Applications Books

I bought this book pretty shortly after first discovering competiitve intelligence (CI). Fortunately, it wasn't among the first book I had read. Actually, West's and Linville's texts have that honor. This book is definitely higher level material than the other two I mentioned and actually was more beneficial to me because I had read over the more entry-level books first. This book is probably a little less how to than some other CI books, but makes up for it by being a "thinking man's" book. You can tell that all the chapter writers know their stuff and have spent much time considering their topics. It shows through in the more academic approach they take. Surprisingly, despite this academic approach, nearly all the chapters are relevant and useful. I don't find many books that find this balance and this one manages to do it very well. This book is a good one for more experienced practitioners. I wouldn't recommend it to those who have less than a couple years of CI experience.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!

I am an Australian CI professional with over a decade's experience in the field working with a variety of resource-based companies as a CI and Marketing freelancer. I found out about this book from a Sydney-based colleague who knows one of the editors who has spent some time working with companies down under. I was looking for a book that had both academic rigour and legitimacy along with some pragmatic advice about conducting CI in both SMEs (similar to ones I work in) and larger companies. This book struck a nice balance.

I particularly found several chapters of high value. The first chapter by Craig S. Fleisher gave a broad and insightful overview of the field and explained why it really hadn't "caught on" with corporate chieftains or those in training (MBAs)in North America. The 6th chapter by Richard McClurg was also among the best I've ever read describing the "push and pull" aspects of CI and the Net. Fleisher's chapter on analysis is also among the most valuable I've found on this difficult topic. I hope that this line of thought would be further extended in future efforts as it could warrant a book-length treatment by itself.

But my favourite chapter was likely the 10th by Fleisher and Blenkhorn on CI assessment. Everyone knows this is the CI "holy grail" and that the field will not progress until it solves the eternal issues of trying to find methods for assessing it better. The authors provided a multi-method approach that carves valuable ground into achieving the breakthrough the field needs. I have already applied several of their methods in my work and agree that there is much merit in the tools they suggest. I wish they had more room in the book to go into even greater depth but I recognize that their treatment likely had more to do with the space limitations that edited volumes like this one entail.

The entire 3rd section on applying CI to business functions and processes was enlightening to me as I've often been challenged within my employing companies to connect CI to others in the business. Knip's chapter on CI and the management accountant, and Rongdahl's on the BI-CI interface are particularly insightful. I must admit that the chapter (14) by Noori and others on NPD and CI appeared even more academic than I'd prefer and I wish they could have better stipulated what this interface might mean to practicing managers.

All in all, I really liked this book as it provided a wide variety of new and fresh thinking around the edges of the CI field in which many practitioners find themselves working. I have been sharing some of the chapters with my work colleagues and have found them valuable entres to further discussions about how CI can be of help to them.

I recommend this book to practitioners who are looking for a meatier than average treatment of CI. The book does appear to assume some knowledge of the field or at least a Uni-based understanding of business or competitive analysis practices and would likely be of best help to the mid-level CI manager or manager assigned CI as part of their broader responsibilities. Newcomers to the field might want to read a basic "how to" treatment (examples coming to mind would be the Kahaner or Fuld books) before tackling and benefitting as much from this one.

This book was a good one for me. I recently completed my MBA at one of Florida's top schools (which shall remain nameless) where I took several courses in business strategy. For some unknown reason, I never heard of competitive intelligence during any of my studies. I picked up this book as a way to learn about a range of strategy applications. It was defintiely enlightening to me. What kills me is that this stuff isn't taught in more grad business programs, but I sort of understand why now after having read through the book. My favorite chapters were those in part 4, particularly on how you can use CI in biotech and service industries, and how it can work for small businesses.

I also liked the last few chapters dealing with ethics (another topic mysteriously absent from my MBA)and the future of CI which was written by the two authors. I honestly think this book would have made the basis for a terrific MBA level course in applied strategy and I have written my institution's professors to suggest that they do just that!

Although I'm now employed in the CI field with a large insurance company down here, I would have felt much better had I read this book a year or two ago before I had completed my graduate studies and pursued careers in this exciting and challenging field. I hope there will be more broad ranging CI books like this one in the future and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some discussed in our MBA programs! Hats off to the editors and keep up the solid work!

