Software Books


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Software Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Software
Visual Basic(r) Graphics Programming: Hands-On Applications and Advanced Color Development, 2nd Edition
Published in Paperback by Wiley (1999-10-27)
Author: Rod Stephens
List price: $55.00
New price: $29.60
Used price: $2.91

Average review score:

Great book, regardless of your programming language
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-13
I'm not a VB programmer, but I was able to understand the theory in this book, and I could easily work through the code examples to translate them into Delphi and C#. It's very hard to find a book (for any programming language) that explains 3D graphics in simple terms, and with useful code examples. Even though this book is getting a little dated, this book will still be among my highest recommendations for years to come. The basic theory does not change, even though programming languages evolve.

The Best VB 6 Graphics Programming Book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-01-09
This is an excellent book. It covers many aspects of Computer Graphics including Vector Graphics, Raster Graphics, Animation, Curves and Surfaces, 2D and 3D Transformations, and Rendering. Each chapter comes with lots of sample code on the CD. The underlying mathematics are also nicely explained.

I only wish their was a 3rd edition for VB.NET.

Extremely good book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-12
If you just HAVE to develop graphics apps in VB, this is your best bet.

Outstanding book!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-06-30
I am happy with my decision to buy this book, it has what I was looking for and even more than expected.

Highly recomendable.

Excelent Reference on Graphics Work
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-04-08
This book is very close to perfection in covering topics of the graphics manipulation, which up to the current times was an option of C/C++ developers ( as far as availability of information and samples). It's good for novice and seasoned developers alike.

Software
The Waite Group's C Programming Using Turbo C++/Book and Disk (The Waite Group)
Published in Paperback by Sams (1993-10)
Author: Robert Lafore
List price: $34.95
New price: $34.87
Used price: $1.16

Average review score:

A Great Book for learning C
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-08
Lafore has done a wonderful job. Specially his explanation of the C syntax in this book is excellent. If you are an absolute beginner then this is your book. Learn C in a painless way. Moreover this book also teaches you C graphics! that is something you will not find in most of the great C books in the market.

Good book to get started !!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-05
This book is best for people who are getting introduced to programming ... or C for that matter. It is THE best start-up material. Tip: Read it to build up concepts and move to books dealing with more advanced topic for the highest personal gain.
A book worth digesting !!!

Good book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-02
Its a good and well written book. This was my first book which I used to delve into programming. Found it very useful. Cannot be really used as reference, but its good to clear your concepts of OOP.

Great beginning book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-06
LeFore's book is a great book for beginning programmers. I have taught C/C++ at our local community college and have often recommended this book to students and friends. It is well written and not overly complex. It has clear explanations of constructs and good examples. Kudos to the author. All beginning books should be so easy to understand.

Excellent for explaining syntax
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2000-02-21
I'm a chem e of 15 years beginning an MS CS degree. A PHD candidate CS friend of mine recommended this book. My programming in C class uses Deitel. Deitel is very poor in explaining the basics of functions and pointers. Lafore does not go into as much depth as Deitel, but does an excellent job with the basics of arrays, functions, pointers, and the syntax around them. By the time Deitel got to fucntions, pointers and pointers to functions from within other functions, I got lost because I couldn't follow the synax in the examples with any certainty. Lafore saved me. I read the chapter on functions and the first 5 pages on pointers and gained a much clearer understanding of the basics. I was then able to understand the more in depth examples of Deitel. I deduct one star for Lafore's lack of depth.

Software
Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance
Published in Paperback by friends of ED (2006-07-24)
Authors: Jim Thatcher, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Mark Urban, Bruce Lawson, Shawn Lawton Henry, Michael R. Burks, Cynthia Waddell, Christian Heilmann, Richard Rutter, Bob Regan, and Patrick H. Lauke
List price: $49.99
New price: $12.71
Used price: $12.61

Average review score:

Awesome book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-24
This an awesome book. This book is the to have for all web developers.

