3 comments about Analysis and Design of Digital Systems with VHDL.

1. Given the large number of VHDL books out there, this book comes up signficantly short. Although the title clearly implies this is a VHDL book, actual VHDL is not introduced until Chapter 11; the first ten chapters explain various digital design concepts. This type of instruction is better left to other sources. While the explanation of VHDL modeling is clear enough, the order in which concepts are explained are puzzling at best, and maddening at worst. The terribly incomplete index is also frustrating- it's not possible to look up VHDL constructs or keywords for syntax! My advice would be to explore other VHDL books- this one is best left alone.



2. There are not many books out there that can describe VHDL as good as this book does. I used this book as an introduction to Hardware logic in my EE classes and was always happy with the contents of the chapter. Although, some help was provided for the questions at the end of each chapter. In the advanced FPGA classes, this book provided a good reference whenever I forgot the basics.



3. First off, another reviewer mentioned disappointment that this is not primarily a VHDL book. Just to clarify, this is a textbook for an undergraduate class in digital logic design that happens to teach VHDL, so those looking for a text primarily on VHDL will be disappointed. With that said, it does a good job overall of introducing the subject. Its explanations are generally clear, and it introduces all the foundations in a well-organized manner.
   
   My one complaint was the fairly poor index and reference material, both of which could have used a little more work. There was certainly reference material there, but I generally didn't find it that helpful.

5 comments about Dodge Caravan Plymouth Voyager & Chrysler Town & Country 1984 thru 1995 Mini-vans Haynes Repair Manual (Haynes Automotive Repair Manual Series).

1. This book is the biggest nothing as far as being helpful in repairing something I've ever seen. We wanted a how-to book and the only thing this book tells you how-to do is "take it to a professional"! I know how to do that without having to have a book tell me! Don't waste your money!



2. Haynes manuals are far superior to anything else on the market for all around basic do-it-youself information. They are not perfect. Information on the majority of systems is more than adequate for basic home repairs, but while basic wiring diagrams are included, they do lack detail in the area of electronics. In contrast, Chilton manuals often include no chassis electrical or electronic information whatsoever and factory service manuals are very, very dry and can be hard for non-pro's to read.

   It should be said, however, that these books are not for the neophyte car owner who has never done any repair work before. If you're an absolute beginner, buy the book AND find someone with good skills to shepherd you until you get the basics. This will save a lot of heartache in the long run.




3. This book is far far better than any other automotive fix-it-yourself book out there. It is informative, and easy to follow. If you don't know a thing about cars, but want to try, this is the book to get. I have changed, oil & filter, sparkplugs, brake pads, fuel filter, and flush the radiator with the instructions from the book. I didn't dare to mess around with the other parts of the car, yet. But I might in the future. This book is a real confidence builder. Only thing I would add to this book is more pictures. I had to give up on doing some work because I couldn't understand which part of the engine the instruction was referring to. By having more pictures it would explain better to the rookies like me.



4. Save your money on Chilton. They do not hold near the information, clarity and in depth detail, thus VALUE, that Haynes Repair Manuals do.
   Having said that, I would like to address some complaints I've come across about both Haynes and Chilton's Manuals.
   1.) If your manual suggests at a point to seek professional input it is because MOST NON mechanics don't possess the skill or tools or shop equipment to perform a certain procedure (be it correctly or safely). The publishers' lawyer insisted on the "seek professional input" so as not to take on legal liability for an unqualified person attempting to perform a critical step in their car care. The reason is valid. You can injure yourself and damage your vehicle as well as render your vehicle unsafe to be on the road.
   2.) Prior to purchasing a repair manual, LOOK THROUGH IT. Almost every auto parts store in America sells Haynes and / or Chilton's. If the particular manual you need doesn't have the plastic removed, look for a manual that does and look through the sections. CAUTION most auto supply stores will get mad and make you buy anything you rip open. They're trying to sell information contained in the manual, not give it away. Some copies are USUALLY open and can be looked at. Does the manual seem logical, good pictures? Thorough? Then CHANCES ARE that brand will be a good choice for your repair. Also READ the cover front & back thoroughly. It will tell you if special vehicles aren't covered (AWD, Alternate Fuel Vehicles, etc) Know what vehicle you have so you get the RIGHT manual. The correct year, make, model, engine size.
   3.) If you do encounter a problem in the middle of a repair, it's possible that it is YOUR not doing something correctly. Not the tool, or the repair manual. Go away from the car, get lunch or a cold glass of lemonade, read through the manual. Even start again in the morning.
   4.) As automobiles become more sophisticated, there is truly less and less that a vehicle owner can do him or herself. It is a fact, you will need to take your vehicle into a dealership or well equipped shop for more things. In addition, used oil and other fluids are difficult to dispose of. DO NOT THROW DOWN YOUR DRAIN OR BURY IN YOUR BACKYARD!!!. Tires, batteries all have special disposal needs.
   5.) There are some people WHO ARE NOT MECHANICAL. Buy them books, audio / video equipment, ties for Christmas. NOT A WRENCH SET!
   6.) Neither Haynes nor Chilton are Professional Shop Manuals (these are available for hundreds of dollars).

