Tools Books

To begin, I should note that I was a technical reviewer on this book. Ever since I reviewed it last year, I've been telling everyone who would listen that "Java Power Tools" was going to be one of the best books to be released in a while. If you are on a Java development project, you must have this book! I'm still amazed by the breadth and depth of the information in it. As it states in the back of the book, it's like having 30 reference books all in one. And, it's not like John simply gives a high-level overview of the tools. He goes into great detail such that you can take the examples and use on your own projects. The beauty is that he has weeded out all of the bad tools and given a concise set of tools to immediately help improve you and your team's productivity. What's more, they're all open source and you can download them immediately and try them out. He covers all of the major tool types in the development process including version control, build, CI, issue management, testing, code metrics, etc. "Java Power Tools" helps you automate your own development processes. If you'd rather be spending time creating software rather than trying to bend your process or tools to meet your needs, this is the book for you.

Definitely focused more towards beginner Java users (competent/advanced users will have already discovered the majority of what is covered in the text), this is a wonderful, quick examination and look into the world of each tool covered. It's thorough enough to get you started and get your brain wrapped around some of the common tools used by everyone out there. However, it is not overkill. You are pointed in the proper directions for more detailed information on things covered.

However, this book isn't necessarily "Java" power tools. The book covers various topics in SDLC including CI options, VCS options, etc. all of which could be removed to cover more "power tools" that are specific to Java (i.e. Jakarta Commons, etc.).

So, while it contains some good information, I just cannot go over 3 stars due to the fact that moves in-and-out of the Java realm frequently. Sure, the topics covered relate to some of the tools, but it's out of focus to explain here. Typos are frequent, but mostly just little things and you won't get thrown off by them.

The book should really have been focused less on VCS, CI, etc. and more on the other common libraries/tools that you see out there used exclusively with Java.

I really liked this book. It is modeled after the very useful "Unix Power Tools" that was first published 15 years ago. Since Java was first introduced it has grown from a simple web page enhancement language to one that does all kinds of useful computing work. The proliferation of tools and acronyms that have grown up around it have been quite frustrating to me. Usually you are faced with a book about a particular tool and having to decide if this entire book is worth opening your wallet. Instead, this book is organized around tasks and then goes into detail on what tools you need to do the job. There is plenty of detailed technical information on how to use the tool and why to do things a particular way. The book is organized as follows:

Build Tools - Used to coordinate, federate, and binds the other SDLC (Software Design Lifecycle) tools together into a single, coherent process. The build tool ensures that your project can be built on any machine, in any environment, if possible. Two tools dominate this area, and both are examined. The first is Ant, the traditional Java build tool, which uses a straightforward procedural approach and benefits from a very large user base and a rich set of extensions. The second is Maven 2, which uses a powerful, declarative approach to project build management and goes much further than being a simple build tool.

Version Control Tools- A version control system provides critical backups of your source code and enables developers to work together on the same project without interfering with one another. Version control systems also allow you to identify versions and coordinate releases and (if necessary) rollbacks. CVS and Subversion are the tools covered.

Unit Testing - Correct unit testing helps ensure that your code works and fosters cleaner, more modular, and better designed code. Automated unit testing takes this a step further. By simply integrating your unit tests into your standard build process, and running them automatically with every build, you can go a long way toward increasing the quality and reliability of your code. Test coverage tools help you check how much of your application is actually being executed during your unit tests. This in turn helps you identify untested code and improve the overall quality of your tests. JUnit 4, TestNG, and Cobertura are the tools covered here.

Integration, Load, and Performance Testing - This section examines other testing techniques such as integration, load and performance, and user interface testing. All of these are important, and all can benefit from being integrated into the build process. This section illustrates how to integrate performance tests into your unit tests, how to load-test your application, and how to automatically test web services as well as your web interfaces and the functioning of your Swing apps.

Quality Metrics Tools - It is important to be able to measure the quality of your code in objective terms. Code quality has a direct bearing on the number of bugs and the ease of maintenance later on. Code quality metrics will make inexperienced developers familiar with coding conventions and best practices. This section looks at a range of automated tools that measure different aspects of code quality, including CheckStyle, PMD, FindBugs, and Jupiter.

Technical Documentation Tools - A significant part of documentation can be generated automatically from source code and comments. This section describes tools that can help you generate good technical documentation.

