No comments about CMMI(R) SCAMPI Distilled: Appraisals for Process Improvement (The SEI Series in Software Engineering).

No comments about Desktop GIS: Mapping the Planet with Open Source Tools.

5 comments about Safeware: System Safety and Computers.

1. This is an OK book that should have been an excellent book. Frankly, it was a big disappointment. The author is the grand poo-bah of software safety, and so I expected the book to be deep and profound. Instead it is rather shallow with lots of generalities. A lot of what is said is the type of common sense discussion that I would expect from a social scientist, rather than a scientist. I was particularly surprised to see but one page on independent verification and validation. This is a very important topic for ensuring software safety, yet one evidently not on Professor Leveson's radar screen.



2. The key to understanding safety lies in the understanding that no one component failure or no human error ever occurs in isolation - an accident is a result of some systemic problem, and this is the fundamental theme of this book. No single book could ever address in detail all of the finer points of system safety analysis (indeed this would take a series of books) but Leveson is able to capture the core issues in an engaging manner. This book is a must read for any student of software and system safety, and will continue to be relevant in an age where automated technology is ubiquitous.



3. This book is among seminal works on system safety and safety engineering and should be read by anyone who is entering the field. One may not necessarily agree with Prof. Leveson's views (e.g. her often unfair and unjustified dismissal of european approaches to safety engineering) but her views in the field are simply too important and influential to be ignored!
   The book is a good "bed time reading" that gives an overview of the field, major problems and introduction to some major approaches. It is however not a handbook per se - you will not understand any particular method sufficiently to apply it.
   Overall, very good introductory text with a good coverage and a very easy and clear language!



4. Interested in the development of high integrity software? Looking for a system safety engineering text? This is not the one for you.
   
   This book won't describe when to use a sequence number or what size CRC is appropriate for your safety-related communication, or what level of code coverage is appropriate or what level of requirement coverage is appropriate for your identified hazard etc. It won't describe the actual versus perceived issues with OOA/OOD, what aspects of a hard real-time design require attention or how to meet the expectations of an independent assessor or certification agency.
   
   The principles of software design assurance/software integrity can be garnered from the standards such as DO-178B, and DO-248-style discussion papers or from CENELEC 50128 and good old MIL-STD-882B to name but a few. Alternatively a free start can be achieved by downloading the Joint Software system Safety Handbook from the US DoD.
   
   Save your money for the works of Moriarty (executive-level), Ericson (introduction/supervised practitioner), or Dunn (software controlled system safety intro) if you must buy something.
   
   But if you're looking for some stories to put into your slick safety presentation or seminar then it might be just the right book.



5. This book is a starting point of what is important to make a system safety.
   This provide over all view of system safety not software safety.
   The case studies in appendix are very important for safety engineers.
   Appendix A is the therac-25 story on Medical devices.
   Appendix B is Apollo 13, the DC-10 and Challenger, Aerospace.
   Appendix D is windscale, Three mile island and Chernobyl, Nuclear power.
   These are very bad accidents, so we should study more deep.
   The naming "safeware" is very good wording, this is not safe software nor safe hardware.
   Go ahead, after this book. There are many resources about ssytem safety and software safety.

5 comments about About Face 2.0: The Essentials of Interaction Design.

1. This follow up to About Face is a good overview of the critical concepts to improve software usability. Cooper and Reiman know their stuff. Reading this certainly provides you with the grounding you need to make good decisions. At a tactical level, the book could certainly do more to help with real-world examples.
   For that, you may want to take a look instead at Jenifer Tidwell's Designing Interfaces : Patterns for Effective Interaction Design. Where About Face is strong on theory, Designing Interfaces is all about practical ideas, demonstrated through graphical examples.
   If UI is an important part of your world, buy them both.



2. I have 7 years experience and I wasn't able to get any value out of this book. Based on some of the reviews on this site I thought that the book would be worth buying but unless you are in school or right out of school then your $35 is better spent elsewhere.
   