VALUE OF THE BOOK:

Already having about a 3-ft pile of computer books, I still found it most valuable about a year and a half ago to borrow and read this one by maranGraphics. For anyone needing to do much work using programs in Microsoft Office 97, I recommend reading this book cover-to-cover. It's a quick reference for sophisticates, and it is a powerful enabler for novices, whether they have used this software for just 1 month or have used it unskillfully for 10 years. Especially valuable is the option of reading the entire book without ever turning on the computer, since nearly every discussed screen, dialog box and drop-down menu is printed in the book. I found this abundant use of printed screens to be a more accurate representation of the actual computer experience. Not having to fumble between the book, the pen and the computer is great, especially for studying on bus or train.

WHY READ THE WHOLE BOOK?

1) It's doable.
2) The reduced frustration in learning afforded by this format nets one more learning per hour.
3) One can better understand each of the MS Office components by reading about all of them.
4) One can develop more of a "computer way of thinking."
5) It leads to a better intuition about how the software probably works.
6) It enables one to choose more efficient methods and programs for one's tasks.
7) The resulting increased familiarity converts the book into a more rapid reference.
8) It helps to prepare one for the reading of material with higher information density.

SUGGESTED STUDY METHOD AND ATTITUDE:

1) Fine print & icons: to make the most of the learning task at hand you will need to be able to read all of the fine print and make out the designs in all of the icons in the pictured program screens. Drug store reading glasses might be helpful. The pictures of computer screens display some very fine print which should not be skipped over.

2) Thorough reading: recognizing that no thick computer book covers all topics or all of every topic, and trusting that the writers have chosen to depict the most useful material, read and strive to understand every detail of the text and the screens - this will enhance understanding and memory.

3) Repetition in the text: welcome it as a memory enhancer.

4) Taking notes: write book notes, or possibly write your own rapid-access help document comprised entirely of one-liner command selection sequences. Example: Scroll bar, horizontal: Tools > Options > View > Horizontal Scroll Bar

5) Workshops: if, for example, you are going to attend an Excel or Access workshop, don't go in there ignorant. Be sure to master the related material in this book first - you will be able to keep up with the workshop pace, you will learn more, and you will experience less embarrassment.

6) Efficiency and attitude: understanding that optimal use of the programs will save hundreds of hours of work, one can more readily accept that a few tens of hours will be needed to master the material. That's not much time considering that thousands of careers have already been expended over decades to develop the software to its present powerful level.

THEORETICAL VS. PRACTICAL:

This book is about gaining a practical understanding and proficiency in the use of the software. Anyone who is disdainful of this concept (but favors a more theoretical understanding) needs to be reminded that he/she probably understands nothing at all about how his or her automobile works - including its computer - but nevertheless judges the simple memorization of the operation of all of the controls as appropriate knowledge.

COULD THE BOOK BE IMPROVED?

While I believe that this book is probably the best for teaching via graphics, I would still call for inclusion of larger pictures at least of featured icons, sometimes with text explanations of their designs. This would make them easier to memorize.

Bill Norwood

VALUE OF THE BOOK:
Already having about three feet of thick computer software books, I still found it most valuable about a year ago to borrow and read this one by maranGraphics. For anyone needing to do much work using programs in Microsoft Office 97, I recommend reading this book cover-to-cover. It's a quick reference for sophisticates, and it is a powerful enabler for novices, whether they have used this software for just 1 month or have used it unskillfully for 10 years. Especially valuable is the option of reading the entire book without ever turning on the computer, since nearly every discussed screen, dialog box and drop-down menu is printed in the book. I found this abundant use of printed screens to be a more accurate representation of the actual computer experience than the representations in other books. Not having to fumble between the book, the pen and the computer is great, especially for studying on bus or train.

WHY READ THE WHOLE BOOK?
1) It's doable.

2) The reduced frustration in learning afforded by this format nets one more learning per hour.
3) One can better understand each of the MS Office components by reading about all of them.
4) One can develop more of a "computer way of thinking."
5) It leads to a better intuition about how the software probably works.
6) It enables one to choose more efficient methods and programs for one's tasks.
7) The resulting increased familiarity converts the book into a more rapid reference.

