Internet Books

This is a very neat book that gets you started with broad knowledge
about what you can do with the overwhelming World Wide Web.
If you are curious about what are behind those search engines and
how can these "things" get you stuck in front of
your computer around the clock, this is the book for you.
It not only tells you how these "things" work,
but also calms you a little bit by telling you that
those guys who developed these "things" REALLY tried hard to
get you what you want and in the meantime save you some time :)
The best part is that you don't need to know many theories and
you still get some sense about the devils who drive these engines.
If you are a professional who wants to know where to read about the
"know how", this book could be a good starting point.
It not only gives you a good survey of what is going on,
but also provides you with 286 references that guide you
to what you need to know next.
If you are a graduate student who wants to start a project
on the subject, this book could save you some time.
It takes you only couples of hours to scan through it.
By the end, you would probably know where to dig deeper or
you might get burnt and choose a different subject.
One thing I was wondering was that the authors didn't go further
in many aspects. Some subsections have only four to five sentences.
These could be spaces to extend.

The fields of Data Mining and Information Retrieval are incredibly complex and deep subject areas even when they are divorced from the structure of the world wide web. If the world wide web is viewed as a giant data base, it is without a doubt the most complex data base which has ever existed.

A major problem is getting a grasp on the synthesis of these three fields, DM, IR, and WWW technology. Even current research in DM is distributed among gropus of people with such diverse backgrounds effective communication of research results across groups is extremely difficult.

This book has taken the major concepts from these three fields and organized them in outline form. The outline cuts just deep enough to be meaningful and never too deeply to "lose" the reader. For the serious student, this book provides a Christmas tree on which other books can hang like ornaments.

Obviously, I think very highly of this book. It is not the "be all and the end all", but it fills an important niche. ... Almost limits it to library and other institutional purchases. Which is a shmae because I'm sure every worker in WWWIR&DM would like to have a copy on their shelves.

BTW, the bibliography isn't bad either, and, includes many www URLs, a must for any truly useful bibliography in todays environment. The search engines just aren't good enough yet to give you all the URLs you need. But, then, improving them is part of why there is so much active research in WWWDM&IR.

Feel free to write the author of this review (Dr. John Aiken, PhD)...

This is a very neat book that gets you started with broad knowledge
about what you can do with the overwhelming World Wide Web.
If you are curious about what are behind those search engines and
how can these "things" get you stuck in front of
your computer around the clock, this is the book for you.
It not only tells you how these "things" work,
but also calms you a little bit by telling you that
those guys who developed these "things" REALLY tried hard to
get you what you want and in the meantime save you some time :)
The best part is that you don't need to know many theories and
you still get some sense about the devils who drive these engines.
If you are a professional who wants to know where to read about the
"know how", this book could be a good starting point.
It not only gives you a good survey of what is going on,
but also provides you with 286 references that guide you
to what you need to know next.
If you are a graduate student who wants to start a project
on the subject, this book could save you some time.
It takes you only couples of hours to scan through it.
By the end, you would probably know where to dig deeper or
you might get burnt and choose a different subject.
One thing I was wondering was that the authors didn't go further
in many aspects. Some subsections have only four to five sentences.
These could be spaces to extend.

This is a very neat book that gets you started with broad knowledge
about what you can do with the overwhelming World Wide Web.
If you are curious about what are behind those search engines and
how can these "things" get you stuck in front of
your computer around the clock, this is the book for you.
It not only tells you how these "things" work,
but also calms you a little bit by telling you that
those guys who developed these "things" REALLY tried hard to
get you what you want and in the meantime save you some time :)
The best part is that you don't need to know many theories and
you still get some sense about the devils who drive these engines.
If you are a professional who wants to know where to read about the
"know how", this book could be a good starting point.
It not only gives you a good survey of what is going on,
but also provides you with 286 references that guide you
to what you need to know next.
If you are a graduate student who wants to start a project
on the subject, this book could save you some time.
It takes you only couples of hours to scan through it.
By the end, you would probably know where to dig deeper or
you might get burnt and choose a different subject.
One thing I was wondering was that the authors didn't go further
in many aspects. Some subsections have only four to five sentences.
These could be spaces to extend.

This is a nice introductory book, short and well written. Don't expect any details, it is only an outline. It does a good job of covering terminology, and suggesting additional reading, but it isn't a primary resource itself.

The book is divided into 3 sections. The first is on 'information retrieval' (IR), the second on data mining, and the third describes a 'case study.'

According to the authors, IR is engaged in storage, retrieval, organization and display of unstructured or ambiguous file structures. Research is currently engaged in classifying, filtering, modeling, query design and user interface issues. The key question for IR is 'relevance' assessment. Each topic gets at least a few paragraphs, some a few pages.

The authors differentiate data mining from IR in terms of focus. A data mining project is designed specifically for finding hidden structure (whatever that means), while IR might be characterized as the 'quick and dirty query.' This is a bit confusing, but the emphasis on terminology makes it unimportant. Most of the data mining section is a review of various measures used to determine the existence of associations. This includes some simple formulas. Also, there is a section on webcrawlers and text mining.

Though the book is titled 'mining the www', the largest section is IR, what most would call 'search engines.' Mining itself gets only about 1/4 of the book.

