Software Books

I first bought this book a year ago, and have used what I learned to optimize computers that I would have normaly considered obsolete. It's allowed me to put off having to upgrade untill the new memory standard (DDR) comes out in march, saving me lots of $. I also bought copies for friends this year (2000) for X-mas. Some may say it needs updating, but the authors web site has all the info you would need updated. Many thanks for the Book Dave!

.............Curtis

I use computer frequently, but I am not that of an advanced user. This book really brings me into a higher level of understanding about how Windows works. The author goes into lots of detail about what happens while Windows is running (e.g. during boot up). Yet, the text is very easy to be understood. This book also gives me a new way to look at computing. A faster CPU doesn't always give you a faster computer. If you think your computer is too slow, THERE ARE things you can do to make it runs faster. When performance matters, you have to give up things that you are used to, but not usful. (I can't complain that my computer is too slow when I am using a fansy theme that costs too much memory.) Also, this book does not simply tell you what to do. The author's explaination enables me to make decisions on my own.

This is not a book that simply tell you how to improve your computer's performance. If you have some experiences in using Windows and want to know more about the operating system, this is a nice size book that can get you started. What's more? My machine is faster now. :)

This book has a huge collection of excellent tips for getting the most out of Windows. Every Windows owner owes it to themselves to go out and get this book!

I am an experienced windows user, and I bought this book because I figured it was cheaper than upgrading my PC. I run a K6 266 overclocked to 300, 160 megs of ram, 7200 RPM 27 Gig HD. Once I implemented ALL of the tricks in this book (This is no easy task... it takes a lot of time, and is very high maintenance), my system out performed my ex-girlfriend's Pentium III 850 with 128 megs of ram for applications (not for games, though it still does those well).

I don't mind making the effort, but some people might. If you have lots of time, and you love customizing your PC, you can't go wrong.

Litestep, registry hacks, DOS utils, 5 partitions on a HD... if you like this kind of stuff, get the book! If you don't know what any of these things are, you may be better off upgrading you PC.

This book is an attempt to collect (and organize) a series of tricks to speed up Win9x machines (it does work for Windows 95, 98 and ME, but most of the advices do not translate to WinNt and Win2000, as the author honestly points out).

The author's idea is that you can actually obtain a lot of performance even from older machines, if you are ready to do some work for it (tracking down utilities, testing different configurations, dropping some "cool effects" in the standard UI and so on).

I've recently applied the book ideas to "renew" a couple of very old machines (a 486-based, 24MB ram Compaq portable and a Pentium-75 with 64 MB Ram). I am not a Windows Guru by any stretch of the term, and I did learn a lot on how Windows is organized in the process. This fact alone is probably worth one extra star in my rating.

The book is clear, and is a good read (i.e. it is not a simple itemized lists of tricks, but tries to tie up things in a coherent thread).

Unfortunately, the end result of my attempts to optimize my two museum-quality machines were less stellar than what other reviewers submitted. I think that the main reason is due to the fact that most of the tips seem to be aimed at computers which have been subjected to a lot of "install-the-new-software-gizmo-I-just-found-in-this-magazine-CD".

If you start from a clean installation (or work on a machine on which little extra sw was installed) there seems to be very little gain from applying most of the techniques offered by the author.

Another problem is that both SW and HW are a moving target, so when you try to obtain some of the utilities which the author recommends, for example, you may find out that the current versions may have grown new requirements which makes installing them on an older machine a little troublesome.

This is even more obvious when we talk about RAM or other HW specific issues.

All in all, I'm pleased with the book, but mostly because helped me to better understand how Windows works. People who already have a lot of first-hand experience in installing and maintaining Windows machines would probably give this book three stars at most.

I'm a part time faculty member at a Boston art school. At the school I teach a class on Digital Illustration using Painter. I myself use the Painter WOW! Book as an instructional tool, and it is actually a required text for the class. If you're at all interested in Painter, reading this book is one of the best things you can do for yourself, it's a must have! Cher's book does not just tell you how you "could" use Painter; she provides real world applications of the tools within Painter to show what you "can" do. Due to the seemingly complex interface, without this book, a new user could potentially be scared away from the application. The Painter WOW! will help you work through the entire application, progressing at your own pace. As for seasoned users, such as myself, you are sure to come away with many new tips and tricks; you'll wonder how you ever worked without them. I started buying the Painter WOW! Books back when version 5 had just been released. WOW! 6 was great, and WOW! 7 is better yet! Not only is this book chalk full of useful information, it's a visual delight. Bravo!

