5 comments about Microsoft .NET Compact Framework (Core Reference).

1. I have some .NET C# experience, and this book is great. If you were new to C# it would probably be difficult, but for those with some .NET experience this book is perfect.

   I expected the book would come with a CD containing code samples, but you have to download them from Microsoft.
   http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/companion/5960.asp <-, then click on Companion Content.

   -Matt
   Listening to: 'God Fearing Man' from 'Fight For Your Mind' by 'Ben Harper' on Media Center 9.1




2. This is definatley the most comprhencive and infomative book about pocket pc out there.

   Buy this book first, you will not regret it.




3. Chapter 17, UsingSQLCESample. First, the buttonAdd_Click() event wasn't added to the button, so you click away and nothing happens, until you figure it out yourself & fix it. Then, the section in the book dealing with parameters is missing from the sample code, and the DataGrid never does fill with data. This job is difficult enough without having to spend time debugging some "expert's" sample code!



4. I have learned a lot about the .NET compact framework. It has been a great first-book to begin my understanding of this topic. The examples in the book really help to advance my understanding. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to begin a project on the .NET compact framework.



5. As the first Compact Framework book on the market, it helped light the way for all that followed. As a mobile developer, this book has helped me tremendously and I refer to it all the time. This book belongs in the collection of anyone who has to tackle the nuances of embedded development on the Windows Mobile platform.

1 comments about Teaching and Learning with Microsoft Office 2007 and Expression Web (2nd Edition).

1. This book is absolutely abysmal. I program in 3 languages. I'm required to take a technology class in my Master's program. This book is an affront to my intellect. The man who wrote this book has no experience ith either computers or children. He's a psychologist.
   
   Here's how you know the book is typically self-indulgent educational tripe - there's a self-assessment rubric on page 3 on whether or not you should buy the textbook.
   
   Then there are the idiotic assignments. One of them is putting frilly star borders, wordart and a picture of a whale on a business letter to be sent to parents (36). That's a great way to be taken seriously.
   
   The assessments are absurd, and the book doesn't tell you anything you can't already learn for free by clicking "help". Avoid if you can.

5 comments about Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Administrator's Companion (Administrators Companion).

1. As an MCSE, I gave this book 4 stars for two reasons: the CD contains a 120 day trial version of Exchange 2003 Enterprise Edition, and the text provides a good overview of Exchange 2003 features suitable for MCSE test prep. I did not rate this book with 5 stars because it is presented as an "Administrator's Companion," which I felt was stretching it a bit. As a previous reviewer has stated, there are better alternatives for strictly "desk reference companions" to Exchange; however, I was pleasantly surprised by how readable the book was, given that it is a Microsoft Press publication.
   
   For example, on page 9, the authors define policies thus: "Policies are collections of configuration settings that are applied to one or more Exchange configuration objects." The authors continue to define various policies in pretty basic terms. On page 268, the authors describe how to create a policy using step by step directions: "To create a server policy, right click the Systems Policy container, point to New, and then choose Server Policy." The instructions are also accompanied by extensive screen shots. While other reviewers found the screen shots redundant to the narrative, I feel comforted by the screen shots that match my screen when I am attempting to implement a procedure by following the text.
   
   The book begins with an introductory chapter that provides a good review of the uses and concepts of Exchange, but is probably a waste of time for experienced users of Exchange. The following chapters include detailed instructions relevant to: planning, deployment, upgrading and migrating to 2003, functionality, security, maintenance (including disaster recovery and troubleshooting), and a fairly decent glossary. The authors also invite commentary and suggestions to their email sites: benglish@networknowledge.com and books@walterglenn.com. Both authors are MCSE and MCT certified.
   
   I would recommend this book for those new to Exchange or preparing for the Exchange Server exam. Administrators looking for a thorough desk reference on the subject should try Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 24seven, ISBN: 0782142508.



2. Hi, this book introduced me the Exchange Server 2003 and was very helpful in my understandable of the software itself.
   I've read the comments people posted here about this title and found them misplaced.
   The book is very good and covers an wide area of Exchange 2003 administration. It also explains how the software works and gives you a lot of hints about implementing security in your environment.
   I didn't rate this 5 stars because it's not SO EASY to find information you that you need for now inside the package. Sometimes you endeavour ours searching chapter by chapter, until find what you want.
   If people rated this so poorly and rated Exchange Server 2003 Resource Kit so richly, I believe the last one to be the best book about exchange ever.
   I hope to help customers who are intended to buy these books, cause I appreciate these kind of constructive analyse.



3. This is a great book for getting starting in Exchange. You are not going to get it all, but you will have enough to be quite competent in the software.



