Markup Languages Reviews

XML, HTML, XHTML Magic

Published in Paperback by New Riders Press (2001-09)

Author: Molly E. Holzschlag

List price: $34.99

New price: $2.81
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

For every plus, a minus

Helpful Votes: 18 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-10

-Buy and study this book if you want to construct low-key and conventional Web sites of today. The examples and illustrations are presented in a workmanlike fashion and are quite clear.

-Do not buy this book if you want to see current advanced techniques in action and learn the bread-winning skills of tomorrow.

The book is a collaboration of several authors, with content organized into various projects, such as 'Providing Online Customer Support' and 'Setting Up a Storefront.'

The authors get high marks for what they unanimously preached: Build your site upon validated HTML or XHTML; separate structure from presentation through the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to control fonts, colors, and layout.

The authors get low marks for what they unanimously practiced: Design your site with nested tables for layout, mocking the spirit of W3C coding recommendations; build to the weaknesses of Netscape 4; use JavaScript to write HTML, vitiating the separation of structure from content; use CSS merely to "spice up" your site, not transform it into sleek, modern efficiency.

The quality of project content was mixed. Holzschlag's 'Managing a Weekly Publication' was a delight to read for its description of the sources of the many compromises one must make with site code. Unfortunately, her project also began the litany of 1-pixel gifs to buttress the shaky edifice of old-fashioned nested tables.

Kuhlman's 'Creating a Complex Community Site' was a strong contribution, with clear instructions for the beginner in setting up an Apache server and using PHP.

Schmitt's projects were less valuable and an exercise in self-aggrandizement. Attend: 'Showcasing a Corporate (his own) Identity' which managed to show how to make a logo in Photoshop without ever really showing it in a lavishly illustrated book; and 'Designing a Great Personal (his own) Site.'

And yes, the book is extremely well illustrated. The organization is a bit confusing since the Table of Contents does not list chapters and each section is a numbered project but the example code files in the book's Web site are named by (non-existing) chapter. One can only guess. Each "chapter's" code must be downloaded separately and is composed almost entirely of code snippets, not whole pages --so you cannot see the code in action-- and these snippets have no listing numbers in the illustrations, so once again, you must open many files to find the code you want.

The authors are acutely aware of the current technology/style discussions and debates. They provide links to the sharpest, most relevant documents and sites. If you are just beginning, the lessons in those links will have you in the thick of it in no time!

I gave this book a 4 rating since it is far better than the average book on WWW site construction and HTML. You may decide I was too generous - or not.

Buy it used!

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-01

There is a reason you can purchase this book here for around ... For that price you can't go wrong but if you pay more than that you will have wasted your money. If you are new at web design and need a basic understanding of css xml and xhtml it provides that but you could have found that one the web for free.
When I purchase Magic Books I want projects that after I complete I can use. I didn't find them here. This is basic, basic, basic and it doesn't come with a cd.

Starting a Project? Take a look here...

Helpful Votes: 6 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-12

It took me about a week on and off to work my way through XML, HTML, XHTML magic and it was very easy going indeed.

Physically the book is an excellent size and shape, it lies open on the desk without the need for mobile phones and coffee cups to keep it from flapping shut and the layout and colour scheme make for relaxed reading and easy scanning.

The books starts with a chapter on mark-up; HTML, XHTML, XML and CSS. I've read quite a few mark-up books by now and the idea of yet another intro to these disciplines made me grit my teeth a bit, but in actual fact this one is very good - simple, clear and accompanied by a generous amount of code examples.

As with all the chapters this finishes with a section entitled 'More Magic' which lays out tips, guidelines and often further reading for those interested. These sections have some great links to explore.

The book then moves on to discuss the 11 real-world projects which make up the bulk of the content. Each gives: a Project Snapshot outlining the problem; Technical Specs which tell you the mark-up and skills you will be using; Structuring the Site which gives advice on how to lay out the project; and finally the code work itself.

