5 comments about Excel VBA Programming For Dummies^®.

1. 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.



2. 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!!



3. 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.



4. 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. The book is poorly written and poorly organized. The book covers very similar types of processes using different syntax without explaining why it used different VB code, so one wonders what why it uses one type of code here and another type of code there. Literally, the book has codes which, when I type verbatim, generates errors. Thoroughly frustrating book. Breezing and useless.

3 comments about SolidWorks 2008 Tutorial with MultiMedia CD.

1. I'm relatively new to SolidWorks. I've been using SolidWorks for approximately three months. I used AutoCAD and a little PRO/E for ten years. I worked in the Automotive industry; Educational department, and now teach technology / engineering classes for a living.
   
   From the sounds of most reviews, you either are a beginner or an expert using SolidWorks. I'm no expert with 3D CAD, but I do know text books, students, and the way they learn.
   
   I'm teaching a SolidWorks evening class at a Community College this Spring. I purchased this book to better understand SolidWorks and to learn additional features, commands, and design techniques. I was also looking for a text book which would be useful to my students.
   
   The book provides clear and concise procedures in a Project base approach with an incorporated CD to view the actual User Interfaces, and features which are used in the book. The CD also contains additional useful models.
   
   The illustrations are large, clear with bolded step by step procedures. This is essential in a classroom environment when you have 15 or more students at various skill levels.
   
   I look forward in using this book in my classroom. This is a great text book for learning SolidWorks at a beginner to intermediate level.



2. The disc is merely them running through the tutorials at a rather fast speed. I need to look again for hands-on usage, have seen none so far. The book seems detailed, may be a bit tedious, but good for reference.



3. This is the second SolidWorks book which I purchased from Amazon.com in the past month. As a new SolidWorks user, I'm looking for a book / books that provide insight and a general exposure to the User Interface and how to use, apply, edit and learn the software in context to an Engineering approach. This book does a great job in doing this.
   
   The book spends time in describing the functions, features, and tools which are available in SolidWorks whiling creating useful models. The book also provides a systematic approach in teaching the user how to use the software. Throughout the chapters, the authors reiterate what was stated in the previous chapter. This is very helpful to the new user.
   
   The book CD contains movie and model files to view and use. I highly recommend this book for any new SolidWorks user.

1 comments about MCPD Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-536, 70-526, 70-548): Microsoft® .NET Framework Windows® Developer Core Requirements (Bpg General).

1. At first, while skimming through the pages I thought this was a much lower quality product than some of the O'Reilly books I had read.
   
   But after reading and doing the exercises I realized that Microsoft is spot on.
   
   They have a good approach to teaching which is going by: "Understanding rather than Knowing" and by giving you the opportunity to manually test everything yourself to integrate the concepts. I believe this is the only right way to teaching stuff.
   
   Plus, it allows to do the certifications at a tenth of the price the courses would costs.

5 comments about Write Great Code: Volume 1: Understanding the Machine.

1. This is a great book but I have to disagree with the overall viewpoint. I've been doing embedded programming for a while and if that's all I'd ever done I would totally agree that understanding low level concepts helps write better code. However, I also write a lot of code in C#. People who normally use high level languages such as C#, VB.Net, or JAVA are probably not going to benefit much from this book. These languages are so far abstracted from the hardware level that the concepts are hard to apply anywhere. On the other hand, if you still use malloc on a daily basis, you need to read the book :) Anyway, the book is easy to read and I never caught any errors. If you want to learn about computers at a low level, then this is a great book to start with!



2. This is a great way to understand data flow at the machine level.
   
   I especially like the part on memory and IO.



3. Author has explained low-level concepts lucidly. It is easy on eyes. Basic concepts become very clear. It is one of those 'can't keep down without reading few chapters at a stretch' kind of technical book. Very few books have this edge. Just don't feel like stopping reading it.
   
   Beginners must read this book before attempting to read more in-depth low-level technical books. This book is a must for people who are exposed to high-level languages but have not studied Computer Science.



4. If you're like most IT people out in the workforce today, you've got pressures from all sides - deadlines, keeping current with changes in platforms, hardware, software tools, etc. Gah! It never ends!
   
   So, you pick up these "Write Great Code" books, thinking that you'll be a better programmer.
   
   And it's interesting in a way that you remember when you were just getting into the IT field as a student and later as an employee and maybe now as a consultant or contractor.
   
