Software Books

I have met Jeffrey Zeldman at WebBuilder 2002 in Las Vegas and he gave me a copy of this book. Although the audience of the book is "traditional" designers and my background is more of a technical one, I still found it extremely useful.

Zeldman writes in a very light tone, which makes reading the book very easy and enjoyable.

This book gives a good overview of Web Design till 2001.
People who are interested in where the web is coming from will like this book. If your are looking for how web design is done today anno 2005 I would like to recommend Jeffrey Zeldman book "Designing with web standards".

Even though some of the content in this book is outdated (such is the nature of a book based on the internet, which evolves daily), it is still a mainstay in my collection. I would recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in web design.

Jefferey Zeldman teaches basic, foundation building principles that you will use almost daily during your tenure as a web designer. If your looking for a book to hold you by the hand and teach you how to perform specific actions with step by step coding, this isn't your book. Instead, it touches upon ideas and methods. Zeldman covers topics from designing good navigation to fundamental steps in working with a potential client.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It would have received a perfect score if it wasn't for some outdated material. Purchase this book, it should be a part of any collection.

A thorough, comprehensive and usable book for people trying to migrate from traditional media into the (sometimes) scary world of new media.

Jeffrey Zeldman's unique voice permeates the entire book, holds your hand, and gently guides you through the ups & downs of working with the web. His examples are concise and to the point, his writing style (as always) humorous and friendly, and, most importantly, you get the feeling that he truly loves this medium, and would like nothing more than being able to help another person discover just what the fuss is all about.

Should be on the shelf of every designer - no matter what your level of experience is.

This book opened my eyes to issues such as accesibilty, css and xhtml, I now have a site that is fast to load and easy to update. I found this book to be an easy read,[ I am neither a graphic designer nor a trained web designer] I really like Zeldman's writng style and will use some of his points in my classes web design for photographers. The mix of code and ideas was great and for once I just read the book rather than being tempted into turning on my computer and starting work.

Very well organized, and good content.
Id like to see more diagrams or so, so we can se how they decide to build the things... but it still is great.

I think this is one of the best books on this subject that I have read so far- very practical, very useful. There is a lot of information, real-life examples and experience from the .NET framework design team.

As a professional I have worked many times on building re-usable and extensible frameworks. Therefore, I had to read several books in order to make sure that the framework I was building was doing what it was supposed to do. However, in all these years I had never the luck to get a complete guide of "building a framework the right way" and I had to always put together pieces from different articles in order to make my own guide. Well, there you have it! Buy this book, read it and you will have a complete guide of how to do things the right way. Another great thing about this book is that different professionals make their comments about almost every guideline. As a result you are not only exposed to writer's view but also to the views and opinions of many well respected software professionals. Do buy this book and as hard as it might seem try to apply its recommendations to your daily development process.

If you need to write C#/.Net or even Java, this book is a must have.

I don't personally think that all developers will find this book useful. In fact, I have a feeling that some may find it highly useless and disruptive as it is abstract in a sense (one must apply the lessons to each library and scenario independently, taking into consideration many different aspects of usability and readability) and it does require some "retraining" of bad practices which have been long since ingrained due to years of usage.

But whether this book deserves a five star rating or a one star rating - whether this book is for you - can be answered by asking yourself the following question: are you obsessed with quality? Quality in the sense of creating a library that is:

- Easily reused by others, even first timers encountering the library or even first timers to .Net
- Well thought out with well designed classes
- Consistent within itself and consistent with the base libraries from Microsoft

The importance of the little things like naming classes, properties, methods, using one type of construct over another, using one type of accessor over another, etc. cannot be stressed enough in the overall picture of creating a library to a higher standard of quality, usability, and extensibility.

As Confucius is to have said:

"If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success.

"When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music do not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.

"Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately. What the superior man requires is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect."

As I wrote in an e-mail to my team, I think that digesting this book will lead to: higher quality public facing APIs for our customer development teams seeking to extend the functionality, increased readability and more consistency internally in our teams, increased usability and decreased maintenance costs for the support teams as well as new developers on our team, and of course, increased skill, knowledge, and competency as developers of each of the team members.

Many "how-to" business books pretend they are going to show you how to take your business from nothing to hundreds of millions in sales overnight.

"Micro-ISV" is refreshingly different.

First, it is written specifically for those who want to bring personal computer software to the market through their own small, independent company. Second, it is about small companies. There is little here for the person who believes they are going to become a software billionaire. Rather, this is for the person with a good idea who wants to launch a software development and publishing enterprise that will remain small, except in the most exceptional circumstances.

There are, in fact, thousands of small software publishers throughout the world who earn respectable incomes from their efforts. Some are truly small and the earnings of their publishing enterprise supplement the income from their day job. Others make quite significant sums from their products.

