2 comments about Effective Prototyping for Software Makers (Interactive Technologies).

1. As a visual interface designer (and a reviewer of this book while in its manuscript stages), and as someone who has worked for fifteen years in software interface design, I recommend this book. The authors are experienced designers themselves, and this book is strong on both theory and practical advice. It can be read through in page order or used as a reference for just-in-time help. The text provides detailed advice about how to select and use appropriate tools for building various kinds of prototypes, how to plan for the full range of prototyping activities, and guidelines for basic visual interface design. As far as I know, there is no other text available covering this range of topics.
   
   The authors also talk about important process issues, and talk about how prototyping is used to learn not only about product features but also about users and markets. They argue that prototypes are a risk-reducing activity, and this business case for prototyping may the best way to promote adoption of more and better prototyping practices.
   
   The text is well organized and does a good job of identifying appropriate techniques for early, mid-term, and late development phases. This won't substitute for actual professional experience, but it will undoubtedly save many readers from choosing the wrong method at the wrong time. The book is a virtual template for best practices in software prototyping.
   
   Another important aspect of the book is the author's attention to the value of prototyping in supporting collaborative work and building a shared sense of purpose and strategy among teams. It's another argument that ought to appeal to management.
   
   This is an ideal text for software engineers and designers who have not done much prototyping as well as students in engineering, design, and human factors. I recommend it to my own clients who are still developing their capability in this area. A basic familiarity with the aspects of prototyping presented in this volume should really be considered a part of the fundamental knowledge base of anyone in the software development field.



2. Two stars to the publisher. This book is verbose, as most American books are. It is good of course to clarify concepts and to repeat them in different chapters, but my impression after having read a part of it is that it is definitely too much, as the same concept is repeated three or four times withing two-three pages.
   I am sure that this 560 pages book could have been published on 200-250 pages. Not only because the text could have been shorter. Some images are used two or three times in the book even unnecessarily, and some of them provide a little value add to the comprehension. Moreover, a large amount of space is being used for visual maps that represent steps in the process, as if designers were children who need large coloured titles repeated throughout the whole book extensively as signposts.
   Quite a good reference to all different prototyping techniques, but as a professional IA and UI designer, I am sure that this stuff is obsolete compared to what one can find on the web.

5 comments about Practical MythTV: Building a PVR and Media Center PC.

1. The book is outdated for the state that mythtv has advanced to. I used MythDora to set my system up and most of the hard work has been done. There are also areas that the book does not cover. I actually found the book to be not be worth the money.



2. I fall within the vast range of Linux users who know just enough to be dangerous, but at least realize that this is where they happen to be.
   
   I purchased this book brimming with enthusiasm and confident that with its assistance, I'd have no problem getting MythTV up and running.
   
   In fact, my experience with this book was very ungratifying and downright frustrating.
   
   To start with, I found that many of the command lines cited in the book just plain didn't work. In some cases, it was easy to discern where the commands strayed from reality, in other cases not so much. These discrepancies might arise from my using a later version of Ubuntu or MythTV than those to which this book was written. Frankly, I don't know.
   
   I was also frustrated to find that while the publisher provided a web page for users to report errata, it was a purely one-way - You're free to leave your comments, but don't expect a compilation of earlier postings (or corrections)to be made available in exchange, and certainly don't look for any sort of response.
   
   In the end, I set this book aside and installed Mythbuntu - Ubuntu and MythTV all rolled into one ISO package, and searched the web to resolve the myriad of issues and tweaks that had to be addressed. This was not the outcome I would have preferred, and what I was hoping to avoid when purchasing this book, but at least I've managed to get my crate up and running from scratch.
   
   If you are already very strong in Linux, this book will easily give you the guidance you need, but otherwise, caveat emptor.
   
   For what it's worth.



3. I have been using Windows for as long as it has been around. I have done web development. I have even been exposed to Unix a number of years ago, so I thought I would be able to follow directions in this book and be successful. Ubuntu was easy to install and looked like a good product. However, the directions in MythTV did not work. I finally gave up after installing Ubuntu five times and starting all over again. I even purchased a Ubuntu manual thinking that would resolve the problems I had. Unfortunately, it did not and I finally gave up and re-installed Windows XP on my computer and BeyondTV. That did work. I was reminded that Windows does make some things simple that the Unix platform still makes somewhat difficult. I would not recommend the book. I plan to give it away... The Open Source "Open Office" worked great on Ubuntu as it also does on Windows, so I judge MythTV or this books directions to be the problem.
   Cecil Denney, Maple Grove, Minneapolis



4. If you are interested in getting a Mythbox up and running, this is a great book to start with. True, all of the information you need is available on-line, but here it is organized and at your finger tips. The book is clear, well written, well organized, and reasonably complete and accurate. Things change very rapidly in an area such as this, but this book provides a great foundation. If you are willing to use the Ubuntu distribution and MythTV version that is used in the book, things should go well.
   