4. This is a good book for an intro to Exchange. No secrets in here - just the basics.



5. I've edited this review because I feel I may have been a bit too harsh. It is a good book, just not what I was looking for.
   
   I need information on how to maintain an existing infrastructure and this was more in line with setting up the infrastructure. I need more of the "how to" stuff. There's not too much of that in here. If you want to know what makes Exchange run, without too much detail, then this book is for you. If you need to fix Exchange, then you need another book, and I'm still looking for that book. It just seems to hit lightly on a ton of stuff, but not deep enough on any one thing to give you a real understanding, or a way to glue it all together.

3 comments about Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game (2nd Edition) (Agile Software Development Series).

1. Cockburn emphasises a flexible approach to writing code, especially when you have a team of programmers. Unlike other approaches, like CMMI, the methodology advocated by the book seems deliberately informal. Now, certainly, the book does enumerate various steps typical in an agile approach.
   
   For example, we see a list of methodology design principles. One of which is independent of whether you use Agile or not, and which especially caught my eye. It says that larger teams need heavier methodologies. There are several methodologies floating around in the IT industry. And Agile is only one of these. But that particular principle can be very useful. As the text explains, with 6 or less people, say, you can put them in one room, and have little or even no methodology. Because people can just talk and plan things together. But as teams get bigger, and they get dispersed over different rooms, buildings and cities, then you need more elaborate methodologies. And your choice need not even be Agile.
   
   The book also has a writing style with lots of little side notes or anecdotes, that can help some readers assimilate the ideas in the main narrative.
   
   The biggest problem to me with the book is its relatively uncritical acceptance of XP (Extreme Programming). It quotes that the first XP project was successful, in delivering results, compared to a larger team that had failed. But the first XP project that I am aware of, from another text, "Extreme Programming Refactored", was at Chrysler, and it failed to meet its deliverables. That book gave a far more plausible analysis of XP and its brittleness. Cockburn's text does allow that XP can have its limitations if the team gets too big. Because both admirers and critics of XP generally acknowledge that an XP team must intensively share knowledge and coordinate actions, and this just does not scale.
   
   But if we put XP aside, then the Agile approach can be useful.



2. The agile model of software development has become an industry leader, making the second updated edition of Agile Software Development: Cooperative Game an even more essential reference. Agile's pioneering developer updates his Jolt Productivity winner to cover all aspects of the agile model, from its applications in an organizational structure to how to blend agile ideas with others. Any needing a basic introduction to Agile principles, history, and construction must have this.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. I picked this book up because of the Jolt Award. I was amazed as what I read. I give kudos to anyone who tries to apply game theory to their decision making process. This has grown to be the accepted way economists discuss decisions between agents, so why shouldn't we apply that to architecture or project decisions?
   Still more kudos to any author who heavily references 'philosophy' and then correctly references a real contemporary philosopher (Wittgenstein)!
   Sadly though, I would have loved to see cooperative game mapped out a bit more. The tools of game theory are there, so we should use them.
   My favorite take aways: ShuHaRi analogy, Cooperative Game analogy, Selection of *implemented* project methodologies as starting points, and a methodology to create methodologies. All in All this is an excellent book to get you started in Agile or to bring you up to date with the 'why' questions of Agile.

5 comments about Database Systems: A Practical Approach to Design, Implementation and Management (4th Edition) (International Computer Science Series).

1. I was almost put off buying this book by some of the very negative reviews. I bought the book. I have designed a few databases but that is not my main job, and I wanted to get up to speed on database design and use for a short project that I am leading. I have bought several books on the subject, and this is one of the most useful. The book is detailed, which means that if you want to go into detail you can, e.g. on what normal form is and how to use it, of the difference between relational and OO design. However, the book is designed so that one does not have to go into detail, one can get a good overview of the subject and start creating databases soon after reading it. Perhaps this book offends some tecchy purists, but most business people who need to understand databases will find this book valuable.



2. This book was required by a course I am taking, so I can not buy another one, but I think it is a great book. It has also helps you learn a database language. I forgot what it is bec I did nt use it yet, but it very helpful.



3. It should be named "how to writing SQL for MS Access, Oracle 7i and xxx" since that is all about. It is weird to me why "Design" is in the title. There is absolutely nothing covered on what is inside a RMDB, man.



4. I purchased this book for a Database Management Systems course and found it to be a very useful text-book. The concepts are easy to understand and the authors provide plenty of examples for better understanding.
   My only problem was that our course instructor used the same examples as the book in class and that got boring towards the end of the semester.
   However, overall I believe that the book is very useful and will definitely recommend it to friends.