I love Painter--been using it since it was a simple black and white sketch program sold in an imitation cigar box years ago. But this program, which imitates art media digitally, can be a bit complicated to use.

Once you do get acquainted with the basics from the tutorial included with Painter, you can improve your layer techniques, web techniques and practice the projects in this book.

I frankly got this for the CD with extra brushes, papers, textures and stock material. But the ability to go through the examples in the book has improved my technique with Painter. If you use Painter 7 AND Photoshop, there is a chapter on combining the two. That's VERY valuable.

Highly recommended for Painter 7 users.

When I saw a recent review that said the book has only one portrait technique, I just had to point out that it has lots more than that! A quick search turned up "Sketching with Pencils" (OK, the subject is feline rather than human, but still it's a portrait, p. 64), "Drawing with Colored Pencils" (starting from a sketch, p.65), "Gouache and Opaque Watermedia" (also starting from a sketch, p. 84), "Sculpting a Portrait" (using Chalk variants, p. 88), "Oil Painting on Layers" (as the reviewer noted, p. 180), and "Cloning a Portrait" (turning a photo into a painting, p. 215). Wouldn't it be great indeed to have more detailed explanations of the pieces in the "Gallery" sections? But I'm afraid that would make the book too heavy to lift! The step-by-step detail in the techniques is great, and the "Galleries" are there to inspire us.

This book is a great asset in helping one understand and navigate the complex palettes that come with Painter 7. It really helps the artist fine tune and accomplish the desired effects for specific examples. It also discusses the various ways in which to start a painting, either from a photo, a sketch or from scratch. My only disappointment would come from the lack of details on how to achieve the truly great effects seen in the gallery images. I think this book is a wonderful tool for graphic designers like myself. But it really skims the surface on creating great works of art. I think a lot of people who buy painter would love to be able to produce portraits and paintings of their favorite photographs. This book only has one tutorial on portraits and it is oil based. It also spent a lot of time on effects for type, animation and web based graphics. Doesn't Adobe and Macromedia already have these areas well covered. I bought Painter because I want to paint.

I won't add much more to the previous reviews except to say "me too". The manual that comes with the program is very terse and often doesn't go into much detail on how to achieve a particular effect. The Wow! Book, on the other hand, is carefully organized to explore the software section by section, with LOTS of illustrations to us instruction-challenged people. You can use this book instead of the manual, IMO. And Painter is a superb program, it's nice to see it has a superb 3rd party book to support it.

A great read. Much more practical and easier reading than some of the classics in the code inspection theme.

Practical is a key element of this book. Like Wiegers' other books, this one is well written and researched; it provides a concise guide to peer reviews along with a set of useful tools for the practitioner, or "assets" -- documents, procedures, and spreadsheets that you can implement right away to put reviews into practice.

It's amazing, but peer reviews are not a regular practice in many software organizations. Peer reviews are proven to save time, money and promote learning and understanding among project team members. Perhaps one reason for their lack of practice is that there has been, up until now, little in the literature that we can read and put into practice right away. Well, here it is!

One of the nice things about this book is that the author shows you how you can tweak peer reviews to make them work for your team or organization. He give due diligence, the psychological aspects of peer reviews. Wiegers explains all the roles involved, target work products to review, how to prepare for a review, what to record, what to measure, and even how to train on peer reviews.

The book includes a useful glossary, a set of troubleshooting review problems with symptoms and possible solutions, and those very useful assets on the author's web site(...). Example assets include: peer review process description, inspection checklist, spreadsheets for code and document inspection and a set of defect checklists.

Used in the context of careful reading of this book, teams can really do a lot to improve their products and relationships. This is a book to be read by analysts, developers, architects, project leaders and managers who care about the quality and cost of software.