   As for the particular manual for the Haynes (ISBN: 1563921324 ) Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager
   and Chrysler Town & Country from years 1984 through 1995: This manual does NOT COVER All-Wheel Drive nor Alternative Fuel Models AND SAYS SO ON THE COVERS. You can even utilize Amazon "take a look inside" feature to check out if this manual is for you or not. .I checked it's description for changing wiper blades, oil and oil filters, air filters and general repairs and found it both accurate and easy to understand. I've been happy with Haynes manuals over the years and recommend all vehicle owners purchase one even if you don't expect to do any repair or service yourself. It
   helps to know the information, to be aware of how your car works and to talk in a reasonably intelligent manner (on your part anyway) when you take your vehicle in for service.

   I'm happy with this purchase. And have been with every Haynes manual I've bought and used in the last 20 years.
   John Row




5. Book was okay for our 1989 Voyager, but comes up severly lacking when it comes to the 1993 we have now. Lots of generalities that have to be updated from the 1980's examples. Most pictures do not cover the later models. I'm now looking for a Chrysler published manual to fill in the gaping holes.

4 comments about System Engineering Management.

1. This book is aimed at the system engineer who is involved in product design and engineering or involved in government contracting and must produce system engineering management plans (SEMPs). It is also applicable to organizations who have or are planning to use the capability maturity model (CMM) to improve their effectiveness. For the intended audience this book is both comprehensive and complete. There are eight chapters, each followed by case studies, questions and problems, and six appendices.

   It starts with a foundation of the basics, such as definitions, system engineering life cycle, analysis and concurrent engineering. It then builds upon this foundation by addressing all of the elements of a well-managed system engineering program: integrated product and process development, TQM, configuration management, support and logistics. Each element is discussed in detail and placed into the context of a total system engineering environment.

   The chapter on system design requirements is particularly complete and covers every facet of this discipline, including reliability, maintainability, safety, software, etc. There is a lot of good material here, which is reinforced by the next chapter that covers design tools and methods. The design process is concluded by a chapter on design review and evaluation, which is a foundation of good quality practices as well as a well-written SEMP.

   The real heart of the book starts in chapter 6, which covers SE program planing. It covers program requirements, the SEMP itself and provides a statement of work. It then provides a complete work breakdown structure for implementing system engineering functions and tasks. This chapter provides a risk management plan that is well thought out and serves as an excellent template. It also addresses the CMM for systems engineering. Much of this material has been superseded by the Software Engineering Institute's CMMI that now covers system engineering, software engineering and integrated product and process development. This is not a problem because the book's coverage of the CMM-SE is consistent with the material in the CMMI.

   The final two chapters, addressing system engineering organization and supplier/sub contractor management are to the point and contains a lot of valuable information.

   Had the author provided this book in soft copy on an accompanying diskette or CD ROM it would be a best seller on the Beltway because of the time it would save in developing a company-wide system engineering procedure manual.

   Consulting companies and IT departments would also greatly benefit from this book because of the structured approach it provides for planning and managing system integration. Unlike their cousins in the government contracting and CMM domains, they generally approach system engineering and integration in a loose fashion that too often results in cost and schedule overruns, or project cancellation. By following the approach outlined in this book consulting companies and IT departments would find that technical, cost and schedule risks would be identified early and controlled, and that the design, integration and implementation of complex systems would enjoy a higher rate of success. This is especially true when multiple vendors are involved in an integration project - the material in chapters 1 (integrated process teams) and 8 (subcontractor management) provides a foundation for managing cross-functional teams. Therefore, I strongly recommend this book for engagement and project managers, and program management offices run by consulting companies and/or IT departments.




2. This book (or something similar) really should be required for anyone graduating with an engineering degree who intends to work in industry.
   
