Palm OS Books

This is a must have in practice! The NP that I was practicing with during my clinical rotation actually told me to get this and he was correct, you have everything you need in one book!

I am a pharmacist and carry this book with me everywhere. It is small enough to fit in my purse and it can answer questions on dosing, indications, and much more. It is definitely a lot faster to use than the slow computers at the pharmacy!

I use this pocket guide more often than I use my palm pilot for drug doses. My lab coat is not complete without this book. Even when I am on call, I make sure I have one of my multiple copies at bedside so I can look up meds in the middle of the night. Also, I am a preceptor for PA students, and I recommend each and every one of them purchase some version of this guide (and most of them do).

A fast, keep in your shirt pocket reference for drug name, dosing, available dosing sizes, route of clearance and safety in pregnancy or lactation. It is tiny - a centimeter thick and shirt pocket dimensioned. Really great when a patient comes in with some oddball psych med, is found to be pregnant or you get a braincramp somewhere around your thirtieth patient of the day. I use this little gem regularly.

It's great IF the ONLY info you need is dosing information. If you need more information like SIDE EFFECTS, METHOD OF ACTION, etc, 'Clinician's Pocket Drug Reference' from Scut Monkey is far more useful/helpful. At least it was (and is) to me during med school and now in residency.

This is THE Book to have if you intend to do any type of network programming on the palm. The time you'll save in the first hour will pay for the book.

Not only is it very well written it includes many great examples, covering the simple to the complex. Even if I'm only doing something relatively simple I've found it's always worth it to see how the author's handled the situation in his examples. There's also a lot of information here that's only briefly touched on in the Palm OS Reference or not covered at all.

I'm very careful about purchasing books, usually relying on reference manuals and online docs when I can. However, this is one that I have absolutely no regrets about adding to my library.

Kevin

I found this book to be exactly what I was in search of - something to clearly explain how to use NetLib along with well documented examples! Greg Winton does an excellent job of taking the reader through the development of an FTP application (explaining NetLib and sockets along the way) - each chapter builds on the previous and introduces new concepts in comprehensible portions.

I admit, like most engineers, that I jumped ahead to the end to see the "whole enchilada", but then went back and reread the earlier chapters. This was still a good approach for absorbing all that is presented in this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone venturing into networking their Palm. It is well written, concise, and contains insights from someone who is clearly experienced in networking.

An excellent, well-written book with great examples that should work for both beginners and advanced users. No other book on Palm OS development [I think I own just about all of them] overlaps in any serious way with the topics treated so thoroughly in this book.

The chapters on non-blocking sockets are an absolute must-read for anybody who wants to develop robust, responsive, real-world applications for the Palm OS.

Two nit-picky items: 1) the book is somewhat more verbose than it needs to be because of irrelevancies about "the Zen of this..." and the "Tao of that...". If you ignore these altogether too-cute sidebars, you'll have a generally more productive and pleasant read. 2) there are some occasional stylistic problems with the C-code. Not errors, but things like assignments to local variables that would never be referenced that show up. The code is also somewhat more pedestrian than that employed by most working C or C++ coders. For the large audience, this might be a plus. I think the style makes it more accessible to VB and NS-Basic types. But it will be a little off-putting to the hard-core.

Palm OS Network Programming is the first book for which I have written a review. I cannot think of a finer book to start my editorial review career. Greg Winton's organization, clarity, and writing style, transforms a potentially dry topic into a work of art that is truly a joy to read.

I am currently 3/4 of the way through the book and I'm torn between plowing through it (as I usually do) and reading as slowly as I can...not wanting to reach the finish line.

Greg Winton does an outstanding job of describing the principles behind Palm OS networking, and explaining network application development in crystal clear detail. The order in which the material is presented and the explanations that accompany the API descriptions and sample code, confess that this was not a book that was rushed to market, but was instead thoroughly researched and revised to perfection.

I truly believe that Palm OS Network Programming raises the bar for future programming books, and deserves an easily accessible spot in every Palm OS developer's library.

Para todos los palm-users, que como yo, alguna vez empezamos a dar los primeros pasos en esta plataforma, para los que no supieron como hacer una cita, configurar un calendario, o simplemente, para aquellos que desean sacarle el maximo provecho a su organizador, pues bien, este es su libro. Esta escrito en un lenguaje simple y ameno. Estan enfocados con claridad los puntos mas importantes, tanto para los principiantes, como para los que tienen alguna experiencia con estos equipos. Abarca desde conociones basicas como uso del calendario, contactos y demas, hasta manejo de internet, mails y algunos consejos para hacer nuestra relacion con estas "pequeñas", mas facil. Lo recomiendo como herramienta de consulta y para los que se inician en este apasionante mundo de palm.

