Digital Books

so far quite good for explaining things simply and quickly. good reference book. too bad it did not have more on windows XP but lots on vista. Big book though and you will have to spend a little time reading same but enjoyable reading so no problem.

Received in timley manner. It was in excellent shape and I'm very pleased with the content. Thanks

This book covers a wide range of topics. Nothing is left out for the novice PC user. Step by Step instructions for networks - basic Office XP - hardware upgrades - troubleshooting - Windows XP - Microsoft Works - Internet security. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has wanted more out of their computer, and needs the big picture!

I have a library of the Dummies books. I have a rule, if I have to renew it at the library more than once, I buy a copy.

I purchased this book on sight, having had Dr Menasce's class. It is a reasonably easy introduction to his brand of performance modeling. I don't understand why this approach isn't more well known.

His operating systems class was one of the most memorable that I took at GMU (over a decade ago). I don't know how many other Operating Systems professors take his approach in focusing on queuing theory in modeling performance problems, but his approach is enlightening.

Using one of his performance models, we were (in class) able to tweak the performance characteristics of the various (modeled) components and watch bottlenecks move from one device to another, underscoring how you can reach a point where improving performance in the wrong component can be a waste, while making small improvements in the bottleneck can provide much better (often linear) improvements.

Capacity and Performance management is a very complex subject. I have read a couple of books. Most of them had dry theory without supporting examples. In some cases, I abruptly stopped reading. These type of books may be good to people who are quite fresh from the academic world. Having worked for sometime, one would desire a book with simple but strong fundamentals and more of relating examples.

This book stood out to my quest. The pace of the coverage was gradual from Gear 1 to Overdrive. Every ounce of theory was supported with examples. Normally I would skip theory and look for examples. But here I enjoyed reading theory. Well Written!

The Case Studies were real world examples. I gained a lot reading this book. Would recommend this book for Technology professionals who want to switch to Capacity and Performance Management.

I would definitely want Mr Menasce and his team to write books on the same topic to address real world end-to-end and new challenges like Petri Nets, Technology Consolidation, Data Warehousing, GRID, Utility Computing, Virtualisation etc. This should definitely help the Technology Community at large.

"Performance by Design" provides both a conceptual and a practical framework for experienced software developers that want to get started building quality applications using performance engineering techniques.

Performance engineering is a discipline that attempts to integrate concerns about the responsiveness of computer applications and their capacity requirements into standard application development practices, which otherwise focus almost exclusively on meeting functional requirements. Just like not getting the functional spec right in the early stages of the application development lifecycle can lead to a cascading series of design and implementation decisions that are difficult to reverse in later stages of the development process, neglecting performance considerations until after the applications has met its functional requirements is often too late to tackle them effectively.

The first part of the book surveys a wide range of performance modeling and capacity planning techniques, served up in clear, concise language with a minimum of mathematics. It is a gentle introduction to analytic queuing networks written at the level that any advanced undergraduate Computer Science student ought to be able to master. The heart of the book, representing Chapters 5 through 9, is a series of Case Studies that rounds out and concludes Part 1. Each of the case studies deftly illustrates another analytic technique that a performance engineer needs to understand how to apply. Chapter 5, for instance, steps through descriptive statistics and cluster analysis as it discusses what is involved in deriving model parameters for a simple database transaction workload. Chapter 6 builds upon this discussion by solving a simple multi-class model, delving into confidence limits and the use of a factorial design to limit the number of trials of a benchmark experiment. Finally, Chapter 9 illustrates using software performance engineering techniques to model a new application during its initial development phases, beginning with the database design.

The first half of the book is designed to stand alone if the Reader doesn't have the stomach for the rigorous mathematical treatment of analytic queuing models that characterizes Part 2. The second half of the book should be familiar territory to readers of Menasce's other books on performance modeling, beginning with Markov chains and proceeding through Mean Value Analysis. The final two chapters describe approaches to modeling serialization delays and servers that have load-dependent performance characteristics, two topics that are essential to accurate models of application-level performance.

The great challenge of the performance engineering approach is how to persuade experienced applications developers to adopt these techniques. "Performance by Design" is aimed at getting software developers to pay closer attention to performance concerns throughout the application development life cycle. Compared to other books on the subject, this may be the best attempt yet to promote the practice of performance engineering as a discipline that deserves to be integrated into the wider context of application development.

