Computers Books

Had never used the product and needed a crash course and this was very helpful at the time.

This is an excellent manuscript for teaching yourself Captivate. Its even helping me review while learning the upgrade.

There arent many books on Captivate. It's too bad, because this software is very common in the education and eLearning field.
I needed to teach myself the software for my job, and this book helped a lot. It is full of practical lessons and examples. Upon completing the book, I had a very good command of the program. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to learn Captivate.

Well written with excellent instructional design. The best way to learn this powerful software quickly. I couldn't have developed my project without it.

I ordered this a couple weeks ago and just got around to using it two days ago. I wasn't in a hurry because I have viewed the videos about Captivate 2 on Lynda.com and thought this book would just be review--which it isn't. As an educator I should know the difference between just watching something done and actually doing it. In this book you do the exercises--which are clearly explained step-by-step in easy bits! I'm halfway through the book and all I can say is how thankful I am that I ordered this. I've been wanting to create interactive online material for my courses for the past five years. Now, with Captivate 2 and this book I will be able to do it.

The GIMP is a powerful image manipulation package, provided under a free software license. It is very much the PhotoShop of the open source world. This book is an excellent introduction and tutorial to the GIMP's many powerful features. However, it is not intended to be a user manual. There is a separate and complete user manual for the GIMP available on the web. This book is also available on the web, and it is published under an open-source license - although cleverly they don't mention this in the paper copy itself. However useful it is to have the on-line copy, I cannot stress enough the quality and value in having a hard copy of this book.
Each chapter covers a different theme including layers, selections, masks, color spaces and blending, photo touchup and enhancement, compositing, rendering and web-based image production (including animated GIFs and imagemaps). The material is thoughtfully presented as a series of walkthrough examples.
The physical production of the book itself is very good. Every page is in full color and each chapter's start has a color flash at the edge of the page to allow you to easily locate it. The content has been equally well thought out. There is a very comprehensive index. At the end of each chapter is a list of FAQs correcting common misunderstandings about that chapter's subject. All diagrams are very clear and instructive.
My only gripe with the book is that there is no overview of the use of the standard toolbox of tools. I feel a simple explanation of how to use the various painting controls at the start of the book would have set the context for some of the later chapters on the image manipulation facilities of the GIMP, which indeed is the main thrust of the package.
It has been several years since a major book on the GIMP was published. What would be great would be a book that focuses more on programming and on plugins specifically - how to write them and a description of the ones currently in circulation. The next book set to be published on the GIMP, "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional" is due to be released in April 2006. Until its arrival, this is still the only book on the GIMP worth reading.
For those of you interested in the vast amount of GIMP plug-in source code, just type "Koders Search GIMP" into Google. The first link in the resulting list is what you want. From there you can search through the folders and find the source for the many GIMP plug-ins.

I have read through a lot of this book and it has helped me tremendously in understanding the basic concepts and techniques for creating and manipulating digital images and graphics using the GIMP. Although it does not cover plug-ins in any great detail, it does lay a solid foundation for learning and using them in the future. Aside from that, almost every other conceivable topic is covered.

After I finish reading this book, I am confident that I will be able to read through (and understand) the many GIMP tutorials available online without difficulty. If you are looking for a good introduction to image manipulation and the GIMP, this book does not fail to deliver in any regard.

I have referenced the on-line version of this book several times and found several useful ideas and techniques out of it---especially those dealing with color correction and enhancement. However, there is no comparison to actually haveing physical pages to flip through and seeing the photos "in person". After reading through this book, several other Photoshop tutorials available make much more sense as well. My only complaint is that there is not much attention paid to any use of plugins or "advanced" clone tool techniques for repairing marred photographs without destroying the natural film grain etc. Also, some of the keybinding shortcust appear to have changed, and his examples using Layer masks did not always work for me as described in the book. Overall, though, purchasing this book is a great way to support open-source projects and learn a good deal about the Gimp as well.

I have searched high and low for a decent book on the Gimp. There are a several, good references ("Learning the Gimp in 24 Hours", "Essential Gimp for Web Developers", etc.) though many are out dated due to the rapid progress progress the developers. The Gimp, an excellent example of what open source cooperation produces, is well represented in this book. The author illustrates the use of the Gimp with clear diagrams, concise descriptions, and excellent examples of the Gimp's functionality. Apart from the official Gimp documentation, this book has served me well.

