Software Books

I consider myself an intermediate Excel user and amateur VBA programmer. However my knowledge of formulas and functions is lacking, so I purchased this book. Within the first few pages I was learning things about selecting ranges, paste special, etc that I didn't know before. The book explains many basic worksheet functions and also covers forms and controls, Analysis Toolpak functions, Lists, Advanced Filters, Subtotals, Solver and Goal Seek. Uses easy to understand examples to illustrate formula usage. It was able to explain Advanced Filter in a way I was finally able to understand. I'll have to read through the book again just to make sure I didn't miss anything, that's how much information was being conveyed. It does include some statistical functions and business modeling which was a bit advanced and isn't really much use to me, but overall it's an extremely helpful book. A great addition to anyone's Excel library and it will be at fingertip's reach for a long time to come.

I got a copy of this book through a publisher I work with and think it's amazing. The author does a great job of making formulas and functions accessible and practical for the reader in a way that the online help is unable to do. Each description of a function comes with practical and interesting examples of how to apply what you've learned. This new series from Que is going to be a great addition to their lineup.

I bought this book to get the definitions of the ODDF... and ODDL... bond functions used in Excel, as the mathematical definitions of both these functions and the parameters used in them, as given in the MS Excel 2000 Help topics, are missing a crucial 10% of the needed text. Unfortunately, there are major errors in concept in the discussion of the Excel ODDL... and ODDF... bond functions in this book (July 2004 printing). The author appears to have guessed at how these functions are to be used and at the meaning of certain parameters used by these functions, and guessed horribly wrong. He has communicated to me that any changes to be made will be made on release of the next edition. I have no reason to believe that any other material in the book is incorrect. (A rating was required for this warning to be submitted.)

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I have been teaching Excel and other Microsoft application for twelve-years, and I still found new information in this book.

The information is from the basic to the "WOW, Who thought of that?" Working with and calculating TIME and DATE functions has always been a pain....pain solved Chapter 10. Automated time cards are a breeze.

If you already know a lot about Excel, but don't use all the features everyday, then this book will help get started quicker when you need to use seldom used functions and create really robust formulas.

I was so proud of one very complex formula I almost had it tattooed to my leg.

Keyword: ALMOST

This is a really useful book. It's a must if you need to look deep into the Function Point Analysis and get a clear understanding of what this is all about. As a professional and local instructor in Function Point Analysis I've got a lot of inspiration from this book for my course. I believe that beginners would gain even more from this book, however. It covers all topics from the current IFPUG Function Point Counting Practices Manual (release 4.1). It guides you all the way through the whole process and presents a lot of examples and additional explanations on the way.

Beside the operational guidelines this book also describe the Function Point Analysis in the perspective of related topics as e.g. estimation and benchmarking. Those topics are covered very thoroughly as well and the book provides a good insight in how Function Points can be used as a management tool.

In the last chapters "hot issues" as applying Function Points to GUI applications and OO-system development are discussed. Some very useful guidelines are presented here, indeed. But it's my personal experience that mapping OO components to the Function Point concept might be quite more challenging that the book indicates.

Published in 2001, this is a very detailed book on Function Points that follows the guidelines in the 4.1 version of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) standard. Function Point metrics originated in IBM back in the 1970's and spread slowly out to the rest of the world in the late 70's and early 80's. As with anything originating from IBM, it's a process that's heavy on detail and requires a lot of work to get it right. Over the years, FPA has got more and more technical, to the extent that you really need to get certified in it these days (when I first took an FPA course in the early 80's, it wasn't nearly as comprehensive as it is these days, 20 years on..). The authors of this book between them have published a number of articles on the subject and have more than a few years of experience under their respective belts.

The book kicks off with an overview that provides a useful introduction for those "new" to software estimation, although it's still pretty heavy going and it assumes a process-heavy background. If you've worked for a large organization with a comprehensive PMBOK-like methodology, it'll all make sense. If not, you're going to have a headache by the time you finish the first chapter. . There's some good advice on preparing for IFPUG (International Function Point User Group) certification and the authors emphasize the fact that FP counting should only be performed by certified counters. IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO REITERATE - FP counting should only be performed by certified counters!!!! Keep this in your mind at all times. FPA is "Estimating-Heavy", not estimating-light. It don't come cheap in time or education.

