5 comments about Workflow in the 2007 Microsoft Office System.

1. Its a great intro book, but In my opinion looks like a marketing brochure to SharePoint workflow, not real world.



2. Steps are not clearly defined. Author puts steps in paragraph when he should be putting each instruction line by line. Its very easy to miss one crucial step and nothing works after that. Reason I gave four stars because author tries his best however may be the subject or so many steps you need to perform to make workflow work in sharepoint.



3. I bought this book as a reference book, but found myself actually reading through it instead! It is very well-written and easy to understand for a non-programmer like me. It covers very simple workflow and also gets into the more complex things you can do to solve very specific business problems when you add Sharepoint Designer. Excellent coverage of workflow from beginning to end.



4. I wish all authors (programming) could write as clearly and as understandable as this author; no hidden stuff or tricks, just straight to guts. If you are new to workflow and want to get going fast enough, get this book.
   I put this author in the category of authors like Stanley B. Lippman, Dr. Grimmes, Dr. Major, Dino Esposito, Ted Pattison, and John Papa.



5. I think this book is a great starting point for SharePoint and WF. I have not another found a consolidated reference on the topic... makes it easy to find all of the needed material to get started in one read.

5 comments about Introducing Character Animation with Blender.

1. I never did any character modeling before reading this book,and it got me going on. It was a great introduction to the whole world of modeling and animation and to the world of Blender. The text is easy to follow and understand. It is heavily supported by step-by-step screen shots and very well guided through. At the end of the modeling part, the author gives tips and solutions to common modeling "mistakes", like faces facing in the wrong direction etc. That was great, as there was no need to use Google. So what I'm saying here is that the author was expecting a newbie like me to read the book :).
   
   My only regret is that the author decided to model a cartoon character and not a real human; perhaps he could've got a little more realistic and put a bit more emphasis into human muscles and structure. On the other hand, as the title says, this is an "Introduction to character animation", so that's the reason why he picked a cartoon character and focused more on the animation part.
   
   Conclusion: great book !



2. This is an awsome book for the beginning or intermediate Blenderhead. It might even be useful for the advanced user. I think it is the best book for someone who has worked with blender, learned some of the tools but needs to tie the concepts together. Yes you can probably learn the same concepts from online tutorials and the wiki but those tend to be somewhat disjointed. The book is clearly written and easy to follow. How complete it is probably depends on how advanced you are and what you are trying to do. If you are new to modeling it will keep you busy for a while.
   What's wrong with this book? This book is defective. As stated by many others the included DVD is destroyed. The DVD has been incorporated into the binding of the book so not only is the DVD useless but removing the DVD may actually destroy the book binding. This book probably should be recalled by the publisher and rebound. The publisher is very good about sending a new DVD, a simple email and they send you a new one,free no questions. Is the DVD important? Maybe. The software is freely available on the net, however the files for the book are useful. Another problem with this book is the screen captures. Most blender books share this problem. The gray blender background does not reproduce well. There are times when the author indictates that vert placement is important but it is hard to tell from the picture where exactly the verts are. The DVD files may help with that.
   So, this is a must have book for those trying to get their head around blender, one star off for poor production values.



3. Tony Mullen takes the guess work out of long prosaic tutorials that sometimes can confuse a beginner. Anyone who has ever used other expensive animation programs will be amazed at the functional integration that Blender offers the beginner and more advanced user.
   
   This book takes you from step by step toolbox explanations to jumpstarting a project - in an afternoon. All you need is a decent video card, enough hard drive space and this book!!!! For those advanced enough to go beyond the confines of this book, additional podcasts exist on iTunes and websites devoted to this niche.
   
   Unleashing your imagination with Blender is an inexpensive way to explore the world of animation - This book is written for beginner and technical neophyte as long as you have some basic knowledge of Photoshop.



4. I bought this book because it has good reviews. I hope I can learn somethings from this book, but I had spend hours read this book until fall sleep and still don't get it. This book has no step by step instruction. This is the worst book I ever bought.



5. I just received Introducing Character Animation with Blender. The book seems very well written and well illustrated. I have only made it through part of the first chapter, but if I don't learn character animation, it will be my fault, not the book's. Two amazing things: 1. The book had no CD. Nothing. 2. I fired off an email to Tony Mullen complaining about this fact. Within hours, I got a response, and an attachment containing the files I needed. You should definitely buy a book from an author who cares that much for his customers.

