No comments about Introduction to Logic Design, Second Edition.

4 comments about Fuzzy Sets and Fuzzy Logic: Theory and Applications.

1. The book presents the mathematical theory of fuzzy logic including theorems and demonstrations. There are one part of applications of this logic in many distint areas like engineering, medicine, economics and others.



2. George and Bo have been as thorough and lucid in preparing this book as well as George explicated systems thinking in the very first book of his I read, "An Approach to General Systems Theory." Here, as there, without compromising mathematical rigor, the goal of this book is to elaborate its subject matter in such a robust manner that it has multidisciplinary appeal. As always, the reader is given a flexible, almost interactive, access to the what, why and how of fuzzy thinking. Despite the exception taken by Professor Lotfi A. Zadeh, the "founder of fuzzy logic," the percipient reader will appreciate the authors' unusual association of "fuzzy measure," that is, the degree of belief that a particular element belongs to a crisp set, (not the degree of membership in the set), with Possibility Theory so as to clarify the differences between fuzzy set theory and probability theory. The illustrative applications are not only case studies that one may pick and choose from for examination and emulation but also constitute incontrovertible evidence of the successful and promising realization of the fuzzy paradigm. As a former professor of engineering at Rutgers University, I found the 79-page Instructor's manual helpful for self- or extended study and I assume it would be valuable for teaching. I have read many books on fuzzy logic and I judge this to be the most balanced to date, (early 1998), - not filled with C++ code or trying to sell a software package nor is it theoretically daunting - it is simply an inviting demonstration of how fuzzy logic clears up foggy modeling and analysis.



3. A comprehensive and authoritative presentation of developments in the mathematics of fuzzy systems theory over the past thiry years. While the basic mathematics are presented, this book is not for the casual reader, but for those seriously interested in fuzzy systems theory. If the reader does not have a good mathematical background, he or she will find this book tough going. Coverage of theoretical fuzzy concepts is quite complete, including theory of fuzzy sets, fuzzy arithmetic, fuzzy relations, possiblity theory, fuzzy logic and uncertainty-based information.

   The applications section presents theory which could be useful in applications rather than the applications themselves. References are given, but no distinction is made between theoretical work and real-world applications, and many of the references are old and out-of-date.

   For a reference book on fuzzy mathematics, this book is superb; as a pointer to real-world applications, it leaves something to be desired.




4. I would hesistate to give anything less than a 5 star review to anything on fuzzy set theory in the wide sense. Make no mistake reading this book is worth your time. Yet, some significant problems do exist with this text.
   First off, read the proofs in this carefully and figure out if they do work. Klir and Yuan know that appealing to contradiction in theorem proving doesn't often work out in fuzzy theory. Yet, they go ahead and use it almost recklessly. One example is their proof on fuzzy numbers that says that they are all continuous on pages 99 to 100. After about a full, condensed page of mathematical reasoning they say that left fuzzy numbers are continuous from the left and that right fuzzy numbers are continuous from the right. After their supposed "proof" they claim that "The implication of Theorem 4.1 is that every fuzzy number be represented in the form of (4.1)." 4.1 shows a discontinuous fuzzy number. A jump discontinuity to speak more specifically. Consequently, their supposed "theorem" doesn't exactly work as a "theorem". Perhaps I misunderstand and they have some different idea of continuity. I don't get it though and neither does any other mathematician, as any break in a function whatsoever means discontinuity.
   More interestingly, some of their axioms for fuzzy set don't hold. For instance, on page 62 Axiom i1 (i for intersection) says that i(a, 1)=a, which they label as the "boundary conidition." This does hold for drastic products. However, it doesn't hold for all fuzzy intersections. As Buckley and Eslami point out the axioms or necessary conditions for fuzzy intersections work out as "(1) 0<=a, b<=1 and i(a, b) is in
   [0, 1]; (2) i(1, 1)=1; and (3) i(0, 1)=i(1, 0)=i(0, 0)=0." Consquently, (ab)/max{a, b, .5} qualifies as a fuzzy intersections. Here i(.6, .4)=.24/.6=24/60=2/5=.4
   I don't exactly mean the above to significantly downgrade the work of Klir and Yuan. Their collection of papers of Zadeh does have signficant value, even if it costs a lot. The sheer enormity and very comprehensive nature of this quasi-encyclopedia makes it worth the read. The problems are interesting and challenging, if you choose to do them. I do appreciate the authors mentioning that the problems are meant to enchance the reader's understanding. That Klir and Yuan provide a comprehensive bibliography and consulted many, many original papers before and while writing their text alone indicates they do know something and did some thinking here. Their graphs do help to illustrate their ideas. So, I do advise that you read the book. Just read carefully.