   Systems engineering is essentially the function that oversees any design effort to ensure that the resulting design does what it's supposed to. As such requirements are the bread and butter of systems engineering. The most visible job of the system engineer then is to turn the customer's desires into functional requirements, and then turn those requirements into something that can be designed to based on the system architecture the designers / system engineers prefer.
   
   For example, consider if you have a city with a river through it and the local government wants to develop a system to carry cars across the river. The system engineer would first turn that desire into functional requirements. These would include requirements like: No. of cars per hour that can transit, can't interfere with riverborne ship traffic, growth in traffic that can be absorbed etc. From this you have something that you can verify design concepts against to see if they satisfy the customer desires, but actually can't pull out the ruler and calculators just yet. Systems engineers / designers would then consider options like a suspension bridge, a ferry system, or a tunnel beneath the river. Each of these system options would have their own architectures and the functional requirements would have to be translated into different design requirements for each. The bridge would have to be so high to allow ship traffic and have so many lanes and bear so much live weight. The ferry system would need so many ferries of such and such a carrying capacity. The tunnel would have to have so many lanes, would require such and such a ventilation capacity, etc. The systems engineer would be involved in determining which of these architectures would best suit customer needs, and then turn the functional requirements into the design to requirements so design work can begin in earnest.
   
   Of course as design work continues and large components are broken down into smaller and smaller design components the systems engineer continues to guide the choice of how to configure the lower tier of design components, and to allocate design to requirements for them. If the system engineer has done their job right when all the design components are integrated into each other the resulting system really does what it was intended to do and meets the functional requirements.
   
   This book tells you in a very clear, completely comprehensive, and extremely well laid out manner how to do this. It also tells you why you should do this, and how it is beneficial. The writing is straightforward, always to the point, and easily understood. The topic is pertinent and can help you understand how systems are actually engineered in the real world, a very rare and very appreciated breath of fresh air in engineering textbooks.
   
   The author also covers all the aspects of systems engineering planning, including scheduling, budgeting, contracting, and system verification / validation, etc. Systems engineering is largely a management function so this information is interesting and necessary for the subject.
   
   This book will be extremely helpful for engineers of any stripe who want to put their work into context, systems engineers for how to do what their supposed to do, and for contractors and government purchasers to implement processes to guarantee that they get a system that does what they want. (Provided what they want is feasible of course!)
   
   Certainly recommended and a book that I use frequently for reference.



3. I read this book while taking a masters course in system engineering. Over all, the book was clear and written in a format that allowed for self study. This was very helpful for me since my course was primarily online. The material was slightly redundant. The central thesis of the book was the fact that a system engineer needs to conduct the proper upfront planning as well as establish clear processes to ensure successful system development/delivery. The goal of System Engineering is to provide a system that meets the customer's need/requirements. This book introduces how this can be accomplished through a repeated process.
   The redundant nature of the text requires a lot of cross reference (page flipping) between chapters in order to match the text description with the figure discussed. The book is more managerial then technical; most laymen will be able to read it without assistance from an instructor. Expanded explanations of reliability engineering as well as ID/prioritization of Technical Performance Measures would have been helpful. This textbook provided a good introduction to the SE process. I highly recommend this text book if you work as a System Engineer or Project Engineer for the Navy or Marines. This book references and will support their standard acquisition process. I give this book 4 of 5 stars.



4. Blanchard is a master name on System Engineering and Life Cycle Costs. This books explains many details of such complex sciences helping us keep focused on what really matters. The explanations are easy to understand even for beginners.

3 comments about Conventional Gear: Flying a Taildragger (Focus Series).

1. I purchased this book from ASA in 2004 to prepare for tailwheel transition training. The text covers basic techniques applicable to any airplane but the most useful chapter covers Ground and Flight Dynamics (Chapter 2) that impact a tailwheel airplane. I felt that the book was rather "thin" and was padded by adding 90 pages discussing "different" taildraggers, usually rare and unique ones. The cover photo shows a beautiful Ryan WWII trainer but does not discuss this aircraft at all. Most US pilots I know would prefer to have a basic discussion of common types of tailwheel aircraft available to them, especially the kit-built experimentals such as the RV series. I received my tailwheel endorsement in 3.5 hours in an Aeronca 7AC (85 HP) but also received my ASES certificate in 4.0 hours in a Piper PA18-180 on EDO 2250 floats. My tailwheel flight instructor thoroughly reviewed Flight and Ground Dynamics in my first lesson with her. My reading this book prior to my first lesson at least allowed me to be able to verbalize to her my understanding of the concepts she was discussing. Rather than keep the book in my aviation library, I have lent it out to friends who have transitioned to tailwheel training who thought it useful. I currently fly a Taylorcraft BC12-D (65 HP) which handles differently than the Aeronca 7AC on landing. A discussion on these differences in comonly available aircraft would have been very useful.



