5 comments about Learn to Program (Pragmatic Programmers).

1. I picked up this book several times at the bookstore but never purchased it until... I read the first chapter. I had always flipped through the book and thought that all of it looked like greek to me, and that I would never be able to understand it.
   
   Once I started reading it, I enjoyed it, I understood it, and I learned the concepts.
   
   I got excited and I bought the ultimate reference to Ruby the "Pick Axe" guide, and I also bought Agile Web Development with Rails.
   
   If Learn to Program would have been bad or badly written I probably would have given up on ever learning to program.
   
   If you are a web developer you owe it to yourself to check out this book. I tried to learn PHP first, but with Ruby and this beginners book to program, I am actually learning it.
   
   It would be even better if it had an index and there was a website you could go to, where you could find help/answers to the extra end of chapter questions.
   
   This is a great place to start to learn how to program.



2. While looking for a book on entry level ruby programming I came across this. The reviews were good so I bought it. I was extremely disapointed however. First, the book is very small. There simply is not a lot of content here. I did like the type and text and layout.
   
   But the biggest problem and the one not mentioned anywhere is that this is not an entry level programming book. This is one step before that. It simply is "extremely" basic. What I mean by that is that is written for someone who probably has never even messed around with any programming language at all or has a lot of computer knowledge at all. It's like a junior high course to students who don't have a clue. This is great for some, but not mentioned anywhere and surely a disappointment and worthless to anyone who has even wrote a simple hello world program before.



3. I absolutely love this book! I have tried time and time again to get different books and take different classes to learn how to program. Everything from Unix courses to Java, C++, Scripting and many more that were just plain over my head! There are too many "beginner" books that just aren't Beginner enough! I stumbled upon this book in a book store--sat and read 4 pages and knew this would be the book to finally get me programming. I sit and read a chapter or two a day with my laptop and work my way through different exercises. The wonderful thing about Ruby is that it is so versatile. The book can explain the basics and with a little imagination you can come up with your own programs that are slightly different that the exercises given. (Basically each chapter gives building blocks to teach you, but there are more than one way to stack the building blocks and you can make different style buildings with those blocks.) For instance, one assignment was to make a program ask the name of the person typing at the keyboard, then it should repeat the name and say something like, "Oh, BLANK is such a nice name..."
   
   With the building blocks of the chapter, not only was I able to create a program that did just that, I created a program that said,
   "Hi, my name is X."
   "What's your name?"
   [your typed name]
   "Wow! [your typed name] is very pretty."
   "What is your middle name?"
   [your typed middle name]
   "And your last name?"
   [your typed last name]
   "I must say, [your first][your middle][your last name] is absolutely stunning!"
   "It was nice chatting with you [your entire name]."
   
   
   
   That's one thing I love about this book. It give you the building blocks, and without too much work (because it's so well written,) you build!



4. I bought this book a couple of summers ago. My son and I (he was 11 years of age at the time) worked through most of the exercises in the book together. I took a C programming class years ago. My son is good at math and has solid logic skills. I did a web-search for books focused on teaching kids to program - and I talked to a programmer friend who said that Ruby would be a good first language - so I bought this book. I've looked at some of the recent negative reviews - and while I do think there's room for improvement (such as an answer key) here's the differentiating element: my son and I got stuck on an exercise, so Matt wrote Chris Pine (the author) an email asking for help - a personalized answer was forthcoming the next day! Bottom line: Ruby is an entirely appropriate first language to learn, and this book is extremely applicable to the beginner with no programming background. Will you have to buy a second book to continue your learning after you complete this book? Sure. But isn't that usually the case? I don't know too many books that are appropriate for both beginner and expert - this book helps one do exactly what the title states: Learn to Program. Enjoy!



5. I picked up Learn to Program for two reasons:
   
   * I was curious about a book that could teach you to program. Where do you start? Also, I originally learned how to program (in Basic) from a book with no computer.
   * I wanted to learn Ruby and that's the programming language that Learn to Program uses.
   
   I was impressed with the book. Chris Pine starts out with the very basics - how to set up your computer with Ruby and how to create and run a program and takes you through a few basic programs, algorithms like sort and finally simple interactive games and file manipulation.
   
