5 comments about Macromedia Studio 8: Training from the Source.

1. Very good book. Shows all the fundamental required to create websites. Very easy to read and understand. I would recommend it to anyone starting out in web design.



2. Another must have book from what is now Adobe Press. You can pretty much forgo the small book that shipped with S8, and or if you bought S8 through a download you wouldn't miss much. This book is what every S8 user should be budgeting for and getting as a get started and whats new. This is a great starter and refresher course material book that offers up great lessons.
   
   Each section starts with an overview, followed by a time estimate, expected outcomes and anticipated time for the lesson. Some you may want to skip over, others covering newer material with the S8 release, you will want to get more involved with. Each lesson has associated materials in the accomanying CD so you wont have to waste time on creating items to learn with.
   
   If you're a one person studio, you might want to have this on hand as it deals with many areas that all producers have problems with. Let's face it, a good programmer is seldom great with a graphics tool and vice versa. This book shows how to use Fireworks, Flash and integrate items (beautiful or not) with common code elements and interface with Contribute and ColdFusion.
   
   Great for self starters and single or multi subject educational material.



3. 524 page book also comes with a CD filled with chapter projects that you work on throughout the book. Walk-through's, explanations, photos and screen-shots are all very helpful. Book is thorough and concise as you would expect coming straight from the source. Shop around though; I bought my copy on eBay for $18.
   If you have the Studio 8 software suite, you almost NEED this book! Language is NOT high tech and easy to follow.



4. This was the first book I read when I was learning Dreamweaver, and I still felt a bit lost afterwards! If you don't have prior experience with Dreamweaver, I would recommend first reading a book dedicated to just Dreamweaver. Once you are comfortable with Dreamweaver, read this book, which covers Dreamweaver plus the other components of Studio 8: Flash, Fireworks, and Contribute, and shows you how they can all work together.



5. You will actually build a web site using DW 8 and Fireworks 8 and Flash. This book , although it has few errors, is a very good and through intro to web creation.
   
   Fuddzie

5 comments about An Introduction to Ray tracing (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics).

1. This book is a classic - by which I mean that the coverage of the basics is so thorough and clear that even if new techniques are developed (and certainly they will be) this will be a great introductory text even when it's many year out of print.



2. I'll admit I know nothing about ray tracing and I bought this book in an attempt to learn. However, this book deals with the mathematical concepts of raytracing from an intellectual analysis standpoint. If all you want to do is "make pretty pictures" this book is not for you. If you want to write your own raytracing engine, buy it today.



3. While some books treat ray tracing like a method for geniuses, this one try to demystify it. The highlights, in general, go into "why" and "how" to do. Maybe the best parts are the "dictionary" of "ray-intersection" formulas and mainly the practical outline of a real ray tracer. This book don't teach you to do a ray tracer for Hollywood, but it's a very good beginning.



4. This book covers the high points of the concepts involved with ray-tracing. It spends a fair amount of time talking about ray-object intersections, and also briefly discusses various approaches to accelerate the ray tracing process. This book does not go into a high level of detail on most topics, but does introduce them to the reader and discuss the pros and cons, which would give the reader enough knowledge to seek more detailed references on those subjects.

   This book assumes the user has some amount of programming experience, and is familiar with analytic geometry.

   Overall, it does a good job explaining what ray tracing is, and its various aspects. Definitely a good introductory book in the area.




5. It's been a while since I've cracked this book, but it provides an excellent introduction to raytracing. This coupled with "Realistic Image Synthesis Using Photon Mapping" and a good bit of patience, and you can produce truly amazing renderings.

   If you're at all interested in understanding or implementing raytracers, check this book out.

5 comments about Running IPv6.

1. IPv6 has been brooded over for a decade by various Internet groups. This book shows its present incarnation. It has grown very sophisticated; well beyond a simple vast expansion of the address space from 32 bits to 128 bits. So the text talks about the various tunnelling and routing options that become possible under it, that are unavailable under IPv4.
   