8) It helps to prepare one for the reading of material with higher information density.

SUGGESTED STUDY METHOD AND ATTITUDE:

1) Fine print & icons: for the learning task at hand you will need to be able to read all of the fine print and make out the designs in all of the icons in the pictured program screens. If needed, experiment with (drug store, thrift store or prescribed) eyeglasses which will allow you to read at a distance of about 12 inches, for greater magnification.

2) Thorough reading: recognizing that no thick computer book covers all topics or all of every topic, and trusting that the writers have chosen to depict the most useful material, read and strive to understand every detail of the text and the screens - this will enhance understanding and memory.

3) Repetition in the text: welcome it as a memory enhancer.

4) Taking notes: write book notes, or possibly write your own rapid-access help document comprised entirely of one-liner command selection sequences. Example: Scroll bar, horizontal: Tools > Options > View > Horizontal Scroll Bar

5) Workshops: if, for example, you are going to attend an Excel or Access workshop, don't go in there ignorant. Be sure to master the related material in this book first - you will be better able to keep up with the workshop pace, you will learn more, and you will experience less embarrassment.

6) Efficiency and attitude: understanding that optimal use of the programs will save hundreds of hours of work, one can more readily accept that a few tens of hours will be needed to master the material. That's not much time considering that thousands of careers have already been expended over decades to develop the software to its present powerful level.

THEORETICAL VS. PRACTICAL:
This book is about gaining a practical understanding and proficiency in the use of the software. Anyone who is disdainful of this concept (but favors a more theoretical understanding) needs to be reminded that he/she probably understands nothing at all about how his or her automobile works - including its computer - but nevertheless judges the memorization of the operation of all of the controls as an appropriate knowledge level.

COULD THE BOOK BE IMPROVED?
While the book is probably the best for teaching via graphics, I would still call for inclusion of larger pictures at least of featured icons, sometimes with text explanations of their designs. This would make them easier to memorize.

This was my first review of a computer book (quite different from reviewing Glasser's Choice Theory, Fumento's book about AIDS or Levenstein's book about cancer). I hope it will be helpful for you.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Bill Norwood, Greenbelt MD

Simple for first timers. Easy for advanced to locate answers to questions

This book is absolutely the best way I've seen to learn Office 97. Even better than a video. Very well thought out, very easy to follow, covers a lot of ground. This whole series is the best computer learning tool of any kind I've ever seen. Get this one first.

Thi book, is really good for all,
with simple exercises it teach about a character, from modeling to animation.

This is a very good book! I really like it. I am still reading and find it very helpful.

Both beginners and intermediate designers and 3D artists who want to learn the basics of character modeling and animation with Maya will relish the blend of step-by-step instruction, an accompanying cd-rom filled with chapter-oriented details and backup movies and presentations, and an attention to clear explanations of the animation process from start to finish. Screen shots and step-by-step examples on building a character model make MAYA CHARACTER MODELING & ANIMATION a top pick, especially for college-level art and computer libraries strong in Maya references.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Designed for the beginning to intermediate user, this book is aimed at the artist who want to learn 3D character modeling and animation using Maya. It is suitable for either classroom or individual use.

This book has an interesting combination between a theoretical/reference book and a tutorial book. Each chapter starts with a theory or reference section that gives the basic concepts for that chapter. This is followed by a detailed tutorial or two. For instance Chapter 2 is entitled 'Fundamentals of Computer Animation.' The theory section goes into the physics of how things move. This is important because people have an instinctive understanding of movement. The first tutorial then is on making a light and then a heavy ball bounce on the screen. Then the second tutorial makes the ball squash as it hits and then stretch as it bounces back into shape.

At the end of the book you won't be quite up to Pixar standards, but you'll be well on your way.

The CD-ROM supplied with the book contain project files including all of the figures from the book, organized into folders by chapter, all of the movies, organized by chapter and contained in folders called movies, and all of the Maya working files.

After having completed Microsoft's MCAD certification, I am using this text along with the Tom Carpenter text to prepare for MCTS and MCITP certification. Though I haven't taken the exam yet, the material appears to be covered in a thorough and in-depth fashion. Yet, it does not get bogged down in unnecessary detail.