5 comments about Upgrading and Repairing PCs (18th Edition) (Upgrading and Repairing).

1. I am a machine control technical person where my main focus is not on PCs, but I sometimes have to work on PCs as they are often associated with machine control systems. Over a year ago my 2003 vintage OEM PC motherboard stopped working. I felt I was ready to put together my first PC using as much of the previous PC components as possible. Based upon the advice of a friend I purchased a copy of the 13th edition as it was written in the time frame of my PC. The book was extremely helpful as it put a spot light on a lot of "fuzzy" knowledge I had gained over the years, or had heard talked about. I ended up reading the majority of the book. Anything in the book that applied to my situation at home or at work I read about and I felt filled to the brim with the information I gathered from the book.
   
   Recently, my wife's PC motherboard stopped working. I gave her my 2003 vintage PC and started work on building a brand new PC for me. The first action I took was to purchase the 18th edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs. When I progressed with trying to determine my future PC components and needed to understand questions of SATA & Multi-Core theory & PCI Express 1 PCI Express 2 & CPU comparisons & knowledge on the latest System memory RAM, I went straight to the 18th edition book. But I just did not feel like I got the warm feeling inside which knowledge and understanding gives you. Compared to what I got out of the 13th edition (which was appropriate to my vintage of PC) to what I got out of the 18th edition (which was appropriate to the build of my newest PC), I felt like the authors have not been on top of "updating" the "upgrading" book.
   
   So with hopefulness, I attempted to go to the author's website. upgradingandrepairingpcs. com and found it led me to another website called informit. com. It appears the author has banded with a group of other technical people to share their knowledge and expertise on this informit website & buying the 18th edition book allows free access to a lot of this web site. But this website was not satisfying for a person with a specific problem or question who is trying to link up with an answer. I ended up gathering a lot of my knowledge and understanding from the multitude of technical websites available on the internet. Including information on what a person has to do to repair Windows XP in order to use a hard drive from a broken PC on a different hardware platform. I would have thought that situation would be very common for "Upgrading and Repairing" a PC.
   
   With that all said, I am giving the book 4 stars and I really wanted to be able to give the book 5 stars. The author is very good at explaining things in just the right manner. The knowledge & understanding I have gained from the books was well worth the full retail price for one book and made me a groupie of the book. But the next time I have to build a new PC in a few years, I won't be buying the latest edition without making sure it has been given a healthy dose of updating.



2. I am not a computer technician so can not be very specific about the real nuts and bolts of the book from a technician's point of view. But as a person who just likes computers and is interested in how they work, I find this book quite informative and helpful. It is good for learning about what to look for when things go wrong, getting ideas for upgrading, maintenance, etc. And, you can't beat the Amazon.com price on this one. Recommended.



3. I read one of these computer repair books every couple of years to keep up with changes. I have found this author to be a very good source of the latest information.



4. I've been doing PC repairs and custom builds for a few years. This book is a good reference book for the technician. It's also a good reference material book when studying up on some certifications. This book is for both the novice and the experienced pc technicians.



5. This is the best book I've ever read of it's kind, I have a decent ammount of experience upgrading but if only I had had this book before, I would have saved several hours of looking on the internet for info that was not accurate or as extensive,or doing trial and error until I got it right. If you're serious about upgrading, repairing, or anything that has to do with computer hardware this is the best for you.

5 comments about Advanced Rails Recipes.

1. I've been reading through this book since my copy arrived a week or so ago, and have already "baked" five of the recipes into my Rails applications. I expect that there will be many more solutions found as I progress through the book.
   
   The recipes in the book are clear and concise, and have been easy to implement in my own applications. A broad range of topics are covered, so there will certainly be something for everyone. I've also found that while the recipes are directly applicable, a number of them also teach "patterns" that you can use in a variety of contexts, not just to achieve exactly what's described in the recipe.
   
