Internet Books

This easy-to-carry book is very practical. It allows you quick, and convenient reference to the best search web engines making the A's to Z's of life a little easier. This is definitely a "must have" for anyone who enjoys not wasting time.

This is exactly what I would expect of a book with this title. It's about time. Normally I would search in magazines,trade publications and newspapers for recommended web sites. This tended to be hit and miss. The BoTB Sites guide is concise, to the point and handy. I look up what I want the first time, rather than having to wade through countless search engine results (of which the majority are not pertinent to my search). I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't have all day to play on the web.

I found the internet a hassle to search. It could take hours to find anything pertinent and useful. On-line searches can give you alot of irrelevant results. So I invested in this book and I'm glad I did.

The best part about it was no surprises. The book is organized, well-written and up to date. The editorials let me know what to expect from each site so I can go to the ones I really want. Its a great internet tool that puts an end to the useless searches. It covers a huge range of topics and the spiral binding is a great idea. No more flipping the book to keep your page when you want to explore more than one site. Put simply --its my best search engine. I would recommend it to anyone who hates wasting time.

The main reason I purchased this book initially was because I was getting very frustrated using search engines on the web to find sites relating to topics I was interested in. Not only would the actual search take forever, I would then often browse through dozens of sites before I found what I was looking for. Well, no more!

This guide does what it promises to do...provide "the best of the best" sites on numerous subjects including activism, finance, health, law, and so much more! Not only has it cut down my surfing/searching time, but it's so handy to use. The coil binding allows it to lay flat for easy reference, the attractive layout makes it easy to find information, and the reviews are so informative, you know exactly what to expect from the site. I've even found some resources I didn't know were available; not just a shopping guide, but content-rich sites. For example, the sites on activism and philanthropy not only keep you informed on what's going on in the world, but how you can make a difference!

I also found the information on the travel and finance sites very helpful - there are so many of these sites out there and they've managed to narrow it down to the best I've seen yet. They've even included 10 wedding planning sites that I wish I knew about when I was planning my wedding!

I would highly recommend this guide to anyone who uses the internet - students of all ages, professionals, homemakers - anyone who wants to find "the best" websites without wasting a lot of time.

I can't recommend this book enough. It really has cut down on my search time. These guys have really taken the frustration out of finding the better sites in every category. The reviews really help guide you in the right direction. Definitely a good buy.

This is the type of writing you only get from experienced business writers. This is not magazine type writing..this is highly thought provoking and very well written. Every Congressman in America should read this book....if they did they would realize big business is not where its at. Good read!

To anyone who wonders why things aren't stable any more (and I mean everything from businesses to social relationships), this book is the Rosetta Stone. Blankenhorn takes Moore's Law from an obscure, techno-driven curiosity and maps out exactly how it continues to pulverize our social and commercial expectations. If you've ever scratched your head over why the American dream never seems to materialize in the marketplace, this book makes sense of it all. An enjoyable read, too, from the irascible journalist who's never been afraid to tell it like it is.

Dana has produced an excellenbt book on Moore's Law, perhaps the most determinative "Law" of the end of the 20th Century. Technology isn't easy, but this book is an easy read about the how and what and why of computer technology. Good for teenaged kids too.

Want to know how to predict the future? Want to understand your kids' world?

Then you need this book. In just a few hours you'll get to know the forces that control our working lives, and the heroes behind it. People like Gordon Moore, Jack Kilby, and Hedy Lamarr. (Yes, THAT Hedy Lamarr.)

This isn't a technogeek kind of book. It's a simple, down to Earth, and readable book. It's filled with stories and anecdotes you'll nod your head with, and some stories "ripped from the headlines" you will see with new eyes.

Best of all, this book does not leave you hanging. You will know the secret to accelerating change, and to decelerating it. You'll also be introduced to new technologies that will drive future progress.

All in a book you can read in a single evening. Not a bad deal.

