5 comments about Adobe GoLive CS2 Classroom in a Book.

1. The manual can be a little confusing, and it skips some details that shouldn't have been left out - but it defintiely does the job of teaching you how to use the application. I slept through my 8 AM digital class in college a little too frequently and missed the entire lecture on GoLive. I bought this textbook, followed the instructions, and after pulling a painful all-nighter, my website layout was complete and everything was working. I even got to leave class early with the professor's permission while other students were troubleshooting!



2. This is a great book for me as I am just starting out using GoLive. It makes it easy to look up a topic and get an understanding fairly quickly.



3. I read through the first chapter, glanced at the others, started on the project in chapter one, then realized something. I use golive because I find the numbered column on the left side extremely useful. I'll bet this software if used to it's full capacity would be excellent in a production environment where you have several websites to build in a very short time. I don't have that affliction.
   I also noticed, after dragging and dropping the component parts for the web page, INLINE STYLES IN THE CODE! WHAT? WHY?
   I've spent too many years trying to understand what goes on under the hood of a web site and it's pages. GoLive seems to be more of a burden than a help!
   Truly, if you know how to write good algorithms, understand css,PHP, javascript, and MySQL, and can organize your files into a folder structure that makes sense to you, why not do it that way?
   I'm just saying...
   
   PS: Adobe just announced that it will no longer support GoLive.



4. I lost my copy of Dreamweaver software and happened to have a copy of Golive, so I figured I'd try to learn how to use it. I bought this book and went to town. I had a hard time following the instructions because it shows you one little section of the screen at a time and tells you to go there. Well, of course certain menus aren't always visible all the time, so if you don't see what you're looking for right away, you don't know what to click on to make that little section appear. So even with the illustrated manual, I still felt lost quite a bit.
   
   Another drawback is that if you want to look up how to perform one little function, you can't do that.
   
   I guess this book is good for learning how to build the sample site outlined in the book, but it's not great as a reference to use while trying to build your own site.
   
   I finally gave up and bought another copy of Dreamweaver, which handles a lot better and is much more intuitive than GoLive. GoLive is lame.



5. Recieved item on time, right when we were told it would arrive. Book in very good condition.

5 comments about Creating the Art of the Game (New Riders Games).

1. This book was very helpful when it comes to alpha mapping, bump mapping, and light mapping. I found it very informative and very well written. It's a must have for your collection.



2. I've been reading a lot of books lately that talk about how to create various 3-d art. And also lots of books that talk about programming that assumes that you already have the "art assets", but there is obviously a big gap between those two things! This book fills that gap very well.
   
   This book talks about making art assets for games, period. So when he talks about making various pieces of art, he always puts it in the context of how it will be used in an actual game. Most of his points are illustrated with color photos of very popular games that the author has worked on (e.g. Metal of Honor).
   
   The book offers mostly theory, but the author isn't afraid to get his hands dirty either. Every once in a while to illustrate a point he offers very detailed, step by step instructions on how to do something (mainly using Maya, 3ds Max, or Photoshop). In this regard, users who use those tools will probably get a little bit more out of the book then those who use alternate tools, but most of the book is theory and general discussion.
   
   A lot of books I've been reading lately have been very "heavy" in terms of trying to cram so many facts into each page that I find myself counting down each page to the end of the chapter. Not this book. I find the pages turn a lot more easily and quickly in this book, and it is actually an enjoyable as well as informative read.



3. This book has really helped to guide my texturing skills in a more technical and marketable direction. Having some experience with UV layout, this book picks up with great Photoshop tips to transform boring textures into great ones. A great book for beginners and anyone wishing to look at an industry standard pipeline.



4. If you are completely new to creating game art then this book is for you. However if you have read a few of these then you prolly wont get much out of it. It is definaly more of a Game are theory book. There is some good information in here on optimising things for their best performance. The book cover all areas not just characters and props but, level design as well.
   
   Still, Very well written. I even though I have read may of these I still found many parts of it very interesting.



5. This guy knows what he's talking about! I've been in game art for a long time now, but on every page I learn something new. I'm not the reading type of guy, but I'm slurping this up. Great, great stuff! I highly recommend it!

5 comments about Google Hacks: Tips & Tools for Finding and Using the World's Information (Hacks).

