5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself XML in 10 Minutes (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. I have tried to read this book over the course of two weeks, I can't get more than a couple pages without nearly passing out. This thing reads like stereo instructions. I can not comment on how accurate the information is, as the author is so boring, I can't retain any of it. No specific examples, all very vauge references.



2. I've been a software engineer for 20+ years. This is the worst technical book that I can recall. Way too many forward references - "Now I'll use a technical term that I won't explain for another two chapters".

   Most technical books have some forward references but this is ridiculous. To make it worse, some of the terms are never clearly explained even when you get to that section of the book.




3. The author uses lots of phrases which are explained very quickly, and to vague to be of much use. This is a book for beginners, and you wont come very far reading this book, but you might, perhaps, learn the basics.



4. The real title should be "Learn all about what XML is, with a few examples, in a bit over 3 hours, ten minutes at a time." But that wouldn't sell the book by its cover. Very clear, following the "tell you, tell you, told you" style. A bit dry but mostly very easy learning since it's in ten-minute chunks. Takes the mystery out of XML. Opens your eyes to all that it can do. Finally makes clear what a "DOM" is (document object model.



5. The book is written in a very boring English. The authors tries to describe everything in text, whereas a simple example would have gone a long way.
   The examples are scarce inside the text. Well, at least "good examples" are... Whenever he reaches the simple concepts such as parsed entities, he gives a couple of examples, but for more complicated such as unparsed, the examples are vague and trivial.
   The same goes for explaining the attributes. CDATA is explained thoroughly (as in all other resources available on the web), but ID, IDREF, NMTOKEN,... just mentioned in one line, without a single example. I had to spend a lot of time surfing the web to find some clear explanations.
   You could argue that he was trying to present a brief introduction. Well, that's not exactly true. He tries to touch everything in the least clear way possible.
   There are tons of better books on XML out there. Don't waste your time and money.

5 comments about Real World XML (2nd Edition) (Inside).

1. I think, learing a technology is best possible, if it is explained in an interesting, clear and organized manner. This book does just that. The details are great, the style is even excellent. This is a must buy for anyone who wants to learn basic, intermediate, and many advanced features of XML.
   I rate this, one of the best XML books I have.



2. This is the second edition of Holzner's book, which was originally titled Inside XML. I purchased Inside XML back in 2001 when I first started exploring XML, and it was a good choice back then. Looking at the new version of the book, my opinion hasn't changed. It's still a good choice.

   Holzner assumes little programming knowledge in his writing. The JavaScript and Java chapters dealing with XML each start with a very high-level tutorial on the language. It's enough to allow you to understand how XML processing can fit in that environment. Throughout the entire book, there is an abundance of examples that you can study and use to get you up and running quickly. To me, the value of this book is how it gives you a great overview of all the pieces of XML as well as example code to make it all come together.

   Perhaps the only "drawback" to this book is how much it tries to cover. Looking at the table of contents, you see that XML is actually a number of technologies that are used in conjunction with each other. You could easily buy individual books that are more comprehensive in coverage for any one of these related technologies, like SOAP, XSL, or Cascading Style Sheets. Conversely, you would get so bogged down in the minute details that you'd miss the bigger picture of how they all fit together. This book gives you more than enough information to get started, as well as helping you to understand what it is you still don't know.

   For Notes/Domino developers, this is a perfect title to use to get started on XML technology. You will likely find yourself at some point having to either read or produce an XML file for exchange with another business entity. This book will help you to understand what you need to know to get it done. You could use the Java examples in order to code Domino agents to process XML, and those same examples could also help you to understand some of the LotusScript XML classes that are now provided in Notes/Domino. The SOAP chapters will also be valuable should you have to learn to use and/or create web services for your application.

   Conclusion
   If you are a beginning or intermediate developer who needs to learn the basics of XML in a hurry, this is a very good choice. If you need in-depth knowledge of any particular part of XML, you could supplement this choice with a specific book on that subject. Recommended.




