Programming Books


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

Programming
Optimization in Operations Research
Published in Paperback by Pearson Education (1997-08-19)
Author: Ronald L. Rardin
List price:
Used price: $45.00

Average review score:

A Clear and Concise Text for OR
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-17
Rardin was the first book I used for OR and I keep a copy in my personal library. It offers a series of examples that are followed up throughout the book, chapter by chapter, to provide insight into the application of mathematics to real world problems. By building the level of complexity, on an ogoing basis through the use of specific examples, Rardin shows the extrmely practical side to why Operations Research is such a fundamental use of applied mathematics. The book is easy to read and should easily meet the needs of any upperlevel undergraduate course in Operations Research.

Master piece
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-16
It is both useful for graduates and for undergraduates.

Explanations are easy to follow but at the same time they don't lack detail or correctness. The book is full of examples and it covers different fields of OR.

For me, the best is Rardin's approach to teach OR: he begins from the base and he builds newer contents over that base. In this way, you feel like "that works!". And for graduates, there are some sections called "primers" where Rardin explains subjects outside the scope of the book, but very useful for beginners.

The book is very well written. A good big effort.

The only bad point I found is the book's font/typeset is not very good (I'd prefer a more TeXified style).

Book Contents
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-11-02
The "Search inside this book" feature was not available for this book when this review was published. Hope it helps.

Table of Contents
1. Problem Solving with Mathematical Models
2. Deterministic Optimization Models in Operations Research
3. Improving Search
4. Linear Programming Models
5. Simplex Search for Linear Programming
6. Interior Point Methods for Linear Programming
7. Duality and Sensitivity in Linear Programming
9. Shortest Path and Discrete Dynamic Programming
10. Network Flows
11. Discrete Optimization Models
12. Discrete Optimization Methods
13. Unconstrained Nonlinear Programming
14. Constrained Nonlinear Programming

If you need more information, Professor Rardin (Purdue University) maintains a website that can be easily located using any web search tool.

PhD student in IE
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-03-15
Review after 2 years of using this book: AMAZING BOOK. There has never been a better book (and probably never will be) in explaining OR.

Previous Review upon purchase:
If you are taking a graduate or an undergraduate course in OR, this book is a must! I have not seen ANY book able to present OR with such simple, direct examples and WITHOUT sacrificing theory.
This is the best written textbook I have ever read. When I compare it with the hundereds of dollars I spend on badly written books, even as a PG (poor graduate) student I would gladly pay twice of what this book is priced at.

Good operations research book
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 10 total.
Review Date: 2005-06-10
This book presents the subjects in a different and novel way which provides many new insights.

In it, there is a great concern with the practical, professional use of operations research, as can be easily seen in the modeling examples. This book could be named "Optimization theory with realistic applications". This book certainly enables the students to apply the theory learned in practical situations, while providing the necessary mathematical foundations.

Rardin exposes the subject in a very clear and non-orthodox manner, unifying all algorithms through the use of the improving-search framework. The text is also innovative, containing sections on Genetic Algorithms, Simulated Annealing, Tabu Search and Branch and Cut.

But if you want to go deeper in some subject (linear programming for example) you will need another book.


Programming
Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Podcasting (Solutions)
Published in Paperback by friends of ED (2005-08-22)
Authors: Michael Geoghegan and Dan Klass
List price: $24.99
New price: $7.00
Used price: $5.89

Average review score:

Read This Book Before You Buy ANYTHING
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-26
Yes, it's true. I'm contemplating adding a podcast to my blog. So, I bought "Podcast Solutions" on Amazon and read it, front to back. This is a very useful book, and it comes with a CD of demo software you can use for podcasting.

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

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

The Best Available
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-01
Until someone writes something really comprehensive, this is the best there is in podcasting.

Everything you ever wanted to know about podcasting...
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-29
What is podcasting?

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

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

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

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

Best book on the market for Podcasting
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-05
Michael Geoghegan and Dan Klass have done a great job in this 240 page book on podcasting. A great book for any podcaster. They do a good job of taking you through all of the steps necessary to learning podcasting. The book runs the gamut of the steps you'll need to preparing your podcast, to recording and subsequently publishing your podcast on the web.The book is easy to follow and has lots of links to websites for additional reference. Overall the best book on the market for podcasting.

