Microsoft Books

I wish programmers of many applications I use had read this book. It provides significant insight regarding how the interface affects the user; any programmer who reads the book will have happier users.
The book proves its own points via its own beautifully done "user interface".

This is a great book for a number of reasons:

1.It is short and practical.

2.This book is surprisingly thorough. I thought that this book might be too tactical and too focused on Microsoft Windows. It turned out to be full of general principles that could be applied in any software design situation. In fact it is full of information that would help any type of design process.

3.This book is well written and easy to read. I enjoyed reading this book.

4.Most of the principles in the book are timeless. Even though the examples are dated the principles can be applied today.

5.This book is written by someone who has had a huge impact on lots of real world software. The book reflects a lot of successful experience with high profile products. It is obvious that the author knows how to work with engineers and designers under high pressure situations and still manage to ensure strong design.

This book is a good introduction to the principles of interface design and how it affects the usability of a software product. It includes many examples and illustrations of the ideas outlined in the book. The content is easy to read and the full-color graphics are high quality. I think it is well worth reading and very helpful for both programmers and designers. My only caveat is that due to Howlett's work experience at Microsoft, many of her examples involve Microsoft products that follow the Microsoft interface standards. These standards may be limiting to some software products. But I was impressed with the overall quality of the information.

i want this book entitled "web programming with visual j++".
thank you.
i want buy it as quickly as possible.

This was the only book that I could find which was dedicated to designing web based applications in Visual J++. It is written in a concise, yet easy to understand way with lots of good examples. It is not a beginners book but there are lots of Visual J++ books around suitable for beginners. An excellent source of information. It even comes with Visual J++ version 1.0 on CD. Just what I needed

The best J++ book I have ever seen. Not for beginer

What an enjoyable read is this book! Most books on such technical subjects are mostly re-telling what can be found in the manual or on-line help. This book really takes you inside Microsoft's operating system and pulls no punches while offering both praise and criticism of everything from Microsoft's attitudes to its system tools. Along the way, details emerge that I haven't found in any other source including a wonderful glossary called "Microsoft's Networking Vocabulary" that offers even a breakdown of what T1 stands for, not just the speed it represents. It's the attention to the details that sets this book apart from the rest. I can't imagine a better resource to have; why the index alone (almost 40 pages) is worth the price of the book!

I run a small business and I depend on computers every day - but that doesn't mean I know everything about them. The Windows 98 Bible was written for people like me, especially because Microsoft doesn't bother to write manuals any more. I guess it would cost them too much :-).

EVERYTHING about Windows 98 is in this book, and it's clear, logical, easy to read, and sometimes even funny. Unlike some of the Windows books I've read, it's not entirely pro-Microsoft, but Microsoft will like it anyway, because it will convince people to upgrade from Windows 95. It's convinced me; I'm going to upgrade as soon as I can buy the software.

     Windows 98 is alive and doing quite well despite government and competitor attempts to block its full implementation. It is standard on new computers systems worldwide and its impact has been breathtaking. Although a number of books have been written on this new operating system to help users, several standout as being among the better ones available. The Windows 98 Bible written by Fred Davis and Kip Crosby is one of them. This single book offers one of the most detailed examinations of Windows 98 on the market.      This comprehensive guide will provide readers with in-depth understanding of desktop controls, including the start menu, fonts and font use, display settings, multitasking, the use of pointing devices, installing software programs, installation and use of printers and other hardware devices, multimedia tools, system tools, network operation, the use of other languages, and upgrading computers. Readers will learn how to use Internet Explorer and Outlook Express included with the operating system.     The authors provide readers with an explanation of the improvements and advance features of this new operating system that will greatly enhance their computing experience. The most useful features of this book in my estimation are the coverage of desktop interfacing with the Internet, multitasking among programs, and file management that are so important for business use today.     Another feature of this book that will appeal to more advanced users is the coverage of the Registry, the file database that stores all the information about one's computer, installed hardware, and software programs. While most users will not require immediate information about this important system feature, it is available at hands' reach when such times may arise!     As readers make their way through this nearly 1,000 page book they will gain more than adequate knowledge about Windows 98. In fact, companies that depend upon this operating system will do well to read up on it and familiarize themselves with what it can accomplish for them. This friendly book, laced with wit and wisdom, offers loads of helpful instruction, some in the form of tips, tricks, and tweaks, to make the most productive use of it. This book is highly recommended for intermediate and advanced users!     Best quote from the book: "What's this Windows 98 thing?!" It's what Windows 3.x never could have been. It's what Windows 95 always should have been. It's what will come pre-installed on your next computer. And because Windows 98 is all those things, it's also what we wrote this book about. We hope you like it. - from the foreword

With only a basic understanding of Windows 2000, you can approach this book and have it assist you in advancing your understanding and skills of the Windows environment, understand and prepare for the migration process, and deploy a successful network design from server to desktop.