   If you are looking to learn how to program or how to teach your kid to program, Learn to Program is a good starting point.

3 comments about Pro PHP: Patterns, Frameworks, Testing and More (Pro).

1. This book focuses on some advanced technologies and latest developments related to php. The targeted readers are those who already know php programming but would like to know how to work with php in a way to adopt mainstream software and Internet development technologies.
   
   For example, the book collectively describes about phpdoc, phpunit, xdebug, as well as subversion, phing, and xinc. The examples and steps provided in the book allow the reader to follow through relatively at ease. Nevertheless, the reader may want to know that all install and setup described in the book are based on Linux environment.
   
   In the chapter of Reflection API, the reader will get a chance to study some use cases about this advanced extension that normally only java or C# programmers could enjoy through their build in language features today. The chapters about Standard PHP Library (SPL) give the reader the ideas of how to apply OOP libraries for php programming. For instance, instead of using a set of low-level file manipulative methods, the reader now might think about using SPLFileInfo object to represent and access file info. The book also covers some design techniques on php such as exception handling, MVC paradigm, and a few design patterns, which are informative.
   
   The topics of Zend framework and Web 2.0 including ajax, web services, soap, and certificate authentication, provide a good entry point for those who want to know how to associate php to web design architecture and how php play its role within web deployment.
   
   For about 300 pages, this book covers a lot of info. The topics are explained in a clear and straightforward manner for easier read. Additionally, the reader may find the writing is pretty concise in general and still leaves room for the reader to further investigate the issues outside the book. The companion download-able source code from the website is as expected and helpful.
   
   Needless to say, some sections could be better organized. The Part 1 OOP and Patterns only list a few out of many common regarded patterns and OOP ideas, and other Parts of the book also mention some other patterns along their ways.
   
   Overall, this book deserves a score 8 out 10 and should be as an eye opener and handy for those who like to see some advanced php subjects demonstrated in one place.



2. I have been developing web-based, database-driven applications for 12 years using Perl, Java, and, for the past 3 years, PHP. I was a late-comer to PHP because, quite frankly, its early iterations sucked. The committers finally got it right with 5.2 and 6.0 looks like they are staying on-track.
   
   I went through any number of online tutorials and "Learn PHP in 24 Hours" books in the beginning and they were fine for "Hello World" applications. But as my need for sophistication rapidly grew, I found a distinct lack of good, readable texts that could function not only as tutorial but as reference as well. I went through a disappointing array of O'Reilly, Manning, Osborne, Addison-Wesley, etc. books, each of which lacked that crucial combination of clarity, accuracy, and scope. Then I happened to chance upon Apress' publication of "Pro PHP Development."
   
   I just finished reading "Pro PHP Development," and when I say I "finished reading" it, I mean exactly that - I read it cover-to-cover. Kevin McArthur has the uncommon talent of writing a technical manual in prose. Unassuming vernacular makes reading easy, instead of the more typical struggle with every idea and re-reading sentences and paragraphs after that "HUH???" experience forces wonder at the author's point and intent. Concrete, concise, and useful examples demonstrate the textual subjects in clear unambiguous source code. And where appropriate and useful, McArthur introduces aspects of PHP 6.0. The coverage of some of the most useful objects in the SPL and the extensive treatment of the Zend MVC Framework is worth the price of admission in themselves.
   
   In summary, "Pro PHP Development" is right up there with the finest technical literature I've read and has earned a place on my bookshelf (lesser texts get relegated to eBay). It's a keeper. Until the next edition!
   
   Mark Galbreath
   Annapolis, MD



3. As an experienced PHP developer and author myself I was delighted that Pro PHP showed me a number of new techniques that I can apply to my own every day development tasks. This makes me confident that developers of all levels will gain value out of reading this book. I typically like to keep up with recently released books so I know the material that is available, but as somebody who has been programming PHP for almost 10 years I generally don't find new ideas that can be applied to general PHP programming.
   
   Two such examples of this in Pro PHP that helped me are array overloading with the ArrayAccess SPL class and the observer pattern using SplObserver and SplSubject. Firstly, ArrayAccess allows you to access objects (such as reading and writing) as you would with an array. One such example of this is in the PHP SimpleXMLElement class. Secondly, using the observer pattern allows one object to monitor the state of another object and react to these changes as desired. Kevin describes these to the reader and provides solid examples of using them.
   