Look no further, THIS is the answer to your podcasting question.
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-20
I started out knowing diddly squat about podcasting. I read "Podcast Solutions" by Michael Geoghegan (what's up with that name?) and Dan Klass and now I know everything. But much more important than my over-generous opinion of myself I got my podcast up swiftly, easily and on time thanks to this incredible book.

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

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

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

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

Programming
Visual C# 2005: A Developer's Notebook
Published in Paperback by O'Reilly Media, Inc. (2005-04-25)
Author: Jesse Liberty
List price: $29.95
New price: $16.72
Used price: $3.81

Average review score:

Excellent jumpstart into 2.0
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-22

This book is a quick way to get up to speed on C# 2.0. Highly recommended for developers new to 2.0. My only complaint is that it neglected to mention the new SqlBulkCopy class, an important addition to ADO.Net.

Even better with age : uniquely valuable book on C#
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-29
I've had this book for almost two years now, and I consider it (along with Liberty's classic "Programming C#" [I have both first and second editions]) one of the most useful books for helping me move from "beginner level" C# to "journeyman" mastery of what has become my favorite language and daily working tool of choice.

Liberty's books join with my books by Sells, Petzold, Gunnerson, Archer on that small shelf ... within arms reach ... which I consider essential tools to have as I work in Visual Studio.

What I find unique about "A Developer's Notebook" is :

1. Content : the sheer amount of immediately useful information and code samples. This is a book, imho, for people who've already reached initial mastery of .NET, and are ready for intermediate-advanced topics. There's more technical content, more information, "per square page" in this book than in many books on .NET and C# that are 800+ page "whoppers" :) And I do have the sense that every bit of code in this book has been "refined" to the efficient minimum without losing its "educational punch."

2. Book Design : imho the design and structure of the book are a "tour de force" of technical book design : it's in the form ... almost ... of a laboratory workbook; the "asides," or comments, in italic script font in the margin of the pages add a very useful commentary that evokes and provokes thought.

3. Immediacy : I get the feeling that Jesse is right there talking to me as he takes me through the intricacies of IEnumerable, Generic Interfaces, Delegate Covariance. Very good terse introductions to technologies like ClickOnce.

4. Technical Format : the book has a format of presenting a concept concisely, outlining the structure of the classes or methods involved, describing a practical usage scenario, and then, in a section titled "How Can I Do That ?," presenting a key code example that demonstrates the technique in use. I find this similar to what I perceive as the "experimental" method in Petzold's books, and, for me, this is a compelling way to learn.

4. Writing Style : As in JL's other books, I personally experience him as one of the clearest writers of technical expository prose I have ever read. In sections typically titled "What About," or "How Can I Learn More," for each major topic, he succinctly addresses questions that imho any intelligent developer might be asking about the limits or side-effects ... or the "gotchas" ... of the techniques presented.

I like to compare learning a programming language with learning a musical instrument. It seems to me that initial mastery of C#, like learning to play the guitar, involves a required period of just learning the general way you use the tools (the Visual Studio environment, the .NET compiler, assemblies, WinForms, Classes, Interfaces, UserControls) : until you have that initial "vocabulary," imho, you can't really "play a tune." But once you do have the initial comfort level and mastery of the tools, you are ready to start with studying simple "Etudes" which are designed to be musically satisfying in themeselves and, at the same time, help you progress in mastery. Using that analogy, I consider "A Developer's Notebook" a book of "Etudes," an excellent one !

In summary : this is one of the best technical books I've ever read. I do hope that at some point JL will do another book in this format, and structure, probing, in the same "experimental method" other topics in .NET 3.0 and 3.5 like LINQ, sophisticated uses of AppDomains and Contexts, the ability in WPF to get WinForms controls across domains, etc.

best, Bill Woodruff
dotScience

Great overview of C# 2005 (2.0) enhancements
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-27
I purchased this book to get prepped for 2.0 development. As usual , Jesse delivered with additional benifits. He is a great, clear speaking, author. I needed the facts and he delivered.

