3 comments about Foundations of SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence.

1. This book is indispensable. It will help expand my limited knowledge in the business intelligence space from FICO scoring and SAS programs to a wider universe.



2. I am new to BI. I needed a book to explain BI and the toolset in the SQL Server 2005. As I have been developing applciations for the last 8 years using Microsoft only technologies therefore I wanted to use SQL Server 2005 for BI path. I found this book very valuable for a new commer to BI like me.
   
   I have gone through only some of the chapters but it has started to make sense. The explanation is very clear and it shows that the writer knows the subject very well. Good arrangement of chapters. Not a boring book. I think after reading this book and going through all the excercises one would have a very good understanding of the subject and how to use to SQL server 2005 BI toolset.
   
   I would say this book puts you above the intermediate level from where you can understand the more complex books. Essential for someone wanting to choose BI as career path. Top work Lynn.



3. Lynn definitely knows the material. I have had the occasion to sit in on a couple of live presentations from her on this subject and she truly knows the topic from a real-world perspective. Although BI is a deep and complex subject, Lynn gets right to business to help you start building your reports and dataviews in a practical and productive manner.
   
   This is a great starting point for people wishing to get up to speed on BI using the Microsoft tools as well as a good review for those already comfortable in these waters.

5 comments about ARM System Developer's Guide: Designing and Optimizing System Software (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design).

1. In the ARM tradition of charging for everything, the firmware guide by Sloss is easy to read, and comprehensive up to ARM10/StrongARM XScale/926/940. That said, the book looks like the notes from a firmware lecture delivered by an Arm Apps engineer. The book is strongest in coverage of MMU and cache, but weak on ARM11 (1136 only and as a final chapter) and essentially non-existent in Jazelle coverage. Nice features are the toy RTOS which appears early at reappears with more features (memory protection, and MMU, for example). That this book is so quickly out of date brings the point that MDR bulleted last year, that the ARM family needs birth control but that is a topic for another discussion. Sloss' book has 'non-commercial license' for all the sourcecode. huh? Regarding this book, Freescale for example publishes equivalent information (old ESS manuals) in the 860/8260 training manuals for free, on their website. If your company pays for your books, by all means have them get the sloss book for you it makes a great read on the john, but if you are a student or independent developer, you would be as well served by studying the ARM ARM and applicable ARM source code for U-Boot, Redboot and the L4 microkernel, or even Ed Sutter's book, with the added benefit that you would have a license to use the code in your project.



2. This book covers many aspects of programming the ARM familiy, including a surprisingly thorough discussion on fixed-point DSP computation.
   
   Having come from another architecture, this book really got me going on ARM. It complements the documentation manufacturers usually provide for their ARM chips in that it covers the ARM core much more in-depth.
   
   The book discusses everything from register usage to memory management units. If you want to become an expert programmer in C/Assembly on ARM systems, you must buy this book.
   
   Also included is a nice comparison of the ARM and Gnu assembler directives, which came in handy when I converted an ARM assembly file to the Gnu syntax.



3. Product came in faster than expected and it was in new, excellent condition.



4. You know C, you know pointers, you know how to program. But what you need is something to teach you more about creating firmware applications. How to actually make something work! What actually goes on inside this black-box that we call the ARM core? How do you make it do some simple DSP?
   
   There should be a course in every college that basically teaches the information contained in this book!



5. This is the best book I've seen for the ARM series of processors. I have developed with many processors, on and off the Job and am now planning to develop for the ARM7 and ARM9 processors; particularly the AT91 and the AT91SAM7 series of processors by ATMEL. Base on the processors' hardware specs they are perfect for the small time developer. But, when looking the ARM's instruction set, it appears that programming them requires a steep learning curve.
   
   This book will easily reduce my learning curve, at the very least, by more than half. It is clear, comprehensive, and to the point.
   
   In a world that has strict requiresments on performance, power, as well as development time, a developer has to ARM himself. This book will show you how to do just that.