   But, then you realize that this is like thinking about how your car's components are working while you're driving madly to work on some beltway. Only your skills as a driver can keep you from getting hit by a big semi, not the working knowledge of your V8 engine. Guys who work on their cars on the weekend, know more about them than you do, but hey, it gets you to work and back.
   
   And so, you sigh and put the book down and concentrate on your SQL, or your VB or whatever else keeps you employed.
   
   Why?
   
   Because your users and your manager don't care about what goes on at the machine level. They want the deliverables NOW. The efficiency of your code is of no importance to them, though it is to you.
   
   However, with enough discipline and some thought to what you're doing, you CAN make this book work for you, and get an edge over someone else's sloppy code and maybe even save yourself some programming time.
   
   Because this book is for the guys who are the computer counterparts of the greasy-looking guys on the street who could tell you what's wrong with your car, even if you can't.



5. Well, I can't say much that the other reviewers haven't already said. This is a terrific text that very clearly explains how things work in computers, right down to the finest level. Hyde writes in a casual, conversation-like tone (sometimes bordering on poor grammar) that makes this text a lot more stomachable than I would have thought. Typos are minimal (I recall maybe 4 or 5).
   
   Now that I've been through the book (after maybe 2 weeks, at an easy pace), I can't say that I'm going to go write assembly programs. I can say that I know a great deal more about how computers work, and how I can write code that works more harmoniously with computers. My background is mechanical engineering with a ridiculous dose of electrical engineering, so a lot of the concepts presented were review for me (digital circuitry, binary math, etc)...but it is always good to hear the same material again in a different way. As I said before, the casual tone makes the material easy to follow, as well as Hyde's very clear explanations. However, as a mechanical engineer my programming background was just "writing code," i.e. how to get various programs to run correctly. I read the chapter in the text on memory twice- I found that chapter alone to make the book well worth the money to me, as I am currently writing codes that demand every inch of speed and memory that the computer can offer.
   
   So overall, its a good book, worth the money, and worth taking the time to read.

5 comments about MCTS Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration: Exam 70-640.

1. I just passed the 70-640 exam using this book. The authors went to great lengths to make sure that everything was covered. This book is the way to go if you are thinking about passing this test.
   
   I am very impressed with this book and I recommended highly!



2. Just completed my MCSE 2K3 W/2K8 Upgrade, and can honestly say that it would not have been possible without this book! Easy read with great insight!! Dave Morrisette



3. The writing and delivery styles of Will Panek will grab and hold your attention throughout this book. Windows Server 2008 introduced numerous changes over 2003 and the author does a fantastic job of using real world scenarios and examples to teach them to you. Mr. Panek inserts humor in appropriate situations to keep your attention and make a point. If you complete this book you will pass the exam. I look forward to more from this great author.



4. This book is absolutely outstanding! They way the authors break down each section and give real world scenarios make this book unique. Given the changes in Server 2008 this book is a must have if you wish to pass the 70-640. After reading this book and using the CD I have passed the test and I know it was because of this outstanding book! I highly recommend this book if your goal is to pass the 70-640 while still obtaining a firm grasp on each concept.



5. 70-640 is a breeze after using this book just finished all of my certifications and this book made the 70-640 exam easy. I would recommend this book to my co-workers, friends and strangers alike. If you are prepping for the 70-640, this is all you will need to understand the content and pass the exam. The authors of this book knew how to gear the content to make it easier for you to understand and pass the exam.

5 comments about 50 Fast Final Cut Express Techniques.

1. I just love the techniques in Tim Meehan's book. Even though I've used FCP for about a year, I learned more than a few things from these pages. (Fire-breathing dogs, anyone?) And, I've got to say that the author's creativity (some wacky techniques in here) really added to the enjoyment of learning. I just hope the publisher will create a new edition for FCP4.



2. This is a solid book, written simply but not condescendingly. Very helpful!



3. Very informative and gave many good ways to work Final Cut.



4. This book was great for showing how to do some really cool stuff with FCE. It will not teach you final cut express, but is not meant too. The book just dives in and gives you 50 tips fast like it says.
   
   If you want to add some cheap special effects and learn how to do them by example then get this book.



5. This book was an offer by Amazon for an additional $25.00, to accompany the new Final Cut Express 4. The book is outdated by 5 years and the CD that goes with the book is so outdated that Final Cut will not open the files. Very disappointing and a waste of $25.00.

5 comments about Oracle PL/SQL Best Practices.

1. I found this book to be an excellent (re-)introduction to good programming practices in PL/SQL. After reading the first few pages a little defensively ("I don't make those sorts of mistakes do I?") I soon realised that there was much to learn in this book as well as much that I had forgotten.