Para todos aquellos usuarios de palm, que alguna vez no supieron como realizar una cita, que se preguntaron como hacer para solucionar algun problema concreto o simplemente,como un servidor, darse cuenta que solo estaba utilizando un 10% de las capacidadades de su organizador.......bien, esta guia de supervivencia no debe faltarle. Esta escrita claramente, en un lenguaje ameno, y abarca desde las mas simples tareas diarias (agenda, calendario, contactos) hasta cosas mas avanzadas como el manejo de mails e internet. Soy usuario de la plataforma palm desde hace meses, y debo decir que encontre en esta "biblia", muchas herramientas para hacer que mi 3III sea imprescindible.

Use it on your palm. Easy to use and extremely helpful for all specialties. Have this and harriet on your palm and you'll be able to figure out the majority of pedi problems.

I saw this book and I bought it. It is a really comprensive guide and it worth the money spent. It also includes features for Palm Zire 31 and beyond users. I suggest that you get this book if you have an Palm OS power device. It not recommended for those that own a Pocket PC device because it is not compatible with this book. Also try the Quick Start Visual Guide for the Palm OS by Jeff Carlson for a more detailed guide on how to use certain features and more!

First off, the CD that comes with the book gives you all of the software that you will need to create and serve web pages/applications to a Palm OS device. This includes a web server, Metrowerks CodeWarrior and more.

The book is full of well explained examples that build up to a fairly sophisticated example by the end.

My favorite parts are the notes, warning and sidebars. The authors give lots of critical information that Palm left out. They'll tell you about things that Palm did wrong, and how to work around them.

Between the book and the CD, this should be everything you need to do Palm Web development.

Best book I've found with respect to Web clippings, security, and interacting with Perl/ASP.

The book covers the basics of graphics programming in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 extends the code to 3D. Easy to follow. Chapter 17 addresses translation and rotation -- simple animations.

I am hoping the next edition covers bitmaps in more detail and examines video. But this is the best coverage of graphics I have found.

Finally, a book that gives working versions of code for both the GCC and the Metrowerks environments. I've been battling converting Metrowerk projects into MAKE solutions. Getting the code for both was great.

I am now using the trick the book presents in the database chapter to copyprotect my Palm shareware (the trick is to orphan a database). It's easy and effective.

I purchased this book primaraly on the merits of the customer reviews here. After having used this book to develop a Palm application using GCC PRC Tools, I'm stumped as to how it got such good reviews. The example code (in the text and on the CD) contains errors (read: the code won't compile.) Also, the examples are incomplete. For instance, the author talks about reading from a TextField but not how to write to one (not a trivial procedure.) Popup triggers are left out altogether. In general, the author doesn't thouroughly cover the topics he's chosen to write about. Nor does he give you any clue that he's not fully discussing the topic at hand. For example, he mentions only a couple of the built in dialog boxes and doesn't bother to tell you that there are other's available in PalmOS - let alone list them. The worst problem is that some of the examples are good enough to compile and execute on a non-debug device ROM, but will crash the debug ROM or produce erratic behavior in the program (ie: his discussion of PrefGetAppPreferences()) Over and over I'm having to debug errors that have been introduced because I used the author's buggy code. Do yourself a favor, buy a different book on writing PalmOS applications!

The book is well written except for inconsistencies in the
source code snippets and the texts.

In page 89, MenuHelloPalm.h has #define MainMenu but in
MenuHelloPalm.rcp, it has MENU MenuMenu. I looked at
the actual MenuHelloPalm.h file in the CD-ROM and its
#define MenuMenu.

Another inconsistency is found at page 93 and 94. In page
93, the function is FrmSetEventHandler(frmP, MainFormHandleEvent)
but in page 94, the author was referring to another function
called FrmAssignEventHandler.

I would have rated this book 5 stars for brevity, layout,
flexibility and the intent to write clearly but the errors above
and probably more (haven't finished reading yet) made me jump
from one page to another trying to put two and two together plus
opening my Palm OS API Reference just to find out which function
should really be used.

I know the best way to check is to re-compile the source
code and see if it runs but that would be a excercise on
the reader's part that we don't have to go through.

I hope the publisher proofreads good books like these twice
in the future.

Still, it's one of the best books out there on Palm OS
Programming besides the Palm OS Programming Bible. Pity I
can't rate it as 4.9.