   I suggest that you put your $35 towards "The Usability Engineering Lifecycle" by Deborah J. Mayhew. Don't let the $64.95 price tag scare you away. This book is worth $100.



3. I think this guy has a book about how the inmates are running the asylum...well this book suffers from what happens when the subject matter experts (SME) are allowed to write books. BORING!!! SME's always seem to forget to include compelling examples. Yes there are little screen shots, but IMO in order for a book to be compelling that has to do with design...it needs to show LOTS of examples of good design. The bulk of the book should be about breaking down those designs. I need to hear why a specific design is effective. Take a hint from Steve Krugs book "Don't Make me Think". That book is extremely effective without inundating the reader with jargon. Lots of examples with meaningful visual breakdowns. Afterall...isnt UI design a VISUAL communication form?



4. How to design a application from a designers perspective. Cannot say I agree with everything, but the writers are probably right.



5. This book not only defines a "layman user" but also answers the question of how your application can educate a layman user step by step.

5 comments about Pro Ajax and the .NET 2.0 Platform (Pro).

1. Pro Ajax and the .NET 2.0 Platform gets high marks from me because it is concise, informative and easy to follow. After reading the first three chapters I had a clear understanding of what Ajax really is. Author Dan Woolston has extensive experience with AJAX and he seemed to share it all here without overwhelming this reader.
   
   Woolston did not waste my time in getting me up to speed. In the first three chapters I learned how to write my own reusable (cross browser) JavaScript functions that will work together to execute an Ajax call.
   
   Of course I might rely on one of the various existing frameworks to do this for me. However, now I know what's going on under the covers and I can make an informed decision about what Ajax to use and when. I know exactly what is happening when Ajax is implemented and why.The book also does a nice job of covering CSS and the DOM (document object model). As you know (or will know after reading), these combine with JavaScript to create the foundation of Ajax! Once you understand how they work together you'll know more about Ajax than 90% of your developer friends.
   
   Excellent Feature #1: The overview of JavaScript, CSS and the DOM is fantastic. I really appreciated the fact that it was concise and dead-on accurate in addressing the specific elements that a .NET developer needs to understand in order to code Ajax.
   
   Continuing on, after the book had me up to speed with Ajax, it went into n-tier design. This is important because, in theory, a programmer can go hog wild on Ajax and break tons of rules regarding sound application architecture. So I was impressed that Woolston transitioned directly into best-practices for how and when to use Ajax.
   
   The first third of the book covers Ajax theory and best-practices. With Ajax, one size does not fit all. Therefore, chapter seven includes overviews of many popular Ajax frameworks including non .NET frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, WebORB, xajax (PHP) and Direct Web Remoting (Java). It also covers .NET frameworks including Ajax.NET, Anthem and Atlas.
   
   The other two thirds of the book are devoted to Ajax programming concepts. The author uses the Anthem framework for most of this coding. Anthem is an open-source, .NET framework in C# that is compatible with ASP.NET 1.1 and 2.0. It is extremely lightweight, requiring only one class file for core functionality.
   
   Excellent Feature #2: The book's code walkthroughs are based on a fully functional n-tier sample application that you can download free. The sample application uses the AdventureWorks database which is also a free download from Microsoft if you don't already have access to it.
   
   You might think that some .NET features and topics lend themselves to Ajax technology and therefore should be covered in more detail. You'd be right. Woolston sets aside complete chapters on Web services, Custom Controls, ASP.NET Security and Web Parts.
   
   Excellent Feature #3: When you're done learning how to build your own Ajax, there are two chapters devoted to debugging and testing Ajax.
   
   One of the last chapters was my favorite. Chapter 19 is all about usability. As you may know, Ajax solves many usability problems. But can also create new ones. Woolston addresses the good, the bad and the ugly.
   
   The book provides ideas and examples of good Ajax. The author has test-driven many Ajax controls and shares his trials and tribulations. This feedback no doubt will save developers valuable time.
   
   The book also discusses potential pitfalls of using Ajax. Woolston tackles cross-browser compatibility issues and how to best overcome them. He also talks about how to deal with the browser's back button. How to handle browsers with disabled JavaScript and how to work past the problem of pageshifting.
   