   Many recipes are related thematically, or build upon each other, making for great teaching. For example, there are four recipes covering how to search for text in fields stored in the database, from extremely simple (a nice way to implement LIKE searches across a couple fields) to three progressively more robust solutions using external full-text search engines (Ferret, Sphinx, and Solr). This sequence really illustrated the trade-offs you can make, in terms of complexity vs. flexibility and power, when implementing search, and was instrumental in my selection of the Sphinx engine and the Ultrasphinx plug-in for doing searches in my projects. Without the clear sequence of recipes, which illustrated implementations of similar searches, I would have had to spend hours on the Internet, searching tutorials and blog posts for details, and the results wouldn't have been as directly comparable. The time savings here alone justifies the cost of the book.
   
   If I was going to write about a limitation of the book, it would have to be the length. At ~450 pages, it's not a slim volume. But with the range of material covered (reflecting the growing complexity of the Rails ecosystem), it's hard to cover any specific topic area in depth. Even with the nicely-covered search topic, I could envision even more recipes. (Advanced search and savable searches come to mind.)
   
   But wanting more is just quibbling. It's not a reason to not buy this book, it's a reason to start asking for Volume 2!



2. This is not only a phenomenal reference, but it is great for whetting your appetite when embarking into new Rails territory -- the book is full of ideas, that Rails devs of all levels can benefit from. Reading this book gave me an additional perspective on items I practice and those I am learning -- specifically enjoyed the parts on REST, CC payment processing, scalability, testing. Highly recommend.



3. This book is a must have resource for anyone developing Rails applications. Mike Clark, the Ruby community and the Pragmatic Programmers have once again delivered a set of recipies you'll find immediately usable. I'm already using four in an application I'm working on, all of which have helped me reduce code, increase readability and reduce maintenance.
   
   The book is thoughtfully organized with each recipie being both well written and concise.
   
   No matter what type of Rails application you are writing, or your level of experience, I think you'll find something in this book to make you say "Thats a great idea" and rush to the keyboard to try it out.



4. I just got my copy yesterday and am having trouble putting it down! This book reads better than a novel/story if you have even a remote interest in Ruby on Rails. Mike Clark has done an outstanding job of putting together really interesting recipes contributed by Ruby on Rails enthusiasts from all over the world and an equally good job of quality assurance. I really hope that he works on producing a sequel as soon as possible.



5. It's simple, really: If you're programming with Rails you should buy this book. Let's face it, one recipe that shows you how to do something is all that it takes for this book to pay for itself.
   
   Some of the recipes are meant to be looked at on an as-needed basis, e.g. searching using Solr, Sphinx, or Ferret, and sending email via Gmail. But most of the book can be simply read as a way to learn more about Rails, e.g. customizing error messages, testing with RSpec and Shoulda, and caching strategies and tools.

5 comments about Visualizing Data.

1. Based on the title and publisher's writeup I was expecting the book to provide in-depth coverage of various visual metaphors for understanding and manipulating data, such as "Designing Interfaces" by Tidwell, another O'Reilly book that I am very pleased with.
   
   Unfortunately it would be more appropriate if the title (Visualizing Dta) and sub-title (Exploring and Explaining Data with the Processing Environment) were switched. This book is primarily a tutorial on using the Processing Environment (http://processing.org), showing you how to create various interactive charts and composed primarily of code examples.
   
   In addition, the visualizations presented in the book are far from aesthetically pleasing. The Processing Environment has the capability to create visualizations that are not only functional, but beautiful as well. You can find a collection of visualizations at http://www.visualcomplexity.com, many of which were created with the Processing Environment.
   
   In summary I am granting a 2-star rating because the book does not deliver the expected coverage of data visualization design and even in its explanation of the Processing Environment does not provide exemplary visualizations.



2. Ben Fry hits the mark!
   
   The author jumps right into describing the process in Chapter 1, "The Seven Stages of Visualizing Data."
   He elaborates each of the stages with illustrations and examples.
   
   In chapter 2, "Getting Started with Processing," Ben introduces a software tool (named Processing) that's available for download: www.processing.org/download.
   
   From the site: "Processing is an open project initiated by Ben Fry and Casey Reas. It evolved from ideas explored in the Aesthetics and Computation Group at the MIT Media Lab."
   
   And the remainder of the title details the various stages of visualizing data with sample code you can use to develop your own visualizations!