I purchased this book when I bought the Sony Clie T-655. Even though this book is mostly about the NR70v it helped me understand how my clie funtioned tips, websites, suppliers it has it all. I have upgraded to NX70v and It is just as helpful if not more then before. There is nothing that this book does not cover and I even mean the dumb mistakes beginners make and what the Clie book doesnt have in it. So if you own a sony clie it is worth every penny for all the info is used in every aspect of your clie. Now I hope they come up with a newer version for the OS.5. thanks Guys for a great book. would be lost without it.!! Dr.

Some people had given bad reviwer to this book, but to make honor to the true, this book give you what it offer. Ofcourse it does not give you everything about your PDA, that's imposible for el printed material in the computer field. other than that the writer maked a very ease to follow and joyful book to read, if your an expert PDA user or have had a lot of expirense with your PDA you do not need ANY book to teach you or guide you on how to use it. otherwise this is a most have book. I give it a buy it! Review

For the Clie' owner this is a must have reference. It not only expounds on what is in your Sony manual but has loads of practical advice and tips for Clie' use, references to sites for inexpensive hardware/software, and 3rd party software that you can purchase knowing that it will work with your Clie'.
The book is well written and frequently humorous (think Siscal and Ebert...or Roper). The authors do not make the assumption that you already know all the basics of PDA's. The basics are there to read if you need them. This book pays for itself!

I've enjoyed this book. Much easier to read than a boring manual. I would buy other books from these authors.

I am an experienced Clie user and I did not find this book very useful at all. If you are a NEW PDA user, then this book might be for you. All others, leave it at the bookstore!

If you create Web clippings, this book is filled with tons of code that will save you time.

I am making great use of the code that lets users create their own "custom" PQAs on the fly!

Using code (and Active Server Pages) the book presents, I was able to write code that retrieves documents (word, excel, images, palm stuff too) my PC.

Accessing my home PC was easy (no firewall). I changed the Active Server Page code some to work in the firewall environment at my office.

Good stuff. The apps port easily to other handhelds such as the PocketPC

The title and book description are both misleading, and frankly, I think deliberately so, given that the book does _NOT_ even attempt to address Palm development. This is _NOT_ a Palm OS developers guide at all, it is a Palm Web Clipping develoepr's guide. If that's what you're looking for it's not a bad resource.

The book showed me how to send faxes from my Palm OS device--within applications and Web clippings ... Very easy ... I'm using the capability in several Web pages for my sales folks.

This book covers web-clipping and related topics almost exclusively. It is in NO way an overview of Palm Programming. I had to return my copy. The Palm OS Bible is vastly superior.

Perhaps this was my bad planning but I purchased this book after having already purchased the "Professional Palm OS programming" book by the same author. Don't get me wrong, I assume any book by the same author will contain some of the same information but this book duplicated more than HALF of the same material from the other book. I was hoping to read something new to cover what the other book didn't but instead I found myself reading the same thing.

Let this be a lesson to those who pay closer attention to what they purchase. This book is helpful but not any more helpful than the other book "Professional Palm OS programming". I guess I'll just have to use the Palm example programs to learn the remainder of what I need to know.

Maybe I'll write my own book some day. Yeah.. I guess that might not happen any time soon (or until I take a class in school or something).

Well organized, understandable, and has a good index. Associated web site also useful.

This is a "must read" for people programming or interested in programming apps for the palm.

BUT:

a.- Does not cover Palm Developer Suite (Eclipse).
b.- It covers the Codewarrior and AFAIK this is not available anymore (at least for now) from Metrowerks.
c.- Even if it says "covers palm os 5" you will also need to read all the newest info from Palm to get a real feeling of "what's new" with OS 5.

Again, I insist, is a MUST READ, but it will not be your only reference.

1 star goes down because of what I mentioned before.
4 stars go up because of I did NOT mention. This is a really great reference for Palm OS Programming.

Along with "Palm OS Programming: The Developers' Guide", this is a must have addition to your bookshelf if you wish to be proficient in devloping Palm applications. It is more up to date than the other book; but is complemtary to it. With the two books together, all aspects of Palm programming for the serious developer are handled. But beware, this is not a trivial beginners book.

I've been a programmer for 10 years but was new to the Palm OS development environment when I bought this book. It shaved weeks off of my development time. While there is a huge amount of free Palm OS development information online, the online information is geared towards those that are already experienced in the field. There is a paucity of comprehensive, introductory information. This book serves that function excellently. Each topic is introduced in a very understandable manner, while also being discussed in great depth. When embarking on a new area of Palm Programming, this is a great place to start.

Regarding the review beating up this book for lacking more examples and reference information, this type of information is amply supplied by PalmSource.com, user groups, and other sources, all for free and all in digital format. PalmSource.com alone released several reference volumes in searchable PDF format that are a great compliment. It would be a waste of paper to put it in this book.