I have attempted over the years to get various organizations to buy into peer reviews. We have lots of evidence why these reviews are highly worthwhile, but their implementation has not been anything to write home about. There's always many reasons why organizations don't buy in or give peer reviews half-hearted support.

In my opinion, this book is an important contribution to the field. I'm sufficiently impressed that I've passed copies of the book to a few busy software development managers, software engineers and business managers so far. They've taken the time to look at it, and they find the book talks to them -- it is clear, addresses their issues, offers practical solutions which they may not have considered before, and is persuasive. I believe the book will have a postive influence in their organizations.

I hope to see copies in lots more people's bookshelves.

Excellent up to date survey of the literature, excellent survey of the many methods and analysis of their differences. A rich insight into the area of peer reviews in general, including Inspections and their variations. Practical for the industrial user. Highly recommended.

Every developer I have known has experienced the phenomena of spending an inordinate amount of time searching for a bug only to have a colleague look at the code and find it almost immediately. Study after study has indicated that the worst review process for software is self-criticism and the best is to have other coders take a good look at it. Therefore, it is logical that a formal process for developers reviewing each others code be implemented. The problem is that the former is informal, making it "off the books" and not subject to review by decision makers. Being human, developers react differently when their livelihood is potentially at stake, which can cause problems and prevent adequate reviews of the code.
Creating a stable, scalable and structured peer review system is not something that can be done by fiat or in a short time. It requires clear managerial direction that inspires confidence and builds a sense of security for both the evaluator and evaluated. Creating such an environment is the key and that is the main point of value in this book.
Wiegers lays out in great detail how to create a culture where all involved are peers in the real sense. It is absolutely necessary that everyone in the review process understand that creating quality software is the only thing that matters. Therefore, posturing, ego tripping, ego inflating, ego protection and all related activities must be suppressed. These are the most difficult tasks for professional humans to engage in, and it requires a combination of carrying a big stick to move the process as well as a soft pillow for the necessary falls from perfection. Wiegers shows you how to do this with the skill of a counselor.
In my reading of the trade press, the recent rise in the concern for computer security has led to a great deal of coverage about errors in software. Responding to this pressure, Bill Gates has sent out a public memo noting that quality is now the number one priority at Microsoft. The best way to achieve this quality is to have an effective peer review process and in this book you can learn how to do that. In the new world order of software, your very survival may be at stake, so your plan of action should include a rendezvous with this book.

Having three daughters, documenting their childhood with photographs is a real priority for me. But I really lacked knowledge on how to take good photographs - I always relied on the auto settings on my camera and the pictures seemed so ordinary. In the attempt to learn more about photography, I purchased this book along with a couple of others. This book, by far, was the most helpful for me. I had been having a hard time wrapping my mind around the concepts of aperture and ISO, but this book really helped me understand! Each picture listed the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, which helped me see what those things were doing to affect how the picture looked. Also, the pictures were so inspiring and gave me tons of ideas on composition. The assignments at the end of each chapter were helpful in developing my skills. The book was very pleasent to read and it's definitely a book for parents aspiring to become better photographers! My only wish was that the pictures also listed what type of lens was used (so that I could buy it and have the lenses that the professionals used!).

Capturing our children, or as a photographer another person's child, is really one of the most important things one can do. In doing so we are providing a legacy and memory for ourselves and future generations. This book does an excellent job of guiding the novice and the professional in how to best capture children as they are. It provides technical information but more importantly provides you with ideas and assignments that will challenge you to use not only the camera but your heart and life experience to take great images of children. I couldn't find a book that was this easy to understand and this encouraging when I was starting out in the children's photography business and so I was very honored to provide images for this book when asked by the author. There are many years of experience and a great heart behind the words in this book so I would highly encourage anyone interested in photographing children to read it.

In addition to Ginny's inspirational photography I found this wonderful book to be informative beyond taking portraits of children. I am new to photography and found lots of ideas and tips for taking better photos of any subject. An additional bonus is the assignments at the end of each chapter to put the techniques into practice. This is a book that I will refer to often. I highly recommend this and look forward to more books by this photographer.