In this day and age of hypemeisters and hacks, Blankenhorn's observations stand out like a beacon of truth. His lateral obsevrations not only make sense, but thoughfully demonstrate how Moore's Law impacts everything you do on a daily basis. Thanks to this book, what was once relegated to microchips and silicon can now be seen in a much larger sense, explaining why so many are so bewildered at the lack of stability in their lives. Want to know the deeper reasons why we're all stressing out? Read it. A great piece for thinking people interested in making sense of our strange new world.

Great book about great ideas and great people... Book is a very easy to read as it gets more and more interesting the more you read it.. Great analysis of starting a dot com business in Europe, and comparison between EU and States.. Also this book is a must read on what not to spend the money on when starting own dot com company. :)

p.s. too bad Boo.Com did not work out, as i would be their #1 customer....

A couple of years ago I read a review of boo hoo that said: 'great book; but don't give them any more money - borrow a copy from your local library'. I never got round to going to the Library and its taken me two years to buy the book - I waited too long - its very good. It's shocking how naive they were - probably too many vodka and grapefruit juices.

An awesome book, this book reveals the highs and lows of a dot com startup from the "ideas" to the "inverstors". Not really a book about computers and the internet but more about Ideas and people, a great book to read, couldn't put it down, passed it onto a few other people (including my mum) who liked it too. Deffinately worth buying if not only to catch a glimps of a dot com startup caught up in the internet bubble madnes! Hey Ernst how come you haven't reviewed your own book yet?

An awesome book, this book reveals the highs and lows of a dot com startup from the "ideas" to the "inverstors". Not really a book about computers and the internet but more about Ideas and people, a great book to read, couldn't put it down, passed it onto a few other people (including my mum) who liked it too. Deffinately worth buying if not only to catch a glimps of a dot com startup caught up in the internet bubble madnes! Hey Ernst how come you haven't reviewed your own book yet?

It's been over two years since I've read this book and still thought it was fun to review it. Why? Because this book is the embodyment of the Internet age / bubble. Being an IT business owner I can remember the days when money seemed everywhere and profit was nowhere... sigh, good old times.

This book will take you on a ride in the fast lane and tells about innovation, transpiration and... no common sense. Looking back it all seemed the economy would change, business would never be the same and teens were ready to become millionaires.

This story is the 'Easy Rider' of the internet age. Cult status!

In this important book, the authors tackle an old issue in a modern context. We might recall that Victor Hugo, in the Hunchback of Notre Dame, discussed the moral and cultural implications of the printing press. Burniske and Monke bring this discussion to the 1990s by studying the implications of Internet technology on education. The fundamental question centers on what it means to be educated in the first place. Burniske, for example, makes a distinction between being trained, the language of technology, and being educated, the language of the humanities. This book walks us through specific efforts by the authors to integrate Internet technology into their classroom teaching, but what clearly galls both of them is that deeper questions about how to properly educate students are getting lost in the hype over equipment, technical wizardry and on-line chatter. There are plenty of kids out there who can create web sites, hack into complex systems, and master the language of technology, but do these same kids know right from wrong? Can they critically read a text, or relate to the deep emotions revealed in a play or novel, or even treat fellow classmates or online correspondents with respect? These issues are the real test of education, and if they get lost in the hype, we are building a Brave New World every bit as pernicious as the one described by Huxley. Burniske is an innovator who is trying to find ways to correctly use technology in the classroom, that is, without surrendering human issues or context. Monke is more skeptical, perhaps, but a willing participant in the dialogue -- how can teachers be empowered and liberated to properly educate their students.

Students, by the way, are the real concern of these two teachers. They do not see them as products or consumers, but as a community of people who need to be nurtured, cared about and finally led to a deeper and wiser understanding of their place in the world. Burniske and Monke are teachers in the best tradition of that word. They are about shedding light on the human experience, not simply walking the beaten (and often failed) paths of traditional educational discourse. Whether you agree or disagree with their arguments, you will find the discussion worth the effort. The final chapter is riveting, but the rest of the book provides a rich context for an important, humane and caring dialogue about some very important issues confronting humanity.