This team of authors has produced yet another invaluable book for practitioners who perform capacity and performance planning, as well as students who are introduced to this topic for the first time. Unlike earlier works by the authors, which addressed performance in specific systems environments such as client/server, e-business and web services, this book is more general. Therein lies the true value - it teaches the fundamentals and will not be soon outdated.

The book is structured into two parts - Part I consists of four chapters that lay the foundation. Chapter 1 covers system life cycles, Chapter 2 moves the reader from systems to descriptive models of the systems, and Chapters 3 and 4 delve into the essence of performance - quantifying performance models and giving a performance engineering methodology. This material is reinforced with five chapters, each of which is a case study of a specific performance problem. These include database services, web servers, data center, e-business services and help-desk services.

Part II, The Theory of Performance Engineering, addresses the underlying knowledge that performance and capacity planners will need in order to approach their tasks using true quantitative methods. The six chapters in this part of the book cover the following topics in detail, and are clearly and succinctly written: Markov models, single queue systems, single class MVA (Mean Value Analysis), queuing models with multiple classes, queuing models with load dependent devices, and non product-form queuing models. Armed with a knowledge of these fundamentals you should be able to tackle complex performance and capacity problems, both in the software engineering domain when a system is being designed, and in the operational support domain when service level management and availability are the goals. In addition to the way the authors step you through complex math in a clear, easy-to-understand manner, this material is augmented by Microsoft Excel workbooks that bring the material to life. Nearly every chapter has associated workbooks and spreadsheets that can be downloaded from the web site that supports this book, adding considerably to the value of the material.

If you are new to performance planning as a discipline this should be the first book you read on the subject. If you teach performance planning, this is an ideal text around which you can base a curriculum that will prepare your students for real world challenges.

Much to my surprise and delight "The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant" are surprisingly readable and full of a dry understated sense of humor. U.S. Grant's memoirs give a very down to earth approach to his personal history starting in Ohio and continuing through his education at West Point and his involvement in the Mexican-American War. I highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys Antebellum U.S. and Civil War history, or just history in general. Personal memoirs are an excellent medium for getting into the shoes of some of histories greatest figures and seeing the world as they saw it. U.S. Grant's memoirs do all that and more. You will not be disappointed.

To start off, I am usually relectant to read autobiographies, as many should be considered works of fiction. I have read countless book on the Civil War and several on Grant, but I had shamefully neglected reading his Memoirs-my mistake. Several years ago I got a copy on sale and thought I would give it a read-I was a born again Grant fan!
As many know, after leaving the presidency he lent his name and money to a failed business venture in New York and was near bankrupt. He had been approached by many to write his memoirs, but always resisted. The prospect of his beloved Julia not being provided for plagued him and so he consented to write them. He intially had a fairly good contract to write a subscription book, but his friend Mark Twain interviened and got him a deal that was substantially better. For an excellent overview of this, see Mark Perry's, "Grant and Twain".
After reading this, I came away with a completly different view of Grant. The only job he suceeded at was the one he disliked the most-a soldier. He served with distinction in Mexico, but was opposed to the war. All he wanted to do was to teach math at West Point.
The real heart of the memoir is, of course, the Civil War and here a masterpiece was made. He writes in a simply, though not an uneducated style. He is quite defferential and praising to his subordinates and clear describes where he made errors in judgement, not the usual justifications seens by so many. He cannot say enough good about Sherman and tactfully puts down Henry Hallecks meddling. The book ends with the end of the war and his last words were written only a week or so before he died.
In my opinion this is a classic in history and needs to be read by anyone interested in knowing how the North really won the war. The copies of the original maps leave a lot to be desired, but this is trivial. My only regret is I cannot give it a higher rating than 5 stars!

General Grant wrote this book while dying of throat cancer. He had been swindled by a dishonest Wall Street Broker and his trophies and possessions were stripped from him to satisfy the demands of his debtors. Bankrupt, suffering from a terminal illness and never passing a moment without acute pain, he produced this magnificent monument to his greatness. Those who denigrate Grant as a drunkard, butcher, bumbling President need to read this book in order to correct these errant assumptions. It is impossible to read this book and not realize that Grant was an inordinately intelligent man and one hell of a writer.