The book is structured in an easy to follow manner, designed to be read both from cover to cover as well as used as a reference for topics as needed. Diagrams and illustrations where needed complement the plain English writing style. There is even a great "pull-out" section which gives you examples of network topologies and a base timeline of the migration process which is easily customizable to your own environment. Beyond migration and deployment information, the book covers such things as general user management, Windows 2000 optimization and Terminal Server services

This is an excellent resource for anyone looking to deploy Windows 2000 in their environment.

Great book! I was looking for a book that was more than just an installation guide and found this book full of real world examples and experiences of previous Windows 2000 implementations.

We used the book as our guide in our design of our 5,500 user, 23 site Active Directory. We found the sections on migration and deployment very helpful as we migrated from NT4 to Windows 2000 over a 4 month period.

Great book, I highly recommend it!

I needed a reliable book that covered not only the how to's of Windows 2000, but also an examination of all the different aspects to consider in migrating a very large enterprise to Windows 2000.

This book does an excellent job of covering planning the migration, assembling teams, the pitfalls of domain structure selection, how to develop the infrastructure and fine tune and debugging Windows 2000 performance.

There's lot's more information on unattended installations, discussions of Active Directory, explanations of DNS, WINS, Native mode and Mixed mode and other issues important to migrations of any size.

While some of the information is available on Microsoft's website, the author clearly relies on his practical experiences with a major consulting firm and this is what make the book so good. He communicates effectively and gives a real world perspective. I believe that his writings in this book will be beneficial to organizations or individuals in helping them avoid some of the pitfalls that many will suffer.

If your company is just beginning a Windows 2000 migration or you're a consultant that needs a thorough perspective of the issues surrounding a Windows 2000 migration, this is an excellent reference.

However, this book is not a certification guide or straight technical how to book on Windows 2000. Having said that, there's still lot's of good information that is certain to appear on some of the certification exams.

Having read the authors other book on Windows 2000 Active Directory, I immediately bought this tome. The author has a pleasant, easy to understand style of writing that is a welcome surprise - versus the standard dry recital of facts.

Written in late 99' the book is based on the RC versions. Sections include; Security, GUI interface changes, Networking, Registry, Utilities, Scripting, Users and groups, Disaster recovery, Performance monitoring, group policies, silent scripted installations, automated OS installations, and how to properly craft a Windows 2000 deployment project.

In addition to covering the 2000 professional product, the author points out what additional features and functionality occur on the client in a Windows 2000 active directory environment.

It is a clear, well written overview of the entire Windows 2000 Professional client. It is the best such book I have read to date...

I love this book. It is filled with lots of great tips and information. Every other page I find I'm saying to myself, "This is such a great book." I have been reading many technical books and I have no patience for books with inaccurate information that all read alike; this book stands well above the rest due to accurate and well-written content.

I have been thinking all day about how I can adequately praise this book and still keep my review believable. The book is amazing... Well, the best way that I could put it is that I have spent hundreds of dollars on technical books in the last couple of years (about Win NT, TCP/IP, Cisco, etc.) and this book is easily in the top 5, maybe top 2.

Okay, why is it so great? Most books about Windows NT and 2000 are aimed at the person who has never used the software before and spend 3/4 of the pages describing mundane things like how to add programs to the start menu, how to set up printers, etc. - the stuff you can easily figure out on your own. Then there are the high level books that talk about the strategy of setting up your multi-domain network or rolling out Active Directory across your global corporation. It is usually YEARS after a product ships before books come out that just deal with the nuts and bolts of the operating system for the IT Professional who already understands the GUI - how to REALLY troubleshoot problems, what warts there are in the OS, etc. It has only been during the past year that decent books have started coming out about Windows NT Server 4.

