1 comments about Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with the Unified Process.

1. This book provides an excellent approach to OOAD. I still refer to it from time to time. As a System Analyst it has helped me through the years as a point of reference. It can be used in a classroom setting and also a real world setting, for an aspiring analyst and in the professional arena for a Professional Analyst.
   
   Personally i love it.

3 comments about Unleashing Web 2.0: From Concepts to Creativity.

1. This book is an excellent book on Web 2.0 technologies and how they can be used to provide value to users in a Web 2.0 world. The book is a light on technical (programming), but rich on concepts and the business side of Web 2.0. What makes this book useful is the fact that it reintroduces common concepts such as blogs in a way that an executive can understand and take advantage of. The first chapter discusses a brief history of the web. The second chapter goes into explaining what web technologies such as CSS and XML are and what a web service can do for a business. There are a few other very useful chapters in this book, but by no means you should stop your Web 2.0 quest with this book. This book's a great way to start your Web 2.0 journey and it even puts forth the notion of semantic web. But, once you figure out what area you want to concentrate on, I recommend getting a more comprehensive book on that specific topic.



2. I borrowed this book from someone who knows a great deal about web directions, and I found it to be very very good. Although the authors do not reflect the tsunamis being created by Doug Englebart (Open hypertextdocument system or OHS) and Pierre Levy (Information Economy Meta Language or IEML), this is a very elegantly organized and presented book.
   
   It forced me to question my here-to-fore blind expectations with respect to the Semantic Web where in practice the theory of seamless integration has not been realized. I was especially taken with the author's conclusion that we must continue to develop applications for smallish communities of practice where the human brain continues to be the primary searcher, sorter, and valuation or linkage agent.
   
   Jim Bamford's book on the National Security Agency (NSA), Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency, concludes that one day NSA may--after spending hundreds of billions more of our hard-earned wages, create the ultimate computer--one weighing very little, running on virtually no energy, and able to do petaflop calculations per second: THE HUMAN BRAIN.
   
   I am among a handful of co-founders of the Earth Intelligence Network, and I will conclude this very favorable review with my opinion: the World Brain is emergent, and it is the end-users, as the co-authorrs of this book conclude, that will continue to be the primary content creators, content sharers, and content valuators.
   
   As soon as China and India figure out they can create infinite wealth by handing out free cells phones and offering their respective 1.5 billion poor free information and education "one cell call at a time," it will be game over for both American and European digital ambitions.
   
   Machine learning has been over-hyped since the 1980's, and while I respect the computational mathematics being pioneered by Google, and various deep web or meta web endeavors, the reality is that search today stinks, yielding less than 2% of relevant information. I don't expect that to be resolved anytime soon. What I *do* expect is for humans empowered by relatively simple tools, to figure out how to do a national referendum from neighbood to nation=state, in 24 hours, and how to mobilize a public cabinet that posts a sensible slate of policies backed up by a balanced budget.
   
   See also:
   Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth
   Society's Breakthrough!: Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People
   How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
   Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century
   The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All
   The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
   Global Assemblages: Technology, Politics, and Ethics as Anthropological Problems
   Collective Intelligence: Mankind's Emerging World in Cyberspace (Helix Books)
   Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace



3. When I first heard the term "Web 2.0," I dismissed it as hype left over from the dotcom days. What I've learned since is that Web 2.0 is a phenomenon that has forever changed the way we use the Internet. And while the 'Net is constantly changing, Web 2.0 is definitely NOT hype and it's time we all learn to use Web 2.0 to the best of our abilities. What I like about this book is that the authors describe various Web 2.0 technologies like XML web applications, Rich Internet Applications (like Google online documents), Application Programming Interfaces (API's), Web procedure calls (WPC), Ajax client and server-side applications, metadata and the Semantic web.
   