   An interesting aspect of this book is the chapter dedicated to PHP 6. Although a stable version has not yet been released, Kevin covers the key features that we can look forward to such as namespaces, late binding and native Unicode support.
   
   The other thing that I like about Kevin's style and methods are that they are fairly similar to my own, meaning for the most part I agree with his methods and therefore recommend them to other users as well.
   
   On the whole I would have two minor complaints with this book. Firstly, there is a lot of "conceptual code" rather than practical real-world examples. Having said that, there are so many different ideas in this book that it would be difficult to fit longer examples for these ideas. Secondly, I would've liked to see some more extensive coverage of the Xdebug module. This is a module that I try to use but I feel like I am under using its potential. It is great that Kevin covers it in Pro PHP, but I would've liked to see some slightly more advanced usage for my own benefit.
   
   In summary, I would definitely recommend reading this book, especially if you have been slow to transition from PHP 4 to PHP 5, or if you use PHP 5 but know you don't take full advantage of its Object Oriented Programming features.

3 comments about Extended Prelude to Programming (3rd Edition).

1. This text succeeds in providing the reader with a thorough introduction to programming logic without bogging the reader down with a lot of programming syntax. This text teaches you without the need to express itself in only one language. It basically teaches you the logic of programming. From there you can decide which language you want to learn. I can see how you could easily transition into C++ or even Java. This book is a must have for someone who is just getting started in programming and has no previous conceptions about languages.



2. This an interesting and great book for beginners on programming. Unlike other computer books, this book is more similar to a textbook with exercises and answers at the back of the book for practising and reviewing. An invaluable asset. So if you can follow the instructions of the writer and go through from page to page, you should have get a very good glimpse of programming.



3. This book is not very good if you expect answers with questions inside the material. I found it difficult to understand/learn the subject without knowing where you have failed at in the equations.

5 comments about Asterisk: The Future of Telephony, 2nd Edition.

1. The asterisk software has progressed substantially, but worse, the organization of what's important and what's not makes this book hold the distinct honor of being in the top five worst books by O'Reilly Press.



2. This is a very good book well suitable to even beginners. contents are explained very well. I made my asterisk system work by referring this book.



3. I was looking to this book to gain an overview of Asterisk. As is usually the case with O' Reilly books, this one did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this to anybody who is starting to explore Asterisk.
   
   Additionally, there are references and details useful for continuing your understanding of this wonderful platform. There is a lot of information that can get you started with a hands-on Asterisk experience.



4. I'm enjoying the book and learning a lot from it, but this newest edition has some editing problems, such as typos:
   
   Page 99: "providers may insteadSession Initiation Protocol" - and I don't know enough about the subject yet to figure out what they meant to say
   
   and logical errors:
   
   Page 71: "if you want to build an IP-only configuration, you can skip to the section on configuring SIP." - but if you do, expect to be coming back to this page because you'll have skipped over some important stuff and will have no idea what's going on
   
   But these are comparatively minor problems with an otherwise great book.



5. This asterisk title is not for the faint hearted, assuming you have a working knowledge of linux and not afraid to jump in to some command line configuration. That said, there is some great explanation for basic set up to advanced features and to hook up to various VoIP providers.
   
   From my perspective I was hoping for more details such as configuring time conditions for holidays and things of that nature, so I felt the book stopped before it covered topics I wanted. For what it does to, it does it well with detailed examples and descriptions as to why things work they do.
   
   Don't look for this title to be a novice walk through guide, but if you want some good reference for setting up your own small to large business installation having this book on hand is a good idea.

5 comments about MCITP SQL Server 2005 Database Administration All-in-One Exam Guide (Exams 70-431, 70-443, & 70-444) (All-in-One).

1. This is the book I've been waiting for. Not only does the book have good explanations about many of the testable concepts, but the exercises have been great in showing me exactly how things work. As an example, I didn't really understand database mirroring, but the high availability strategies chapter included exercises where I was able to implement and configure a database mirror. After completing these exercises, I really understood database mirroring.



2. PREMISE: I am not yet over the obstacles (certification), I am just studying on this book, so I cannot say whether the book has helped me pass the exams or not.
   