1. Almost anyone who uses a computer knows that Google is a superior search engine - but do you know it also offers ways to organize and manipulate that information? The updated third edition of GOOGLE HACKS: TIPS & TOOLS FOR FINDING AND USING THE WORLD'S INFORMATION tells how, with chapters covering not just search techniques or advanced search strategies, but what to do with the information once it's found. From building a customized Google map for your web site to handling RSS feeds, news listings, blogs, and even using Gmail as an external hard drive, GOOGLE HACKS comes packed with usage tips not to be found elsewhere.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. 1. Word order matters
   2. repetition of words ignores the repeating words with no search results
   
   3. inanchor, inurl, intitle, site
   inanchor:oreilly -inurl: oreilly -site: edu
   oreilly in anchor text
   oreilly not in the url
   site is not edu (limits to a certain domain)
   
   intitle:OSTEOPOROSIS inurl:links
   OSTEOPORSIS in the title
   links in the url
   OSTEOPOROSIS in the anchor text
   
   intitle:biology inurl:help
   Takes you to a manageable size of 602 for help in biology.
   
   4. Google does not support stemming (moon, moonlight, moonshot)
   Google does support wild card pattern *
   Google does have a ten word limit
   
   three * mice
   returns
   three Blind mice
   three white mice
   
   5. daterange:startdate-enddate
   [...]
   
   6. Phonebook searchs:
   phonebook: searches the entire google phonebook
   rphonebook: searches residental listings only
   bphonebook: search business listings only
   
   phonebook:nelson id
   
   7: Finding articles
   [...] "ADO" or "ODBC"
   
   Searches the site www.listensoftware for all articles about ADO
   "ODBC"
   
   8. Searchable directorys
   
   "what's new" "what's cool" directory SAUERKRAUT
   "what's new" categories sauerkraut (recipe)
   "what's new" listings sauerkraut (links to recipes)
   
   9. GAPIS
   [...]
   
   Standalone application that takes advantage of the Google API search component.



3. While Google is used by a large percentage of the population of internet users today, Google offers a host of additional services and features that may be accessed using the tips and tools found in "Google Hacks".
   
   This is primarily a book for intermediate- to advanced-users, but it offers some easy-to-use and useful tips and tools for all users. For those interested in extended the utility of the powerful Google service, this is a good resource.



4. We got a used copy of Google Hacks, and my wife studied the searcher's tips for a couple weeks before I got to study the webmaster's guide. Like the Jack Sprats of the nursery rhyme, we licked that platter clean. It's dated now, but that only means there is more on Google than got into the book, I have not found a script or search parameter that was discontinued.
   
   This is not for light reading, it is intended for people who want to get the most out of the web, and are not content with Wizards and auto-pilot.



5. Nutshell review - If you want to know the ins and outs of using Google and all the advanced switches, tips, and tricks then this is your book. Good resource to own.

1 comments about Lua 5.1 Reference Manual.

1. This is just a printed version of the website reference manual. Do not expect to learn Lua from this book. It is good for what it is.

5 comments about Pro .NET 2.0 Windows Forms and Custom Controls in C#.

1. Since the moment when I took this book in my hands and was able to make practice with the examples on this book, I was able to feel recognized the simplicity in the complexity of the controls.
   
   The examples are clear and very well done, impeccables and flawless a good thing for the newbie and the old programmer.
   
   I am enjoying the controls that allow me to click on them and assign my own properties.



2. I've read quite a few books on Windows Forms applications which include creating custom controls. There are some that are average and there are some that are very good. Usually the average books tend to touch on the simpler aspects of windows forms and forms controls and not go into much detail, which is OK for the novice programmer dabbling in .NET for the first time. However, the more experienced programmers among us want much more. In this respect the very good books tend to be a little over the top for the average user.
   
   This book falls somewhere in the middle for novice and experienced programmers alike, whilst still being rather good. It offers a good discussion on what makes up the underlying architecture of Windows Forms applications which many books lack. The .NET IDE attempts to hide a lot of the nuts and bolts behind the outer layers and generally you shouldn't touch what's under the covers. But occasionally you need to, especially when using visual inheritance because that's when the IDE starts the go a little haywire. By understanding a little about what's happening underneath goes a long way in helping you get out of the mess when the IDE does screw up.
   
   The book covers most of the interesting forms controls .NET 2.0 has to offer and describes them in better detail than what can be found in the relatively useless MSDN on-line help. The code examples given are excellent, concentrating on real-world scenarios. A good portion of the book illustrates how to extend these controls further using custom controls and GDI+ owner drawing to modify the look and feel of these controls.
   
   The book also concentrates on developing 3-tier applications isolating the presentation layer from the business logic and data layers, which is a highly recommended practice for developing scalable applications.
   