Third, Bob Walsh does not peddle dreams or impossible schemes. He lays out a practical program for every step of creating your own "Micro-ISV" from having a vision, as he puts it, through developing and marketing your product. He even covers forms of business organization, which would be helpful for the complete neophyte.

Walsh's orientation is toward Microsoft and the Universe it has created, which is about 90% of all the computers in the world. He offers a lot of extremely useful information about Microsoft and how even the smallest developer can benefit from their many support and assistance programs. Speaking from personal experience, Microsoft's support for developers is truly outstanding and Walsh presents the most detailed exposition of their developer support programs I've ever seen. (Note that some of Microsoft's programs have changed since "Micro-ISV" was published.)

There are many sidebars featuring interviews with successful small developers or short case studies. Some of the interviews are fascinating such as those with David Allen, the author of "Getting Things Done", an approach to time management that has attracted an almost cult-like following (and that is a compliment) and Joel Spoelsky, founder of Fog Creek software, who is something of a legend in his own time.

Overall, this is a remarkable how-to business book for anyone who believes they have an idea for a marketable software product.

Jerry

This book has a lot of good information on starting your own Micro-ISV. It does focus a lot on PC based software instead of Corporate Enterprise Software, but to be fair it's harder to build and sell Enterprise Level software with a few people.

There are lots of good interviews with people that have succeeded in starting their own company and as expected it's not an easy route, but most seemed to be enjoying what they do.

Great book!

As expected, it gives guidelines for becoming a Micro-ISV providing useful information in many topics: Product definition, cyber-infrastructure, market exposure, quality, support management, community relationships, law and payments.

Provides a good number of interviews from diverse entrepeneurs, talking about their producs, business stories and advices for beginners.

After reading it, i feel very motivated to follow the Micro-ISV road.

This excellent book deserves to become the definitive manual of the mechanics of software development for small (`micro') Independent Software Vendors. Not only for the in-depth content (some of which will quickly become obsolete given the speed of technical progress), but perhaps more importantly the description and outline of an approach to the business. Each of the seven chapters have right-now, to-the-point tips and tricks, along with the reasons for them, as well as an outstanding index and rich external references. This covers all the bases, and a few other things as well, and although well written by a seasoned and successful master, it has all the depth necessary to become a well-used reference manual. An excellent companion to this book is `The Business Of Software' by Eric Sink, from a broader perspective animated by anecdotes of his company's path to success.
Eric Sink on the Business of Software (Expert's Voice)

I only read half the book. Then why still rate it four stars?

Having my own ISV for over six years now I have arrived at the point of having 10 people in my staff and having experienced most things any startup will bump upon. Sometimes that makes you think you've seen it all by now, but this is an illusion.

No matter how many staff you have working for you, there will always be a Micro ISV within the company... you! Exept for any partners, no one will do your job of creating the company or product vision and has the same kind of commitment. Some would say that's sad to hear, but I think this is reality. You hire most people to complement you on your own skills, so most of the time don't expect the vision to come from them.

Going through this book I sometimes skipped some of the pages. Some things I knew just to well to read about again, some applied on starting your own business and some parts applied to US / UK law only. Still, I managed to gain a lot of knowledge, ideas and feedback from this book.

Thinking of starting your own ISV business? Then get this book first! Already a business owner with some experience under the belt? The pick your paragraphs and read what you have to. Great book, especially for ISV startups!

This is an excellent hands-on learning guide. I have been able to put the new skills to use in my own personal files right away.

Very useful guide for studying for the MS Office Specialist certification.
Well laid out.

This is the best book ever for someone that needs to learn anything about excel and how to use the spreadsheets, workbooks and any function within. I would recommend this book to users that have never used excel to the more advanced user that needs to utilize other aspects that they have never used before. Great book.

Excellent how-to book!!! you will be taken by your hand to learn in a easy way how to work in excel

I am so glad I bought this book in that it went and showed me the little details that you may not always hit in your normal day to day workings of Excel. I also bought Microsoft office step by step but I never got to use it as this book was all I needed! I will be buying the Microsoft Wor dversion next.

Oh by the was within two weeks I took the specialist test and passed by quite a bit.

I still have no idea what Stronghold is, but I spent many meaningful hours reading this volume on the crapper. Makes a fine gift!

I just want to say that my wife demanded that I send some money to one of those save-our-children sponsorships for a village in Vietnam, and that instead I bought this book. Boy was it worth it! Screw that Vietnamese village. This book is worth FIVE Vietnamese villages!

...I'm going to read it again, and again...

Actually, I'm going to get copies for all my friends, and family members, too. I think this one is much better than "Bible for Dummies!" and *certainly* much better than "Sex for Dummies!" (A book that should never have been published, IMO. If you need a manual for that, you shouldn't be breeding...)