As others have noticed here, it's nice to see Molly and Co pushing W3C standards-compliant work, the more the better. On the other hand it's also nice to see that they too have to break the rules occasionally to achieve a goal. There I was thinking it was just me :o)

The sites the various authors create in the book are visually pretty basic, but they are functional and seem to be excellent starting off points for a project, saving the reader hours and hours trawling around the web trying to find inspiration or coding examples to copy.

The areas I found most useful were the CSS and JavaScript tips - I found quite a few examples of code I'd not seen before but will certainly use in future.
The 'XML for the Wireless Web' project was also something new to me and looked very interesting (if not a bit too complicated to just dabble in).

Also provided is an Index of Techniques, which list (by discipline) the techniques used in the book. This is very useful when referring back to the book with a specific task in mind such as 'Creating Printer-Friendly Pages with CSS'.

One grumble though, which I think others have also noted, is to do with the web site that accompanies the book. There was some initial confusion as to how the files (organised by Chapter) related to the book (organised by Project). In the end I worked out Chapter 1 equates to the Introduction, Chapter 2 to Project 1 and so on. A small thing but confusing at the time when you're keen to push ahead. I raised this issue with Molly and she agreed that the support web site could be altered to make it a bit clearer. This should happen soon :o)

Other weak points were the occasional project which seemed to combine very simplistic work (such as basic work with Frames) and flashes of more advanced JavaScript. 'Showcasing a Corporate Identity' by Christopher Schmitt is one such chapter and I couldn't work out who they were aimed at. Still, this is a book for a wide range of abilities so I guess everyone will find some things too easy and some a challenge.

To sum up, this is a jolly good book covering a wide range of topics. If you wanted to complete only one of the tasks described within then you'd be better off buying a more topic-specific book, but as a book to have in your library to provide a starting point for a range of projects I think it's a worthwhile buy, especially for the less experienced.

Magically covers real-world Web design projects

Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-10

I've always wanted a book that had a little bit of everything for the Jane of all trades in me including HTML, XML, XHTML, PHP, ASP, CSS, etc. Impossible, I always thought -- it would be too much for such a book to exist. This book proved me wrong. It touches upon a little of everything using real-life projects from something simple as creating a personal Web site to a real challenge in using XML for the Wireless Web. Guess what? It's only two hundred something pages. Holzschlag and five other talented Web professionals have done a superb job showing how to do each project step-by-step to resolve the problem as identified at the beginning of each project chapter. Following the problem definition are the needed technical specs and the technologies or skills to complete the project. In general, this book is for those familiar with HTML, a text editor such as Notepad, and web graphics production. For some projects, it recommends a basic understanding of JavaScript and CSS. Wherever you are in your Web design knowledge, you can follow along with the book. Try out the projects in the book the help of the companion Web site loaded with graphics and code for downloading.

Good for today's designers seeking magic.

Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-18

The book XML, HTML, XHTML Magic by author Molly E. Holzschlag and contributing authors Martin L. De Vore, Steve Franklin, John Kuhlman, Christopher Schmitt and Jason Cranford Teague promises to deliver eleven examples of how to incorporate current markup languages in real-world projects.

Those projects range from managing news sites, weekly publications, community sites, wireless web applications and community sites to even personal home pages - always referring to the web designer who has to be somewhat familiar with at least HTML, some CSS and problems that serious designers cope with, like cross-platform compatibility.

Always trying to follow the guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the book succeeds in giving useful hints and tips that even the professional coder might appreciate.

Sitting on a plane back to Dusseldorf, I had enough time to review the eleven projects of the book. Most of the them I found extremely interesting to follow, while it was evident from the beginning that they represent the magic of mixing the different technologies and specifications existing today to get a better and reliable result in the final project. They are taken from real-life, are platform-balanced - it seems to me that half the contributors prefer the Macintosh platform while the other half uses Windows - and so they win a great amount of authenticity.

Every project starts with a short overview of what will happen in the chapter, followed by the technical specs and used technologies that the reader should be somewhat familiar with. Once again, this book is a real-life book for real-life designers. Dealing with hard-coded HTML and pure text editors when editing the code is not only a burden for the designer but more a way to control the results the best way possible - if this is what you think and most importantly if you already work that way, the book is for you, if you fully rely on WYSIWYG editors and think coding HTML by hand has become obsolete you should go elsewhere. That may be a harsh requirement that strikes out some possible readers of the book but in my eyes it is the only way to get a high-quality book like this.