   The book doesn't include a CD but all the code examples can be downloaded from the publisher's web site.
   
   Overall I give it 4 out of 5.



3. I checked this book out online and only read chapter 20(multithreading). In this chapter the author does an excelent job progressively building your knowledge about .net Threading. I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone wanting to learn about Threading.
   
   The only downfall about this chapter is that it does not talk about some of the more advanced Threading classes such as Monitor and ReaderWriterLock. I would love for this author to do a standalone book just about threading.



4. I needed this book for a training course on Windows development in .Net. It helped a great deal to have a good reference that was not the same as the book used in the course. Sometimes I found the examples a little hard to follow because of the distraction of the scenarios shown, but when I boiled them down to what they were meant to present, they were very helpful.



5. This book has already paid for itself in just a couple of weeks -- due to the time saved in trying to find the information I need. Every time I have a question regarding an issue in Windows Forms or with Custom & User Controls, I can find it here. Additionally, the content is written in a manner that can be understood by mere mortals, with some good tips and tricks thrown in too.
   
   Highly recommended.
   
   On the merits of this text, I've already purchased Matthew MacDonald's WPF book (the 3.0 one, since I haven't *quite* moved to VS 2008 yet...).

5 comments about Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Core Reference.

1. The discussion on how to use the new SqlCacheDependency class is wrong. The book claimed (in page 623) that "with SQL Server 2005 no setup work is needed and no external objects must be added to the Database.". In reality, you need to setup several permissions in the database side. In addition, you have to make sure that the compatibility level of your database is set to 90.
   
   The source code example in page 622 will not work. The reason is that the SqlCacheDependency object was created after the command was executed. SqlCacheDependency must be created and linked to the command object BEFORE executing the command.
   
   Further, the book made no mention of the requirements of the SQL statement of the command to be linked to the SqlCacheDependencyObject (e.g. you cannot use *, and table names must be qualified with its owner). If you do not follow these SQL rules, caching using the SqlCacheDependency will not work.
   
   I have not finished reading the book; I don't think I will have motivation to do that. I'm not very confident that what I'll be reading is accurate because of the above errors and omissions.



2. Learning to program is a hands-on activity. The best teaching texts are those that provide example programs which the student can reproduce, tinker with, and observe, to learn the concepts illustrated thereby.
   
   Unfortunately this book does not take that pedagogical approach. The textual descriptions are high-level, supplemented by abstract and simplified diagrams, as well as tables that list in exhaustive (and exhausting) detail the various classes, their methods, properties, &c. One looks in vain however for a good program to illustrate how an actual ASP.Net website might work (I gave up looking after Part I).
   
   The author advises that this book should not be the first to be read on the subject of ASP.Net 2.0. Accordingly, I read a more basic text on the subject, which, through well-constructed sample programs, gave me a firm grasp of the basics and whetted my appetite to learn more advanced techniques I could use to build practical websites. I hoped this book would supply those techniques, but I was disappointed.
   
   This book might be of use to a developer who already knows the essentials of ASP.Net 2.0, and needs a desk reference for use in day-to-day programming tasks. As a learning tool, it is about as useful as trying to learn a foreign language by reading a dictionary.



3. Even though I haven't finished this book (not enough time in the year), it's a very well written book. Not too hard to read, but complete and covers a ton of information. Highly recommended.



4. WAY TOO MUCH FLUFF. Buried in all of this filler text are obfuscated details of the language. There are no real examples that can be followed. I wish I could get a refund because I really feel like I wasted my money.



5. I am really unhappy with this book. As stated in other reviews, there are no examples anywhere, just discussion of different topics. For example, there is a chapter on the various controls that are available to add to a page, but no example. Yet, I didn't see that what he said about the control was so earth shattering, that it could not be known elsewhere.
   
   Dino does preface his book, that it is not for beginners. But then, he goes on to "introduce" VS 2005. He "introduces" many of the controls, and what they do. But then, no examples. Excuse me? In a book that **is** for beginners,a control is introduced, its behaviour is described, and then there is usually an example. You get everything Dino gives you, PLUS an example that you can see the control in action.
   
   In my opinion, he talked alot and said a little. Fluff, pure and simple.
   
   I would *not* recommend this book, for anyone.

5 comments about Algorithms.

1. I took the class with one of the authors, professor Dasupta. This book explains all the algorithms in a very clear way. Can't go wrong with it!