3. Title:Real World XML
   Edition: 1st edition?
   Author: Dr. Steven Holzner
   City: Indianapolis, IN
   Publisher: Peachpit press
   Published Date: 2003
   
   Reviewer Name: Ravi Mahalingam
   E-mail address: mravichandran@hotmail.com
   Review Date: 25 July 2004.
   
   Overall value of the book:
   4=Very useful and well written. I will refer to this book again.
   
   Instructional value of the book:
   5=Excellent! An essential book on this topic.
   
   Please rate the reference value of this book from 1-5 where
   4=This book has earned a valued place on my reference shelf.
   
   
   The author is an exponent in this field and has written a number of articles adn XML. Due to the mastery over XML, the author has taken the time to explain all the concepts, history and ways to create XML document. the author has written the book at various levels. from basic to advanced depending on the need of the reader. this book can be used by the students of XML who want to start from scratch.
   
   the author begins the book (chapter 1) by touching the salient features of the XML, its features, editor, and different implementations of XML in fields such as chemical markup language to name a few. the author has also explained about creating well formed documents, validating them against DTDs and XML schemas.
   
   the author had provided history about XML schemas asn provided ways to create scheams. Javascript has been used for manipulating XML documents and examples to explain the difficult concepts. the book also describes how to use XML with data from a traditional RDBMS with simple examples.
   
   this book is an excellent book and I will be buying my cousin this book - he was looking for a good book on XML. I think it is a great honor to evaluate a book by this author.



4. XML can be a rather dry topic. Steve Holzner writes in a style that makes the subject rather interesting. It's the first XML book that I've come across that hasn't sent me to sleep. This book is a great intro into the world of XML. Highly recommended for those looking for a starting point.



5. This book is VERY comprehensive. Holzner literally holds your hand through every single step, which is great if you are totally new XML or even programming in general.
   
   However, if you have more than 1 or two years real world experience programing, this book will more than likely just frustrate you on certain levels. The information is still top notch, it's just that the path getting there is very deliberate.
   
   See some of the other negative reviews for examples.
   
   Still, I think it's a great book.

5 comments about XML Web Services for ASP.NET.

1. I have purchased three books on XML Web services and this one was the most comprehensive and got right to the point on how to not only build webservices, but also to how consume them in my applications (.NET, VB and classic asp). It is interesting that this is such a talked about topic everywhere, but there are not too many books out on this subject. You won't do yourself wrong by getting this book.



2. Excellent book on webservices. Chapter 23 was something I had never seen before. WSDL is used extensively in the book, and Chapter 23 shows how to build take a standard HTML page and turn it into a WSDL document. What does this get you? Now you can screen scrape HTML pages and access the data as a property of the WSDL Document. I had never seen this before. Totally cool and unique technique!!



3. When I purchased this book, hope will find examples, information about Web Services to help my projects. But I only found identical MSDN information. I could not believe my eyes but several of sentences was same with MSDN. If you want to buy a Web Services book this should not be one. I have purchased several books on XML Web services and this one was the most identical (also just copy and paste) one.



4. I was studying for the Microsoft exam 70-310 on XML Web Services and they suggested this MS press book on web services, but the MS press book is ONLY in C# even though the exam they want you to take is for Web services in VB.NET! Had to return that book. I got this one instead. I was happy to see that this book covered XML Web services in both VB.NET and C# and I was able to use this book to study for my exam. Passed!



5. Any book on ASP.NET will mention Web services development, but "XML Web Services for ASP.NET" is an entire book dedicated to explaining all of the different sub-areas within the technology platform. And very well done. It's written by everyone's friend in .NET, Bill Evjen, one of the most outspoken advocates of .NET technology around.

   The book is outstanding and takes an in-depth look at XML Web services, and Microsoft's specific implementation of the paradigm. All of the major considerations are explained well and adequately to become productive in developing your own library of Web services, or by extending the functionality of your applications.