   Yet to me the most interesting section of the book is the chapter on transitioning from IPv4 [the current Internet] to IPv6. Every other technical issue about IPv6 pales in comparison to this quandry. The author gives the best value in the book in this chapter. He shows firstly that IPv4 will inevitably exhaust its space. Though he prudently refrains from speculating when that might be. The transition must also be incremental. No one expects a swift global change to be realistic.
   
   Then he explains that the modes of transition come down to analysing only 4 communication models for most common web usage. Namely email, Web browsing and two types of peer-to-peer usage. Examples of the latter are VoIP and BitTorrent.
   
   From the models, we see the necessity for using a proxy or address translation to handle the transition. An especially clear analysis.



2. When I read and reviewed O'Reilly's IPv6 Network Administration by Niall Richard Murphy and David Malone, I called their book "a must-have book for all network administrators." Upon seeing Apress' Running IPv6 by Iljitsch van Beijnum, I wondered if I would waste my time reading and reviewing another book on IPv6. Now I'm glad I digested Running IPv6 -- it's my first must-read book of 2006. The books are complementary, so I recommend them both.
   
   Three years ago I read and reviewed van Beijnum's book on BGP, which I liked while thinking it was somewhat terse. In Running IPv6, van Beijnum strikes the proper balance between explanatory language and technical details. Every chapter in the new book taught me something useful. In Ch 1 I liked comparisons involving IPv4, IPv6, IPX, DECnet, AppleTalk, and OSI CLNP. In Ch 2 I enjoyed sections on using 48 bit MAC addresses in IPv6 addresses. Ch 3 featured tips on the "on-link" assumption. As would be expected in a book by a BGP expert, Ch 4 provided lots of guidance on routing IPv6. Ch 5 included history on the evolution of DNS for IPv6, with RFCs 1886 and 2874 competing for primacy.
   
   Ch 6 covered issues that applications might encounter when handling IPv6. Ch 7 introduced the "HD ratio," which estimates the point at which the effort required to manage increasingly "used-up" address space suggests that expanding it would be more efficient. Ch 8 mentioned the headaches caused by automatically generated, multiple MAC addresses for IPv6 multicast. Ch 9 scared me with use of the multicast ping for host discovery. Ch 10 was the first time I saw an effort to show how to use Tcpdump with IPv6.
   
   I had no real issues with Running IPv6. I found a few production errors and typos that can be fixed in later printings. All are obvious, except the use of the word "maximum" in the first sentence of the last paragraph on p. 153. (I think that should be "minimum.")
   
   Like IPv6 Network Administration, I liked van Beijnum's attention to command syntax for multiple OS' -- especially FreeBSD. He even covered Cisco and Juniper in the same book. Since I suggest reading the O'Reilly and Apress titles, I recommend reading the former first and the latter second. Van Beijnum's book is best read by those with a little more exposure to IPv6, but it can certainly stand alone if need be.
   
   If you plan to ever have anything to do with IPv6, you must buy van Beijnum's latest book. Bravo.



3. I've have been working on an IPv6 lab and Running IPv6 is a great reference for setting up OS and router configurations. Excellent material in a short compact format with no bull or filler. I have to say this is the best IPv6 book I have read so far. It is also the most up to date of the books considering all the RFC changes that happen for IPv6.
   If you are looking for something that is clear and to the point about how to USE IPv6 then this is it. There are plenty of other books out there that go into the theory and design which might be better suited for studying (Joseph Davies - Understanding IPv6 or Regis Desmeules - Implementing Cisco IPv6 Networks) but if you want to get an IPv6 network running NOW then Iljitsch van Beijnum book is for you. Kudos for writing a great practical IPv6 book.
   - Ed Horley



4. As an author of technical books I am especially critical of the delivery of technical information - especially when covering topics that can be heavily theoretical. Iljitsch van Beljnum's book on IPv6 provides an excellent balance between theory and practice. It introduces the IPv6 protocol and how to run it. It provides real-life examples of the protocol in action and how it can be used with a variety of applications. It particularly addresses the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, myths about IPv6, routing and DNS. It also importantly covers changes in IP protocol security as a result of the introduction of IPv6.
   
   If you're looking at moving to IPv6 or if you are simply interested in how it is run, routes, and interacts with operating systems and applications then I strongly recommend this book.