   One thing to look out for, if you are new to Linux their recommended procedure for compiling from source will be a bit of a challenge. They do NOT tell you what you have to do to be able to compile something from source. There are many packages that need to be installed above and beyond the standard Ubuntu install. However, I just used Synaptic to install the version of MythTV that is available as a Ubuntu supported package and things went fine.
   
   Well worth the money and highly recommended.



5. Look, I'm not going to say that these guys didn't try, or that this is a cynically written attempt to cash in on something, but this book is as close to worthless as I can imagine.
   
   Now, again, this is not entirely the authors' fault. MythTV is highly dynamic. What's true today isn't true tomorrow. I'm a journeyman MythTV builder, and a lot of what I've learned in the painful progress I've made simply does not apply any more.
   
   That said, a lot of stuff =hasn't= changed, and it's here where the book falls apart. They should have started with the basics of content flow, i.e., where is the media coming from? Because that's the first thing you need to know before you even decide if MythTV is right for you. (Over the air content, for example, is easily handled by Myth, while controlling a set-top box from a cable, satellite or fiber optic company is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.)
   
   While support has been added since this book was written, the stuff they actually did mention that has been part of MythTV since its incpetion is not well covered. For example, to set up your MythTV backend, you have to select from various capture card types. There are V4L, MPEG2, DVB, etc.--how about explaining what these are? No explanations is the norm, and when there is an explanation it's often simply restating the on-screen text without actually clarifying.
   
   Six months of having this book and I've never once found an answer to a question I had. Now, I don't go looking for product specific stuff, because (as I said) there's no way they could cover that, but just basic joints and cogs and so on.
   
   See, the thing about MythTV is that if you have just the right hardware and a simple enough setup, it might take you fifteen minutes to set up. If you don't, it could take you weeks to set up, or you might never be able to do it.
   
   To be useful, this book really should have explored =how= to troubleshoot. They couldn't do the actual troubleshooting for you--there are too many things that can go wrong--but they could tell you about the utlities and hardware settings that allow you see where your problems lie.
   
   Maybe they just didn't have the space. But, as I say above, it makes the book almost completely worthless.

4 comments about The ThoughtWorks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers).

1. This is a terrific book loaded up with 13 short, concise, golden essays from ThoughtWorks leaders like Martin Fowler, Neal Ford, etc. Each topic covers something pretty vital for those of us who care about being somewhere near the top of our chosen craft. Topics include solving the "last mile" problem between development and release, Ruby DSLs, polyglot programming, single-click deployment, and a bunch of other great reads. Each article is extremely well-written and useful, but I found a subset of the book particularly compelling.
   
   Unfortunately, I only heard parts of Neal Ford's "Polyglot Programming" at his keynote at CodeMash 2008. I was thrilled to get to read his article in this book on how to leverage different languages on the same platform to solve different problems.
   
   Jeff Bay's piece "Object Calisthenics" strongly reminded me of the glorious work The Practice of Programming from Kernigan and Pike in its emphasis on clean, simple, clear code. I'm all fired up to refresh my coding practices with Bay's exercise using nine points for pushing yourself into writing better object oriented code.
   
   "Refactoring Ant Build Files" from Julian Simpson, along with Hatcher's Java Development with Ant, should be mandatory reading for anyone dealing with build files -- regardless of what build environment you're using.
   
   Other big winners for me were the testing articles by Kristan Vingrys and James Bull, Dave Farley's work on one-click release, and Stelios Pantazopoulos's article on project vital signs. Of course, the remaining articles are also winners, it's just that these six or so really struck home with me.
   
   Overall it's a fantastic work and I'm really glad I've got it on my bookshelf!



2. I feel that every techie should take a step back once in a while and reflect on their profession. The ThoughtWorks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation by ThoughtWorks, Inc. is one of those books that helps lead you down that path. While there are some good reads in here, the "level of resonance" will likely depend on your language of choice and development methodology...
   