   The book's tone is very friendly, and non-intimidating, so it's a very easy, quick read. Bill also uses lots of practical analogies to make the more complex topics relevant, so it's an added bonus that this book appeals to the beginning as well as the seasoned developer.

   Bill discusses areas critical to a thorough understanding of WS technology using .NET such as SOAP, UDDI, remoting, security, authentication, performance, and client development for calling an XML Web service from an ASP.NET WebForm or Windows Form, VB 6.0 app, or an ASP 3.0 Web page. The book also features some really good appendices, especially those on .NET's Web service classes, and an XSD primer for schema development.

   The book is not about ASP.NET development, and so providing the reader has some experience with building third-generation Web applications, gets right to the meaty stuff. The chapters are short and to the point, and Bill's overview of ADO.NET is one of the better ones I've read in recent times. The most outstanding thing to me is that Bill liberally uses real-world code samples, with all code presented in both Visual Basic .NET and C#. Snafus in the code are very minimal, and I know form personal experience that good ol' Bill is extremely available and answers all his e-mail...about anything.

   However, the book's printed code samples (I haven't checked the downloadable source code from the publisher) tend to reflect code generated from Visual Studio .NET, which in my opinion become confusing and therefore more difficult to replicate in an IDE environment like Dreamweaver MX or ASP.NET Web Matrix or non-IDE environment like Notepad due to all of the proprietary code VS.NET generates, and in doing so, using code behind. It's been my experience that it's easier to go the other way - provide the raw code and leave it up to the developer to implement in whatever means they see fit.

   Another thing I did not care for (some of you may agree, I'm assuming most may not) was the physiology of the book itself, which was beyond the author's reasonable control. The binding is very flimsy and the spine breaks without much trouble. The paper isn't very durable, and doesn't lay flat for very long. I hope Wiley Publishing take into consideration that books of this nature get used & abused for their content more than most, and consider making corrections in the book's composition to make them last longer.

   But beyond this, the book is a must-have for a user group as it's cross-language, multi-developmental platform, multi-subject appeal make it applicable to many different levels of developers, and is great for team environments.

5 comments about XML Pocket Consultant.

1. I knew a little about XML before reading this book, but nothing in-depth. I've been a software developer for years however, so I didn't want a basics book, but something that covered the subject quickly and in depth. After reading the other reviews I bought this book and was not disappointed. I was particularly interested in XML Schema and XSLT, and this book does an excellent job with both. I'm not sure you can find a more thorough reference outside the standards documents themselves. Datatypes, restrictions, defining complex types--I use this book for XML Schema like I use K&R for C programming. Note that this book has almost no coverage of subjects outside the W3C standards, such as the different types of validating tools and parsers or other XML schema languages such as RELAXNG from Oasis. You will have to go elsewhere for a fuller understanding of the entire 'XML Universe'. The only real gripe I have with this book is its constant use of Microsoft in the examples, which grates on this long-time Linux user. Of course, its from Microsoft Press, so what can you expect. Fortunately XML itself is non-OS specific, so nothing in this book is really Microsoft-centric. All in all, a great reference.



2. "XML Pocket Consultant" is the best XML book on the market. It is really worth every penny. This book is packed with useful information. My biggest disappointment is that I had such a hard time find the book. For anyone wanting to learn XML, XSL, XPath this is the book I recommend.



3. I seldom award five stars but this book deserves it. If you can only buy one XML reference book, buy this one; if you have XML books that you're not satisfied with, buy this one: The XML Pocket Consultant is *the* XML "sleeper" title.
   
   In my mind, I've retitled the XML Pocket Consultant "The XML Comprehensive Quick Reference." The book presents every aspect of XML and related technologies in a clear, crisp, understandable style. The book's excellent content is augmented by a professionally crafted visual style (page layout, whitespace, typeface, headings, list construction, examples) that facilitates information access and transfer; I mention this because too many books of this type look like they were designed and produced using consumer-level desktop publishing software.
   