   Some of the other usability topics covered in Chapter 19 include Ajax menus, bookmarking, type-aheads, connected controls, code visibility and page paradigms.
   
   Suffices to say this book packs a big Ajax punch. I highly recommend it to any of my peers who are interested in building Ajax functionality into their web applications. This book is applicable to .NET developers who are working with ASP.NET 1.1 or 2.0. In my opinion, web developers of any skill level will find it helpful.



2. About 3/4 done with this book. Today I just built my 1st Ajax feature in a few hours at work with the suff I learned. This books is a quick read with great examples works in both 1.1 and 2.0. Buy it!



3. i didnot think that i would like this book because for me apress is famous with their books having lacking style of examples. Normally you find yourself lost in the examples eventough the topic is covered very well.
   This book is different than others absolutely; it starts with what is ajax; and why ajax and with simple examples.
   if you dont know javascript; it is still ok because one of the chapters covers javascript; so you can learn enough javascript to handle the simple ajax pages.
   Before diving into ajax; it tells you about different ajax libraries; so i like this part too; you will have an idea about other ajax libraries too.
   I could not run the first example which is the easiest one and i struggle a lot to solve it;but most of the codes in the book is easy to implement.
   And guess what; as you can see from the title; the book is for .NET developers; so if you are a .NET developer; this is right book to buy.
   It is not like other apress books that have coding examples problem. the sequence for the chapter makes the book easy to follow.
   After reading this book; i start reading some tutorials about Atlas ( which is basically Microsoft's Ajax ) and it really helps you to understand atlas too;
   If you like google maps; or virtual maps; this books has a suprise for you :)
   i read 4-5 different books from apress and this one is the best; i will highly recommend this book to all .net developers who want to learn ajax with .net



4. I had done some little test applications utilizing Ajax and/or Atlas prior to reading this book, and I wanted this book to really give a solid base from which to move forward with.
   
   Mr. Woolston's writing style is personable but not too over the top. One thing I did not like about the writing style is the manner in which code is laid out at times. For instance, with many of the sample applications, Mr. Woolston will dump about 5-6 pages of code into the book and then work towards restating it in part afterwards with some explanation. I can see where it would be useful if not in front of the sample code/a PC, but in reality this book will not be useful if not in front of a computer working on the examples.
   
   There are other times where some of the content is not really useful in furthering education about Ajax and certain examples it feels are stretched to make the chapters longer. I think there was likely a challenge in filling out a reasonable sized book because simply put - the fundamental elements of Ajax aren't that complex. I found myself done with the book in a period of less than a week.
   
   Those things said, after reading the book I can certainly say the overall content has an excellent "perspective of the landscape". From a history of Ajax to a little primer on Javascript, CSS/DOM, and the XmlHttpRequest, he moves forward to examples of Ajax demonstrating the technology with an Ajax framework named Anthem. The main meat of the book are really these examples, where practice implements the ideas from the prior chapters.
   
   Lastly, the book closes with a few chapters covering security, testing, usability, performance, and a token chapter on Atlas.
   
   One other element that I appreciated in this book was the identification of a few free tools out there to aid in Ajax development. Those tools in their own right would have definitely contributed to some time savings a week or two ago when I was struggling with a couple DOM/CSS issues prior to reading this book!
   
   In summary, perhaps a book stretched to fit it's cover but nevertheless a very useful read to me and I would certainly recommend it.



5. I hardly ever review books and probably wouldn't have bothered this time if it were not for an email from Amazon seeking one. I decided to go ahead with a review because this book really filled a need I had for working with AJAX for the first time. It had me up and running in very short order. Did it go over a couple things along the way that I already knew? Yes. But I didn't mind it in that it treated all topics in an intelligent manner and helped explain where AJAX fit into the broader world of web development. Definitely geared for .NET. That's what I wanted. If that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed.

3 comments about Forecasting Oracle Performance.