Outstanding. Absolutely every web developer and website owner needs to own this.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-17
This text book is of very high quality and an engaging read. Apart from the expected target audience of web developers, I will suggest that website owners and non-developers should consider getting hold of this vital textbook.

The fact that it leaves you wanting more is a compliment to its quality. Even though it is bulky, I wished it had covered certain areas in more detail.

One small criticism relates to the javascript examples. The discussion of events refers to techniques that are questionable in terms of robustness and re-usability, issues that, to be fair, the author does point out. [Background; search for "addEvent considered harmful" in your favorite search engine.] Yet no definitive solution is given, and the reader is left hanging. More serious is the very poor quality javascript code sample given for the cssjs() utility function, which is poorly designed (needs to be repackaged, should be a class), is inefficient, and is fragile as it contains (at least) two immediately apparent critical bugs.

But such small gripes should on no account not put you off buying this text. The overall verdict, "Outstanding."

Anyway, the numerous authors are to be congratulated. Indeed, given the size of the field and the rapid pace of developments, a second "part II - advanced" volume would be a very good idea indeed.

A Strong Book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-23
If you are serious about accessibility (and you should be), this book will not dissapoint. The authors know what they are talking about, and do a good job and presenting both the facts and their opinions in a clear relavent way.

The only reasons I do not give it 5 stars is many items within the book are redundant (I think due to the great number of authors (11!), and perhaps they wanted the book to serve as a reference also), and because the presentation is generally dry. Good information, but not coffee-table reading.

Still in all, as a web developer I would highly reccomend this book to any other developer weather you just want a little understanding of accessibility, or a big dose.

Must-Have Book for Accessible Technology
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-05
Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance, written by eleven experts and released in July of 2006 by friends of Ed, is one of very few books about web accessibility. It is also the best. The writers include luminaries and pioneers in accessibility - Jim Thatcher, Cynthia Waddell; and technical experts - Christian Heilmann and Andrew Kirkpatrick, to name a few.

The book is an overview of accessible best practices in web technology, and the legal landscape it inhabits. It was compiled with several target audiences in mind.

Certainly, it is intended for developers - newcomers as well as veterans. This is the group that most needs to understand the technology, and unfortunately, seems to "get it" the least.

Another audience is the managers and administrators; that group that should be most adverse to risk and whose responsibility is to keep their government and corporate employers out of the courts and headlines (like those that have embarrassed [Target retailer]). Covered in some detail are the ADA section 504 and section 508 requirements, and in lesser detail international laws.

The technical information is very current. There is a chapter on accessible JavaScript (most would consider that term an oxymoron) even though it has only recently seen coverage in articles and blogs online. Likewise, there is good information on making Flash content accessible.

A book assembled as a compendium of contributions begs to be updated frequently. The next release, for example, could add much needed chapters on AJAX and Web 2.0, podcasting, and learning management technologies. Regardless, all practitioners of accessibility will find this book valuable.

Web Accessibility - It's all in one place!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-22
Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance is the
perfect reference for any site development team. Everything you've
wanted to know about Accessibility and the Web is here in a single text.
Each member of the team will find necessary information and practical
solutions in one or more of the thorough discussions here. For the
designer/developer who works alone, Web Accessibility: Web Standards and
Regulatory Compliance is the all-in-one reference with the most
up-to-date information and techniques. Thanks to the clear organization,
two tables of contents, and index, all information is easy to find as
well.

For those of us who like background and theory, the book contains lively
discussions of accessibility standards, of the intent of the standards,
and suggestions for using the standards. For me, though, the heart of
the text is in the practical discussions and how-to guides in order to
improve accessibility of every common web technology -- from PDF to
Flash, from javascript to data forms. In addition, we finds clear
descriptions of the law and web accessibility. Importantly, these
discussions are international in scope.