   I'm not normally this enthusiastic about a book, but The XML Pocket Consultant is truly a treasure: It's the single most useful, helpful, 5.5" x 8" x 1.2" compendium of XML information I've so far found.



4. If you are a knowledgable IT professional and need to either learn XML or increase your knowledge quickly, this book is for you. Complete, fast-paced, no dead wood, and designed with the busy IT professional in mind. It reminds me of the Wrox "Handbook" series.

   It's 370 pages but half-size, so equivalent to a normal-size 185-page book. Best book purchase I've made all year. Weird for an MSPress book to be so good :-)

   Take the hint, MS Press... make all of your books like this!




5. Pretty much what I was looking for. Relatively thin book packed with 'to the point' info, with mostly unambigious explanation. Have not found any printing mistakes yet.
   Money's worth.

4 comments about PHP Oracle Web Development: Data processing, Security, Caching, XML, Web Services, and Ajax.

1. PHP Oracle Web Development by Yuli Vasiliev, to quote the front, covers data processing, security, caching, XML, Web Services and Ajax. Quite a lot for a mere 360 or so pages.
   
   The book starts off with notes on both PHP and Oracle and describes how to obtain them both and how to get everything up and running using the PHP OCI8 extensions from Oracle. Whilst Oracle is a market leader in the big database arena, many developers will be surprised to learn that the full and unrestricted product is freely downloadable for development purposes - you only need to buy a licence for a production system. Even then, a free cut down version is available if you don't need the full bells and whistles.
   
   So, with everything up and running, the book launches in to the subject at hand. I was immedietely impressed with the author's clear and easily read prose. Every subject is presented with just the right balance of detail with lots of additional notes and background information to help fill in any gaps. The author's real world experience shines through with sections on locking issues and coding for reusability. The section on object-orienation was particularly welcome.
   
   I also liked the fact that the book didn't just cover the core subject of using Oracle with PHP but also covered vital related material such as various security models and a sizeable section on caching techniques. The sections on XML, Web Services via SOAP and Ajax ensure all the current must-have skills are represented. Ajax was presented via an example application which featured all the aspects you'd need including both code and style sheets but I'd have liked a bit more general advice and description here.
   
   The bulk of the book though is the coverage of the OCI8 extentions and here you can find out how to issue a wide variety of SQL statements including using stored procedures, making use of triggers and a good section on transaction handling that didn't just show how to use them but also had useful advice on structuring your code to make best use of them. I would have liked some notes on avoiding things like SQL Injection attacks but that apart, the security section had some interesting nuggets.
   
   The section on object-orientation warrents close inspection if you want to really leverage the power of the tools available in this development environment. It didn't have much on the 'big picture' of how you'd structure applications this way but it does describe how it all works and how to extend existing objects as well as create your own.
   
   I feel I can safely say that if you need to get to grips with PHP in an Oracle environment, you'll find everything you'll need here to get up and running very quickly. The pace, content and structure of the book are all excellent with my only reserve being the assumption that everything works as it is supposed to with not much in the way of troubleshooting advice. That apart, this is a fine book.



2. It's rather small, but gives a good overview of PHP, Oracle and AJAX, coupled together. There is only one project example Throughout the whole book, which is enhanced from various aspects. To be precise, they are:
   
   Performance Optimization - views, stored subprograms, triggers, binding variables (Oracle);
   caching mechanisms (PHP,Oracle) - intended to reduce amount of data transferred between database and web servers; AJAX - browser-side optimization,
   
   Security - special database schemas coding/decoding algorithms usage(sha1, md5),
   Virtual Private Database (VPD) - Oracle
   
   Scalability/Complexity Control - object-oriented approach (PHP5 features, Oracle Object Types)
   
   Unified Data - XML-processing data inside database/PHP server
   using XML DB to implement web-service (SOAP, WSDL).
   