Well worth owning for those of you transitioning from 1.1 to 2.0.

Not quite what it says it is
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-13
This is a very good "delta" book for moving to 2.0. It doesn't spend a lot of time with "object oriented programming began in 19..."-type gibberish. Instead it moves directly to some of the new features and talks to you like you know what your talking about.

Easy read.

However, the introduction says something to the effect of "this series skips the 'hello world' applications and is instead the often frantic scribblings of real developers performing real tasks" or something like that. In reality, none of the examples was terribly realistic. It was the same type of examples and 'hello world' demonstrations you would find in any other book. And the "scribblings" in the margins were often just pullouts from the text--just like any other book.

Overall - good book. But the marketing hype for the series is just that--hype.

Surprised
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-13
I just borrowed this book from the library as I'm trying to cut down and only buy true reference books. I didn't have a whole lot of expectations, but this book was exactly what the doctor ordered. I knew C# for VS.NET 1.1 and am gradually migrating to 2.0 and all of it's extra features. I just wanted a book that covered the new stuff... and could come as close to just injecting the information into my brain without all of the extra fluff. This book does exactly that. If you're new to .NET don't get this book... but if you're looking for an incremental upgrade book (as I was) that is concise, full of examples, and covers the whole spectrum of VS.NET 2.0 then this is IT! That said, the title is just a bit misleading... the first chapter is about the new C# keywords and constructs, but this book covers changes with Forms, ASP.NET (Themes, Master Pages, ...) and so forth. This books has been hard to put down and I'm seriously considering buying this one to add to my reference collection. I've learned a lot from it in just the past 24 hours.

Programming
Advanced Object Oriented Programming with Visual FoxPro 6.0
Published in Paperback by Hentzenwerke Publishing (1999-04)
Author: Markus Egger
List price: $49.95
New price: $38.96
Used price: $32.99

Average review score:

If there's one book to buy this is it!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-04-01
When was the last time you picked up a book and couldn't put it down? Markus Egger's "Advanced Object Oriented Programming with Visual FoxPro 6.0" is such a book. He covered everything I needed to know. He covered the fundamentals (a short review of terms), given clear explanations to everyday problems and demonstrated how objects are used in real world designs.

My favorite chapter was "Using Shrink-Wrapped Classes". Until now I have avoided using the available classes distributed with Visual FoxPro because there was a lack of documentation in the original manuals and didn't have the time to open each class and explore. Now that I have read this chapter I ask myself why was I pushing a square wheel up a hill all these years when I could have used these classes immediately and start building on them. Another favorite was needing to know how to hide properties and methods in classes and never being able to figure out how to make these classes work properly. Now I know!

I read this book in two evenings and now I am going back over my classes to re-configure them.

Hentzenwerke Publishing has done a phenomenal job with all it's titles. Not one has been a disappointment. Unlike IDG Books "Bible" series which has been nothing more than fluff and someone wanting to show-off their code.

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-04-24
Almost reads like a novel. I couldn't put the book down. It was immediately relevant, and I can see it being so for years to come. It has permanently changed the way I write code in VFP.

But, I don't have Rational Rose...
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-02
Overall pretty good book, I pretty much read it cover-to-cover over a two day period. However, my expectations were a bit high after reading all the other reviews on this site. First of all, his description of the Component Gallery totally lost me. More importantly, from chapter 12 on, the author elects to assume that everyone has access to a ... piece of software called Rational Rose to design an OOP app. This disappointed me, I would have preferred to have things explained in a way that I could follow along with the tools I have as a VFP developer.

Absolutely the best book for cutting your teeth in OOP/VFP6!
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-06
This is probably the best book that I have ever purchased for learning the real nuts and bolts on Visual FoxPro's OOP capabilities and the tools available in it. I encourage both new and seasoned programmers in Visual FoxPro to BUY THIS BOOK!!. I don't think you'll find a better one out there. The way Markus covers the FFCs and other advanced topics is great!!! It is hard to describe in 100 words or less how valuable this book is.