Put this wonderful book in your shopping cart and hit "buy now" as soon as you can. I wish that I had had this wonderful tool twenty years ago when I was starting my children's portrait business. Each chapter really guides you through the tools that you will need to succeed in taking impressive images of children. If you take it seriously, and do the assignments, you just might start seeing things in a different light, so to speak. Whether you just want to capture whimsical images of your own child as he passes through the phases of childhood, or if you truly intend to make photography more than a passion, but a business, then this book will take you to your desired level.Every page will delight you with amazing images of children. The various contributing photographers offer individual treatments to their subjects showing you a variety of what is plesaing. Read it, work it, absorb it and find your place in this fascinating field. I can't get enough of the timeless beach portraits found in Chapter 7.

I read this book as it was being written because I worked with Ginny while I was at Wiley. I was lucky enough to have her use me as her test market for the book because I was a beginning photographer with an 8 year old daughter. I wanted to take memorable photos of my girl, not just posed, ordinary pictures. Ginny's photos inspired me and the way she described in her chapters how to take those unique photos really helped me see portraits and candid shots in a different way. With Ginny's instructions on using light on a face, I took a shot last summer that my family framed. It's lovely - I owe it all to Ginny!

How do professional photographers turn RAW data into fine polished results? Photoshop CS3 RAW: Transform your RAW Images into Works of Art explains how to use the Photoshop CS2 tool, surveying the basics of optimizing RAW images and deciding when to shoot RAW, how to organize and automate their processing, how to tweak the images with professional techniques, and more. Neo-pros need this - and any computer or photography library strong in Photoshop techniques will find it popular.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a fine introduction into CS3 RAW. It is very clear and easy to understand and follow. If you shoot in RAW and use ACR, this book should be in your library.

'Photoshop CS3 Raw: Get the Most Out of the Raw Format with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Bridge' is a great resource for all levels of digital photographers who want to work with images of the highest quality possible. A regular photo who takes images with their camera probably takes them saved in the JPEG file format that has been so widely known and loved for so many years. The problem with this format is that when JPEG is used their is always data lost in the compression used to save the images. This data usually is minimal and not a big deal but if you need the highest quality pictures without any loss or compression at all, you need to save these in a better format. One of those formats is the Adobe RAW format which is the data saved with no data loss at all. These files will be much bigger in size but they also will guarantee that whatever picture(s) you took, you will see everything that was intended to be seen (and saved).

But simply taking the picture isn't enough, as there is tons of post-processing that goes on to get images looking even better than when they were taken. If you want to learn how to edit, crop, saturate, lighten, darken, whatever your heart desires with RAW imgagery, this is a great resource to have!! With nearly 250 pages spread across 12 chapters, this is a great introduction (in full color on glossy paper) to getting the most out of your camera and taking your images from Bs to As!!

This is a great resource to digital editing, my only caveat is that I feel it could be a bit longer. Another 50 pages or so with another example per chapter could have made things even better. A small complaint (and not enough to hurt my rating for the book) but it's worth noting.

If you take RAW images and want to learn how to get more out of them, this book will get you well on your way!!

***** RECOMMENDED

The outstanding thing to note about this book is that is organized very systematically. Instead of being a breathless description of everything you can do with the software, Aaland focuses on why you would do something and how to do it. Its an effort that is fun to read and easy to reference.

Photoshop CS3 Raw: Get the Most Out of the Raw Format with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Bridge
I have been working with Camera Raw since it was considered to be a strange format that most photographers talked about and few if any used. Since that time I have seen it become the format of choice for many professioals and a tsunami of book titles devoted to it. This book is one of the very few books on the topic that not only tells you how to make the most out of using Raw files but also how to hone your photographic skills in the use of the Raw format as well as how to use the portions of Bridge, Camera Raw, and CS3 designed to work with Raw.
The book's content is both straight to the point and well written. Ink is not wasted by the author with lame puns or jokes (if you want a laugh read Dave Berry). One of the greatest things I appreciated about this book is how the author examines each topic thoroughly. For example, in several other Raw books, when it comes to the tool designed to remove Chormatic Abberation (CA), they describe the CA tool and its contols and quickly move on. I do not fault these authors. I am sure they just weren't that sure how to use it themselves. In this book, the problem of CA is discussed, the tool to correct it is explored, and then the author takes you through the steps needed to remove it. Too cool.
If you shoot photos in Raw format, you have to have this book. Once you get it, make sure you sit down and read a secton, download the sample files that are provided for the tutorials, and do them. You can learn a lot reading but you can retain the knowledge that you learned by applying it doing the tutorials.

