Software Books

Like many people who develop ASP.NET applications for a living, I was extremely interested in learning about ASP.NET AJAX. This is the only book I bought on the subject, and it has been extraordinary. I can't recommend it highly enough. Read this book and you'll be an expert.

This book was a great introduction to the ASP.NET Ajax Extensions and Control Toolkit! Extremely well written. I especially appreciated the practical, real-world samples that were given throughout the book that actually worked.

If you are after further exploration and like to know how things work underneath the hood a bit more, I recommend Dino Esposito's book as a companion.

I have been reading this book for a while. While at Border's or B&N, I used to grab other ASP.NET AJAX books and used to read them too. But, no other bookes close to this books CLARITY and Detailed and Simple explanation. It starts from the absolute basics and chapter by chapter it brings the developers skill set at par with the pro's. Most ASP.NET developer's client-side scripting needs some work. This book understands it and addresses them in a very simple and elegant verbals.
I had been debating for a while which book to buy. After a lot of work, I decided to go for this book. And I am happy I made the right decision.
It also has the sneak peek of the CTP Futures too.
5+ Stars. Definite YES.

Take this book and the ASP.NET AJAX Framework with two grains of salt, if you're serious about AJAX then learn JavaScript and look into the alternative AJAX Libraries like: jQuery, Scriptaculous, Dojo, Mootools, and YUI.

This book lacks objectivity and often suffers from hype. The authors came across as lacking proficient experience with the JavaScript language, or exposure to other AJAX Frameworks / Libraries, or sufficient experience using the ASP.NET AJAX Framework in real world situations.

Comments like: "we recommend that...", "because it makes no sense...", "you must understand X,Y,Z to run complex client-side code without writing a single line of JavaScript" were discouraging, and always left me hanging. Good books answer more than the "hows" - comments like "you must rely on a special..." are a cry for more research.

The book skims over the technical details of why or how the ASP.NET AJAX framework is implemented. Instead it presented many examples of "how-to" implement the various ASP.NET AJAX constructs and patterns. It would have been nice to see some real world examples of why the ASP.NET AJAX client-side typing system is useful, or why the AJAX Framework's extended JavaScript objects are useful and how these contrast to what JavaScript already provides, or what happens behind the scenes when a class is registered through client-side code, or why the AJAX Framework prefers declarative syntax (XML) over imperative syntax, and to have some real in-depth discussions on performance implications.

In addition to these disappointments, the ASP.NET AJAX Framework itself has some serious technical flaws, it's too heavy weighted (bloated) for practical use. I fear it's a short lived framework, since many of the other AJAX Libraries already offer superior performance and better user experience. I was disappointed with the server-centric approach the ASP.NET AJAX Framework and this book take, and was disappointed to have JavaScript continually swept under the carpet as magic.

Very well written. Great examples. In depth as well as plain spoken author. Much to learn and easy to learn. Recommended.

I won't do a lengthy review... just read the other 5-star reviews and you'll get the drift. This book is so easy to understand you can learn without a PC in front of you (if you're a VB6 developer looking to understand .Net). The explanation of what ADO.NET is all about is worth purchase price alone. No chapter is super comprehensive, but it's a great text to get you rolling in VB.Net right quick. As an MCSD and MCDBA certified developer, I wouldn't write such a great review on just any book. Buy it.

There is so much that is lacking in this book. First, it is not user friendly. It is difficult to follow. Second, it simply does not cover enough information that one needs in order to truly be able to use .Net technology.

Cover to cover this book sails through the hype dispensing nuggets not to be forgotten!!! .Net and C#-aholics had breathed so much hot air, I was having trouble find a place to start. Once received I put everything else aside. I used to use arrays, types, RDS, and ADO to get the plumbing done but now its OOP, and serialization from now on!!! I got so many good pearls from this book its ridiculous.

I have been programming in VB since 1992 and decided to move to VB.NET when it was released but found the learning curve was immense - until I bought the book of VB.NET. This book is my Bible, it sits besides my computer all the time. Without delving into the VB language, it simplifies the transition to VB.NET for the experienced VB Programmer. It's not for VB learners nor does Matthew propose that it is. If you know VB this is the book to ease the quantam leap from VB to VB.NET - explained in logical steps with excellent examples. I have had to EMail Matthew with a few queries and the response is always prompt and helpful.