   Contents:
   Solving the Business Software "Last Mile" by Rog Singham and Michael Robinson
   One Lair and Twenty Ruby DSLs by Martin Fowler
   The Lush Landscape of Languages by Rebecca J. Parsons
   Polyglot Programming by Neal Ford
   Object Calistentics by Jeff Bay
   What Is an Iteration Manager Anyway? by Tiffany Lentz
   Project Vital Signs by Stelios Pantazopoulos
   Consumer-Driven Contracts: A Service Evolution Pattern by Ian Robinson
   Domain Annotations by Erik Doernenburg
   Refactoring Ant Build Files by Julian Simpson
   Single-Click Software Release by Dave Farley
   Agile vs. Waterfall Testing for Enterprise Web Apps by Kristan Vingrys
   Pragmatic Performance Testing by James Bull
   
   Based on the type of work that ThoughtWorks does and their development methodology, you'll understand and relate a lot more to the material if you're into things like agile development, Ruby, Ant, and other various open source software offerings. Granted, the argument could be made that *everyone* should be using those things, but the reality is that there are plenty of developers who don't or can't for various reasons. But once you get past that point, there's plenty of material here that should get you to think a bit... Lush Languages does a great job in turning the Java vs Ruby argument into one where you're considering multiple language options based on the problem domain. Polyglot Programming is also very insightful, as it addresses the use of multiple languages within a single project so that you can get the best of all possible worlds. If they are all running under the same JVM, there's few reasons not to take advantage of the various strengths. I also enjoyed the Object Calisthenics entry, as the exercises force you to rethink program design without resorting to techniques that can get out of control very quickly. Many of the other chapters are a bit more focused on topics that might or might not work for you if you're not already using that software/approach. You can always dig out one or two items that are not specific to the tool (as in development tool programming should fall under the same level of control and planning as production code), but you have to work a bit harder to get there.
   
   If you're into the particular tools outlined here, by all means get the book and read it. If you're not at that spot for whatever reason, it's still worth reading. Just be prepared to work a little harder and/or realize that some of the chapters just won't do much for you.



3. One nice thing about collections of short pieces is that you can work your way through them in any order and only read ones that look interesting without worrying about missing crucial information. That's how I read this book, and I enjoyed most of the selections I read. I thought that the one on OO coding was great as it had good concrete exercises to help folks go down that road.
   
   Recommended.



4. This book is packed with realworld knowledge and experience, written by people who have more than earned their title of expert. It covers many aspects of the software development world and adresses issues that you have most likely run into at some point, or are about to run into. Being able read how the experts deal with these things is very interesting indeed, it can either give you new ideas to better handle the issues, or it can be a confidence boost to see that the experts do things the same way as you.
   
   For me, the part about the Iteration Manager and the performance testing were particularly interesting because I've had quite a few problems with this in the past.
   
   Keep it up Thoughtworks!

5 comments about Extreme Programming Adventures in C# (DV-Microsoft Professional).

1. This is a hard-to-come-by book. I think it's especially useful for someone programmed for less than 10 years or not ever get trained by computer science. The book uses C# which I am very happy with, but it's more like "Extrme Programming Adventures" in any lanaguage.
   
   I learned a lot from the technique delivered by the author, ex. test,test,always write a test before coding (Don't be lazy,it'll bite u back sooner or later if you don't). I can't appreciate this more after three days of practicing that I feel more comfortable to continue my three and half year fluid dynamics project now. Before doing this, I do test but I always test in "kinda of" state. Check it out, see if you code in that state, lol.
   
   Futhermore, the way to write test for GUI application enlightens me too, 'cause I never actually write test for GUI and don't know how. If you have the same problem, the book has a solution for you.
   
   Personally, the nice thing about the book is that the way he wrote the book makes me think he's no better than me when he's coding :) XP is not about how to design and setup the project( which I thought what it was, maybe there's another book for this), but several ways that can help you to code with more confidence without being a master.



2. I like Ron's writing style, but the code samples in the book bore only superficial relationship to the text. I expected to be able to sit down with this book and follow along, but I could not because the disconnect between code and text was so great that I couldn't bear to read any further. The book sits, unfinished by me, which is fitting since it was left unfinished by Ron and the publisher.



3. Ron Jeffries has been in the industry far longer than many, and his deep and personal insight is very valuable to the modern programmer.
   