1. This is a great book to do FORECASTING, that is, if you already have a tunning problem you will not find the solution here. If you are in calm times regarding your application speed, this is when you have to do Performance Forecasting, for which this book is excelent. Very practical and just enough technicall to grasp the priciples.



2. I've always been a fan of Craig Shallahamer, an author who explains complex concepts in plain English.
   
   This is not a trivial book, but it's an excellent book for performance tuning, a worthy book for the worthy scholar.
   
   Oracle STATSPACK and the automated workload repository have provided a gold mine for the Oracle DBA to forecast future performance, and this is a great "get started" book to the statistical techniques that are required to perform performance forecasting.



3. This is not a book about Oracle Performance tuning. This is a book about Oracle Performance Forecasting. This should be evident after carefully reading the book.
   
   Good books, like good professionals, are rare. This is why I have developed a tendency to choose carefully before buying one and, in the Oracle area in particular, I can smell the author's intellectual honesty and trustworthiness from the first page.
   
   Forecasting Oracle Performance is one of those. I enjoyed the fluid style and closeness of the author. I enjoyed the simplicity and clarity, almost reminding me of Wittgenstein's famous quote ("everything that can be said can be said clearly"). I also enjoyed these short touches of humanism (cf Erlang Krarup's life).
   On the forecasting subject, I liked the book construction and the quality of the examples.
   
   Chapter 1 gives a landscape picture of Oracle forecasting and puts the reader in scope and context.
   Chapter 2 introduces the reader to the basics of forecasting and the basic concepts over which the book is built: Transactions, response time, arrival time and basic formulas are described here.
   Chapter 3 shows the limits of basic forecasting (essential formulas) and the problem of baseline and model selection. It shows how to increase forecasting precision with ErlangC or weighted averages. Most importantly, it shows why it is essential to understand the concepts and implications of the application of a given formula, model or method. The author is very careful in the choice of terms and always clears potential ambiguities. Those who know how difficult it can be to forecast will appreciate it.
   Chapter 4 introduces to statistics applied to forecasting.
   Chapter 5, on practical queuing theory, is probably the biggest chapter of the book. After a brief introduction to queuing theory, Little's law and Kendall notation, this chapter provides such a diverse set of examples (27!) making the topic very intuitive to non-specialists.
   Chapters 6 & 7 describe forecasting methodology and workload characterization. The first describes the steps across a solid performance forecasting methodology, from the initial question to the actual forecast. The second deals with workload characterization: how to get system and Oracle data, how to choose the source and peak. It describes the workload modelling and the risks of data collection.
   Chapters 8 and 9 are about models: ratio and linear regression models. They describe their respective foundations, limitations and advantages. Each chapter also contain several examples and case studies to illustrate the subject.
   The last chapter deals with scalability models and their relationship with forecasting models.
   
   Overall, I found this book very useful. You will find additional resources at the author's website (there is also a discussion forum on forecasting). The errata page is always up-to-date and some examples have even been extended. Great work!

3 comments about Domain-Specific Development with Visual Studio DSL Tools (Microsoft .NET Development Series).

1. There's no doubt that Microsoft has a steller team working on its DSL tools, and given their position on the DSL team, there's no better team of writers to elaborate both the underlying concepts as well as go in depth on the implementations of those technologies in the Visual Studio DSL Tools.
   
   The more developers and architects getting familiar with DSLs and modeling, the better, and this toolset and book are the best resource I know of for learning more about the domain and getting a very useful and concrete example of the concepts as well as a tool you can use to start building your own.
   
   Buy it. Learn it. Use it.



2. The books covers almost all of the capabilities for the DSL world, however in this approach to cover all themes, they present some important subjects in a very light way. The reader must have a previous and seriuos knowledge of DSL items and a lot of experience in Visual Studio 2005.
   However some chapters (2,3,4,8 and 9) are very very good :D



3. I am disappointed, because the writers are the top of Microsofts engine driving domain specific languages.
   The book tells what is possible using Visual Studio 2005 and the DSL tools. However it does a terrible job in explaining how and when to use the tools.
   It is not a handsone book, you can't take it and work through examples and it is not an reading/theoratical book either, you can't read it while one the train to work and hope to learn anything.
   Just like the book on software factories this book is elaborate and the writers are smart they are just not capable of making the information simple and interesting enough to stick into my head.