The collective experience of the authors of this text is impressive.
These are the experts to whom we've turned to assist us with accessible
design and development for years. In this text, we have a collection of
the most knowledgeable voices on the subject of accessibility, who speak from a real-world
perspective. They share freely their best techniques, so that we can
create the "best possible experience for the greatest number of
visitors."

For me, Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regularory Compliance is a
must-have.

Software
Web Application Architecture: Principles, Protocols and Practices
Published in Paperback by Wiley (2003-10-22)
Authors: Leon Shklar and Richard Rosen
List price: $60.00
New price: $36.33
Used price: $20.00

Average review score:

I like this book
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-02
I am not an expert developer but I have a fair amount of experience building financial applications in Java and C++. I spent quite some time looking for a book that would get me started with Web technologies. It is not easy. Yes, there are many books that describe one or another technology but I wanted to find one that puts these technologies in prospective. I was very pleased when I found this book. I can always dig deeper in one direction when I need to but this book helps me to understand how to get started and where to concentrate my efforts. I like it, I think it is very useful.

Historical perspective + technical detail = useful book
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2004-01-22
I have to disagree with the reviewer who disparaged this book's emphasis on history. The background on TCP/IP protocols explained how HTTP came to be and why servers and browsers work the way they do. Discussion of how web development platforms evolved provided insight into the problems newer approaches tried to solve and the problems some of them created. The authors may have gone overboard spouting the merits of "separating content from presentation" and touting the praises of MVC approaches, but their point is a valid one you can really relate to if you've worked with page-centric platforms like ASP and JSP. The historical review of different approaches explained the authors' reasons for ultimately choosing an MVC approach with Struts and JSTL, and offered insights into how development platforms may evolve in the future. This is a book that starts with basics and builds on them, covering protocols, markup languages, and development platforms. The history helps drive the points home. Personally, I learned a lot from this book. I agree that they could have provided a CD-ROM, but it turns out their website (webappbuilders.com) is pretty good and has other good info aside from the app's source code, including some articles from the authors.

Takes intermediate developers to the next level
Helpful Votes: 24 out of 24 total.
Review Date: 2004-06-16
This book is an ideal text for providing intermediate-level web developers with a solid grounding in architectural principles and more advanced techniques. Before going into why I like this book I do want to offer one caveat - the authors' approach is towards the Model-View-Controller paradigm, and is based on Java Standard Tag Library, Jarkata struts and Apache. These are solid elements, but if you are working in a different environment you will not appreciate this book as much.

The historical material in this book is not fluff if you approach it with the intent to gain a fuller understanding of the major components of the Internet and web. This material is rich with details about why the core web technologies developed and evolved, including design choices the pioneers made in the face of constraints. In a subtle way this part of the book is a primer on design and architecture.

What makes this book so valuable is the non-trivial application that brings this book alive. This is a refreshing change from other books that use thinly contrived snippets of code or trivial applications. The code for this application can be downloaded from the book's supporting web site, which also contains errata (thus far there are only two entries), and articles that are valuable resources with or without this book.

Overall this is one of the better books on web application design and development, and one that dives into code and technical details.

Great Crossover Book
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-02
I've been writing Windows-based mutlimedia applications since Windows 95 was released. I've been looking for a good book to help the crossover to web application development, and I found that this was just the ticket. Explanations were solid and presented in a way that made experimentation easy (both from the browser and server side). Quite simply, this book served as a great jumping off point for deeper exploration into session management, security, web services (both SOAP and Rest), etc. Definitely a great introduction for folks with a software engineering background.

good summary
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-13
I always thought Amazon search is good but I stumbled upon this book at a store. It's a useful summary, but not a reference. I particularly like the examples and the way they build up from trivial to complex. The level of detail is right. Altogether, very refreshing.

