5 comments about JavaScript & DHTML Cookbook (2nd edition).

1. I still have the first edition of this book but other than perhaps missing the chapters on ajax it's not outdated at all. This book has saved my life several times already. Almost every time I am looking to solve a tricky problem in javascript, I find that this book contains a well explained chapter with the exact solution that I was looking for. The authors often make a point of going through multiple iterations of a solution, to demonstrate what needs to be modified to support certain browsers, and at the same time ensure that the reader actually understands the code too.
   
   This is a great book for experienced javascript developers who want to save time by using tried and tested code to solve common problems, but at the same time understand that code too.



2. I wouldn't buy this book if you are going for aesthetics for you website. I wouldn't buy it if you are a heavy programmer either. Its a good "middle" book for just general roll overs, browser detections, and other javascript functions for form validation. Its a little small.



3. I really like this book. The format of each technique demonstrated is
   
   Problem- Solution- Discussion
   
   The nice thing is that you can get a quick explanation from the solution, and a more in depth response in the discussion. The author presents complete code which is easily built upon and customized.
   
   I knew a bit of Javascript when I started, but I think this would be an excellent book even for a complete beginner.



4. Like most web developers, I typically will reach for one of the many JS libraries when it comes time to add client-side enhancements to my web applications. This is usually the obvious choice for the sake of saving time on projects, and keeping costs down... but quite often, many libraries are simply overkill for a simple little js/dhtml enhancement.
   
   As such, that is what lead me to this book. I was hoping the cookbook format would give me some fresh ideas on doing some simple js/dhtml work and it most definitively delivered.
   
   Perhaps the most valuable parts of this book for me were the aspects of working on the DOM. Additionally, I always enjoy reading different techniques for dealing with client-side form validation.
   
   To me the coverage on loading dynamic data/ajax was good, but I still think that when entering into that realm of JS, it is usually time to deploy one of the libraries I mentioned earlier.
   
   All in all this has become a valuable resource that I often refer to during my daily work.



5. The book doesn't go in-depth in it's explainations. It is written more for the seasoned script writer and not the beginner. I found it very confusing and not enough detail to be of any use to me. I preferred "Javascript, Demystified".

5 comments about EJB 3 in Action.

1. I have been working with Enterprise Javabeans for many years. This really is by far the best resource to date on Enterprise Javabeans. One of the many strengths of this book is to show how the Springframework blends into the EJB framework. I have had a lot of success in blending these frameworks. The authors really believe in the EJB framework unlike another major author of EJB books.



2. This is my third book on EJB 3.0 and in my opinion the best one. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Enterprise Java Beans and Java Persistence API.



3. I was not that enthusiastic about EJB at all during the EJB 2 era. Then I knew about the EJB 3 specifications and that made me read this book. I have to admit that after reading the book I became very much interested in EJB 3 mainly because of its removal of legacy EJB2 boilerplate mechanisms and the introduction of "Spring" like features. The book is very cleverly written and easy to read. The authors make every effort to make the readers completely engaged on the topic. Although I don't use EJB3 for my day to day work, this book clearly gave me new perspectives on how Java EE is driven going forward.



4. My company's library basically gives me access to all books I want, so I used to have a big stack of big EJB3 books on my desk. But during 2 months of daily work with EJB3 I often found this book helpful where others weren't and almost never found it the other way 'round. Only exception: Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0 (5th Edition) That book sometimes just has a broader coverage, delivering details that "EJB3 in Action" doesn't. But still, "EJB3 in Action" remains the best-understandable EJB3 book with (almost) the best coverage of topics. I have now returned all other books than the 2 mentioned here to the library, and I always look in this book first.
   
   While I agree with Rob on the language issue, what counts is the result, and that is usually the best with this book.