A Book for Power Developers using VFP's powerful OOP...
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 1999-10-09
In order to benefit the Power of VFP, a developer should understand the power of OOP in software development. This book tells and guides you how OOP is applied in application development using VFP. The explanation of OOP tells it loud and clear that Object Orientation is very important aspect in today's software development. Markus and his associates really deserves commendation of doing it well.

Programming
Applied Software Project Management
Published in Paperback by O'Reilly Media (2005-11-01)
Authors: Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene
List price: $39.95
New price: $39.95

Average review score:

Excellent resource for technical project managers
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-31
I bumped into this book by way of "Head First PMP", also written by Stellman and Greene. Because I liked the PMP resource so much, I thought I should give this book a chance and I was not disappointed. Packed with useful information, case studies and examples, this book is a resource any technical project manager will want to have in their collection.
One bonus I did not count on was the companion website which includes downloadable templates, PPT slides and other electronic assets.

Highly recommended!

excellent purchase
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-11
This is a nice book, everything about it is so neat and nice. I am glad I purchased this book from Amazon.

This a handbook or guide
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-03
Applied Software Project Management
Reviewed by Steven D. Sewell, PMP
Project Management Institute, Tampa Bay Chapter

Having been peripherally involved as a software release project team member in the past, I knew enough to get my piece of the puzzle delivered. The information in this book allows me to broaden my perspective and actually comprehend the picture I see on the puzzle box cover. The book is written in a straight ahead manner. If you are one who like examples of what is being discussed, then this book is for you. The use of clear definitions makes each topic understandable and the analogies make them memorable. Tables and scripts are used throughout to exemplify each tool and technique. Most useful in practice are the sections that aid in the diagnosing of problems that can be encountered. This book definitely hits its goal of delivering a practical guide into the hands of a software project manager. The only improvement would be to have "handbook" or "guide" placed somewhere on the cover.

A good summary and comprehensive bibliography to those who want to go deeper
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-01
This book covers concisely all the modern aspects os software project management, without the complexity found in more formal PM sources like the PMBOK. Moreover, the job of translating the broad and general concepts covered in the PMBOK to practical day-to-day scenarios is the major benefit from buying it. It won't, however, cover an specific issue like estimation to the level that enables you to be an estimator (this subject, for instance, is only 17 pages long), but will provide you the guidelines and references to additional material to do so.

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMNDED!!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-05-29
Do you work for a software organization who where there are chronic problems producing software on schedule and without defects? If you do, then this book is for you! Authors Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene, have done an outstanding job of writing a practical book that describes the specific tools, techniques and practices that a project manager needs to put in place in order to run a software project or fix an ailing one.

Stellman and Greene, begin by showing you the vision and scope document. Then, the authors cover the wideband delphi estimation process. They continue by covering project schedules. Next, the authors show you how to do an inspection. Then, the authors discuss use cases. Then, they show you how to do configuration management. The authors continue by showing you how to test plans. They also introduce you to practices, tools, and techniques to your organization's culture. Next, the authors show you why it is important to understand responsibility, authority and accountability. Then, they show you how to prevent the most common sources of failure in outsourced projects. Finally, the authors show you why it's important to understand when process improvement is useful and when it isn't.

A project manager can use this most excellent book to diagnose and fix the most serious problems that plague software projects. More importantly, this book contains essential project management tools, techniques and practices, which have been optimized to be as straightforward and easy to implement as possible.

Programming
The Art of Software Security Assessment: Identifying and Preventing Software Vulnerabilities
Published in Paperback by Addison-Wesley Professional (2006-11-30)
Authors: Mark Dowd, John McDonald, and Justin Schuh
List price: $54.99
New price: $37.50
Used price: $38.70

Average review score:

Good book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-23
This is a very comprehensive, and well-organized security assessment book for Software engineers. Yes, it has everything - all done well. If you are into security assessment and testing and live by it every day, you are still bound to learn a lot, to re-evaluate the things you know, and to genuinely improve your results. If you are a software engineer, it *will* help you build superior applications. If you are just an security enthusiast, you will genuinely enjoy the time spent with this book, and you will find this brick handy more often than previously imagined.