2. Algorithms is a complex topic in computing that needs tentative learning. The authors of this book really succeeded in making learning algorithms more enjoying, interesting, and easy yet comprehensive and advanced. This is a difficult equation, but this book really achieves it. It takes you from the early foundation with the Fibonacci algorithm till the complex graph algorithms while explaining each milestone all over the way. The was they present this subject is in a story manner or a casual discussion between two computing professionals which makes the book interactive, easy to access, and comprehensive. I recommend this book for both beginner and advanced readers in the field of computing.



3. As a CS undergrad at UC San Diego, the author used rough drafts of this book to teach the algorithms course I took as a student. Although we also used the Cormen("The Bible") Algorithms book for casual reference, this text is by far better to explain the concepts behind the algorithms. I must say that the author presents the course with this text far clearer and superior than the usual dry mathematicians and the contents of the material reflects his expertise in lecturing and writing. The lucid writing makes it a joy to actually read an algorithms book, and the exercises are definitely worth investigating. This book simply makes algorithms fun!



4. I occasionally teach algorithms at CU Boulder to our undergraduates. This book accomplishes what it set out to do: provide a comprehensible (but not comprehensive) treatment of a core piece of Computer Science at an affordable cost.
   
   That we get one of the greatest researchers in the area (Papadimitriou) alongside two other distinguished authors is just icing on the cake.
   
   The first printing had numerous errors, though the online version of the book had already corrected many of them. I haven't used the book since then, but will in the Fall, and I'd expect with the vigor already invested by the authors, the book will be in even better shape.
   
   I'm glad they wrote this thing.. it was long overdue.



5. The top choice for an algorithms text is generally considered to be Cormen, et al. However, Cormen is not unassailable, and an author that is able to provide an alternate and useful approach into the subject can find his audience. Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual comes to mind in this regard, and some even consider it superior to Cormen. Dasgupta, Papadimitriou and Vazirani "Algorithms" provide yet a third approach.
   While less comprehensive than either Cormen or Skiena, the tone is more conversational and relaxed. At only 320 pages, it cannot be expected to be comprehensive. Certain standard topics are barely covered (such as binary search trees and red black trees) if at all. Because of this, it can only be a used as an introductory text, or maybe used as a supplement to Cormen or Skiena
   
   
   And now for the bad... "Algorithms" does not have answers to any of the end of chapter problems. There really is no justification for this. Yes Cormen and Skiena also do not provide answers...but as I mentioned earlier, if they want to compete with Cormen and Skiena, they have to provide something new, and giving students the answers to some of the problems would have been the easist way to accomplish this.
   The authors exhibit enough inaccuracies when discussing non-computer science topics (ie, linear algebra, cryptography, and quantum mechanics) that at times, you have to wonder about their command of the main topic -- algorithms.
   
   So, consider, for example, when discussing the simplex algorithm on page 213, they incorrectly define what is meant by a hyperplane. The standard definition can be found in Hoffman and Kunze (i.e., in a vector space of dimension n, a subspace of dimension n-1 is a hyperspace or hyperplane). Their definition is simply wrong. Moving on to cryptography, they discuss the one time pad, the AES, and the RSA cryptosystems. They dismiss the one-time pad as a toy scheme, and suggest that at the other end of the spectrum is the AES scheme. The fact is just the opposite -- the one-time pad has been proven to be a completely secure and unbreakable cryptosystem, and the AES has not been proven so. Also, comparing the one time pad to the RSA, one should note the RSAs security relies on the non-proven difficulty of factoring large numbers...and if quantum computers ever became a reality, the fact is the RSA would be broken. The reason the one time pad is not used is not because it is a toy. It is not used because in the one-time pad, the symmetric key can only be used once, and so a new problem -- key distribution -- is introduced, which in fact makes the one time pad impractical for most applications. Moving on to algebra, on pg. 33 we see the statement "The mapping x|-> x^e mod N is a bijection on {0,1,2,...,N-1}". A mathematician would properly state this as onto, not on, {0,1,2,...,N-1}, since the map is a bijection.
   