5 comments about Pro C# with .NET 3.0, Special Edition (Pro).

1. Many of us IT professionals by these thick books for use as reference, without intending to work our way from cover to cover. As I read this book, it became clear I needed to read the entire volume. It is well-written, and stays on track and focused. I have learned many useful things that I will be able to use in my daily tasks.



2. I have 4 books about .Net framework 2.0 and I even have a book about Windows Workflow Foundation, so I bought this book "judged by the cover" and title "Pro C# with .NET 3.0"
   The truth is that only 17 percent of the book (194 pages of 1151) is concerning 3.0.
   That's not good enough.
   The reason for the 3 stars, is that the book is a very well written 2.0 book, but buy it only for that, and wait for the framework 3.5 books, with an greater insight the new technologies, to come.



3. Clear and well presented book. Easy to read and seemingly covers most aspects. Experienced programmer but starting first C#.NET project and certainly best book I have purchased on this subject



4. Andrew Troelsen is an excellent author and knows how to explain things. The book covers in a detailed way the phylosophy of .net and the C# programming language. This is it's strength.
   On the other hand, I do think that the later chapters are misguided. We have a chapter about .net remoting, another one on Windows forms, and then a short introduction to the .NET 3.0 stuff like WPF, WF and WCF. Well, I bought the book for the 3.0 material. Why didn't they call the book:
   
   "Pro C# 3.0 with short intro to .NET 3.0"?
   
   Best regards,



5. This book allowed to literally give away 3 rows of programming books. Apress always does a good job on their publications. This book is really all an experienced C# programmer needs in his library (aside from a good ASP.net) book for web design techniques

5 comments about Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice in C (2nd Edition) (Systems Programming Series).

1. It's an all-time classic in computer graphics world. I bought this in 1997 and i could learn a lot from it. Though it hasn't been updated, one can gain all the fundamentals about CG.



2. This book is a great book for general knowledge but all of the chapters that deal with talking about hardware is badly outdated. I got this book mostly for algorithms. I got much more then what I expected but most of everything I needed was there. Its a very good book for learning about line drawing, and polygon rasteration algorithms. Don't expect anything up to date like shaders though.



3. Except for the chapters on raster algorithms, this book is just an extended bibliography. It has no material on texturing, for example, just a reference to the original paper on it. The math isn't that mature either, and the chapter on Perspective Projections is a pedagogical atrocity. Instead of buying this book, just go to your local univ. library and xerox the bibliography; then, lookup the articles on topics you're interested in.



4. If you're a beginner looking for a book which has example code you can test out and try, either forget it or be prepared for some headache.
   
   I can speak on my experience, I have a GNU/Linux system, the SRGP library which is used by this book only supports a display depth of 8bpp, which means you'll most likely need to reconfigure your X server to some extent - the examples/library will crash at higher display depths.
   
   But there is no doubt that the techniques and principles explained throughout can be applied using other toolkits, as the book explicitly says that the facilities contained in the example libraries are common to many other graphics libraries.
   
   A quick note on the quality of the library code, it appears to be pre-ANSI C and contains a few modern no-nos, which can lead to crashes.
   
   If you're looking for a book to merely use as a reference or for theory then this is what this book is, and as one other reviewer said, you could probably just borrow a copy of the book and xerox the bibliography to refer to the papers it sources information from.



5. This is a bible for computer graphics. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn computer graphics knowledge base.

5 comments about Microsoft SharePoint: Building Office 2007 Solutions in C# 2005 (Expert's Voice in Sharepoint).

1. I was assigned on a project where I should be using MOSS 2007. I had not used MOSS before and I needed a book that will give me a jump start. This book does that. For a beginner it is a very good book. However the instance you need more detailed information this book is not that useful.



2. I remember when I was learning MTS I bought Scot's book, MTS Programming With Visual Basic, and was truly amazed at what an easy read it was on such a technical subject. The reason is very clear. Scot knows what he is wrting about not only from a technical perspective, but also from a business perspective. His insights are priceless.
   