1 comments about Google Apps Administrator Guide: A Private-Label Web Workspace (Google Apps).

1. I thought there would be move about getting Google Apps setup to run in my web site (not just Google's). I also thought the negative tone about Google and their services was just a little out of place. Sure, somethings don't work quite right yet, but I bought the book in hopes that the author knew the magic answers. Instead I felt despair. But most of the book was a good reference and well presented

4 comments about Software Measurement and Estimation: A Practical Approach (Quantitative Software Engineering Series).

1. I've been working on a web application project. I needed to analyze and estimate the reliability of my project. Using the techniques presented in this book (especially chapter 7 - Defects and Defect Metrics), I was able to predict the reliability of my project. Starting at the beginning of the project, I used my history data from other projects for calculations. As I progressed to the test phase (I used incremental model), I was able to estimate the reliability based on the defects collected during the testing phase. I highly recommend this book especially if you are software engineering major.



2. I bought this book after going through the Table of Contents. After reading some chapters, I am convinced that it is a good buy. The book is written in a simple language and is well structured with good examples thrown in. I found the chapters 'Measuring Size' and 'Estimating Effort' especially well presented. The References listed at the end of the chapters is extremely useful and allows one to explore certain topics in greater detail.
   
   One drawback is that the problems listed at the end of the chapters do not have solution key and the FTP site is not available despite the claim on the front cover. The good news is that one of the authors (Linda) emailed me to state that creating the FTP site was her next project !!!
   
   Overall, an excellent book on a yet to be fully understood software engineering topic.



3. This is the probably the first book to contain most of the information I needed know about Software Measurement and Estimation in simple and easy to understand language. It contains excersises to practice what you have learned. Overall an Excellent book. Well written Linda. Thanks



4. It is amazing how much information could be packed into a book of only 250 pages (approximately). This is probably the best book one can currently buy for a good introduction to software measurement and estimation. It is both a guide for students as well as a reference for software measurement practitioners. The book contains small imperfections that can be fixed and by no means reduce its value. They will certainly be corrected in a future edition. Comments below:
   
   - Chapter 1 / Section 1.4 about the CMMI mentions the Project Planning and Project Monitoring and Control process areas (PAs) but fails to mention the Measurement and Analysis process area - that has everything to do with the book's theme.
   
   - Chapter 2 provides a short (and good) description of the GQM (Goal/Question/Metric) approach but fails to mention the PSM (Practical Software & Systems Measurement) methodology, even though the PSM book is listed as reference [3] at the end of the chapter. Also, Section 2.3 is titled "Method 3: Standards Driven Metrics" but does not mention the ISO/IEC 15939 standard (Software Engineering - Software Measurement Process), which is related to the CMMI Measurement and Analysis PA and also to the Practical Software & Systems Measurement initiative. Any book on Software Measurement should cover the ISO/IEC 15939 standard.
   
   - Chapter 3 contains a very good explanation of measurement scales, measures of central tendency, measures of variability, measurement errors, accuracy, and precision.
   
   - Chapter 4 is about software sizing. Even though the coverage is very good, the chapter fails to inform the reader that 3 of the FSM methods - IFPUG, NESMA (Netherlands Software Metrics Users Association, not even mentioned), and COSMIC have become ISO standards. It should also be said that IFPUG considers the Value Adjustment Factor optional since 2003. The main IFPUG Function Point reference, the Counting Practices Manual, is not listed as a reference at the end of the chapter.
   
   - Chapter 5 features a good introduction to complexity measures, including McCabe's cyclomatic complexity, Halstead's measure, and the Agresti-Card-Glass system complexity metric. Object-oriented design metrics are also covered in this chapter. The author explains those measures very clearly including examples.
   
   - Chapter 6 is about effort estimation. Again the author provides excellent and comprehensive explanations of several estimation models, such as expert opinion (including Delphi), benchmark data, analogy, proxy points, custom models, and algorithmic models. On page 96 the author directs the reader to reference [10] for the IFPUG website. As it turns out, reference [10] on page 116 points to the website of a consulting company. It would be nice to have this fixed in the next edition of the book. On page 104 COCOMO II is mentioned but the example on page 105 uses COCOMO 81. The reader should be aware that COCOMO 81 has been replaced by COCOMO II. On page 106 some estimation tools are listed, namely COCOMO, SPR, and Checkpoint. COCOMO itself is not a tool so it would have been better to use the USC COCOMO II free tool as an example, as well as commercial tools such as COSTAR and Cost Xpert. SPR is listed as a tool when it is actually a company that used to sell the Checkpoint tool that has been replaced by KnowledgePlan.
   