3. 'Visualizing Data' is a book that is supposed to discuss how data is presented, sorted, stored and examined. Instead what we get is a 350+ page book that is jumbled with lots of code samples (why) and a small subset of data that is actually visualized. This is a really niche topic that I thought would be interesting to examine as I opened the book cover but thumbing through I saw few pictures (although there are a few in here that are good) and lots of java code. While it's interesting to see how data is outputted code-wise, from the book title I felt this would be more of a design discussion for the reader.
   
   I can't recommend this book. There is too much code, too much content, and the code that is contained within is all Java. I didn't get much out of it and I feel that if less code and more pictures were added the end result would have been much more solid.
   
   ** NOT RECOMMENDED



4. This book was exactly what I was looking for--chapter eight alone was worth the cost of the book. A word to the wise: rather than assuming its contents from the title alone, read chapter one thoroughly to ensure that this book is right for you.



5. I'm short of superlatives for this book or more generally for the work of Ben Fry.
   
   In my line of work, how people think of graphs is very much influenced by what is possible to do in Excel without changing the default settings too much.
   Enter Processing, a data visualization-oriented language, which makes it easy to create custom visualizations, tailored for the problem you want to address. There is a growing community around Processing and a number of truly incredible graphs that have been created with just a few lines of code. Ben Fry's own work, which ranges from simplistic to very sophisticated, is nothing short of mind-blowing. Yet this book demystifies this and make it all look accessible.
   
   It opens great perspectives for anyone interested in expressing their data graphically. Still, the title is misleading.
   
   This is not a book about, say, editorial rules by which one should construct a visualization. It is not an abstract book that offers generic advice that can be used in whatever environment. For that kind of book, pick Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten or The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, 2nd edition - books which are consistent with Fry's approach, by the way. "Visualizing Data" is really a practical cookbook that will introduce you to Processing. It offers methodological insights, but which are mostly relevant in the Processing environment.
   
   That being said, I highly recommend this book and keeping a close tab on [..]

1 comments about Pro WF: Windows Workflow in .NET 3.5 (Pro).

1. This book provides comprehensive tutorials on how to develop Windows Workflow Foundation applications. I debated whether to deduct one star from my rating because I felt that the example scenarios provided by the author were mostly simplistic and sometimes boring, but decided not to, because the examples do get the explanation across.

4 comments about Struts 2 in Action (In Action).

1. I took a chance and pre-ordered this book because I have recently started a Struts2 project and wanted to learn more about the framework. The book did not disappoint.
   
   The authors explained the concepts behind the framework clearly and used examples that were immediately useful. The book is a little too short and in many cases a few more details would have been appreciated but it seemed to be a deliberate decision to leave out some of the less common use cases to avoid cluttering up the book. Thus, this book is ideal if you are new to Struts 2 but have some prior experience with Java web development.
   
   I like the fact that an entire chapter was dedicated to integrating Spring and Hibernate into the framework. It brings all the bits and pieces from the online documentation together in a cohesive and comprehensive package.
   
   Chapters were also dedicated to validation, internationalization, best practices and migration from Struts classic. The authors spent several chapters on how the Value Stack and the ActionContext worked and how OGNL fits into this framework.
   
   All in all there is enough information in this book to start and to produce a complete Struts 2 application.



2. Struts 2 In Action is the best resource (hard or soft copy) for Struts 2 available. I took a look at this book as someone with quite a bit of experience using Struts and Struts 2. I really thought I had a good understanding of the core framework before, but many of the topics that lack online documentation were covered in more depth than I had seen in the past. As an example, many others have shied away from covering OGNL because it is a language all by itself. In this book you will find what I consider to be the most thorough explanation of how OGNL fits into Struts 2 and how to use it yourself. I was tempted to give the book 4 stars because there are a few things that I thought could have gotten more coverage, like Spring/Hibernate integration and AJAX, but I realized that it really would be impossible to cover everything in one volume. Struts 2 is a large and comprehensive framework and with anything of that scale, a good understanding of the fundamentals is the best way to start. This book delivers.
   
   If you are wondering what is covered, you will find comprehensive coverage of the following -
   - writing actions
   - action workflow basics
   - type conversion
   - OGNL
   - form tags
   - non-form tags
   - results
   - intro to Spring/Hibernate integration
   - validation
   - i18n
   - struts 2 plugins
   - migration from struts 1



3. I had to learn Struts2 quickly since I recently changed jobs and my new team has several web application projects built using Struts2.
   