There are certainly other books you need in your arsenal - such as Francesco Balena's Microsoft Reference - but this one is a must.

This book has a very good intention and concept - to introduce VB6 developers to VB .Net. In general it is a very good book. Not very deep, but good enough to start working with VB .Net and bee reasonably productive. So, if not for sloppy writing, I would probably give that book all 5 stars.
What do I mean by sloppy? For once, author uses terms object and class interchangeably throughout the book. Sometimes it is contextually understandable what he means, but often it might be very confusing, especially for people relatively new to OO. Then there are errors and typos in code examples. Some of them are also very confusing. For example: on page 80 author introduces the new VB concept - delegates. For VB6 folks this is something fundamentally new and strange.
In code example author defines delegate type and calls it ProcessFunction. Then he defines variable of this type and calls it ProcessDelegate. After that on the same page he shows how to use delegates and assigns value to ProcessFunction and retrieves value from ProcessFunction.
From the context one should understand that in the last two cases the variable ProcessDelegate should be used instead, and that this is just a typo. Yet, given that VB .Net now supports shared properties and methods, when Class (Type) name can be used where one expects to see Object (Variable), this types of mistakes are very confusing and annoying.
I would not go here into more examples of books imperfections. There are some more. Not terribly many, but enough to frustrate.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you have patience and some other VB .Net book to resolve inevitable confusions.
This could become a great book in its next edition if author takes time to make it a bit more accurate and precise.

I'm a professional developer but I have no experience using C#. My current project required learning C# at a highly accelerated pace and this book did it for me.

If you are an experienced developer needing to learn C# quickly and thoroughly without resorting to the "for Dummies" types of books this is an effective tool, use it.

References to this book kept coming up at the top of internet search results while I was trying to figure out how to implement a QBE UI using LINQ.

I finally took the hint and bought the book.

Now that I have the book, after having sifted through it, I can attest that it explains C# clearly and thoroughly and is delightfully insightful. On par with the best O'Reilly nutshell references.

I believe it is currently the best C# 3.0 reference on the market.

A Quick Way To look up anything that deals with C#
Terms, Keywords, implementation etc...
great for both a beginners referanece and a seasoned professional

This book is a hands down winner among the C# books currently in market. Written in a clear and precise manner, it is both a tutorial and a reference. You can get a taste of the book from the authors' website where they have posted tutorials (check out the tutorial on Threading in C#).
I came to know about this book from a link on Chris Sells' blog where he is all praise for the book.
Highly recommended.

Bought this to learn LINQ. Found that it has an excellent treatment of all topics and lots of sample code. Very clear and concise explanations. This is a good technical book I have read in a long time.

I thought this was a well written book on the fundamentals of demonstrating and or presenting software. I am a big believer in "Discovery" it makes for a much better and targeted demo. I also particularly like the metaphor he uses of "crossing the bridge" and how applying the principles in this book can help our prospects bridge the gap. He has some great nuggets for sales people who are involved in enterprise or consultative sales. Don't let the title fool you,(not just for SE's) I would recommend this book for all sales people who are interested in mastering their craft!

Excellent Book!!!



Since 1988, I have conducted many system software demonstrations!!

Demonstrating to Win touches all of my experiences from small client engagements to some one pulling out the plug of a mini AS/400!

By reading this book, I felt like you were a spider on the wall recording my many demo successes and failures.

Good Job.





Kevin M. Lee

Industry Director:

High Tech & Electronics

SSA Global

8913 Metheny Circle

Tampa Florida 33615



C 813-495-0332

O 813-249-0961


Kevin.Lee@ssaglobal.com

This is an excellent how-to book for improving your discovery and demo skills for enterprise software sales.

Chapter 4 (Demo Crime Files) and Chapter 5 (Discovery Process) more that justify the price of the book.

I sincerely wish that all presales engineers would read this book before presenting to customers.