   Many of these ideas are rather universal and can be applied to other database servers, web servers and script languages
   
   I would like to emphasize that author is an expert in Oracle, he tries to move almost all business-logic to database server, use native Oracle features (some of them are implemented only in latest Oracle versions). There are also chapters devoted to general database principles (transaction features (ACID), views, stored subprograms, concurrency, views, triggers, stored subprograms) which can be very useful for novice developers.



3. This book consists in almost 400 pages of solid content, and is targeted at beginners-to-intermediate PHP and Oracle developers who want to learn or have a deeper understanding of the interaction of the two technologies.
   
   The first chapters highlight the capabilities and advantages of Oracle, cover the installation and connecting procedures, and present some of the alternatives to use Oracle with PHP: using the PHP OCI8 extension directly, and with some popular database abstraction libraries like PEAR::DB, ADOdb, or PDO. A capital sin is it never mentions PEAR::MDB2 ;-)
   The central chapters are dedicated to data processing, transaction handling, OO programming, security and caching (also using PEAR::Cache_Lite).
   The last chapters are dedicated to XML, XSLT, SOAP and AJAX, and are packed with examples which are more than enough to get you started with those features. All the code examples are laid in a plain and very easy to understand way, yet consistently suggesting some best practices from the very beginning.
   
   The first merit of this book is it shows how you can process data with the DBMS and not just to treat the DBMS like a dumb storage system. For instance, there's a whole chapter explaining how to store, query and transform XML documents with PHP and with Oracle's internal XSLT functions, and there are many examples of STORED PROCEDUREs, TRIGGERs, transaction handling, etc.
   A good part of the examples have a strong focus on security too. I found particularly interesting the explanation of alternative techniques to secure your tables, and to mask rows and columns for fine-grained access, using not only VIEWs, but also SPs, multiple schemas, PL/SQL packages, table functions and Virtual Private Database policies. On the PHP side, it goes all the way to create a custom PEAR::Auth container.
   
   One of the most interesting paragraphs of the book describes the usage of Change Notification and notification handlers (a new feature of Oracle Database 10g Rel 2) for caching purposes.
   
   While some of the described techniques aren't Oracle-specific and could be used with any other DBMS and it would have been nice to dive deeper into some other unique Oracle characteristics, that was probably out of scope for an introduction to PHP and Oracle, and it doesn't detract from the merits of this excellent book.
   
   The writing style is clear, even if IMHO it could have been more concise sometimes. For instance, reading continue anticipations and wrap-ups that stress the same concept can get a bit annoying after a while: "In the next chapter we're going to see...", "This chapter covers...", "Now that you have an idea on how...", "In this chapter we've learnt how to...".
   Anyway, I guess that it's in the spirit of the old adagio "repetita iuvant", and it may make sense in a technical book. My overall impression is very positive.



4. Based on the title, the book has so many things to discuss but it actually has less than 400 pages that even include the glossary of terms. The reader might have a second thought about the book since it might not promise to discuss the things written in the chapter.
   
   But if you go through the chapters, you will be surprised how each topic could be discussed thoroughly in this book. Using the traditional structures in most web and application development books, it slowly introduces each concept before they are brought together in the final chapters.
   
   PHP and Oracle are discussed separately at first with sample codes and situations to ensure that the reader understands each concept. It then goes to discuss who they could be efficiently integrated. The final chapter which is about Ajax is very impressive as it gives the developers a chance to develop an Ajax based application using popular practices in web development. The robustness of Oracle and efficiency of PHP is actually shown in an Ajax based application.
   
   PHP Oracle Web Development: Data processing, Security, Caching, XML, Web Services, and Ajax is a good starting book for any web development professionals and enthusiasts. It covers the basics of web development using PHP and database management of Oracle including an installation guide for Oracle and PHP. If you are looking for a book to start with PHP and Oracle, this book offers a good start.
   