   - Chapter 7 provides the reader with a very good introductory treatment of defects. Figure 7.6 on page 122 depicts a size-defect relationship that has been "linearized" through the use of a log-log scale. That should be clearly explained (the text refers to the relationship as linear). Overall this is an excellent chapter.
   
   - Chapter 8, 9, and 10 are, respectively, about reliability, response time and availability, and measuring progress. They are all very good and I can only recommend them. Excellent explanations and references.
   
   - Chapters 11 and 12 - Outsourcing and Financial Measures - seem a little displaced in this book, even though they can still be useful for students.
   
   - Chapter 13 on Benchmarking is perhaps too short to give the theme a fair treatment.
   
   - Chapter 14 on Presenting Metrics to Management is very interesting and potentially useful to measurement analysts. The author teaches the reader how to create a dashboard for all metrics to be viewed as a whole.
   
   What I like about this book is that it deals with the most important topics of software measurement and estimation without being bulky or tedious. The language is simple and keeps the reader interested throughout the 250 pages. Recommended.
   
   I hope this review helps potential readers as well as the author of this very good book.

5 comments about Beginning ASP.NET 1.1 E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional.

1. This is primarily a book about constructing an ASP.NET web site using stored procedures, and less a book about e-commerce. There are a few sections, mostly at the end, which are specific to e-commerce. These include the order processing pipeline chapter and the credit card transactions chapter.
   
   This is not to say the book is bad. It's very well written and the code is described step-by-step in detail. There could have been more emphasis on architecture, and a little more on e-commerce. I would also like to see some emphasis on the sticky legal issues like customer data management, password security, transaction security, and how and when to migrate the data off of the machines on the open Internet and back into safe storage on the Intranet.



2. I've used this book to construct my first e-commerce website, and I don't think I could have managed without it. The 3 tier design of the sample site is very well organised and easy to adapt to your own requirements. It also makes it simpler for a novice like me to understand how everything works. I found the second part of the book (dealing with the order pipeline and credit card transactions) harder to follow. However, when I contacted the authors about a problem I was having, I received a prompt and friendly reply that soon got me back on track. Thanks, Cristian and Karli!



3. This is an exeptionally well written book for the beginning webstore developer with
   
   It walks you through a complete design of the side with the end result that you have a basic webstore that you could actually take operational. The only weakness in the credit processing section. It's written for a European credit card gateway. It would be nice if one of the more popular US gateways (e.g. authorize.net) was also included.
   
   I also sent a couple of questions to the author and he was responded very quickly ... obviously he's interested in making sure everyone reading the book is successful. 5 stars for that alone.



4. This little book is chock-full of detailed explanations and examples of an e-commerce site built with ASP.net and an SQL database. It's simply the best and definitely most-used technical book on ASP.net I've picked up in the past 2 years! In addition to the detailed explanations, I especially like the lucid examples of creating and calling the SQL Stored Procedures. Learning by example seems to be the most effective way for this novice programmer to complete an e-commerce site, and this book has greatly reduced the amount of time it normally takes to scan through multiple sources of technical information when creating a complex application. Thanks to the authors, Christian Darie & Karli Watson, for providing a comprehensive resource!



5. I found this book to be extremely helpful in constructing an eCommerce site. It's a great book for an experienced VB developer to use to jump into developing an e-commerce site, even if you only go through the PayPal integration. It's also a great source of material on the construction of a shopping cart, and even if your "shopping cart" is only going to be used on a companie's intranet for product/supply request/issue, it's a great starting point. As a developer I can modify the business tier code to conform to my companies requirements and concentrate on the presentation layer.

No comments about Software Testing and Quality Assurance: Theory and Practice.

5 comments about Absolute Beginner's Guide to Databases (Absolute Beginner's Guide).

1. The book does contain SOME good information. That is as far as I will go. Every review failed to mention that the diagrams require a magnifying glass to read. I would assume that every reviewer had 20/20 vision but I know my wife does and she needed a magnifying glass to read the diagrams as well. It is littered with errors. One such is on page 63 "Did you notice relationship 5 is marked with an asterisk". I would like to know where the asterisk is, magnifying glass or not on any page. The book and reviews fail to spell out you better have Visio 2000 and Access 2000 to follow along. That aside from everything else the book never states that Visio 2000 and Access 2000 are what are used, it is assumed. You know what they say about assume. For a begginers book and the lack of editing I give it a "D". For general information about databases I give it a "C". I would say better luck next time but I would not drop another dime on a book written by this author. I hope he makes a better Attorney than an author.