You should get this book! We should all get this book! Blows the hell out of the competition!

When I picked up this book I thought it was just another server reference for my shelf, but boy was I wrong! The Official Stronghold Guide not only reveals the innards of Stronghold's unique flexible server architecture with such loving and engrossing detail that a master of fiction would be shamed, but Parekh also manages to simulteneously unravel many delicate issues of humanity and human nature along the way. As I read I found myself uncovering hidden truths about myself and resolving personal issues that have been plauging me for years. Unique and humourous, insightful beyond it's scope. A true masterpiece. I have the courage to smile again, and I owe it all to Parekh. And my server is in top shape too!

This work is a gripping testament to the power of the free flow of information, and its ability to shape the world. It is stunning in its intensity.

A good book that has a lot of Domino Information.
I find myself referencing it from time to time.
A nice tool to have at your disposal.

Although this book is a bit dated covering Domino R5, I would still say it has been a very valuable aide in learing Domino/Lotus administration on R6.5.3. I wish there had been some flow charts on the routing process at the end of chapter 8, and some packet header diagrams of the Notes RPC protocol.

I would recommend this book to anyone new to the Domino/Lotus notes world.

Great Reference. Go here first then look elswhere! I just HOPE Mr. Kirkland and NewRiders come to some agreement and get an updated version for R6/6.5 soon to be 7 out.

Invaluable!!!!! If I had to do in the trenches domino administration and could only bring one book with me this would be it.

When I was a Jr. Notes Administrator this book gave me the level of knowledge and understanding of Domino and Lotus Notes that I needed to move into a more senior position in a very short amount of time. My now-dogeared copy is still by my side every day at work as I continue to learn from this all-inclusive, easy-to-read manual. From setting up your first server to understanding Domino system architecture, "Domino System Administration" covers it all. This book is truly a "must have". I am desperately hoping that Mr. Kirkland writes an updated version for Domino/Notes 6!

If you buy any book for administering Lotus Notes/Domino, buy this one.

Wow, could this be the best computer book ever written? Well, if you are using Oracle and you want to understand how Oracle works, it just might be. It's packed with performance information, and even if you are not using Oracle this will be helpful for any (esp for Postgres users)

This is hands down the best book I've read on Oracle. It should be mandatory reading for anyone working with an Oracle database. Period.

I have close to 15 years of experience with Oracle, and have designed and developed large scale (>1TB) transactional systems. I've worn the hats of DBA, architect, developer, consultant, etc. The information in this book is invaluable.

If you work with Oracle this is a manual you need on your desk. Not just for DBA's but also for developers who will derive a good insight into how they should be developing their code.
Very technical but not to the point that brain freeze occurs.
Would highly recommend it.

This book is accurate and undoubtfully an excellent source to learn more about the Oracle Database.
Tom is an author full of humor with a versatile approach to performance. In his book he shows his approach to performance and put light on common practice like database independence and read-write consistency or like constraints enforced by triggers and autonomous transaction.
No doubt I learned a lot in this book!

I actually helps you understand, rather than just throwing information at you (as many books do)

Thank You Fergal, for a "steady pen" in writing "Microsoft .NET for Programmers". The use of a FUN case study (Poker client-server) to synergize understanding of .NET principles in a "real-life" application is a boon to communicating such a vast subject.

Though this book seems geared to other than beginners (in both C# and .NET), starting at page 1, reading and doing the examples, and maintaining a steady course until the last page, is sure to "enlighten" the .NET inquiring mind. A more global perspective and understanding of this large subject is pretty much guaranteed.

One foot in front of the other, put yourself through the paces: Buy the book, download the files, read the prolific and responsive author participation list on Manning, read and practice from cover to cover. Your programming skills in .NET will be enhanced enjoyably for all future .NET ventures. As a bonus, you'll go to sleep at night without that large and uneasy .NET question mark look on your face.

Cover all the what and how-to about .NET in a simple and clear way. Can't believe the author does that so nicely in 300 pages. Great for experience programmer get started with .NET

Ok, this book means business. 2 chapters intro about .NET then right into the code. The problem is that IF you don't have a background in C, C++ or C# you are hosed. I had my geeky .NET Microsoft head brother help me with it. Otherwise, excellent book. For 4GL, COBOL and VB programmers like me not familiar with any of the C flavors, I recommend Microsoft Visual C# .Net step-by-step from Microsoft Press written John Sharp and Jon Jagger.

This is one of the best technical books I have read. It takes a very large subject and distills it down to a concise and manageable text.
Each chapter takes you further into .Net in a fast paced yet very well-explained way. The poker game developed in the book is also fun to play with and enhance.
This is a must-read text. However, read an introductory book first.