I read Demo2Win and fell in love with the concept. After years of demonstrating software, I always felt like I could have done better if I had more tools. Robert's book gave me those tools. The tools I remember from the book were simple. Just be a little different than the other person or company. The Discovery Phase in the long run will save you and your customer time. You will find out if you can supply what the customer needs or leave it to someone else to fulfill their needs. Why waste time. The Demo Crimes made me cringe because I know I've committed a few of them over and over. Now I won't commit those crimes because it's been brought to my attention by Robert.
After I read the book I asked my boss to read it. He read it and ordered about 30 copies for all of our salesforce to read. Each and every person that read it then praised it. It was kind of like the lights went on in everybody's head.
I'd recommend this book to any salesperson. I've already read it more than three times. I take it on each flight I make and read at least a few pages each time.
Thanks, Robert.

Demonstrating To Win is an exhaustive book on the topic of demonstrating software by experienced hand Robert Riefstahl. The author delves into the subject at hand with precision and detail through chapters like Demonstrating Is Not An Art!, Important Demonstration Concepts, The Demo Crime Files! and Your Demonstration Setting. There can hardly be a better resource than Demonstrating To Win for professionals in the industry. The book covers the obvious, mundane and elementary to the detailed nuances and tricks of the trade and aims to articulate the author's main thrust that in order to win the day the presenter has to build a bridge that the prospect wants to cross in order to reach you (and your software product).
Each chapter is augmented by a brief summary which offers a synopsis of the topic covered and the author practices what he preaches by offering his experience in plain language. There certainly are a couple of instances where the reader will notice the book's age and its year 2000 publication date, most notably during the technical discussions, but Riefstahl's guide is comprehensive and advantageous all the way through and still relevant to those demonstrating software to potential customers.

This is a very user friendly book. The ony thing that would make it better is if it were geared for Captivate 2. After going through this book, I feel that I don't need any organized teaching sessions for the skills.

"Essentials of Macromedia (now Adobe) Captivate" is the
title of the book. The promise is maintained when you buy it,
read it and follow its step by step exercises.
If I'm right, "essentials" are the things that come first and
foremost. When you are new to a jungle, a subject or an
application you want to get the essentials as fast as you can.
If the application you want to learn is Captivate, then Kevin's
book is the buddy on your side, the one with more
experience, the one that helps you with clear instructions and
useful tips.
The exercises on the CD are well written and work. They take
you step by step through the major features of Captivate.
The language is simple. Even for those, like me, that have
English as a second language.
In a matter of days you are up and running, creating your own
multimedia instructional materials.
Then you'll probably need other books, because Kevin's
Essentials has brought you, fast and safe, to the point you
can take another leap forward, to reach Station "Advanced".
Last but not least, Kevin Siegel is a "real person" that stands
behind his product. Like other reviewers before me, I wrote
him an Email and he answered promptly.

I really think this is the best software tutorial I have ever used, and I have used quite a few in my trillion-year career as a technical writer. It has just the right level of detail. So many tutorial writers leave major concepts and steps out because they assume that you know what they know. And you don't, that's why you bought their stupid book. But this one guides you gently through all you need to know to get firmly established in using Captivate. It was a great help to me when I suddently found a Captivate project on my desk and didn't know exactly where to start. Essentials of Macromedia Captivate helped me start at the appropriate beginning point. It also provided lots of handy tips that I'm sure helped save me a ton of time that I would have spent if I had tried to figure out the software by myself. I would reiterate, as others have here, that you need to follow all the steps in the book to get the most out of it. But doing so is well worth your while.

This book is the cheapest class you may ever have, and it is a good class. As you may have noticed there are not many books written on Captivate. It's a shame because Adobe's Captivate really is great program.

I am a freelance web designer and Flash animator in the Seattle market. Last year I wanted to learn Captivate and realized there are no classes in the Puget Sound area and only 3 books on the market.

I purchased this one and it taught me the program just working on the exercises at night. The book has not typos, a nice flow and they cover most of the program. It is a productive book and you see results quickly. Since then I have added E-learning to my list of skills I offer thanks to this book and the Adobe's Captivate.

I do admit I also purchase the Visual Quick Start book. But when I need to reference something I go to Essentials first. I will look at the example in the exercise I did and it will click right away, "Oh that's how I did it".