Software
Who's Afraid of More C++? (Who's Afraid of)
Published in Paperback by Morgan Kaufmann Pub (1998-07)
Author: Steve Heller
List price: $41.95
New price: $64.64
Used price: $47.80

Average review score:

Another Great Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-04
Steve Heller does it again, this time pushing the envelope. It continues where his Introduction to C++ left off in Who's Afraid of C++, and gets into more complex topics. The book provides another great stepping stone into the world of C++ programming. Its a great book, and worth the read if you are a bit more than a novice, or you have read the previous one. It not only tells you how to program in C++, but explains why you do certain things, something which other C++ books skip on because they assume you've already learned C. You don't have to learn C to program in C++, this book proves it, and if you know C++, then its a snap to do a little C programming.

4 a clear, easy to read, logical C++ intro, read these books
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 1999-03-02
1. Steve writes VERY well. 2. The interplay between Steve, and Susan is very engaging (it ought to be, ... they got married) 3. Steve uses iterative improvement to demonstrate how software really gets written. 4. He admits to his mistakes, at least some of them ;-) 5. He presents the material in a way for the reader to add new knowledge to a solid foundation.

Steve, you done good!

Great book because it's readable
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1999-04-06
I've read some of the more technical language references for C++, but I'd always end up just using them to look up stuff when I got stuck. This book (and the first Who's Afraid...) both have a casual and clear tone that makes complex and abstract concepts seem to make perfect sense if you slow down and especially if you read the questions asked by the "student". About 1/2 to 2/3 of the time I had the same question. Some people won't like the fact that it's not purely a technical book, but a little story goes a long way in making a book interesting enough to read through instead of wade through.

A Fantastic Book & Wonderful Method of Truly Learning C++
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1999-10-02
Following the lead of the first book, "Who's Afraid of C++?," this latest volume does not skip a beat. While most books _show_ you how to write _code_, this one _teaches_ you how to be a _programmer_. The two are not synonymous. Through the object-oriented development of a realistically sized application, the reader is engrossed in the software design process. Features of the C++ language are introduced as their need arises in the program, giving the reader a great perspective on why they exist and how they are used effectively in real programming situations. You will learn how to truly utilize C++ as the tool for solving problems and designing great software. At the end of this book, you will have the tools necessary to advance in the world of C++ with great confidence. Without reservation, enthusiastically recommend the two "Who's Afraid of..." books to anyone interested in truly learning C++. I pity those who have to learn it any other way!

The sequel to a unique and powerful method of learning C++
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 1999-05-17
The genius of Steve Heller has created a masterful sequel to his original work "Who's Afraid of C++." His treatment of complex topics like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism demonstrates an understanding of the difficult process of learning advanced C++ concepts. Steve's goal is to help the reader understand how to create his or her own class as opposed to simply referencing classes created by others. His writing style, which includes using a student-teacher dialogue, is unique in the world of C++ instruction. All of the topics covered follow a logical progression of thought. His in-depth treatment of memory addresses and program instructions enables the reader to see at a glance the complex workings of the execution of a C++ program. The highpoint of the book has Steve teaching a unique method for the creator of a class to hide pointers from the user of a class in order to prevent many of the common memory-allocation problems associated with C++. As he did in the original "Who's Afraid of C++", Steve encourages the reader to build a working example of the techniques covered in the book. The software included with the book has the source files used and a C++ compiler on CDROM. There is also an e-mail discussion group that allows the reader to contact other readers and Steve himself regarding issues covered in the book. In addition to all the C++ covered, Steve offers his thoughts on the Y2K problem and its consequences. If you really want to understand C++ and develop your general programming skills, you can't go wrong with this volume.

Software
Windows Programming Programmer's Notebook
Published in Paperback by Pearson Education (2000-11-22)
Authors: Mario Giannini and Jim Keogh
List price: $39.99
New price: $21.99
Used price: $7.20

Average review score:

Very helpful
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-16
I was told about this book by a co-worker who took classes with Professor Giannini. We were discussing a new project I am starting which required some internet and database access code, which (since I have done mostly GUI programming) I wanted to brush up on quickly.