A chapter ends with a More Magic section that gives you further things to explore if you found interest in the themes that were discussed. As of now I have used some of the ressources already and am satisfied.

The layout of the book is modern, easy to follow, planned and extremely awesome, concentrating on a b/w and orange color scheme with clear type, good source code listings as well as nice illustrations, quotes and images at the beginning of every chapter.

Finally, what you find in this book: 11 projects taken from real-life that should be considered examples to show what one is able to achieve in terms of mixing today's standards. A good impression of how to deal with problems that HTML, CSS, JavaScript as well as PHP and Perl bring up when put together. A good ressource for spicing up your own knowledge, confidence and work. And a bit of a lifestyle guide for the independent coder that seeks confidence in what he is doing. Magic.

What you will however not find in this book: A technical reference for each different markup language that is being talked about. A full reference of tags, attributes etc. that the specifications allow you to use. But to be honest, that never was the intention of Molly Holzschlag or her contributors writing this book.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, I do.

Create Your First Mac Web Page In a Weekend

Published in Paperback by Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade (1999-08-01)

Author: Steve Callihan

List price: $24.99

New price: $10.90
Used price: $0.14

Average review score:

Excellent manual for beginners

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-28

I found this book great. I am a novice and wanted to create my own web site, thinking that it really can't be that hard. And thanks to this book it was easy. The lessons were easy to follow, the explanations were very clear, and it gives you a good grounding in html. I would recommend it to anyone with an iMac.

Needs Updating

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-01-07

While basic HTML is the same, web site design has advanced so much since this book was first published it only serves as a source of frustration for anyone wishing to create a sharp-looking site. It takes hours of reading this book to learn basic information you could otherwise get from one of those HTML cheat cards they sell at the bookstore (which, this book is dearly lacking!). As an earlier reviewer noted, there is little in the book that is Mac-specific, so don't think you need a book that says, "Mac" on the cover to learn HTML.

The narrative format may work well for someone who knows absolutely nothing about the web. But, it only slows down the reader looking to get up and running fast. If you want to create a cheesy "retro" style web page circa 1999, this is your book. If you want to create a professional site, there must be better books out there than this one.

Help For Those Who Think They Can't Do It!

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-11

As an artist I felt it would be somehow cheating to have someone else design my website, even though I'm not a computer artist. But it seemed like a huge endeavor, something that would take ages to learn. ( I didn't even know what HTML was when I began!).
Finally I purchased Steve Callihan's book out of a small selection of instructional books for Mac users. I didn't look at it for several weeks, but when I did just a few days ago I found that with Steve's engaging writing style and clear step-by-step instructions, I was learning and creating just as fast as the book promises! In no time I understood what I was doing well enough to play around with the helpful example sites and graphics he supplies.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to do this but dreads getting started.
Also, the book's web site is very helpful, with more graphics that you can download and a FAQ section which you can add to with your own questions. Many other web publishing resources are also listed in the book.
Steve Callihan is a wonderful author and teacher!