   HOWEVER, judging from other certifications I achieved and the relative study books, this one will work, because it seems pretty comprehensive and detailed.
   
   It is a well-organized book, the pace is just right (and makes me think why one would want to read other books totaling 2000 pages or more to reach the same goal) and it gives tips and hints that I am sure will be valuable.
   
   The plus is that you can read it to learn about SQL Server 2005. It gives you a very good overview, and you feel that you are spending your time learning something.
   
   As a reference book it is quite superficial, i.e. it does not really expand much in any topic. This is fine though, if you are thinking of buying this book as a reference think again. That is not what is advertised.
   
   Four out of five stars in my opinion is be the best rating for a certification study guide: you cannot really make a certification guide something "special", so this type of books hardly ever gets five stars.
   
   However, there are two drawbacks that made me throttle back to three stars:
   
   Firstly, some of the answers to the end-of-chapter questions are wrong. They are easy to spot though, typically they start with "Correct Answer: C" (wrong) then they go on explaining why B is the correct answer.
   
   Secondly, the writing style is not exceedingly good. At the beginning it was just a little awkward to see the way some sentences are put together. Now that I am past the first half it is becoming somewhat annoying, and in some instances a little confusing.
   
   I do not blame the author: I think he did a very good job (nobody expects a SQL Server expert to write beautiful English prose, and lots of it). However, another pass at editing could have made this book much more enjoyable.



3. This is a great book! It is very well written and the material presented in a consitent and logical manner.
   
   Some of the material I knew before picking up this book. Since this would be my first MS cert, I read every section of the book. For the topics I already knew, I was impressed by how well Darril boiled the material down to the essence, the central point that you needed to learn. I was hoping that he'd do the same for the areas I did not know. I passed all three tests and this book was the reason.
   
   Read every page. Do every hands-on example. Review the exam tips and you'll not only pass the test but actually be able to do the work.



4. This book was well organized and helped me pass the 431 exam within a month of receiving this book.



5. I used this book as my primary study/refresher resource to prepare for (and pass) the 70-447 upgrade exam. If you are an MCDBA on SQL 2000, and looking for a resource to for the MCDBA upgrade exam, this is the perfect resource! Very clear, concise coverage of all the exam topics. Each chapter has a bullet list listing the topics covered in each exam. Although the 70-447 exam isn't specifically targeted, you can approximate it by combining the 70-443 and 70-444 topics.

5 comments about Incident Response and Computer Forensics, Second Edition.

1. As an attorney and a formally-trained computer forensics examiner and instructor who has been tilling the fields of digital evidence for some time, I'm always on the prowl for the next great computer forensics tool or text that's going to help me find the next smoking gun...or at least be confident I haven't overlooked it. I've built a substantial library of books and articles on computer forensics, some very good and some a complete waste of money. But, this book is the best of the best.

   From its step-by-step detail of the forensic process to its copious and helpful illustrations and screen shots to its unvarnished discussion of the tools in the marketplace, the second edition of Incident Response and Computer Forensics is, for my money, the most valuable resource any computer forensic examiner could have on their shelf. Many of the techniques and shortcuts detailed are "trade secrets" in that I've never seen them described in print. Unlike other forensic guides that assume the reader owns a costly forensic software suite, this book fairly splits its emphasis between Linux tools, shareware and the best software packages. That means the reader can begin the learning process at once, without investing anything more than their time and interest.

   Another strength is that the book neither presupposes a too-high level of knowledge or experience nor dumbs down its content such that an expert wouldn't derive any value. There's something here for everyone who cares about computer forensics, from the neophyte to the grizzled veteran. When I paid $50.00 for this tome at a big box bookstore, I worried I was paying too much. Now, I'd think it cheap at twice the price.

   As another reviewer pointed out, it doesn't devote a chapter to the law, but that is not to say that legal considerations are ignored. To the contrary, I think the authors do an excellent job of giving a useful "heads-up" where needed and not moving out of their depth.

   I don't know these guys, but I'd sure like to shake their hands for a job well done! Thanks.

   Craig Ball is an attorney and certified computer forensic examiner based in Montgomery, Texas, who teaches and consults with attorneys and the courts on matters of computer forensics and electronic discovery.