This book was very well written, and seemed to address exactly what I needed. I found the sections on CGI and COM very helpful on the Internet side (part of our project is a ColdFusion page using a COM object), and the comparison of various database approaches like ODBC vs. DAO very helpful. The sample programs comparing the different database technologies was a great idea.

My only complaints would be that the index was a bit hard to use, and there was no CD provided. But, I was able to locate the source code for download on the authors FTP site.

I recommend this book for anyone familiar with programming, that needs to get working quickly with some new specific aspect, like Internet or database.

Extremely helpful
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-10
I got this book because I was tired of diddling around with the MFC Socket classes, and none of my other books seemed to have much material outside the predefined classes (CInternetSession, CHTTPFIle, etc.). I was very glad to see the source code for the CPNSocket class, and it explained a great deal. Seeing the MFC classes just completely bypassed, seemed to prove my own frustrations.

Then, looking at the other chapters, which is rich in MFC examples, I decided I had made an excellent purchase. If you are an MFC programmer at any level, I highly recommend this book.

All around good deal
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-01-22
This book covers a lot of material on both API and MFC programming for Windows. I got it mostly for the Internet topics, since it seemed to have a pretty wide range of topics, including ISAPI extensions.

The sample programs, an FTP program, an emailer, a link lister, and others, were all very neatly written, and the source code described them in good detail. The socket class described in the book as a replacement for the MFC classes, was an amazing piece of work, and discussed each function in a clear understandable manner. I got everything I wanted out of this section, without having to purchase multiple books.

I'm glad to say that I now feel comfortable with several new technologies (to me), and have some excellent sample source code to help me understand it all. Increasing your knowledge in as many possible directions is important in this field, and this book helped me.

Very informative
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-21
It's hard to say where this book fits in exactly, but it does several things nicely. One, it has a very broad range of topics. Going from basic windowing into database and internet programming, but showing the code and step-by-step instructions for each. I didn't read any of the beginning chapters, but then happened to find an interesting section on MFC subclassing with a great demo, and decided that I should probably go back and read the first part.

I especially liked the chapter on database access, and the fact that there are 3 programs that are identifical in every way except how ODBC, DAO, and ADO work with the data. That gave a great chance to compare the various methods. The introduction on database access was good for a beginner, but also had some interesting observations and hints for the more advanced.

The section on the Windows Installer, and creating installation programs is also a topic I hardly see anywhere, so having it all in one nice package was great.

If I had to nitpick, maybe there could have been more on Active Directory for Win2000. But, Win2000 was covered enough to get you started, and the PocketPC programming was covered in a bit more detail.

Summary: I liked it alot. It is right on my shelf now with the Kruglinski and Petzold books.

The most practical book on Windows programming ever.
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-05-22
You can't go on a holiday to Portugal armed with only a Portuguese dictionary and grammar book and hope to converse with the local people. You will be forever turning the page here and there to construct the sentence you want to say. What you need is a phrase book: a book containing common and useful phrases such ` Where is the nearest tourist office please?' or `When is the next train to Lisbon?'.

That's what this refreshingly straightforward and intelligently laid out book, written by Keogh&Giannini, is. It is a phrase book for Windows programmers. The most common scenarios are discussed, with full code given. You won't find obscure situations such as those found in Petzold's oversized Windows Programming book like how to draw an elliptic circle in a window! What you will find in this concise book is useful code such as creating an application where the main window is a dialog box used for data entry through edit boxes. (This very common and fundamental of situations is not addressed in Petzold's book).

Each example is explained sufficiently enough for any programmer to build on or tailor to their needs. And the core explanations are embedded within the code so you won't have to laboriously cross reference with the main body of the text. How refreshingly intelligent is that?!