Exelent introduction to a complex subject. Still up-to-date as the fundementals apparently have not changed in 7 years. A few menus have changed slightly but I found this not a problem. This book appears to be out of print but you can download the HTML version and read it on your computer. You'll be trying out all the techniques while you read, so you just need an extra window for the text. I found the writing concise, the organization logical, and the examples helpful. You will find that the GIMP user manual also covers this material but does not really teach you what to do with it. It's not easy to learn--I've been doing photography for years so I thought I'd pick it up just fooling around with the software. It's not so easy!

An excellent step through Cisco networking. This book begins with the definition and ends with future development. All aspects of high speed networks are covered along the way.

John has succeeded in making the whole complicated area of what happens behind the computer seem easy to understand. He has explained how to use technology to one's advantage and understand the value of doing so. A well recommended read.

I gave the book as a gift to a friend who is the CIO of an ISP and I know he went out , bought 10 more copies for all of his managers and thanked me with a note saying the John Vacca book is a God sent for his business. What more can I say

With the rapid advances in technology, upgrading of high speed networks will occur sooner rather than latter. High-Speed Cisco Networks by John Vacca provides experienced networking professionals with a step by step approach to all they will need to know about Cisco's LAN and WAN systems. It is the reference tool to use to understand the Cisco products so that planning, designing and implementing a high performance LAN or WAN system can commence.

I have been working in IT & network support for some years now, and am currntly untaking the Cisco Acadmey programs. This book turned up at the right time, as it explains things with greater clarity than anything else I have found. The presentation is logical and of a linear manner, making this my first choice in reference material, for both my studies and professional undertakings.

If you're thinking about taking the Security+ exam from the position of a complete newcomer to the field of INFOSEC, then this book is highly recommended. The print quality is not that great, there are a few typos here and there and the humor sometimes gets a little tedious. But look beyond these shortcomings and this book is worth every penny you spend on it. In fact, if the Security+ exam were not as technical as it is, then this book would be the definitive text. The material is laid out in simple language and yet technical details like port numbers are covered nicely. In all, if you are new to INFOSEC, or you just want to be sure of your foundations, then this is a good place to start. For the exam, read this book first and then get Security+ Prep Guide by Ronald L. Krutz and Russell Dean Vines to provide more technical insight. Polish both off with the 100-page study guide that you get with Security+ Transcender and you should have no problems achieving 85% pass mark.

Congratulations to Helen and Tcat, their book is one of the most organized and practical technical books I have ever seen. I has been very useful to study and day-to-day tasks. A very good choice to prepare to Security+ Exam and IT security career.

I like how this book ties in real life examples and stories into its pages. This makes it a bit more interesting read then most dry, boring, and technical books on Security+.

When you are purchasing any can of material you must do your research on the product. Well I did and it has paid off!
You well not find a better book when your pursuing your Security+
certification! This book not only gets you going in the right direction, but the authors have also included links if you want to delve deeper into the particular subject they are addressing.
(I mean they did their research!)
The software they also include in my opinion is just simply one product you just cannot do without!

There are just too many kudos to list!

When purchasing any kind of material you must do your research. Well I did and it has paid off!

This is the book you want to have when you are pursuing your Secutity+ certification!

It has so much information that is presented in a way that makes you want to never let it down!
Not only will you have this wealth of information, but the authors have included so many hyperlinks related to subject they are addressing. This is great for the person that just wants that extra touch!

The tools which they include on the cdrom are just ones you must have! The missus and myself love testing each other.

There are just too many kudos too list!

When you wake up at 4:30 in the morning and start reading you know you have a great book in your hands!

The movement from islands of IT to a Service Oriented Architecture requires skills and talent. Unfortunately, the pending baby boomer retirement may cause the transition to slow as the quantity and quality of IT resources diminishes. This book put the IT professional back at the top of the list by addressing the critical issues facing IT personnel and IT Management. How do we do more with less IT people? The answers are structure and consideration of the IT personnel in your organization. I enjoyed reading the book and have already applied many of the recommendations in my consulting business.

This book does what others (and the title) have mentioned, it addresses the people factor that is so often overlooked. Not only does it lay out the Disciplines which contribute to successful, predictable IT management, it gives you a framework to use, almost a checklist of sorts. It is an excellent reference and tool. Indispensible!