The case study is fairly brief, but outlines a way to structure a simple project.

The book contains a nice bibliography.

This is a very good text for a beginning JSP/Servelet developer. Very clearly laid out, with copious examples, well orgranized, slanted to a novice Servlet developer. You cant go wrong with this text. Additional benefit is a chapter on how to use the NetBeans IDE.

Java can be used in countless applications and websites with very little problems from the viewer; an ideal component for a designer. The second edition of "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" is a complete and comprehensive technical guide for those who wish to master the program and use it to its very fullest. Covering just about anything one can do with the program, and enhanced with a web address that can be accessed for further resources for programmers, "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" is a top pick for community library collections.

This book takes you through a well structured learning journey of JSP, Servlets and related technologies such as Netbeans, Tomcat and MySQL for developing complete web apps. The book has provided me with the skill and confidence to start building my own web-app. The book finishes with a completed e-commerce example that builds on the earlier work, and gives the reader a basis for their own future development.

The book provides comprehensive details on how to set up the environment for developing and deploying web-apps, with the installation of Netbeans, MySQL, libraries etc covered in the appendices. The set up is generally a difficult part of learning a new computer concept and this book explains this very well.

The material, the downloaded code, and exercises are well integrated and provide for a comprehensive learning experience. I was able to successfully complete the vast majority of exercises readily.

I have ordered the Murach Java book as I found the JSP and Servlets book very useful.

COMPARED TO HEAD FIRST
***********************
I am a big fan of the Head First series, a series which has taught me everything I know about Java, XHTML, CSS, Design Patterns Ajax, OO Design etc. I love it. But as a novice, I found Head First Servlets and JSP: Passing the Sun Certified Web Component Developer Exam (SCWCD) difficult to get into. Mainly because the HF book is directed towards accreditation, and contains some curved balls to prepare for the exam that distracted me from learning.

Instead, I did the Murach book from cover to cover, and skim read the HF book (partially because I am in love with that bossy HF girl!). The HF series is more fun and engaging, but for JSP and Servlets I found the Murach approach worked best for me. While the Murach book is as as well written and presented as can be expected of a more traditional text book, it is not as interactive as the HF series. I therefore found completing the exercises in the Murach book important for engaging with the content.

Murach does a better job than HF on the MySQL and IDE side of things. HF probably covers the nuances of the Servlets more comprehensively.

I recommend both, depending on what you need.

Hi guys, if you are looking for a book that guides you step by step thru servlets and jsp's this is the book you should buy, the method that is used in this book is learn and practice, for me this kind of studying is very proactive and it is better than just reading a bunch of pages with just a final example.
So do not hesitate to buy this book, this is the only one you need.

"Working hands are better than praying lips"

The previous version of "Murach's Servlets and JSPs" was a good book, and this one is too.

The book is described for use as "Training and reference", and while books tend to be good for one purpose or the other I found this one did manage to accomplish both objectives. The information is presented in small, distinct and incremental sections, and each block of code is clear and concise. It also contains all of the important information required to get a good start developing Servlets. I also found the same layout worked well when accessing the information as a reference.

It was very amusing that the book managed to get through four whole chapters before addressing Servlets or JSPs in detail, but given that many people leap into Servlets while their other technical skills are still growing, this prelude will be valuable to many beginners. These chapters are spent introducing web programming with Java, setting up Tomcat and the Netbeans IDE, and a one chapter crash course in HTML.

All of the required topics are covered elegantly, and enough room is left over to provide the same level of coverage for the next level of knowledge such as SSL, JavaMail, connecting to databases, container managed security and even some raw HTTP.

While I would not usually consider 10 horseshoes for a programming resource, this one is less likely to be read and forgotten, and should be of use for the first few years of Servlet programming for the novice. Therefore it is easy to recommend adding this one to your bookshelf.

The second and updated edition of the Old Fart's Guide To The Macintosh caters to the new senior citizen computer user and the retiree who wants to get a quick handle on the Mac. The basics become as plain as where to buy one, whether to consider a new or used one, and how to turn on/off the machine. Don't expect this to be a slim handbook of quick reference: it's best used on a step-by-step basis for new learners and is packed with the building blocks of computer knowledge.

This book is written by a young man named Aaron Rosenzweig who has a keen understanding of how to explain the essentials of computers in ways that people born before the era of computers can understand.

Macintosh users, of which I am one, have been quite well provided for by helpful manuals (the iMac for Dummies and How to do Everything with your iMac spring to mind). But there's always room for more, if they add something new to our knowledge of these user-friendly and constantly evolving computers.

Well, Aaron Rosenzweig has done just that, in a very thorough, clear and logical way, especially when explaining AppleWorks, which he describes as the greatest single piece of software ever created because it is easy to use and can do so many things.

Aaron's manual assumes no knowledge of computers, and starts from scratch with a comprehensive run-down of what computers are (not just Macs), their software, hardware, viruses and gadgets, such as mice. He then leaps straight into a discussion about Operating Systems, and a thorough exposition of the Macintosh itself. A description of the Internet follows, then AppleWorks, printing, information and storage, software categories, digital hubs, user groups, computer problems, advanced topics and, right up to date, what's new in OS 10.3 (Panther). The book concludes with a description of some useful web sites and a comprehensive glossary.