   Overall, I thought the book was done very well if you are looking for a good introduction to Struts2. The first 8 chapters are very good.
   
   The main negative is the source code for the book's examples. The authors provide one very large war file with all the source code embedded into the war file along with an overall web application divided into sub-applications for each chapter.
   
   This packaging of the source code into the war file made it difficult for me to create individual projects in my development IDE that demonstrated just the material in a specific chapter. I had to spend quite a bit of time breaking down the source code into individual web projects and then figuring out on my own what jars needed to go into each project, what the struts.xml file needed to have, and what ever else was necessary to separate out just that chapter's sub-application so I could run that example and play with it.
   
   Where this really became a problem was in chapters 9 and 10. Chapter 9 is a very advanced introduction to integrating Spring and Hibernate/JPA into Struts2. I never could get this chapter's example to work correctly.
   
   However, chapter 10 on the validation framework then uses the same code as chapter 9, so you really cannot separate out the code for either chapter 9 and 10.
   
   The validation framework is likely something even beginning Struts2 developers will want to use, while Spring/JPA/Hibernate is for more advanced developers and should have been well after the chapter on how to use the validation framework.
   
   Also, the authors really don't give you a good understanding of what Struts2 jars you need to have to build a basic Struts2 application. There is some information about this in chapter 13 (setting up your IDE) but this information should really be at the beginning of the book. Also I don't think the list the authors provide is accurate since my basic HelloWorld (get the user to enter a name, call an Action class, and then display Hello userName in new jsp) worked with far fewer jars. Note there is apparently a new example war that just is a basic Hello World so there may be some information in that war file. That war was not on the manning web site when I purchased the book.
   
   This book is good but be prepared to struggle working with the code examples if you want to work on the examples in your own development environment.
   
   I recommend the authors create separate complete war files for each chapter's example to make it easier for users to just get that chapter's example code into their development IDE.
   
   Lastly, the book does get 4 stars because the author's explanations of the basics of Struts2 (chapters 1-8) is very easy to follow for experienced Java developers. I'm now ready to tackle the Struts2 applications in my new job.



4. This is a proper "In Action" book. I do strongly recommend it. If you plan to buy only one reference in the subject, look no further this is it! Down Brown is a Struts PMC member and an authoritative voice, among others he is the author of the Struts 2 REST plugin which is a superb addition to the framework from version 2.1.2
   
   The book is very well written and easy to follow. I personally found the explanations very concise and appreciated the most their unique and clear way of breaking down and explaining all code snippets. This is really a great reference.
   
   The first two chapters are a very good introduction to the framework. I am a pure version 2 user and had to learn most of these concepts from online documentation and from the Struts mailing lists.
   
   Among all the topics covered I enjoyed and appreciated the most the coverage of:
   - Interceptors
   - OGNL and Type Conversion
   - Validation! before this book, you could only find the relevant coverage of this topic scattered online in e.g. WebWork articles outdated
   ..for Struts 2. The authors did an excellent job explaining validation in chapter 10
   - Really unique was the coverage of:
   ..... Unit testing actions
   ..... Tiles plugin
   ..... execAndWait interceptor "processing your request, please wait .."
   ..... UI component templates
   ..... Writing Struts 2 plugins
   
   On the big plus side, the authors did a superb job keeping the book agnostic to minor versions of Struts 2 i.e. there were several differences from 2.0.x to 2.1.x and I was very happy to see that the examples and explanations were not outdated for the later.
   
   On the down side and as a trade off I can only complain that the book left the Ajax topics out; maybe also because there have been many changes on this topic from minor versions of Struts 2 e.g. the ajax theme of Struts 2.0.x was converted to the dojo plugin in version 2.1.x. In any case, I somehow find the Ajax topic in Struts 2 to be one of the best documented online.
   
   I believe that the Practical Apache Struts 2 Web 2.0 Projects (Practical Projects) book from Ian Roughley is a very good complement to this one. If you want to find coverage on topics like Security and Ajax in Struts 2 you will want that one too. The only issue there is that the coverage of the ajax theme is partially outdated for the newest version 2.1.2 of the framework

5 comments about MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-528): Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0 Web-Based Client Development (Pro Certification).