The other reviewers have covered the content in enough detail that it's rather pointless to reiterate - suffice it to say I agree with their comments on the content. So, cutting to the chase, if you're looking at books on Function Point Analysis, you've obviously got a serious interest in estimating, and if so, and if FPA is where you want to go, this book is going to be very useful for you as a reference and as a guide. On the other hand, FPA is, while accurate if applied correctly (the nub of the matter.....), both time and expertise intensive - I can't emphasis the expertise factor enough. You need a sizable project with a budget sufficient to fund the additional overhead to make it worthwhile - for your average development project, this is overkill. If you've got a $50-$100 million plus project within the grasp of our sticky little paws and you can get a certified FPA resource on board, using FPA may very well help you stay within your rather sizable budget. And if your're studying towards your FPA certification, by all means delve into this book - it'll help you no end.

But having been there and done that in my past, don't try this at home kids. This book is a great resource, you'll learn all about FPA from it, but reading the book is a completely different kettle of fish to actually doing it. As another reviewer has pointed out, FPA is accurate IF DONE CORRECTLY. To get accurate estimates, you need certified FP counters, and the data needs to be interpreted correctly. Easier said than done. If you want to use FPA yourself, go study and get yourself certified before you try it for real - otherwise, you may well send your career as an estimator down the tubes.

If you've got to come up with estimates and you've got no real estimating experience, DON'T START HERE. Go look at Steve McConnell's book on "Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art" to get yourself started. You could also look at Caper Jones' "Estimating Software Costs" although it's a little dated and not up to date with Agile estimating practices (my bias shows through.....). (Subsequent update - apparantly -the second edition (2007) of "Estimating Software Costs" by Capers Jones addresses Agile methods...).

On the third hand, I do give this book 5 stars for what it is. Well-written, understandable, effective - and it follows IFPUG guidelines. If you're after CFP certification, this book won't lead you astray (although it is a version or 2 out of date) and it will prove a useful study aid. I've got it on my bookshelf at work and although I now use Agile Estimating Practices a la Ken Schwaber (Agile Project Management with Scrum) and Mike Cohn (Agile Estimating and Planning), I do take a look at this one every now and then just to see what the FPA guidelines are. Mind you, every time I look thru this book and think of what I might have been doing, I bless Ken Schwaber for coming up with Scrum (OK, OK, I like smaller projects and I like the Agile approach.....).

This is an authoritative book by two authors who have a published a large number of articles on the subject.

Function point analysis is, in both my experience and opinion, one of the most accurate estimating tools a software engineer has at his or her disposal. I have previously used the constructive cost model (COCOMO) through version 2, Raleigh curves, and hybrids such as Software Estimation Analysis Tool, which computes both COCOMO and function point statistics. Granted, not all of these estimating models are equal - the Raleigh curve approach has a focus on quality and manpower loading that the others lack. But each (and many I have not cited) are estimating tools for software development.

My experience shows function point analysis to be the most accurate - if done correctly. Therein lies the crux of the matter. Function point analysis, in order to yield accurate estimates of effort, needs to be performed by certified counters and the resulting data needs to be properly interpreted. That's where this book comes in.

It starts with an overview that serves as an understandable introduction for someone who is new to software estimation, yet is interesting enough to hold the attention of more experienced professionals. The advice on preparing for IFPUG (International Function Point User Group) certification is a highlight and underscores the fact that FP counting should only be performed by certified counters.

The chapters on software measurement and executive introduction to function points are really extensions of the introduction. I found both the software measurement model in this chapter, and how to establish a world class measurement program interesting and informative.