2. I do not have a taildragger plane. I am just a flight simulator entusiast. The book show us how to fly some flight simulator taildragger planes. If it is a very helpfull book to a simulation software, for a real plane it will be better !



3. Only a small portion of this book pertains to "Flying a Taildragger". Most of the book is of a general nature that is not taildragger specific, therefore, I feel the title is misleading. If the reader is looking for a thorough intro into the operation of conventional gear aircraft, look elsewhere, you will not find it here. Based on the title, this book is a waste of money.

No comments about Web Design: Concepts and Best Practices (Iperformance Series).

5 comments about Non-Designer's Web Book, The (2nd Edition) (Non-Designer's).

1. This book is seriously out of date for modern web design and development.



2. I was required to buy this book for a grad course. It is to the point and easy to understand.



3. This book is OK for someone who might be trying to teach another the principals of webpage design. I had to buy it for a graduate level textbook and didn't see much use for it. It might be better used in the K-12 area, not college level.



4. I have only read about 6 chapters but there is so much basic information available about what is important when designing a web page. I am using this for a college course and this is preparing me to design a hypermedia project.



5. I read this entire book in three days and learned so much about everything. There is not a lot of technical information in the book but design concepts and things that will just make you so much more prepared for designing websites. I have also read Robin Williams other books and I am totally in love with her writing style. Check them out if you haven't already.

1 comments about Materials Science, Testing, and Properties for Technicians.

1. Having taught from this book, I feel that it does an excellent job preparing students for the math involved in solving introductory problems. There is entirely too much chemistry in the section on polymers for an introductory text. Metals are well covered and processing is thoroughly introduced. More should be said about composite materials such as fiberglass and SMC (sheet molding compound) since usage is increasing. It would also benefit from more discussion of applications for the various materials covered to increase relevancy for the students. Otherwise an excellent resource.

5 comments about Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (VLSI Systems Series).

1. Smith's text is an excellent introductory text to those you are curious of the details of ASIC design. This was my first book on ASIC design and I still reference it often. A must read if you are an ASIC designer.



2. This book is comprehensive, yes, but the explanations are poor. I find his writing style difficult to follow. The book is poorly edited as well, for example, the second chapter introduces datapath logic cells and then immediately goes into a multipage treatise of multiplier architecture. Interesting information but it seems much out of place given the context. The problems are not very helpful either. Often you will need to search for information outside of the text in order to complete the question. The author obviously knows the subject well, I just don't think he does a very good job of teaching it.



3. I saw the review (November 17) below that dislikes the explanations, editing, and style - and have to say I disagree. I think this must be a student in the UCI class who screwed up the first homework. This book is well-written. Read the beginning of Chapter 2 here, online, and read the other reviews.



4. Fantastic book! Complete and very informative.



5. As an ASIC design engineer, I liked the concept of this book and the breadth of the material covered. This book is broadly divided into two parts - one on FPGA's/PLD's and one on custom ASIC's (the author refers to all of these as ASIC's). The FPGA section covers programmable cells, i/o cells interconnects and design software for some devices of Xilinx, Altera and Actel. I found these sections informative but a bit boring. As you may expect from a nearly 10 year old book, most of the information is outdated. The ASIC's section consists of chapters on HDL's (you are better off reading a separate book on Verilog/VHDL), synthesis, simulation, test, floorplannng, placement and routing. I found these sections much more useful. The writing style is incoherent in many places and very informal throughout. This book is better suited for a reference to a practising engineer than for a college textbook.

5 comments about Voice & Data Communications Handbook (Standards & Protocols).

1. I think so far, this is the most complete book ever. This book covers a thorough explaination for (almost) every telecommunication issue. Althogh maybe the book does not explain every updated issue or every topic in deep, I think this book is still the best (hey, there's nothing perfect in this world!). I think the author more concerned on a complete basic understanding rather than a thorough explaination in "every-every" topic. This book is, I think, perfect for every beginner and comfortable for every experiences.