Grant's Memoirs are a deserved classic in American literature and considered the greatest military Memoirs ever penned, exceeding Caesar's Commentaries. Grant wrote as he lived: with clear, concise statements, unembellished with trivialities or frivolities. The only "criticism" the reader might have is that Grant bent over backwards not to wound the feelings of people in the book. He takes swipes at Joe Hooker and Jeff Davis, but what he left unsaid would have been far more interesting. A compelling and logical reason why Grant was so spare in his comments was because he was involved in a race with death. He didn't know how long he could live and therefore, "cut to the chase."

Grant's assessments of Lincoln, Sherman, Sheridan and other military leaders are brilliant and engrossing. His style, like the man himself, was inimitable and couldn't be copied. In everyday life, Grant was a very funny man, who liked to listen to jokes and tell them himself. His sense of the absurd was acute. It's no accident that he loved Mark Twain and the two hitched together very well. Twain and Grant shared a similar sense of humor, and Grant's witicisms in the Memoirs are frequent, unexpected and welcome. There are portions where you will literally laugh out loud.

Though Grant's Memoirs were written 113 years ago, they remain fresh, vibrant and an intensely good read. I have read them in! their entirity 30 times in my life and I never weary of the style and language that Grant employed. He was a military genius to be sure, but he was also a writer of supreme gifts, and these gifts shine through on every page of this testament to his greatness. All Americans should read this book and realize what we owe to Grant: he preserved the union with his decisive brilliance. In his honor, we should be eternally grateful.

General Grant wrote this book while dying of throat cancer. He had been swindled by a dishonest Wall Street Broker and his trophies and possessions were stripped from him to satisfy the demands of his debtors. Bankrupt, suffering from a terminal illness and never passing a moment without acute pain, he produced this magnificent monument to his greatness. Those who denigrate Grant as a drunkard, butcher, bumbling President need to read this book in order to correct these errant assumptions. It is impossible to read this book and not realize that Grant was an inordinately intelligent man and one hell of a writer.

Grant's Memoirs are a deserved classic in American literature and considered the greatest military Memoirs ever penned, exceeding Caesar's Commentaries. Grant wrote as he lived: with clear, concise statements, unembellished with trivialities or frivolities. The only "criticism" the reader might have is that Grant bent over backwards not to wound the feelings of people in the book. He takes swipes at Joe Hooker and Jeff Davis, but what he left unsaid would have been far more interesting. A compelling and logical reason why Grant was so spare in his comments was because he was involved in a race with death. He didn't know how long he could live and therefore, "cut to the chase."

Grant's assessments of Lincoln, Sherman, Sheridan and other military leaders are brilliant and engrossing. His style, like the man himself, was inimitable and couldn't be copied. In everyday life, Grant was a very funny man, who liked to listen to jokes and tell them himself. His sense of the absurd was acute. It's no accident that he loved Mark Twain and the two hitched together very well. Twain and Grant shared a similar sense of humor, and Grant's witicisms in the Memoirs are frequent, unexpected and welcome. There are portions where you will literally laugh out loud.

Though Grant's Memoirs were written 113 years ago, they remain fresh, vibrant and an intensely good read. I have read them in! their entirity 30 times in my life and I never weary of the style and language that Grant employed. He was a military genius to be sure, but he was also a writer of supreme gifts, and these gifts shine through on every page of this testament to his greatness. All Americans should read this book and realize what we owe to Grant: he preserved the union with his decisive brilliance. In his honor, we should be eternally grateful.

Like another reviewer I bought this because I loved Gas n Snack, Jarrett's other short. This, though, is not a comedy but a story of a lost soul who doesn't realize he's lost. No, it's not a love story, it is a story about being human and how you find your way back when you begin to realize something is wrong. Maybe sometimes it takes someone reaching out, someone who has nothing to gain or lose, someone who can make you feel again without any threat. Read it and reap.

Those are Philip's words, and that's what he's allowed himself to believe, perhaps because it would be too painful to see the truth. The truth is that he's been hiding from himself, and that by giving up his pain he has lost himself. What brings him back... well. Read the story. It is worth your time.

Having read and enjoyed Grant Jarrett's hilarious story "Gas 'n Snack" I expected Philip Waning to be funny. At first i was disappointed, but that didn't last for long. This is not a comedy, but it is quite a special story. In short, a man finds himself disengaged from the people around him, from himself. He doesn't seem to know it, but he feels it. WHat brings him back to himself is so simple and real you may shed a few tears.