Excellent book!

Well written and in depth, this book should cover everything necessary to pass these tests.

I have two complaints:

1) The book is laid out functionally for SQL Server, not for each test. So, for example, when you are studying for the 70-442, it may involve a portion of chapter 3, 4, 5, and 8, but all of 12 and 13. All this information is entwined with the stuff for the other tests.

2) You choose to only take one of the tests on the CD. For example - you couldn't say just test for the 70-441 test. I found the CD questions less useful than books dedicated to one test because of this.

These are minor complaints though, and I'm not really sure the issues can be avoided to begin with. Don't let them stop you from using this as your resource to pass these three tests.

The end-of-chapter exam questions were perfect for helping me know what I know and what I don't know. I already passed the 70-431 and 70-441 exams and the questions I looked at in the back of the chapters hit the knowledge needed to pass these exams.

Unfortunately I failed the 70-442 exam before this book was released. However, after reviewing the end-of-chapter exam questions, I saw exactly what I needed to brush up on. I spent several days in a marathon study session doing the exam questions in the back of each chapter for the 70-442. For anything I missed, I studied the material in the chapter. In addition to learning what I needed for the exam, I also learned a couple things I didn't know about in SQL Server 2005. I then took and passed the 70-442.

This book was just what I needed. I only wish I had it before I took the 70-442 the first time.

For the 431 exam, I used the (Tom) Carpenter book as my primary study guide and this book as a side reference. My main reason for purchasing this book is for the next two exams (441,442). After taking the 431 test and looking up some questions I guessed at in this book, I regret not using this book as my primary study guide. This book seems to point out the exact information needed to get through the test. I look forward to using it for the next two exams. Note that the author of this book is the technical editor for the Carpenter book.

Update to previous review:
I just passed both exams (441 & 442) without difficulty and with plenty of time remaining (each exam took about 2 hours). This is definitely the book to use for these exams. The topics and sample questions are on target with the actual test. Be sure to review the topic list for each exam in the front of the book before taking the test. The 'what you need to know' section at the end of each chapter is not always accurate. Also - the explanation of cascade deletes is incorrect in the book.

I got this book as a text for a class, and it is one of the few textbooks I have ever read almost cover to cover. Well written, easy to understand, and highly informative.

This book was a text I required for a course I am doing and was $16 cheaper than buying it through where I am doing my course. It is exactly the text I was told I needed. It is a very informative, easy to read, and explains all techniques in a practical easy to learn form. I will read and re-read this text.

Hartland's book on hypnosis is a staple in the field. It has gone through many editions, this being the most recent and up-to-date. The information is scholarly, well presented, and clinically very useful. The authors do seem to have an academic bent and a bit of an anti-American bias. They question the importance of Milton Erickson's work and poo poo the NLP literature, while at the same time borrowing many clinical techniques from Erickson and NLP without giving due credit. That minor objection aside, I found this book to be richly clinically relevant and I would recommend it to anyone who uses hypnosis in clincial practice. It is one of the "Bibles" in the hypnotherapeutic literature.

Very well written and easy to follow. Much more than I expected on topics that therapists encounter. Great book for those that are interested in hypnosis and want to learn how it is applied. Excellent for those that are already practicing. Many scripts alone and how to use them make this book well worth the price. No steps left out. I have to keep this in the office and often return to it for it's valuable information. For start to finish this is worth it's weight for what you can learn and apply. Jack Nicholais, Clinical Hypnotherapist

This book is a superb introduction to real analysis for anyone with math phobia.

This little book can take a bright high school student or undergraduate through some most interesting territory, previously uncharted at this level of mathematical understanding. Fixed point methods -- approaches to problem solving based on the simple equation f(x)=x -- are ubiquitous and ideally suited for digital computers, but they are seldom introduced in the classroom. Get this book for your high school library. Use it as an independent study for that student you don't want to set loose on calculus quite yet.

A short but excellent book for someone who wants a well motivated refresher on analysis. By grounding the ideas with applications of fixed point theorems (such as proving the existence of unique solutions to certain types of differential equations) the author makes accessible an area of mathematics that is often treated in an axiomatic and uninteresting way.