Strong Mac instruction with some minor flaws

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-06

[This is a review of the *Macintosh* version, "Create Your First Mac Web Page on a Weekend"] There's far too little devoted specifically to the Macintosh end of computing, so I was happy to see this book address a project I've always wanted to start: creating my first webpage, but *not* on a dreaded Windows machine! I'm pleased to say the book is exactly as advertised...by the end of a weekend I'd created and posted a simple but effective website on AOL. Step-by-step exercises take you through the various aspects of coding, assuming no previous knowledge, and a simple but effective process of typing a few lines of code, and then checking it in your web browser to see the instantaneous results, gives you good feedback and instant gratification to see what you're learning. Calihan covers text-based HTML as well as an overview of using Adobe PageMill 3.0, and a decent general look at the mechanics of a basic and effective website (rule #1: always plan your website's structure before you start coding...I learned this the hard way!) An enclosed CD-ROM contains all the software tools you'll need plus numerous coding examples, website templates, images, clip art and backgrounds to get your started. The basic structure of the book breaks your work into easy-to-handle weekend segments (Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, etc.) so you can go into work on Monday and tell your friends to look at your new website. A number of minor flaws take a couple points away from my praise: 1) There's no general overview or review of what you have learned and where it has gotten you at the end of each chapter or session--a point by point recap, with a review table of the coding you've learned, would have been much appreciated. 2) There's no appendix or pull-out reference chart of the various coding you've just learned...to remember what you need to type, you have to page back through the chapters. (There are several *other* books that feature such charts or pull-outs, but the inclusion of one in this volume would have been a big help). 3) The most grievous problem: a number of typos in the coding examples themselves might have you scratching your head wondering what you did wrong. I finally figured out there were missing proper end paragraph codes at the end of examples on page 51 and 60, for example. For Mac users who get frustrated at Windows-centric manuals, this *is* a solid book, but it needs some improvements and corrections. Version 2.0 anyone?

Homesite 4.5 for Dummies

Published in Paperback by For Dummies (2000-04)

Authors: Nick Bradbury, David Crowder, and Rhonda Crowder

List price: $24.99

New price: $23.94
Used price: $0.28

Average review score:

Its not for dummies

Helpful Votes: 14 out of 19 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-01

It was a choice between Sams and Dummies. I choose dummies because it was the latest (4.51) and for dummies. When I read it though, it wasn't for dummies. I was looking for more of a step by step this is how you do it kind of book. Instead, it was mostly describing what certain things do without giving a real clear step by step this-is-how-you-do-it. Now I have to go back and buy another Homesite book because this wasn't what I expected at all. If you know what you're doing, then this is for you. I've used frontpage and am fine with it, but this book was way too advanced and general for me.

Very good job describing program features

Helpful Votes: 20 out of 20 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-02

Homesite 4.5 is an excellant program, and some of its many features are quite intuitive. But you KNOW there is much more power under the hood... if only you could figure out how to tap it. This book succeeds in doing just that. It does a <> job explaining, not only "To insert an image (for example) click here", but what the various image options are, how they will look, what options may not work with older browsers, and such. Nearly every page I read I thought to myself "Wow! Homesite does THAT?". A book has got to be REALLY good to accomplish that.

The review from LillySSS does point out one (potential) limitation: This book does not teach you how to create a web site. If you've never created a web site before, neither this book (or, in my opinion, Homesite itself) is for you. But if you've created a few pages with Frontpage and now need more control (or want to create pages that aren't so bloated with code) then this book should do the trick. Conversely, if you've hand coded web sites in HTML, the program and this book let you do exactly what you've been doing, but with a whole lot less effort.

In any case... if you are using Homesite, you will get a lot more out of the program, and become more proficient, with this book.

A good investment

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-08

I've been using HomeSite for several months now and finally broke down and purchased this book. I wasn't sure if I really needed it because HomeSite is very intuitive and I was already very productive with it. Even so, this is a very worthwhile purchase. I have only read some of it, but I discovered a feature that I've been misusing and a few others that I didn't really know too much about. Each of these, properly used, will save me time and I'll be even more productive. Because this book was coauthored by Nick Bradbury, the original developer of HomeSite, I have a better appreciation of his overall intent with HomeSite. It really is a product geared toward productivity and the more you understand that, the more you really want to fully master the software, because like a good investment, you'll get back what you put into it and much more.

Get advice from the "source".

Helpful Votes: 38 out of 40 total.
Review Date: 2000-05-21

At first I was afraid that since this book was co-written by Nick bradbury, the creator of Homesite, it would be way over my beginner head. But alas- I was wrong. I've had no trouble at all manuvering through the maze of new information, really grasping what a wondeful HTML editor Homesite 4.5 really is. This book is comprehensive as heck and i now know so many little shortcuts I feel like a pro. If you already have a bit of a grasp HTML you can skip ahead and still learn all of the nifty shortcuts that will save you valuable time - that you can spent outside, away from your computer.