I heard one of the authors, Dr. Burniske, speak at the Odyssey Bookstore in Massachusetts in July. He gave such an impressive and thoughtful talk that I decided to buy a copy of this book. I'm not an educator, but I am a parent and I found this an extremely thoughtful and thought-provoking book. I don't think you have to be a teacher to understand the stories that Burniske and Monke tell or the ideas that they develop. It helps, however, to understand some of the problems that teachers face with respect to their own professional development. If you've not been in a school recently this book will certainly help you understand why so many teachers struggle with new technology -- and why we all should be asking more questions about its place in the curriculum. As some of the other reviewers have suggested, I think this should be required reading for every parent and teacher who wishes to take part in the discussion of technology in education.

I believe this book will greatly help educators to find practical and very effective uses of this emerging technology. With the guidance of this book, educators should lose their confusion and the trepidations that I believe many of us have in the use of this potentially excellent tool. With a bit of help from their teachers, students can learn to focus their efforts and perhaps for the first time, realize they can take part in making positive and profound changes in their lives and in the lives of others that they will touch. The deep insights revealed by this book, and the practical ideas presented by Burniske and Monke will reduce or eliminate much stess by educators that do not wish to repeat the mistakes of those who have gone before us.

I am a high school (Gymnasium) teacher from Germany and I picked up a copy of this book at an education conference. We have been using computers in our school for two years now but have received little training in how to use them to aid our teaching (we have received only technical training). By looking at the case studies in this book I finally have a good, practical guide for me that I can use to help teach my students using e-mail and the Internet. This really opens up a whole new world of learning for me and my students. It is nice to finally read *by teachers* about how teachers are actually using the technology, and not just a bunch of theories on how you *could* use it. Highly recommended.

As a secondary school English and social studies teacher, I found "Breaking Down the Digital Walls" to be inspiring, thoughtful and helpful. I would like to embark upon a telecollaborative project with my students, and use the Internet for something more than research, but until now, I hadn't felt prepared to do so. This book provided me with ideas and support, and it was interesting to read - thank you!

The continuously expanding need to economically move large volumes of data at faster speeds presents formidable challenges to both engineering and business professionals. Understanding Broadband technology and deciphering its complex technical principles is an arduous task in a dynamic and evolving environment. Mr. Louis has once again put together a technical guide that provides an excellent roadmap to better understanding of the Broadband arena. Since the superhighway of projected Broadband ventures is lettered with failure, this most recent "Crash Course" is an important tool for the arsenal of any remaining entrepreneur attempting to succeed in Broadband deployment. ....and once again, all in easy to read/understand presentation.

This book provides valuable insight into the Broadband arena. P.J. Louis has clearly articulated his vision of the future of fiber and wireless. Whether or not one agrees, he earns respect for taking a strong position and defending it with plentiful detail. Louis is clearly a teacher whose aim is to inform and educate with this book. Business leaders would do well to read this before leaping into investments in this area. The book provides a significant level of knowledge to assist in making informed business decisions.

This book is an excellent and unbiased technology assessment for the broadband market, without all of the technical hype and marketing rhetoric. Moreover, the timely interjection of business considerations throughout, reminds the reader that technology and business are not mutually exclusive - only a technically sound and financially prudent solution will be successful. Mr. Louis breaks down the attributes and capabilities for each of the available and emerging broadband technologies in such a way, as to provide the non-technical reader with sufficient understanding to make sound business and investment decisions about the plethora of broadband technology options.

This book will prove invaluable in bridging the communications gap between the "technologists" and the "financier" - a communications gap that, in today's telecom world, has left many bankrupt entities wonder why?

Once again Mr. Louis is right on target both with the emerging Broadband technology subject & the manner in which he describes it. As a telecom industry principal consultant with CommFlow Resources Inc.,this book is a welcome addition to my library. The book is an extremely easy read & speaks with the language & insight of the people working within the industry. This book will be referenced often as a foundation on Broadband knowledge as well as a marketplace development guide. I eagerly await a next publication from Mr. Louis who has his finger on the pulse of technology.