I would recommend this book-part manual and part commentary-to any Mac user, though I must warn that it's primarily aimed at the US market and to those who are using OS X. As one who is in neither category, I would yet argue that this is a small price to pay for a well-written, comprehensive, easy to read and understand guide. And if it's any consolation, Aaron is prepared to write a specifically Australian version, if he can find a co-author. Any takers?

When categorizing books, it would be easy to say that the technical genera is something that one "has" to read, rather than "gets" to read. There is good reason for that. Technical books are too long, too boring and don't give any perspective. Thankfully for Mac users, there is one glowing exception: Aaron Rosenzweig's Old Fart's Guide to the Macintosh.

Now in its second edition, this ultra up-to-date book stands out for its ability to gather and feed a sea of Mac information in a different way-with personality and luster. Although the title may be a put-off to those who don't consider themselves an "old fart," let me assure you, this book is for anyone who wants to learn more about the Mac.

Aaron's keen sense of direction plots a well-defined path through the jungle of computer literacy. Starting right from the beginning, he uses these great analogies to relate confusing digital ideas to everyday life. Whether talking about New York chefs and operating systems or small towns and passwords, the most confusing ideas are brought down to level that can be understood and related to by all.

Although it might sound like this book is geared just to Mac tyros, it provides a wealth of information and background that even seasoned users will appreciate. From typing letters to creating your own internet radio station, the number of plausible solutions to accomplish almost anything on the Mac is impressive. What's taken me over a decade of trial and error to figure out, Aaron has put on the table for anyone to utilize in only minutes. Many other Mac resources, computer classes, and even personal tutors give you the "how," but not the "why." Aaron makes sure the reader understands how to do something by backing up a few steps and explaining the underlying reason for why it needs to be done. This applies an incredible mental adhesive to the information in the book.

The first chapter, "What is a Computer?," starts with the basic idea of a computer, and why people need one. Those of us new to computers, or the Mac, will appreciate this the most. The basic parts of a computer and what they do are explained in this chapter. Fundamental terms such as hardware and software are also defined along with examples. Adjusted users might wish to skip ahead, but this chapter provides an easy first step for those with no prior computer knowledge.

Gradually getting deeper into the Mac, the second chapter is dedicated to operating systems. It's only fitting that this is a unique chapter for a unique OS. It starts by explaining why an OS is a vital part of a computer, and how it directly affects the user. After the basic concept of an OS is established, the chapter segues into the differences of Mac OS 9 and X. An informative synopsis of the NeXT evolution tells how it played a major role in fabricating today's Mac OS. Additionally, the concepts of Mac "system software" and "OS" are differentiated in addition to some tips on when to use Mac OS 9 and "Classic mode."

Chapter three pulls concepts from the first two chapters and uses them to explain why Mac is the superior computing platform. If you're not a Mac fan, this chapter should pull you over from the Dark Side. For the rest, it points out why PCs are substandard computers. After establishing that concept, the different models of both Mac desktops and portables are compared and contrasted. This provides a nice guide for people who want a new Mac, but aren't sure which model serves their needs best. If a new Mac isn't your thing, don't worry. There are also tips for getting a used system, and what to watch out for.

The next chapter gets into working with the Mac through the desktop. Basic concepts such as clicking, drag and drop, windows and the Finder are explained with very helpful screen shots for reference.

Chapter eight is a whopper of a chapter that covers almost everything about using the internet, and then some. Keeping with style, it explains what the internet is, how it works and why it affects you. The chapter covers how to get online, what email is and how to use it, different ways to browse the web, using Sherlock, video conferencing and instant messaging... just to name a few. Each topic is nicely broken down by concept followed up with suggestions of good software to use.

Word processing nowadays may seem much more complicated than punching keys on a typewriter. But with a little help, anyone can reap the benefits of modern word processing. "Typing Letters with AppleWorks" is a whole chapter dedicated to getting the most out of Apple's free productivity software. From setting margins to checking spelling, you'll be whipping out letters in no time.

The final and most in-depth chapter truly adds the icing to the cake. Whereas most of the book up until now has been geared for people new to the Mac, this chapter rips loose and lets comfortable users really get their hands dirty. The chapter goes into many aspects of UNIX, including the terminal, X Window systems and GNU. There's even a section on how to get started with computer programming. If you're the artistic type, don't pass up the "Computer artwork and graphics" section, which goes into 3D and video effects software. If words or melody are your thing, don't feel left out. There's section on desktop publishing and a great music section that includes how to create your own recorded music as well as an internet radio station.

This book is well worth reading and is something to keep around by the Mac for those times when it seems like you can do no right. In addition to Aaron's great voice, I also enjoyed this book for its completeness, accuracy and clarity.

It's Christmas time. A very special time of the year, when family and friends just seem more important. It's a time when you sit back and think about how good life is, and how much you really love the people around you. Your family, your friends, that weird guy who always walks around town wearing the top half of a superman costume, screaming things about the Bible. And most importantly, Christmas time is a time of giving. I'm talking gifts, baby. Some of you may be giving the gift of a Macintosh to a loved one, and that may be the first computer for some of those loved ones. Handing them, perhaps, the greatest gift you could give. A doorway into the information super-highway. The means to express their ideas and creativity in ways other gifts could never provide. The ability to be entertained with music, movies, reading, and more!