   This book has lead to an instant improvement in the quality of my PL/SQL code. I particularly like the Quick Reference card in the back of the book.




2. 1. I do not follow every practice in this book.
   2. Only some of those I don't follow do I think I should follow.
   3. All of the practices strike me as at least arguable.

   It does what it sets out to do. I believe that it will help the reader use PL/SQL more effectively. In the next edition, I'd like to see a section on unit testing, using the utPLSQL system that Feuerstein is managing the development of.




3. Simply put, this book should be required reading for anyone who considers themselves a professional PL/SQL developer. It is full of pearls and gems, and succinctly presents many, many programming proverbs that must be followed if developing in 0racle



4. This is not a text for learning PL/SQL programming. Feuerstein's PL/SQL Programming text is much more suited for that. What you have in this book is information that the author has distilled from his other works. In a way it could be considered a summary as the title might suggest. This book is a must have for the leader of an organization that is beginning to use PL/SQL. You will find what you need for your programming standards here.

   In addition to good standards suggestions, the author also gives a lot of resources that are available to PL/SQL developers. One of the prime examples is utPLSQL, a unit testing tool for stored procedures and functions. The author gives numerous other web sites and tool suggestions throughout the book.

   Anyone looking to increase their PL/SQL productivity should pick up this book.




5. Steven Feuerstein's ORACLE PL/SQL BEST PRACTICES, 2ND EDITION provides the author's years of programming, teaching and writing experiences in a set of 'best practices' for developing applications. The latest release of Oracle is covered in chapters which cover nine categories in chapters which are quick and easy to consult, arranged in a problem/solution format to reflect real-world programming examples and challenges.

5 comments about Business Objects XI - CBT: Designer XI (2nd Edition).

1. While there are pieces of this book that are very useful for Universe newbies, like myself, there are far too many things that have been left out. It's obvious that this book is based on Mr Schmidt's training class since things that you would see in person (like intermediate steps taken to get from A to D) are not in the book itself. You have to rely too heavily on the video segments that are on the CD to fill in the gaps - video should augment the text, not replace it.



2. We found this book as an excellent tool for selftraining and teaching others, too. The advantage is the amount of useful examples.



3. This is the third book I have bought by Robert Schmidt. I learned to design reports from his book "Creating documents with Business Objects". It is an excellent resource book. I learned to design advance level reports using his book and I always keep it as a reference. In Business Objects, the Help menu does not offer much help when you look for answers. His book is a better resource then the BO Documentation. He has explained everything in a very clear and concise manner.
   In his book and CBT on "Business Objects XI: Creating Universes with Designer XI", again he has done a marvelous job in explaining basic but important aspects of creating universes. I would highly recommend both the book (for reference) and CBT( to learn faster and have a better understanding of concepts). He has given good examples on report context and universe context. The presentations are very clear. The real world examples make is so much easier to understand the concepts.
   I am very much impressed by the author . Whenever I had a problem, he immediately answered my questions with the explanations. He will go an extra mile and will even call you to help you out. So, rest assure your investment will not be wasted.



4. This edition is an updated version of the previous edition. It has been rewritten and updated to clarify some of the topics. We have also removed the videos from the presentation and replaced them with a fully developed CBT. The CBT has more videos, better examples and quality audio. The presentation is still included for those that want to use the text to train Business Objects Designer. When you order this title you get a full, improved version of the text, the presentation, and a great CBT.



5. We've have been buying the Creating Documents with Business Objects books for years. Whenever we hire a new employee, we order the Web Intelligence book, and if they are to make universes, they also get the Designer book. This combination has worked very well for our employees. Recently, we ordered the CBT versions of these books and were surprised to see that we still got the same book. We quickly put the CD in to check the CBT and were happy to see that the CBT is actually quite good. We were also surprised that we got both at the same price as the previous versions of the books. The Designer book comes with a presentation that allows us to teach a class on Universes. The Web Intelligence book did not come with the presentation. We contacted Schmidt Ink, and were informed the non-CBT version of the book has the presentation. The person we spoke with also said that the presentation will be on the next print of the CBT. By the way, Schmidt Ink sent us a free copy of the previous edition, since we bought so many CBT's. We are very happy that these CBT's are available. They are high quality, easy to use, and inexpensive. One other note, so far the author has been very helpful. We have contacted him several times and he has discussed several matters with us, which is one of the reasons for this review. I just want to thank the author for great books and for helping us so many times.
   