   
   Finally, the last chapter is on quantum algorithms (big marks for bravery), which neither Cormen and Skiena do (Skiena has a new edition of his book on the way, so we will have to wait and see if his latest covers it). From a physics point of view, the chapter falls way short. They attempt to introduce qubits by discussing a single electron atom. The problem is they do not seem to realize you cannot use an atom for both a qubits and a classical bits discussion. An atom is 100% quantum mechanical. (By comparison, when Feynman discussed the double slit experiment, he used electrons to illustrate the quantum effects, and bullets for the classical case.) Therefore, the author's statement on page 298 "These are the two possible states of the electron in classical physics" is just nonsense. In classical physics, the electron does not have a first excited state, it has a continuum of possible states -granted, the states are not stable and the electron will promptly spiral into the nucleus, but that is a separate issue. The authors also give a quote by Feynman: "I think I can safely say that no one understands quantum physics". Yes, at the time Feynman said that, that was probably true. But quantum theory has not stood still, and Feynman perhaps did not know the theory of decoherence, or perhaps he considered it speculative. But, as decoherence has now been observed in the laboratory, there is in fact a school of thought, championed by Roland Omnes, which claims that quantum mechanics is now, with the addition of decoherence, finally in some sense understood. ...Also, they introduce a two particle system as a tensor product state. It is true this is the correct description, but it is not correct to do so without any motivation of why (why not a direct sum of vector spaces, for example? Why must it be a tensor product of vector spaces?) and without bothering to give a definition of a tensor product. I encourage the interested reader to consult "Quantum Mechanics - a modern development" by Ballentine and also the outstanding "The Quantum Mechanics Solver" by Basdeveant and Dalibard if they truly wish to understand the modern Quantum Theory topics which the authors have so poorly treated.
   
   Still, despite the above issues, as long as one is using this book as a supplement, and not the main text, I think it can serve as valuable resource for the algorithms student.

5 comments about MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-299): Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft® Windows Server(TM) 2003 Network (Pro-Certification).

1. This book offers good coverage in some areas and fairly weak coverage in others. I agree with some of the other reviewers that this book should have been marketed as a study guide and not a training kit. It does contain some good to know nuggets of info, however it is far from being a complete guide on security, or preperation for the exam. I bought the book based on the reviews I read on this site and will be returning it. I can only guess that the previous reviewers work for MS Press.
   
   On the 13th page of this book the author mentions how important the steps of kerberos authentication are, after giving an incorrect explanation of them and telling you to memorize them for the exam. (steps 1-3 are incorrect. check pg.245 of the Active Directory Technical Reference for an accurate description) Like most of the self-paced training kits from MS Press there is a certain lack of depth to the information in this book. There is alot of pertinent security information missing from this book both for the exam, and more importantly for securing a network in real life. The book seemed more like a conglomeration of useful facts for the exam than a "training guide".
   
   A much better book in this arena is "Microsoft Windows Server 2003 PKI and Certificate Security" by Brian Komar with the Microsoft PKI Team -MS Press
   
   I would also recommend the Windows Server 2003 Active Directory technical Reference. -MS Press
   
   The two of these books combined will give you a complete and accurate base of information to pass this exam, and several others.
   
   RT
   MCT, MCSE, MCDBA, MCSA, Master Instructor MS Office



2. This book is an excellent resource and preparation for the 70-299 exam. I've read through a lot of exam books over the years and this is the one that prepared me the best. Upon finishing this book, you feel as though you really understand the material, rather than feeling that you still have holes in your understanding, as you often do with other books. This book is comprehensive, well-laid out, and has a lot of good practice questions in the book and on CD. Microsoft Training Kit CDs are often quite meaty, and this is no exception. I highly recommend this book.



3. Any book from Tony is probably going to be good. This book is no exception. It is very well written and organized. It covers all aspects of Windows Server 2003 security. It is not quite comprehensive as you'll need the earlier 2003 Server books (or know those topics well enough) to fully cover the test. It includes good chapter summaries and practice labs. This book will also be useful to you as a reference after you have passed the exam.



4. I haven't read this yet. I'm still going through the XP book, but if this one is even close, this book is a must. An easy read and well laid out. The accompanying CDs are very beneficial also.



5. People interested in buying this book must know it is out of date. It was released in the age of Windows Server 2003, without service pack one. So it does not cover WSUS, but SUS. It also does not contain information about SP1 improvements and now SP2, however, it is a book about planning and implementing security strategies, which makes it a book above the time.
   If you have money and are interest in security, or if you are intended to pass the exam, buy this book.
   The text is clear and comprehensive. The content is pretty amazing which demonstrates de knowledgement of the author about what he writes. Such knowledgement is provenient from his experience working with Windows in exposed environments.
   This is not only a theoretical guide of security, but also a practical one. The excercises hep you to understand and record it in your mind.
   Finally, buy this book.

5 comments about Dive Into Python.

1. Although this book is only a quick approach to python it makes the reader have a good background to continue learning python on itself.