I believe the author is correct when he recommends the book for people who have already had some exposure to analysis. At best a student should already have completed the standard non-rigorous college calculus sequence to get the most out of this book.

This short book is a gem. Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant is an enjoyable introduction to analysis. I liked the author's informal conversational approach to this rather abstract topic. Nonetheless, I did find it necessary to reread some sections for full understanding.

Bryant motivates the reader immediately with a look at iterative techniques, fixed point functions, converging sequences, and approximation solutions - all in an engaging style. Later topics included distance concepts, function spaces, and the relationship between closed sets, complete sets, and compact sets. The fourth chapter was devoted to the contraction mapping principle and its use in solving differential equations.

Is this book for you? The author says: "The only prerequisite is to have done a course on elementary analysis: it is not a prerequisite to have understood it nor to have remembered it at all." I had never taken any formal courses in analysis, and the highly structured axiomatic approach of analysis texts had never appealed to me. I only had a vague idea as to the properties of a metric space. But I was lured into buying Bryant's short text by the previous Amazon reviewers. And thankfully so.

Bryant certainly enjoys his subject, but he just as clearly recognizes that not everyone might have such an abiding interest. Throughout the text, he points out opportunities where the reader might skip forward if the going has become less interesting. (For the record I refused to be enticed by these short cuts.)

Problems are embedded in the text, one or two at a time, and are used to reinforce points under discussion. Most have clear hints and I found many problems straightforward, but others were more difficult. A few problems were identified as appropriate for the "keen" student. The most abstract mathematics are reserved for the last (optional) chapter, but the author does encourage the reader to stay with it: "It would be a pity to stop ..." Chapter five recasts the first four chapters into a more generalized form of real analysis and addresses the question: "What makes analysis work?"

Bryant had an unusual goal for a mathematics text. "I have tried to provide a readable and natural introduction to an abstract subject in a down-to-earth manner." Also, he says, "My aim is to provide a book which can be read and enjoyed ..." He succeeded in doing just that.

I am a business consultant that works with Microsoft, HP, Oracle, HP, Xerox etc. and teaches how to conduct sales presentations to CXOs for a living. I can say that this book has taken the look, feel and ease of creating a first class executive level business case to a level I could have not imagined. At first it is quite daunting and overwhelming. But I had to get some business cases together for 50 marketing professionals in Sydney on a special workshop and I crashed into it. The MODD system once you "get it" is easy, fast and addictive. I ripped through Excel, PowerPoint and Word integrated data and information in no time flat with the MODD tools. It scared me it worked so well. This stuff is like awesome and it is refreshing to actually see a program work without a hitch. ( I wonder how they did that?)Krieger has made me look really, really good. Go for it!

I have trained over 3,000 people in Microsoft Word. None of them had ever heard of or used styles. Styles are necessary if you're going to use Word correctly. So, I bought this book for two reasons. First, I find that a woman writes a better book about learning software. I think women authors seem to explain software in better detail, especially for beginners. Second, the back cover describes a CD that has "Dozens of professional designs and layouts." I like examples for learning.

So, I opened the book. It looked very good. Good topics, easy reading, nice coverage of Word, Excel,and PowerPoint. But, not a single reference to Word styles. Did I waste my time? No. I then looked at the CD and guess what? There is more information for Word users on the CD than in the book. Don't get me wrong - the book is good. But the CD has articles that explain more about how Word works than most people know. And as for styles, I found them when I loaded the samples, they were filled with styles. And, the CD tells much about their use.

How about Excel and PowerPoint? They are also covered very well on the CD, along with great examples in the book.

So, this book is about integration of three programs, yet each is covered very well. In today's world of business, if you know how, you can always find a job. You will learn the "how" with "Document Designer." You'll also learn the "why", and, if you know why, you can always be the boss.

This book is like having an assistant to help with my documents. I create a lot of my own documents at work, and they have to look good. The book is a true help with that, not to mention the tools that come with the book. And, I can't believe how many how-to articles and tip sheets come along with the tools on the CD. Those articles are so great for quick and practical answers to the whatever I need to get done - I use them all the time.