The book provides the business professional with an understanding of the entire spectrum of Broadband technology. This is not an engineering textbook, but a book designed to provide the business reader with a foundation for understanding a very complex technology. Mr. Louis de-mystifies the subject and is able to describe both the technological and business aspects of a very complex topic.

I found the book refreshing in its easy to read and conversational tones. It makes great reading on a cross-country flight. I recommend it to anyone needing an overview of the Broadband arena.

Books that improve my technical communication skills are few and far between; either the advice is too general or it is simply repeating something Gerald Weinberg once said. Still, being able to explain something to a colleague without sounding authoritative is difficult. My belief is that conversations with a colleague should be collegial, and one thing that can set us on equal footing is checklists.

Bug Patterns in Java provides you with a checklist for code reviews and software defect disputes. The best thing about these checklists is that they are non-authoritative. A checklist is just a general static analysis tool. It cannot prove there is a defect or corner case awaiting to be discovered by the end-user. It can, however, non-authoritatively point out patterns in code that appear to be programmer mistakes. What's more, since a checklist is really just a general static analysis tool, you can implement these checklists using automated tools like FindBugs. These tools help provide you with The 2 Minute Answer about the health of your code base.

Now, if you can just run a program to find these mistakes, should you still read Bug Patterns in Java? Absolutely. Just as Martin Fowler's Refactoring is still read by many who love their push-button refactoring features in IDEs, Allen's book should still be read by programmers who use static analysis tools to locate and correct mistakes. The correction half is where Allen shines. He explains exactly what program transformation to do. Moreover, in talking you through the correction, he makes you realize how valuable code reviews are in catching mistakes before they become part of a forward-facing, published API. Allen provides a fantastic vocabulary for describing common bugs in Java, and my belief is that this vocabulary can be cross-pollinated and benefit users of other languages. In particular, Liar View, Dangling Composite, Run-on Initialization and Sabateur Data are phrases I regularly use outside of Java.

Last but not least, most of the chapters are based on an IBM developerWorks series written by Allen. You could read the developerWorks articles by typing in the names of each bug pattern in a search engine. However, if you are not strapped for cash, then it really is worth it to get the book. In my opinion, the format is easier to read, the ideas flow well from one chapter to the next, and Allen definitely spent some extra time sequencing the chapters in the most pedagogical order possible. You are paying for a finished product and world class presentation quality.

Two side notes:

(1) Others have since built upon Allen's work. Sai Zhang published a paper titled "On Identifying Bug Patterns in Aspect-Oriented Programs". It is a really good paper that explains some pitfalls to watch out for, whether you are a programmer or language designer. Templight, a Template Metaprogramming Debugger for C++, was the first effort to provide a way to identify defects in C++ code that takes full advantage of the Turing Complete template system. Problems like infinite recursion and so forth were shown to be identifiable using an automated checklist of sorts. There are many more examples, but these were just the first two I encountered after reading this book. Do your own exploration!

(2) Eric Allen claims he invented the term "bug pattern". Although I don't have any reason to believe he plagiarized the term, Google Book Search suggests that W. Lewis Johnson's book, Intention-Based Diagnosis of Novice Programming Errors (Research Notes in Artificial Intelligence), was the first appearance of the term in the programming field. Thus, credit appears to be owed to Johnson. I just hope that this "bug pattern" term isn't one of those notions that gets lost and re-invented every decade.

The author presents a different way to look on bugs and the debugging process. I could recognize most of the bug patterns as regular acquaintances from my daily work. What I liked most was the way he made clear how Java's type system can be used to eliminate certain kinds of bugs but that there's a trade off between static typing and duplication in code. In other words, to remove some sorts of duplication you sometimes have to forgo static typing in Java.