   There's also items like blogs, wikis, and social networks. These are all explained in great detail in this book. There are also apps called "mash-ups." Before reading this book, I thought "mashups" were combinations of songs created by club DJs. Internet mashups aren't all that different combining different web programs to create something new and useful. RIA's have become quite popular. Think of Google online documents or spreadsheets.
   
   The book starts off with a brief history of the "browser wars" between Netscape and Microsoft, then discusses developments in web technology (HTML, XML, CSS, etc), along with the emergence of client and server side applications enabled by using JavaScript and PHP, and then goes in more detail about RIA's, mashups and the phenomenon called "tagging." Tagging consists of tags that contain information about a site, photo or link that can be used by others for a wide range of uses.
   
   There's also a chapter in the book devoted to the social implications of Web 2.0; items like business models and the social impact of online social networks like MySpace.
   
   The authors did a great job in describing their topic. I appreciated their detailed look at Web 2.0. It makes an excellent "starter" book on the subject.

5 comments about iPhone Open Application Development: Write Native Objective-C Applications for the iPhone.

1. Be warned this book is for unlocked iPhone application development only; not the official Apple iPhone SDK. If you are interested in hacking iPhones, this may be for you. But for most iPhone application developers, the material here will be of little use.



2. While this book was well written and informative, it is well past its prime now. Apple's Official SDK is no longer beta, and thrid-party apps are flowing on the AppStore. While there may still be a reason to jailbreak and write completely open and un-restricted apps, this book is still stuck way in the past. The v2.0 firmware has changed so radically that the examples and teaching in this book will only hurt the would-be developer.
   
   Wait for the new batch of books about the offical SDK coming out this fall, and in the mean-time check out a book on plain-old Objective-C instead.



3. As the other reviewers mentioned this book doesn't specifically talk about the Apple Official SDK, but ALOT of the information is the same. In fact there is no other source that you can find with such clean and simple instructions. Also, if you are planning on NOT using IB to make your UI this book is gold since that info is hard if not impossible to find.



4. This book was a life saver. A few months ago, when I first started coding for the iPhone, I had no clue what to do with anything. There was literally NO DOCUMENTATION whatsoever. However, this book make learning the iPhone's API a breeze. Since then, I've gone on to make several well known iPhone 1.x applications, including PocketTouch, FontSwap, and StatusStyle.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn how to start coding great applications for the iPhone.



5. Coming from a PHP world, Object-Oriented Programming can be difficult to wrap your mind around. Thankfully the introduction chapters here aren't too far overhead. OOP concepts are a must-have for modern programmers, and this book makes no contentions to teach you Objective-C directly. However, the author has included some good references to where you can take beginner OOP courses.
   
   Through the first year of iPhone's being and well into the pre-2.0 and post-2.0 environment, this book proves invaluable for its chapters on the UIKit, a large part of the API that is used to build graphical apps on the device. Extensive coverage of UIKit classes, as well as undocumented 1.0 enumerations for certain components makes this a frequent reader when you are getting started.
   
   The examples within the chapters cover just about anything you can think of doing with the UI, within reason. You will be able to confidently build apps that rival the ones included by Apple itself. Chapters on audio and graphics subsystems are as complete as could be at the time, and offer some examples that would be useful for game developers.
   
   Quirks about the Ojective-C language are briefly discussed, then wonderfully mastered and repeated frequently to drive the point home. Object delegates, high-level messging, inherritence; you will get a full course of modern OOP goodness.
   
   By the time you are done working with the chapter's examples you will feel like a million bucks. The iPhone platform is now your own lump of clay for you to mold and shape to your will. Couple this with some in-depth cocoa publications and you have the all the keys needed to swing the doors wide open. Feel smart, be informed and discover the tremendously versatile API that is iPhone OS.
   
   The 2.0 version of Apple software makes some important changes, but for the most part, this book is still very useful. Great for beginners -- even if you don't know OOP, you can learn from examples on the 'Net and be way very soon.

5 comments about Programming C# 3.0 (Programming).

