Hardware Books

Review by Jon Paris.

Although I have rarely had problems using the C-style APIs from RPG, for some strange reason, the system APIs have always intimidated me. Perhaps it is the arcane terminology that IBM use to describe them. Perhaps it is the lack of good RPG examples in the manuals. Or perhaps I'm simply API-phobic. Whatever the reason, I have often turned to the experts when I needed to use an API. During my time with IBM I quickly learned that "the" expert was Bruce Vining. Bruce was not only involved in the design and implementation of many of the APIs, he was also one of the few in the Rochester Lab who was RPG and COBOL literate and could therefore "translate" the arcane terminology of the documentation into something that we mere humans could understand.

Bruce's knowledge of APIs is unparalleled and over the years he has added to that knowledge the ability to communicate it effectively to others. In recent years Bruce has authored a number of articles for various publications, and we were thrilled when he agreed to become a featured speaker at our RPG and DB2 Summit conferences. As a result of these activities, together with his contributions to various internet lists, many more have been able to benefit from Bruce's knowledge and teaching skills. But it is only with the publication of this book that his expertise becomes available to an even wider audience, as and when they need it.

It is difficult to imagine a more comprehensive guide to APIs than that contained within these covers. From list APIs, to Telnet, to encryption, Bruce covers them all and does so in an informative and entertaining fashion. Not content simply to detail their naked operation, Bruce also demonstrates the usage of these APIs as the foundations for a number of utility programs that most shops will soon spot a use for in their daily operations. Even better - the examples are terrific demonstrations of the power of the RPG IV language. If you were to purchase this book for no other reason than to study the examples you would get excellent value for money. Hopefully some of the folks involved in producing IBM documentation will read this book and take the hint! COBOL users are not left out either - Bruce provides COBOL versions of all of the code.

At well over 700 pages this is indeed a weighty tome, but unlike so many others there's no "fat" here - just solid content that will satisfy your hunger for knowledge.

One last comment - this is advertised as a "second edition" but it really is a completely new book - those of you who have the original in your collection should treat this not as a revision but as "part 2".

If you have any interest in making your AS/400, System i, i Series, i5, or whatever you want to call it really sing then buy this book - you won't regret it.
IBM System i APIs at Work

Rakesh does an excellent job in expaining Identity & Security in various types of networking environments Sensor Networks, NG Networks, 4G Networks, Progammable Networks, IMS Networks, IN Services, and OAM/OSS Services. If your interested in the application of Identity and Security in Telecom Environments you need to read this book. I had a chance to meet Rakesh earlier this year in Paris and with his background and knowledge you can see why SUN is a leader in managing Security and Identity in Telecom and Cable Environments.

Gary E. Smith
THE SOA NETWORK
www.soanetwork.net

Wonderful book of material Culture in 1865...IF you can find it anywhere.

I recently picked this book up to learn a few new things about the great drawing program Adobe Illustrator. I was totally impressed. The artwork in the book is amazing. And the tips and tutorials on how the artwork was accomplished are very thorough and to the point. The artists are very good and their insight into how they created their art is very inspiring. I highly recommend this book to all digital artists, and even those who are just casual users of a computer.

First of all let me confess to some insider knowledge of the author. A few years ago I worked in an internet and marketing communications agency alongside a certain Martin C Brown.

By day he provided both high-level IT consultancy (Mac, PC, Unix et al) and ground-level Mac and systems support to a mixed bag of Mac users - ranging from 'Power Users' to 'Just Plain Dumb Users'. By night he was obviously planning world domination of the computer book market... and he probably dashed off a few macros too that enabled him to download his awe-inspiring knowledge of all things Apple Mac straight from brain to paperback in one easy process!

Falling as I do into the 'dumb user' category, the idea of owning a computer (even a user-friendly Mac), but being cut adrift from the expert support of someone like Martin C Brown, scares the hell out of me.

So, IMHO (in my humble opinion), iMacFYI is a must-buy for every iMac owner on this planet. It doesn't matter whether you've been using a Mac since day one or whether you're a more recent convert. I've been a Mac devotee for over 15 years and I was amazed how much I learned on every page of this book. If I was a novice I reckon this book would provide a pretty good return on investment by around page 25 at the latest - and you'd still have over 250 pages left to go!

Flicking through iMacFYI as I finish this review it becomes apparent just what a great mix of hard facts, priceless info and readability this book offers. Virtually every section has a liberal sprinkling of useful screen shots, dialogue boxes, tips and notes. And the question and answer format adopted throughout leaves no stone unturned. Buy it, enjoy - and sleep easy!