5. 'Running IPv6' by Iljitsch van Beijnum is an essential reference for any IT people who are looking to:
   
   1. Upgrade from IPv4
   2. Learn more about the IPv6 standard
   3. Want to configure and set up IPv6
   
   This book covers Windows, Mac, Free BSD, Linux, Cisco routers, DNS and bind... the whole shebang
   
   Not written for a novice, this book assumes that you have knowledge of IP-related material and are not reading this book simply for "vacation reading". In a niche market this book scales its way to the top of the moutain.
   
   Great resource!!
   
   ***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5 comments about MCSE: Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Planning, Implementation, and Maintenance Study Guide: Exam 70-294.

1. This book will teach you the basics. iT does not prepare you for the test. I read the whole book cover to cover and understood it completely. The test is nowhere as easy as this books questions. It does not go into depth with scenerios that can be helpful. I recommend you get the microsoft books for this test. If you are currently working with 2003 it will help alot. but do not plan to only use this book unless you luck up and get the perfectly tailored test to what this books covers.



2. The book is an easy read, which is good. You'll have an easy time getting through the questions, but when you go to take the test you'll fail. This book is no where a good match for the exam. I suggest this book for people who want to learn about Win2k3 AD, but if you're getting it to prepare for the test you should think twice. Nothing this book discuss could have prepared me for the test. Bummer.



3. You could definitely tell when they switched authors. There were two chapters when I could tell the author really didn't know the subject and was merely regurgitating information. I stopped midway through those chapters and skipped onto the next chapter. I later got the info I needed for Certificate Services and High Availability Services from Whitepapers and I also discovered the MS Press book on this test. It was much better. Reading the Sybex book I had very little confidence in the author. Reading the MS Press book I had complete confidence in the author.
   
   For example in the Sybex book, when they were describing High Availability Services, I kept seeing a single point of failure. After a while I got disgusted and looked for better sources of information. I printed out the chapter from the MS Press book from Safari and my issue was addressed within a few pages. My point being is that the author of the MS Press book obviously knew how the brain of an IT person works and was able to answer my questions and concerns as they arose while reading. This was not the case in Sybex.
   
   I would say the MS Press author definitely understood the subject and me (as an IT professional) much better.



4. Anyone who is seeking a Microsoft Engineering certification should obtain this book. In fact, the entire Sybex series of books are great.



5. A caveat: I don't care about the test. I was searching through lots of books for some information about creating a Windows server based network and this book really stood out. (I was setting up my first network and was lost trying to figure out some things.)
   
   I know many or most of you only care about the test, but I am writing this to tell others that if you need a good book about infrastructure I think you may want to get this one.

1 comments about Exploring MS Office Access Comprehensive 2003 - Revised Edition (Grauer Exploring Office 2003 Series).

1. Great reference for everyone that wants to get started to Access. The book is full of examples and exercises.
   
   A+

5 comments about Java Software Structures: Designing and Using Data Structures (2nd Edition) (Lewis Series).

1. All mainstream computer languages implement a common set of data structures and algorithms. If you are a computer science student, you must learn these at a level that you can at least facilely code using them. What language you do it in is probably secondary. Well here, Lewis and Chase instantiate the pedagogy in Java. A good choice. They have updated this second edition so that it uses Java 1.5 (aka Tiger).
   
   They assume you have a rough working knowledge of Java. This is not the time or place to go over basic syntax. Though you should already know the basics of object oriented programming, they give an entire chapter to thoroughly discussing how to do so. In this chapter, you should pay close heed to the section on interfaces. More than many other aspects of Java, interfaces help you build modular code. To explicitly reduce the coupling between different classes, where one class might call the other. Instead of doing a direct call, if interfaces are used to mediate this instantiation, it is a huge boost to modular design. My only gripe here with the interface text is that I think it does not stress enough how useful this is. Only when you've tried to do a large project might you fully appreciate using interfaces.
   
   Later chapters show you how the base Java comes with a rich assortment of very useful classes. That implement queues, linked lists, lists, stacks, trees and collections. These can match or even exceed what is available on these topics in the C++ Standard Template Library. While poor old C totally lacks them.
   