This segues into three chapters that cover measuring and using function points, and industry benchmarks. Some highlights are the way the authors tie function points to key performance indicators such as productivity, quality, financial and maintenance. I also liked the way that the authors stratify the users of function point data into project managers, IT managers and cross-organizational stakeholders. I was particularly interested in the last group because I am often involved in both service and application delivery projects. The use of function points as a basis for service level metrics and outsourcing is an intriguing idea that I will explore further.

When you arrive at chapter 6 the foundation built in the first five chapters prepare you for a detailed, methodical approach to performing function point analysis. This is straightforward and appears to be completely consistent with IFPUG. All you need to know about function point analysis is, in my opinion, provided in the remainder of the book. The material is augmented by case studies, and also addresses contemporary issues such as applying function point analysis to object-oriented, web, client/server and data warehouse applications. While each of these topics are not given in-depth treatment the fact that they are addressed at all is impressive. The authors end the book with advice on preparing for the certified function point specialist exam, and gives sample exam questions. They also provide sample worksheets in the appendices.

This book merits a solid five stars because it is well written, up-to-date and follows IFPUG recommendations. If you are pursuing CFP certification this book will simplify your life. If you want to learn about an effective software estimating technique this book is a great starting point. To be completely fair, if you are new to software estimation you should also read Estimating Software Costs (Caspers Jones), which gives a complete and unbiased survey of all of the major (and some obscure) software estimating approaches.

Even though dated, this is still the best book on Function Points available in the English language. It complies with the 4.1 version of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) standard, while the current version is 4.2. Nevertheless, the book contains many interesting hints and examples not available in the standard. You may also want to buy the IFPUG Counting Practices Manual - the official reference - directly from the International Function Point Users Group.

Although I personally disagree with some parts of what this book teaches, it this game design book is one of the most comprehensive I've seen. Well-recommended.

This might be a good book for teachers looking for material in their classes gamedesign or gamedevelopment. It may also be a good book for selfstudy, if you have the discipline to do the exercises. You need to have played a lot of the classic videogames though, otherwise you might not be able to do the exercises, which are mostly about thinking about gamedesigns and making little designs or design alterations on existing games.

Few people realize just how big a business digital gaming has become. Think of it this way: It's bigger than the domestic box office of the film industry. The amount of time spent playing games by young people now exceeds everything but television in time spent on entertainment. The main factor driving the development of the new extremely powerful computers is gaming, slower machines are capable of handling almost all office tasks.

The authors of this book have a great deal of experience in both designing games and teaching how to design games. This has given them an understanding of how beginning designers grasp the structured elements of games, common traps they fall into, and certain developmental exercises that help the student learn to make better games.

Note that this is not a programming manual, nor is it a graphics design manual. It is on game design. What are the characteristics that make a game, how can you prototype and play test the game without a horrendous programming expense, and finally some input on the game industry and how to decide on how you might like to be employeed in that industry.

I consider this an excellent book on game design. As an amatuer board game and basic computer game designer, I found a lot of the material extremely useful in the *process* of coming up with a game from start to finish.

The chapter on prototyping did a great job in showing how to go ahead and create a prototype from a game idea, while keeping it simple and concentrating on the "core gameplay mechanism."

The chapter on "Playtesting" and "Functionality, Completeness, and Balance" builds on the prototype chapter by emphasizing the iterative nature of design where one go aheads and evaluates, tries new things, identify problems and keep evolving.

The next chapter following is maybe the most important chapter that discusses whether you game is fun, goes in to some theory of what makes a game fun, and relates various techniques of improving player's choices so as to make the game fun.

This is a great book that gives you the necessary tools to go ahead and be able to at the very least create a viable prototype of a game that is possibly fun and playable.

If you're new to game programming (or even programming in general) Andy Harris' book is certainly a great place to start. I am by no means an "expert" in the programming field, in fact, I only picked up programming again for the first time in about 10 years. Python is a very powerful, user-friendly environment to program in and coupled with what you'll learn in this book, you have the tools and potential to become almost an expert in no time. Game programming is a great place to start if you're looking to pick up programming in general.

"Game Programming: The L Line" is very excellently and comprehensively written. In my opinion, Harris has made a very useful guide to game programming and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have!