1. There's not a lot of good resources out there for studying for this test, but this one did help get me what I needed to know to pass it.



2. Apart from any exam-prep, this is an excellent book for learning and using ASP.NET. I have several ASP.NET books and this is the one that more often than not answers my questions. The organization and explanations are very practical and clear. If you are trying to learn ASP.NET then this is an excellent resource.
   
   As far as the exam - I have not yet taken the exam. I have taken some sample tests (not the easy ones that come with this book). I can say that just breezing through this book once will not prepare you to take the test. If you want to pass the test you will need to pretty much memorize this book, and also study other books. I recommend Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Core Reference, Programming Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 Applications: Advanced Topics, and Microsoft ADO.NET - all good books also by Microsoft Press. You will also need to understand object-oriented .NET programming - using classes, etc. Of course, the more practical experience you can get with ASP.NET the better. If nothing else, start a hobby website or get some other project.
   
   I don't remember a lot of egregious typos and errors, although I have not read 100% of the book nor tried out most of the sample code, etc. I bought this book summer 2007 so maybe I have a revised, cleaned up versions.



3. This was my first training kit book. I was preparing for 70-528 egzam using it. Now, after passing it (928 points) I can say, that this book contains some gaps (i.e. templated custom controls). Use another resources (msdn) to pass an exam too.



4. Using this book and the CD that comes with it, I passed this test in just 3 weeks. If read from front to back, everything you need to pass is here.
   
   Glen Johnson's half of the book was particularly sharp. His experience as a professional trainer were clearly evident; he's extremely easy to follow. Tony Northrup's half was not concise. I learned more from the end of chapter lessons than from his written contribution.



5. This book is exactly what is says a Training Kit. It is one of four books Microsoft recommends, along with the other MSPress books. So for the people who are bashing this book because it's not the only one you'll need please refer to Microsoft's website to get the other recommended material. If you don't like the MSPress titles you can use other books like Wrox or Apress. I used a combination of this book + Apress Pro ASP.NET 2.0 and passed with a 890 score on the first try.
   
   Bottom line
   
   Is this good training material: Yes
   Will you need other books to pass the exam: Yes

5 comments about FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual.

1. It's been years since I used Filemaker, and then only as a database user...not the creator of the application. So when I set out to create a new FM database solution for a small private school I needed help! The tutorial provided with Filemaker9 is VERY basic and the application's "Help" tool is very thin. (I finally stopped clicking on it when search after search yielded no real help at all.)
   
   I picked up a copy of the Missing Manual hoping it would save my neck. I found that I already knew the material in the first half of the book, which was actually comforting. It was the second half where I found the help that I needed to make my FM solution do what I wanted it to do. The Missing Manual is well written by real humans...even with a bit of a sense of humor thrown in. And downloadable files on the Missingmanuals.com site make it easy to learn through hands-on exercises.
   
   I'm now rockin' & rollin' on my new database application! FileMaker is a powerful tool and the Missing Manual has helped me to unlock its secrets! A few dollars very well spent!



2. One of the first things that I noticed about "FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual" is it's size. It's a big, heavy book, clocking in at 778 pages. But there is a good reason for this: This book covers a lot -- and I mean a LOT -- of ground. As such, it has something for everyone. From newcomers to veteran developers, you're bound to find something new here. So don't let it's size scare you away!
   
   Written by Geoff Coffey (of Six Fried Rice fame) and Susan Prosser (president of dbhq, a FileMaker certified consulting firm based in Gilbert, Arizona), FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is part of a series of books published by Pogue Press. Like other books in the series, it is very well written, and is presented in a way that allows a lot of information to be presented without overwhelming the reader.
   
   The book is divided into seven parts. Part One provides a good introduction to FileMaker Pro and is a good start for FileMaker newcomers. Part Two covers layouts, including all of the tools that are available to us in layout mode. Part Three dives into relational databases, with information on modeling, relationships, table occurrences, data tunneling, and more.
   
   Part Four deals with calculations, and does a good job of explaining topics that can be hard to grasp, including the Self function, the Let function, and variables. The "Power User Tip" in this section is one of the best examples that I've seen yet on how to put the Let and Self functions to good use. It shows how to use these functions, and a few others, to clean up and format a user-entered phone number.
   