   Business Objects XI - CBT: Web Intelligence XI

5 comments about Learning GNU Emacs, Third Edition.

1. Most of the Unix/Linux senior level Wizzards that I know use Emacs and swear by it. There are others (vi users especially) who swear at it, but that's another story. Emacs is a huge package and is growing bigger. Although you can consider it a text editor, it's a big, massive package that does a lot more than just edit text.
   
   At the start of the book the authors comment "Many people think that Emacs is an extremely difficult editor to learn. We don't see why." I think the WHY is that most people start with a simpler more fundamental text editor like vi. Then when they think of moving to Emacs their fingers have to un-learn the vi commands to replace them with the Emacs commands. The authors say they don't recommend the vi emulation mode built into Emacs, but fingers sometimes take a long time to un-learn.
   
   If you've just decided to move to Linux, you might want to start with Emacs and never go the vi route. There is no question that Emacs has more power. Comparing to the Microsoft world, I think of vi like NotePad, while Emacs is like Word.
   
   There's an interesting table near the front of the book that asks you what you want to do with Emacs. If you want to write HTML, read Preface and Chapters 1-3 & 8. Then after you are getting some work out of the package, you can go to other chapters as you need them - Chapter 12, for instance to use Emacs to compare files.
   
   About half the book is on 'simple' text editing, where their 'simple' maybe isn't as 'simple' as the rest of us consider 'simple.' I do a lot of SQL, Chapter 9 talks about the editing support for SQL, and for other programming environments like Perl, Lisp, JDEE, etc.
   
   This book is from O'Reilly. O'Reilly does professional quality books for professional programmers. If it's time to learn Emacs, you can't do better than this.



2. If a person is thinking of learning GNU Emacs, or if they have been using it and are looking to sharpen their skills and broaden their Emacs savvy, it is a fairly safe assumption that the individual is motivated. This person probably knows their way around a command prompt, and it is likely that they are aware that Lisp is more than just a speech impediment. This person needs a book that offers expert advice without wasting time or insulting the intellect of the reader. Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition is that book.
   
   As a programmer, when firing up a monolithic word processor or graphical IDE to edit a simple script or properties file, one cannot help but wonder if these tools aren't overkill much of the time. For a growing number of users, the answer is yes. The tried-and-true text editor is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. One of the most extensible and customizable applications in the text editing category is the venerable GNU Emacs.
   
   The tutorials and documentation for Emacs are abundant, but they often prove time-consuming and ineffective for actually learning Emacs. This book is a refreshing break from the documentation many have come to expect. Imagine you had a consortium of leading experts on Emacs at your disposal to teach you how to use it in a conversational, consultative style. That is what has been bundled into this latest edition of the book.
   
   The extensibility of Emacs has been both a key strength and a criticism of the application. Its user and developer community have created all sorts of additional capabilities for Emacs, ranging from the impressive to the absurd. The authors have done well to judiciously select what to cover in this edition. For example, while Emacs does have the capability to function as an email client, other applications have long superceded its ability. The authors have chosen not to cover this topic, and instead devote the available space to learning Emacs' core functionality - powerful, efficient text editing. Other peripheral areas of Emacs have been left for the user to research after gaining their solid foundation on Emacs as editor and work environment, such as compatibility modes for programming languages other than Java and Perl.
   
   This edition of the book uses the space gained by the removal of esoteric topics to flesh out areas of more common interest. Integration with the major version control systems has been expanded to include Subversion alongside of the age-old standards CVS, RCS, and SCCS. Coverage of support for Java and Perl has also improved, as well as sections for editing HTML and XML. Users wanting to tap into the power of Lisp programming for Emacs should find the coverage satisfying as well.
   
   Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this book is the chapter devoted to the use of Emacs on different platforms. Unix, Windows and Mac OS X users receive equal acknowledgement. The precautions and insights regarding Emacs nuances when used on particular platforms can reduce users' frustration when getting started with Emacs.
   
   Even current Emacs users can benefit from this work. The mnemonic devices and conventions used in the book allow users to commit useful keyboard commands to memory. The memorization is further solidified by the exercises sprinkled appropriately through each chapter. Readers do not go for very many pages before it is time to be at the keyboard again, harnessing the power of muscle memory to reinforce the material presented.



3. LEARNING GNU EMACS is an introduction to the most powerful text editor ever made, a fully-programmable environment that through contributions from thousands has become something of an operating system in itself. This third edition covers all the new enhancements made in version 21.3.
   