We purchased Kevin's workbook for our team to help us through the learning curve for a new tool in our group. Wow! Kevin's book really delivered and we were creating near finished product movies and company branded templates in a fews days. Kevin has also been very responsive and incredibly helpful via e-mail inquiries.

If you're a moderately skilled programmer, a self-learner, and you want to get beyond just "getting started" deploying and using Sql Server 2000 Reporting Services, this is the book for you.

I especially found the chapters on customized set up extremely helpful. The installation wizard doesn't offer a whole lot of options, and most of teh time you don't know fully how you want to configure it until you've tried it out. You'll get some good starters on rconfiguring your installation here.

You'll get enough basics to be ready to dive in, and then some tricks well enough beyond that to give you well on your way to devleoping customized solutions.

For a total beginner (which I definately was) this is a FANTASTIC introduction to Reporting Services. Three months after starting my first job as a programmer straight out of University, and now I'm the main person in the firm with Reporting Services knowledge - and it's all thanks to this book.

The writing style is actually excellent for beginners, as I was terrified by the prospect of reading such a mammoth. But these guys make it fun and interesting to read (right down to the jokes and sidenotes) and really do touch on everything you need in a useful manner without boring you.

And excellent resource that now never leaves my desk. I can only hope these guys do a SQL Sever 2005 one. I cannot recommend this book enough for those starting on Reporting Services. It really is the book to read.

And if you are looking for a book on SQL Reportin 2005 - I would still recommend this book to give you the basics and introduction which is unbeatable thus far.

I really the beginning part on the setup and installation of the reporting services themselves. At my firm we needed to set up a seperate server for this purpose and the IT group was swamped with another project and this helped a great deal. I still am workign on development but the book has been very usefula and easy to understand.

This book has been written from a VB programmers point of view. If you want to just start creating reports or if you're not a VB programmer (ie DBA etc) you may find this hard work.As another reviewer mentioned, you may find the authors' jokes and writing style to be a hit and miss affair.

Nevertheless, there is some depth on Reporting Services not to be found elsewhere that is quite handy.

Now that all the friends and family have promoted the book...

In order to understand something new, we all must relate that which we're learning to that which we already know.
Pete and Bill have a difficult time transitioning from campy comedians to thoughtful educators. To this extent, their writing style lacks any useful analogies whatsoever which might bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.

The book is full of droll and distracting fantasy references which are completely irrelevant to the subject matter, and are prone to taking the unsuspecting reader off task.

The potential purchaser should also be forewarned that the authors tend towards another immature trait of attempting to impress the reader with their linguistic abilities. Yet, to be effective at teaching they should have remembered to never use a complicated word where a simple one will do.

Many examples are rambling and inconcise, where step-by-step quickly degrades into an ambiguous and vague path.

Not every developer can obtain DOMAIN Authority in order to issue SSL certificates and it's too bad that the authors don't allow for this type of scenario, especially when a reporting system is on a VPN.

All of the content is there, but it's up to the reader to filter and translate most of it from the pitfalls aforementioned into something more to the center of the bell curve.

Do you need help with your photography skills? If you do, then this book is for you. Authors David Pogue and Derrick Story, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that is designed to serve as the iPhoto manual.

Pogue and Story, begin by covering buying, using, and exploiting your digital camera. Then, the authors cover the fundamentals of getting your photos into iPhoto. Organizing and filing them, searching them, and editing them to compensate for weak lighting. Next, they cover the many ways iPhoto can present those photos to other people. Finally, the authors cover a miscellaneous potpourri of additional iPhoto features, including: turning photos into screen savers or desktop pictures on your Mac; exporting the photos in various formats; using iPhoto plug-ins and accessory programs; managing Photo Libraries; backing up your photos using iPhoto's Burn to CD command; and, even getting photos to and from camera phones and Palm organizers.

This most excellent book provides an invaluable grounding in professional photography. Perhaps more importantly, this book gives you all you need to know about digital photography!

Some say lightening can never strike the same place twice. The Missing Manual series proves that wrong. David Pogue and the O'Reilly gang constantly hit the mark and spark creativity and knowledge in a variety of programs.