Issue Management Tools - Issue tracking systems are used by testers to uncover bugs and by developers to document bug fixes. They can also be used to help organize and document releases, to plan iterations, and to assign work tasks to team members. The first tool discussed is Bugzilla, the original open source issue tracking system. The second is Trac, which contains some innovative project management and wiki features.

Continuous Integration Tools - In software development, the longer you wait to integrate your code, the more difficult the task becomes. Continuous Integration is based on the idea that you can greatly facilitate this process by committing small changes regularly, and then running automatic builds whenever code changes are committed. All of the tools and techniques discussed so far can benefit from being run automatically on a regular basis. Although this sort of integration is certainly possible with a shell script and a cron job, nowadays there are a lot of new tools that can save you a great deal of time and effort in this area. This section examines the open source tools of Continuum, CruiseControl, LuntBuild, and Hudson.

This book is not really tailored for managers looking for overviews. It is for programmers looking for solutions. Highly recommended.

Nearly thirty projects and instructions on how to make jigs and fixtures for safer and faster woodworking are packed into Jigs & Fixtures For the Table Saw & Router, a guide which uses the experience of the editors of Woodworker's Journal for a range of innovative projects. From technical drawings and easy step-by-step instructions complete with materials lists to color photos throughout, homeowners who have a woodshop will find this an excellent - and essential - guide, as will libraries catering to home crafters and do-it-yourself patrons.

WHAT EVERY CHRISTIAN MAY WANT TO USE TO GAIN BETTER INSIGHT IN THE BIBLE AS THE GUIDING WORD IN OUR DAILY LIFE

This book was awesome, full-color photos, step-by-step. I recommend it to anyone who is serious about digital imagery.

Book was in very good condition. Service was great and the information in the book was even better than expected.

Easy read and quick to finish. I ordered this book to fulfill my master's class, EXED590 at Western Kentucky University requirement.

I purchased the Wizard learning games for basic number facts to help my grandkids who were learning their numbers and I was really surprised at how much the kids loved these games. And they play on their own without help. I first bought one for adding and subtracting and then I got the other one for multiplying and dividing after seeing how much they liked the adding subtracting Wizard. I thought these games would be just another novelty and they'd stop using them quickly but to my surprise, they've been asking for the Wizards over and over. They're not at all bored and they have been getting better and better with their numbers, so I'm really pleased with the Wizards.

I purchased the Wizard learning games for basic number facts to help my grandkids who were learning their numbers and I was really surprised at how much the kids loved these games. And they play on their own without help. I first bought one for adding and subtracting and then I got the other one for multiplying and dividing after seeing how much they liked the adding subtracting Wizard. I thought these games would be just another novelty and they'd stop using them quickly but to my surprise, they've been asking for the Wizards over and over. They're not at all bored and they have been getting better and better with their numbers, so I'm really pleased with the Wizards.

If you want to build stuff for your kids room, this book will show you how. This book has some great ideas for furnishing a kids room or play area.

There are detailed instructions for each project with full color picture. For each project there is a detailed list of the tools that you are going to need.

My favorite is the Game Table. Any kid would love this.

This book contains detailed plans for making twenty different wooden items for your kitchen. Most of these projects are for the woodworker that I would call "lightly experienced," while a couple (such as building a gateleg table) might require a little extra experience. The power tools required for these projects include the circular saw, drill, jig saw, power sander, belt sander and router. This means that these projects are good for anyone experienced enough to have build up even a modest collection of tools.

The projects themselves include a list of power tools required, construction materials, a cutting list, exploded diagrams (I love these!), and step-by-step instructions, complete with many color photos to help you on track. Each of the finished products is highly attractive, and a worthy addition to any kitchen.

One important thing: this book is a spiral book, which means that it lays flat on a workbench, and holds its page without having to weight it down. I really enjoy this feature! I highly recommend this book.

In case you are interested, the twenty projects are: wine & stemware cart, plate drying rack, spice holder, vegetable bin (which came out beautifully!), pantry cabinet, mug rack, bread box, pot racks, recycling center (which the kids helped me to decorate), stepstool, cookbook/recipe holder, cookbook easel, utility cart, cooling rack, paper towel holder, silverware caddy, kitchen island, trivet, serving tray, and gateleg table.