As all the collection of this books it is good to have this in your personal library to check out how filters work with different kind of pictures, of coarse these books are directed to professional photos, but you can maybe experiment with your personal as well, I just wanted to point that out because in the book the examples given are for applying filters to pictures you maybe wanna show or give to a client.

But as a reference book is just great, I mean someone took the time to write and visually show you all the filters in photoshop and as its name it is a real encyclopedia, where you can look every filter how is going to look like and then decide.

Buy this it will always be useful

Of all the things that Photoshop can do, the Filters option certainly is one of the coolest options available to users. Taking a digital picture or just a standard graphics file, you can use the power of Photoshop Filters to create unique art for whatever purpose you want. From a colored pencil effect to blurring images to one of the newest filters "Vanishing Point", this book is an absolute gem.

If you use Filters on a daily basis and want to see what can be done to take a normal image and make it stand out from the "blah" that is out there in the world, this book is for you. If you are a heavy Photoshop user but want to go beyond the basics of just resizing images and cropping pictures, you will also heavily enjoy this book. Of the 4 books in this Photoshop line I love each one of them and feel that all readers should rush out and pick them all up for their reference.

The only downside of this book really isn't a fair one at all, and that's that I wish there were more pages and examples dedicated to all of the filters covered here. Obviously this isn't a realistic gripe so it's barely even worth mentioning.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For anyone who uses Photoshop in graphic design and or to correct or edit their precious photos, this book is a must have in your library of reference materials. It takes the mystery out of all those scary, misused, underused and never used filters in Photoshop by clearly showing and explaining how to use them and when to use them. This is one fantastic book.

The O'Reilly Studio put their thinking caps on for all ages and levels of expertise at Photoshop. The step by step instructions with options made this, as well as all their other Cookbooks, a delight to learn from and practice with, in an easy-to-understand format. I would love to see them come out with CD's for their books included.

To be frank, I bought this book because to get free shipping, I had to add one more book to my order of "Photoshop Cosmetic Surgery, by Barry Huggins. It was one of many that I could have chosen for this purpose, but I chose it because it appeared that it could illuminate in detail an area of Photoshop that I was interested in exploring in greater depth than I had previously been able to do. In general, I am satisfied with my choice, although there were some areas where I would have liked greater detail and explanation. This book is not for a newbie to Photoshop. It assumes a reasonable degree of familiarity with the program, and simply proceeds, without fanfare, to describe how to use the many filters and their settings. I recommend this book for a reasonably competent Photoshop user who wants to continue to increase his/her mastery over this wonderful and hugely flexible program.

A must-have for anybody working 6.5, 7, and 2000 MSSQL. Very well scoped-out in its depth of coverage. Explains aspects of the RDBMS that will be required knowledge for any DBA coming from a non-MSSQL background. Covers differences from SQL 6.5 through SQL 2000. Sure, there is a lot that is not in here, but it is impressive how much is covered (from basics of physical design, to ACID transactions, to replication-related stored procedures). The smaller form factor makes it easy to carry around, which is an absolute bonus. The material in this book (and the "for Experienced DBAs" book in the Osborne series) must be distilled from a vast amount of real-world experience-- sadly, not out there yet for SQL 2005.

This is an essential book for anyone who works with, or is curious about SQL. This book covers all aspects of SQL from installation to Back Up and restoration scenarios. Covering all flavors of SQL from version 6.5 to current this book is compact and contains an unbelievable amount of knowledge into less than 500 Pages. I could not get over how detailed and clear this book is. After having read many other books on these topics it was truly refreshing to read a technical book that succinctly touched on all aspects of administrating a SQL box.

It was unfortunate to discover that some of what I had thought was good techniques were proved to be flawed, and when after implementing the suggestions in this book I was thrilled to see an increase in efficiency of Data Calls, and Network Load.