The iMovie 3 Visual Quickstart Guide is a thinner book than most others
in the VQSG series. It has only 170ish pages and is labeled for the
beginning to intermediate user. After looking through the book, though,
I don't see any topic that is not covered (and I have used iMovie
pretty extensively). So I think that maybe there isn't such a thing as
an advanced iMovie user; advanced users are probably using Final Cut.
For any iMovie 3 user, this book would seem to satisfy the need.

iMovie is meant for the novice user; it is meant to give the average
person the ability to produce videos that look semi-professional and
can be easily burned to CD-ROM or emailed. This book undeniably meets
this demand. OK, you say, but what about iMovie 4, the newest version
of iMovie? Well, I chose this book for two reasons: first, there is not
a good selection of iMovie 4 materials yet, and second, only buyers of
iLife '04 and new Macs (since March 2004) would have that program
whereas iMovie 3 is still a free download and usable by anyone with
10.1.5 and up.

Although people argue that iMovie 4 is worth the upgrade, that is
another discussion. My focus on the utility of this book is intended to
reach a larger audience. This book contains EVERYTHING you need to know
about iMovie 3 and has added sections on using a digital video camera
and integration with iDVD 2 (only available on Macs with a Superdrive).
The iMovie 3 VQSG is an excellent resource to have around and will
likely find a home in my classroom where my students can benefit from
it.

iMovie Fast & Easy is just that...FAST AND EASY! Kevin Harreld does an incredible job of breaking down the information for the beginning user and helps them turn bad video into entertainment. The easy-to-read format and helpful tips create a great "beginner's guide," and a book that even the seasoned user will refer to over and over!

INCREDIBLE!

I bought this VQS because I like the series. But this book goes way beyond the other VQS books.

The author really understands what students need to know. Not only does she explain how the features work, she adds extra information on "why" things should be a certain way. For instance, not only does she explain how to create a style sheet, but she tells you how many style sheets she used to create the book--and why you would need that many.

I really appreciated all the tips to help make sure my documents would print correctly.

But the biggest bonus what the two chapters at the end on comparing InDesign to either Quark or PageMaker. The side by side comparisons helped me understand how to make InDesign work like Quark.

I don't think I'd be able to work with InDesign were it not for this book.

The problem with building a better mousetrap is that sooner or later, somebody will come along and build a better mouse. The history of computers is also a history of computer crime. Data is valuable and so inevitably someone will try to hack it. Computers are important (even vital) so someone sooner or later will want to do them mischief -- even if its just for the perverted fun of it. Therefore the unrelenting, unflagging, unending necessity for securing computers and the data they contain from hackers and thieves. "Information Security: A Manager's Guide To Thwarting Data Thieves And Hackers" by Philip Alexander (Information Security Officer for Wells Fargo Bank) writes with an impressive, comprehensive, experience-based expertise to specifically enable corporate managers at every level to understand and deal with the diverse security issues associated with their computer systems and data bases. From issues of security policy and standards, to network and DMZ design, to authentication and authorization, to security issues associated with mobile employees, hackers, snoops, viruses, data privacy laws, overseas outsourcing, and more, "Information Security" is a complete instruction manual that is as informed as it is informative. Up-to-date, 'reader friendly', and comprehensive, "Information Security" is strongly recommended reading for anyone with a management responsibility that includes data security and computer usage, as well as a core addition to professional, corporate, academic, and community library Computer Science & Security reference collections.

CompTIA Exam 220-221 is the A+ Core exam and having taught the certification several times I found that several book cover both exams but this is the first one I have found that tackles only the single exam and because of that you have better details for the objectives.

Over 800 pages, which starts with a overview of the pc from the beginning, then onto motherboards, cpus, storage, scsi, memory, printers, networking and video and sound. Every exam objective has been given coverage, one thing I was impressed with is the easy to follow explanation of the Laser Printer process. The author(s) have the ability to make the complex easy, and they do it throughout the book.

There are tips, diagrams, figures and summaries as well as review questions in each chapter, there is even a practice exam included in the book. About the only error I found in the book was on page 674 where it has you refer to Appendix C for Subnetting, there is no Appendix C in the book

The cd included with the book uses the BeachFront Engine and has over 450 practice questions included. Overall this book is written by someone I have a great deal of respect for and the material included should give you a very good chance of passing the exam on the first try.