5. For two quarters now, I have had a one-chapter reading assignment out of this book for a total of 20 chapters. This book is nearly impossible to read. The only reason you would want a text this expansive is if you planned to write your own database system to compete with MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc..

5 comments about Core Java(TM) 2, Volume I--Fundamentals (7th Edition) (Core Series) (Core Series).

1. I have an earlier version of this book and would love to get a Kindle version for reference. But... You save $3 by getting the digital version despite the fact that there is no shipping, storage, or printing costs?
   
   WTF?
   
   At $10 a piece I'd love to fill a Kindle with dozens of coding reference books that are filling up my library, but at $30+ a piece it's just not worth it.



2. I only wish the authors would have understood that it's better to write variables and declarations first and then use them later in the code. All the code examples are funnily written with the use of the variables first only to wonder from where they come from and later to realize that they're are at the end!!!!
   
   Also author has tried to pack too much of details which can be halved.
   Herbert schildt is a better option.
   
   But still the books is readable for beginners.



3. I have an older version of this book but it covers many of the core features of the language. This is a good book if you are looking to start
   programming in Java.



4. This is my favorite Java book. Although I have a background programming in C++, I find many of the other Java books to be cryptic or assume you wish to develop for the web. This book is straightforward and easy to read. I especially found the comparisons between Java & C++ interspersed throughout the text to be helpful.



5. I read this book years ago (I guess that was the first edition). I am ordering a replacement copy today, even though I am no longer an active programmer, because it is so good. It is one of those rare textbooks that you can actually read from cover to cover, like a novel.

4 comments about UML 2 and the Unified Process: Practical Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series).

1. UML has grown. A few years ago, when UML was just getting accepted, a book on how to use it would have been much thinner. But the successful broad uptake of UML led to its semantic notation being expanded. What the authors give us here is a thorough exposition of UML 2.0 and how to use it.
   
   As you might expect, there are numerous examples in UML. Which, to many readers, might be more understandable than a mere abstract diagram. But the book is more than just about explaining the UML semantics. It also goes into the Unified Process for running a project, and how this can be documented in UML. By doing so, the authors hope to better enable an understanding of both.
   
   There is also something else, related to the above, but sufficiently different and important to warrant notice. If you write in any object oriented language, it requires certain skills in designing classes and how they interact. Part 4 of the book concerns these issues, which it discusses under the rubric of "Design". A good explanation of the basic concepts. Like inheritance versus aggregation, or inheritance versus interfaces. Or why the lack of multiple inheritance in a language like C# or Java is not necessarily a deficiency.



2. Before reading this book I read "The Unified Modeling Language User Guide". I can say that "The Unified Modeling Language User Guide" is about the theory and "UML 2 and the Unified Process..." is about practice.
   
   I think that both books are must for UML beginners and reference for the UML professionals.
   
   In "UML 2 and the Unified Process.." authors show UML in action within the Unified Process, a framework for software development. The book describes how to analyze and design a software by giving a real example. Given examples are also complete and available online.
   
   The language of the book is simple (easy to understand) and its contents is organized very well.
   
   This book gave me an insight about the UML and also introduced me to the Unified Process. I would recommend it with 5+ stars to everybody.



3. This book gives a good introduction into modern software enigeering and I think that especially the first chapters about basics in object orientation and how the whole process works should be read by every person participating in a software project. I think these chapters are also worth reading for non computer science people.



4. As a matter of fact I'm not an UML fan nor I particularly favour unified process. Indeed, I'm much more into Agile Development and XP.
   
   The authors do not try to explain why unified process should be better than other processes. They just describe the method: It's up to the reader to decide which parts of the method are good or bad for his job. The reader is not bored with long enthusiastic comments on how he will be a more capable engineer after learning UML and UP. Unified Process is described in an unbiased and precise way: even those who do not favour UP may gather new and interesting ideas to incorporate in their development method.
   
   The approach on UML is even more interesting. The basic ideas is that graphics should be a view, but what matters is text (which *is* something that the UML creators *did* think). Far to many lesser books focus on diagrams and miss to explain the interesting part is their semantics and their descriptions. Indeed, I try not to use UML unless I'm rather sure it's the best way to express a given concept: this book is a helpful reference on how to write correct and practical specifications using UML.
   
   This is a great useful book.

5 comments about Professional WCF Programming: .NET Development with the Windows Communication Foundation (Programmer to Programmer).

1. I'm still shocked how a book can be this bad! I think the only goal in the writer's head was to publish this book as soon as possible to be one of the first books about WCF. The errors in the book are not only typos or overlooked stuff, the writer does not have a good understanding of WCF. In some parts of the book the writer copies some text from previous chapters as it is and forgets to change some of the words to suit the new subject.
   
