patterns provide food for thought along with a very useful standard approach to specifying requirements. It should be in every system analyst's toolkit.



5. It's ok if you are starting to have the concepts and everything in a general level. If you are looking for some specifics guides or examples to apply in the reality... mmmhhh... I don't think this book is the best option to have that. And... it's expensive. My best advice... don't buy it.

5 comments about Defensive Design for the Web: How to improve error messages, help, forms, and other crisis points (VOICES).

1. The sub title of this book should stop at "How to Improve Error Messages". The focus of the book is on recovering from problems, either from user input or from the system. That's all well and good and their ideas are fine. However I was hoping they'd spend some time talking about how to lay out your forms so they are mor effective and less likely to cause problems for the user in the first place.
   
   Especially useful would have been web oriented techniques for forms that span multiple pages.
   
   Anyway they didn't put it in the book and that's their choice. What they put in is servicable if all you're interested in is recovery.



2. I received zero (0) value from this book, and I can't figure out why anyone would recommend it. I kept waiting for something to learn, but alas, there is nothing but common sense included in this book. To say nothing for the fact that each page contained about 2 paragraphs of text (an image caption) with an image showing Good or Bad examples. What a waste of money, time, and energy. Unfortunately the individuals behind 37 signals had just enough clout to get a book published and have caused me to look elsewhere for authors/teachers. NOTE: their software at 37signals.com is great, but even their own blog is hard to read. Overall a major disappointment. NOTE: absolute beginners may find a 1 star value out of this book. However, 30 days on the job will teach you everything here.



3. This book is a nice collection of what should be common sense rules (obviously common sense is not so common, as the examples of actual web sites in the book prove). I would assume that it would be most beneficial to a beginning designer, although it's a book everyone involved with web design or programming should browse through every now and then.



4. If you already have some design experience, or use the web a lot in your daily life, or just have common sense you will most likely find this book utterly useless. But even for people who are just starting out in the field, at 236 pages this book can easily be compressed into 37 with one page per "signal."
   
   Here's what specifically bothers me about the content:
   
   1. Wordy. The authors take a simple problem and run with it for pages. How many examples do I really need to understand that limiting text fields to, let say, 200 characters and not letting users know that there is a limit is a bad idea? One? Two? There are 5 examples beating the same dead horse. And this is going on pretty much for every example they have.
   
   2. Clueless. One of the complaints in the book is about an error message that TicketMaster displays when they can't find tickets for you (page 75). Specifically, the message is "We are unable to fulfill your specific request. We may not have the type of tickets you requested or the number of seats together that you are looking for." The authors' beef with this message is "[...] the error message still leaves me scratching my head. If TicketMaster knows the event is sold out, then why not just say so?" Perhaps, they don't say that the event is sold out because it isn't? First, just because TicketMaster is out of tickets doesn't mean there are no more tickets left. TicketMaster usually only gets a percentage of tickets. Second, if I'm looking for cheapest seats and they don't have any left, doesn't mean there aren't more expensive available. Thirdly, if I'm looking for 7 seats in a row and can't find that many available doesn't mean I can't buy them on other combinations.
   
   3. Superficial. When talking about handling 404 "Page not found" errors, the author completely neglects to mention the intricacies of handling these conditions which can have profound effect on your site's SEO.
   
   All-in-all, I'm taking my book back to the store.



5. This book is basically a comparison of good & bad designs as related to the topics in the subtitle. There is not much depth to any of the examples so it feels like this is the outline of a book that never got finished.
   
   I was looking for something comprehensive enough to allow me to make better informed decisions, even if the book didn't offer an example that is specific to my problem. This book is NOT that.

5 comments about Excel VBA Programming For Dummies^®.

1. The book is very helpful. If you are surrounded by knowledgeable people who can help you with the details, this will help to expand your foundation and it gives you some excel shortcuts.



2. I'm quite a skilled spreadsheet user, but I'm not a trainned programmer nor ever got any formal trainning in Object Oriented Programming concepts. So VBA was very hard and frustating to deal with, up to now.
   Mr Walkenbach covered my expectations with a very easy-to-read text and very usefull also. Plain sure its a first approach text for those who already are fluent with Excel, but this is declared the target reader from beginning. Very good cost-benefit ratio.



3. I have tried to pick up VBA for Excel a few times, but the pieces just didn't seem to fall together for me. I am in IT, but I don't have a development background. I have solid Excel skills, but still got frustrated with VBA and would put it down. Recently, I had a very specific problem to solve for work and thought I would give it another try.
   
   I decided to get a book with the basics and read it completely first, then try to start coding my project. I was in a hurry so I also got the online upgrade to start reading even before my book got here. I found the book an easy read and occasionally tried a few of the examples as I went along. I got through the book easily in a few days and feel as if I had a good knowledge base to begin.
   