Well, if you are giving the gift of a Mac to someone who isn't familiar with Macintosh, or if you know someone who has a Mac, and doesn't really understand how to use the computer effectively, then I have the perfect book for them: "Old Fart's Guide to the Macintosh" by Aaron Rosenzweig.

As the book states on the front cover, "A book for those who recognize the word 'computer' but do not know exactly what they can do". It does a good job of that. Aaron Rosenzweig took great care to explain not only how to use the software on the Mac, but also how to use things that seem so trivial to an "advanced user". There is a whole section on how to use a mouse, another just on how to turn the computer on. Also, the author doesn't just tell you how to use these things, he explains them, along with alternatives, and even the history of them. For instance, he explains the differences between a mouse, a trackball, a trackpad, and a tablet. He not only explains the differences, but the advantages and disadvantages to each, along with suggestions on which would be best for what type of person.

Another really nice feature of this book is that it has the definitions of "technical words" throughout the book on the side of the pages that the word is used. And it continues to put those definitions there, so that you don't have to flip back if you forget a word. These side areas also have pictures, for instance, a picture of the "command" key on the keyboard for when he mentions a keyboard command using the "command" key.

The book doesn't stop at the basics. It teaches how to use the Finder, how to change the way your computer behaves with System Preferences, how to save things to disks, (hard drive, CD, DVD-R, etc.) and all the things a person would need to know to use a Mac on a regular basis. There is even a 60-page section on the Internet, including some helpful links (2 Guys was mysteriously missing for some reason). The book even goes on to teach how to use AppleWorks, and all the iLife applications. (iTunes, iPhoto, iChat, iMovie, iDVD)

At the end is an advanced topics "for the curious", that delves in to things like .Mac, UNIX, Computer Artwork, Different Processors, etc.. And there is even an entire section on Panther at the end that discusses the differences between it, and previous versions of OS X.

Throughout the entire book, you can tell that the author really has a love for the Macintosh, and really knows not only how to use a Mac, but also the history of the Mac. He explains why things are the way they are and how it got that way, but does it in a way that doesn't seem like it would be too much information or become boring for a beginner. He also does a very good job of explaining alternatives. He talks about Windows and Linux, and explains why he thinks the Macintosh is the best choice. He talks about the different models Apple offers, and which model would be the right model for what type of person. He talks about software alternatives, and more.

While the book is designed for an older person who is new to computers, I would suggest it for a beginner of any age. It is enjoyable to read and very informative. Even though I know the Mac pretty well, I enjoyed reading it and never felt bored. Aaron Rosenzweig has put together a great book, and is a valuable asset to anyone who wants to "Learn how one computer will unleash your unlimited creative potential".

"Old Fart's Guide to the Macintosh" is available for $29.99US from Cocoa Nuts website and I give it 4 out of 5 pants.

-iKen
http://www.2guysamacandawebsite.com

This book is clearly written and user friendly. Biafore gives links to information sources, making it easy for the reader to get more information on each of the hacks. These links alone are worth the price of the book.

I've been trading for over twenty years, including a period as a floor trader on the Chicago Board of Trade. Even with that experience there are tips and tricks in this book I found useful to the point where I employ them daily. To be complete as a reviewer I will say there is a lot of pretty basic stuff from my point of view, but still well worth reviewing since some of it I had forgotten.

Well written, easy reading, well organized

Online Investing Hacks is an excellent introduction to the world of investment. Though the title does contain the word 'Online', I would say that the general information the book provides on investing is not limited to the online realm.

Overall, I was very happy with the book, and found it incredibly useful. Though I do have several investments (401K, some stock, mutual funds etc) I would hardly consider myself an authority on the subject. This book provided very detailed explanations and tips on various forms of investment, from CD's to Index funds, and everything in between. While the experienced investor might not glean much from reading this book, anyone just getting started will find it an excellent reference, and resource.

The format of the book is similar to the other books in the 100 * Hacks series published by O'Reilly. There are exactly 100 hacks, or topics, which are spread across 9 chapters. Each one is an individual entity and can be read and understood without reliance on any of the other hacks.

One minor annoyance I had with the book is that it is geared toward those of you who, for some reason or another, run Microsoft's Windows OS, or have access to Microsoft Excel. Luckily, of the Excel examples that I played with, Open Office's Calc program handled them with minimal tweaking.

I can easily recommend this book to anyone who wants to invest, but is unsure of what to invest in, or needs some tips on making the most of preexisting investments. Those of you who enjoy research and building your own stats and graphs will also find parts of this book rather intriguing, as it covers data acquisition and manipulation with Excel in great detail. It will make an excellent addition to my reference shelf, and I have a feeling it will be well thumbed through in a very short time.

It seems like everyone is involved in investing in some form or another. While I always felt like I should be investing too, it was never clear to me how to begin this process. After all, it's my money. How can I be sure I'm investing in something that will provide some sort of reasonable return? This book is an excellent resource in answering some of those questions and putting the new investor on the right track.

This book is written in the same format as the other "hacks" series by O'Reilly. This format is very easy to read, and the format makes it very easy to find answers. Rather then having to read the book from cover to cover, the reader can pick out topics they are dealing with, read the answer, and move on. Since many of the people interesting in a book of this nature will likely have little time, the book's format works to its advantage.