   I just finished chapter 6 in which I found a shocking fact! The writer tries even to cheat to make the example about Message Contracts work! The source code of the example (provided as a download from Wrox) is different from the source code he shows in the book. This is because the source code shown in the book would not even compile. So what he does in the downloadable source code is that he deletes the lines where the compiler gives errors and then the code does not even call the service! and to make the example look like as if it worked he just sets the string that is expected to be returned from the service on a label ,all that inside the client program! This really pissed me off! A book writer with such ethics?!
   
   So up to chapter 6 I've found tens of errors (including errors about WCF principle) and a fake example! I wonder how much more is ahead!
   
   DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS "THING" (I won't call it a book)



2. Utter waste of money. Waded through all of it. Not well organized. At times incoherent. Often just a listing of classes and methods. Offers few insights. Lots of errors. Author lacks a clear understanding of the WCF or the true significance of some of the classes and methods. Read SAMS Windows Communication Foundation Unleashed, it's much better. MSDN documentation is far better than this book.



3. I am disappointed with the book as well. It has quite a few typos, errors, and many of the examples are just wrong. This book looks like it was rushed out the door with very little proof reading. Some of the chapters look like little more than rewritten MSDN reference material. Don't waste your time; better references exist.



4. Simply put, this book isn't worth your time. Even as an experienced programmer I had trouble keeping up with the out-of-order explanations, typos, terrible examples, and incorrect walk-throughs.



5. Started out learning WCF from scratch and was getting nowhere with this book. It doesn't really do a good job of providing a conceptual framework to the reader. Provides a lot of API detail, but it leaves you wondering what in the world to do with it. O'Reilly's Learning WCF did a MUCH better job of getting me started.

5 comments about Concepts in Programming Languages.

1. While I cannot speak to the quality of Mitchell's course, having only read his book, the earlier criticisms of his use of ML in the book are missing the point of a programming languages class. It's not meant to teach you a random sampling of the 2500+ computer languages that are out there. The idea is to learn about the fundamental paradigms of programming, with a focus on the functional and logical approaches since students are generally already familiar with imperative and object-oriented programming.
   
   ML is one of several good choices for illustrating functional programming, and is actually one of the more popular functional languages (especially the OCaML dialect.) There are many well written books and tutorials on the ML family of languages freely available on the web if you need more examples or detail than he provides in this text. However, the point isn't to learn ML, but rather that once you understand functional programming in any language, you can take advantage of its power, not only in languages like perl and python which offer some limited but nice functional features like map and anonymous functions, but also in imperative languages like C via function pointers and callback techniques.



2. As a grdauate student, I feel compelled to write honestly about this book in the hopes that what I'm writing might influence some teacher's decision in the future. Granted, the topic area this book is covering isn't trivial, but in the light of its complex nature it is even more paramount that someone attempting to explain it to those who don't understand it be well-versed in, frankly, English. This book is quite possibly the worst textbook I have ever encountered. The writing is atrocious, the "flow" is like mud, and the explanations make even things that could be simple, dreadfully complex. Avoid it like the plague, there are a lot better options.



3. The excessive reliance on ML and poor language skills exhibited are well covered in the other reviews. I'd just like to add that Mitchell has a terrible habit of explaining things out of order (for instance, activation records are explained on page 165, but you are expected to know them on page 148), and his "This is beyond the scope of this book." handwaving makes many of the explanations completely incoherent.
   
   I have never sold back a textbook before, but I'm taking this back to the bookstore right after my final, and then I'll get a real Comparative Programming Languages textbook.



4. It's a good review book if you know your material and just need a quick refresh or need the same concept explained differently. However, this book will intimidate you if you're new to computer science. An example would be in Chapter 1, the words "stack memory management and recursive functions or procedures" were thrown at the readers without any explanation.



5. I can't speak to John Mitchell's skill as a lecturer, but some of the complaints here seem to betray a misunderstanding of the purpose of the book: to serve as an introduction to programming language theory, such as can be found in Mitchell's other book *Foundations for Programming Languages*. Mitchell is taking you *out of* the marketable skills zone and into abstract computer science, and he's being pretty nice about it -- the book contains friendly precises of topics like lambda calculus and denotational semantics, which make up the formal core of programming languages. What you will learn has applications in all popular programming languages, even if it's not spelled out in the text.
   