The Best Book on Software Security, Bar None
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-24
This book is absolutely amazing. The amount of detail they go into for so many subjects -- it's incredible. I particularly enjoyed the section on network protocols. I recommend this to any software engineer -- not just those in security specific positions.

Great job, and I hope to enjoy more material from these wonderful authors!

Great book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-15
A must have. Being a security researcher for almost ten years now, and already a CISSP holder, there are times you believe you have seen most of the things, and you know the best of them. This book opens a new way of thinking, it's detailed and accurate and goes in depth on every subject.

A real must have.

Nicolas Krassas, CISSP

This is the bible
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-03-21
This book is The Bible for anyone in the security vulnerability research or security software engineering field. I haven't bought a book and studied it so much before ever. This is one book that will never be off my desk.

Excellent, as expected.
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-23
The authors of this book are some of the most respected in vulnerability research and theory, and have found many bugs that were years ahead of their time. As expected, they deliver on their prior reputation in this great and incredibly expansive book of knowledge and insight.

If you're tired of reading high-level theoretical books about "building security in" written by people who have no clue what a bug is or how to prevent them, this book is the ideal alternative.

For a hobbyist, it will guide you through practical methodologies about how bug hunting is done and teach you to think like a great vulnerability researcher.

For a developer, it will open your eyes to security oversights in most of the pieces of code you have ever written. Read hard, these bug classes affect the products you are shipping today.

For the security professional, this likely goes not only broader but deeper on lots of issues than you have ever looked, and far beyond any book I've seen. It can be used as page to page read, or a great reference. I personally use it all the time, and have definitely learnt from it. Great job guys!

P.S. Try and spot the 0day.

Programming
C++ Primer Plus: Teach Yourself Object-Oriented Programming/Book and Disk
Published in Paperback by Waite Group Pr (1995-03)
Author: Stephen Prata
List price: $39.99
Used price: $0.94

Average review score:

The best textbook I've ever seen.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 1998-07-24
This is a great book. I read it two years ago, and it's still very useful today. It is wide enough for a beginner and deep enough for you to become an advanced C++ user. The content is structured very well, material explained very clearly and answers every question came out to my mind as I read it. This single book is enough for you to become a C++ power user. It made C++ as my best programming language. An excellent book for reference, too.

The best computer book I have ever read.
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-10-26
Prata's knowledge, style make program learning as easy and enjoyable as possible. This is by far the best programming (and perhaps the best technical) book I have used. A must buy for begginners to C++, with complete coverage that will satisfy intermediate-advanced developers.

Excellent First C++ Book
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2004-08-02
I would like to add mine to the list of glowing reviews of Prata's C++ Primer. I came from a Fortran/Pascal background, with no knowledge of C or C++, and found the book easy to follow and use. I thought that picking up new languages on my own would be easy until I started using other technical books. Since I first bought Prata's book I've used a dozen or more other technical books, and have never yet found one which is as lucid, comprehensive and fun to use as his, and highly recommend it for anyone trying to get into C++, even though it is a little dated now.

Excellent book for learning c++
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-01-11
Half of book covers the basic topics in other languages like data type, loop control ... in c++ concept. The other half devotes to pure c++ concept like class, polymorphism, inheritance, instantiate the object, dynamic and static binding, virtual function, friend, template... It doesn't mention STL. In my opinion, this is the only one you need to learn c++. For advance knowledge, you may need a STL book and any book in deep discussion like the book from Stroup Bjan or Scott Myers. This book covers pretty much in detail all the topics, along the pitfalls problem like deep copy, static variable, header file... It also includes many userful, short examples with the hidden errors. I am glad that this is my first book in c++. The problem is you can not read it very fast because there are many complex discusions, the trade off is it maybe the only one to start c++.