1. This book is an easy read and is filled with good examples and explanations. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a basic knowledge of C#.



2. The book in not suitable to any level of devolopers. I think the book is just teaching syntax to Java programmers only. I will recycling my copy of the book. I do not feel good even selling it.



3. I wrote the first edition of Programming C# back when C# version 1 was first released. At the time we were among the first to introduce the idea of breaking a language book into three sections: (1) C# syntax and programming skills (2) applying C# to creating Windows and Web applications and (3) advanced topics (threading, etc.)
   
   Various editions have won numerou awards (VSJ Book of the Year, Amazon Editor's choice...) and at times the book has been the best seeling .NET book overall. I believe this is because I set out to tell the story of C# and how it fits in with creating real .NET applications; rather than creating yet another reference book. That is a commitment we've never lost sight of.
   
   C# 3.0 represents a significant maturation of the framework and the language and was released to coincide with a great expansion in the capabilities of .NET (e.g., the introduction of WPF, WCF, WF, Silverlight and much more).
   
   My decision was to tackle all of this across three books:
   
   1. A TOTAL revision of Programming C#, with a complete rewrite of both the existing parts and a concise but thorough explanation of the new language features such as LINQ. I also decided to maintain my commitment to placing the teaching of C# within the context of writing Web and Windows applications, so the appropriate chapters were added.
   
   Finally, we subjected the entire book (revised chapters and new) to the most rigorous technical review I've ever wittnessed. The review proces itself took months. Nothing was allowed to slip by. We were determined to get it right.
   
   2. I also participated in writing the forthcoming Programming .NET 3.5, a unified perspective on the new and emerging .NET technologies. Our goal is to provide a greater context for applying C# across many different kinds of applications.Programming .NET 3.5
   
   3. Finally, I'm pleased to say that I'm giving away a series of tutorials on Silverlight on the Microsoft Silverlight site ([...]) which you can read about on my blog ([...]) and I have started writing a new book, Programming Silverlight 2, that I hope to release this fall.
   
   THIS book, Programming C# 3.0, 5th edition, represents by far, the most extensive and compreensive revision I've ever undertaken; I would guesstimate that we put as much or more time into revising this book as we do into writing many first edition titles. Moreover it also represents 8 years of thinking about C# and how to use it effectively, how to implement best practices, and how to eliminate areas of confusion.
   
   I freely admit that to date, it is the book I am most proud of because it represents the kind of book I most like to learn from.
   
   Thank you.
   
   -Jesse Liberty



4. I respect Jesse for all that he's done to educate the masses in a wide variety of programming-related topics. But I'm not impressed with this book primarily because it is chock full of mistakes. A technical book that contains so many mistakes makes learning the language so much more difficult. I have found code snippets that don't even compile.



5. I think this book is a little conversational and a little too friendly for my needs. The examples are poor : Liberty Associates and let's do a web service which tracks MY book sales? I get tired of this, then noticed the second, third, and fifth editions are basically the same.
   
   I like the books like Nutshell and Cookbooks, that introduce the concepts piece by piece, with very good real-world examples.
   
   Save your money!

5 comments about Designing Forms for Microsoft Office InfoPath and Forms Services 2007 (Microsoft .NET Development Series).

1. Most of the InfoPath books out there do not address Forms Services like this book does. Even if you have never worked with InfoPath or Forms Services before in your life, this 1223 page book takes you from the very basic topics to the very advanced. What makes this book The Best is that it actually addresses most of the problems InfoPath developers face when developing and deploying forms, specially in a web/intranet environment. For anyone and everyone who is or wants to work with InfoPath 2007, I can't think of a better reference than "Designing Forms for Microsoft Office InfoPath and Forms Services 2007".



2. I've never written a review before, but I feel compelled. I'm in chapter 3. Don't be in a hurry; you might miss something very important buried in a page of text with little visual cues to lead you to it. Maybe the editors think if it looks more imposing and scholarly they can charge more for the book.