Html 3.2 Manual of Style (Htmlmanual of Style)

Published in Paperback by Ziff Davis Pr (1997-05-01)

Authors: Larry Aronson and Joseph Lowery

List price: $29.99

Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

Great book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-12-18

This book provides the easiest way to teach yourself HTML. I highly recommend this book.

A quick course written in hurry.

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1998-08-27

I think this book is quite a acceptable guide for HTML beginner. However, I've found quite a number of typing and grammar mistakes. It seems that the book was written in a hurry. Not so well orgranized and presented.

If You Want To Design Web Pages

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1998-05-20

If you want to learn to design your own web pages in a very short amount of time, this is the book for you. No sophisticated computer talk -- just plain, usable, practical information.

solid book

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1998-02-02

I like it alot it goes into detail of how o create web pages on the net though sometimes it seems to get lost and it could also use a better quick reference for html tags!! other than that it is a solid book and I would reccomond buying it!

Manual de Creacion de Paginas Web con CD-ROM (en Espanol/Spanish) (Manuales PC Users)

Published in Paperback by M.P. Ediciones (1999-03-06)

Authors: Fernando Casale, Gustavo Katcheroff, and MP Ediciones

List price: $17.90

Average review score:

Excelent

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-07-05

This is an excelent book buy it

Buen libro, pero básico en programación

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-20

* El CD es bueno, contiene bastantes imágenes, para aquellos que saben utilizar programas de manipulación de imágenes, pueden hacer uso de algunas para su sitio.

* Contiene tambien bastante código re-utilizable, que es bueno tambien, sim embargo, la mayoría de estos los encuentras en internet.

* El problema con este libro, es que está enfocado a programación básica, no entra en detalles como Bases de datos, Macromedia, e incluso scripts.

* Lo recomiendo para aquellas personas que deseen empezar en esto. Es fácil de leer, y con bastantes ejemplos.

Suerte!

Básico, pero flexible

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-20

Este libro te enseña a utilizar código mas que nada. No habla sobre bases de datos, ni sobre applets, o Macromedia. Siento que está muy atrás de lo que es internet hoy en día.

* Para los que son nuevos en esto, está perfecto.

* Para el que quiere crecer sus conocimientos en el Desarrollo de Internet, no es muy bueno.

* Para el que es muy autodidacta, no se lo recomiendo, ya que puede aprender todo lo que viene en el libro, en el mismo Internet.

Reutilizar código es bueno, pero tambien necesitamos saber al 100% cómo realizarlo.

El CD que viene con el libro, es bueno. Tiene muchas imágenes que puedes utilizar en caso de saber manipularlas.

Suerte!

Muy Sencillo y práctico

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-20

Este libro les ayudará a crear sus páginas web de una manera muy sencilla. No utiliza literatura complicada y cada cosa es explicada suponiendo que no poseemos mucha experiencia previa en el tema. Ideal para personas que se inician en el armado de páginas Web.

Pro .NET 2.0 XML (Expert's Voice in .Net)

Published in Paperback by Apress (2007-04-16)

Author: Bipin Joshi

List price: $49.99

New price: $6.00
Used price: $5.98

Average review score:

no more "pro" books for me

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-20

Book is extremly poorly written and covers just a little more than MSDN documentation.

The entire book is copy-pasted template paragraphs of the following format:
- 2-3 lines of code
- a paragraph of 5-10 lines explaining what it does, almost always following the same template:
"The code creates a class named Employee with five public properties: EmployeeID, FirstNmae, LastName, HomePhone and Notes... " page 284
"The code creates an instance of the proxy class... The code then binds..." 287
"The code creates a form-level var... The code then creates..." 288
"The code creates an instance ... It then sets..." 289...
and so on the entire book.

Imagine someone commenting every line of code he's written. EVERY line. And using the same copy-pasted phrase for that.

For example:
page 283 contains a simple class Employee with 5 simple properties (name, id etc.) Nothing more. That simpliest straight-forward code is spread over 2(!) pages (seriously, I can send you a scan of the page if you like, huge empty space in between the code lines), with a paragraph before the code and after, explaining what is inside this class.