The book begins with some basic introduction to the stock market and tips for selecting appropriate stocks or mutual funds. The whole middle section of the book deals with data analysis. The author discusses how to understand a company's balance sheet (e.g. what that P/E ratio means), how to spot companies in financial trouble, how to pick a good stock, and even how to trade. There is also a good discussion on minimizing the effect of taxes on your little return on investment.

The author even goes further and gets into a discussion on financial planning. In addition to discussing debt reduction, the author also talks about IRA plans and different strategies for saving for your child's education expenses. I think my favorite part of this book was the discussion on different education savings plans. The author discusses the ins and outs (as well as tax consequences) of each of the plans, and provides some examples illustrating the fact that it's better to start saving earlier than later.

This is an excellent book, not just for its investing advice, but also for its sound financial planning. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in increasing their wealth, saving for a rainy day, or simply saving for future financial goals.

Online Investing Hacks by Bonnie Biafore (O'Reilly) is one of those books that can pay for itself in short order, as well as over and over.

Chapter list: Screening Investments; Hacking Excel for Financial Analysis; Collecting Financial Data; Analyzing Company Fundamentals; Technical Analysis; Executing Trades; Investing in Mutual Funds; Managing Your Portfolio; Financial Planning; Index

I worked at Enron from 1998 through 2001, and spent plenty of time during that dot.com era following my stock portfolio. I watched my Enron stock value go from incredible value to a point where it cost more to sell the stock than it was worth. I won a few bets (face it, that's what they were) on a few dot.coms and lost many more. What could have been an incredible nest egg, isn't. This book would have been a lifesaver if I had read and paid attention to it a few years ago. Biafore shows you how you can analyze and invest wisely using a variety of tools available to everyone.

If you're an Excel user, you'll find it an invaluable tool for analysis. She'll show you how you can use it to create financial charts (#13), calculate compound annual rates of growth (#26), and use rational values to buy and sell wisely (#36). #39 - Spot Hanky Panky with Cash Flow Analysis (using Enron as an example) would have literally saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars had I known about it. Even if you don't care about the investing tips, the hack on downloading data via Excel web queries (#7) was something I didn't know how to do (or that you could even do it!). The book has a little something for everyone.

As with all Hacks titles, you probably won't be interested in every single item. Some may not be applicable to your situation or may be too complex for what you care to handle. But all it would take is one hack to work out and change your investing for this book to pay huge dividends. If you do your own investing, you owe it to yourself to get this book.

Online Marketing Success Stories: Insider Secrets From the Experts Who Are Making Millions on the Internet Today Rene V. Richards is a must have for anyone running or thinking of beginning an online business. The book provides background information and current contact information for over 65 successful online business ventures. Tips and tricks of the trades are provided in an easy-to-follow format. While some of the stories are presented in interview format, others are presented as stories. There are multiple other sections which provide additional summaries of the best tips available from insiders of the trades. All of the information is helpful and intriguing, and it is highly recommended, with a 5 star rating overall.

Rene V. Richard offers a comprehensive look at multiple "real world" success stories of on-line marketers. Then, when you as the reader come to terms with the fact that regardless of what you may have heard, success is possible in such an ultra-competitive market, Richard gives information, hints, strategies and techniques to help anyone achieve higher profits from a smaller investment. A worthwhile read if the world of online marketing appeals to you - even just a little bit.

Richards provides many different stories from both small and large businesses which were successful online. She also summarizes the key points from these stories into simple, easy to follow guidelines for your own internet marketing. From each story, you can get a lesson to apply to your own business - and the reading is more interesting than a normal textbook. Also, each story contains a tip for new online businesses or those wanting to refresh their strategies. Since so much of online marketing is about websites and email mailing lists, these topics are also covered in depth. Overall, a useful book to provide you with some tips on how to make the most of your online advertising dollars whether you are just starting out or just want to be even more successful than you already are.

E-commerce is expected to increase by 500 percent through 2010, so any business anticipating success must have more than a retail brick n mortar presence: that's the message of a title which gathers over sixty true stories from those who have evolved successful businesses on the internet today. Learn from the culmination of hundreds of tips, which here represent the best, most successful advice. There are many books covering Internet strategies - but few packed with real-world success stories, as this provides.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I did enjoy most of the success stories. The first three quarters of the book are simple testimates of successfull endeavors in various internet businesses. In the last quarter is the nitty gritty, though there is a noticable lack of detailed "how to" information, so if that's what you're looking for go elsewhere. One thing I can't tolerate in any printed piece with a cover is typographical errors. They're like potholes in the road... very disruptive, and this one is full of 'em, especially in the last quarter of the book. So, to review the review... good detail free success stories, poorly edited and occaisionally poorly written.

Pro Ajax and the .NET 2.0 Platform gets high marks from me because it is concise, informative and easy to follow. After reading the first three chapters I had a clear understanding of what Ajax really is. Author Dan Woolston has extensive experience with AJAX and he seemed to share it all here without overwhelming this reader.

Woolston did not waste my time in getting me up to speed. In the first three chapters I learned how to write my own reusable (cross browser) JavaScript functions that will work together to execute an Ajax call.