It is clear to see that the authors of this book have carefully and clearly defined all that could be needed in a small easy to reference book. This book is a necessity for any desk where SQL Server is running. It is a small cost to pay for so much knowledge, well worth every cent.

If there is one book that you are considering for SQL Server Administration, this is the one to buy. Covering all the major topics of administration, this book goes above and beyond other SQL Server books for several reasons. Not only does it live up to the promise of an easy to find guide for everyday tasks, it offers the ability to read up quickly on several advanced topics and gain knowledge rapidly. Taken into consideration, are the three latest versions; SQL Server 2000, 7.0 and 6.5, detailing out differences between versions where applicable. Everything is explained clearly. The authors have done an excellent job of providing a wealth of information in short and concise content. It is very refreshing to see a book that was obviously written to be as brief possible without skimping on important details...clearly no fluff here!!!! This has two benefits to the reader, 1; information is easy to find, no time is wasted reading through frivolous content, 2; the cost is lower than those 1,000 page volumes that contain less valuable information. Hopefully this is the start of a new trend in technical books.

In just a few minutes after flipping through, and reading up on backups, I realized that I'm not backing up my production data properly, and can substantially decrease data loss risk by backing up my transaction logs regularly with the data. Also, some security concepts I had a bit of difficulty fully comprehending became clear to me as well.

Reading through this book, it is obvious the authors have extensive experience with SQL Server, as this book has many insider tips that only experts would know through practice. It is also apparent that the authors worked well together as this book reads as though one person wrote it. Definitely a must buy and well worth the cost. I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars.

This was a great read! Very concise and packed with useful information that no DBA should be without. Whether you are a SQL specialist already or new to SQL altogether, this book is packed with great information in one, small and manageable format and an easy read. Kudos to Steve and Damir!

Even though I have read only the first two chapters so far, I can still say this book is definately worth owning. The amount of information in the introductory chapters alone make this book a worthwhile purchase, especially given its relatively low price. The author's writing style is conversational without being condescending or idiotically simplistic. Reading the book, I feel I have an experienced friend giving me many worthwhile tips and suggestions. I really think you will find this book to be a worthwhile purchase.

This is a great resource. Like other have said, it fills in a blank space in NOT JUST the C# world, but programming in general. 3-D Charts are usually just sold by those who know how to make them - very little exists for those who want to know the best algorithms for making them. This book (and accompanying code) is a fairly comprehensive resource on efficient algorithms in that area.

The accompanying code (Chart3d / 2d lib) is very nice. There are a few dohs! in the Chart3Dlib that I've noticed, that are easily fixed (modifying the original data while performing graphing computations). Comments are present, and the code is well written and understandable.

Hi,

I am learning lot from this book. This is really helpful.

Thank you

Sri

This is a book very suitable for a c# beginner and it provides a set of code that can be applied in real life. I really learned a lot from it.

Pratical C# Charts and Graphics is an excellent book for those who are interested in learning and using graphic plotting and charting skills. The various problems (examples)introduced require a fair level of mental dexterity and previously learned C# programming skills. Some examples require a good understanding of Trigonometry and Geometry.

I would recommend that it be used both as a learning and reference tool.

Clear text, easy understanding for the C# developer.
It teaches from basic levels to high, explaining every step taken. If you follow the book from the start, in the end, you'll have in hands a powerful 3D charting library that you understand from the bits.

The best book I've bought this year.

This book covers every topic in computer graphics. I'd recommend it for the computer graphics student and/or enthusiast.

This is Grady's first book and it sets the tone for his later two books, Successful Software Process Improvement and Software Metrics: Establishing a Company-wide Program. What makes this book so important is that it is one of the first to integrate software metrics with project management metrics.

What I particularly like about this book includes:

(1) Complete view of metrics that matter, and the chronicle of how these metrics evolved in a large company (Hewlett-Packard).
(2) Recognition that any software metrics initiative extends beyond the project that delivers the software - Grady examines post-production metrics and ties them back to not only the development life cycle, but the product life cycle as well. Ten years after this book was published there are still large organizations that are struggling with doing this, yet Grady's book provides a clear roadmap to achieving this elusive goal.
(3) Continuous improvement is the central theme in this book. Grady does not stop with collecting and analyzing metrics, but how to effectively employ them to spot improvement opportunities and develop a strategy to effect those improvements.