   I thoroughly enjoyed his MOSS 2007 book and recommend it highly. Personally, I am very thankful that people like Scot take the time to write valuable books like this one. He makes up for other authors, who write huge books, that are painful to read and contribute nothing. One such author, and apparently his editors, does not even know that he is the "principal" not "principle" author of his book.



3. This is a very good book from C# developers point of view. It covers most of the features that you want to customize in SharePoint. I like the presentation of ideas first and then exercises. It gives you a starting point on how to do it and it's up to you to go to a more complex level but at least it already gives you an idea what to look for.
   I highly recommend it and it is easy to carry as it has only around 500 pages.
   After this I will read the SharePoint Administrators Companion book by Bill English from Mindsharp.



4. Wow! I like the way Scot Hillier wrote this book. For experienced .net developers new to sharepoint, this book must be on your book shelf.
   
   Scot Hillier walks you through fundamental aspects of Sharepoint, and shares his insightful thoughts along the path. At first, I do not understand why he solves problems using a variety of Microsoft technologies such as Visual Studio, InfoPath, Sharepoint Designer. To me, isn't that Visual Studio enough? Later, I realize that his way is the best since he picks the right tool for the right moment.
   
   However, I do not see an enterprise sample in his book. I do expect that. Second, web part security is a tough topic. I expect more explanation. In the exercise, a medium trust level is used. According to the context of that chapter, a minimal trust level should be used.



5. As the author states in the book, this is basically a written version of what he would say in a class. And as with 95% of the training classes out there, it isn't worth anything. He doesn't cover things to make you understand how SharePoint works. He does even write much about C# SharePoint development. Most of what he writes steps you through setting up SharePoint servers/services, and many of the steps don't work. This is the first SharePoint book I have purchased, and I am looking for one that is accurate and useful... ...again... ...still.

1 comments about Simple Architectures for Complex Enterprises (PRO-best Practices) (Best Practices (Microsoft)).

1. I have managed to talk to quite a few good software/enterprise architects over the years. When I do, the issues that we often talk about most are simplicity of design and how to manage complexity. In general, understanding that the management of complexity is the fundamental task of architecture is what defines a good architect. This book indicates that Roger really gets this issue. He also seems to get the business alignment issues that are sometimes lacking from architecture texts.
   
   From Roger's advice on partitioning a solution to his advice on implementing a system using an incremental approach everything here is sound and well articulated. This book is a short read but almost definitely worth your time if you are building anything in software from an enterprise down. Much of the principles he professes are the same principles that are important in regular software architecture. Components and object oriented design are merely methods of figuring out internal equivalence classes and appropriately partitioning solutions. Iterative development and some of the new agile principles are based on the same idea he advocates for the enterprise, incremental delivery.
   
   If for nothing else, this book is useful because Sessions is very successful in mathematically proving that many of his ideas should work. Most texts advocating incremental methodologies or problem decomposition can sound evangelical. This book does not.
   
   Overall, SIP sounds like it is a very good foundation for a company's enterprise architecture.
   
   That said, I am sure my advice would mean more if I did enterprise architecture. I hope that it is merely enough to say this.. I am in software development. I have helped provide or provided the technical architecure on quite a few projects. I feel that in general Roger has the core concerns nailed with his book.

5 comments about The Art of Halo.

1. The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World; text by Eric S. Trautmann, is a compilation of ideas, art and final products that came out of creators of the best game ever, Halo CE / Halo 2. I, definitely, enjoyed reading it. There is a large number of pictures, drawings and "in game" screen captures. The art, as would true Halo fan know, is outstanding. There were new and interesting facts about making of Halo in this book that made the experience of the game ever more fulfilling. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys video games and graphic arts. There is a lot to cherish in this book. Any true Halo fan must have it. For me, this is a book that lives on a coffee table, always there and never loosing the appeal! Something to go back to time after time! Great value for money!!!