This book has little value to current IT managers, and anyone with a business degree or MBA has already learned more than this book has to offer. There are no new theories, and the book reads like a combination textbook and self-help guide. As such it never finds a good focus. A quote from the jacket says it all:

This book "...will help you improve your ability to plan your work, meet your commitments, and do so while being an effective political actor."

If you need a confidence boost, then maybe you'll see some value to this book. But the cheering section doesn't produce many valid techniques for actually "doing more with less." The book will leave most readers looking for more solid fare.

A must have in classrooms, all of it it's just an opening to a new dimension of knowledge, thanks to the authors and my firend Javy for this book.

KEEP IT UP.

Rene SuanLi

I've read all the books about IT and could not make a sense out of it! I'm a veteran and going to school to finish some stuff I left behind and after reading this book I will recomend it to some of my fellow students at RCC

Keep up the good IT work guys.

The book is a very good reference with excellent example code. I was a beginner when I purchased it and it was invaluable. I look forward to using volume 2 of this book.

This combined with the subsequent Class Libraries AWT, beans and applet for 1.1 by the same authors are the best Java books I have purchased. Combined with the jdk 1.1 Nutshell book and VisualAge for Java from IBM...you are able to find methods quickly and easily...and then utilize them. Great Job!

If you are doing JDK 1.02 programming, this book is required. I can find anything I need about any class quicker with this book than with any other Java class reference. I need to know specific return values from methods, its there. I need to look at an example of how to use a class or method, it there. This is the easiest (but heaviest) Java reference book I have used.
However...

If you plan on coding exclusively with JDK 1.1 I would wait for the upcoming two volume set (by the same title) from these authors. If they are as good as this volume, they will be worth the money in the time that they save.

This is a great book, but you want the second edition, which covers up to Java 1.1. Its ISBN is different.

I have the book by my side at all times when working on my Java code. It is indispensable. All the classes are list alphabetically which helps in locating what you need. The 2nd edition is out now that covers Java 1.1 classes. A must have!!!

Hi:
This book is a very helpful guide for someone trying to start and understand a complex language such as Java. This book introduces us little by little to the confusing web of Java structures, procedures, objects, instances, classes...
Besides, it explains how to use some data structures and arrays, sometimes with very complex but understandable excercises that makes the reader produce a clear mind for Java's complex procedures.
The bad part is that is does not dig into Java graphical interface. Being this a very complex part of Java itself, the book does not tell us how to make panels, menus and many other features that are needed for simple graphical programs. Although it explains something about graphical structures, the explanations are not very good and sometimes you will have to look for another source to understand how it works.

I am not a programmer nor do I wish to become one. My interest in computers is driven by what they can and cannot do. My interest in Java springs from the many books based on Java that teach interesting things such as artificial intellenge, problem solving etc. So my view is based on what I learned how to do, not on if this is the best book for a coder.

Perhaps it would be best to state what this book is not first. It is not a complete guide to Java. There are many topics this book does not address at all such as swing. The Dietel book is denser and has many more details than does this one and might be more appropriate for a pure coder.

This is a book for beginners to Java. It does a great job of giving one a feeling for the language without bogging one's mind in all the gory details. It also did a good job of capturing my imagination as how to use the language to model things I am interested in. For me, this is superior to the Dietel book.

Another point worth mentioning is the speed this book can be read. I had no problem working through 1 to 2 chapters each evening. This ease of reading is do to three factors; good organization, good writing ability, and the focus on the main themes of the language.

Someone looking for a solid overview of Java would do well to buy this book. A hard core coder that is beginning with Java could use this book as a quick suppliment to the more detailed manual they are using.

As a knowledge of C would also be useful to me, I plan to purchase the author's book on that subject as well.

Let me start of by saying, if you want to learn Java to add it to your resume, do not use this book. This book is very very weak on Java graphics programming, which you will need to know. I would suggest a book that would help you pass the Sun programmer, or developer test. This book is intended as a textbook for an intorductory college class in computer science.

This book is great for learning Java as a college, or high-school student. I am using this book for AP Computer science. This book covers all of the topics, except for recursion. The author starts out with talking about what most people need to know about computers. He gets into programming by chapter two, and classes by chapter three. He explains classes very well, but you might need some help. Classes are much more well explained than in Java 2 for Dummies.

All in all this book is very good, even though I couln't get to know that much about GUI, or graphics programming. If you want to know about applets(this book focuses on applications) just read Appendix A. If you want a good approach to Java, than buy this book.