Whats more, for those new to the Visual C++ environment, step by step instructions on how to use it to enter the code and build it are given in list form e.g. 1) Select File/New menu choice 2) select the Win32 Application project type, and so forth. Most Windows programming books often make the assumption that you know your way around the environment.

And you will find each example written in both MFC and Windows API! Name me a book that has done that?!

The problem with so many Windows programming books on the market including Charles Petzolds and Joseph Newcomers is that they are basically dictionaries, grammar references of the Windows language. They are inaccessible. If these books were to be useful to anyone it would only be to a seasoned Windows programmer who already has a feel for the language, but definitely not for a beginner. These books are not practically organized and don't fit the needs of today's developers. For example, discussions on essential topics such as dialog boxes are left until chapter 11 in Petzold's classic; in Keogh&Giannini's book, it is discussed in chapter 3. And Petzold's book misses a number important programming issues. These are not my own criticisms by the way. These criticisms are those of Dr Dobbs Journal, arguably the most technical journal in computing, certainly more so than those that Petzold decided to quote on the back cover.

In Keogh&Giannini's book , there are bonus chapters on database programming (ODBC), internet programming, Windows CE and 2000 programming, threads, ActiveX controls and lots more.

I am giving this book 5 stars because it is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of accessibility, completeness, conciseness, modern refreshing style, and its use of novel approaches to speed up learning for the impatient novice Windows programmer.

Software
Access 2007 VBA Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer)
Published in Paperback by Wrox (2007-05-14)
Authors: Teresa Hennig, Rob Cooper, Geoffrey L. Griffith, and Armen Stein
List price: $39.99
New price: $22.29
Used price: $21.55

Average review score:

Excellent!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-25
This books was a TREMENDOUS help in writing a Human Resources application for my company. I'm no programmer--but this book helped me a great deal with some of the VB that was needed for the database. I did also rely on the internet a lot but this was a handy tool that covered a majority of the basics--the internet was for more advanced scripting. I highly recommend the book for those who work with Access often...and even for those who want to take advantage of the cool things code will enable you to do.

Great Resource for ANYONE working with Access
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-18
Access 2007 VBA is a great book for experienced and novice programmers alike. It is thoroughly detailed and yet covers the VBA basics at the beginning. What I like about this book is that it covers details that other books seem to always miss. This would include Microsoft Office integration. Or, in other words, the code that lets you work with other Office applications like manipulating Excel from Access or Word from Access. It also goes into working with Outlook and even SharePoint, which are two of the hardest to find information on when working with Access VBA. I am finding this book to be a great addition to my library and I believe you will too.


Bob Larson
Access World Forums Super Moderator
Utter Access VIP

Access 2007 VBA Concisely Explained
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-30
This book delivers exactly what it promises - namely, to provide the reader with the necessary tools to use VBA against the various Access 2007 object models to amplify the capabilities of a custom Access 2007 solution. You will be shown the differences between using the DAO and ADO data access technologies, as well as the costs and benefits of using the older mdb file types versus the new accdb and project-related adp file types. A cogent explanation of the additional security features embedded in Access 2007 is also nicely covered.

The authors present a broad coverage of the subject matter which is amplified by their substantial real world experience - a nice benefit considering the myriad of texts that simply offer a better organized rehash of the help files.

A final comment will address the number of helpful sidebars presented in the text dealing with such issues as: using the "SQL Server Profiler", how to programmatically add, delete, and modify registry entries to persist user related variables; and receiving insider's expert information on undocumented legacy functionality.

An excellent text for what it sets out to accomplish.

Extremely Good Text
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-04
I've been using Access off and on since Windows 95 and Access 2. This is absolutely one of the best texts on VBA I have read. Examples are clear, and appropriate; and explainations are complete without being longer than the need to be. The coverage of Access 2007's new features appears to be right on the money.

Access 2007 Transition
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-18
I starting developing with Access 97 and have used each version since. I specialize in accounting applications and there have licensed several Access accounting applications for modification. This book addressed (easy to understand format) the areas that affect developers most (the U.I., code, classes). It is definitely for the experienced. It is a welcome addition to my library.