   FileMaker users who have yet to automate their databases with scripts will find Part Five of FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual especially useful. Everything from script basics and how to use ScriptMaker, to advanced scripting techniques, is covered. The information presented about script parameters is especially informative. Readers will learn how to pass multiple parameters to a script, as well as how to pass parameters to subscripts. Script variables, and error handling techniques, are also covered.
   
   Part Six covers FileMaker security and integration. Readers will learn how to use FileMaker's built-in security model to protect their databases. In terms of integrating Filemaker, this section explains how to share data in FileMaker databases with other systems, and vice versa. The authors do a great job of introducing what many believe to be one of the most compelling new FileMaker features: External SQL Sources (or "ESS"), which was introduced in FileMaker Pro 9. Rounding out Part Six are terrific explanations of some of the developer utilities that are only available in FileMaker Pro Advanced. Copying and pasting database structures, the script debugger, the data viewer, the database design report, tooltips, custom menus, and more are covered.
   
   And finally, Part Seven includes two helpful appendixes. Appendix A, "Getting Help," offers a good review of other places that developers and users can turn to when they run into trouble. Appendix B provides a list of FileMaker Error Codes.
   
   At a list price of $34.99, FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is a smart, affordable investment for any FileMaker user or developer. Reading the book is like taking a crash course in FileMaker Pro development. Read it, and your FileMaker skills are sure to benefit!



3. Pros:
   
   - The writing style is accessible and easy to understand
   - You can download the database examples used in the book.
   - It's the best FileMaker Pro 9 book I've seen.
   
   Cons:
   
   - Like a lot of computer books out there, this one is unnecessarily wordy. The publisher said, "I need a 750-page book," and the author complied.
   
   -And you gotta read ALL of it (especially beginners), because important information is distributed like buried treasure.
   
   - The wordiness and lack of consistent structure makes it easy to get lost. Let me give you an example:
   
   This is my first stab at FileMaker Pro. The first chapter shows you how to find records. It starts out nicely with bolded text showing the steps to perform a find. Then it gets wordy. And then it shows a few figures of what you will see. Huge paragraphs of smaller, italicized text accompany the figures.
   
   I skipped the figures and went on. Suddenly, I couldn't access most of my database entries. I went back to Browse mode, like the book told me to do, and still couldn't see them.
   
   Finally, after much digging, I found the crucial step I had missed, buried in the smaller, italicized text of the gargantuan paragraph accompanying Figure 1-17. Inconsistencies like this make the book a tough slog.
   
   I just brushed up on my Access 2003 (I haven't used it in 7 years) with one of those procedure-based illustrated books. It took me 3 hours to get through the 250-page book. It took me about an hour to get through chapter 1 (27 pages) of this book.
   
   
   I recommend downloading the examples from their website (I doubt you got a CD-ROM with your book). See the Missing CD-ROM link on this book's web page.



4. This is a thorough review of how to set up various database features of the Filemaker system. Like many such manuals I have had in the past, I found myself reading and re-reading instructions feeling there must be clearer, better ways to instruct someone on the various procedures of this fine database software. Nevertheless this reader got over some difficult spots in setting up his database and gives the book a positive review...



5. FileMaker Pro 9 is one of the most intuitive and user-friendly database programs available. But, as with all database programs, it is capable of so much that it is practically impossible for the typical user to deduce all of its functionality simply by searching the program's multiple menus.
   
   Enter FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual - another edition of the Missing Manual series designed to enlighten non-technical persons on highly technical subjects.
   
   The main selling point of the series is that it is very simple to read. O'Reilly's writers are also extremely knowledgeable in the subject area. Geoff Coffey, has been a FileMaker Pro trainer and consultant for over 10 years. Susan Prosser is also a FileMaker consultant, as well as a database program creator. Along with the Missing Manual creative team, these authors impart their wealth of knowledge in a way that anyone could understand. And since they aren't part of FileMaker, Inc., they aren't afraid to point out any of the software's problems.
   
   When comparing FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual to the user's guide supplied in the software's box, several differences are notable. The biggest is size: the Missing Manual is wider, taller, and much thicker. So if you just need a quick introduction to the program, this book might not be what you need. Learning a program as extensive as FileMaker Pro takes time, and delving through the Missing Manual is going to take a lot of it. But if you want to get the most out of FileMaker Pro, then the user's guide just isn't enough. The Missing Manual also notably uses less complicated language, has more example images, and presents a intuitive flow of information than the user's guide.
   