Time is a very valuable resource on every project, and this book can help conserve that resource. The first six chapters of the book present defect management within the larger concept of Agile development methods. Chapters 7-20 detail various bug patterns with symptoms, causes, cures, and preventions. The remainder of the book provides some nice resources like a diagnostic checklist, a glossary, a reference list, and an index.

I recognized some of the patterns from the author's column on developerWorks, but the book does a solid of pulling them together to present debugging as a rather orderly and scientific process. The author relies on his real project experience with the DrJava project to illustrate his examples. Various tables are available to link concepts with potential bug patterns or problems to a bug pattern that could be related.

The patterns are explained and depicted with code with each chapter having a summary of the concepts at the end. Tips and variations on the patterns are sprinkled in the text. I found the glossary of particularly helpful. The text is easy to read and the examples are clearly explained. This book and "Bitter Java" may have a good "ROI" as required reading for Java developers.

A great Java resource for programmers of widely varying experience levels. Author found the perfect balance between theory and practical application. There is a wealth of useful information in the chapters devoted to detailed descriptions of the symptoms and cures for the most common and/or most troublesome Java bugs. The book is organized in a very friendly way, making it an excellent reference. I plan on keeping this book very handy.

Bugs. All code has them to one degree or another and they always seem to take twice as long to fix as the original code took to write. This book boils thirteen of the most common bugs down to their root causes and formulates them as 'bug patterns'. Each bug pattern describes how to identify the bug by the symptoms it exhibits, why the bug is occurring, and gives one or more suggestions to fix it and prevent it from occurring again.
If the bug you are searching for isn't among one of the thirteen bug patterns covered, the author also covers a methodical approach to tracking down bugs effieciently and quickly. Suggestions on how to prevent bugs from occurring in various stages of the development cycle are also presented, which are helpful even if you aren't currently searching for a bug in your code. Most of the suggestions are based on the XP development model, but the practices that are important are pointed out so they can be incorporated into any other style of development.
Even though debugging doesn't sound like a fun topic, the author has a very readable style and is able to get you excited about preventing and fixing bugs. The chapters have been very well thought out and the book is broken into topics very well. You can read a chapter in about ten minutes or less and feel like you have a good grasp of the topic covered.
This is a great book to partner with a 'best coding practices' type of book, like 'Practical Java' or 'Effective Java'. Those books are really good at describing how Java should be coded. This book gives examples of why those practices should be followed, and how to quickly get back on track when they aren't and something goes wrong.

I bought this book for an overall understanding of BI without wanting a deep dive into the technicality of the technology. This book hit the spot nicely. Explained clearly the evolution of BI, the uses and some real-life solutions. In the final section it then went into the technology at a perfectly pitched depth. If you are looking for a BI reference guide, this is the wrong book for you. However, if you just want a clearly written book on the concepts behind BI and it's real life applications, this is the book for you.

I chose this book, because I needed to get some background on BI fairly quickly. It satisfied that need very well. It is quite well-written and some parts read more like a story, which is quite the opposite of the "just the facts, ma'am" approach of Kimball and his associates. (That is not a stab at Kimball. I am a big fan and I believe they have so much to say that they don't really have the space to make it story-like. Kimball has a completely different goal with his books -- but this is not a Kimball-review.)

At the start, the book introduces us to the Director of Imports at a gift and novelty wholesale company. Her initiative of selling a certain item didn't work so well, and we get to know the steps she has taken to analyze the data to find out what happened. Along the way, we are introduced to many Data Warehousing / Business Intelligence (DW/BI) concepts.

After the story, some basic DW/BI terms are explained in more detail. The authors explain quite well where they fit in the process of getting from mounds of static data, to a useable set of data for analytical purposes, which they call the BI Roadmap.

The book contains five case studies of a few pages each, which help fix the process of implementation.

If you know nothing about DW/BI and you quickly need a framework on which to hang whatever knowledge you gain elsewhere, I'd say this is a great start. Also, if you've implemented a DW/BI system and failed, this may help get you back to your roots. However, if you've read a lot of in-depth material and maybe have an implementation or two (successful) under your belt, this will only serve as a relaxing read; you won't gain much new knowledge from it.