This is the first book on Office that's not a theoretical reference or a laundry list of all the stuff you can do but will probably never use. The book and the tools actually help me get my work done. The tools save a lot of time, and they help me do things I didn't think I could do (like complex page layouts in Word or formatting Excel charts). I think Office 2003 is great, but I can do a lot more with it since I started using this book.

After purchasing this book over a month ago, I have attained the necessary tools and techniques to be able to create complex looking documents that weren't hard to create at all. The book was easy to read and the CD that was supplied had really great layouts that helped me put together some of the documents I needed for my job. Also the various toolbars were really helpful, so I didn't need to go searching; it was right there! After using Office 2003 / XP for quite some time I felt that something was missing...and this was it.

A very good description of the MSF processes. Concise and essential; before reading this book I even didn't know of the existence of Microsoft Solutions Framework: at the end of the book I have confidence with the processes and the models.
The only thing that could be emproved is the description of Principles and Mindsets, that I found a little bit abstract.
Anyhow I strongly reccomand this book for all MSF neofites.

I got the book as a gift from a friend and found it helpful for my cross-country project. Although I have not done reading this book while writing this review, I found the approach in the book is very practical and would like to share my feedback. Team communication has always been a challenge to my US-Japan-China projects. Not only does everyone have different time-zone, experience, or priority/urgency, but some of us also cover multiple projects at the same time. The book shows an approach and I adopted to evaluate my solution delivery environment. After communicated the assessment and objectives to my team members what to expect and take pre-planning actions for cost control, quality assurance, scheduling, and risk control! Amazingly, the meeting was naturally turned into issue solving and team collaboration discussions. Most of us left for a clearer understanding of what we want to achieve in mind. It was something I was not expecting. It is a good tool to keep in mind!

This book explores version 4 of Microsoft's Solutions Framework, the high-level guidelines Microsoft follows for their software development lifecycle. MSF, and hence this book, is rather abstract. Therefore, it won't tell you step by step what you should do. But hopefully you are aware that there is no such thing as perfect SDLC process- each situation demands finding the best solution for the specific context involved.

This book has some great points - from the foundational principles such as "foster open communications" and "partner with customers" to the way project "phases" are renamed "tracks" to emphasize their overlap. And therein lies the strength of this book - it forces the reader to consider just about everything that should be considered from inception through delivery of a software project.

In terms of drawbacks, the biggest one is that the book focuses virtually exclusively on huge teams in huge projects. The paragraph or two talking about combining advocacies is entirely insufficient. Even when one person handles most of a project, all the aspects need to be considered and covered. One drawback the book avoided was focusing on Microsoft and/or Microsoft technologies. Aside from a couple of minor plugs for specific product, this book is technology and product agnostic.

Overall, this book is well-written and useful.

This is a mandatory reference to anyone who wants to use MSF in projects. In this book, Mike presents all the essential concepts and how to apply them.

A Super Must Have book for anyone who's creative.

If you're new to Microsoft Image Composer, then you must get this book. Brian Johnson writes with clarity and humor which takes the intimidation factor out of learning this program. While MIC makes web graphics creation as easy as it gets, it's still a great help to have a guide to lead you through the short learning curve. Brian Johnson inspires confidence. With a little patience and this book, you'll be cranking out graphics like a pro. Power users of MIC may not lean anything new, but for the price, it's a good reference tool.

My FrontPage CD included the Microsoft Image Composer, but Inever really made much use of it. Then I bought the "Dummies'book and realized how much I had been missing. The first fourchapters, alone, were worth more than the price of the book. I recommend it to anyone who is at all creative, and not just for web sites.

I must give this book 5 stars. I am not a big fan of the " dummies" series nor am I new to web graphics. I had sooooo much trouble with MIC , even the bottun editor. I bought every book I could find and there wasn't many. This book was the winner, it did help clarify what Microsoft found it so hard to make easy. I do prefer Illustrator or even Freehand but if you are forced to use MIC this book you must have!

Running at around 800 pages "The Minimum you need to know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer" by Roland Hughes is a complete reference book for people wishing to learn, develop and/or maintain code in the OpenVMS environment. The premise of the book is simple: to create the same simple application in different common languages used for development under the OpenVMS system. These languages are Basic,Fortran, Cobol, C and C++.