1 comments about Macromedia Studio 8 All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).

1. I recently took over the website for the school I'm a network admin at. Being the first website I've ever managed, and the first time I've ever used the Macromedia Studio software, I decided to look for a book to help me when I couldn't figure something out myself. This book does just that. It doesn't get into every little detail on how to do everything, but gives you just the right info you need to get going in the right direction. Easy to read and good for a beginner.

No comments about Beginning SQL Server 2008 for Developers: From Novice to Professional (Beginning from Novice to Professional).

1 comments about Apache, MySQL, and PHP Web Development All-in-One Desk Reference for.

1. I consider myself as pretty much a patient problem solver when I actually encounter problems. But as I begin to use this book as a reference book to build my first website based on MySQL, PHP, and many other languages, I found myself getting seriously annoyed at the fact that this book offered me.
   
   That is not meant to say this book is a horrible book. First of all, as this book is published as "For Dummies series", the author "is obliged" to write as you do not much about anything, though the author himself most likely did not incline toward the obligation. And, as it is written on book covers, this book truly covers the seven topics in one, and each of the topics is explained in detail and in plain language to make you easy to understand.
   
   But despite of these positive sides, it is unfortunate that this book seriously needs revision. To remind you, this book is a book targetting toward beginners. At the same time, however, this book is also a book targetting toward those who are actually intending to use PHP and other applications mentioned here to build a website. But before I mention what are the problems with the book, I want to let you know something about PHP. Those who already know or do not bother to know about it, just skip over to 2nd paragraph following this.
   
   For those who do not know, PHP is a language that can easily frustrate you if you make a single, minimal mistake such as: replacing a single quote as a double quote, absence/addition of a a blank line or a space, etc. To make things worse, when you run the PHP page with errors in web, it will give you errors that is not only unpleasant but almost entirely useless. I first used Notepad to write/edit the scripts, but lated I had to rely on Dreamweaver to make edits less frustrating -- but with no significant improvement. And for those who do not have these expensive IDE softwares, you will probably spend hours to see what have done wrong in your script.
   
   Now, continuing with the problem with the book... The author makes a serious mistake by leaving incorrectly written scripts on several portions of his book. For example, these is this PHP script written on Chapter VI, Chapter 7, "Creating a Username System for Your Website", that shows you entire scripts for useraccess.php file. The file itself is about 151 lines wrong(I say "about" because the script itself really depends on how you design the script), and there are 7 other files, either html or php, that works in conjunction with this file. By running the script, I got an error message that is basically useless. I ran the program in numbers of times more again, and I later found that the problem was actually in the book: there were 19 "{" sign but only 18 "}" sign in the script! I still ran in a couple more problems again after fixing the mistake. In any case, the book makes several mistakes that can guarantee you to get frustrated unless you are already a programming gru.
   
   In addition, while the author goes each portion pretty extensively, he somehow seems to assume that you read about previous parts of Books before you goes to next Book. What I mean by that is, for example, when he mentions about objects in PHP, he actually wants you to go back and read the parts in Perl to make you understand it. I do not think that is not really a good approach for beginners who will read this book because some users simply do not want to spend extra time to read over another books mentioning about Perl or Apache when they just wants to learn PHP. And often, I strongly felt that there needs to be more explanations regarding each issue, and I visited his website to see whether there is maybe a forum or a tutorial set up regarding the book. What I only found from his websites is articles regarding another computer language C, download search that is basically useless for me, and, oh, some Google and other affiliate ads to make himself some money. Nice...
   
   So, to conclude, I cannot really say that this book is a great book for beginners. Maybe, you will find that this book is not even an okay book, or maybe you will. However, what I suggest to you is that, if you buy this book from a bookstore, be sure to have a mind to learn through trials-and-errors with frustration rather than just using scripts written from the book.