Andy Harris did a great job on this book. I sponsor a computer programming club for high school students and this book is the best at getting to actual game creation. The first three chapters go over basics of programming, but then graphics and pygame are used early and well.

This book is a bargain at 570 truly helpful pages.

For someone who has never coded a game before, and who perhaps is also new to the entire field of programming, this can be daunting. Commercial games are usually coded in C++. Which is quite an intricate language, especially for the neophyte. Harris furnishes a plausible alternative, where the scripting language Python is used to teach an introductory course in game programming.

You do need some earlier exposure to Python. Though if you still feel awkward in it, you can use this book for the extra reason of gaining experience in Python. Harris explains that there is an open source Python gaming site, that offers the eponymous pygame. You download and install this on your machine. It gives a simple, very bare bones Integrated Development Environment for game coding. If you have used more general purpose IDEs, like Microsoft's Visual Studio, then you can certainly learn pygame. It is much smaller.

Within pygame, you can code small games. Yes, small. But the pedagogy is important. The games elucidated in the text have properties common to many, much larger games. As in how to write event driven code, for example. Or drawing geometric figures on the screen. And using sprites.

The flavour of the games is like those games of the early 80s. Or the current games for cellphones.

Don't judge this book by it's cover! For some reason,
this book is part of a series of Wiley books, and they
all have the same cover.

This is a book about learning how to program computer
games using the Python programming language and the
PyGame package. PyGame is a Python wrapper around the
SDL library. This book offers step-by-step tutorials
that introduce game programming with complete Python
programs. All the programs work on several platforms:
MS-Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux. Chapters 1-3 introduce
the Python programming language. Starting with Chapter
4, you begin to learn about graphics programming. In
Chapter 6 the programs begin to use OOP/classes. Then,
in Chapter 7, you begin to learn how to make 2D games
with sprites, sound FX, and keyboard and mouse control.
Game programming is a fun way to learn how to program
a computer, and Python with PyGame makes it relatively
easy as well.

This book has detailed information on creating graphics
and sounds for your games, using free, open source
third-party tools that are available on all platforms.
The GIMP is used for graphics, and Audacirty is used
for sounds. So unlike many other game programming books
which require expensive third-party programs in order
to make games, ALL the programs in this book are free.

The book has an easy-going, conversational style of writing
that makes it seem that the author is looking over your
shoulder, helping you to learn game programming. I'm really
glad I bought this book. It is worth many times its cover
price considering the amount of information it contains.

Things I like about this book:
1. Easy to read and understand with step-by-step tutorials.
2. Helpful reference tables throughout the book.
3. Complete example game programs.
4. All the third-party programs required are free and open.
5. Source code and extra appendices available for download.

Happy Programming!

Great book for seeing how video games are made!

This is a good book. It suffers from having multiple authors in that it lacks the consistent tone that most writng books have, but all the writng is still good.

It is focused on the interface betwen the writer, the game, and the team, and is long on cautionary points. It will be of value to anyone who is writing, producing, or leading all or part of a game team, particularly if they lack practical experience.

If you are only interested in a book about writing for games, Lee Sheldon's 'Character Development and Storytelling for Games' is probably a better choice, but if you are intending or actually writing game, or working with a game writer, this is a good read and a potentially vital resource.

Computer games are becoming more like Hollywood productions, requiring good plots and valued story lines which use good narrative styles. In Chris Bateman, Editor's Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames are practical articles on how to do so, written by members of the International Game Developer's Association and covering all kinds of game writing, from comedy to plots. A 'must' for any video or computer game writer.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The days of the super simple games like Pac-Man are long gone. Today's games must entertain with all the finesse and skill of a Hollywood movie. This is not to say that a game must be all narrative, neither is a movie.

This book is the first complete guide to writing stories for games. They are not stories alone, that would just be a book. But nor are they just action games. They are games with a story.