Of course I might rely on one of the various existing frameworks to do this for me. However, now I know what's going on under the covers and I can make an informed decision about what Ajax to use and when. I know exactly what is happening when Ajax is implemented and why.The book also does a nice job of covering CSS and the DOM (document object model). As you know (or will know after reading), these combine with JavaScript to create the foundation of Ajax! Once you understand how they work together you'll know more about Ajax than 90% of your developer friends.

Excellent Feature #1: The overview of JavaScript, CSS and the DOM is fantastic. I really appreciated the fact that it was concise and dead-on accurate in addressing the specific elements that a .NET developer needs to understand in order to code Ajax.

Continuing on, after the book had me up to speed with Ajax, it went into n-tier design. This is important because, in theory, a programmer can go hog wild on Ajax and break tons of rules regarding sound application architecture. So I was impressed that Woolston transitioned directly into best-practices for how and when to use Ajax.

The first third of the book covers Ajax theory and best-practices. With Ajax, one size does not fit all. Therefore, chapter seven includes overviews of many popular Ajax frameworks including non .NET frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, WebORB, xajax (PHP) and Direct Web Remoting (Java). It also covers .NET frameworks including Ajax.NET, Anthem and Atlas.

The other two thirds of the book are devoted to Ajax programming concepts. The author uses the Anthem framework for most of this coding. Anthem is an open-source, .NET framework in C# that is compatible with ASP.NET 1.1 and 2.0. It is extremely lightweight, requiring only one class file for core functionality.

Excellent Feature #2: The book's code walkthroughs are based on a fully functional n-tier sample application that you can download free. The sample application uses the AdventureWorks database which is also a free download from Microsoft if you don't already have access to it.

You might think that some .NET features and topics lend themselves to Ajax technology and therefore should be covered in more detail. You'd be right. Woolston sets aside complete chapters on Web services, Custom Controls, ASP.NET Security and Web Parts.

Excellent Feature #3: When you're done learning how to build your own Ajax, there are two chapters devoted to debugging and testing Ajax.

One of the last chapters was my favorite. Chapter 19 is all about usability. As you may know, Ajax solves many usability problems. But can also create new ones. Woolston addresses the good, the bad and the ugly.

The book provides ideas and examples of good Ajax. The author has test-driven many Ajax controls and shares his trials and tribulations. This feedback no doubt will save developers valuable time.

The book also discusses potential pitfalls of using Ajax. Woolston tackles cross-browser compatibility issues and how to best overcome them. He also talks about how to deal with the browser's back button. How to handle browsers with disabled JavaScript and how to work past the problem of pageshifting.

Some of the other usability topics covered in Chapter 19 include Ajax menus, bookmarking, type-aheads, connected controls, code visibility and page paradigms.

Suffices to say this book packs a big Ajax punch. I highly recommend it to any of my peers who are interested in building Ajax functionality into their web applications. This book is applicable to .NET developers who are working with ASP.NET 1.1 or 2.0. In my opinion, web developers of any skill level will find it helpful.

About 3/4 done with this book. Today I just built my 1st Ajax feature in a few hours at work with the suff I learned. This books is a quick read with great examples works in both 1.1 and 2.0. Buy it!

i didnot think that i would like this book because for me apress is famous with their books having lacking style of examples. Normally you find yourself lost in the examples eventough the topic is covered very well.
This book is different than others absolutely; it starts with what is ajax; and why ajax and with simple examples.
if you dont know javascript; it is still ok because one of the chapters covers javascript; so you can learn enough javascript to handle the simple ajax pages.
Before diving into ajax; it tells you about different ajax libraries; so i like this part too; you will have an idea about other ajax libraries too.
I could not run the first example which is the easiest one and i struggle a lot to solve it;but most of the codes in the book is easy to implement.
And guess what; as you can see from the title; the book is for .NET developers; so if you are a .NET developer; this is right book to buy.
It is not like other apress books that have coding examples problem. the sequence for the chapter makes the book easy to follow.
After reading this book; i start reading some tutorials about Atlas ( which is basically Microsoft's Ajax ) and it really helps you to understand atlas too;
If you like google maps; or virtual maps; this books has a suprise for you :)
i read 4-5 different books from apress and this one is the best; i will highly recommend this book to all .net developers who want to learn ajax with .net

I hardly ever review books and probably wouldn't have bothered this time if it were not for an email from Amazon seeking one. I decided to go ahead with a review because this book really filled a need I had for working with AJAX for the first time. It had me up and running in very short order. Did it go over a couple things along the way that I already knew? Yes. But I didn't mind it in that it treated all topics in an intelligent manner and helped explain where AJAX fit into the broader world of web development. Definitely geared for .NET. That's what I wanted. If that's what you're looking for, you won't be disappointed.

I had done some little test applications utilizing Ajax and/or Atlas prior to reading this book, and I wanted this book to really give a solid base from which to move forward with.

Mr. Woolston's writing style is personable but not too over the top. One thing I did not like about the writing style is the manner in which code is laid out at times. For instance, with many of the sample applications, Mr. Woolston will dump about 5-6 pages of code into the book and then work towards restating it in part afterwards with some explanation. I can see where it would be useful if not in front of the sample code/a PC, but in reality this book will not be useful if not in front of a computer working on the examples.