IPhoto 6 covers absolutely every aspect of digital photography on your Mac, leaving few stones unturned. In order to make sure you get the great photos you need and minimized the editing needed in iPhoto, Derrick Story and David Pogue make sure you buy the right digital camera for your needs and tells you the basics of lighting and composition. After reading that chapter, I looked at my own iPhoto library and understand why I liked certain shots and why others ended up on the digital darkroom floor.

After explaining how to buy a camera and create great photos, the authors take you through the steps of using iPhoto in logical order: importing, managing, outputting and of course backing up. More technical manuals need to do this. Instead of taking you through the features, they take you through the workflow.

The writing was typical of the series: clear, understandable with plenty of screen shots to explain the concepts. While I consider myself an expert on iPhoto, the book was full of subtle tips and tricks to shave hours off my digital photo management.

The strength of the book was definitely the extensive chapters on what to with your photos after they are in iPhoto. Photos are meant to be shared, not locked up in your hard drive. He went over not just the specifics of all the printing options such as photo books and calendars, but also using iMovie, iWeb, and iDVD to share the photos with the world.

The final chapters covered some more advanced options such as AppleScript and Automator. Unlike other Missing Manual books that simply point you to the website to download utilities, Pogue and Story explained some of these programs and how they can help you expand your iPhoto capabilities. The Appendix was definitely the icing on the cake handling practically every iPhoto error and it's solution, as well as walking you through the basics of every iPhoto menu command and its implications.

My only complaint was somewhat weak coverage on desktop printing of photos. I always get confused about the way to feed the photo paper and how to configure settings to get the proper output. iPhoto, the printer's software, the printer, and Mac OS X must all be in alignment to print properly. These days, I simply upload it to the drugstore website and print it there. Printing to services other than Apple's wasn't really covered either.

While iPhoto basics are simple and quick to learn, "iPhoto 6 the Missing Manual" helps you become the hands down master of digital photos on your Mac. Others will tremble in fear of your massive knowledge after reading this book cover to cover.

Pros: Covers every aspect of digital photography and makes everyone an iPhoto wiz.
Cons: Needed more coverage of desktop and third party printing of photos.

ANY question you might have, any project you might conjure up.....this book has all the answsers in the most easy format. A must have if you have an iMac and a digital camera!

As a beginner with digital photography,there is a great deal of iPhoto that is intuitive;however,there are so many options and errors that can be made,at least in my limited experience,that this book is a constant reference guide. I previously purchased "Switching to Mac,The Missing Manual",and found it so valuable that I bought this "Missing Manual".This series of books has been both informative and entertaining.

Might not have much for experienced power users - but for me as a Mac newcomer it did the trick. iPhoto is easy to use and most things you can figure out by yourself, but this book is a big timer saver in doing so and has also some tips that you otherwise might not have figured out

Yes, it's true. I'm contemplating adding a podcast to my blog. So, I bought "Podcast Solutions" on Amazon and read it, front to back. This is a very useful book, and it comes with a CD of demo software you can use for podcasting.

Anyone who is thinking about podcasting should read this book BEFORE they start purchasing any equipment. One of the most valuable things I found in this book was information about the equipment you will need to get start. A large portion of this book is devoted to getting good quality recordings from your recording sessions so that it doesn't turn potential listeners off with popping, clicking, hissing, etc.

One of the other great things I found in this book is podsafe music. Never heard of it? Podsafe music is music from independent artists that is licensed for you to use it free of charge in your podcasts. Check out these sites: GarageBand and PodShow. The music is really good. I'm digging it.

Until someone writes something really comprehensive, this is the best there is in podcasting.

What is podcasting?

If you don't know by now - what's wrong, have you been living under a rock? ;)

A little over a year ago, I had no clue. I actually thought it was using an iPod to broadcast mp3s over FM waves to a radio (which is actually done quite often, but has nothing to do with podcasting). In fact, podcasting has little to do with iPods at all. If I had had a copy of this book a year ago, I would have know that - and a whole lot more!

"Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Podcasting" is just that - a complete guide. Have no idea what podcasting is? This will tell you. Know what it is, but not how to listen to them? This book will tell you. Would you like to know how podcasting started? Look no further. Ever wondered what the relationship between podcasting and blogging is? You can find out. Want to start your own podcast? Then this is the book for you! It even comes with a CD with all the software you'll need to start podcasting right away, and it doesn't matter if you use Windows, Mac OS X, or even Linux - the CD has software for all three platforms. The book even tells you how to start making money with podcasts!