   I suggest also that you scan closely the chapter on hashing. This is a key and fundamental idea in computing. Lets you search a table in logarithmic dependence on its size, instead of linear dependence. Another excellent Java class.
   
   If you want to improve your skill in Java, you need to move beyond just knowing the basic syntax and making UIs. Both these leave you exposed to junior programmers or offshore programmers. Whereas having a deep understanding of the book's topics is harder to learn. Gives you more of a barrier against those who do not know this material. More value added skills.
   
   Also, one day you might have to code in another language. The skills here are far more portable between languages.



2. It's a very good book, and it was useful for me, though am very new to Java.



3. This is an absolutely outstanding book, but it depends on your intent. This is not a general purpose Java book. In fact, the Java aspect is almost incidental. This is a data structures and algorithms book. It's intent is to teach core computer science concepts that trace their roots back literally decades, and will hold until the day comes when someone figures out how to exceed the Turing model, which will change life as we know it so substantially that *all* your computer books will become instantly obsolete. In the mean time, if you want to learn Java per se, do not buy this book! If you want to understand the building blocks of computer science, definitely buy this book. It's ability to concisely address all the key concepts is amazing. I teach a computer science class on data structures and algorithms, and I evaluated several books other than this one. At first glance, I did not like this book because it was so easy to read and presented concepts so effectively that I thought it was too lightweight. But as I read it, I was amazed at how well it covered everything, and did it with brevity and clarity. It starts from basic sets and linked structures and makes it all the way through complex trees and graphs. Again, don't get it if just learning Java is your goal, that is definitely not its purpose, but if you want to understand the foundational programming tools of computer science, this book is great.



4. I used this book in my CS Data structures class, its important to note that this book is not a "general" java book, it only deals specifically with Data Structures, so if your a java beginner this is NOT the book for you. The book has large amounts of code and writings about Queues, Stacks, Linked Lists, Iterators, Arrays, and Trees (both binary and bst). I found the sample code helpful when writing, but it dissapointed me that they would never provide a whole class code.



5. The book is weird, it doesn't use the standard JAVA development package. Instead, it teaches you concepts with the author's own development package. I never used this book, as my intro to JAVA is far more helpful than this junk. I'd recommend a book that teaches you JAVA programming, with actual JAVA package...

No comments about Pro Java EE Spring Patterns: Best Practices and Design Strategies Implementing Java EE Patterns with Spring Framework (Pro).

5 comments about MCAD Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual C#(TM) .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio(R) .NET Exam Cram 2 (Exam Cram 70-315) (Exam Cram 2).

1. This is an excellent reference if you want to quickly brush up the topics for the exam. If you do not have hands-on experience in ASP.NET, I would suggest the Training Guide by the same author. I used the training guide initially and then used this as a quick refresher. The practice exams were excellent. They had a few questions on ADO.NET, XML and Security which were not covered in either book. I used MSDN/www.codeclinic.com (esp. for ADO.NET, Security and XML) as a supplement. Transcender was very helpful too. Overall a great CRAM book for 70-315.



2. This certification study-resource from Author Amit Kalani, served as a rather indispensable part of the revision portfolio for Exam 70-315 (Web-based Application Development with C#.NET).
   
   like the 70-320 Exam Cram book -(also by Amit Kalani), it is a very useful & sound comprehensive reference for Exam 70-315.
   
   It served greatly in gaining both an overview of all the elements that would appear on the 315 exam,but also served well in my overall review and revision endeavours for the 70-315 Exam.
   
   using this resource got me to the place where i felt i had covered the core objectives for the exam and was ready to move on to the next phase ie: having a go at tackling past question scenarios.
   
   Indeed , i was glad i bought it.
   
   what i liked about this book :
   - it is a comprehensive read at slightly over 400 pages -ie:[404pages],the 2 Testing chapters non factored)
   - there are exam questions after every chapter, relating to that chapter
   - Answers with explanations are provided with every question featured in the book.
   - The book comes with a CD which offers a .pdf, e-version of the book.
   