3. As many of the previous reviews before mine can attest, this is a great book and one of many other definitive Infopath reference-literature for someone needing to work with Infopath on an ongoing professional environment.
   
   What differentiates this book from others is its narrative.
   
   I have been reading IT technical books for 24 years now and very rarely I find a book so easy to follow.
   
   I didn't need that extra cafeine-hit to keep me awake after 20 minutes reading this book. I did need a PC beside me to practice what I was reading from time to time, and only because I like to bring thoughts come into life. However the book does enough on its own to keep you going without any yawns.



4. 21 chapters 1158 pages, explains the blueprint planning process required for building forms. (This design process is outstanding and teaches at a very user friendly, yet indepth level. The first 12 Chapters teaches just how InfoPath recieves, maintains, process XML Code from nodes /leaf nodes to XML files. Explains the Layout, adding controls, Data Source and Data source binding, Creating multi Views for printing and viewing information and lastly methods of deployment including security.
   InfoPath can now be tweaked for almost any "form" requirements you can think up and without the use of any code writing.
   But for you XML code wizards, Chapter 15,16 goes indepth on Event Bubbling, adding Password code, and many other XML code writing subjects including the use of Visual Studio. I myself found it to be useful knowledge, even if I never alter a line of code, though mostlikely I will.
   I would have to say this book covers every aspect of Form Design including E-Mail deployment, web deployment and lastly local server deployment.
   If you plan to build a InfoPath form, this book is a must have reference.
   Get out your highlighter though! (Better yet, make it two or three).
   Good work by both, Scott and Hagen, including the entire InfoPath team.
   Bill>"M"



5. we have several InfoPath developers books at my office and this is the only one people use. I don't think it's perfect, but it is by far the best you're going to find out there, so I'll give it five stars until something better comes along.

1 comments about Starting Out with Java: Early Objects (3rd Edition).

1. I teach AP Computer Science and recently looked at just about any book I could find for teaching Java. This book may appeal to those that want an early object approach and would like to put off any graphics until much later. This would also be a great book for self-study, as it turned out to be my personal favorite Java book for my own purposes.
   
   Here are some details:
   
   --The book does not rely on any publisher's software package--just the standard Java API (which is good, in my opinion).
   --The book does cover parts of Java not included on the AP test, but you can easily use this as an AP text.
   --Every example is a complete working program--so they can all be modified, altered, etc.
   --Each chapter ends with many review questions and a set of programming challenges.
   --Later in the book there is pretty good coverage of GUIs and Applets.
   
   This book is worth looking into. I haven't decided yet to adopt this book for my AP classes, but I'm close. The writing and presentation in this book appear to be much better than in any book specifically aimed at AP Computer Science classes.

5 comments about Object-Oriented Software Engineering: Using UML, Patterns and Java (2nd Edition).

1. The book is definitely a guide telling you how to do right thing in a right way. Good introduction to UML and show you how to prepare document for your customer.
   Highly recommend !!!



2. I'm currently following a Msc in Software Development in England. This book is very good. Finally an excellent source to go through in all its aspects. Examples as well as explanations are clear, sound, and solid. The book provides short, though detailed definitions that avoid verbose and useless comments. The book is guiding the reader through the explanation of how to carry out and accomplish a real project. What I mostly like is the heuristics given for identifing and setting forth all the artifacts needed during Requirements Elicitation and Analysis. Hat off to the authors of this great reference.



3. It is a highly readable book. The authors are good at explaining concepts with clarity.
   
   But the book is sloppy in any area that requires precision. They make no distinction of the four kinds of message sending in sequence diagrams. It is important for a UML user to differentiate synchronous, asynchronous, return and flat arrows. Otherwise a diagram will have different meaning. The authors use indiscriminately the notation of synchronous message when most of messages in their diagrams should be asynchronous.
   