Software
Access Forms & Reports For Dummies
Published in Paperback by For Dummies (2005-09-30)
Author: Brian Underdahl
List price: $24.99
New price: $13.42
Used price: $13.42

Average review score:

Makes Access Far More Useful
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 13 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-10
Access is, of course, a database program. Unlike many of the big database programs, it is closely integrated with a quite sophisticated front end package to enable the creation of easy to use input forms and quite good looking reports to take the data stored in the database and present it to the outside world in a clear and useful format.

A database is useless unless you have a way to put data into and take it out of the database. This book mostly covers the setting up of input forms and output reports. It obviously won't be your only Access book, because you'll need something to describe how to set up a database. So this is a specialty book, that does an excellent job of covering this important aspect.

Selecting data out of the database to then present is sometimes a problem. Most beginning books just use the Access QBE to produce the data. Often this is enough, but this book goes just a bit into SQL that allows you to do so much more. While this is not a book on SQL, this is a good start to give you enough information to know if this is a direction you need to go.

All in all, this is a very useful book to enable you to get more utility ot of an Access database.

How not to be an Access dummy
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-10
First, it is important to realize what this book is not. It is not a complete Access reference book. It will not teach you database theory and all aspects of data normalization. It does not cover advanced techniques such as VBA programming, the ADO object model or using the Windows API.

So what do you get from this book? A fantastic introduction to developing forms, reports and queries. In the tradition of the Dummies series, the author gently guides the novice towards building expertise in this narrow but all important aspect of Microsoft Access. With a conversational style, each step in creating a report, form or query is clearly explained. Also, the reasons for creating a report or form, and the differences between the two are presented. Although the title doesn't mention queries, because they are integral to producing reports and forms, several chapters deal with queries. Finally, two chapters discuss enhancing queries with SQL and troubleshooting those queries when things go wrong.

In summary, by spending a few days with the author, via this book, a beginning Access programmer can quickly become adept at designing forms and generating reports.

Best Access book I've found
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-12
I bought a bunch of Access books, but this one is by far the most helpful one yet. It shows me how to do a lot of things I've wanted to do, but simply couldn't figure out on my own (or from any of those other books). You really need to add this one to your collection!

Full of great tricks and useful information
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-11-19
I use Access daily and thought I knew it pretty well. But this book really showed me a lot of new tricks I couldn't find anywhere else. This is by far the most useful book on Access I've found!

Access Forms & Reports for Dummies
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2006-02-27
I have shelves filled with computer "How To" type books and in the past have stayed away from the "Dummies" series thinking them to be a bit too simplified. However, recently I needed to get up to speed with Microsoft's Access, specifically in order to prepare reports. So I bought Access Forms & Reports for Dummies by Brian Underdahl. I found this book to be a refreshing diversion from the normally dry and sometimes obtuse computer books of the past. Mr. Underdahl has a colloquial writing style which is not only entertaining but highly informative. Within a very short period of time I found myself successfully creating Forms and Reports which made my work go much smoother. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to understand Access and quickly create Forms and Reports.

Software
Advanced FileMaker Pro 6 Web Development
Published in Paperback by Wordware Publishing, Inc. (2003-03-01)
Authors: Bob Bowers, Moyer, and Bowers
List price: $59.95
New price: $14.94
Used price: $2.99

Average review score:

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-10-07
If you are working with Filemaker Pro files on the web, this book is essential. Although the title says, "Advanced," I think it would be perfect for beginners also.

Great for Intermediate to Advanced FMPro Developers
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-15
I particularly appreciated the expository style of the book. In a way that I haven't found in many other computer manuals, the authors start with a real problem the reader has and show how to solve it, adding interesting general commentary along the way. For example, I had a problem developing an XSLT document to import variable numbers of repetitions of a field - there, on pp. 330-333 is a brief statement of the problem, specification of a solution, and clear explanation of the code. I recommend this book to any FMPro user who wants to work with FMPro and CDML, PHP or XML/XSLT. Well done! I hope these authors produce other books of the same calibre.