2. I read the book in about three days and found it to be a good primer for one leaning towards computer forensics. While some of the technology and tools described in the book will undoubtedly change within the next few months, a lot of the basic principles will remain pertinent for a long time to come. I heartily recommend this book for anyone with more than just a casual interest in Computer Security.



3. This is no doubt the best incidence reponse book out. I highly recommend this for anyone either in the field, learning to get into the field, or running a small to medium sized company without a team of experts. My entire network admin team uses this as a reference at the side of their desk.



4. I liked this book, but it is scattered in its topics. A lot of the information can be found online, and the tools aren't what we use on a daily basis. I'm not sure if any of them are commercial tools in this book.
   
   I liked File System Forensics by Brian Carrier better. Even though it had a smaller area to cover it provided a better introduction to the area and I could see how it could be used in a class better. Still, this book does have a lot of good content and makes a nice addition.



5. You must buy if you are beginner, intermedium or advanced in forensic computers.

5 comments about Pro MySQL (Expert's Voice in Open Source).

1. For people like me who have a good understanding of MYSQL, the next logical step would be this book. I already know about stored procedures, transactions and the basics of triggers, but I want to learn more about these topics in more "real-world" scenarios in how to develop larger, enterprise-wide applications. Also I want to know more about other advanced topics that I may not even know to think about. If this sounds like you as well, then read on...
   
   The author starts in with reviewing how business requirements and the software development cycle can be part of database development. This a great chapter for people like me who would like to learn how different approaches are taken from different IT perspectives in a team environment (business analysts, application developers, and project managers) This chapter gives you a good understanding of how the other side thinks.
   
   The next chapter focuses on the importance of proper indexing and strategies as pertaining to data storage. Because once your databases reach to the multiple gigabits of storage space, you need to very focused on how long each request takes. A few seconds here and there begin to add up and can cause serious issues if not taken into consideration early in your database design. Like me who only deals with small to an occasional medium-size database I never really had to think about this before.
   
   The next chapter focuses on transaction processing in MYSQL which is one of the more difficult concepts for many and I am in the process now of reading it. I really like the author's explanations and examples. Each point is explained thoroughly and in an easy to read manner.
   
   The rest of the book goes into more advanced topics (system architecture, benchmarking and profiling, security, replication and clustering) as well as giving more detail and explanation to topics that may only be briefly covered in other MYSQL books (stored procedures, functions, and views).
   
   If you already know the basics of MYSQL and want to really advance your knowledge with "real-world" scenarios, this is the book for you.



2. This book is a great expert overview of all that is current in MySQL 5. This covers both the SQL interaction with the database and the management. There are aspects that users often don't use in any SQL platform, and it is a shame. The effort expended to learn stored procedures and custom functions is greatly rewarded in code creation and support. This is another book I rate as ROI super positive.



3. No, I am not associated with the authors in any way. I was looking for a book for MySQL that was beyond "this is a database, here is how you select".
   
   I wanted something more challenging that covered topics like clustering, backups, etc.
   
   This book dives deep into MySQL database use and design, including detailed information on indexes, optimizations, etc.
   
   Very good read. I totally recommend this book.
   
   cbmeeks



4. I've managed to get about halfway through this book so far. It's NOT an easy read. Coverage and detail are excellent, however, and if you're interested in plumbing the depths of how MySql works, I would recommend this book as a solid reference for improving your overall knowledge.



5. This book attempts to cover too much material instead of spending more time on specific topics. If you're interested in performance, replication, backup or recovery, skip this book and get the High Performance MySQL book. You'll quickly see the material on those topics has a lot more depth in the other book. Especially for replication, backup and recovery.
   
   For everything else, you might as well just get a introductory/reference mysql book.
   
   Also, the coverage of mysql 5 is based upon an early beta.

3 comments about Java Pocket Guide (Pocket Guides).

1. This is a handy pocket reference/guide for the intermediate or advanced programmer. All materials are well-organized and illustrated with concise examples of code. It is "worth it's weight" and should be on every Java programmer's reference bookshelf.



2. This is a model for all reference books in my mind. Clearly written and to the point. There are sections covering all the main aspects of the language. It is well worth getting for any/all Java developers. Even though I know Java, I have been referring to it when I travel.
   