To accomplish the premise, Mr Hugues gives a rather thorough introduction to the fundamentals of the operating system whose topics range from the basics of logging-in to Symbols, Editors and their configurations and the OpenVMS's command line language DCL. Even goes so far as to cover developing a basic import program using DCL and indexed files. These first chapters are a lot harder to read for all those not too familiar with the OS itself and at times the information is given at a breakneck speed which might warrant the usual re-read from time to time. Once the basics are covered the author lunges into Basic and then veers for a few chapters giving us further introductions to OpenVMS tools like FMS, CDD, VMSMAIL, VMSPhone. The author also takes a look at setting up DEC's CMS tool for code management and the MMS (Module Management System-the make utility of the OpenVMS OS). The author continues then on to Fortran, Cobol, C and C++, and finally gets to the database programing section where he discuses both MySQL and DEC's own RDB database. Assignments for further study are included at the end of every chapter, and also included with the book comes a cd with all the code used in the book.

The approach taken to follow the premise is very deliberate and follows the order of the chapters in the book very closely. I don't recommend reading this book out of order. The author himself on the introduction recommends that the book be read once through first and then used as reference. As an example the chapters where the author veered off into after Basic to cover FMS,CDD,CMS and MMS, are an integral part of the book and are constantly referenced throughout the following chapters on Fortran, Cobol, C and C++.

The author uses a colloquial writing style in the book that is easy to read. From time to time he veers off to give further insights to the points he is trying to make but never looses sight of his main objectives, and this is laudable considering the amount of information being dispensed. This is mostly seen in the form of anecdotal information sometimes to clarify his own code other times to give more of a historical perspective. This colloquial style partnered with the unique structure of the book makes for a very interesting contrast as this book could be seen as a reference manual but at its core its a lot more of a personal account on good OpenVMS programming practice by Mr Hughes. A fact that he himself doesn't hide as he relates his opinions on such practices as well as many other subjects throughout the book with a great sense of humor which makes for a much more interesting reading.

Mr Hughes great sense of humor and insight culminates in this book's final chapter called "Ruminations and Observations" which has nothing to do with OpenVMS but is more of an opinion piece on a few subjects that touch all of us that work in IT. These subjects range from the real reason Y2k happened to offshore computing to avoiding a hellhole shop, and are bound to make more than one programmer laugh with glee and more than one manager blush.

In conclusion this is a must read for anybody wanting to learn to write code in this most venerable of Operating Systems.

Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (8/07)

While at first glance "The Minimum You Need to Know to Be an OpenVMS Application Developer" may look like a classroom textbook, you don't need to read very far into it to realize it is much, much more. Roland Hughes has managed to write a comprehensive guide on the OpenVMS operating system and a variety of the tools, languages, and databases used, as though he was standing over your shoulder mentoring you through the process. In addition to source code, best practices, and tips and tricks, aimed at saving the novice developer hours of frustration, Roland also includes critical historical information on various applications. This information transfer is critical to the success of the IT industry and consequently the success of all companies whose systems are impacted by the historical trends in application development!

"The Minimum You Need to Know to Be an OpenVMS Application Developer" covers the fundamentals of OpenVMS, including hardware and software, as well as some tips on choosing an editor, and then starts the reader off with some hands-on exercises that build throughout the book. Also included are some end-of-chapter exercises (with answers included at the end of the book) to ensure the reader has grasped the key elements of the chapter.

The chapters that follow cover various tools, languages, and databases for developing applications on the OpenVMS platform. Beginning with DCL and Utilities, moving through DEC, FMS, CMS, CDD, FORTRAN, COBOL, C/ C++, covering Object and Text libraries, as well as Message Utility, Mail and Phone, describing MySQL and RDB databases, and ending with a chapter on the authors observations on the IT industry. Each chapter includes an overview, a discussion of functionality, and other relevant historical information, tips, tricks, best practices, and much more, and then works through several programming examples and exercises (source code provided). Many of the exercises walk the reader through the same process with the various languages, providing an appreciation of the trade-offs between them. Where more advanced functionality is available, Hughes provides a high level overview of what the additional functionality can provide.