Very good, but not compatible with VC++5
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 1998-09-05
This really is a good book for getting started. The first half of the book is well written and the source code examples work well. I was about half way through the book, and really looking forward to using its examples of VC++ classes, when the source code examples started using header files that don't work with MSVC++5, which isn't even the newest release! I also noticed that the writing dropped off quite a bit at that point. The tech support line could not offer help with the outdated files, which should have been an obvious and frequent question. There are also plenty of source code typos in the second half (available as a list on their web site), sometimes several per page, including obvious stuff like a missing "main()" function that wasn't on the list. Because the source codes are small text files on a floppy, an updated and corrected set of source files would be an easy download from their existing website if they cared to set it up. In their defense, they did offer a refund for the book, but I'm keeping it. This book will get you started, and take you to the point where you can start jumping to other books. I liked it in combination with "The C++ training guide" and "Visual C++ in 21 days." I'm giving it 4 stars because the cover doesn't claim it's current or works with VC++ (it *almost* says this). If it did say this, I'd knock it down to 2 stars.

Programming
Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects: Essential and Advanced Techniques, 4th Edition
Published in Paperback by Focal Press (2007-11-02)
Author: Chris and Trish Meyer
List price: $64.95
New price: $42.22
Used price: $44.99

Average review score:

Great Book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-02
Well, I finally finished the book. I guess I will join the many 5 star reviewers. After reading this book, I have a great foundation of all the features AE offers. I didn't want to do too much as far as working the tons of examples the book offers this go'round, I just wanted to learn the "language". Now I will go through the book again. This time tackling the projects along with my own ideas.

I was a novice going in, and still am to an extent, but the Meyer's takes the intimidation out of you and teaches you principles where when you do speak to other seasoned artist you understand and can execute anything they do.

Another Great AE Book from the Meyer Family
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-18
I used this book after finishing up with the Meyer's fantastic "After Effects Apprentice" book. This book, "Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects", was a great way to firm up what I had learned from other sources.

Highly recommended!

True what the others say . . .
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-21
Excellent and well supported work. Starts from the very basics and gets into the esoterics. I use this work as the primary resource for mastering After Effects.

Very cool
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-14
This is a great book. It has a little bit of beginner stuff (enough to get you started if you don't know AE) and then goes into intermediate and pro stuff.

I would not consider this book to be only pro level techniques, but still full of good stuff. The content on the CD is really nice to add to the collection although some (well, all of the Artbeats stuff) is watermarked in the lower right corner. Most of the other footage is not.

This book makes a nice companion to After Effects Cs3 Studio Techniques by Mark Christensen (another awesome AE book)

--
Kevin

After Effects
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
Advanced After Effects Motion Graphics is for the editor with some AE miles under their belt. It is not really a beginner book, but does start you off slowly with great step by step instruction. However, you will eventually need this book but buy it together with the Meyers' After Effects Apprentice which starts you off in the AE wourld. Any of the Meyers books are just what you need to learn AE. Highly recommended!!

Programming
Debugging
Published in Paperback by Amacom (2006-09-12)
Author: David, J Agans
List price: $17.95
New price: $11.67
Used price: $11.46

Average review score:

Excellent and practical book on debugging
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-09
This is an excellent book on debugging. Whether you're debugging mechanical systems, electrical circuits, or software, the methodology presented is extremely practical and systematic. The author presents nine debugging rules that can be applied to any problem. The text is well-written, engaging, and humorous. The author also included a wealth of war stories that are worth the price alone. Highly recommended.

For Those Who Need Debugging
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-10
This Book Demonstrates How you could debug SOMETHING systematically, from most important principle to least important principle.(All 9 As the Book name said.) The Examples covers software, hardware, electrical, mechanical debugging. It is just amusement to read the example. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Quite liked it. I now have a game plan for approaching bugs in a nonrandom manner (including intermittent bugs).
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-20
Quite liked it. I now have a game plan for approaching bugs in a nonrandom manner (including intermittent bugs):


Understand the System
- Read all related documentation
- Draw a system diagram and understand how things are connected
- Know the capabilities of your debugging tools


Make It Fail
- Start from a clean initial state
- Consider automating lengthy steps
- Make it fail in situ; don't waste time simulating the environment
- For intermittent bugs: list possible factors and try varying them one at a time; output a logfile and look for patterns


Quit Thinking and Look
- Watch it fail
- Use Remote Desktop / VNC
- Add logging and monitors
- Don't start thinking until you've limited the number of possible causes


Divide and Conquer
- Binary search
- Use test data with an easily identifiable pattern
- Start at the failure point and work backwards
- If you discover other bugs that may be related, fix them before continuing your search


Change One Thing at a Time
- Don't panic
- Back out changes that have no effect
- Compare the logfile with that of a good system
- Check earlier versions


Keep an Audit Trail
- Keep a detailed written log


Check the Plug
- D'oh!
- Have the components been properly initialized?