I've read this book cover to cover, and I think it is an excellent way to start programming in java. I think it is a wonderful introduction, my only gripes are that the new GUI interface, Swing, is not covered, only the older AWT. Also, this book is very weak on graphics programming, he never even explains how to incorperate java graphics into programs! He basically writes it off by saying its too complicated.

I came to this book with almost no programming experience but good analytical abilities. I wanted to learn the equivalent of what is covered by a CS1 course, and this book fit my needs exactly. This book is an interesting read, clearly introduces topics, and avoids unnecessary wordiness. The exercises and programming projects are thorough. There are always one or two more lengthy projects included in each chapter for those who want the challenge. I used this book to learn Java on my own, and I found myself eager to open it each day. I agree that there is no coverage of Swing, but there are other books devoted to that topic which one could move on to. I highly recommend this for those who are new to object-oriented programming and want their first taste of what this field is about.

From the moment I started reading this well-constructed, excellently researched book, I couldn't put it down and wanted to know more. The pages are reader-friendly, and lots of good examples make all the author's advice come to life on the page. "Letting Go of the Words" clarifies so many gray areas of writing for the web. I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever has to write anything that will appear on the web, and also to designers who are responsble for setting up websites. Once you read this book, you won't be able to look at any website in the same way again.

This is one of the best books you can buy if you creating a website, looking for ideas on how to make your site better or just need simple easy to implement ideas. Ginny has created an easy way to focus on your "audience" make any site practicle with simple solutions. Tips and trick that any one can do without functionality. This is a best value!

This book is an absolute must read for anyone who develops websites. Ginny Redish provides great examples of web pages and how the visitor is affected by the arrangement of the content. I love the way she presents a website user and allows you to "think" like a visitor.

I'm a big fan of technical communication texts. This book is exceptional, and stands apart from others in many ways:

- Many technical communication texts repeat the same rote guidelines. Although this book does not ignore the "classic" rules (e.g., "Write in inverted pyramid style"; "Use space effectively"), many of the rules are unexpected or even contrarian (e.g., "Use a sans-serif font"; "Long lists are o.k. for familiar items"). All rules are backed by examples that demonstrate their effectiveness.
- The book provides clear examples of real-world Web content, including many "before" and "after" images that demonstrate the book's principles.
- The production of the book is excellent. The color printing and rich layout help to make the book attractive and approachable.

Although the focus of this book is Web communication, the rules, principles, and guidelines are relevant to any form of written communication. The number of examples and diversity of the book's guidelines make this an ideal text for technical communicators and Web content developers of all levels of experience and proficiency.

Here's the ultimate compliment: I need to buy at least three copies, one for me and two for clients--who will love it, too!
Years ago, a professor of mine told a story about his being informed that his work was so easy and fun to read, it could not possibly be scholarly enough for a particular publication(!) This book might receive a few of those sorts of comments, too. On first glance, people with a fair amount of experience in this field might say it's too basic--but they would be wrong. This book is thorough, in depth, and deals with a wide range of issues--and explains why certain alternatives are better than others, instead of just saying, "here is how things should be." It is a thorough presentation of highly useful and relevant information in a enjoyable, understandable, and audience-aware and audience-friendly way.

Yeah nice book, can't wait to get in the bathroom to read some more, 3D animation
is making a big red ring around my a _ _ , Empire of the Sun is starting I'll sit here and watch that too! It's cold in here, is that true about cold surfaces and what they do to your *&#%@^( ?

The book, 1001 Tips & Tricks, has straightforward techniques approach to Learning Advanced LightWave Skills and Knowledge. I purchased Timothy Albee's Lightwave 3D, "Getting Started Guide" which came with my purchase of the program, LightWave from Newtek. The Book got me started back in 2005. (A general skills book covers a broad range of LightWave. But does not get too deep, which is good for beginners.)

I was very interested in and loved cartooning and character creation in 3D. So I purchased Jonny Gorden's "Cartoon Character Creation-Volume 2". If ya don't know and wanna learn Rigging right, get this book. Jonny be getting off with his techniques in this bad boy. Loved the book.

(Jonny's book covers A through Z in Rigging and Animation mostly plus overviews on general knowledge stuff as well. But since I already learned the basics with "Getting Started" I was able to get deep into Jonny's techniques.)