   For developers who are experienced in this discipline, the book could be a good reference point for developing an application. The sample codes that helps the reader understands the underlying concept of the application with actual scenarios, this PHP and Oracle book is almost too good to pass on.

4 comments about New Perspectives on XML- Comprehensive.

1. This is one of the best books that I have read on XML. It is an excellent book for teaching yourself XML. The author creates fictional application scenarios in each chapter so you learn XML within the context of the application. The exercises are challenging but not too difficult. The topics covered range from DTD, XML schema, XSL, XPath and DOM. The author doesn't try and cram too much in the book. He is very thorough in what he covers so topics like SOAP, SQL support within XML are not addressed.



2. JUST CORRECT THE ERRORS IN THE TEXT AND ATTACHED FILES!!!!



3. This is a relatively good cookbook approach. It gets you started quickly with hands-on exercise development as you read the text. The review exercises and case problems are good, because they step you through a little at a time and in some cases show what you should be getting as a result. However, the type-in code and the text itself have lots of errors throughtout the book, so if you're unsure what to do, and can't discern where the text is wrong, that could be a show-stopper. For such an expensive book it should have been better edited.
   
   Also, Patrick Carey does very little to explain why things are the way they are. It's just, "Do this, then that. See the result?"
   
   You'll need another book to have the "aha" moments that give you insight into XML. I highly recommend "XML Companion" by Neil Bradley.



4. I was very disappointed with this purchase. I notified the seller and he never responded to my email.

No comments about Visual Basic.NET and XML: Harness the Power of XML in VB.NET Applications.

5 comments about The VoiceXML Handbook: Understanding and Building the Phone-Enabled Web.

1. As a VoiceXML developer, I looked forward to this book. I was disappointed. Too much time was spent speculating on Version 2.0 and not enough time explaining Version 1.0. If you are looking to learn VoiceXML this is not the book.



2. I am director of user interface design at Audiopoint in Fairfax, Virginia -- a voice portal/voice technology company. I work mostly in human factors, not programming. This book is exactly what I've been looking for, because it gives, I feel, an excellent overview of the many kinds of systems, software, and hardware that are involved in the work I do. I agree with another reviewer, who said that the author clearly states that not all the examples will work in every case, for various reasons. The great plus for me is that, even though my training is not for the most part in technology, I could still understand the book. The author takes you, usually, from the very beginning, and gives you the big, simple picture, which is crucial to have fixed firmly in your mind. This book is making it much easier for me to understand our IT people and talk with techies, and visualize various products which I'd like to see our company launch. So I give this book top rating....



3. I can find more information on the internet on this subject than reading this book. In fact I turned to the internet while reading this book for answers to the questions this book failed to answer.



4. In The VoiceXML Handbook: Understanding And Building The Phone-Enabled Web, computer telephony expert Bob Edgar takes the reader through a step-by-step introduction through all the features of VoiceXML (including VoiceXML 2.0). Readers will learn about Graphical Web Browsing, HTML, and HTTP; Telecommunications; Computer Telephony; Voice Recognition and Text-to-Speech; and XML. Also provided are a VoiceXML Tutorial and instructions on using Voice Browsers to crated Phone-Enabled Web Sites. The VoiceXML Handbook is an indispensable "how to" reference for anyone who needs to enhance their website with telephony-enabled technology and ability.



5. The book is a general overview of telephony application and a thin introduction to VoiceXML. It covers important matters in a very rapid and unprecise way. It contains even errors in the examples.

5 comments about MCAD/MCSD Training Guide (70-310): Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Visual Basic(R) .NET and the .NET Framework (Training Guide).

1. This book provides tons of "StepByStep" exercises to learn all about remoting,web services, etc. It's a great book for those that do not hae tons of experience in these areas. In the same token, it maybe too much coding for the experience developer who is looking to gain just the facts to pass the test. If someone is looking for that, then look at the MS Press book.
   