Get a Fresh View
- Try explaining the problem to someone (or something)
- Ask an expert: co-workers, the vendor, documentation, bug database, the web
- Report symptoms (including possibly unrelated observations), but not your theories


If You Didn't Fix It, It Ain't Fixed
- Fix the root cause
- Make the problem happen again by undoing your fix

I've Seen These Rules in Action
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-16
I worked with Dave Agans for over 10 years and I can tell you first hand the man knows what he's talking about. From developing hand-held controllers in the late eighties to single-board OS/2-based videoconferencing products to software collaboration tools, we have debugged problems of every ilk. Whether the problem was an FPGA bug, a faulty component in a board, a race condition in a device driver or a dangling pointer in a DLL, Dave always approached the problem with his same set of debugging rules, and they never let him down. Read this book. It's engaging and fun to read. But more importantly it will make you a better debugger, whether you're debugging hardware, software or your lawnmower.

Critical work for anyone who works on any sort of system, machine, or software
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-14
This book is absolutely indispensable for anyone working in any job where things occasionally work in an unexpected manner. It's concise, funny, well-written, and full of immensely useful tips on how to go about debugging problems.

One of the great things about this book is that it's generalistic in nature, not specific. Agans's decades of troubleshooting experience has given him great insight on how to go about debugging in all sorts of environments, so he lays out nine rules for approaching any problem:

Understand the System
Make it Fail
Quit Thinking and Look
Divide and Conquer
Change One Thing at a Time
Keep an Audit Trail
Check the Plug
Get a Fresh View
If You Didn't Fix It, It Ain't Fixed

[...]

Debugging isn't an art performed only by folks with some odd genetic disposition, it's a critical craft which can and must be learned. I was fortunate to have some good troubleshooters as mentors during my days working radar inflight in the Air Force, but I've fallen out of many of the good practices those folks beat^H^H^H^Hinstilled in me. Agans's book is helping me pull out of the thrash and churn mode of debugging.

This book's only 175 or so pages long and is well-worth adding to your library. Actually, substitute "a critical addition" for "well worth adding". I'm also going to make sure this book gets added to the professional development reading list I'm working on creating.

Programming
Essential C# 2.0 (Microsoft .NET Development Series)
Published in Paperback by Addison-Wesley Professional (2006-07-23)
Author: Mark Michaelis
List price: $59.99
New price: $29.79
Used price: $27.50

Average review score:

Balance between reference and tutorial
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-21
Good balance between a reference book and one to learn from. I agree with most of the other reviews. The organization is great and progressive.

A C# book you should have
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-18
This book is very suitable for readers who already have some programming experience on other languages. It positions right there between beginner level and advanced topics. It also makes perfect balance between tutorial and reference book. It is one of the best C# books that I have read so far.

Good book but watch out for sample codes
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-28
Overall this is a very good book for both beginners and advanced C# programmers. I would like to rate it 5-stars, however, I found the examples with some errors. The editing team should put more effort on reviewing the examples. Eventhough, I still recommend this book.

Buy & Read this book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-04
Hi Everyone;

I've read many C# books and I love this book. Mark's approach and ease of communicating a point, is great. There are many people who are very knowledgable, but have no skill of teaching a subject. As if they have closed their ears and kept talking.
I actually look forward to reading the next page/chapter, rather than see if I'm done.

Highly recommended!
..Ben

One of the best C# books
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-02
Even if I rated 5 out of 5, the book contains a lot of *very serious mistakes* in the code samples (I have found out more than 10). I'd like to think they are typo mistakes, and the code does not contain what the author intended to write. A very bad rate for the reviewers, who either do not know C#, or they did not review the code samples at all.


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