   This book is not about source code. It's marginally about a software project. It's about the process of making decisions, developing habits, coping with personal style, knowing one's shortcomings, and listening to intuition. It reveals the mind of a master craftsman plying his trade.
   
   Ron is kind enough to provide a constant stream of knowledge gems in the form of "soundbyte" tips and literature references. Cull it for the bibliography alone and you'll get your money's worth.
   
   Mr. Jeffries makes programming a human task. How many of us have been asked to develop something far beyond our knowledge using previously unknown tools? I believe programmers who read this book will gain confidence and pride in their trade.



4. I noticed that one reviewer below had issues with the code matching the text. I will start with saying this is sometimes true. Some things were not exactly as the text assumed them to be if you were typing in text as you went along. Now, let me say that none of the omissions were that horrific. I actually learned a lot from figuring out how to get the code to compile and get all of the tests to pass even when the in-text code wasn't as it should have been. I learned a bit about internal C# structure this way as well. I should note that this was also my first exposure to C# as well. But I do have a few years of C and java under my belt (I skipped C++, why go partially OO? ;). And none of the code is really disconnected as the previous reviewer implied. The only disconnects I noticed were those between code previously written and the current code in some sections of the book. The examples always matched the narrative.
   
   All that being said, as Mr. Cabral pointed out, the book is not about the code. It is about a process and methodology. And it covers that material thoroughly and amiably. Mr. Jeffries' writing style makes you feel like he's sitting with you over coffee relating a tale about some issues he had on a road trip. You could almost call the book, "Zen and the Art of Test Driven Development."
   
   All in all, I highly recommend the book. And I highly suggest the other reviewer pick the book back up and work through it. It's worth it. Don't even worry about the code. Learn the process.
   
   The only reason I don't give the book five stars is that the code issues weren't intentional. I might leave the code as it is but note the omissions and leave them as exercises for the reader if they so desire.
   
   However, to Mr. Jeffries, I took copious notes in the book and saved versions using SVN as I worked through the code. So if you want the notes and/or the archive let me know - kevin dot gp at gmail.



5. I was coming back to Amazon to order a copy of this book to have with me at my new company. I read this book a few years back and I wanted some help explaining the vision of unit testing and agile development to my new team. This book was more an inspiration to me to write better code and be more agile in my methods than it was a learning tool for either the C# language or an XML publishing tool. I am disappointed at some of the negative reviews because those readers obviously bought the book for the wrong reason.
   
   Perhaps it is important for people to understand that this book will not teach you C# and the author has no intention of being the C# expert (at least not in this book). The point is not to teach you how to write C# code or use the .net libraries effectively. The point is to teach you extreme programming from one of the experts.
   
   In this book Ron lets you pair program with him as he attempts to write some new software that he needs. The software could be anything and for anyone. What he does well is develop the software quickly and with good clean code. He teaches you how to refactor and why. He teaches you how write unit tests and provide good test coverage for your application. He teaches you to write the right features and build software that will make your customers/clients happy. I would highly recommend developers that want to get into agile software development to read this book.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself Active Server Pages 3.0 in 21 Days (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. Excellent stuff if you are a beginner.
   For advanced junta, there are other hard-core books on ASP, forget this one.

   Actually this book is only for beginners. If you know nothing about ASP then this one is for you. I am not sure that you will be able to do any advanced scripting with this one, but if you are a newcomer to scripting world or ASP then this is the ultimate choice.

   Everything is explained in a simple manner. Starting from the basics of ASP to VBScript, Objects - Session, Server etc, File System Object and to Databases, everything is explained keeping "beginners woes" in mind.
   There are lots of examples that help you to grasp the VBScript and ASP.

   Must buy for a beginner.

   If you want to enter ASP, then this is the first step. GO GET IT !!!.




2. If you don't have any Visual Basic experience and/or much web development experience and you're looking for a book to get you in the door to ASP 3.0, this is the book for you. However, if you have a fuller programming background, you may find it tediously repetative and lacking in full scope coverage. For instance, there is no space given to handling XML.
   
   On the bright side, I found it pretty easy to breeze through sections where I had familiarity.



3. 
   ...and a great reference for the advanced programmers.
   
   This was the first ASP book I bought when I began to learn the language two years ago. It has an excellent tutorial methodology to it which is very easy to comprehend. It is also well written by two guys that know what they're talking about! (You can visit their web site at 4guysfromrolla.com)
   
   Even though I have since purchased several other books on the subject (hoping to expand my knowledge base), I continue to find myself referring back to this one. Granted, this book is certainly not the be-all for Active Server Pages, and I have not found one that is, however, it is by far the one to begin with and hang on to.
   
   FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY! I definitely recommend this book!



4. nice contents catch me the right knowledge on how to become a asp.developer as time goes by on my training about active server pages before taking an certification exam.



5. I wish more Programming books were as good and easy to understand. This is a must read book if you are new to ASP, both beginner and Programmer-new to ASP.
   
   If you have problem understanding the first few chapters, go pick up Sams teach yourself ASP in 24 hours and then come back to this book.

5 comments about Java Developer's Guide to Eclipse, The (2nd Edition).

1. The book is very good. The problem is the examples. The examples are all heavily loaded and compounded. Like when you want to learn a certain type of a tree, instead you will be put into a dense forest and lost totally. I do not recomend the beginner to start with this book. I want the author to redesign the examples so that the topic be focused.



2. The book composes of 6 parts.
   
   Part 1 fouces on how to use the Eclipse IDE. The authors do a good job in explaining how to use the Eclipse IDE. Once a while, you will pick up some tricks that you will find extremely useful. Unfortunately, it also explains things that seems obvious from the UI perspective. In short, you read through 10 lines to get one line of useful information.
   
   Part 6 are the exercises that illustrates some simple concepts discussed in the previous section. That part does a pretty good job also.
   
   The other 4 parts discuss how to extend Eclips IDE and to write Rich Client application. Unfortunately, the authors fail miserable in organizing the information. I am expecting the authors will first explain the basic concepts and then start with some simple application and then build on that.
   
   Unfortunately, the first few chapters in those parts does a very poor job to give you a comprehensive overview. Then the authors will get into details that will make you completely lost. The worst part is that when they are getting into details, the section will fill with a lot of "forward looking" statements like do not worry about some details which will explain in later chapter. Sometimes, you will find that if they reverse the order of the chapters, it may be easier for you to understand.
   
   This book definitely needs a better Editor to make the information more coherent, and to condense the information better. The authors should re-organize the chapters/information to start from building a simple application with a window compose of a few views and some manual items.



3. Like many others I wanted to extend Eclipse so I can be more productive. Unfortunately I found this book to be poorly written and the technical details vague. I know what I want to do, but the book (over 1000 pages) does not show me how?!
   
   It explains the Eclipse architecture and idea goals which is fine but is repeated over and over again in various chapters of the book. I also could not get a handle on how it can be applied. This is not a practical guide to Eclipse. It is more about Eclipse's internal design which for most people is a waste of time. The online documents are more useful.
   
   Note the book is also out of date. I tried to follow some of their sparse examples, but I quickly realized it's a waste of time because I have the latest Eclipse 3.11 installed and the examples were for Eclipse 3.0 and the menu options and API have changed. All in all, this book was a real let down.



4. The first edition was simply great. Not only that it was the first book to describe how to write an Eclipse plugin, it still would be the best -- if Eclipse had stand still. The second edition is not too bad. But the chapter on writing a text editor plugin is so superficial that it could have been left out. Where the first edition described in (necessary detail) how to write a text editor plugin, the second edition just roughly describes the concepts, but no API usage, no example in the book's text. The code on the accompanying CD is somewhat better, but now (2006) partially out of date as well. So if you want to write a text editor, there currently is no book or article I am aware of, that really helps you. You have to dig through existing code and try to find out for youself, why things are as they are.
   
   Finally, the first part of the book on how to use Eclipse could have been removed (~20% of the book) and the chapters on how to write plugins should have been enhanced.



5. The reason this book gets both great and lousy reviews is that Eclipse is such a huge subject. The writing of Eclipse plug-ins is simply a larger subject than any reasonable book can cover. If the topics that the authors chose to cover happen to align with the ones you personally need, then the book is excellent, but if they don't align, the book isn't going to help you much. Part I (six chapters) covers using Eclipse to write programs. Part II (seven chapters) covers the fundamentals of Extending Eclipse with plug-ins. Part III (9 chapters) covers plug-ins in more depth. Part IV (5 chapters) covers extending Eclipse with new tools for the IDE. Part V (6 chapters) covers assorted extra topics, such as OLE and Active X integration and performance tuning. Part VI is a set of nine farily detailed exercises (with source code on the provided CD).
   