This book has all of that info and more. For example: It has a list (in Chapter 27) of all of the common Blue Screen of Death error messages and likely sources of these problems. How cool is that? That section alone is worth the price of the book.

If you are sick of books that you have skip the first 10 chapters or that don't really tell you how to actually configure things, get this book. Not coincidentally, you should also get this book if you are preparing for the MS Win 2K Pro test (070-210). You can skip the expensive (boring) training that you would pay hundreds of dollars for and just read the book.

BTW I did pass the test (I got 840) and the only real studying I did was reading this book - although I have been using Win 2K Pro since it came out. That reminds me of something else: If you do buy the book, study chapters 23-25 about Automated Installation well. The test I took had almost 10 questions (out of 50) on this subject alone.

Hope this helps...

I got this book expecting that it would just sit on my shelf most of the time. I'm a DBA, not a developer, and was really just getting this so I would have it to thumb through every now and then. When I opened it, I started looking through some of the chapters, and couldn't put it down. I read 5 chapters that first night, and went back again and again. The author clearly knows this technology, and has a very relaxed, smooth style. He also has a very educated sense of humor that reminds me a bit of Dennis Miller. You will not be bored reading this book. I was also impressed with the level of depth he was able to reach in a book that was supposed to only survey the material. I found myself sitting at my server with the book in my lap trying the things in each chapter. I have a basic knowledge of a lot of the technologies in this book, but I had no idea how much I didn't know. This isn't the only book you'll need to finish a project, but even if you've been developing for years, you'll learn quite a bit that you never thought possible. The reference sections in the back are incredible too. Very complete.

I really enjoyed the section on DHTML, and XML. I have been writing with DHTML for quite some time, and it's one of those things I just memorized, but this book actually explains so many things, I find myself going back over my own code and actually understanding why I had to do things the way I did. Don't even get me started on the JavaScript section. Is there anything this guy doesn't know? My only real complaint is that the publishers didn't contract him for a sequel. This is a book that could easily be split into 2-3 different volumes, and I firmly believe that the author could more than fill them up. Trust me, he is a true master of his craft, and even if you're old-hat at most of this, you will still learn enough to make the cost of this book worth your while. Tom Yager really went out of his way on this one, and he really understands what people need/want in a book on web development. I sincerely hope he writes another.

This book is targeted at a technical person, who doesn't have extensive exposure to Microsoft Technologies. As a software architect coming from a Unix/C++ & NT/Java background, this book gave me enough background to feel confident in building architectural prototypes using Microsoft Technologies.

The flow of the book is very good, transitioning from major section to section with little difficulty. This book is not a reference book on any of the technologies mentioned on the cover! It is a great overview of each topic and how they inter-relate.

The downside of this book is that it doesn't go into enough detail in some areas. To actually begin implementing some of the ideas, you need another teaching aid to learn the Microsoft Tool in question. Fortunately, the book offers pointers to good references on each of the tools described.

All in all this book was a very thorough, easy read giving a great overview of the current state of the art in Microsoft System Architecture.

I got this book expecting that it would just sit on my shelf most of the time. I'm a DBA, not a developer, and was really just getting this so I would have it to thumb through every now and then. When I opened it, I started looking through some of the chapters, and couldn't put it down. I read 5 chapters that first night, and went back again and again. The author clearly knows this technology, and has a very relaxed, smooth style. He also has a very educated sense of humor that reminds me a bit of Dennis Miller. You will not be bored reading this book. I was also impressed with the level of depth he was able to reach in a book that was supposed to only survey the material. I found myself sitting at my server with the book in my lap trying the things in each chapter. I have a basic knowledge of a lot of the technologies in this book, but I had no idea how much I didn't know. This isn't the only book you'll need to finish a project, but even if you've been developing for years, you'll learn quite a bit that you never thought possible. The reference sections in the back are incredible too. Very complete.

I really enjoyed the section on DHTML, and XML. I have been writing with DHTML for quite some time, and it's one of those things I just memorized, but this book actually explains so many things, I find myself going back over my own code and actually understanding why I had to do things the way I did. Don't even get me started on the JavaScript section. Is there anything this guy doesn't know? My only real complaint is that the publishers didn't contract him for a sequel. This is a book that could easily be split into 2-3 different volumes, and I firmly believe that the author could more than fill them up. Trust me, he is a true master of his craft, and even if you're old-hat at most of this, you will still learn enough to make the cost of this book worth your while. Tom Yager really went out of his way on this one, and he really understands what people need/want in a book on web development. I sincerely hope he writes another.