Philip Waning is a simple story about an ordinary man, but it neatly nails the importance and complexity of human engagement. It's a masterpiece of economy: Jarrett has written volumes in a few strokes, and the story continues to pick at my mind long after I've put it down.

the book excellently discusses PS 4 from a pro's perspective. it delves on photography. however, i was disappointed when i saw tht it barely touched on effects. photos and color and all that, yes. hi-tech stuff, no.

This book teaches photographers which of Photoshops many features are most useful for their specific photographic needs. The lessons are clear and concise, and a CD is included which has all the files the authors created and use in the text.

If you know Ansel Adams' Zone System you'll feel comfortable here since they use this as a framework in some of the lessons.

After working through the entire book I feel my knowledge of Photoshop has increased several fold.

There are a lot of Photoshop books out there, but few are oriented toward the serious photographer who uses this program. P4A is written especially for photographers, and it is a good tutorial book. Highly recommended.

As a tech editor for New Riders Press, I receive many computer books to use as reference for my assignments. I thought _Photoshop 4 Artistry_ was by far the best of all the Photoshop books I reviewed, and I am now using it as the required text for an advanced digital imaging class that I teach at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, Canada.

If you are like me -- an intelligent (I hope) experienced computer person who has never used Photoshop but wants to learn how to do useful work (not just play around) -- this book is for you. For example, you can actually look in the index and find what you are looking for.

This is a great resource at a fraction of the price of the book from adobe. Highly recommended!

I liked "Photoshop CS3 for Dummies" as a good overview text - then I use this "Photoshop CS3 All-in-one Reference for Dummies" as a detailed text on most of the heavy features of Photoshop. I was pretty good with Photoshop CS and all the versions of the program before - but I am learning a GREAT deal from this tome on the more sophisticated features.

Plenty of Photoshop CS3 books on the market update information to this latest Photoshop release, but few offer an extensive desk reference packing in the latest tools and techniques of the latest program with easy details on how to do everything from simple adjustments such as specifying size to using layering and blending modes for advanced compositions and refinement. From full color screen shots and color examples of modified photos to techniques and strategies, Photoshop CS3 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies is one of the most extensive coverages on the market - and a perfect pick for any who find detailed Photoshop coverages confusing.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Deke McClelland makes studying Elements a joy. Not only does he clarify everything so clearly, he does it with humor. It is much easier than attending a classroom where everyone is at a different level. Because of time limitations I have not finished the complete DVD, but now I can start wherever I need to and pick up where I left off. I highly recommend this product.

Patricia O'Toole - Age 77 - never too late to learn.

I am overwhelmed at how good this video is. Deke has a very personable style and teaches in a language that is very easy to understand, follow along, and most important of all duplicate.

The DVD comes with 100's of sample images, of his kids by the way, that you can play with without worrying about messing up any of your own.

I set up the DVD on a small floating screen in my browser and then opened up Photoshop Elements 5 and just followed along every step of the way.

He has made very large learning curve soooooo much smaller.

I love this product and recommend it VERY highly. I am very glad I purcahsed this product

Deke's DVD is great! The most important benefit I learned from the DVD is how to have an accountable bird's view of the different features. Deke's explains the organizer and the editing of images in a very simple and comfortable way. I was very satisfied with Deke's DVD.

As always Deke has done an excellent job of presenting Photoshop Elements 5 and showing how to use the product. He is very good in defining every step of an application. I have enjoyed this video as well as others he has done and learn something every time I watch it.

A very comprehensive introduction to the world of digital scrapbooking. The authors cover subjects much wider than just how to put a page together, including general information on scrapbooking itself and equipment like scanners, printers and tablets. Both Photoshop Elements 6 and Paint Shop Pro techniques are discussed. There is instruction for many techniques, but this is a more generalised text than a straight "how to do it" book. The book comes with a CD containing digital scrapbook supplies from leading designers and a section containing sample pages using those items (very useful for a beginner to see the different ways people can use the same supplies). I found the book easy to read but there were some areas that could have done with more detail. For example, it discusses how to use Gaussian Blur to simulate depth of field but uses a selection to choose the area to blur instead of a new layer which I feel is less flexible and more prone to risk. Sharpening is discussed and High Pass Sharpening mentioned - but we are never told what it is. It is also a shame that the authors demonstrated the Magic extractor tool instead of the excellent and easy to use Quick Selection Tool in Photoshop Elements to demonstrate extracting a background. However, these are pretty minor quibbles in the scheme of things. I think this book would be useful to anyone starting out with digital scrapbooking (especially if they are new to the tools). It will provide you with all the information you need to start making your own pages.