Excellent starter for .NET & XML

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-26

I was looking for a book to get me started in XML. I wasn't interested in Web Services or anything like that, I just wanted to learn how to read through and do some clever things with XML.

This book really helped me a lot. This should be the starting place for all .NET programmers wanted to begin XML. I appreciate the book it has helped me tremendously.

Great C# XML Guide

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-23

This book is very well written with practical examples in C#. If you are an experienced developer you won't need much more. Enough said.

Solid book, broad but shallow

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-04

This book has a number of flaws, but it's still a useful book for learning about using XML in the .NET world.

There are a number of weakness in the book in that it's rather shallow and leaves out details or concerns on a number of topics. Examples include skimming over a DataSet's ability to infer a schema when reading data in. Are there any drawbacks? When would you use this? When might you want to avoid it?

So with the negatives out of the way, let me focus on the positives, because they're definitely there. There's a lot of content on a broad range of topics. There's a very solid introduction to XML which is soundly and concisely written. The discussion of SAX and DOM is nicely done, and there are a large number of fundamentals which are well-written.

You'll be able to learn the basics on things like XML's use of DTDs, how schemas roll into things, the basics of validation, and a number of other topics. The chapter on XML in ADO.NET has some good coverage on XML support in DataSets, and there are solid chapters on Web Services, SQL Server support, and a chapter which combines remoting, XML in ASP.NET, and configuration files. Joshi also wraps in a chapter on XML's role in WCF.

I think the book's a solid introduction to XML in the .NET world.

Sax2

Published in Paperback by O'Reilly Media, Inc. (2002-01)

Author: David Brownell

List price: $29.95

New price: $4.76
Used price: $0.73

Average review score:

detail and deeply.

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-07

Most books introduce the SAX with one or two chapters, providung the basic concept and use of SAX. However if you want to learn more detail of SAX and bring SAX into play well, this book will help you reach these.

I think this book is not suiatable for SAX begginers. If you want to begging SAX, you may reading the SAX chapter in the general books of XML before reading this book. And I recommend the book "Begging XML" (David Hunter, Wrox).

Though a little hard to reading, this book provide many useful and valuable example code. And it really discuss every topic deeply and in detail, so readers should take time to understand the core meaning of the author.

Bad writing

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-03

have finished 3 chapters. Nothing great as yet as far as content is concerned.
I picked this book because it is written by someone who manages SAX API. But unfortunately the writing is NOT clear. Normally oreilly books are an easy read. Am finding this to be confusing :-(

Poorly written

Helpful Votes: 2 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-17

I bought this one for my IBM XML Certification Exam.

But after reading 4 chapters I must say that the book is poorly written. This book confirms to me that insight is one thing and ability to express the ideas is another.

The book is divided into 6 chapters. There are some good programs that are small and crispy. But the explanations are awkward. There are some mistakes/typos as well.

a solid work piece of work

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-29

David Brownell's new book is a solid piece of work, containing many useful insights that can only come from someone who works with SAX day in and day out. It has already answered many of the questions I have had about SAX that I have not been able to find elsewhere, at least not readily.

I really like the way the book progresses naturally from the basics of the API to more advanced concepts. And there are plenty of examples and that is a key, I think, to the success of a technical book -- that it can actually demonstrate the concepts it teaches in a way that can be quickly grasped and even implemented. The book is brief, concise, and very up to date as well.

I think just about any SAX programmer will learn something new and worthwhile from this book. While I found a few typos in the book, they are easy to forgive in light of the overall value of the book.

SVG Unleashed

Published in Paperback by Sams (2002-09-20)

Authors: Andrew H. Watt and Chris Lilley

List price: $49.99

New price: $29.25
Used price: $15.73

Average review score:

Response to Justin Taylor's review

Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-29

A bad review's one thing, but Justin Taylor's is largely nonsense and appears to have been written without reading the book. His suggestion that XML is "the future" and "needs to be addressed" is just plain bizarre - SVG is an XML language! XML is introduced in the book, and the whole thing could be said to be addressing XML.

