Software Books

Not much else to say, is there an in-print alternative I can suggest to friends?

This reference book is essential to me for C programming. It lists all the C functions with brief summaries of usage. It's so much easier to use than a huge text book for someone that knows the basics of C programming. Not for the novice, but wonderful for the C programmer. I wish there was one of these for every language. I have to buy another one since I lost mine and I can't do without it!

Most C functions are grouped together, and have real summations on their use, not just a list of arguments for a function call. Worst thing that happened was I lost mine! My entire office was lost without it. Some functions are explained better here than in any textbook I have seen.

My brain is too small to keep all the details of the C language readily accessible. When I'm writing a C program, I keep this little book next to my computer so I can look up the details about the language that I very well might forget the next day.

I think of this book in much the same way I think of an English dictionary. It is extremely handy as a reference, but you already need to know how to use the language. This book is not for the C novice.

most chapter's are only 10 pages or less long so you can sit down for 5 minutes read a chapter then come back and read another chapter later as it helps to read a whole chapter at once

where as some books are like 40 pages per chapter and ya need to sit down with a fair bit of time just to read the chapter

Ben Forta's Certified Coldfusion 5 Developer Study Guide will not teach ColdFusion, but will be a review guide that provides helpful pointers for examinees. The book's look will be non-intimidating yet thorough, and will be highly readable in small bite-sized chunks. Each subject will be presented in a clear and direct language, with useful and well explained code examples. Sample questions will accompany each subject, as will references to recommended reading, product documentation, Macromedia course work, and existing ColdFusion books. 432 pp. Intermediate-Advanced user level.

I have been developing with CF for about 4 years now but there were several features I had never used. I purchased this book and within a week got the nerve to take the exam. The book came with a 15% off coupon for the exam so it about paid for itself with that. I passed the exam today and achieved Certified Advanced status. In a word, Outstanding!

The book was helpful, the chapter formats are short and to the point giving you only what you need to pass the, which is good. Just don't rely only on this book...here is a secret, there is a program called cf_buster that is a great test prep that when used in conjuction with this book simulate a certified test environment. I passed my test today.

One of my criteria for accepting this book was to find a section on Blackman's immittance relation, a powerful but often overlooked circuit analysis technique. Different sections are treated by different authors, providing insight from many different perspectives. With so many topics handled, I was surprised at the thoroughness of the book. Not for a beginner, but can be used by anyone interested in circuit theory.

This book provides a comprehensive work covering the broad spectrum of electrical circuits and filters. It is designed to be used by practicing electrical engineers in industry and academia.

This handbook is not an all-encompassing digest of everything taught within an electrical engineering curriculum on circuits and filters, but rather an engineer's first choice in looking for a solution, standard practices and references to other sources, when needed.

This book provides a comprehensive work covering the broad spectrum of electrical circuits and filters. It is designed to be used by practicing electrical engineers in industry and academia.

This handbook is not an all-encompassing digest of everything taught within an electrical engineering curriculum on circuits and filters, but rather an engineer's first choice in looking for a solution, standard practices and references to other sources, when needed.

The book is divided into different sections, written by different groups of authors. At the end of each section you have a lot of references, so you can follow the topic deeper. These sections (13) cover most of the electronic knowledge you could use as experienced/professional user (feedback, nonlinear, CAD, distributed circuits,FILTERS of course, and many more). The quality of information given is very good, analog electronic design is covered excellently, digital related to analog then little bit worse.
I recommend this book to buy, I just have some comments:
1) The book is strongly theoretical (lots of equations), there is not a lot of examples (if I compare to Horovitz et Hill)
2) Some chapters are just passed very quickly (for example PLDs - 22V10 etcetc, no deep descriptions how to do that, just explanation what it is - the question then is, why they put it into that book)
3) Examples are few and in most of the cases they show just principle of work, so don't expect values of components. (one example for all: design of switched filter - you can see block schematic with a lot of MOS-like switches, but no real implementation of these switches. Then when you want to design this type of filter, you find out that it is not so easy to realize mos-switch because you have to take into account another things like back-injection of the charge, which are not mentioned etcetc) That lack of full examples is pitty, because then you cannot calculate backwards with the theory presented, and check for mistakes in your thinking.
4) Format of the book: the book is large and heavy (~2900pages), so manipulation is unpleasant. Perhaps if the book was divided into 4 thinner.... okay, but this is just my subjective opinion.
----------
Conclusion:
Although the book has some lacks, I strongly recommend to buy it. I would also recommend to buyer to invest another ~70USD to Horovitz&Hill-The Art of Electronics, because this book is very good complement to the one reviewed here.