The book is edited by Chris Bateman, an expert in market oriented game design and narrative. He has gotten an even dozen of game developers to contribute in various aspects. They range from game developers to writers, to educators, to journalists. Each is able to bring his/her own insight to the book and to the writing profession.

As computers, software, game engines (and always more memory) develop, games can grow more powerful, more lifelike, more movie like.

I was impressed with the authors for their clear and lucid style, assembling and relating diverse topics in a simplistic view, ranging from computer science to philosophy, to present a brilliant holistic view of GIS technical infrastructure.

This book fills a very important gap in the GIS literature. There are many good introductory book about GIS (try Burrough, for example), but they have been mostly written having a geographer or an earth scientist as their prospective reader. By contrast, Worboys writes for the computer engineer or programmer who wants to understand how a GIS really works inside. The author is a leading researcher on the field, and the book is clearly and concisely written. If you are a computer professional working in the GIS area, you'll find this book invaluable.

I'm not your average GISer. I have a BS in Mathematics and worked for 15 years as a software developer. This book was a required text for the class in Advanced Vector GIS that was part of my MS in GIS. I currently use it as a reference as I work on my PhD in pure GIScience.

This book covers GIS data structures and databases in a way that a Computer Scientist would appreciate. It covers GIS algorithms in a way that an Applied Mathmetician would like. It covers GIS topology in a way that a Pure Mathmetician could learn from. It covers uncertainty in a way that a Statistician would enjoy.

If you are, say a graduate student in mathematics or computer science and want to understand what all the GIS hype is about, you've found a great, concise volume that covers an intense amount of information. If you are a geographer who needs to formalize some language concerning theory and methods for a publication, then this is a good start.

If you are looking for something like "how to delineate a watershed in ArcView 9", skip it and look elsewhere.

Having read many books of the kind I can state with confidence that this one is the best introductory book on the topic. The authors claim that the book is best-suited to people approaching GISs with a computer-science perspective and/or background and this should be taken into consideration by all prospective buyers. However, the book should still be a most valuable resource to readers from other backgrounds, as it remains the most comprehensive in its domain, and is very readable thanks to the lucid writing style of the authors.

Each chapter except the first, which serves as a general introduction, deals with a particular sub-discipline within GIS. Chapter 2 describes the basics of databases.
Chapter 3 clarifies important topological and metric concepts.
Chapter 4 enters the area of field vs. object data models.
Chapter 5 deals with raster and vector structures as well as with computational geometry and geometric algorithms.
Chapter 6 moves even closer to the physical computer level and discusses indexes (access structures) and trees.
Chapter 7 is about architectures (distributed, homogeneous, heterogeneous systems).
Chapter 8 talks about GIS-interfaces.
Until that point, the book has a very logical structure with each chapter being the logical extension of the next.
Chapters 9 and 10 exist only in this second edition and provide some brief excursions into the topics of handling uncertainty and time in GIS respectively. They go into somewhat less detail than the previous chapters, yet are very well written.

Remember that this book is introductory, hence dont expect to learn the intricate details of topics such as databases and computational geometry. The authors manage however, to strike a fine balance between the amount of concepts and methods being presented and the degree of detail to which each of them is analysed. Therefore the book retains its clear introductory character while maintaining a very high informational content. In addition, the authors have done a fantastic job at compiling relevant bibliographies at the end of each chapter where the readers may pursue additional details should they wish to. The graphics and figures are also self-explanatory and do a fine job at complementing the text. Verbosity and typos are scarce if at all existent.

I recommend this book as the most comprehensive overview of, and a very good reference source for, GISs. It will be invaluable not only for newbies but also for mid to hi-level experts who wish to consolidate their knowledge or have a trusted reference. Undoubtedly, an indispensable resource in the library of anyone interested in geographic information systems.

I'm working on a teaching moduel for an independent study in GIS and I purchased this book to help me understand how GIS can be used in the Health field. IT'S OUTSTANDING! For any GIS instructor out there, you should check out this book, because the chapter assignments are brilliant from a teaching stand point. They force the user to really explore how GIS is used in the world today and look beyond the simple tutorial commands to introduce you to the software. The assignments make you explore the internet for data and learn how GIS is being used elsewhere. By far the best GIS book I've used sofar.