2. This may be a good book, but after 50 pages and finding that I need Microsoft Access, as well as Visio to follow along, and then my Visio version doesn't have the required template...it is just a very frustrating book to get anywhere with. I'll keep trying, but this book just isn't for the beginner...sorry.



3. This won't necessarily be a book you look at much once you've digested its contents. What it does is outline basic database concepts using Access in its examples. You can use the book to get a basic Access database started, but don't rely on it if you're looking to create databases. Get an Access or database design book if that's your primary goal - IF, that is, IF you can make heads or tails out of most of what those books are talking about.
   
   What I love about the book is its dedication to simplicity: I looked all over the place for a book that outlined basic database concepts in an easy to understand manner, and found book after book that promised to be 0-60, and spent about, oh, 2 pages on the 0-10. Where's the core basics, guys? Answer: in this book. It'll getcha up to 10 MPH, and then you can move on to bigger and better stuff.
   
   After reading this book (and I had it bookmarked twelve ways come Sunday for about two months), I am finally ready to consider those more advanced books. I'm not a dummy, but sometimes a simple book is needed to bridge the gap between being a novice and being experienced. This was the book for me, and I highly recommend it to anybody who needs more than 2 pages of core database theory explanation. It's also easy to read and very user-friendly, by the way.



4. This is just what I was looking for, it's clear and covers the basics, the fourdational information about databases. I'm very pleased with the purchase.



5. If you are interested in learning about database client/server technology (SQL Server, MYSQL, Oracle, DB2, etc this book is probably not for you. If you want to learn SQL this book is probably not for you. This book does attempt to make clear the most basic database concepts. You must have MS Acess and Visio, though.

5 comments about Software for Use: A Practical Guide to the Models and Methods of Usage-Centered Design (ACM Press).

1. Perseverence is required, as the text is a little dry and verbose. However, there are too many leading edge ideas to score it other than full marks. Advances the state-of-the-art in systems engineering by promoting thorough requirements engineering using interaction neutral Essential Use Cases and then good quality Interaction Design as an integrated part of the lifecycle



2. I very much enjoyed Software for Use. When I got the book, I read it from cover to cover. Now, six months later, I still turn to it regularly as I develop use cases for our application - especially when I'm working on the user interface for each use case.

   You might expect that anything from Larry Constantine would be terrific and again he - this time with equally adept co-author Lucy Lockwood - hasn't let us down. SfU (as it seems to be called in the chat groups) addresses one of the most under-addressed issues in our industry: Why is so much potentially useful software in fact useless because of its appalling user interfaces?

   There are lots of valuable topics in this book. But probably the most valuable thing that I got from the book was a methodical approach to developing user interfaces, through the user role maps, task models, essential use cases, use case narrative, tools and materials and ... well, perhaps you should read the book!

   If you're in the mood for some edutainment (i.e. cheap laughs while learning something handy), read the section on Web wisdom. There you'll find some wonderfully silly interface designs to avoid on your next e-commerce project.

   Bottom line: I'll bet this book's on the way to becoming a classic. It's a "must read" for every software developer involved in any way with software that's meant to be used. And if you're actually charged with developing user interfaces, I'd say it's a "must own".




3. I have heard very good things about this book and I already own it for 6 months. Still I haven't been able to read more than the first 100 pages. I generally have no trouble reading books that are written in English but this one is extremely hard to read. The sentences are way to long and a lot of the used words are unknown to foreign people. I also feel that the information could be presented in a better way. I rate 2 stars because I like what I have been able to read.



4. For anyone in the business of delivering usable software, the book 'Software for Use' by Larry Constantine and Lucy Lockwood is a must addition to their personal library. This book is wonderfully written in a very readable format (as would be expected from usability experts).

   'Software for Use' embraces the key principles of usability in a very pragmatic way. The book is also 'in tune' with trends in the field of usability: moving to a more collaborative team model; addressing usability as a proactive design process rather than a reactive QA function; rethinking technology, tools, & techniques for the purpose of delivering user-centric software products - these are all fundamental aspects of how usability is maturing as a discipline.

   One of things I enjoyed most about the book, was its hidden gems of wisdom embedded in each chapter. For example, in discussing the issues of marketability versus usability, the authors offer this simple maxim: "Design for use; refine for sale.... It is almost always far easier to make a functional but unaesthetic system attractive, than to take an attractive but impractical system and make it work."