As with any operating system, it is imperative to have a complete understanding of the intricacies of the workings in order to be the best technician possible. Understanding Routers and the IOS is very important to making sure that they work and work all the time.

This book breaks down the IOS to the basic level and is very complete and the author has made sure that you have every tool at your disposal. From routing and bridging overview to the basic router configuration and components.

There are three chapters devoted specifically to the IOS and the remaining chapters cover topics such as, IP, IPX, APPLETALK, DECNET, VINES routing. Also there is coverage for bridging, frame relay, SRB and DLSW making up another eight chapters.

Completing this book is a 65 page appendix with the commend reference. While this book is tailored to any exam, this book will be very useful for most of the CCNA/CCNP exams.

This book was big help with learning syntax. I've worked on Bay Routers for years, this helped me find my way around. It is good source of info not just answers to exam questions.

Of all the books about Cisco routers this is one that you will want to add to your shelf. It does not focus too much on theory, but it focuses much on the nitty-gritty, the hands on knowledge that you need in the industry. I suggest this book for anyone pursuing a certification or who need any extensive knowledge concerning the configuration of Cisco Routers.

This is the only Cisco router book I've seen that does a good job of actually explaining what something is and how to do it. It answered a lot of my questions. Unless your already an expert, this book is a must.

A good book for high level description of the structure of Sybase System 11. When concerning details, there are many places the explanations are confusing. Pretty often two or more contradiction view of points appear in the same page. Considering the lack of good Sybase books, I would like to give this one a favorable recommendation, but don't expect too much.

This books gives an insight into sybase internals and how to get the best out of your server. The material on locking included in this book is one of the best I have seen so far.

I've got more than 30% improvement in my Server , After reading & use the concept which is describe in this book

Of all the Sybase books that I own (10+) this is the one I look at the most. It is theoretical and practical. Only bad thing I can say about the book is the printing and binding. It is almost 4" thick and wouldn't stay open flat on a bet. The paper is unusually thick and the diagrams look like something from the pre-TeX days that your kid put together with a screen print and Paint. Content is superb. It covers topics in depth that are not covered at all in equally priced books. Only two others come close: the Unleashed book (day to day how to) and the Sugiyama & Roy book (heavy on the theory, light on the real world)

This book is a must have. It uses the dragon book (Compilers: principles, techniques and tools by Aho et.al) as a model but goes a great deal further in its use of examples when explaining the theory. Whenever I had a little trouble understanding the dragon book or wished that more examples were used I turned to Holub's book. The book is extremely well organized. If you want the theory its all there and if you want to just look at code its all there too: thousands of lines of it! After explaining everything you actually get to see how lex and yacc are built (from the ground up) and finally a C compiler. BUY IT NOW!!

This book is more accessible than the Dragon book (Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools) but is less complete. This book presents complete source code for parser generators tools and a C compiler. Even if this book is getting a little bit old and it targets a DOS platform, it should not stop you from acquiring this goldmine of very useful information for anyone interested in compilers for a very reasonable price.

Only a few words. Using this book, I designed a few compilers for testing languages, using Portuguese words and commands. It is yet on the development age, but, without this book it would not be abler at all.

I have had this book for 8 years. It clearly describes compiler theories and examples. It is very useful when I develop very fast parser. (The code generated by lex isn't fast enough.) I am not in the compiler writing business. This book is perfect for me.

I have read the book and it is very easy to follow and very accurate. I have actually had the opportunity to work with one of the authors, Todd Halpin. It is good to know that this book was written by someone who has actually done the stuff. Todd is very smart and he knows his stuff. I would recommend this book to anyone.