The book is written as both a story of how a successful metrics program evolved, complete with anecdotes that will prove helpful, and as a collection of data that illustrates what is and is not important to a comprehensive metrics program.

Among all of Grady's books I like this one the best; however, I recommend that his other two also be carefully read if software process improvement is your goal. He has much to say and backs it up with data and a chronicle of his experiences from real projects.

I bought this book about 5 years ago after getting certified as a project manager. This book give me a holistic view of how to intepret data collected from tracking the entire software lifecycle and manage and integrate best practices into a software business.

The author's vast experience in HP helps to provide good assurance that his concepts used were tried and robustly tested. Therefore, software failures, internal flags and customer feedbacks can immediately give you a fairly visible prognosis to the robustness of a release and flashes early warning signs of how you should manage that product to reduce damage to your business, etc.. Practical for technical managers having to manage the business operations.

Whether you're a fledgling company trying to design quality software with no guidelines to go by or a well-developed organization with processes in place, this book offers up many ways that you can improve your software quality.

I was introduced to Mr. Grady's work when I borrowed a copy of Software Metrics: Establishing a Company-Wide Program. Where that book interwove a storyline into metrics and how they support mature process improvement, this book is more like a desk reference. Mr. Grady has divided this book into two parts: tactical metrics, which are project-oriented, and strategic metrics which address process improvement.

The first part starts with a collection of practical rules of thumb for software managers. This collection of heuristics covers every phase of the development life cycle and are backed up with data gathered during 125 software projects at Hewlett-Packard. An example of one of these rules of thumb is that you will find 1 defect after software has been released into production for every 10 defects caught during testing. This, of course, is purely empirical, but is an interesting rule that I mentally filed away. Some highlights of the first part are: a good introduction to the goal-question-metric approach to determining what to measure based on your objectives, and a focus on project goals of maximizing customer satisfaction while minimizing project schedule and costs, and product defects. This is followed by chapters that address each of these goals. One of the best chapters in the first part of this book is work analysis. While I am more focused on the service delivery side of metrics (after the project has produced something that has been released into production), some of the metrics were very valuable to me - especially the ones that revolved around testing and QA.

Part 2 is squarely in my domain - production and application support, and service delivery. The best chapter, Dissecting Software Failures, was one of the most insightful descriptions of the defect life cycle I have ever read. It fully addresses defect data collection and analysis, and how to use this data to effect process and product improvement. Even better is the chapter on investing in process improvement. Here Mr. Grady gives a workable approach to using the defect data to developing a business case for process improvement. He guides you through developing a plan, selecting from among an array of solutions, and case studies.

This book is a quick read. It's main value lies in the many tables and facts provided on nearly every page. I use it as a desk reference, especially the appendices that summarize defect origins, types and modes, and metrics definitions. It spans both project and production metrics, and is as valuable to project managers as it is to application support professionals.

Although this book is over 10 years old, it could have been written this year. The concepts are still relevant.
The author concludes that there are 2 primary reasons to undertake a metrics program for software development -- 1) tracking progress and 2) identifying improvements. The book is divided into 2 parts, with the first part discussing project management metrics and the second part metrics to improve your software development processes. I particularly liked the goal/question/metric approach to validate the metrics you are collecting. The text is loaded with examples from the author's experience at HP. There are several charts and diagrams. This is not an academic read, but as the title says -- practical. The author also covers people issues, such as selling your metrics program to management and staff. It is a quick read and a very useful reference book.

This is a great reference, giving a good overview of most common test methods. Good bases for in-depth study or to structure a class around.

Lee Copeland's book, "A Practitioner's Guide to Software Test Design" provides an easily read introduction into a critical but often ignored subject. As those familiar with the IEEE Standard for Software Test Documentation (IEEE-Std-829) know, Test Design is the first step in turning the "What" of the Test Plan into the "How" of test execution. The IEEE Test Documentation lifecycle is Test Plan - Test Design - Test Case Development - Test Procedure Development - (Test Execution) - Test Summary Report creation. Many test engineers proceed directly from Test Planning into Test Procedure creation, and do Test Design implicitly as opposed to explicitly. This can have a negative impact on an effective test program. This book clearly shows how to implement the test design process described in Drabick's book "Best Practices for the Formal Software Testing Process".