2. This has great artwork from the Halo Game Series. Very crisp and detailed - all on glossy print paper.



3. This book was ok. I used it as a reference for building a replica armor set. Its got nice details and some good concept art. It only contains however images from halo 1 and halo 2. There are no halo 3 pictures, screen shots or artwork.



4. I was expecting this book to primarily be for displaying conceptual drawings and paintings created during the designing process of the games. There is some of that, but the book is mostly filled with images of the 'in game' 3d models used for the characters and still shots of the 3d environments. The actual conceptual drawings take a back seat. The paintings that are there are great, but why aren't there more?! Overall, I think a 3d modeler would enjoy this book more than a 2d artist.



5. This book clearly shows just how much time, energy, passion & love went into creating the entire world of Halo. The creation of the art work is simply stunning, if you enjoy glorious colour & unbelievable creative spirits, you owe it to yourself to get a copy of this book. Then as a added treat, check out on-line some of the HD trailers which are available, if your able, try to get copies on DVD & watch them on a large screen TV in full HD mode ... check your heart rate before & after ... if you don't have goose bumps & want to run out & buy a Xbox 360 & Halo 2 or 3 ... you may want to check your pulse. 5 stars out of 5 stars ... easy.

5 comments about XQuery.

1. XML programmers and database users will find Priscilla Walmsley's XQUERY a specific, valuable reference which is based on the Xquery 1.0 standards and which offers a basic tutorial on specifications and programming with the query language base. Query writers should have some knowledge of XML basics to use this, and can quickly progress into the 'advanced' category using an overview and tour of Xquery which includes guidelines for working with different types of data and an A-Z reference to the program's functions.



2. This is a nice, comprehensive book written by someone highly qualified to talk about XQuery. The author, Priscilla Walmsley, was a member of the W3C XML Schema Working Group.
   
   Now that XML is being added to database management systems, DBAs and database developers will need to know how to query that data. And they'll more than likely be using XQuery to do it. As such, this book would be a good way for database professionals to gain expertise on XQuery.
   
   Walmsley's book offers a concise, yet in-depth tutorial on the XQuery language specification. After digesting these 25 chapters you'll have the knowledge required to program using XQuery to read your XML data. Whether you're coming from a relational and SQL background or you're an XML and XSLT coder, this well-written text will help you understand and write queries using XQuery.



3. I needed to come up to speed with an XML database server (Mark Logic) and I found this book very useful for learning how to use XQuery. It was concise and provided many good examples. The presentation of chapters was somewhat episodic--you had to read the later chapters to find out how some of the topics turned out. This was probably due to the newness and complexity of the topic. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a chapter reorg for the 2nd edition.
   
   In my case, the book covers only XQuery and does not cover the XQuery extensions and specifics of the XML database system I was using. Walmsley's book makes a great companion to the vendor documentation.



4. XQuery has its logical side, but it's pretty easy to forget all the syntax rules and nuances associated with it. Without this book, I'd easily be cursing XQuery and everything associated with it.
   
   It was a great read to get started, but it's become an indispensable reference for day-to-day work and play. With the 30 or so sticky-notes poking out the top, I find myself constantly in this book looking for not just answers, but ways to better use XQuery efficiently in a maintenance-friendly manner.



5. The problem of this book is it doesn't give detailed information on how to implement X-Query on your computer. When you have Windows Vista, eXist doesn't work. Neither does WAMP. And unless you have heavy duty experience with SQL Server, this book is useless. The author of this book needs to include many more simple examples so that people like me can use the language. I might figure out how to use this someday, but it will be a long time before I do. That is so disappointing.

5 comments about Excel 2000 for Windows for Dummies.

1. This book not only took the mystery out of spreadsheets, but made me a spreadsheet junkie. I keep it by my desk for reference. A definite for people who want a quick start into the world of spreadsheets.