   An easy purchase.



3. I don't know about you, but when I'm confused about something, I'm really confused. I need an example to clear up my confusion or my memory. This book gives examples in the most superficial of terms. It is designed to be a quick guide to J2SE through the Java 6 Platform, and quick is what it is. It is not going to jump start you if you need a real jump start on an issue you have forgotten. The most useful information is at the very end of the guide where it talks about the Java Scripting API, tools, and UML. The first half of the book is oriented towards the Java programming language and the second half is about the platform components and some special topics.
   
   If you need useful examples in an accessible format I still suggest the Core Java books by Cornell. They may be somewhat unwieldy to lug around on trips, but they get the job done. Java Examples in a Nutshell is somewhat outdated, but it still can clear up some questions on parts of the language that haven't changed over the years. If you are new to Java I absolutely recommend against getting this pocket guide. You'll be lost. I include the table of contents since it is currently not listed in the product description.
   
   Chapter 1. Naming Conventions
   Section 1.1. Class Names
   Section 1.2. Interface Names
   Section 1.3. Method Names
   Section 1.4. Instance and Static Variable Names
   Section 1.5. Parameter and Local Variables Names
   Section 1.6. Generic Type Parameter Names
   Section 1.7. Constant Names
   Section 1.8. Enumeration Names
   Section 1.9. Package Names
   Section 1.10. Acronyms
   Chapter 2. Lexical Elements
   Section 2.1. Unicode and ASCII
   Section 2.2. Comments
   Section 2.3. Keywords
   Section 2.4. Identifiers
   Section 2.5. Separators
   Section 2.6. Operators
   Section 2.7. Literals
   Section 2.8. Escape Sequences
   Section 2.9. Unicode Currency Symbols
   Chapter 3. Fundamental Types
   Section 3.1. Primitive Types
   Section 3.2. Literals for Primitive Types
   Section 3.3. Floating-Point Entities
   Section 3.4. Numeric Promotion of Primitive Types
   Section 3.5. Wrapper Classes
   Section 3.6. Autoboxing and Unboxing
   Chapter 4. Reference Types
   Section 4.1. Comparing Reference Types to Primitive Types
   Section 4.2. Default Values
   Section 4.3. Conversion of Reference Types
   Section 4.4. Converting Between Primitives and Reference Types
   Section 4.5. Passing Reference Types into Methods
   Section 4.6. Comparing Reference Types
   Section 4.7. Copying Reference Types
   Section 4.8. Memory Allocation and Garbage Collection of Reference Types
   Chapter 5. Object-Oriented Programming
   Section 5.1. Classes and Objects
   Section 5.2. Variable Length Argument Lists
   Section 5.3. Abstract Classes and Abstract Methods
   Section 5.4. Static Data Members, Static Methods, and Static Constants
   Section 5.5. Interfaces
   Section 5.6. Enumerations
   Section 5.7. Annotations Types
   Chapter 6. Statements and Blocks
   Section 6.1. Expression Statements
   Section 6.2. Empty Statement
   Section 6.3. Blocks
   Section 6.4. Conditional Statements
   Section 6.5. Iteration Statements
   Section 6.6. Transfer of Control
   Section 6.7. Synchronized Statement
   Section 6.8. Assert Statement
   Section 6.9. Exception Handling Statements
   Chapter 7. Exception Handling
   Section 7.1. The Exception Hierarchy
   Section 7.2. Checked/Unchecked Exceptions and Errors
   Section 7.3. Common Checked/Unchecked Exceptions and Errors
   Section 7.4. Exception Handling Keywords
   Section 7.5. The Exception Handling Process
   Section 7.6. Defining Your Own Exception Class
   Section 7.7. Printing Information About Exceptions
   Chapter 8. Java Modifiers
   Section 8.1. Access Modifiers
   Section 8.2. Other (Non-Access) Modifiers
   Chapter 9. Java Platform, SE
   Section 9.1. Common Java SE API Libraries
   Chapter 10. Development Basics
   Section 10.1. Java Runtime Environment
   Section 10.2. Java Development Kit
   Section 10.3. Java Program Structure
   Section 10.4. Command-Line Tools
   Section 10.5. Classpath
   Chapter 11. Basic Input and Output
   Section 11.1. Standard Streams in, out, and err
   Section 11.2. Class Hierarchy for Basic Input and Output
   Section 11.3. File Reading and Writing
   Section 11.4. Socket Reading and Writing
   Section 11.5. Serialization
   Section 11.6. Zipping and Unzipping Files
   Section 11.7. File and Directory Handling
   Chapter 12. Java Collections Framework
   Section 12.1. The Collection Interface
   Section 12.2. Implementations
   Section 12.3. Collection Framework Methods
   Section 12.4. Collections Class Algorithms
   Section 12.5. Algorithm Efficiencies
   Section 12.6. Comparator Interface
   Chapter 13. Generics Framework
   Section 13.1. Generic Classes and Interfaces
   Section 13.2. Constructors with Generics
   Section 13.3. Substitution Principle
   Section 13.4. Type Parameters, Wildcards, and Bounds
   Section 13.5. The Get and Put Principle
   Section 13.6. Generic Specialization
   Section 13.7. Generic Methods in Raw Types
   Chapter 14. Concurrency
   Section 14.1. Creating Threads
   Section 14.2. Thread States
   Section 14.3. Thread Priorities
   Section 14.4. Common Methods
   Section 14.5. Synchronization
   Section 14.6. Concurrent Utilities
   Chapter 15. Memory Management
   Section 15.1. Garbage Collectors
   Section 15.2. Memory Management Tools
   Section 15.3. Command-Line Options
   Section 15.4. Resizing the JVM Heap
   Section 15.5. Interfacing with the GC
   Chapter 16. The Java Scripting API
   Section 16.1. Scripting Languages
   Section 16.2. Script Engine Implementations
   Section 16.3. Setting Up Scripting Languages and Engines
   Chapter 17. Third-Party Tools
   Section 17.1. Development Tools
   Section 17.2. Libraries
   Section 17.3. IDEs
   Section 17.4. Web Application Platforms
   Section 17.5. Scripting Languages
   Chapter 18. UML Basics
   Section 18.1. Class Diagrams
   Section 18.2. Object Diagrams
   Section 18.3. Graphical Icon Representation
   Section 18.4. Connectors
   Section 18.5. Multiplicity Indicators
   Section 18.6. Role Names
   Section 18.7. Class Relationships
   Section 18.8. Sequence Diagrams