5. I'm about to discuss the fact that this book is very tedious and lightweight.
   
   This book is very tedious and lightweight. Everything (and I mean everything) in this book is foreshadowed with a comment about what they're about to say followed by a recap of what they said. Worse is the fact that the intervening material is frequently very shallow and cursory.
   
   That concludes my brief discussion of how tedious and lightweight this book is. Next, I'll comment about how long it takes the authors to get to the point.
   
   Earlier comments about this being a 100 page book expanded into some 600 pages are a slight exaggeration. But I'd bet good money that even I could compress the first 70 pages of this book into 7. That concludes my brief discussion of how long it takes the authors to get to the point.
   
   Etc... Etc...
   
   I recommend that you buy a different book. I will.

3 comments about Wicket in Action (In Action).

1. This is a great book that really gives a in-depth overview of Wicket. I've been working with Wicket for a couple of years and had to suffer through figuring things out from examples and mailing lists. This book is the definitive guide. I've already learned several new things from it. Many thanks to the authors who went to great lengths to get this book out!



2. I don't normally review books on Amazon but this is one of the best technical books that I've read in a while. The authors do a great job of organizing and presenting the material. The book is easy to read and I was able to get through it in about two evenings. I'm now using it as a reference while I work on my first major Wicket application. It might help that Wicket itself is well structured which makes the concepts that much easier to understand.
   
   That being said, there are a few short-comings:
   1) The cheese and lasagna examples get really old really quickly. The authors could have used different concepts or something a little more relevant or interesting to most developers.
   
   2) The book is somewhat short. While they covered the core topics well, I felt that a few things we missing. I was surprised to see that the publisher trimmed the book and put an extra chapter online but not in print.
   
   3) Some fundamentals like what DTD to include in an HTML page or what the Wicket web.xml should look like would be nice. You can find these answers online with a quick search but this book should really cover it.
   
   But these faults don't hurt the overall usefulness of the book. It would be nice if most/all of this documentation was available in the Wicket project itself, but no such luck which makes this book even more valuable. I don't know if it will be in all copies, but my copy had a coupon for a free version of the digital book (PDF I suppose)... nice touch.
   
   I recommend buying this book and learning about a very reasonable alternative to JSF.



3. I already bought this book before it was released. I love wicket and this book sure makes it easier to work with Wicket. It gives you a great in depth view on how wicket works. Adding more and more complexity in all the different chapters.
   
   A needed read for anyone who wants to get the most out of Wicket.

5 comments about Taking Your iPod touch to the Max (Technology in Action).

1. First, I do not own an iPod Touch. I have a Classic iPod with video. I was interested in reviewing this book because I wanted to know more about the iPod Touch and if it is really worth the money. Having read through several chapters, I am now planning to buy myself an iPod Touch, although I may wait a little while to see what the next generation is going to be.
   Here is what I found out using this book. Apparently, those who bought the iPod Touch early on had to pay $20 for a software upgrade that enables features which provide Mail, Google Maps, Weather, Stocks, and Notes. All newer models come with that upgrade now.
   The iPod Touch is almost like having an iPhone but without the phone and the $60 a month fee. It uses Wi-Fi, so you are able to do a lot of things online such as checking stock prices, browsing news, looking at YouTube videos and so on. It has a QWERTY keyboard which allows you to type notes or email. Videos can be watched in widescreen just as on the iPhone by turning the iPod Touch horizontally. Instant Messaging is possible using the iPod Touch, but iChat is not included. That is really what I am waiting for. I figure the time to buy one is when I can do a voice or video chat with my iPod Touch. Then who would need an iPhone? Of course, the difference is an iPhone can be used anywhere and the iPod Touch needs Wi-Fi, which is not everywhere--yet. Also, not everyone uses iChat, but a lot of people I know do.
   If you own an iPod Touch, then this book will teach you how to set up your email, use Safari web browser with it, check for traffic conditions, weather forecasts, and buy music from the iTunes Store while using Wi-Fi. It also tells how the iPod Touch operates by the touch screen and using your fingers to perform different tasks.