Coverage of Javascript, or to be more accurate ECMAScript (the ECMA/ISO standard) is included because SVG supports it as its primary scripting language. It's like criticising a book on automobiles for covering "old-fashioned" internal combustion engines. Yes, there are drawbacks to running scripts client-side, but the developers of SVG thought it useful enough to include a language binding within the spec itself. ECMAScript is a current standard, in widespread use. Many wireless devices support ECMAScript, have done for years - Nokia and so on incorporated it for WAP support, long before they started with SVG. Working with server-side languages and SVG is a different matter entirely - the book has extended examples and case studies in most popular languages.

Equips the reader with the practical knowledge

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-03-06

Targeted to the experienced Web programmer, SVG Unleashed deftly equips the reader with the practical knowledge required in order to create and manipulate Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) programmatically, both on the client and the server side. Part I of SVG Unleashed provides a thorough reference of SVG syntax, elements, coordinate systems and animations, with coverage of the XML Document Object Model(DOM) and the SVG DOM application to each element or attribute. Part II of SVG Unleashed introduces client-side SVG programming with particular emphasis on the use of ECMAScript/JavaScript. In Part III of SVG Unleashed readers learn to use several server-side languages to create SVG documents. Part IV of SVG Unleashed demonstrates SVG programming through several case studies. User Level: Intermediate, 1152 pages

Just Plain Worthless

Helpful Votes: 4 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2003-06-20

First, a thought...Javascript and wireless web incompatibility. This book is full of it. Javascript was invented many years ago and is designed to run on the user's machine. This puts a load on the user's processor and for those with slower machines, the load is sometimes too much. Wireless phones don't support javascript and they most likely never will. SVG was created to be a high quality, small and highly compatible format for cell phones and other wireless devices. This book is full and I mean full of javascript to handle almost all of the web and appication solutions.

Now another thought....XML. A new technology which was designed to be portable, compatible and server side, which means no trouble with the user's computers. regardless of how intimidating XML might seem, it is the future and needs to be addressed. SVG was designed to be used with XML and XML was designed for both web and application development. The focus on PHP, Perl and other scripting languages was given too little focus. Old information and technology does not constitute a good resource. This book was a poor example of the true power of SVG and will lead many new developers into the pitfall of using javascript which is doomed for extinction.

Is it a tutorial, is it a reference? It's neither...

Helpful Votes: 9 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2003-02-25

The authors seem to have had a problem in deciding what to write, a tutorial or a reference manual, and ended up writing something that's neither. I hesitated between a 2 or 3-star rating, and gave the authors the benefit of... Well, not the doubt.

The book consists of six parts: "SVG fundamentals", "Programming SVG Client-Side", "Producing SVG Server-side", "Case Studies", "Looking Ahead", and "Appendices". You will need to download most of the Appendices ("B: SVG Elements Reference", "C: SVG Attributes and Properties Reference" and "D: SVG Document Object Model (DOM)") as only appendix "A: Glossary" is actually included in the book.

Each of the chapters that discuss the actual language ends with a discussion of the part of the DOM that applies to what was discussed in each chapter. Unfortunately, this is too boring to read as tutorial, and at the same it is too unorganized to be used as a reference (the 'discussion' of the entire DOM spreads out over almost 20 chapters).

With respect to the tutorial part of each chapter: whenever I came across parts that were likely to trip my trigger, I was disappointed to read that all the really interesting details "are provided in the SVG 1.0 Recommendation." However, your mileage may vary.

My recommendation is to read some online tutorials (IBM DeveloperWorks and/or the one by David Duce and Ivan Herman) to get an idea of what SVG is all about. Then, if you are interested in doing some SVG 'programming', continue by downloading the aforementioned SVG 1.0 Recommendation and possibily even the SVG Unleashed Appendices. That should give you enough information to avoid the purchase of this book.