I give it 5 stars, because it does what I think it attempts to do. It gives you background knowledge and a framework; it does not attempt to be an encyclopaedic work and desk reference, like Kimball's books are. Therefore it reads in a fraction of the time it would take to read Kimball. If background is what you're looking for, enjoy.

The book was a very easy read. Finised it in one afternoon. Definitely recommended for a novice. However, if you have an understanding of BI, then this book is not for you.

I like the cover. Its orange !!!

First of all, I will have to admit that I am a Microsoft advocate. I like their solutions and I think very highly of what they have to offer with SQL Server and Analysis Services.

This book lays down a good foundation for anyone to follow. It explains the concept of BI, the uses of BI, and the payback of BI. What more do you want.

I have been in charge of an SAP/BW group for a large consumer electronics company for the past 4 years. SAP's architecture for BI is very expensive, inflexible, and limited. Using Microsoft's concepts of BI would be cheaper, very flexible, with much more capabilities.

So, grab this book, read it, then read it again. Install SQL Server 2k. Install Analysis Services (comes with SQL Server 2k) and install SQL Servers Service Packs 1-3).

Then experiement with what they are telling you in this book and you will be amazed at what you can do....and cheaply!!!

Good Luck!

Techies will enjoy learning from real world examples of business intelligence technologies. Business leaders will appreciate how complex technical and business topics are tackled from various perspectives - what is BI, how BI will help your organization, and the most helpful chapter, how to actually identify, start and implement a BI solution.

Only wish the authors had spent a little more time identifying pitfalls, but that is why you hire experts to help you out.

Very useful. It respects its contract: saving your time by progressively build on your Java background the core concepts necessary to understand the C++ language (instead of reading a 1000 pages reference book). Sometimes the comparison of design issues between JAVA and C++ (for instance about class immutability) suppose that the reader has already a solid knowledge about object oriented programming and/or design patterns, but not necessarily requires it (by the way, if you're a JAVA programmer and you didn't read Effective Java Programming Language Guide, you may have missed something). Along with a strong experience in C, this book allow you to become an intermediate C++ programmer in only few days !

And remember: "[...] it is certainly not true that Java is better than C++, neither would we say that C++ is better than Java. Instead, a modern programmer should be able to use both languages, as each language has applications that can make it the logical choice". I deeply agree with the author's opinion.

The book is logical and mostly clear. It has its weaknesses but for a Java programmer who wants to understand how the C++ sections of the project could possibly be taking so long and causing such problems, this probably the right book to start with (i.e. I haven't found a better one and am reasonably satisfied).

Although C++ is definitely on the decline, it will be a major force in the programming world for years to come. This book is an excellent intro to the language taught specifically for a person with some Java experience, and it does do an effective job of comparing and contrasting the two languages. The analogies, I feel are invaluable to understanding abstract concepts in C++, and the approach is better than starting from the ground up, if you understand Java at a fundamental level. I also have to disagree with the reviewer below: the writing is quite good, it's concise and not excessively technical. I suspect that that reviewer is unfamiliar with contemporary texts on computer science, because this is one of the more readable ones I know.

Although the latter few chapters were not, I feel, exceptionally helpful, the book is a much better and lighter (not to mention cheaper) alternative to others out there, and is quite worth it, in every way.

I used this book in an introductory C++ class in college. Being a senior in Computer Science who has only been taught with Java, this book is a great starter to get into the world of C++. Nearly everything that is explained in the book is given an equivalent example in Java.

Having never used C++ before, I can recommend this for those who are starting with C++, but have a strong Java background. I wouldn't recommend this as an introductory book for a beginner in the world of programming, as it delves into many advanced topics right away.