"The Minimum You Need to Know to Be an OpenVMS Application Developer" should be on the desktop of anyone new to the OpenVMS platform and on the bookshelf of those seasoned veterans looking for a comprehensive reference book. Hands-on programming throughout the book provides a highly effective learning tool, and the best practices, advice, and knowledge transfer from the author gives the reader the unique feeling that they are sitting down next to a mentor, being coached through the tricks of the trade!

Do you want to be an OpenVMS Application Developer? If you don't know what that is, then you probably don't need this book, but if you do, you've found the seemingly most comprehensive and readable guide to doing so. Roland Hughes' offering, "The Minimum You Need to know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer" is an abundance of information that you cannot afford to be without.

Here's some background: "OpenVMS (Open Virtual Memory System) is a high-end computer server operating system. As a multi-user, multiprocessing virtual memory-based operating system (OS), it is designed for use in time-sharing, batch processing, real time, and transaction processing. It offers high system availability through clustering and distributes the system over many machines." In other words, you need to know this!

This isn't a beginner's guide, to be sure. However, those in the IT industry will be thankful to Hughes as he describes uses of: the MMS and CMS tools from the widely used DECSET OpenVMS software development toolkit CDD FMS the RDB and MySQL databases. He describes other tools found in OpenVMS application development such as VMSMAIL, and PHONE. The book works readers through and around a single application which is developed in each of DEC BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, C and C++ using a variety of tools. On the accompanying CD, full source code is provided.

Hughes' language is easy to understand. He doesn't speak over the heads of the readers, nor talk down, and his tome is not the dry textbook form you may be used to. He uses humor and easy going guidance, making this likely one of the most readable IT guides out there.

Drawing on his vast experience and knowledge, Hughes rewards himself and the reader with a final chapter on the IT field. His guidance here is not so technical but rather personal when deciding where a developer wishes to work. His attention to company restrooms is something I did not expect to read about but is likely very valuable information. If you want to be an OpenVMS Application Developer, this is the book you need.

OpenVMS (Open Virtual Memory System) is a high-end computer server operating system. As a multi-user, multiprocessing virtual memory-based operating system (OS), it is designed for use in time-sharing, batch processing, real time, and transaction processing. It offers high system availability through clustering and distributes the system over many machines. The ability to distribute both the application and a single transaction across multiple nodes is the heart of clustering; otherwise, it is just networking.

Roland Hughes' book, The Minimum You Need to know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer, offers Computer Applications Developers, Consultants, Systems Analysts, and developers switching to OpenVMS, a detailed and informative companion guide to understanding and implementing the applications and modules needed to operate and maintain OpenVMS.

From logging into OpenVMS, each chapter charts a systematic guide to operating and sustaining the application coding and programming of essential modules running on OpenVMS. Such languages, tools, and databases as DCL, DEC BASIC, FMS, COBOL, CDD, FORTRAN, C/C++, MySQL, and RDB cover the heart of what you need to know as a maintenance programmer. Using a created lottery tracking system, Hughes generates a single application and develops it in each of the following: DEC BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, and C/C++. As well, Hughes shows readers how to use CDD, CMS, and MMS with these languages. By repeatedly applying the same method in different languages, Hughes demonstrates in a clearly written and easy to follow guide, how a programmer knowledgeable with one language can become skilled in others. The CD-ROM that comes with it contains the source code developed in the book allowing readers to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each language.

Well-illustrated examples with detailed analysis, descriptions, and definitions, allow the reader to follow the book while working with the server, thereby learning the "nuts and bolts" of creating, understanding, and managing command files. Each chapter details troubleshooting tips, error handling tips, reducing debugging time, as well as the Do's, and Don'ts of writing applications. Following each chapter, there are exercises to enhance comprehension of the modules and applications in OpenVMS.

With a wealth of experience, Roland Hughes provides thoughtful and knowledgeable observations about the IT field. One important bit of knowledge he conveys: "IT is a way of life, not a job." With easy to follow instructions and detailed examples, I highly recommend this informative and well-mapped book as an asset to those in the IT industry, as well to students entering the computer-programming field.

Tracy Roberts, Write Field Services