There are other times where some of the content is not really useful in furthering education about Ajax and certain examples it feels are stretched to make the chapters longer. I think there was likely a challenge in filling out a reasonable sized book because simply put - the fundamental elements of Ajax aren't that complex. I found myself done with the book in a period of less than a week.

Those things said, after reading the book I can certainly say the overall content has an excellent "perspective of the landscape". From a history of Ajax to a little primer on Javascript, CSS/DOM, and the XmlHttpRequest, he moves forward to examples of Ajax demonstrating the technology with an Ajax framework named Anthem. The main meat of the book are really these examples, where practice implements the ideas from the prior chapters.

Lastly, the book closes with a few chapters covering security, testing, usability, performance, and a token chapter on Atlas.

One other element that I appreciated in this book was the identification of a few free tools out there to aid in Ajax development. Those tools in their own right would have definitely contributed to some time savings a week or two ago when I was struggling with a couple DOM/CSS issues prior to reading this book!

In summary, perhaps a book stretched to fit it's cover but nevertheless a very useful read to me and I would certainly recommend it.

This particular book provides the reader with a comprehensive view of PHP development. I was pleased with the vast amount of topics covered. This book is a very useful tool for developers.

This is a great book in that the author provides comprehensive coverage of a complicated subject, and does it in clear, concise and understandable language. The book should be a promary resource for programmers. I look forward to more contributions from this author.

'Pro PHP XML and Web Services' by Robert Richards is a great book to help you learn your way around these technologies. Packing in over 900+ pages, this book gives a broad overview of the subject matter which is outlined here:

01. Introduction to XML and Web Services
02. XML Structure
03. Validation
04. XPath, XPointer, XInclude
05. PHP and XML
06. Document Object Model
07. SimpleXML
08. Simple API for XML
09. XMLReader
10. Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations
11. Effective and Efficient Processing
12. XML Security
13. PEAR and XML
14. Content Syndication: RSS and Atom
15. Web Distributed Data Exchange
16. XML-RPC
17. Representational State Transfer
18. SOAP
19. Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI)
20. PEAR and Web Services
21. Other XML Technologies and Extensions

If you need a book that dives into the XML technology and doesn't look back, this is a nice pickup that gets the job done. Lots of other Apress books I feel are a bit too long, but this book at over 900 pages I have less complaints about. It's solidly written and a nice companion book to have on your bookshelf for anyone that programs with XML.

**** RECOMMENDED

This book is amazingly well written. The content is organized in an intuitive and logical fashion. The author explains base concepts and progresses into advanced topics, providing consistent depth of coverage along the way. The author's writing and concise examples get the message across on the first reading - unlike some texts that require multiple passes. It's also noteworthy that the Technical Reviewers, Christian Stocker and Adam Trachtenberg, are renowned PHP experts and authors. If you plan to study or work with PHP and XML, this book is a MUST HAVE.

This is first and foremost an XML reference. The author takes the reader through over 100 pages XML background in the first three chapters, then an overview of a few utilities like XPath and XPointer before he touches on PHP. Having provided some grounding in the basics, he then proceeds to develop the use of XML in PHP from the basic topics of DOM (Document Object Model) and XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations) to the more advanced topics of SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and web services.

Along the way Richards introduces the reader to utility classes like SimpleXML, SAX (Simple API for XML), XMLReader. He also touches on PEAR (PHP Extension and Application Repository) utility classes and topics like security, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration). The author's examples are reasonably concise and readable; making the necessary points without getting carried away.

The bottom line is that this is a highly effective reference (that means fairly comprehensive, but dry reading; I read cover to cover, but it was relatively tedious) on XML and its varied uses in association with PHP. This is not a book for the newcomer to programming, nor is it a cookbook for examples for the casual programmer/web developer, although the author does provide PEAR examples for connecting with major web services like Amazon, Google and Yahoo (among others). My suggestion for readers is to review what you need of the first 11-12 chapters to ensure a firm grounding in XML, and then hop to the chapters specific to the problem being faced.
P-)

This book is a valuable resource for anyone trying to get the most out of Product Cost Controlling in SAP. John Jordan has a rare combination of deep SAP knowledge and lucid writing style. In terms of scope, the book shows the integration of variance analysis from start to finish, from sales planning to management reporting. To reflect this integration, John consistently makes excellent transitions from one section to the next... the logical thread is never dropped. Clear, unambiguous language is used, with explicit instructions on how to proceed. John goes beneath the surface to explain the "why" and not just the "what" and "when". Of particular interest is the discussion of scrap planning and reporting, a highly under-documented topic in the standard SAP documentation. John speaks with the voice of someone who has extensively used these analytical tools, not just someone who has simply configured them for others to use. I highly recommend this book to consultants and end-users in Product Cost Controlling.

John Jordan has written an excellent book on SAP Product Costing. I have read this book cover to cover more than once and use it as a reference often. To me it is more than a book on variance analysis as it also provides great perspective on the product costing process. There is also a good bit of detail regarding scrap analysis as well. I look forward to reading another book authored by Mr. Jordan on product costing in the future.

This is a great book, and a long-awaited resource, for anyone involved in product cost controlling in SAP. It's got great information, from high level to detailed, for people at all levels of expertise. It covers so much more than just analyzing your production variances. It covers the whole process of how variances are determined, including planning, master data, actual postings, and variance calculations. I highly recommend it.