   I purchased the book in question as a pair with the 70-315 Exam Training guide counterpart -(equally written by the same authors: Amit Kalani + Priti Kalani) from Que press ISBN: 0789728222.
   
   the two books complement each other very well and provide a very fine balance between the need to train & equip the reader with the strong hands-on .NET web-application development skills he/she will require in order to thrive as a C#.NET web developper; whilst at the same time fully framing these necessary hands-on expertise , in the context & framework of the exam the reader probably seeks to take at the end of working/ploughing his/her way through the book.
   
   Afterall...studying the material and arriving at a place where one is confident of ones capacity to develop a really functional web application is most desired, just as much as passing the exam & obtaining the certification validates this acheivement & know-how.
   
   In addition to this 70-315 Exam Cram book, those starting out with C# may need a pure C# language reference book, in order to learn about how things are done in the C# language ie: about OO programming ie :Classes & Constructors,Abstraction & abstract data types, Structures, Casting, Encapsulation & Delegation, Inheritance,Polymorphism, Namespaces, Methods & flow control, Events & delegates, Enumerations, Interfaces,Attributes et cetera.
   
   these are the C# language basics and need reviewing in order to understand the how & where of everything working,fitting & sitting together in C#. otherwise, things can get rather confusing come Visual C#.NET development time. (# see review for Exam Cram:70-320; ISBN: 0789728974)
   
   Checking to verify that the .NET developper possesses this knowledge has also become a requirement at Microsoft, especially with the new .NET series of exams for Framework 2.0 ; while versions of what is essentially the Framework 3.0 Beta is already being used & embraced by lots of companies already.
   
   the featured Exam 70-315 Exam Cram book and the 70-315 exam training guide from Que go quite some way in equipping one with this C# background knowledge, but one might still need a separate text or reference for good measure.
   
   After working through the 70-315 ExamCram resource and using the Training guide i felt set for the next phase ie: going on to tackle past exam questions.
   
   using Transcender and Testking more than sufficed to ensure & assure success at the exam;
   
   Take & Ace the exam with ease: 150minutes & 43 questions.
   
   The passing mark is 700 ie: 70%. i sat the exam on monday (10th October 2006); scored 91% ie: 910.
   
   Good luck.
   
   cheers :-)



3. This book is just the perfect learning resource for studying for the 70-316 exam. I also bought Microsoft's MCAD book but i realised by now that buying only this book allows one to prepare for the exam. You simply code up the lesson examples whenever you are not sure and you will score above 90% on the practice tests. Considering that 70% is the pass mark, it is not too bad.
   It is also a compact book, so you do make progress in it too that cheers you up since time is limited for all of us i guess. The book also has 2 sample exams. The CDROM too, has practice exams and the complete book is in pdf as well on the book so once you sell the book, you will still have a perfectly organized pdf version of it too. All this for 34.99USD is way better then buying Microsoft's MCAD/70-316 book.



4. O produto é bom, é fácil de comprar, mas como a compra é internacional levou aproximadamente um mês para ser entregue. De qualquer forma valeu a pena.



5. Read the whole book, learned a few new things. Did all 3 practice exams included with the book (1 on CD). Passed the certification exam, barely. But it got the job done. Can't complain.

4 comments about Object-oriented Data Structures Using Java.

1. I teach a graduate level data structures course at a Big 10 university, and reviewed this text over the summer to use in my course. The text covers all the basics - lists, linked lists, hashes, graphs, trees, and all with good OO foundations. In my review, this book hit on all cylinders. However, I am looking at it with many, many years experience in teaching and in data structures, and frankly made the mistake of 'skimming' the book to make sure that everything I wanted to cover was in there.
   
   Then class started...
   
   The book, while going through all the motions, fails to execute well. Diagrams have mistakes in them, algorithms are wrong, code samples don't work... I have had to do quite a bit of damage control with my class, and will not be using this book next term. I now have guilt that my students were stuck paying for this book, and can't sell it back for students in future terms.
   
   (A note to faculty - the supporting material is... OK. The test banks are mediocre, and also have errors in them, and the lecture materials contain all the errors also found in the book)
   
   So, the bottom line: All the basics are there, but this is not a winning book. Perhaps the second edition will be better?