   ML was a good choice as an example language, because it includes many of the features a programming language might have (being both imperative and functional), and furthermore is a serious research language on account of its well-understood semantics and type system. Focusing on it to explain core concepts was not a mistake. Mitchell knows how to do it the other way, too: explanations of the basic elements of object-orientation are parceled out over several notable OO languages, providing a way to compare and contrast how the major OO concepts can be implemented. (I didn't find the final chapter, Apt's summary of Prolog, as helpful: the declarative paradigm is too far removed from what was developed in the rest of the book.)
   
   On account of its relatively gentle explanations and the importance of its concepts for all aspects of CS, this would be a good book for a relative beginner in CS to pick up (provided they can comprehend more than just code). But if you find it too repellent, you're probably not going to be much happier with more advanced treatments: its character just reflects the nature of the field.

5 comments about Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought.

1. I can understand why this book has gotten some mixed reviews. The author addresses many common modeling problems. But readers looking for instant solutions to those problems will probably be disappointed. Those looking for oop patterns are reading the wrong book. And anyone looking for a beginner's introduction to data modeling will be completely lost. But if you've been feeling as if your database designs could be better, but you're not sure how, you need this book.
   
   Mr. Hay covers many real-world modeling problems. His discussions of these problems give incredible insight into the thought process of a professional data modeler. That is the true value of this book.
   
   I first read this book about three years ago and now I am totally embarrassed by every database I created before. I've re-read it many times since and my copy is beaten and dog-eared. Thankfully, it's a hardcover book.
   
   Make sure you read all the footnotes in the book. Some of them are hysterically funny.



2. I've done some data modeling, and much more process modeling, so I was familiar with Mr. Hay's objectives with respect to data and restricting the model to logical representations of data, whatever that may be.
   
   About six chapters into this book, I realize that while I could continue through to the end, I would likely find this more useful as a companion to a problem. I think the majority of non-academic readers, software practitioners if you will, will extract the necessary value from owning this book given a specific objective, i.e. I have to develop a work management model from scratch, and these are my (current) business rules.
   
   The book covers so many kinds of models that it's entirely possible a reader will have no practical frame of reference, such as the chapter on accounting. Modern accounting software is primarily off-the-shelf, so developing a data model for it isn't something very common today. However, the smart developer understands that living "in the spaces between" software is a very good line of business, so to that end knowing what an ideal data model might have is certainly valuable ammunition when weighing vendor claims and evaluating solutions.
   
   Because it lacks that sort of accessible readability, I am withholding a star. I'd have withheld a half-star if it were possible; I believe the book has great value to a developer or analyst.
   
   Fred



3. Very satisfying reading experience. Starting off rudimentary and keying into a maturity withing 5 chapters - hats off to David.
   
   I am looking forward to his new book on meta data.



4. If you have any interest in modelling domains, then you've probably already read, or are planning to read, Martin Fowler's Analysis Patterns. The models here share some overlap with that book, but this is a gentler introduction, so I would recommend this book for a beginner, before they read the Fowler book. A more experienced modeller should probably consider this as a catalogue of off-the-shelf models.
   
   This book covers modelling enterprises - e.g. businesses and government agencies, and the relationships between their employees, organisational structures and the products and services they provide.
   
   The fundamental models applicable to enterprises are covered here: the business itself, its employees and their positions; the products they produce and the equipment used to produce them; the activities carried out to produce the products; and the contracts between a buyer and seller that deliver the products and services. Later chapters cover some more specific examples, including accounting, laboratories, and manufacturing.
   
   It is true that the models aren't very detailed, but that's the point of the book - for pretty much any enterprise, these models can be used as starting points, while covering most of the relationships that are likely to be encountered. It's true that you won't get any advice on actually converting the models to a database or an object oriented design, but that's beyond the scope of the book.
   
   While an expert modeller won't find the in-depth treatment they might be looking for, I would definitely recommend this to a beginner. Unfortunately, there's no insight into the process of decomposing a domain, although the last chapter demonstrates wide applicability of the models by applying them to a theatre. What you do get are lots of simple examples of the finished output, which will provide inspiration, even if you have no particular interest in the enterprise domain itself.



5. In his own data modeling consulting, David Hay discovered that for all enterprises, there were common patterns of entities and relationships in various topical areas, whatever the organization. So he set about capturing those ideas in very high-level data models, and he put them together in a book.
   
   This book is quite an intellectual accomplishment, because he has boiled down many different areas into their essentials and has captured those essentials. If you face a data modelling problem, it's likely that one or more of his patterns will work for you and jump-start your efforts.
   
   These are high level models, and don't take you all the way to database design. You'll still have a lot of design decisions to make. But the framework given in these models will help you explore your own problem to discover if you've covered all the eventualities that Mr. Hay considered in his work.