   One of the biggest benefits of FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is the online support. Armed with just the software and user's guide, you have to learn from scratch. The Missing Manual, on the other hand, offers several pre-built databases that it guides you through. This not only gives you an example to work with while learning, but also shows you various ways that your final databases could be built and organized.
   
   The indexing is also much more detailed in the Missing Manual. So if you ever forget how to work a specific function of the program, the answer is a quick look-up away, though there are several instances in which the index reference the wrong section of the book (but the right page number). This is probably due to a late chapter reorganization before publishing.
   
   While the current Missing Manual is well supported with examples, it does not, as yet, support any new software updates being offered by FileMaker, Inc.. In other words, the book is written for the FileMaker Pro 9 program right out of the box. If the company puts out any updates that alter the software, then you need to do your own research to figure out the changes. Also, when FileMaker Pro 10 becomes available, there is no smaller Missing Manual explaining just those changes - you'll need to pick up a new edition. So if you're not new to the FileMaker Pro software, these manuals might be more than you need.
   
   I found FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual to be perfect for someone just starting to work with database programs. It's step-by-step process will have you building your first personal or professional database in no time!

5 comments about Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art (Best Practices (Microsoft)).

1. Excellent book. It seems like it is more targeted at Project Managers than developers, but it's definitely worth the read for both positions.



2. Despite the fact that most software developers consider themselves engineers or scientists, many mainly rely upon gut instinct for estimation rather than data. The material in this book enabled me to persuade my developers of the limits of gut instinct, to guide them to develop more quantitative methods and to help them predict the precision of their estimates.



3. Basic premise: that "the goal is software estimation is not pinpoint accuracy but estimates that are accurate enough to support effective project control. To that end, a "good estimate" is one that "provides a clear enough view of the project reality to allow the project leadership to make good decisions about how to control the project to hit its targets."
   
   Software estimation is inherently nontrivial. The resulting product is virtually invisible until it is finished---and you rarely end up with the same product that you initially estimated anyway. Early on, requirements are difficult to state (and measure) precisely, and as Rittel stated "the true nature of the problem only emerges as a solution is developed."
   
   Many PM's still believe that estimates are based on multiples of a gut feel. However, the ambiguous nature of software reality requires multiple and varied quantitative methods just to define the estimate space in terms of order of magnitude.
   
   This book provides a basic and superficial description of a number of these methods, including how and when to best apply them. It is an excellent primer to reading other more exhaustive texts (such as Stutzke's Estimating Software-Intensive Systems) and an indispensable desk-reference for Program Managers, Project Managers and Parametricians. Highly recommended.



4. I have just completed the reading. Not that, I didn't know estimation, nor that I was struggling to do a right kind of estimation. I am already fairly accustomed with standard tools and techniques in the world of professional software estimation. What I found appealing in this book is the approach towards estimation at the start.
   
   Today, I was sitting in an informal discussion session with a bunch of college graduates who barely completed 1 year in this industry. It was an open discussion set, and one point came up on right estimation. Many of them had gone through 20 hour workday regimen during the difficult times of the project, and all of them were convinced that somebody did not do the estimation right. To explain that estimation is not that easy math work like a college paper, I started with a quiz: What's the latitude of Sanghai. And as I continued speaking on estimating the latitude of Sanghai, I found increasing number of approving nods all around the room. Happy me! It was not always the case where I found an immediate place to apply my book reading in past, that too with the nods of approval.
   
   Coming back to the book, I will definitely recommend this book to all software project leaders and project managers to get a feel of the subject and how to address the problem at large. To gain deeper knowledge there are tons of research papers and books waiting for you, but if you are a busy professional, go through this book first.



5. Honesty, I was expecting very "soft" content, i.e., pages spent over-analyzing obvious points and so on. BUT this description could not be farther from the truth. In Software Estimation, McConnell draws on over a hundred published studies on the topic of software estimation as well as numerous case studies. The book is data driven and based on statistical techniques. McConnell emphases counting concrete project steps and comparing them with previous estimates where as intuiting off-the-cuff estimates is a major no-no.