Good book, flawed, but only source for this topic
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-16
This is a very good book, and if you're looking to web-enable your FileMaker 6 application, this is pretty much the only source for in-depth information that's available.

However, this book definitely left me wanting more. I have been building a fairly sophisticated web application in CDML using the Web Companion, the web toolkit that comes built into FileMaker 6. This topic gets less than 50 pages, and feels light. Many of my questions went unanswered. This topic could have been 100 pages, easily.

Two other toolkits, Lasso and PHP, while great options, require you to acquire and install add-on software. Each gets 60+ pages in the book. It's great that there's additional information (possibly required to cover installation), but devoting that much space to things not built into FileMaker, while not giving enough depth to the built-in component, seems like the wrong focus.

Another flaw with the book is that it doesn't really cover larger-scale applications. You get information about how to access, search, modify, and delete data, but you don't really get advice about how to structure a full-blown web application. Things like managing user sessions, authentication, etc., really are not covered at all. You'll need another book (which won't use FileMaker as an example at all) to get information about these basic web application topics.

In the end, this book gave me enough information that I could get started, and a good enough CDML reference that I've been able to figure out a lot more on my own. That makes it quite a good book, well worth the money spent. I would love to purchase an expanded 2nd edition.

I should note that it remains to be seen how well this book will hold up after FileMaker 7 Advanced Server is released. There's a lot of changes in FileMaker 7, and all of the web functionality has moved to the Advanced Server (not yet released), so many things may change...

An excellent course in web development
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-31
This is more than a book, it is really a course in web development. The authors communicate the material in a way that is easy to understand, and the book is filled with examples that you can do as you read. Although the focus is on FileMaker, the knowledge you'll glean will apply to web development efforts with other databases as well. I reviewed and skimmed the chapters out of sequence in order to get a sense of what the book had to offer. Once I had that overview, I began to read the chapters in sequence and I think that's the best approach, as material in succeeding chapters builds on the previous chapters. No stone is left unturned as XML/XSLT, Instant Web Publishing, CDML, Lasso, PHP and Web Services are covered concisely, yet in depth. Take your time with this book; after working through the material you'll be prepared to do web development using any of the aforementioned technologies.

Finally a book that goes beyond the basics
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-16
This is one of the first books that goes beyond a mere rehash of the manual, like most FileMaker books out there. This book is a treasure trove for those who already have their feet wet in FileMaker and are looking to go to the next level.

Software
The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe
Published in CD-ROM by Logos Research Systems (1998-01)
Author: Warren Wiersbe
List price: $49.95

Average review score:

A great Bible commentary!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-05
This is a great commentary. In an expository manner, he explains each book of the Bible in detail. Wiersbe gives background information on topics that help make each passage more clear. It is always beside my Bible when I study! I highly recommend it.

Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary New Testament
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-29
I have found Wiersbe's commentaries very helpful in my study of the New Testament and in particular our recent study of Revelation - the Commentary on Revelation had many very helpful thoughts which I found very useful as I prepared Bible studies for my group.

Must read for every Christian!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
I have not completed reading these books but so far they are exceeding my expectations. Great books for anyone wanting a greater appreciation of the word of GOd and seeking to know him(God) better.

a great commentary in every day language
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-07
As a Bible college graduate and youth pastor, I could not do without this commentary set. Wiersbe uses everday illustrations and gives a good explanation of the text. However as with many commentators, some difficult passages are skipped.

Extremely Useful
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-02
I use these all the time in my studies. Wiersbe writes at a level anyone can understand and provides many insights that his years of study and devotion have provided.
I would recommend both volumes to anyone wanting to gain a deeper insight into the New Testament.


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