   The one real complaint that I have is with the layout of the book. There is a lot of line wrapping which isn't really necessary, they could use the width of the page. But, this is the fault of the publisher, not the author.
   
   Overall, another great book by Mike!



2. This book was extremely well written and provided excellent coverage of every topic in the exam as well as some extra material. Mike Gunderloy's experience shows in his in-depth
   understanding of the subject matter. I passed the exam with the help of Transcender and MeasureUp practice tests. Also, I bought the CareerAcademy.com Web Services training, but it was almost worthless(wasted 500 bucks). One hint though, this time around(unlike with the 70-306 and 70-305 tests) the real test is actually harder than the practice tests. It really tests your knowledge and forces you to dig deep. So, study hard and make sure you don't just read the book, but do the step by steps and guided practice exercises.



3. Hi,
   
   I have passed the first two exams of the MCAD using microsoft training materail... I agree its not comprehensive, but at least it is short and to the point and most important is you understand what you are reading.
   
   This book is full of examples without any explanation. For eg: 3 pages of code has only 4 lines of explantion.... I am trying to force myself to read this book, but by the end of 2nd chapter (around 150 pages) i am forced to shut it and write this review.
   
   I think I am good at grasping things, I gave my first two exams in 2 weeks and scored around 930 on both of them ( 229 and 305 ).
   
   This book just focuses on step by step and fails to explain what each step means. I have worked with xPath and xml nodes at work, and I think the examples in the book about XML is unnecessarily confusing.
   
   I bought this book looking at the 4 stars, and can just hope that this book gets better in the comming chapters, cause I have my exam in a couple of weeks.
   
   Regards,
   Pranav



4. I just passed my 70-310 test with a score of 820. I used this book to get the basic understanding of what was covered. If you want to pass the ONLY way to go is with the Test King Questions and Answers. Don't waste your money on anything else. You'll thank me for it later. :)



5. this product is awesome,but ull need extra help to get cert.
   you can get more help in this link
   (getcert's POST)
   
   http://www.mcse.ms/message2132798.html
   
   thanks

3 comments about The LaTeX Web Companion: Integrating TeX, HTML, and XML (Tools and Techniques for Computer Typesetting).

1. I have found this book almost as useful and interesting as the LaTeX Companion. I think that it gives enough information about sharing TeX and LaTeX texts on the web, but the chapters covering pdfTeX and SGML/XML applications could be more detailed.
   I have found that there is another big problem - with every day coming the information tends to get older and older. I can fully recommend buying this book today, but I am not sure if I would do it once more after half a year has passed.
   

   If you were interested in transforming TeX into PDF, I would recommend also the LaTeX Graphics Companion, or some other book introducing the problematic of PostScript and PDF.




2. I am an user of latex on linux for sometime now. The possibillities are uncountable with this excellent software. This book touches on the use of tex and latex for the web. Being not that experienced with all the possibillities this book is very usefull. It is a good introduction for converting latex and tex files to documents for the web. If you can grasp all the stuff in this book you will be able to easily prepare all kinds of documents for the web and in the end save a lot of time lost with programming html yourself.
   Don't expect to much examples and user details, it has an excellent index and reference list to get you started.
   There is a lot of math stuff in this book, so trying to get a lot of formula's on the web this will certainly be of help. I am not into math so a couple pages could be skipped.
   Concluding: want to get started with latex and the web, want to make good documents for the web on a fast and good way, this is the book for you.



3. This book dates back to 1999, and since I'm writing this in 2006, that's seven years ago. Seven years is a long time for computer documentation. Virtually everything in the book is so far out of date that it's useless. The authors also didn't do a very good job of staying on topic; there are many long digressions that are neither interesting nor useful. In many cases, the authors merely give a broad-strokes outline of how to accomplish a particular task, or talk about several different approaches that have been taken by different people, without concluding with anything very helpful about how to actually accomplish the task.