5 comments about Microsoft® Office FrontPage® 2003 Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft)).

1. I ordered this book as well as Special Addition Using Ms FP 2003 The only FP2003 book you'll ever need. This is the book to get!! The microsoft book does not really do a good job of fully explaining the topic. To me it was very confusing. The other book I just mentioned is 3 times as thick and goes from very basic to very advanced. So as you grow the book will be there for all the information. I will be returning this book and keeping the Special Addition.



2. The book did not follow what appeared on the screen. So difficult to follow that we just gave it up and tried another book.
   Some of it was useful for reference, but step by step no way!



3. I never got it. The FrontPage 2003 that I ordered in September 2006 never arrived.
   I sent you a message about it, and apparently you have on your records that I re-ordered it.
   In fact, you supposedly sent a replacement copy. In fact, you sent a 2nd FrontPage Step by Step
   instruction book, which I had also ordered in September and received at that time. So, I have
   2 instruction books, no software, I've stopped payment on my Visa for this purchase, and I've given up.
   I will likely NEVER order from Amazon.com again.
   
   Charla



4. I purchased this book and the software a year ago. I found out a few months ago that Microsoft is no longer supporting this software and has come out with a new program. Of course microsoft did not notify any registered users of this. I am now out the money for the software and the book. Microsoft instead of changing this program so that extensions are no longer used, came out with a brand new program which cost $299-.



5. An excellent book to start learning Frontpage. The layout and style are very clear and the practice examples lead you through the steps in a logical manner.

5 comments about SOA in Practice: The Art of Distributed System Design (Theory in Practice).