   If I had any criticisms about this book, there would be only one. As with many of today's practical guides, I find there is a recurring challenge with terminology. It is sometimes difficult to identify terms that are 'standard' versus those being introduced by the authors as new. As practitioners we rely heavily on the clarity of words to communicate tasks and deliverables. When applied terms are unfamiliar in context and origin, or they suggest double meaning, we introduce cost and confusion to the process of communication. This is not so much a criticism of the book as it is an observation of humankind, and our struggle to expand the English language.

   As the authors themselves note, 'usability is not rocket science,' but it takes time and effort to achieve. Usability needs to be experienced before it can be standardized within an organization. That is why 'Software for Use' is such a good book - it is an experiential guide.




5. First off, the information in this book is fantastic! I have attended lectures by Larry Constantine and as a professional software designer with 10 years experience myself I find his methods well grounded in the realities of building actual product. That said, this book has a major flaw. I completely agree with a prior review titled, "Why use 1000 words to explain that which could be done in 10?" This book is too wordy and poorly organized. It meanders about intermixing the mechanics of constructing design artifacts with anecdotes that are tangentially related. The book could be half as long and should separate overviews, details and examples. As stated by Constantine & Lockwood, software (or a technical book for that matter) is at it's core a tool. As a designer I want to be able to easily jump from big picture concepts to details to usage examples as needed. This book as currently organized makes that very difficult. So the information is great, but I would very much like to see this book re-edited and released as a thinner, more focused v2.0.
   
   I recommend checking out Constantine & Lockwood web site www.foruse.com for more distilled documents. Unfortunately that site has been "under construction" for quite some time (going on three years I think!!!). The result is it's not very up to date.

3 comments about Game Design: A Practical Approach (Game Development Series).

1. Computer games have changed dramatically over the past few years. Long gone are simple Pac-Man type games. Today's computer are vastly more powerful than the early PC's and competition has forced the gaming industry into every more sophisticated games. In addition to the powerful computers, extremely sophisticated software has come about to assist game development.
   
   As Mr, Schuytema says, however, the most powerful, the most important piece of software is your mind. The most powerful computers, the most sophisticated software don't have the crativity you have.
   
   All of the rest of this book then is on simply using the tools that are available to take your creativity and make it dance on the screen. It begins with the development of a plan. What is it that the game is supposed to do, what's the setting, the characters, what objects do these characters use: gun, bomb, chocolate bar?
   
   Then it goes into the tools that he recommends the starting designer to use, specifically the scripting language Lua. This is a simple to use, easy way to get started. You can certainly use it through the prototyping stage, at which time you may or may not need to go to something lower level like C++ or C.
   
   He develops a simple game through the book so that he can use Lua to illustrate what he is doing. A CD is included with the book that includes the game and a bunch of Lua software.



2. Paul Schuytema's GAME DESIGN: A PRACTICAL APPROACH is for new game designers as well as serious gamers who want to create their own. From beginning concepts that build a foundation of routines and knowledge to more advanced documentation on delivery systems, application, and using enhanced shareware (included), designers will find everything needed at all levels of the process, under one cover.



3. Gave me a head start on game design...I make cell phone games..Also goes into detail in concol and mmorpgs

1 comments about Pattern Oriented Software Architecture Volume 5: On Patterns and Pattern Languages.

1. I just saw that POSA5 does not have a review. It definitely deserves one, so here we go. In the spirit of full disclosure, I know Frank and Kevlin quite well through our work in the patterns community. But I am still entitled to my own opinions when it comes to book reviews!
   
   POSA5 is different from the other four POSA's. In a sense, it is a "meta" book, a book about patterns, rather than a book using patterns. In spirit it is closest to John Vlissides' insightful Pattern Hatching: Design Patterns Applied (Software Patterns Series), but on a somewhat grander scale.
   
   I have only read the first few chapers so far (the book is too heavy to carry around when I travel). Chapter 1 describes the evolution of an example pattern from an "OK" write-up to a rich, deep pattern. I love the example because the starting point is not even bad, but the end result is so much better. Later chapters in the book talk about relationships between patterns and pattern languages.
   
   Why another book on patters? When you look at the book shelves jock full with "patterns" books, you might get the impression that people have figured out how to write patterns. However, patterns have suffered a bit from their own success, having become a buzzword. "If you make it a pattern, people will take it more seriously" is often the attitude. But pattern != pattern. This book highlights what makes good patterns and pattern languages. It's a conceptual topic but the book uses a lot of examples. I wish the publishers could require every author who is sticking "Patterns" into their book title to read this book.
   
   Why only 4 stars? Because I have not finished reading yet. As in the stock market, uncertainty weighs. If it continues the way it starts, it'll certainly be 5 stars.