2. I needed a book that would take me step by step through every keystroke for every feature. There are a couple of places where this is the case, but too often it said things like "you can do "such and such" and just leave it at that. I need to know HOW do you do "such and such"! The one thing I am really pining for is to be able to play games! A simple Klondike, or Twin Towers or Aces High... I can't believe that my beloved Apple would go to all this trouble and leave out a way for loyal septuagenarians to get games.



3. I'm happy that I purchased this book, in spite of some of the negative reviews. It is an excellent easy to understand reference for the touch. Especially those like me who are new to iPod. It provides what Apple sadly does not.



4. This is a great book for getting the most out of your Apple Itouch. Explains in detail how each aspect of Itouch works and explains it in simple easy to understand english. For anyone who really wishes to use their Itouch to the max I would really recommemd it.



5. Although this book didn't get good reviews, I thought it did a very good job explaining things to someone, like myself, with limited background and knowledge. It has been a good reference guide for me and it did remove the fear of getting started with a new technology.

5 comments about Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System (Using).

1. An excellent introduction to Moodle -- a course management system I'm teaching myself. Yes, much of the information is available online at the Moodle site, but I'm a person who would rather look through a book as opposed to clicking links online and printing what I require.



2. I started out muddled over Moodle. I knew I wanted to do some of what this LMS could do, but fairly ignorant and hesitant to jump into the Moodle community to ask the most basic of questions. This book seems to do the job.



3. Thank you to the authors of Using Moodle! This comprehensive introduction to Moodle is exactly what we needed in my school district. I recommend it to anyone charged with Moodle-related staff development.
   
   Well-done, Fellow Moodlers.



4. This is an excellent book for a teacher who would like to know a little bit more about Moodle. The teacher does not need to know much about course management software. This book gives a great overview, with examples, while not getting caught up in the technical details.
   
   For example the Lesson module section starts off with non-Moodle classroom story told by Jason. Then the chapter gives a short overview and talks about the different features of Lesson. There are a couple of inserts on tips and examples of how a feature could be used. Plus a few screen shots.
   
   If you are looking for examples of GIFT or XML formats, then this is not the book for you. On the other hand, after reading the Lesson and Quiz chapters, the potential teacher will know that these are a few of the question formats that can be imported into Moodle.
   
   Moodle documentation and on-line forums are great resources but are not designed for the non-user or really new user. This book will help a teacher ask or find more information about what they want to do in their course. It is "Moodle 101 : An Introduction to teaching with Moodle."



5. Very pleased with the book, its content, and usefulness. Also, pleased with delivery and timing.

5 comments about Framework Design Guidelines: Conventions, Idioms, and Patterns for Reusable .NET Libraries (Microsoft .NET Development Series).

1. If you need to write C#/.Net or even Java, this book is a must have.



2. I don't personally think that all developers will find this book useful. In fact, I have a feeling that some may find it highly useless and disruptive as it is abstract in a sense (one must apply the lessons to each library and scenario independently, taking into consideration many different aspects of usability and readability) and it does require some "retraining" of bad practices which have been long since ingrained due to years of usage.
   
   But whether this book deserves a five star rating or a one star rating - whether this book is for you - can be answered by asking yourself the following question: are you obsessed with quality? Quality in the sense of creating a library that is:
   
   - Easily reused by others, even first timers encountering the library or even first timers to .Net
   - Well thought out with well designed classes
   - Consistent within itself and consistent with the base libraries from Microsoft
   
   The importance of the little things like naming classes, properties, methods, using one type of construct over another, using one type of accessor over another, etc. cannot be stressed enough in the overall picture of creating a library to a higher standard of quality, usability, and extensibility.
   
   As Confucius is to have said:
   
   "If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success.
   
   "When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music do not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.
   
   "Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately. What the superior man requires is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect."
   