I've been sitting on the sidelines for several months, trying to start digital scrapbooking but spent most of my time looking at other people's layouts and chasing down "freebies" that I haven't even used! This book helped me get on the road. I bought Paint Shop Pro (PSP), on the advice of PCWorld's digital photo editor a few years ago (he since has switched to Photoshop as it is more popular with his readers) but I like PSP for the very reasons he suggested and don't want to switch just because Adobe is better at marketing their product. I've been searching for a scrapbooking book that focused on PSP. While this book gives equal measure to PSP and Photoshop, it fit the bill for me. This book does not give step-by-step instructions, only general guidelines. I found the format to be helpful although I don't think a reader is able to replicate the complex layouts illustrated in the book just from reading it. The DVD is a great feature, making this book a very useful tool for the digital scrapper!

This is a wonderful book for those wanting to learn how to do digital scrapbooking, but it is not just for beginners! There are techniques and discussions that can advance your skills even if you have been digital scrapbooking awhile. One of the best things in the book that I love is the use of multiple programs (i.e., PhotoShop, PaintShopPro, PhotoShop Elements, and more!) While so many tutorials or books concentrate on one program (mostly PhotoShop), this book shows examples created in different programs. And while the book is worth the cost by itself, the DVD is a fantastic bonus! The kits included are by well-known digital scrapbook designers; the fonts are unique and fun; and the filters (shareware, trial use, or free) allow you to take your layouts to new levels!

I am a fairly advanced digital scrapper and I found a lot of new and helpful instructions in this book. At the same time I found the instruction clear enough for a beginner - I sure wish this book was around back when I started. The kits provided would all cost more retail than the book costs and the kits are very top quality - from some of the best designers out there. This is a must have for anyone contemplating or already addicted to digi scrapping.

Not only did author Kathe Gogolewski give us something inspiring to read, she also provided an opportunity for us to talk about dreams, goal setting and overcoming obstacles. Thanks Kathe! Can't wait to read the next one.

I find Pony Palace to not only to be an appealing story to children, but one which provides an important message as our society grows ever more materialistic. The value and true reward of working for what one desires must not be underestimated. As a teacher, I feel I have a responsibility to pass such values on to my students, and I appreciate writers like Kathe who provide me with the tools to do so.

A strong work ethic and determination to get what one wants can all be learned at a young age- and the heroine learns this in the story. This story gives children hope to not just want things, but make a plan of action to obtain them. Our heroine steps toward her goal in a comedic way that kids will enjoy... Very inspiring for a young mind!

When you are young, you control nothing in your life -- and then one day, you learn how to to work with others to acquire the things you need and desire. The young girl in this story wants a pony -- and feels helpless. Then one day, she figures out how to attain her dreams on her own. This delightful story is meant for children...however, it's a fun read for parents too.

Take a nice break for a bit of nostalgia by reading this short story in the middle of a hectic day. It is a story, that virtually anyone can relate to, that reminds us of the purity and sweetness (and sometimes angst) of first love.

Nava Semel, one of Israelis leading, outstanding authors, wrote a marvelous autobiografical short story of young love that apllies to all, very vivid, sensitiv, realistic and touching.
I love Nava Semel's work, we read and discussed all her books at our Hebrew Book Club in Chicago, I am delighted her work is translated into English and can reach out English speaking crowd.
Ophira Ben-Arieh

Nava Semel's short story is a touching reflection on the beginnings of young love. She captures the feelings and sensitivies of young adults as they begin to experience feelings of love for the very first time, which remain with them throughout their lives. It is great that Naza Semel's work is brought to an English speaking audience.

Nava Semel's story of very young love is autobiographical fiction at its best: funny, moving and painfully true. Since relatively little of her work has been translated into English (although some is available on amazon) this short provides a rare opportunity to get acquainted with a distinguished Israeli writer.