This book in ~400 pages accomplishes 400 times more than what the Win95 Resource Kit does in ~1340. Far more complete in important information, more practical (less theoretical), more accessible, better written, this is the first and last Win95 reference anyone should need. It is probably also the ideal MCP/MCSE Win95 study guide. Does not replace a decent introduction to Win95, but supplements it.

I purchased this book in order to find something that would let me teach my students about Windows 95 so they could pass the A+ Certification that is now being issued. We are already using a couple of the books that you sell written by Mr. Gordon. Which we used for the old A+ exam. They were not written very well, but this book I believe has out done any other book I could have purchased for the school that I instruct at. Thank you very much for handling this book and sending it to me very quickly. Thank You Again.

I cannot get over how much is covered in this book. The layout and formatting grabs your attention without going cross-eyed. The design makes it so easy to troubleshoot and research. Its actually fun, really fun, to open it up and cruise through it. You'd be a complete fool not to include this book in your arsenal.

This book once existed. I have held a copy of it in my hands at Borders (r). I have had the chance to peruse the book, a long time ago right after it came out, but unfortunately I never had the chance to buy it.
I do recommend to anyone that can get a copy of this book, get it, and send the author a thank you note, as the book was quickly recalled. It may sound odd, but, I live near the Borders (r) Head Office, and that was how come I have actually seen it.
If I remember correctly, in a conversation with Mr. Podanoffsky, he said that he was forced to recall it, and say that it was never released, even though the first printing and certain used book stores show that there were 12,000 copies printed.
I highly recommend Mr. Podanoffsky's Works to anyone that is interested in Operating System Programming.
And, Mike, Sorry I never wrote that review for you, I do apologize.
-Raven

I know that this is a spot for the review.... but uhm, well, I want to know where to get a copy of said book to review. so if anyone knows, please email me. I'd really like a copy of it. Thank you for your time.

I contacted the author about this title. He said it was never released.

i'm a french reader of this book and i didn't know anything about computers before reading this book which is the first one i read. it is very well written and beginners can really understand almost everything this book has helped me to improve my regitry and the one of my friends whitout any problem -------------------------------------------julien

i'd like to say that the authors are very sympathics and they answered my questions as clearly as possible

The tricks on how to preserve the registry have saved me (and my customers) a great deal of trouble.

I work in the computer support industry and have found the book great.

This book is an excellent hands on guide to understanding what a registry is and how it can effect your computing life. It is written in a basic manner so as not to lose anyone, no matter what their computing background. The glossary gives excellent definitions to the questions that that most people will have. The tools on the CD-Rom that accompanies the book are helpful. With the included tools and this new found knowledge about my registry, I have been able to slim up my registry and speed up my computer like never before. One fact that I did not know before reading this book is that a regular backup of your system does not backup your registry so...if your system crashes you have to start all over again to build your registry, BUT...there is hope and it is in this book. It give detailed instructions on how to backup your registry (several options). I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about Windows 95 Registry and how to save yourself from it.

This book discusses and compares WIN32 API programming and MFC programming throughout the book. I haven't yet had time to read the entire book but I hope to as it is relevant to programming any version of Windows, at least at the GUI/Application level. There is a Windows 2000 version of this book and I found it lacking in some of the topics that this book presents - this book is considerably larger as well and is a good investment.
It also come with the sample programs on CD ROM and at least one
of these is written in WIN32 API C and MFC as well.

Excellent source of reference for the Win32 API and MFC and how to apply them in developing applications for Windows.

This might not be the best book on Windows programming out there, but I gave it 5 stars because it lives up to its promises (mostly).

I have two main complaints, however: (1) "Windows 98" is a misnomer, since the book is really about Windows programming for any version. (2) The authors supposedly tell you how to "make the best use" of MFC, but they mostly try to avoid MFC as far as they can, even if it seems more appropriate. (3) I was surprised to see no treatment of DirectX in the whole PART devoted to graphics programming...

Still, the book is informative, and covers broad terrirotry (though in shallow detail at times). The CD-ROM contains all the source code - ALL of it works! In fact, the compiled versions are on the CD-ROM too.