   As I wrote in an e-mail to my team, I think that digesting this book will lead to: higher quality public facing APIs for our customer development teams seeking to extend the functionality, increased readability and more consistency internally in our teams, increased usability and decreased maintenance costs for the support teams as well as new developers on our team, and of course, increased skill, knowledge, and competency as developers of each of the team members.



3. As a professional I have worked many times on building re-usable and extensible frameworks. Therefore, I had to read several books in order to make sure that the framework I was building was doing what it was supposed to do. However, in all these years I had never the luck to get a complete guide of "building a framework the right way" and I had to always put together pieces from different articles in order to make my own guide. Well, there you have it! Buy this book, read it and you will have a complete guide of how to do things the right way. Another great thing about this book is that different professionals make their comments about almost every guideline. As a result you are not only exposed to writer's view but also to the views and opinions of many well respected software professionals. Do buy this book and as hard as it might seem try to apply its recommendations to your daily development process.



4. I think this is one of the best books on this subject that I have read so far- very practical, very useful. There is a lot of information, real-life examples and experience from the .NET framework design team.



5. Very well organized, and good content.
   Id like to see more diagrams or so, so we can se how they decide to build the things... but it still is great.

2 comments about Professional Visual Studio 2008 (Wrox Programmer to Programmer).

1. If you're a Visual Basic programmer, which I am not, then you might get a lot out of this book. I was hoping that the authors would provide examples in both Visual Basic and C#, but unfortunately that was not the case. There are a few examples that use C# but not nearly enough to even come close to enabling me to understand the Visual Studio framework and .NET development environment.
   
   Perhaps this is an excellent book, but for me it was a major disappointment.



2. Let me start with a disclaimer: I know Nick Randolph and Dave Gardner personally through my involvement with the Perth .NET user group. They are both very talented and skilled developers and active in their support of the developer community. I tried not to let this fact bias this short review too much!
   
   I reviewed the Visual Studio 2005 predecessor of this book some time ago, and I think the new 2008 is an improvement. It's a big book and not just by its size. It covers a huge amount of material and could probably have been subtitled `everything you wanted to know about Visual Studio 2008 but were afraid to ask'! The Visual Studio 2008 Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a complex beast, and worth getting to know well, if like me, you spend most of your working life in it! You could, of course, still do most of your development in Notepad, but you could also wear a hair shirt...
   
   The primary focus of this book is on the IDE itself, rather than the specific languages that can be used within .NET or indeed the .NET Framework itself. I'm not going to give a chapter by chapter account of what is contained in this book, mainly because it would take a loooooong time, but also because I fear my head might explode! Seriously though, I have read around 75% of it. The writing style is clear and I doubt whether you could make any book about Visual Studio more engaging than they have achieved.
   
   The authors' goals, as stated, were not just updating the Visual Studio 2005 version of this book or simply to explain how to use Visual Studio, but also to create a set of productivity best practices and recommendations on how to use Visual Studio features in an effective way. I think they have achieved that goal.
   
   One of the first Amazon reviews was not favourable, but that reviewer was looking for a book that would teach C# and an introduction to the .NET framework. As Dave mentioned in his response to that reviewer, although both authors do have a bias towards Visual Basic, approximately 40% of the code samples are written in C#. There is also a chapter that provides coverage of F# (http://mitch-wheat.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-net-f-ctp-release.html)
   
   It is probably not the sort of book you would read cover to cover, but rather delve into specific chapters to gain insight into particular features. It's great for quickly finding out what features are available. The first day it was on my desk at work, I used it to quickly find a debugging gem that might have otherwise remained undiscovered.
   Kudos goes to Nick and Dave for producing a great resource for developers.
   
   There is a companion website and blog here: http://www.professionalvisualstudio.com/

5 comments about Bounce, Tumble, and Splash!: Simulating the Physical World with Blender 3D.