This tutorial is written in clear and concise language. It introduces basic GIS operations in a logical stepwise progression which is ultimately a comprehensive basic course. The tutorial is very hands-on and interactive and it makes very good use of screenshots and other illustrations. It is a very effective learning tool in the field of public health GIS.

Although there is a very minimal incompatibility of this book if used with ArcGIS 9.2. (the software given with the book is 9.1 version), this book is still categorized as an excellent book for the Elementary GIS learner. This book is very helpful for Public Health professionals in learning how to create, analyze, display and inform the geographic health information which will be well complemented with health statistical facts and figures. The curricullum, the guidance, and the exercises given are well prepared that allows me to want to explore the endothelial layer other than just the epithelial layer of this knowledge.

I would recommend this book as a starting point of the journey to engage and marry GIS knowledge and practice with its excitements.

College-level collections strong in GIS mapping and health will want GIS Tutorial for Health: one of the few texts to apply GIS software to health profession research and objectives. Health care policy and planning within the GIS system leads students to design maps to investigate and analyze patterns of health, injuries, environmental hazards and more. The workbook helps students learn and maintain GIS software skills with specific application for the health sciences, going beyond your usual GIS focus on general geographic and population mapping information to address the specifics of the health industry. It comes with two CDs: one offers data to juxtapose with the book's exercises and case study examples; the other includes a 180-day trial of ArcGis9.1. The combination makes it a top pick for college-level health profession GIS course assignments.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Global Outsourcing with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team System is an excellent book and informational resource. The format is easy to follow, intuitive, and simplifies gaining an understanding of both the concept of global outsourcing as well as the software.

Note: This review gives more importance to the processes than the other obvious benefits.

Who should read this book?
- On-site coordinators
- Off-shore managers
- Process managers/Product Managers
- Key people involved in distributed development/outsourcing.

Why this book is useful?
- This book can be used as a process guidance for outsourcing/distributed environment.
- This book clearly identifies the day to day issues of a distributed development environment and gives options on how to mitigate the risks.
- Explains all the possible options on how efficiently VSTS can be used.
- This is very useful not only for the teams using VSTS 2005, but also for any distributed development team as this clearly gives an idea of what processes should be in place. VSTS is an all-in-one tool which helps in making the life easier.
- For companies which do not prefer to use VSTS can also leverage from the processes clearly mentioned in the book and can achieve similar efficiency by using different free tools available in the market.
- The book has shown how to customize the VSTS to suit the specific need along with the code which is very handy and reduces a lot of effort in customizing.
- More importantly, this book is very handy and easily understood by techies and non-techies alike. Non-techies can understand the processes without getting into any technical details.
- Addresses the issues faced by bigger and smaller companies and bigger or smaller teams.

Jamil Azher's GLOBAL OUTSOURCING WITH MICROSOFT VISUAL STUDIO 2005 TEAM SYSTEM tells how to manage outsourced projects using Visual Studio 2005, which engages developers, project managers and team leads alike. GLOBAL OUTSOURCING takes it examples from the real world also: it examines typical outsource management issues, applications, and problem-solving in a fine technical overview programmers will relish.

This book is indeed about global outsourcing, but it deals with the outsourcing of software not athletic shoes or kitchen ware. Specifically, as you might guess from the title, it concentrates on the use of Microsoft's Team System version of Visual Studio 2005. Other Microsoft products such as Project and Excel from the Office suite are also shown as a part of an integrated management system.

There is little question tht outsourcing is here to stay. The cost savings are simply to great to be ignored. A programmer with a few years of experience in the US is paid an average of $55K, in India $15K, and in China $9K.

There is also no question that outsourcing brings its own problems in terms of management, control and especially communications. Many of these problems are specifically discussed in the book, and it goes on to show that the Microsoft tools can assist in these areas. The tools will not, of course, guarantee success but they may help to make a project a success.