*****

Primetime

My stock advice for those preparing for certification is to "get the Exam Cram". If you are planning to take the new A+ tests, however, and you have even the slightest bit of experience, then this book is far superior for a variety of reasons:

1. Better Organization. The Exam Cram is laid out in a conceptual order ideal for beginners - you start at the motherboard and gradually work outside the computer, you start at DOS and progressively upgrade to Windows 2000. But that's what the thousand page study guides are for - these books are supposed to help you CRAM for the EXAM. The Exam Notes are instead patterned directly after CompTIA's objectives, making it far easier to locate information on your weak areas when studying for the tests.

2. Appropriate Detail. The Exam Cram provides a scant 20 pages on networking (though it makes up 10-15% of each exam) and less on laser printers (typically, an uncomfortable area of study), but reprints almost all of the Windows 3.1 information from the first edition despite the new test objectives! In contrast, these Exam Notes contain an excellent introduction to basic networking concepts, a fully illustrated review of the EP process, and far less "historical data".

3. Overall Quality. The latest version of the Exam Cram still contains an almost useless motherboard diagram, disjointed discussions of barely related technologies (see Chapter 7), and some truly unforgivable factual errors (see page 401). This book provides stark contrast with actual photos of things you should be able to visually identify, better focus on current test objectives, high accuracy, and IT EVEN COSTS LESS!

Coriolis produces useful study guides, but Sybex got them this time. Mr. Jones and Mr. Landes have a fine test prep product on audio cassette, but this is, in my opinion at least, the best in print.

Great introduction. The authors write beautifully about their background and the tributes are wonderfull.

The text maps directly to the CompTIA Domains and that is great. The content is a bit "light on". I found some areas were glossed over.
The hardware was better than the OS, much better!

I passed the HW exam but did NOT make the new ADAPTIVE 222 OS exam! I did use other material for my study. None of the material was adequate for the new OS exam.

Perhaps an "Adaptive Edition" would be a required book? The book proberbly only deserves 3 stars for content but gets 4 for the presentation and organisation. Even if I had passed I would rate it as I have.

Of the three books I used this was the easiest to use!

If you are looking for a review text that looks at each and every Comptia A+ objective for both tests, buy this book. No fluff or extras, just every single objective reviewed and briefly explained. Well written and to the point, it also reviews terminology, concepts, and step-by-step procedures vital to passing the newest and toughest A+ exams. What I was most thrilled about is the good coverage given to the Operating Systems portion. This is the absolute toughest test of the two and the information reviewed here is essential to pass the test.

I absolutely enjoyed reading the book. This is a book that covers some very advanced topics in a way that it seems so easy to comprehend. I liked the way author uses examples and explains not only the technology but the use of the development tools as well. This is just one the best technical books that I have ever read.

After trying numerous .Net books I found that this one was extremely helpful in getting to know the most important parts of the .Net framework. The book covers a lot of ground, since anything can be a 'component'. The discussion is split into front end, middle tier and back end components. So the scope is big. This book assumes you know .Net, and have played with VS.Net, so don't expect an introductory level text. I think the author does a great job of picking out the most important parts of the .Net framework and demonstrating their practical use in short but useful examples.

I have been disappointed at numerous books that spend ages covering the same ground like introduction to .Net and using windows or web controls, leaving meatier issues untouched. In contrast, Faison treads quickly, and clearly, through major topics in .Net such as (not in order): using windows & web controls, user windows & web controls, Crystal reports, database access & data grids, session management in ASP, security, web services, and so on. Many other areas of the framework are covered in passing; for example a handy section on using the web browser control in .Net.

The discussion of UML in the beginning is a bit fast, particularly the terse presentation of numerous design patterns, but the author's use of UML sequence diagrams through the book is excellent.

My main criticism is that the author tries a bit hard at humor with the quotes before each chapter. Otherwise, it's a great book.

This is a comprehensive book on component-based development (with C#). It's ~1000 pages thick and packed with code and developer information that is well referenced. A bit short on component "packaging" frameworks. This book also complements well Groove development(GDK with .NET)...

Highly recommended for serious software developers.
One of the best books I have read.
Part one is almost biblical to software development process.
This is not just for .NET, the same principles are applicable to Java or Windows developments.
I have good understanding on VC++6.0, but facing VS.NET I feel daunted.
My experiences with the Windows system, MFC class lib and VisualStudio are not much useful.
This book helps a lot. .NET is very rich and deep, so you should not expect
realizing .NET with a signle book. Yet this book is a must on your reading list.