1. I purchased this hoping to learn to use Blender, and open-source program available from blender.org. The book is very well written, very informative, and an excellent reference, but definitely NOT for beginners; the author even says so. If you, like me, are a beginner, either buy this AFTER getting "Character Animation With Blender" or "The Essential Blender," buy it WITH one of those, but if you are serious about learning 3D imaging, animated or not, this is a definitive must for your library.



2. I ordered this book without much hesitation, once I discovered Tony was writing it. Having read his past book "Introducing Character Animation with Blender", I ordered this one without thinking twice. Now that this book is in my hands, I can't regret for my choice. The overall quality of the publication is impressive. Not only for the contents but also for the technical production: fine paper with color quality images. It's not common these days. The book is composed of 400 pages (7 chapters) plus an appendix and they are:
   
   Chapter 1 - Re-creating the World: An overview
   This chapter describes those tools and techniques that are not well explained elsewhere by the Blender literature. It covers topics like material creation with nodes, transparency, subsurface scattering, sky maps (sphere maps and angular maps) and those tools that can be used to fake physics, when accurate simulations are not necessary at all but you still need a "quick and dirty" method to achieve an effect efficiently and with sufficient speed (an example: water simulation with surface tension displacement or cloth simulation using a displacement modifier). Obviously, these techniques are useful for everyone involved using Blender. No doubt. Much appreciated.
   
   Chapter 2 - The Nitty-Gritty on particles.
   The first thing I thought after reading this chapter was:"WOW". *ALL* the latest development on Blender particles is covered here: emitters, reactors, positioning particles on a grid, chained physics systems, various types of visualizations, force fields (harmonic, magnetic, vortex, spherical, wind, etc.)
   You will be guided through the creation of a convincing fire material using clouds and stencils textures! All is explained gradually and with great style. Highly informative.
   
   Chapter 3 - Getting flexible with Soft Bodies and Cloth.
   As you can expect, all that has been developed is covered here: baking, how to animate a spring, force fields and collision, using curves with softbodies (it will teach you how to animate a chain using an empty), stress maps, how to produce a fantastic cube of gelatin using lattices, simulating clothes. It will even explain how to use the demolition plugin to produce a window breaking in a spiderweb pattern!
   
   Chapter 4 - Hair Essentials: The Long and Short of Strand Particles.
   How to produce hair, fur and grass. After covering the basics, this chapter will guide you through the creation of an hairstyle on top of a practice head. One of my preferred chapters.
   
   Chapter 5 - Making a Splash with Fluids.
   One of the most interesting part of Blender: the fluid simulator. All is covered here: domains, resolution, inflow, outflow, fluid object intersection, kinematic viscosity, obstacles (considering animation, of course).
   
   Chapter 6 - Bullet Physics and the Blender Game Engine.
   One of the less undestood parts of Blender is certainly the game engine. So I was favourably impressed when I have seen an entire chapter dedicated to it. This chapter describes all the tools needed to produce hard bodies simulations, using the game engine and the powerfullness of the Bullet Physics Library. Actors, actuators, IPO curves, rigid body simulations with IPO curves, joints, ragdolls ... This is material that will be probably new to most Blender users.
   
   Chapter 7 - Imitation of Life: Simulating Trees and Plants.
   This chapter explores a few tools that can be used for creating trees and vegetation in general, like the L-System, ngPlant and Ivy Generator.
   
   Each chapter is independent, so you don't need to read the book from the first page, with the exception of chapter 4, who strongly depends by the two previous chapters. This book is of course not intended for beginners. This book is completely updated with the latest Blender development and it covers the actual stable release. This is the documentation Blender needs. I highly recommend this book. It is well written, well presented, well structured and, most importantly, it's definitely fun!



3. I just bought the book and will start learning it immediately. The book is amazing in its illustrations and quality. I had a complaint about another book by Tony Mullen. He responded to my complain in a matter of hours. I will let more experienced reviewers evaluate the book, but I will highly recommend any author who cares so much for his customers.