Got the book two years ago while working as an adm. tech for a small company. I was familiar with vi but decided this one was more customizable. Got the latest copy just to update for the job.

This book was issued to me while working as a consultant for Northern Telecom (Nortel.) They standardized on this editor, as it was the most efficient for their environment. The above description of the back cover pretty much tells it all. Mine is an earlier edition but the picture is still the same. The book comes with a Lay Flat Binding. There is a Short Content and several page Table of Contents. Also the GNU Manifesto, Glossary, Key (Character) Index, Command and Function Index, Variable Index and Concept Index. You seldom need to go outside this reference Manual.

The book covers the complete use of Emacs (except programming Lisp extensions).
The text is most of the time clear and consise. All you will read is useful information. Moreover you often find anwsers to your questions as if the author has anticipated it (probably the experience of the 15 previous editions).
What could be better is the conceptual description of Emacs: What are the variables attached to each buffer, how the major/minor modes affects the variables ... finally what make the state of Emacs at a given time.
As a conclusion: We would like many more books of this quality.

This book is the only reference you need for Emacs v21. It is written by Richard Stallman, the original author of Emacs and about a gazillion other brilliant pieces of software, not to mention he is the founder of the GNU project and the FSF. The book is basically packed with useful information. It has a good table of contents and several good indexes (Key (Character) index, Command and function index, variable index and concept index). Some of the things you find are not compatable with earlier versions of emacs, and they are not always noted, but hopefully you can download the latest version anyways.

It covers the basics like opening/editting/saving files, getting online help, cutting/copying/pasting, searching/replacing, and simeltaneously working on multiple documents. Most of these simple things are also helpfully summarized on a tear-out reference card in the back. The book, however, goes into great, great detail, providing you with the massive power that Emacs (the one editor to rule them all) has.

Some other parts of the book that I found useful were the chapters covering backup files, version control (w/ RCS), major modes (i.e., modes in which the behavior of Emacs changes to suit the type of buffer you are working on. E.g., automatic indentation and highlighting in C-mode), integrated compiling with gcc and debugging with gdb, and dired (the file system browser with primative commands for deleting and other simple things). I would have been (and was) seriously lost trying to custimize Emacs without this book.

Other topics covered that I haven't yet mentioned are registers, international character support, tag tables, merging files, email and web browsing capabilities, the calender/diaries, and many other odds and ends.
What this book does not cover is the vast Emacs Lisp system. That is why I'm back on Amazon today to check out the Lisp Reference Manual. Since the Lisp manual is 900+ pages, and this book is already about 600 pages, it's easy to see why they seperated these two. My only gripe with this book is that it has terrible binding :( Oh well, it still easily merits 5 stars.

hey people, don't want to seem like a pedant but you've mixed up the author's name and the publisher's - ie Rotovision is the publisher while Paul Murphy is the author. How do i know this? I wrote the book.

Cheers

paul.murphy@bbc.co.uk

what do Tomato think when they do a project? How does Paula Scher work? What about AMX Digital or Aboud Sodano who do ALL of Paul Smith's graphic design work. This book has got them all plus attik, April Greiman, VSA, scott makela etc.

The style is accessible and readable while following the development process in lots of detail.

I don't usually buy expensive art books, but something about the approach made me part with the hard earned cash.

As a struggling designer and artist, I am constantly on the lookout for books which lay out the technical and imaginative processes behind design and art, and this snapshot from some of the world's premiere electronic designers at the moment fulfilled my design fetishes.

While the processes are fascinating to follow through, though, the layout of the book somewhat lets it down, being a design project in itself, and lacks adequate depth to really illustrate the stages involved.

But on the whole, lots of very nice pictures, nicely laid out. With words.

As a working design professional i'm always disappointed by so many of the garish coffee table books that purport to be about graphic design but in reality are an embaressment. This book scores highly on several points: *a great range of contributors from Pentagram to Tomato *well written with lots of interviews with the designers *well chosen projects examined in depth and detail

This book also realises that great design isn't about the latest PhotoShop tricks but about real thought and creativity.