I was a professional Graphic Designer who wanted to move over to the 3D world, I desired to be a power-user at 3D animation. So I purchased Dan Alban's "LightWave [8]," extremely good learning tool. Dan's book got my doing just about anything I could imagine.

(In Depth book cover almost everything. Big pictures illustrations and nicely written make learn easier. Ya gotta get this one.)

But in some areas I was still creating very slowly. Like how to optimize a detailed and completed scene for a render farm, so that I could not only render, but also render scenes very fast. How to build a scene for a real movie that would render quicker than if I built it another way.

For example, I built a scene which took four months to render on a 4 node render farm of fast G5 with 2 gigs of Ram. I'm thinking that, I've got to be able to create the same scene, but in such as that it would render in say, two weeks. I wanted to learn the fastest power moves, since I work alone in my home studio. I do not have peers and co-worker to exchanged knowledge with

Then, I order this book, and it fit the bill. It helps to complete my learning needs and answered and reconfirmed, other books and technique that I pick up off of the Internet.

This is an excellent book it is a most get. Although I got it for advanced how tos; there is beginner level help here as well. A lot of the dudes and dudettes that I've learned from through downloading Internet QuickTime movies from the Newtek website and other places, these movies are excellent show and tell ways to learn. But with expressions and certain dynamic it is good to have it in a book form as well.

(Since there are so many experts contributing to this book, you get a really balanced guide to knowledge. If you are going to be a power-user, this book completes the other books and knowledge that I have accumulated. You got to it as well.) "1000 Tips and Tricks," book is worth every penny of the cost.

I'm one of the authors, so take that into account. Still, there are around thirty authors total so I'm at most 1/30th biased.

That being said, this is a real standout among LightWave books and one I'm proud to be part of. The strength is in the numbers - never before have you gotten such a wide and varied number of opinions in one place. Because there are so many different approachs to creating 3D art, this book is really a must own and it's a book you'll go back to again and again. I keep a copy on my desk, within easy reach and I pick it up for reference or for some quick reading during a render.

It also covers a wide variety of topics, from lighting to surfacing to LScripts. Not every tip is something I agree with, but that's the beauty of this book - there's just so much information here that you'll be finding new things to think about or to add to your work for years to come.

The blurbs about this book are right. There are no other places I have found for the kind and quality of information contained in this book... at least for a non-super expert in Lightwave 3D.

Yet at the same time, there is much redundancy within the book itself (several tips are essentially identical) and with the reference manual provided by NewTek.

So there are really quite a few less than 1001 super neat and fantabulous tips and tricks here, but there are plenty enough to make the purchase a valuable addition to your reference library for LW8.

Without wasting time here...if you're a Lightwaver, you should get this book. Put the bills on hold, if necessary, and eat cereal for a week. :-) As a beginning - intermediate Lightwave user/student, I've bought and read most of the new Lightwave books, and this one is the most valuable, by far. Having this book lying beside your computer is like having 30+ Lightwave gurus at your elbow, whispering their secrets in your ear as you model, texture, and render. There's nothing out there like it...well, Killer Tips maybe but 1001 T & T has tons more information. If ever a book deserves a 5 star rating, this is it.

This book was a big help in passing my TCP/IP exam, but I do not recomend it as a single source. My strategy, which has served me well, is to read the book once, take a practice test (eg Transender), figure out what concepts you do not get, study those areas of the book, take practice exam, repeat untill you are scoring high on the practice exams. This book work out great for that and it is cheap and a quick read. Perfect.

Only get this book if you're already experienced in the TCP/IP world. Passed the test with flying colors! I used this book to review beforehand. Wished it had a little more practice questions, but overall good material!

This is a great book. Even if you're not interested in takingthe test, this book is worth the price. It seems to cover almosteverything on the test. Buy the book if you want to take the test.

It is a very good book. It is not a thick book, but it contains many materials relevant to the exam, and you can get the main points from this book. I would say its content is even better than other training guide in the market. Of course, it is just a revision book, you cannot get any training from it, just get the facts only. In addition, I also find that its content is even same as the live questions that can help me pass the exam.

If you already know TCP/IP this book will help you slam-dunk the test! Its explanation on subnetting is the best I've seen. If you're new to WINS, DHCP and DNS then you better try another book. New Riders Training Guide on TCP/IP (ISBN 1562059203) is great- know this book and you know TCP/IP on NT! I studied both of these and scored a 966.