4. I have been using blender for a while now and enjoyed his other book about character animation, but I was unable to get any of the 5 tutorials that I tried in this book to work at all. Must be for Advance users only I guess.



5. This is an excellent book for intermediate and advanced Blender users who want to use particles, soft bodies, cloth, hair, fluids, the game engine, and other things that help to simulate physics and real life.

5 comments about CMMI(R): Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement (2nd Edition) (SEI Series in Software Engineering).

1. Much like the King James Bible and the Anarchist's Cookbook this book is dangerous in the wrong hands. When used properly the Model is a highly effective tool for measuring organizational maturity and for developing an organizational maturity roadmap. In the wrong hands it can actually hurt an organization. Typically this harm is manifested either by process wonks who zealously accept the Model at face value rather than interpreting it for their organization or by senior management and sales reps who don't understand the model and see maturity levels only as a means for business winning. I think this is a great Model, just remember, if you are going to use it, make sure your organizational needs drive your interpretation of model and not the other way around. And for all that is good and Holy, please read the entire book (specifically the section on Process Components)!



2. i bought this product and it was exactly as mentioned in the product description before buying this product. the shipping was fast too and care was taken to ship the product carefully.
   
   all in all a good and a trustworthy deal.



3. I disagree with some of the other reviewers. Not only am I leading a project to set-up a CMMI Quality Program, but I am teaching a "newbee" to the quality world. The spec that SEI publishes is great and the notes included in this book are very informative to the new folks. I have the V1.1 and V1.2 texts and use them both on a regular basis when training and when working. Yeah to Mary Beth, Mike and Sandy!!!



4. Having read many reviews of the book, I was concerned as to whether it would meet my needs. It was just what I needed. Our organization is doing a gap analysis for an assessment in the near future. Although the book re-iterates the SEI web page texts, it also has very useful tips in the margins and throughout the book. I was able to quickly go through our gap analysis using the book as my guide (hey! maybe that's why "Guidelines" is in the title).



5. Had to buy this book for CS course at the university. Zero usefulness. All the info is available online.
   By the way, if you are not in the business of CMM or apraisals, curb your curiosity - it is nowhere near Computer Science or software engineering, it's about basic management. Tedious and annoying stuff.

5 comments about Lessons Learned in Software Testing.

1. Lessons Learned in Software Testing
   
   As a new QA tester I have found that books written by Cem Kaner and associates are extremely helpful. This book in particular (Lessons Learned...) has been a wonderful help to me. I was able to be on guard before I had to learn the lessons the hard way. This book is easy to read and to the point. It is written in a way that the layman can easily uderstand it. This book is extremely insightful and is a good buy for anyone new to the field or not.



2. Through a series of nearly 300 "lessons", the authors share their accumulated wisdom about how to test application systems - not so much which buttons to press but more how to establish and manage a test team, plan the work and dynamically adjust the testing process according to what is found and how much time is left.
   
   The chapter titles ably illustrate the book's scope: 1. Role of the tester; 2. Thinking like a tester; 3. Testing techniques; 4. Bug advocacy; 5. Automating testing; 6. Documenting testing; 7. Interacting with programmers; 8. Managing the testing project; 9. Managing the testing group; 10. Your career in software testing; 11. Planning the testing strategy; [Appendix] The context driven approach to software testing.
   
   I would definitely encourage anyone who thinks `test automation' is a great idea and is perhaps contemplating the purchase and use of automation tools, to read chapter 5 before they commit the budget and finalize the project plans. The authors eloquently explain the advantages and disadvantages of common automation techniques such as user input replay tools, providing a real-world counter to the tool vendors' optimistic sales pitches. They don't say "Forget it", rather "If you can live with these significant drawbacks, automated testing may be useful for a certain subset of testing activities". This is a good example of the pragmatism and wisdom found throughout the book.
   