   
   Also, I think the author likes jokes and fun. This makes the book more interesting to read. From the book dimension, the price, and also the contents; this book is a "real deal" for everybody in telecommunication industry.




2. Ok well it may not be the worst book that I have used for college but it is on my top 5 list. I hate this book!!! The chapters are long. It uses to many acronyms. I hate having to go to a previous chapter just to find out what IEC stands for. But the worst thing of all is the chapter questions. You really have to search for the answer. The questions do not go in order with the chapter making it a very time consuming task to answer the questions (especially when you have 10 other chapters to complete in one day). Come on make it easier on us college students, we have enough to do already. I guess this book could be alot worse but it also could be alot better. Its very hard to stay awake when reading this book.



3. I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I bought "Voice and Data Communications Handbook, Fourth Edition" (VADCH:4E) to gain a general understanding of communications technologies beyond the LAN. Although the book mentions all of the systems which interested me, I was not satisfied with the manner in which they were covered. VADCH:4E is better than Ross' "Telecommunications Technologies" but inferior to Green's "Irwin Handbook of Telecommunications." Nevertheless, I'm still looking for an author who delivers the goods on voice and data communications essentials.
   
   VADCH:4E's table of contents is sure to impress; it mentions T carriers, VPNs, X.25, Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, SMDS, Frame Relay, ISDN, ATM, DSL, SS7, LNP, Cellular/PCS, WAP, 3G Wireless, SONET/SDH, and other key telecom systems and concepts. Unfortunately, I rarely finished a chapter with a good grasp of the material. I desperately searched for clues to questions I felt were key to understanding each technology. Rather than launching into an extended discussion of each system, I would have preferred hearing exactly how each technology works, with comparison to other technologies. More is not better if the "more" isn't helpful!
   
   VADCH:4E is advertised as being "straightforward and jargon-free." This approach supposedly appeals to management types. In reality, the book swings wildly from mind-numbing grade-school-level analogies to material only understood with outside references. A 1074 page book needs to pick a writing style and stay the course. Otherwise, it alienates both nontechnical and technical readers. (Incidentally, technical readers may wonder why the authors believe Windows screen savers contribute to LAN traffic; see page 674 to read this odd claim.)

   On a positive note, VADCH:4E consistently offered useful information on the history and business rationale for many telecom systems. Many of the connectivity diagrams were excellent. (These were usually offset by cheesy "clip-art" type graphics elsewhere, unfortunately.) VADCH:4E also includes descriptions of the framing formats for most telecom transmission systems.
   
   Overall, I don't recommend reading a book this large if it doesn't answer the key questions I expect readers to ask. While I'm more familiar with telecom basics after reading VADCH:4E, I still hope another book makes more sense of the telecommunications environment.




4. I'm new to telecom and bought this book to get up to speed. I must say first and foremost that I am getting up to speed.

   But right after that I have to say that I can't read more than 10 pages in a row without finding a glaring error. For example, the term "jitter" is defined twice in two pages. Why? Plenty of typos, some of the illustrations look like the postscript monster ate them, and the 1,000 pages could easily be condensed to 500-600 by getting rid of redundancy.

   For example, the difference between analog amplifiers and digital repeaters is defined around 5 times in the first 300 pages (with more or less the same illustration at least two of those times). So, yeah, I get the concept now and couldn't forget it if I wanted to, but I didn't need to be told so many times.

   All that said, if I would recommend this book to anyone new to telecom, but advise them to be gentle critics or keep their red pens handy.




5. I puchased this book, in addition to many other telecom books and found this to be one of the worst ones. Not only is the information useless it is written in a diffucult to understand fashion. I recommend that you do not waste corporate money of this book.

3 comments about Automotive Mechanics.

1. I'm an automotive engineering student and I use this book as a reference. It provides information on virtually everything on or related to a car, tools, brakes, suspensions, fuel systems, just to name a few. Besides that, it also provides service and diagnosis information on every system of the car it covers. The language used is simple to understand, and yet blends well with layman's terms. There's also a dictionary on automotive terms in the book. Recommended to motoring enthusiasts and automotive students.



2. This was a good book but out of date on many topics. It is a great all around reference or start-up and go book. I decided I wanted to learn about cars so I found this book at a tag sale and now I know the basics. I would suggest this book for its no-nonsense and in-depth approach.



3. your listing of this book is wrong
   names
   American Techinical Society printed 1939 chicago Ill
   472 pages by owner John Patchin