Web Publisher's Design Guide for Macintosh: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Designing Incredible Web Pages

Published in Paperback by Coriolis Group Books (1997-04)

Author: Mary Jo Fahey

List price: $39.99

New price: $30.00
Used price: $0.45

Average review score:

Very outdated

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2002-07-19

This book is good if you still need to know HTML to create websites. However, if you are using a program such as GoLive or similar, where you don't need to know HTML, this book is ancient. It is interesting to read though, about how sites used to be created. It's from 1997, so it isn't that old, but most of the info inside is irrelevant to those who already know what they are doing.

please if this book can guide for how to create web pages

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-09-06

I really interested in the web pages. I have seen very beautiful web pages for garment, books,places, jewelery, etc. I like to create web page for my business if you can guide me about this topic which I can find in the book.

Doesn't waste your time...

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1997-03-01

This book was extremely useful when it comes to setting up web pages quickly. The author does not waste your time, but gives you accurate information, concisely, in a format that will allow you to complete projects on time. The book is not high art -- it is more like a software manual. If you are a designer and already use Quark Xpress, you will find the chapter on converting those files very helpful; and if you are a print designer, the information on adding sound is invaluable. Overall, it is a great place to start

The most useful HTML (and more) guide ever!

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1998-01-22

This jam-packed HTML and more guide is the most useful HTML guide ever. It comes with a companion CD-ROM that not only has stuff used in the book but also other software thaty can be used for other purposes.

XML and SQL Server 2000

Published in Paperback by New Riders Publishing (2001-07-20)

Author: John Griffin

List price: $44.99

New price: $0.99
Used price: $0.60

Average review score:

Just Excellent

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2002-02-22

I haven't finished reading this yet but I just had to put it down real quick so I could tell eveyone how useful this book is. I'll warn you up front, you have to take the time to read this - it is packed with information. The XSLT chapter goes into great detail and takes the confusion surrounding this topic and blows it away. The rest are very informative, too. This book is far better than the Henderson/Soukup Guru's guide. Buy this one and you won't need anything else.

Hundreds of hands-on examples

Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-08

XML And SQL Server 2000 provides an informative, comprehensive, invaluable discussion of SQL Server 2000's new time-saving, easy-to-use XML capabilities. Following a brief discussion on XSL/XSLT and DTD's, users will find hundreds of hands-on examples that can be utilized in day-to-day operations in such areas as IIS Directories, http, xml views and xml schemas, openxml, and much more.

You have a FREE and BETTER alternative to this book!

Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-11-15

Based on the average review scores this book got, I decided to acquire an electronic copy of it through DevX's online bookshelf. After reading this book, I feel cheated. You see, at about the middle point of my reading, I wanted to look up SQL Server 2000's Books Online (BOL) - which comes free with SQL Server install - for details of a certain item. Lo and behold, most of the examples and text in this book closely resembles the BOL's "XML and Internet Support" section. In fact, a lot of the content is almost verbatum copy. In order to make the book look different from the BOL, the author seemed to shuffle the content a little bit and tried to describe the technical points from a different approach than BOL. But he apparently did not do a good job of it. After going through this book, I still feel not clear on a lot of the technical details. So I went back to the BOL and got my questions answered there. It seemed to me that the author manufactured - I don't want to use the word WROTE - the book just to make some quick money. The only merit I'm willing to give this book is its chapters that summarize XSLT and XDR Schema.

A Readable Guide

Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-11-21

In this book, John Griffin has provided a readable discussion of how to incorporate XML into your SQL Server 2000 applications. Starting with a gentle introduction to both XML and XSLT, John quickly moves into incorporating SQL Server 2000 into web applications, including discussion on Virtual Directories, executing SQL via HTTP, and Forms based queries. He then moves onto advanced topics like XDR Schemas and XPath, before concluding with chapters on FOR XML and OPEN XML, which are both important Microsoft extensions to SQL that are explicitly designed to improve the performance of SQL Server 2000 with XML.
One of the only disappointments I had with this book was the neglect of Web Services, which I would expect would be a major reason for using XML with SQL Server 2000. This is not a major criticism, and might be addressed in later editions of the book. In any event, any serious SQL Server 2000 developer should take a look at this book.

Markup Languages Books