   The book begins with an introduction to Emacs as it : a text editor. It gives basic commands for moving around, describes the look of the user interface, teaches how to search and replace, and how to make simple (and not-so-simple) macros. But Emacs isn't just a simple text editor, it also has extensions to do everything from drawing simple pictures to managing your schedule. In the next portion the book describes among other things Dired, the Emacs file manager, the calendar and diary functions, and how to execute commands from within Emacs.
   
   Since Emacs functions as an integrated-development environment for many programming languages, a fairly large portion of the book focus on how Emacs can help the software developer. Concerning markup languages, this new edition covers the excellent nxml mode for XML documents, and in terms of computer languages it describes modes for C, C++, Java, Perl, SQL, and Lisp. Unfortunately, the Python mode is not discussed. An entire chapter is devoted to Emacs' interface to version control systems like CVS.
   
   The book doesn't aim itself at only a beginner's market. It teaches one already proficient in editing to customize Emacs. At the simplest, this means tinkering with one's "~/.emacs" file, but it also includes using the power of Lisp to change all aspects of Emacs.
   
   This book could only be perfect if it were twice as large as it is now, since Emacs has so much in it. I think it a pity that the book doesn't cover Gnus, a mail and news reader that takes advantage of Emacs' scriptable nature to offer immense configurability and power. In fact, it doesn't cover the popular Mew mail reader or Emacs' limited built-in mail reader at all. Also, the bit on search and replace doesn't give any small intro to regular expressions.
   
   Emacs is not for everyone, and even with a fine book like this some people are not going to like it. But if you are comfortable doing basic editing with Emacs, and want to maximize your efficiency, then LEARNING GNU EMACS can help.



4. It seemed odd to me during my Sophomore year at Penn State that the Computer Science Department wanted me to learn a text editor to do computer programming on UNIX computers. In the business classes students were taught to use an IDE on Windows computers. I remember asking myself why would I be one of the few to learn how to use a text editor to do computer programming when the masses where learning to use a GUI approach. I made up my mind that the computer scientists probably knew more about programming than the business professors, and taking the road less traveled has made all the difference.
   
   While I am no where near a Emacs expert this book has made me into more than just a casual user. Learning how to do the keyboard macros has saved me countless hours of work over the years. Sometimes if I plan on doing a lot of typing for a business document I'll use emacs to get started so I don't have to lift my fingers off the keys, then paste the text into word for formatting.
   
   Using this book to expand my previous knowledge of Emacs has had exponential return on investment. I highly recommend it, to anyone that is trying to learn or wants to improve their emacs skill level.



5. Emacs comes with great documentation, and there is a ton of it on the web. Nevertheless a structured book that is well-designed with great illustrations and examples is priceless. Despite my level of skill with Emacs (I "live in Emacs," using it for all my basic computing tasks), I consult this book regularly. It's a regular part of my Emacs library!
   
   This book covers more than just using the editor: building Emacs from source, the help system, and Emacs Lisp are covered as well. This book is always telling me about things that I didn't know Emacs could do.
   
   Although I have read a few chapters from front-to-back, I mainly use this book as a reference.

5 comments about MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-529): Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Distributed Application Development (Pro-Certification).

1. especially the chapter about Web Services Enhancements is so poorly written. Many mistakes, wrong pictures and unexplained examples. Very disappointed.



2. Ok, it covers most of the topics.
   But yikes, it repeats itself all the time instead of at least try to get a little depth. I wouldn't recommend it. Only if you are a real beginner.



3. This book really is very bad. Lots of the code samples
   will not compile in C#.
   
   I originally gave this review two stars. But after reading
   all of it, I gave it one. The worse author is Shannon Horn,
   who asks easy questions and is very verbose. He repeats the
   same questions asked in previous questions.
   
   Also, the C# samples have lots of bugs, syntax errors, and a
   lot will not compile. Not to mention that lots of
   the explanations do not cover how to use the tools.
   
   Sara Morgan dropped the ball on this one. Hopefully Microsoft
   will hire the same authors from 70-526, and 70-528 for
   the next Web Service exam.



4. I was cruising reasonably ok on the first few chapters and quite forgiving for the few typo and bugs on the sample codes. But somehow as I went deeper towards the later chapters on WSE 3.0 the errors become more pervasive that I lost my appetite. Now, I am not sure whether I should rely on the practice test to past the exam.



5. Buy it used for no more than $10 (or don't buy at all), and only if you are preparing for exam. The book is terribly written, hard to read, labs hardly cover the material in chapters. It is VERY unprofessional.