   The coverage on OCL is even worse. More than half of the OCL constraints are wrong!!!
   
   You cannot rely on the corrections found on the authors' website because it only contains minor typos but misses the serious mistakes.
   
   Though it is more prescriptive than the standard software engineering books such as the ones by Pressman and Sommerville, I would NOT recommend its use as a textbook due to the many errors. I found "Object-oriented Systems Analysis and Design" by Bennett, McRobb and Farmer a better how-to book in software engineering.



4. This is NOT a book on Unified Modeling Language (UML). It's not a book on Object Constraint Language (OCL). It's also not a book on Capability Maturity Models (CMM), Class-Responsibilities-Collaborators (CRC) cards, Decision Representation Language (DRL), Extreme Programming (XP), Gantt charts, Issue-Based Information Systems (IBIS), Joint Appication Design (JAD), Key Process Areas (KPA), the Liskov Substitution Principle, Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural styles, Nonfunctional Requirements (NFR) Frameworks, Object Design Documents (ODD), PERT charts, the Questions-Options-Criteria (QOC) model, Requirements Analysis Documents (RAD), Royce's methodology, Software Configuration Management Plans (SCMP), System Design Documents (SDD), Software Project Management Plans (SPMP), the Unified Software Development Process, User Manuals, V-Models, Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), or any of the myriad other tools introduced in the book.
   
   This IS a book to introduce newly-minted programmers to the kind of things, tools, and processes they can look forward to (with either anticipation or dread) in the real world of software development. As the authors state on page viii of the Preface:
   
   "We have observed that students are taught programming and software engineering techniques in isolation, often using small problems as examples. As a result, they are able to solve well-defined problems efficiently, but are overwhelmed by the complexity of their first real development experience, when many different techniques and tools need to be used and different people need to collaborate."
   
   It's been many years since I was involved in major software development projects (and those were all in the military). But, this book seems to have covered everything that all new programmers need to know so that they aren't simply lost when they enter their first software project. The readers certainly won't be experts in the things covered, but they'll at least have a good grounding and be able to bootstrap themselves from there (especially since the authors provide "Further Readings" and a Bibliography at the end of each chapter). For instance, on page 71, under Further Readings, they list three works on UML: one of which is the 566 page official specification, "OMG Unified Modeling Language Specification."
   
   Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone who is just entering the software development world. I rate it at 5 stars out of 5.
   
   As a side note, Florida State University (FSU) uses this book in its COP 3331: "Object-Oriented Analysis and Design" course.



5. This is not the best. You can probably can get something else that it is not that heavy to read. No good for rookies.

2 comments about Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 with SP1: Tony Redmond's Guide to Successful Implementation.

1. Have Tony's 2003 SP1 and 2007 SP1 books. They were recommended to me by a former co-worker of his. Tony cuts out all the BS and get right to it. Few IT books capture my attention and leave me awake but Tony's words make it all easy to understand. I really enjoy the SCR section that is new to this edition and the Exchange world, he got really in depth with the dynamics and it shows that he knows how to make it work properly.
   
   In the beginning he stated that to cover all the new technology to E2K7 he would need a thousand more pages, and I am hoping he delivers another edition. Thanks Tony for making the new "complex" Exchange very understandable and giving real world best practices.
   
   -Justin Vashisht



2. Intersante información relacionada a casos practicos, es una guia completa para implementaciones y migraciones exitosas de Exchange 2007. Excelente compra para los que lo están evaluando, excelente libro a pesar de no contener mucho sobre Mensajería Unificada.

5 comments about Expert Oracle Database Architecture: 9i and 10g Programming Techniques and Solutions.

1. If you work with Oracle this is a manual you need on your desk. Not just for DBA's but also for developers who will derive a good insight into how they should be developing their code.
   Very technical but not to the point that brain freeze occurs.
   Would highly recommend it.