   I am happy to say within 2 weeks, I have completed the project I had first planned and then an even more complex project. I have a third planned now. I used other Excel VBA resources along the way, but have to give credit to this book for getting me started and with the basics so I could even understand where to go next. I see the time and money I invested in this book coming back to me many times over due to the hours and hours of work the macros I have been able to write will save both myself and my team members.
   
   I still have a lot to learn, but I am very satisified with this book. I picked this book because of the other good reviews it has on this Amazon site, so I hope you will find my review helpful to you!!



4. I've purchased other JWalk products in the past and this is another in a line of great JWalk Excel,Access, VBA offerings. This is a very good addition for the user who is not comfy with VBA for Excel. Get this if your delving into Excel VBA for the first time.



5. This book is exactly what I needed. I know several program languages so I just needed a good introduction to syntax and the basic functions. This was what I needed. Thanks.

5 comments about Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Professional Step by Step, Second Edition (Step By Step (Redmond, Wash.).).

1. My programing background was in C++, Pascal, and Delphi, so when I got a new job and had to learn VB 6.0 I scrambled to find a book that could teach me the fundamentals. I can honestly say that after reading this book in two weeks I learned VB 6.0. Great book for developers who are beggining or just want to refresh their knowlegh in VB 6.0, a must have.



2. I'm only on page 78, and already I can tell that I'm going to enjoy and learn from this book. Not being familiar with Mr. Halvorson's work, I was a little leary when I noticed that this book was published by Microsoft Press. Dreading page after page of nearly non-human jargon and wording, I was most pleasantly surprised when I began my journey through the easy-to-read pages. If you can follow a recipe, you can learn from this book. Heck, even if you can't follow a recipe, you can still learn, as long as you're willing to do the exercises. Being a beginner in the programming field, I can heartily recommend Microsoft's and Mr. Halvorson's version of VB 6.0 training.



3. This is a great reference book.
   I found the sections on serial communication particularly helpful.
   I'd especially recommend it to someone who is just starting out with VB6.
   It may help you to avoid some bad programming habits.
   
   Cheers.



4. Very good examples. Even comes with CD so you can run the program and look at the code real time. The solutions are everyday answers to problems.



5. It addresses learners at different levels in Visual Basic programming. Learners will find it a good resource for learning VB programming. Recommended !

5 comments about PHP 5 / MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner).

1. When it comes to programming, Mac users appear to be at a disadvantage. However, with a little research via the internet, I've been able to take advantage of the programming material that is mostly geared towards Windows. This book is no exception. The most difficult part of the process is getting PHP and MySQL set up and that has nothing to do with this book! A quick search on the internet shows that a lot of people have this problem.
   Initially, I thought there were some problems with the code, but I always discovered that is was MY code, not what was written in the book. It's very easy to forget a semi-colon or a bracket or even a period and not see it even after carefully re-checking. (It can help to print it out instead of trying to read it from the screen.) Personally, I think programming can be quite dull, especially for someone who enjoys "design." But, that's part of what makes this book good, it does incorporate design and it uses concepts that are actually fun. I'm still learning, but I'm enjoying the process and I can't wait to start using some of things I've learned on my own website.



2. The book seems to do an OK job of getting the major points across, but I would have liked to see a clearer progression of information with a separate section for a quick reference. I like the CD with the code available to use. That is a valuable asset for the book.



3. This book is physically easy for me to read. It is clearly written and helpful for me as a rank beginner in PHP programming. The reader needs some background in programming with HTML and CSS.



4. Unfortunately this book, despite its best efforts, falls flat on its face when it comes to teaching php. I am a beginner to the language and I ordered the book recently to begin teaching myself. The code in the book did not work at all, even when I uploaded the pages stored on the CD rom directly to my site they didn't work properly, which let me know that even though I'm new to the language the errors weren't my fault. The script is incomplete and poorly written, as told to me by professional web site authors I know. It lacks the most important parts of the script to make them work and if you're on your own you won't be able to figure out why it isn't working, unless you find the answer in a forum or something. I recommend this book instead, PHP 6 and MySQL 5 for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide. The code in this book actually works and any errors are insignificant plus have corrections online at the author's site. Don't make the same mistake I did in buying this book. It will just disappoint you and waste your money.



5. My son was looking for an introduction to web development, and I couldn't think of a better place than PHP with which to start.
   
   I found the author's writing style very enjoyable - and was particularly impressed by his choice of example programs. For instance, the chapter on databases introduces concepts using an adventure game!
   
   The only problem I had was the lightweight treatment of Content Management Systems (in particular the discussion of PHP-Nuke), which ended up being much too generic to be of use.
   
   However, that doesn't really detract from the quality of the rest of the book, which is highly recommended.