I read a lot of computer books and was more hopeful that this book would be easier to handle than what reality dished out. After the third chapter, I was totally lost, then I realized that the most applicable use of this book is as a FINE REFERENCE rather than a cover-to-cover type of read. So, whenever a C++ compilation fails, at least I know that this book will likely be helpful, but really with the mindset that a pinpointed problem needs to be solved. The author clearly knows his stuff. If you're looking for a guided tour of the transition from Java to C++ with the hope that you could accomplish it in one sweep through a book, then look elsewhere, if even such a book exists. Judge for yourself, but perhaps this goal is unreasonable. WELL DONE, Mr. Weiss.

Having just passed the CCDP ARCH exam 642-871, I can highly recommend this book. Coverage is fairly complete and concise. As an adjunct, I also recommend the Sequeira, Wallace book for focus and final test preparation.

If you are preparing for the CCDP exam 642-871, Designing Cisco Network Architectures is a must have. This self-study guide covers all the objectives and should be read early and often throughout the preparation for the exam. While reading a manual like this will not replace experience or an instructor led course, it will help you master the concepts. One of the overwhelming problems of preparing for a Cisco exam is the breadth of the subject matter to be covered. A book that is well outlined like Designing Cisco Network Architectures is necessary to grasp all of the topics.
This book is geared toward the intermediate level student and assumes some basic knowledge of networking and Cisco devices, but not much more. There is a helpful glossary in the back to assist with terminology. Anyone who designs networks will find the book useful, but I give it a five star rating primarily with exam preparation in mind: which is its claim.
There are thirteen chapters but no units. So one can pick and choose which chapter to read in any order. Except for the first chapter, which is an introduction to the Cisco network model, the chapters can stand on their own as a single treatise. The layout includes a balance of text, diagrams, and charts. So that learning is enhanced and the reader's attention is maintained. Besides a summary, there is a product summary at the end of each chapter. This is a resource for understanding which Cisco equipment fits the designs discussed. Woven through each chapter ending is a case study of a fictional company that gives problems, goals and solutions. Finally, a plus for any exam preparation volume, there are review questions with the answers in the appendix.
Designing Cisco Network Architectures has some business value as well. I have recently consulted it in the planning and evaluation of VLANs and an internet edge network. The book is geared toward the "Cisco solution". Although, recently published, it does not cover the new multi-functional routers such as the 2801. But all of the design concepts of the latest networks are covered and the best equipment for each job is determined.

CCDP Self-Study: Designing Cisco Network Architectures by Keith Hutton and Amir Ranjbar (Cisco Press, 2005) covers all the topics for the CCDP ARCH (642-871) in the right level of detail. Having taken the exam within the last year, I can tell that it meets the exam objectives and does an excellent job of providing a framework to help you learn the services and solutions covered in the exam.

The CCDP went through an appropriate overhaul in 2003. It is now tied much more to modern technologies and to design principles based on the AVVID architecture and the Enterprise Composite Network Model (ECNM). This book introduces all the functional areas of the ECNM in the first chapter and continues to refer to these areas and their constituent modules as it delves more deeply (in later chapters) into the services and solutions of AVVID.

Of all the Cisco certifications, I think the CCDP gives you the best overall picture of what's happening in enterprise networking today. You won't get near enough depth for the CCIE, but you get a decent exposure to all the major solutions (such as content, wireless, telephony, storage, and VPNs) and the underlying services (such as network management, security, multicast, high availability, QoS) that make up the architecture of Cisco's offerings.

This book covers all of these topics in the right level of detail for CCDP ARCH. In addition, it relates the corresponding products to these services and solutions, so that you have a good sense of how to fit all this together when you're in the field. The network diagrams and other illustrations are clear and detailed, and there are numerous tables summarizing the often-copious amounts of information. The questions and answers at the end of each chapter seemed to be at the appropriate level of detail and were in line with the level of difficulty of the exam question in ARCH.

I also liked the fact that at the end of each chapter the book provides a nice summary of the Cisco products relating to each service or solution. While typically beyond the scope of this exam, this will give you a deeper understanding of how to help your customers choose the right products to meet their needs. A running case study of a hypothetical company going through a network upgrade is also updated at the end of each chapter; a careful look at the ongoing saga of the OCSIC Bottling Company will not only improve your applied knowledge in general, but will also help you with the (I thought) tough case study testlet in the ARCH exam.