I've been through many of the C# books, some from Microsoft Press, and some from O'Reilly, and on and on.
For beginners there is no clear winner. However, for experienced programmers looking to expand their knowledge into many of the more advanced areas of C#, I recommended Grimes book, Microsoft .NET for Programmers.

It's for intermediate to advanced, and it's quite a bit of fun working through the example that builds and builds upon an engine, adding many interfaces, where each interface exploits a particular area of .Net. Plus he throws in his years of programming expertise to add in lots of programming tricks that also highlight .Net's flexibility and ease of programming.

Do svidanija - moi tovarischi!

I am an experienced developer but fairly new to VB.NET. This book is not for beginners but it is great for someone like myself who knows what they want to do and just wants some good examples and tips. It's a great reference book and a good alterative to Google. The English is clear and to the point. The book is a sturdy hardback and the pages are well laid out. It's easy to read afters hous of staring at a screen. To sum up, I'm glad that I brought it. It has saved me time and money and you can't ask for much more than that :-)

There is a lot of information in this book, covering a broad range of subjects. It is well laid out and easy to reference. The CD comes with the current version of the book as well as the author's previous book on VB6. Not really a beginner's book as there are more intermediate and advanced topics. I had not used .NET and hadn't touched VB6 in a couple of years. I needed a resource to help jump from rusty VB6 skills to .NET - this book did it perfectly. It is also filled with advanced topics that I am not currently using but now know where to go when the need arrives.

Fast service, great quality... What more can you ask for. I recommend this seller.

I bought this book few years. It is an excelent source of information and writers style is very clear. I just came back to see if Balena has book for C# 2005. Looks like I found something. I am going get that one. However, present book is quite good, check if there is a newer release you may want to get that one.

This was the first .NET book I purchased, and in many ways if I hadn't bought any others it would have been sufficient. It has thorough coverage of the .NET environment, with lucid code examples in VB.NET. I found the chapters on ADO.NET and the framework internals to be most useful to my job as an ASP.NET developer, but the coverage is deep enough that a person with very little programming experience could read this book and come away as a well-rounded .NET programmer. Even if you're writing in C#, as I am, the book is worth the money. I would also recommend Dino Esposito's Programming Microsoft ASP.NET for more depth if you're a web developer.

I found this book to be extremely helpful in constructing an eCommerce site. It's a great book for an experienced VB developer to use to jump into developing an e-commerce site, even if you only go through the PayPal integration. It's also a great source of material on the construction of a shopping cart, and even if your "shopping cart" is only going to be used on a companie's intranet for product/supply request/issue, it's a great starting point. As a developer I can modify the business tier code to conform to my companies requirements and concentrate on the presentation layer.

This little book is chock-full of detailed explanations and examples of an e-commerce site built with ASP.net and an SQL database. It's simply the best and definitely most-used technical book on ASP.net I've picked up in the past 2 years! In addition to the detailed explanations, I especially like the lucid examples of creating and calling the SQL Stored Procedures. Learning by example seems to be the most effective way for this novice programmer to complete an e-commerce site, and this book has greatly reduced the amount of time it normally takes to scan through multiple sources of technical information when creating a complex application. Thanks to the authors, Christian Darie & Karli Watson, for providing a comprehensive resource!

I've used this book to construct my first e-commerce website, and I don't think I could have managed without it. The 3 tier design of the sample site is very well organised and easy to adapt to your own requirements. It also makes it simpler for a novice like me to understand how everything works. I found the second part of the book (dealing with the order pipeline and credit card transactions) harder to follow. However, when I contacted the authors about a problem I was having, I received a prompt and friendly reply that soon got me back on track. Thanks, Cristian and Karli!

This is an exeptionally well written book for the beginning webstore developer with

It walks you through a complete design of the side with the end result that you have a basic webstore that you could actually take operational. The only weakness in the credit processing section. It's written for a European credit card gateway. It would be nice if one of the more popular US gateways (e.g. authorize.net) was also included.

I also sent a couple of questions to the author and he was responded very quickly ... obviously he's interested in making sure everyone reading the book is successful. 5 stars for that alone.

This is primarily a book about constructing an ASP.NET web site using stored procedures, and less a book about e-commerce. There are a few sections, mostly at the end, which are specific to e-commerce. These include the order processing pipeline chapter and the credit card transactions chapter.

This is not to say the book is bad. It's very well written and the code is described step-by-step in detail. There could have been more emphasis on architecture, and a little more on e-commerce. I would also like to see some emphasis on the sticky legal issues like customer data management, password security, transaction security, and how and when to migrate the data off of the machines on the open Internet and back into safe storage on the Intranet.