1. The book starts very well and you become very excited about what the future chapters will hold. I must say that the writer is an excellent writer and knows how to captivate you, but that only lasts as long as what he's talking about entertains. The chapters that a few here seemed to have liked were the best parts of the book, but even they were average at best. I was a little dissapointed that he gave examples of complex objects being returned from service calls, but never addressed methods that used XML instead of complex objects and in turn majority of the versioning section was based on versioning and problems that occur when dealing with complex objects. I did like the opinions he gave on using web services as means of realizing SOA. For those who didn't read the book, he doesn't think much of web services because of the many different standards organizations and the many versions of standards that are used to implement web services - these issues create interoperability problems when you're ultimately looking for high interoperability with SOA.
   
   Overall, this book maybe of interest to a business person or IT manager trying to understand what SOA is, but it's not that great for technologists looking for implementations that may fit their system. Three Stars!!!



2. Service-oriented architecture is more than just another IT buzzword. Most companies, large and small have heard of SOA and have either jumped on the bandwagon or have plans to do so in the near future.
   
   SOA in Practice covers a lot of ground and provides definitions and descriptions of the complex world of SOA. Initially, the book describes the motivation to adapt a service-oriented architecture. It then proceeds into a discussion of the elements of SOA and reiterates that SOA is no silver bullet.
   
   The author makes it clear that SOA is an ideal solution for a specific set of circumstances: "heterogeneous distributed systems with different owners." If that simple definition doesn't fit your organization, SOA may not be for you.
   
   If you are still committed to learning about or implementing SOA after understanding what it is and what it can (and can't) do for your organization, read on! The remainder of the book present an in-depth look at all elements of service-oriented architecture.
   
   I particularly enjoyed the chapters covering the enterprise service bus and message exchange patterns. In a nutshell, they show some of the many possibilities of how SOA can be implemented - indicating that there is no 'one right way' to do it.
   
   Web Services (not a requirement of SOA) is discussed, as well as the management of services, model-driven service development, and advice on establishing SOA in your enterprise.
   
   The book is light on technical details. This is obviously intentional as its core focus is not the nitty-gritty of how to make it work. It is more of a high-level, conceptual view of what SOA is all about and how it can help your enterprise solve difficult challenges when faced with integration of heterogeneous systems.



3. Having experienced my first service based, distributed system beginning around the 2000 - 2001 time frame, I feel well qualified to review this book. Through the years, I've heard and read a lot of SOA fluff and contradictions. This became a huge problem for me in 2005 when I was tasked, for the first time, with the job of designing a large, service-oriented, distributed system for a national observatory.
   
   The challenge was in explaining why all the hype the stakeholders had read about SOA didn't make it any easier to implement it and that, in actual practice, building the system would require hard work and a good understanding of distributed systems. You simply cannot buy this on a disk. In all fairness, you cannot buy this in a book, either, but what you do buy in this book is a way to explain what it is you are doing.
   
   Management and domain experts will read this and understand that there are challenges they had not thought about when they were told how easy it is to just 'wire' together services to build business processes. Developers who are new to distributed systems and/or the SOA paradigm will begin to get a 'feel' for how it differs from other approaches to distributed system design.
   
   If you want to really begin communicating with your stakeholders, point them to this book. I've read many books and articles on SOA and found the clear, complete, and concise approach taken in this one to be most effective.



4. This is an excellent book to understand SOA. The Author has put in a lot of valuable architectural views on SOA best practice which would be useful for anyone who cares about design rationales. The only small complaint is the coverage on implementation details; For example, the section on WS-Security is really lack of details, not even a sample WSDL on WS-Policy. However I appreciated that code details could be left out and I think it is very effective for a book of 300 pages to cover so many key items of such a wide-spread topic, it would be very helpful if the writer can refer to some URL links so that audience can go into details by themselves. Overall I think this is a very good SOA book to read



5. [posted on [..]]
   
   Yesterday I've finished reading this interesting book from Nicolai Josuttis. I've been following Josuttis' work since my C++ times (which, btw, are a few years away now - enough for letting me sleep without thinking on memory management :)) and I was pleased to see that he still has the some easy reading writing style. This is a book on concepts. Unlike his previous work (which were on a specific technology - or should I say, language), you won't find any references to specific problems you may face while trying to "realize SOA".
   
   Instead, you'll find an objective book which presents several aspects on SOA and offers several good advices which will really help you if you want to implement SOA in your company. And he manages to do all this in just about 300 pages (which is really cool because we don't really have time for big books, right? :) ). That means that I'm giving it 8/10.