2. This seller was very punctual with the shipping and delivery of the book and it was in very good condition like the ad had stipulated.
   I will recomment him to anyone
   
   ST



3. A good, clearly written book, although there are a few mistakes in the code given. Still, it covers some tough topics in a clear and concise way. Still, it's not a book I wouldn't tackle without some guidance from a class!



4. This book is great for understanding the basic data structures in computer science. I couldn't be any happier with the way it explains everything. However, the only issue I have is that most of the exercises in the book are very vauge and therefore as a student I waste to much time trying to understand what I need to do specificaly because the book just throws out these vauge exercises without any constraints.

5 comments about ML for the Working Programmer.

1. If you want to know something about ML, but learn it through good examples and interesting problems. This is the book! Also has some neat chapters on automated theorem proving, logic and interpreters.



2. I have no doubt this is a well-written book (I read it in its entirety). Unfortunately, the examples weren't compelling to me at all. While the lambda calculus interpreter was interesting, the time spent on the theorem prover was not very interesting (I wonder if it was added as an homage to ML's legacy??).

   Overall, I suppose this book is a little dated.




3. This book is not bad; the explanation of all that it does explain is very good. It's just somewhat impractical, especially given the name; the title is a terrible misnomer for a book whose major example projects involve a lambda calculus evaluator and a proof assistant for first-order logic (not exactly the sort of thing "working" programmers usually have to do!). It does have some pretty solid demonstrations of how to implement various useful data structures and algorithms in SML (e.g. trees), but no "real-world" projects.

   The problem with this book is typical of the problem facing a lot of introductory material for many of the more academic languages-- they explain the theory behind the language very well and how the features work, but they don't really teach you how to organize programs in the language, stuff like what code to put in what file, when to use modules and functors, etc. If you cut your teeth in imperative OOP like I did, reading this book you might get to understand the features of this language, but without still being clear about how one would go about writing an actual program in it.

   Still, this is a book worth owning.




4. If you are looking for a book that will help extend your professional qualifications this is not it. However if work through this book you will emerge with much stronger programming skills in any programming language and gain some important insights in to writing intelligent programs.
   
   The book teaches Standard ML. Standard ML is a clean, modern, strongly typed, functional programming language. Some SML compilers generate code that ranks among the best for higher level languages. Standard ML comes out of a community that has been interested in developing logical theorem provers and tools for formal analysis of programs. Don't let this scare you away -- any reasonably bright programmer should be able to follow Paulson's explanations.
   
   The book provides an accessible introduction to programming with recursive functions, higher order functions (functions that process functions) and working with a language with polymorphic types (a little like C++'s templates but the compiler figures out the types). This is as much a book on algorithms and data structures from a functional point of view as it is a book on Standard ML.
   
   I especially like the book's development of more advanced examples in the last two chapters. These have to do with writing programs that implement some key ideas in logic and computability theory. These were easy to follow even for a non-expert. I have a strong interest in how programs can be made to reason and learn and so these were really interesting.



5. My interest in learning ML started with reading the writings of people like Paul Graham who extoll the virtues of functional programming. ML seemed like the most accessible language for someone coming from an imperative oop background (due to the absence of '(' ... ')' which permeate Lisp and Scheme). There is however a dearth of introductory material on the web and what is out there seems to offer a piece meal, fragmentary overview. So I picked up this book and was not disappointed.
   
   Paulson does an excellent job of introducing ML concepts in a clear logical manner. This book is about a lot more than ML though. Paulson teaches functional programming in this book with ML as the vehicle. This is a great book for self study. So why not five stars? The typesetting is horrendous. This is not a pretty book.
   
   I think pretty much everyone will admit that ML never gained a lot of traction (Ocaml a bit more than SML I believe). The main problem I see with using ML for a large project is the lack of library support. So why learn ML? It turns out that ML has had an influence on new languages that have come out in recent years; F# and Scala are two. So time spent with ML should pay off when exploring these newer languages and whose close association with the .Net and Java platforms (respectively) cures the library availability dilemma.