Lee's book provides a concise description based on excellent Case Studies of Black-Box (Requirements Focused) test techniques, moving from the simple (Equivalence Class and Boundary Value testing) to the more complex (Domain Analysis and Use Case testing). He provides the best description I've seen of test case development using orthogonal arrays. Lee then addresses White-Box (Structural Focused) testing, showing how to approach Control Flow and Data Flow testing. Again, he has the best description with illustrative examples of Data Flow testing that I've ever seen.

Lee then describes two Test Paradigms: Scripted Testing and Exploratory Testing that appear to be significantly different, and shows how the two can be used together for even more effective testing. That's the way I've always done testing, by the way.

His Defect Taxonomies chapter provides valuable insight on how to use such information in test design (I never thought of that), and he concludes with a short chapter that addresses the critical question When to Stop Testing.

The Case Studies on "Brown & Donaldson" and "Stateless University Registration" are effectively used to provide valuable insight into the techniques.

This book would be a good read in combination with the book from Rick Craig and Stefan Jaskiel, "Systematic Software Testing".

In summary, this book is well done, is an easy read, and should be read by every test engineer.

Most texts on software testing have a chapter or two which describe test design techniques. This is the first text that is devoted exclusively to this subject. There is little in the way of theory. The text is practical and provides the software test professional with clear explanations and examples of test techniques that have been proven to be effective.

Although Copeland covers both black box (behavioral) and white box (developer oriented) test techniques, the majority of the test design techniques described are black box. Each technique is explained along with its applicability, advantages/disadvantages, along with references for more information.

For what can be a dry subject, Copeland effectively used humor to make this book very readable.

I also appreciated the chapter summaries, key points in the margins, and a thorough works cited -- including several web articles. Highly recommended.

The top two software testing books that I recommend are Systematic Software Testing (ISBN 1580535089), and this gem. Whereas the first book gives a complete process and accompanying practices, this one focuses on a collection of highly effective techniques that every test professional should have in his or her toolbox.

Copeland starts off with an overview of testing as a process, followed by case studies. These lay the foundation for the techniques for which a chapter is devoted to each technique. The chapters on the techniques are divided into collections of techniques that are most effective for blackbox (seven) and whitebox (two) testing. The next chapters are devoted to scripted testing with an emphasis on IEEE 829, exploratory testing, and test planning. The book wraps up with an outstanding chapter on software defect taxonomies, advice on when to stop testing, and case studies.

So why did I state this book is a page turner? Copeland has masterfully used humor, statements that catch you off guard, and a warm conversational style to hold your attention. Among the priceless gems of humor are the off-the-wall quotes that he uses in front of each chapter. One of many examples of how he holds your attention by catching you off guard is in Chapter 6 on pairwise testing: 'Why does pairwise testing work so well? I don't know', which he then follows up with one of the most cogent explanations of the technique I've had the pleasure of reading. As an aside, his treatment of pairwise testing - and the power of that technique - is reason enough to read this book.

Another aspect of this book I like is the thoroughness with which he presents techniques. This includes citing the work of other well known practitioners, using case studies, summaries, practice scenarios, and additional references for each chapter. Copeland also has a talent for clearly articulating and conveying complex topics and concepts, adding to this book's value as both courseware and a working reference.

If you are a software testing professional, or you are responsible for teaching this discipline this is one of the top books in my opinion. It is not as wide in scope as Software Testing: A Craftsman's Approach (ISBN: 0849308097), but it makes up for that by covering the essentials in the clearest possible manner.

This information in this book is simply presented and very easy to apply.

I think the price is a bit high compared to a related book (Systematic Software Testing by Rick D Craig and Stefan P Jaskeil). I managed to get the other book (536 pages) for about $40.00. While the other book represents much better value, I still bought this one and would do it again. If you can only buy one, I'd suggest getting Systematic Software Testing.