   The book is not an academic treatise full of theoretical constructs/models and testing methodologies. Nor is it a step-by-step manual on how to test a system. It is an excellent read for testing practitioners who are seeking or at least open to advice on how to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. "This book is for anyone who test software, anyone who manages testers, and anyone who has to deal with testers in their software development projects. That includes project managers and executives." The hints and tips plus career development advice are valuable for testers, especially if they have a few years testing under their belts already. The technical content is minimal and should be readily understood by any IT professional while the management advice should be appreciated by those with management experience or who aspire to become managers.
   
   The book strongly encourages testers to work with developers and project managers, becoming an integral and valuable part of the team rather than an impediment to progress and a threat to delivery deadlines (lesson 12 is typically direct: "Never be the gatekeeper"!). The subtitle's reference to being `context driven' introduces a dynamic approach to testing, relating test activities to the development lifecycle and promoting those that will be of most help to the project at any point. The approach is described further in the appendix but is only subtly referenced elsewhere, unlike certain other books that insist on pushing their One Big Idea down the reader's throat at every possible opportunity.
   
   All three authors clearly have solid testing experience, some 60 work-years between them. There are also numerous (but not intrusive) citations to other helpful resources, further demonstrating the authors' pedigree. Cem Kaner, a consultant and IT professor at Florida Institute of Technology, was the lead author of Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition, one of my all time favorite IT books. Cem also practices law. James Bach is the founder of a software testing and QA company with silicon valley experience. Bret Pettichord is an independent consultant who edits the Software Testing Hotlist and founded the Austin Workshop on Test Automation.
   
   The "lessons" format leads to a somewhat disjointed flow in places although overall the book is well-structured. At times, successive lessons are directly contradictory, again emphasizing the need for readers to be both alert and open-minded. This is another example of being `context-driven'. Which lesson you choose to follow depends on the circumstances facing you, a form of contingency planning if you will.
   Unusually for a published book, several critical comments from reviewers of the draft, as well as occasional differences of opinion or approach between the three authors, are included as footnotes or asides. The authors openly acknowledge the ambiguities and leave the reader to think about them and make the final decision - I like that. This is a book for grown-ups. There are valiant attempts to describe and promote `the tester's nose', that seemingly innate ability of experienced and successful testers to sniff-out aspects of the system that are likely to harbor serious bugs and to design targeted tests that will reveal them. The advice on unstructured `guerilla testing' is not quite so useful, in my opinion, but I'm impressed that the book even tackles such ephemeral concepts.
   
   Even if you only learn something new from a few of the lessons, this book is well worth the purchase price. Testers relatively new to the profession will learn more than grey-beards but even they will probably find some of the suggestions make them re-think long-established ways of working (habits) and subconscious assumptions (prejudices). In the main, the lessons are pragmatic. Some are a bit contentious, perhaps deliberately, and most are both thought provoking and helpful.
   
   Bottom line: recommended for any thinking person involved in application testing including development project managers and IT auditors.



3. This is a good text on how to avoid time consuming mistakes in software testing. Experience is the best teacher around and this encapsulates that. This would be a good book for the novice to learn from. It may save you from going down a "rat hole" in your testing thus wasting time and resources.



4. *This book is a must for those organizations that has trouble figuring out how to slash down their budget without sacrificing their effectiveness in shipping quality software.
   *This book will open your mind that spending much time in creating test steps is Good but not excellent.
   *This book is unique. The author will not force you to follow what is written inside but instead give you idea to invent your own model cognitively.
   *This book will never be obsolete because the lessons stated inside is generic. I always bring this book wherever I go until I memorized it all.
   *I have so much to say but to make it short this book passed my criteria in my own idioms.



5. I can't say enough good things about this book. Maybe it's because the authors think the same way I do. Academic books on test process have never appealed to me. But this book cuts through the contrived processes and flow models and spells it out for you: these things work, these things don't.