Good Book.Worth Buying and also it does take you through the whole process of the Product Costing and gives you in a Snap Shot what the whole product costing is .There is nowhere in the books the Complete View ,given in one book. After Reading the Book read the SAP help for Cost Center Planning and the SAP book on Production Planning then you have covered all the Bases in the Product Costing

This is an excellent book. I've been working in SAP for over twelve years as a logistics consultant and project manager. I've been able to cobble together a cursory knowledge of CO by reading the help files. This book has taken my understanding to the next level. It provides a comprehensive overview of product costing in SAP, going far beyond the standard SAP help screens.

The book follows the process of product costing from planning, through master data, to month-end processes, such as overhead allocation, WIP calculation via results analysis, variance calculation, and order settlement.

I highly recommend this book.

Jeff Knowlton

While I wouldn't recommend this book to beginning programmers, it's great for people who already know another language (preferably C/C++) and a little about object-oriented programming. It touches on many subjects, so you won't need a whole bookshelf of Java books ("Let's see...one for language reference...one for graphics and the AWT...one for networking..."). I take this book back and forth every day between work and home. What would I do without it?

This is one of the first books I bought to get an understanding of Java and how it is comprable to what I already know of C/C++. This book is the perfect starting point, giving every comprable declaration to C/C++. Kudos to the authors, can't wait for a more up-to-date version though.

Excellent book, but now that Swing is moving ahead of AWT, this book is useless for GUI. But as for the basics, it's an complete book. Good for someone who already knows a programming language

Fantastic book. Pithy style, very readable, no fluff, excellent as a reference. Anyone coming to Java from C++ should get this book. About the only thing I would do to improve it would be to have at least a short chapter on database access.

Even though this is one of my oldest Java books I keep going back to it. I wish it would be updated for the new Event model and swing however. The coverage of the 1.0 JDK is very good and I still go back to the gridbag description and examples when I get confused.

This book was a joy to read. It gives a great overview of quality issues within "Web systems" - meaning Web applications and architectures. The book balances a too-specific look with a too-general look and succeeds quite well in a balanced treatment that will make the whole worth the attention of any quality assurance or quality tester professional in the Information Technology industry.

In particular, the second chapter, on the RSI Approach, is a nice addition as this is something that most practitioners of quality subjects will not find elsewhere and the general subject matter is generally that which is avoided in books of this type. Another topic often avoided in these books is that of usability and accessibility concerns and yet these are covered here in good detail chapter six.

In general, I think the book offered a great amount of detail just where it was needed and gave a lot of "mini best-practices" in each chapter with the use of bulleted lists to highlight specific points. The detail of the book extends to various topics, like performance, compatibility, usability, and security - all topics that are of high concern in the current world of making qualitly Web systems that customers and user respond to. The appendices in the book are also excellent. The "Test Tool Evaluations" section will be a welcome addition to those who wish there are more concise evaluation forms for automated tool solutions.

I highly recommend this book to quality assurance/testing professionals, quality assurance managers, and even those who work more in the project management and development spheres. Those latter will get benefit from the book because the book manages to highlight topics of concern to both groups and also gives them insight into the quality aspects of the projects and products that are developed within an organization.

Although the authors of this book are noted experts in software testing this book goes far beyond testing by addressing the full range of quality and design issues for web-based systems.

All of the major elements of web-engineering and quality are addressed, including SECURITY (this is the first test or quality book that fully acknowledges the relationship between quality and security, which is a cornerstone of the Reliability-Availability-Support triad for systems in production), PERFORMANCE (I especially liked this section because it got into the guts of performance and scalability), COMPATIBILITY (essential for ensuring that your system works with the world of users over whom you have no control - web-based systems can and usually do extend into the great unknown), and USABILITY (this will make or break a commercial web site).

Aside for the complete coverage of all of the important topics that need to be considered, and the life cycle approach to quality and testing this book contained a real gem: RSI approach to use cases. RSI (Requirements-Service-Interface) is an interesting and highly useful approach to use cases. Some key strengths of using the RSI paradigm is that you will ensure traceability between requirements and the services and interfaces that are implemented. Moreover, this approach partitions services and interfaces, which allows you to manage the complexities when developing a test strategy and associated test cases. To me the chapter on RSI was worth the price of the book.

Overall, this is a solid book that covers testing, as well as the larger domain of systems quality. It gives some unique insights of issues and factors related to testing, but is not solely about web testing. It should be read by all key team members including requirements analysts, architects, developers, test engineers and project managers *before* a web project is initiated.

This book is excellent for any web systems tester. It covers all areas of functional and non-functional testing related to the Web.
It covers how to most efficiently model a web application using a specific use case approach, in addition it covers how to test for security, performance, usability of a web site. The book has been very useful in our testing efforts.

This book covers quality assurance of web systems beyond merely testing. It offers practical insight for designers, developers, project managers and quality assurance team members. A big bonus is the appendix which details and compares automated test tools.

This is one of the best quality assurance books in a while... Thinner than Automated Software Testing, but as informative! If you are doing any kind of web testing, this one's a must have for your library. Talks about all aspects of software testing on the web. I give it 5 stars hands down!