The "Search Inside this Book" feature was not available when this review was posted. This book contains the following (excellent) articles:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. COMPONENT DEFINITON.
1. Definition of Software Component and its Elements.
George T. Heineman, William T. Councill.
2. The Component Industry Metaphor.
Hedley Apperly.
3. Component Models and Component Services: Concepts and Principles.
Rainer Weinreich, Johannes Sametinger.
4. An Example Specification for Implementing a Temperature Regulator Software Component.
Janet Flynt, Jason Mauldin.

II. THE CASE FOR COMPONENTS.
5. The Business Case for Software Components.
John Williams.
6. COTS Myths and Other Lessons Learned in Component-Based Software Development.
Will Tracz.
7. Roles for Component-Based Development.
Paul Allen.
8. Common High Risk Mistakes in Component-Based Software Engineering.
Wojtek Kozaczynski.
9. CBSE Success Factors: Integrating Architecture, Process, and Organization.
Martin L. Griss.

III. SOFTWARE ENGINEERING PRACTICES.
10. The Practice of Software Engineering.
George T. Heineman.
11. From Subroutines to Subsystems: Component-Based Software Development.
Paul C. Clements.
12. Status of CBSE in Europe.
Barry McGibbon.
13. CBSE in Japan and Asia.
Mikio Aoyama.

IV. THE DESIGN OF SOFTWARE COMPONENT INFRASTRUCTURES.
14. Software Components and the UML.
Kelli Houston, Davyd Norris.
15. Component Infrastructures: Placing Software Components in Context.
Steve Latchem.
16. Business Components.
James Carey, Brent Carlson.
17. Components and Connectors: Catalysis Techniques for Defining Component Infrastructures.
Alan Cameron Wills.
18. An Open Process for Component-Based Development.
Brian Henderson-Sellers.
19. Designing Models of Modularity and Integration.
Kevin J. Sullivan.

V. FROM SOFTWARE COMPONENT INFRASTRUCTURES TO SOFTWARE SYSTEMS.
20. Software Architecture.
Alexander L. Wolf, Judith A. Stafford.
21. Software Architecture Design Principles.
Len Bass.
22. Product-Line Architectures.
Martin L. Griss.

VI. THE MANAGEMENT OF COMPONENT-BASED SOFTWARE SYSTEMS.
23. Measurement and Metrics for Software Components.
Jeffrey Poulin.
24. The Practical Reuse of Software Components.
Don Reifer.
25. Selecting the Right COTS Software: Why Requirements are Important.
Cornelius Ncube, N.A.M. Maiden.
26. Build vs. Buy: A Rebuttal.
George T. Heineman.
27. Software Component Project Management Processes.
William T. Councill.
28. The Trouble with Testing Software Components.
Elaine Weyuker.
29. Configuration Management and Component Libraries.
Hedley Apperly.
30. The Evolution, Maintenance and Management of Component-Based Systems.
Mark Vigder.

VII. COMPONENT TECHNOLOGIES.
31. Overview of the CORBA Component Model.
Douglas C. Schmidt, Nanbor Wang, Carlos O'Ryan.
32. Transactional COM+: Designing Scalable Applications.
Timothy J. Ewald.
33. The Enterprise JavaBeans Component Model.
David Blevins.
34. Bonobo and Free Software Gnome Components.
Michael Meeks.
35. Choosing Between COM+, EJB, and CCM.
Andy Longshaw.
36. Software Agents as Next Generation Software Components.
Martin L. Griss.

VIII. LEGAL AND REGULATORY.
37. CBSE as a Unique Engineering Discipline.
John Speed, William T. Councill, George T. Heineman.
38. The Future of Software Components: Standards and Certification.
Janet Flynt, Manoj Desai.
39. Commercial Law Applicable to Component-Based Software.
Stephen Chow.
40. The Effects of UCITA on Software Component Development and Marketing.
Stephen Chow.

IX. CONCLUSION.
41. Summary.
William T. Councill, George T. Heineman.
42. Future of CBSE.
William T. Councill, George T. Heineman, Jeff Poulin.
Appendix A. Glossary.
References.
About the Authors.

I hope this helps.