2. I actually helps you understand, rather than just throwing information at you (as many books do)



3. This book is accurate and undoubtfully an excellent source to learn more about the Oracle Database.
   Tom is an author full of humor with a versatile approach to performance. In his book he shows his approach to performance and put light on common practice like database independence and read-write consistency or like constraints enforced by triggers and autonomous transaction.
   No doubt I learned a lot in this book!



4. This is hands down the best book I've read on Oracle. It should be mandatory reading for anyone working with an Oracle database. Period.
   
   I have close to 15 years of experience with Oracle, and have designed and developed large scale (>1TB) transactional systems. I've worn the hats of DBA, architect, developer, consultant, etc. The information in this book is invaluable.



5. Wow, could this be the best computer book ever written? Well, if you are using Oracle and you want to understand how Oracle works, it just might be. It's packed with performance information, and even if you are not using Oracle this will be helpful for any (esp for Postgres users)

5 comments about LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT-G Programming Guide (Technology in Action).

1. The book consists of 26 chapters plus 1 appendix.
   
   The first 2 chapters cover the questions of "What is a robot" and "What is a program" and introduce the topic of pseudo code. There are many different methods when it comes to pseudo code, but this method will hopefully help teachers, parents, and students to understand how to take an idea for a program and turn it into actual NXT-G block code.
   
   All 36 blocks are covered (the book is useful for both the retail version software and the educational version), and each block has its own chapter with the exception of a couple of blocks that share a chapter (such as the Random block and Number-To-Text block that share chapter 14).
   
   There is a chapter dedicated to the concept of data plugs and wires (Chapter 7). This can be one of the more confusing elements of NXT-G, so this chapter uses a simplified method of showing how data types (number, text, logic) are passed between blocks.
   
   Another chapter provides a walkthrough on creating a My Block. My Blocks are powerful methods for simplifying NXT-G programs, and this chapter shows how the ability to re-use My Blocks can be helpful.
   
   Finally, the appendix covers some basic math such as converting back and forth between degrees and rotations. It also explains the LCD screen's resolution and how the X/Y coordinates work.
   
   Teachers, parents, coaches, and kids should find this book useful. It's written in a very friendly and easy-to-read style and provides plenty of sample programs in each chapter to demonstrate how to use the blocks. Also, coverage of each block's configuration panel is also provided. Overall, the book can be used as an additional source of information on the NXT-G programming language to supplement the Help files included with the software.



2. There's no other book out there that covers the NXT-G programming language. Jim Kelly covers the subject thoroughly, in a clear, friendly and encouraging style.
   
   The book not only covers NXT-G, it's also a primer on what programming is and how it works. With this book, teachers, students and beginners will have everything they need to understand how NXT-G works and how to use it. Advanced users will learn a thing or two as well, particularly with respect to some of the lesser known blocks within the NXT-G program.



3. When it comes to wanting to do Lego Mindstorm NXT-G, this is the first book you should get. The book shows the reader what different blocks are and how they work. The book also reads in terms that middle school students can understand and follow. Programming is the most difficult item that you have to do with a roboit. This book shows is a great resource for people that are in to lego roboits.



4. We bought this book for our nine year old son who had recently received the Mindstorms NXT for Christmas. He could not put the book down - read it from cover to cover and thinks it is a great book. Highly recommend.



5. This book covers a lot of ground on NXT-G programming and is a must have resource for anyone serious about programming in NXT-G as the on line help included with the NXT set is not adequate.
   As a professional programmer and a robotics hobbyist, I would recommend that anyone wanting to bring out the full potential of their NXT creations move to a text based language like Robot-C instead. While NXT-G is good for simple programs, it is just to difficult to create anything of any complexity as the graphical elements and all those connecting lines distract you from what you are trying to accomplish.
   I am giving this book 5 stars because it does well at what it is, a reference / guide to the NXT-G programming language. It is NXT-G itself that I would only give 2 stars.