2. I used this book in lieu of sending a large group of our people to training classes. After doing so, the "help" requests for Excel went to absolute zero. Heck, I'm VP of IT and been working in spreadsheets since VisiCalc, and I picked up a couple of things.



3. This is a good book for a non stressfull introduction, but there are few good hands on examples. I've found that by doing complex detailed step by step examples you can learn more faster. The learnkey.com website has a good excel class



4. I foudn the book compleely useless and a waste of money. It explains nothing. After studying this book for two hours I was unable to do anything whatsoever in Excel. Look elsewhere.



5. This book is fine if all you want to do is basic spreadsheets. If cutting, pasting, basic formatting, or creating VERY simple formulas is all you need to do then this book is fine. However, if you are trying to do anything more complicated forget using this book. For instance, the section on creating Macros wasn't very detailed. In addition, the book is completely missing any explanation of how to use the more complicated formula functions (there is no mention of how to do any of the statistical functions). Probably 80% of what an average user needs is in this book. But for anything beyond the basics, forget it; you'll need another reference.

5 comments about Programming Microsoft Visual C# 2005: The Base Class Library (Pro-Developer).

1. Having sweated through thousands of pages of other C# books, I found Francesco Balena's eloquence as refreshing as a perfectly chilled Corona. It immediately tightened my loose grip on particulars such as string formatting, delegates, generics, regular expressions and interoperability. And it is the best discussion of the base classe I've ever seen. Be aware that this book does NOT intend to teach programming. However, if you're someone who can code in some OOP language, knows C# syntax, and seeks professional proficiency in this language, then in my opinion, there is no better book you could own.



2. If you have C# skills of no less then an advanced beginner, and want to find yourself securely in the intermediate range, then you have found the right book. Read it once and you will find your skill set drastically improved. Read it twice and study it thoroughly, and you will find yourself getting turned to for help from your more senior developers. Quite the ego booster.
   
   It's well written, has appropriate examples for the target audience, and doesn't get bogged down in beginning C# material. It has plenty of advanced material, if that is what you are looking for.



3. I sought and purchased this book for the purpose of moving to C# 2005 from 2003. I have an extensive library of language and class references, guides and detailed texts for .NET 1.1. Much of that information will, of course, serve me well with the newer language, so what I sought was a good, basic introduction to C# 2005 that covered the important differences in the base classes. This book seems to have been written exactly for me!
   
   Balena has an easy style of writing, also, that just seems to allow the information to jump right into your brain. There are other authors whose technical expertise is obvious to me, and whose books I regularly look to buy, but whose writing have quirks that can distract me at times. Balena is not such an author. Clearly, he knows how to make proper use of the IBrain.InputInformation(T info) method, rather than using the older, weakly-typed IBrain.InputInformation(object info) method. OK. Bad joke. But I hope you got my point!



4. Francesco Bakena is a well-known author, the book is good.
   The themes and the examples are clean. The same line as Visual Basic. I recommend.
   Manoel de Assis - Brazil - [...]
   
   Programming Microsoft Visual C# 2005: The Base Class Library (Pro-Developer)



5. I have read a few programming books and I can honestly say that no single one has had more positive impact on my level of programming skill and knowledge than this one. Let me preface this by saying that this is not a beginner book. That is, if you have never programmed with C# before, this is not the book for you. However if you have just finished a "beginner" book and are looking for the next step, then I highly recommend this book for you. Whether you are planning on getting into ASP.Net development, WinForms, SOA, or even XNA, this book will provide you with a firm grasp of the language fundamentals that will make jumping into any or all of the above much easier. The book is broken down into several chapters, each one covering different key topics of the C# language such as basic data types (what is boxing? How does the compiler handle value types vs reference types and why should you care?), Generics, Serialization, Reflection, and COM Interop, just to name a few. Mr Balena also maintains an online blog at the Code Architects site and has even been kind enough to personally answer a few of my questions that I had about the topics covered in the book. I can't recommend this book more, it really did make the difference for me between being a C# enthusiast and a professional C# developer.