2. nice examples to dive into and get a whole view of the language in very short time. but not recommended for newcomers in programming.



3. Pros:
   1) The book does what the title promises - dives head in.
   2) It introduces relatively wide range of topics in a readable manner.
   3) Uses reasonably sized code examples
   4) The writing is pretty clear and understandable
   5) Has practical tidbits occasionally comparing similar functionality against C, C++, Java and Perl. Nice.
   6) Provides links to further reading on a topic. Also very nice.
   
   Cons:
   1) Most topic discussions are a bit shallow and incomplete. For example it would be nice to present the reader with a comprehensive list of 'stuff' that may be done with a list, string, tuple, etc.
   2) While there is a chapter on optimization, Mark doesn't mention the python profiler. I could live with that but there is no mentioning of python debugger (pdb) and there is nothing in the book about logging, either. These should not be considered 'advanced topics' and left out as they are helpful tool in learning any language (my opinion).
   3) The book examples follow the 'Look at this cool yet obfuscated stuff I can do with Python - and oh, BTW, this is what it really means' methodology. While the follow-up discussions are reasonable, I would much more appreciate an explanation or at least mentioning of a concept before I get hit by a semi-cryptic line of code. On the other hand, the code is well annotated.
   4) Mark uses repetitive examples to illustrate a point. 'This is how to do something', followed by 'This is how to do it better', followed by 'This is how to do it really well'. While illustrative of potential pitfalls, bugs or code deficiencies, this kind of writing makes it impractical to use the book as a reference. Open the book at the wrong page and follow the less than perfect example. Not a good thing. And boring - if I wanted to see it done the wrong way I'd use perl ;-).
   5) Mark's statement that C++ virtual methods: 'confuse the hell out of me' (pg. 84) is rather amusing. I'd suggest to skip the amusement as it doesn't give a casual reader a whole lot of confidence in author's understanding of method overloading. Humor me some other ways.
   However, this book is about Python, not C++, so I don't hold it against the author :)
   
   In conclusion:
   Quite reasonable book for the money, gets you a pretty good jumpstart. Coming from C/C++ background, general programming concepts are not totally lost on me and there are enough practical differences between Python and C++ that this book was worth the read.
   
   The chapters on HTML, XML and SOAP were the primary reason I bought this book. Again, while not covered in depth, I got enough from them to get started with a small practical application.
   
   If you're serious about developing any kind of meaningful code this is a reasonable start but you'll need to dig deeper.
   
   I recently opted for buying Wesley Chun's Core Python Programming as it covers more topics in greater depth (it's the details that matter a lot) in quite comprehensive manner while still very understandable by a novice programmer.
   
   O'Reilley's Python Cookbook by Alex Martelli et. al is also a very good complementary reading exposing quite imaginative ways of using even some very basic capabilities of Python.



4. This book should have been called "Wade Into the Shallow End of Python." Virtually every section is punctuated by a statement to the effect of "I don't really understand how this crazy stuff works, either, so here's some other books you can read instead of this one if you want to learn anything" and it's probably the best advice the author has to offer. Numerous features of the language are glanced over or even omitted entirely just so we can enjoy three chapters worth of pointless RSS feed parsing examples and repeated exposure to a textual rendering of the author's extensive collection of obscure techno music. Rudimentary features of regular expressions are also over-explained ad infinitum despite the fact that this book is meant to target developers with experience in other programming languages. If they really needed to pad the content that much then why not cover things like metaclasses or the new generator features or pretty much anything useful?
   
   It gets an extra star simply because it contains no painful-to-read Monty Python references which stopped being funny around 1985; something the official documentation cannot claim.



5. I have experience with Fortran, some C/C++, but mostly IDL, a commercial scripting language for scientific visualization. I'm interested in Python because its an open source scripting language.
   
   At the very least, skim the free online version before buying it. I got a copy from a friend and found it tough going. The first chapter 'dives' right into dictionaries and I didn't find it clear at all. Didn't make it past the first 2 or 3 chapters before looking for something else. The visual layout could also be better.

1 comments about Professional IIS 7.

1. I own most of the IIS 7.0 books that have come out so far and this is the one for administrators to get. It covers the upgraded FTP and a little FastCGI+PHP, but does not include the new WedDAV, is sometimes weak in security details, and chapter 18 on MOF/ITIL could have been left out entirely. That being said, the book is well-rounded, solid, nice on architecture, with lots of APPCMD and XML config examples, and overall well worth the money.