This book is an excellent collection of articles describing all of the important issues surrounding the construction of component-based software systems. Each chapter describes a different aspect of the question of how to build a system using reusable components. Although each of these chapters is written by a different author or authors, they have been edited so that they read as a continuous whole. It is interesting that the editors were able to get some of the biggest names in the field to write articles on their specialties. A look at the author biographies show that they include industry practitioners, academics, industrial researchers, and independent consultants. Together they have a very impressive amount of experience and varied expertise. Perhaps my only complaint is that because so many different topics are covered, and each article is rather brief, some of the articles just touch the surface of the issues. But they do provide a balanced picture of these issues which then allow you to go out and do further in-depth reading on salient topics using the included list of references.

Covers the full spectrum of component-based software engineering, from the basics to legal aspects. Contains one of the most authoritative collections of essays and whitepapers on the subject between two covers. I have used this book as a basis for component-based development, and have also used it as the foundation for a SQA initiative because the material also addresses quality. Many of the essays support a software reuse strategy, which is an added bonus. Another use of this outstanding book is as a resource for in-house training in many aspects of software engineering outside of the component-based domain. It's that comprehensive and complete. I recommend using this book with Successful Software Development as the two primary references in mature development organizations.

This 818 page collection of 42 papers and articles is a definitive work on component-based software engineering. Regardless of your area(s) of interest, there is probably a chapter that addresses it. More importantly, each chapter is written by a top expert in their subspecialty.

Instead of giving a chapter-by-chapter description, I am going to cover the chapters that I found useful. To begin, Part II, chapters 1 through 3 gave me a quick primer in software components and highlighted the need to think in a different frame when dealing with component-based development. If you are new to CBSW then the 48 pages devoted to the basics are worthwhile reading.

Part II's five chapters on making a business and technical case for components is outstanding and the authors cover every facet. I found Part III, which covers software engineering practices, particularly useful. The value to me was the status of CBSW engineering on a global scale because I am currently providing consulting services to an India-based company that specializes in components. For this reason I also found Part IV's eight chapters on managing component-based software systems especially valuable.

The real eye-opener [for me], however, was in Part VIII, which devotes four interesting chapters on aspects of legal and regulatory issues as they related to software development as a discipline, and component-based software engineering specifically. In particular, chapter 38 on software component standards and certification was enlightening. I was also enlightened by chapter 39's fascinating discussion on commercial law applicable to component-based software, and the effects of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) on component-based software development and marketing.

This is an excellent book that covers the entire landscape of component-based software engineering and, although is a weighty 818 pages, is not difficult to read through. Each chapter is really a paper or article, so each is standalone. If you are dealing with off-shore development in any way, the book is especially valuable, and if you are doing CBSW in-house, the key differences between this approach and other development approaches are highlighted and will give you sufficient information with which to approach CBSW intelligently and effectively.

Gives a lot of practice questions to do. Answers are provided which is an added bonus. The questions are of varying difficulty. Beginners can gain practice by attempting to answer the easier questions first, before going on to tackle the more difficult ones. Those who are more familiar with Microsoft Word can aquire further knowledge in it and brush up their skills by attempting the more advanced questions. Haven't seen many books like this on the market. Definitely worth the buy.

I am generally lazy when it comes to writing reviews but a book like Computer Tutor sure got me there. Bravo! to the author. Indeed a superb bit of work.

Computer Tutor is a very good book. I like it because it has interesting questions. Someone new to MS Word can get to know the application without the boredom. I took the Microsoft Office User Specialist exam a few weeks back. I needed to brush up on 'Tables' and 'Styles' and Computer Tutor helped me tremendously. I also have other books written by the same author and have enjoyed reading them. Her books are very cleverly written. You can really appreciate their content when you start off knowing absolutely nothing about Microsoft Word and end up passing the MOUS exam!

Finally, someone wrote a book for beginners! Someone understood a beginners needs! I am new to Microsoft Word and most of the books available in bookstores say 'for beginners' but certainly do not live upto it. This book truly helps beginners get a thorough understanding of Microsoft Word.You can also use the book as you get more familiar in MS Word, as it has a range of questions addressing all levels of difficulty. You can grow up with Computer Tutor, as it is useful for the beginner and the intermediate. Even the expert can learn a thing or two from it. It is an unusual and charming book.