From recording the audio to publishing the XML to getting your podcast heard - it's all in the book. You should really pick this book up if you have any interest at all in podcasting. Highly recommended!

Michael Geoghegan and Dan Klass have done a great job in this 240 page book on podcasting. A great book for any podcaster. They do a good job of taking you through all of the steps necessary to learning podcasting. The book runs the gamut of the steps you'll need to preparing your podcast, to recording and subsequently publishing your podcast on the web.The book is easy to follow and has lots of links to websites for additional reference. Overall the best book on the market for podcasting.

I started out knowing diddly squat about podcasting. I read "Podcast Solutions" by Michael Geoghegan (what's up with that name?) and Dan Klass and now I know everything. But much more important than my over-generous opinion of myself I got my podcast up swiftly, easily and on time thanks to this incredible book.

They answer questions with the insight of someone who really knows all the angles, who really knows what they are talking about, who has actually done it. The book will take you through the entire process and get you up and running. And isn't that what it's really all about?

I especially enjoyed Chapter 10 "Getting Heard" which offers rich detail and many astonishing ideas about how to get people to actually listen to your podcast. And isn't that what it's really all about?

Finally, the price on this book is right. Just right. Enough to make you realize you're getting something valuable (which you are) and low enough that it's well within reach of anyone who's ever splurged on a cup of Starbuck's coffee. And isn't that what it's really all about?

Buy the book. Do it now! Buy a brand new book all for yourself. Don't chintz out and get a used one from Amazon. There's a CD inside that you need and it will probably be missing from any used copy.

I liked this book and it provided allot of answers to the new functions of what in my opinion are good products for what each are suppose to do and MS usually does a good job at patches as needed. The book was informative and laid out well and is a good reference when needed.

Every "Using" book I own (more than a dozen) has been valuable, well written and packed with good information. This is no exception. The authors know Office. I started with Word and quickly absorbed the "flavor" of the new interface. This book will cut my frustration time dramatically.

I am a long-time subscriber to Woody's Access news, so I expected to find an enthusiastic, simplified approach and am not disappointed. Great resource.

Very specific and detailed. best for persons who already have used Word 2007, and are familiar with its layout and tools.

If you are upgrading to Office 2007 from an earlier version of Office this book is a great help. Microsoft has made a number of changes in where basic tools are located and how to access them. This book makes the learning process a lot simpler and a lot quicker. However, I don't recommend you try to read the book cover-to-cover in one sitting. It is the thickness of a New York phone book. The Index at the back of the book is well done and is a good way to problem-solve individual issues.

If you have Word 2007 or plan to get it, this book is a must have. Word 2007 is DIFFERENT and then some, but all the answers are here. The large heavy tome is indexed and divided so that the answer to almost any question can be found. It may even tell you more than you care to know. Not a beach read, but a very helpful desk reference.

If you know little to nothing about Word 2007, this is not the book for you. It too often assumes you know the answer to the question you are trying to answer. Common terms that you might use if you are familiar with 2003 are not used here, so the index is useless. Save your money.

This text is excellent if you already know something about using Word 2007. Has many details especially about technical actions needed when you are composing book files.

I'm in love! I bought digital access to this book as well as ordering a copy. The day after ordering it, I was able to clean up some serious formatting messes after reading the chapter about styles online. "Using Word 2007" gives clear descriptions of how to use the basic and advanced features, including things like the Style Inspector that Microsoft seems to avoid telling you about in the Help files. It also explains the good and bad points of different options - for example, warning you that if you set a style to Automatically Update and then make a minor formatting change to the text in one location (e.g. applying italics), ALL examples of the style will change to italics whether you want that or not.

If you are forced to work with Word 2007, or support people who have to work with it, you need this book.

I needed a quick reference guide to get a crash course using Word 2007. As a graduate student, I have weekly deadlines for papers. I got a new computer with the Windows upgrade. The learning curve was high, and I did not have a lot of time to learn how to use Word. This reference guide was exactly what I needed. The reference is a valuable tool, and worth the money!