The difficulty that authors face in putting together a book like this lies in the dynamic nature of the technology and the potential of it to change for the exam. I noticed a few minor flaws along these lines in terms of discussing products or solutions (such as CD One and the nGenius RTM), which are end of life. For this reason, it's a good idea to complement your test preparation with a review on CCO of any solutions you think might fall into this category. I also recall there were some telephony concepts, such as dial patterns, covered on the exam but not discussed in the book. If you peruse the SRND guides on Cisco's website for topics such as storage, wireless, VPN, content, and telephony, while keeping the exam objectives (listed on Cisco's website) in the back of your mind, you should be able to make up for these minor omissions.

I would also recommend some final preparation with the CCDA/CCDP Flash Cards and Exam Preparation Pack. This book contains some excellent summary sheets that follow the same structure as this self-study guide.

Overall, I would give this book 5 stars, and I believe you can use it as both your main preparation tool for the CCDP ARCH exam and as a field reference for your consulting services.

I used this book in preparation for the Cisco CCDP ARCH exam. It was a very helpful resource. The book focuses on concepts and methods, which is perfectly in-line with the exam content.

Overall the book is well written and I give kudos to the author for his ability to explain complex topics. The section on PIM sparse-mode was exceptional. Each chapter concludes with a real world example that helps illustrate the finer points.

Compared to the poor editing of the other Cisco books, this is definitely 5 stars. There are refreshingly few errors in this book.

Since you are likely buying this book to take the CCDP ARCH exam, I will also suggest complementing it with the BOSON CCDP practice questions. These two resources were the sum total of materials I used to pass the exam. There were only one or two questions that I don't recall the book covering.

Good luck!

In my opinion this book is most helpful preparation tool for Cisco CCDP ARCH exam. It covers all you need to pass that exam. Mr Ranjbar did good job and for me he recovered his good name after Self-study CCNP: CIT book.
Must have !

HomePage 3.0 is an older program but it has the advantage of being cross-platform (meaning Mac and PC) on the same disk. I have made a dozen websites using it and it is a wonder to behold. Newer standards have overtaken the WWW so not all of the new functions are integrated into it.

It has a first rate tutorial on the disk which can help you to make perfectly decent small websites. However, this book is the perfect manual to go along with that tutorial. In fact I think it is essential to own this book so that you can address problems as they arise without having to bounce around between the program, the Help, and the tutorial.

As with most of the Visual Quickstart series, this one is filled with pictures so that those of us who cannot grab the meaning from the text alone can guide ourselves with the screenshots showing what the text just spoke of.

I recommend both this program and this book to my students who wish to build their own websites, even though both the book and the program are out of print.

This book was very helpful getting me up and running and doing what I wanted to do--make my website. It was also helpful in stepping me through publishing my first database on FileMaker Pro. I would reccomend it to anyone wanting to use Home Page. I should say that Home Page is a very easy to use, but powerful program. It is quite intuitive. This book just happens to make it even easier to use. I just kept it on my desk and if I hit a snag it would unsnag me.

i need to know how to make a web page for 5$ if any one can give me instructions how to make a page mail me them thanks. p.s.hoss8617@aol.com

This book was very helpful getting me up and running and doing what I wanted to do--make my website. It was also helpful in steping me through publishing my first database on FileMaker Pro. I would reccomend it to anyone wanting to use Home Page. I should say that Home Page is a very easy to use, but powerful program. It is quite intuitive. This book just happens to make it even easier to use. I just kept it on my desk and if I hit a snag it would unsnag me.

I found this book very understandable and full of explanations. It summarized much of what the help menu in Claris Homepage offered, but showed detailed diagrams and steps on how to complete the functions for most web page design. I recommend this to any beginner with Claris Homepage to use as a basis to learn the program and understand the buttons and capabilities of the total program.