   This book is not an overview, the authors opted instead to cover certain topics in pretty good depth. This aproach is good for those already aware of the basic concepts, but will be confusing for noobies (which I was when I first got it). I suggest that those new to Eclipse plug-in development start with a good overview (such as _Eclipse 3 for Java Developers_ by Daum) before switching over to this book for more detailed descriptions.
   
   This book doesn't cover the Eclipse Modeling Framework or the Eclipse Graphical Editing Framework, probably because each of these is a book in itself. This book is also light on its coverage of SWT and JFace, which you will need to be familiar with to develop your own plug-ins (again, a book-length subject in its own right). You will also want to be thoroughly familiar with Java Design Patterns and best practices, since Eclipse uses practically every design pattern you've ever heard of.
   
   While there have been changes to Eclipse since the Second Edtion came out, I was able to figure it out and map between the examples in the book and Eclipse 3.2.1 without too much trouble.

No comments about Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Administration.

4 comments about Programmable Logic Controllers.

1. The text used in conjunction with the accompanny study guide were required text for an automation and control class. No errors noted, very easy and comprehensive reading. An excellent reference manual. One of the best required text books I have used.



2. I have used this text in our PLC class for three years. I really like that it is specific to Allan Bradley products. The workbook that goes with this text has programming assignments to reinforce the concepts. As I train on AB SLC500s exclusively, it is almost ideal. I say almost becaue there are many references to obsolete instructions used with a PLC no longer manufactured. It is due for a new edition. But until then, it remains a very good text to teach from, or if you simply want to know more about the subject.



3. Not a bad reference for most users. It is a little basic and some of the info is dated. It's a little weak in more advanced areas like indiredt addressing, use and construction of subroutines, but otherwise this is a good book to keep in a general library for technicians responsible for supporting PLC based systems.



4. This publisher states items included in the purchase on the back cover but does not deliver.

4 comments about The Financially Confident Woman: The Least Every Woman Needs to Know to Manage Her Finances and Prepare for the Future.

1. Mary really gave me hope! I thought this was just for women but discovered what she had to say applied to both me AND my wife. This book is a real answer to prayer and has given us a great leap forward down the road to getting out of debt...once and for all! Waytago, Mary! Hope you sell a million copies! -RPR, Franklin, TN



2. I found this book to be extremely helpful and informative. Mary Hunt offers practical advice in a manner that makes you feel like you're listening to advice from a good friend or relative who has been through it all. She also made me feel like I wasn't a freak for having bad financial habits but that I needed to learn how to break them. For those of you out there who are compulsive spenders (like myself), this book is a great way to start getting on the right financial track.



3. I'm a HUGE Mary Hunt fan... her cheapskate lifestyle and debt-proof way of life has completely turned my finances around for the best! I've read nearly all of her books and love them so much I am quick to buy many copies and give them to others... EXCEPT THIS ONE. As a feminist, I found this book enormously patronizing. I felt that when she generalized women's spending habits, she made grossly inaccurate assumptions like I don't understand how a credit card works. If you don't know how a credit card works, read this book! I do not recommend this book unless you are a woman completely clueless about money. If you consider yourself financially savvy and trying to gain more tools, go with "The Complete Cheapskate." If you're married and trying to get a debt-proofed life, go with "Debt-Proof Marriage..." "The Gourmet Cheapskate" is also incredible! I also highly recommend her cheapskatemonthly.com newsletter, but the books are better if you're trying to make a personal change in your life with your finances. Good luck!



4. Written by Mary Hunt - the editor and founder of the Cheapskate Monthly - the Financially Confident Woman is a quick read with lots of sound ideas for stretching a dollar and establishing financial independence. Pertinent scriptures are quoted for inspiration and motivation.
   
   This short book is a great gift idea for women trying to take charge of their finances and clear their financial clutter. It also works out as a nice "bathroom" book - there is one tip per page, so it makes for easy browsing.
   
   The advice is perfect for helping anyone create new money-related behaviors. Again, nothing too outrageous, but nice reminders just the same.

5 comments about Mastering Algorithms with Perl.

1. As a guy ( engineer not computer expert ) who uses computers everyday to help his research, I would steer you away from using Perl for any task involving mathematical concepts more complicated than addition/subtraction/multiplication and addition.

   I heard this same advice before buying this book and ignored it, I really wish I had listened back then.

   While MAP has some nice pictures which broadly describe the essential concepts, it will give you no idea as to how to actually implement those ideas. Further, all the code is available in CPAN ( If you don't know CPAN, check it out before going any further - at the very least install a module ) and much ( at least what I attempted to use ) appeared to be broken.

   Authors of computer books are usually good about answering e-mail but these authors did not deign to respond to mine.

   If you are out there, struggling to learn algorithms, I would suggest taking a good computer course on the subject. I'm 99% certain the course will be taught in C/C++ or similar language -these languages have tremendous advantages over Perl when it comes to data structures and, believe me, even as a novice I've come to appreciate them...

   If you really know algorithms and wish to write a few in Perl, you can do without this book. Pick up Deitel & Deitel's 'Perl: How to Program' instead or O'Reilly's basic book ( which is good, but I prefer Deitel and Deitel ) ....besides D&D answer their e-mail.




2. This book is a great book, not only on the subject of algorithms, but also on how to implement them in Perl. A huge number of topics are covered, from Data Structures, to Searching/sorting, to cryptography, and much more. And what I found to be among the most useful additions was that for every subject, they give you a full implementation on the subject. I've read a few books on algorithms, but this is one of the most easy to read, and definitely one of the most practically useful. Recommended for any Perl programmer, regardless of skill.



3. Klowledge of algorithms and data structures is vital for effective programming, and Perl is one of the most popular programming languages around, so this book fills a long-needed niche.
   
   If you've ever looked at "Introduction to algorithms " by Cormen et al (CLR), this book will look familiar. It covers many of the topics covered in CLR, though not in such theoretic depth. It does, however, have mountains of Perl code implementing those algorithms.
   
   This book can seemingly have two purposes - one is to learn algorithms (as the title suggests), and the other is to understand the implementation of algorithms in Perl.
   
   IMHO, the authors fulfilled the second part quite well. For the first part, CLR is a excellent book and is hard to better. I don't think "Mastering algorithms" explained the topics in a clear enough way to compete with CLR, but it can indeed be a terrific companion to CLR (get the first edition, used copies cost pennies). Read about the algorith m in CLR, understand it from the pseudo-code and diagrams, then take "Mastering algorithms with Perl" and learn the Perl implementation of the algorithm.



4. If you have ever studied algorithms and data structures, then balanced trees and O(N) notation may still be a painful memory. Also, part of Perl's strength is in its built in parsing and sorting features so why would you need to know other ways of doing the same job? If your work does not challenge Perl's features then you probably do not need this book. However, if you have no computer science background and Perl is your language of choice then this book requires serious consideration.
   
   The book is concise and the advice given in concepts like choosing an appropriate data structure or in benchmarking your program is actually quite sound. It covers a wide number of topics such as sorting, searching, sets and matrices together with material you may not find in a data structures book like geometry, cryptography and statistics.
   
   Your choice depends on the task at hand. If you're looking for a Perl book where you can find routines to encrypt a string or find the maximum distance between two points then this book will not disappoint. Indeed, I believe that anyone serious about programming would benefit greatly from some of the Computer Science subjects discussed and implemented in Perl that are offered in this book.



5. This is a very accessible introduction to data structures and algorithms in Perl. It doesn't go into a lot of theory, it isn't going to answer your computer science homework, but it does give a good feel for the various applications of algorithm research.
   
   Plus, the code is all in Perl, which is not as unreadable as received wisdom asserts. It's certainly more accessible for the interested Perl-savvy amateur than the pseudocode in Introduction to Algorithms.
   
   Obviously, you're going to have to move onto the likes of Cormen et al, if you're really serious about this stuff. And practically speaking, yes, most of this can be found in CPAN without you having to worry your pretty little head about the mechanics. If just getting something done is your main concern, then this is not the book for you.
   
   Plus, it must be admitted that the level of detail varies across the chapters, and some of the explanations can be opaque, even for the simple stuff. I felt I had to work unnecessarily hard to comprehend some of the material: the discussion of the A* algorithm, some of the tree-related algorithms and the section on compression all suffered from this to varying degrees. This is the sort of book which requires concentration (plus copious scrap paper for scribbling down arrows and boxes) to get anything from.
   
   But to complain that Perl doesn't need you to write these data structures from scratch, and it isn't a suitable language for this sort of thing anyway, is to miss the point of at least part of the book. It's about communicating the intellectual pleasure of wrapping your head around these fundamental bits of computer science, and in that respect it succeeds admirably. If you're looking for an introduction to the area, this is definitely worth getting hold of.