Intranet Books

im moving over from vb to c#, so naturally I would like to see examples written in c# so I can get the semantics down.

This book does not do that. Half in c#, half in vb, fully useless.

Next time release 2 versions of the book. Or better yet, write some of it in vb, some in c#, some in python, some in perl....

The chapter in this book on Web Parts is well explained and laid out with one huge fundamental flaw; the author can't decide whether he wants to illustrate examples with C# or VB.Net. He'll begin explaining a concept in C# and suddenly switch to VB and vice versa. Regardless of how proficient a programmer you are, this is awkward and confusing. Examples should be done in C#, VB, or both.

I understand the desire to cover both VB and C# in a single book, but this awkward attempt to do so effectively produces an inadequate implementation of each rather than a decent implementation of both.

Developers seeking to use this book to learn more about building Web Parts for Sharepoint should steer clear. It may be an inadequately documented field, but this book does not contribute positively towards it.

Here ares ome of the bugs i had encountered with this book

Missing hardware configuration on chapter 2 to start the 1.excersises in the book
2.Some steps on installing and running web parts past security poorly stated.
3.At time there was no data on the web page to demonstrate web part capabilities and other SPS features
4. Documents do not move on chapter 8
5. Cannot get testing Secure Access to work on chapter 10
6. Could not get the accelerartors to work on chapter 11


This book is a very good introduction to SPS and the reader does learn alot on the subject. However some of the interesting features do not work from the book due to poor description or bad writeup. however the author was very thorough in his coverage.

"Microsoft Sharepoint: Building Office 2003 Solutions" by Scott Hiller is a introductory book on Sharepoint technology for developers

Starting 4 chapters are on Introducing Sharepoint Portal server, Installation and on content creation (nothing for developer there). Next 3 chapters provide good understanding of web part development. There is chapter on Integration with office 2003 Smart document stuff. Next Chapter discusses the programming to Sharepoint object model. Next chapter provides some information on the Sharepoint Portal server administration and at the end it discusses the 2 office solution Accelerators (for Proposals and for Recruiting).

This book contains good amount of sample code for the web parts development, and 2 Solution Accelerators chapters. Other chapters are of introductory knowledge on Sharepoint usage and administration. Depending on your need only few chapters might be useful. If you have knowledge of .NET development and want to understand web part development, web part chapters of this book along with the Microsoft Sharepoint SDK might be good place to start.

Microsoft SharePoint performs two things for Microsoft. Firstly, as explained by Hillier at length, it offers more value to Microsoft Office users. By enabling relatively easy ad hoc collaborations, that can access data stored in various Office documents and SQL Server's database. Where that access crucially includes the ability to search the data. And then, of course, to modify any such desired data, if you have the necessary permissions.

As Hillier discusses, SharePoint is another unifying glue over MS Office and SQL Server. The book is mostly aimed at programmers. Showing them how to make the WebParts using C# or VB under .NET. You can then use SharePoint to combine these parts into a simple application.

But SharePoint does something else for Microsoft, which the book doesn't seem to discuss. In Chapter 1, Hillier says it is the rare company that "can afford to jettison Microsoft Office and Windows operating system for a new infrastructure." Actually, it is not that rare. Linux and open source applications can increasingly offer much functionality that is equivalent and cheaper. In this context, SharePoint can be seen as an effort by Microsoft to incorporate higher valued abilities in Office, as a further lock-in.

Also, the searching described in the book should remind some of you of increasing competition in the search space. Google offers a search appliance for a corporate network. SharePoint gives that appliance competition.

Useful reference and the eBook (pdf) has been invaluable. Unfortunately, the pdf is locked which restricts copy/paste (which would be great for documentation). This booke is not a sit down and read from cover to cover, but a go to book for research/reference.

This book covers most of what an administrator needs to know, very acurate information. I use this book all the time for reference because you can't retain everything that's in this book, it's a great tool for studying for MS Exams.

The sheer amount of information presented in this volume is impressive in and of itself. The depth and quality of coverage into the many topics varies, and there's no one topic covered in totality, but this is the "one" book. English et al. nailed coverage across topics i.e. in scope and breadth. This is certainly not the book for beginners; there is a degree of basic SharePoint knowledge assumed, and you'll need to go elsewhere for deeper developer discussion (e.g. Pattison and Larson) or specifics on administration (various blogs). But if you're to make a career out of SharePoint 2007, you'll need most if not all of the information that's contained in this book. It's nice to have it in one reference.

If this companion where a living entity, I would kick it off my team.

Having an O'Reilly safari account I read through it and was very disappointed in that it doesn't cover some of the basic functionality that might be expected from a companion.

As for the hype, don't buy it to it!

This book is geared toward readers such as Web Developers, Information Management / Compliance Specialist, Administrators to name but a few. If you are a beginner to Sharepoint Server 2007, this book will be a most difficult read. The concepts and topics that are presented will have to be re-enforced with online research or the purchase of another book.

To give an example.
The book is composed of six sections, with the first three ( 663 pages in length ) being targeted towards administration and configuration. However, within this mix we have presentations on performance monitoring and MOM 2005, high level discussions on information security policies such as password and storage policies, data classification. We are introduced to advanced Enterprise topics such as the Business Data Catalogue and records compliance ( that is the Sarbanes Oxley Act etc. ). These discussions all assume prior expertise and should you be new to Sharepoint Server 2007 this will no doubt frustrate you. The Authors, in their quest to appeal to a wide variety of readers, cannot delve into the in-depth explanations, followed up by well worked out examples that a beginner to Sharepoint Server 2007 would require.

Web Developers will tend to focus on Sections 5 and 6. While these sections do introduce Workflow Services, Webparts and products like Sharepoint Designer I found the overriding theme is again one of high level discussion and overviews. Expertise is assumed.

Overall I would say that if you are coming from a background with some expertise in Sharepoint Server 2003 or you require a high level picture of the abundance of features that Sharepoint 2007 can bring to your organisation in addition to how it integrates with other server platforms, such as ISA 2006 for example, you will enjoy this book and the nuggets of useful information it provides. The writing style is not engaging; this book is not a joy to read but it will tell you what can be done with Sharepoint Server 2007, outline best practices and point you in the correct direction. The how-to part is very much left to yourself.

If however, your goal in purchasing this book is an in-depth knowledge of the installation, administration and configuration of Sharepoint 2007 and you have no prior expertise with Sharepoint Server 2003 or indeed 2001, then you will gain little benefit from this book. You will find it difficult to read, difficult to digest and your understanding of Sharepoint 2007 will not improve. If anything, you may be discouraged from using Sharepoint Server 2007 which would be a shame as the product is in my opinion really good. Regards.

What a great book. It shows you how things are really done. Showing you examples from start to finish it is a great resources when planning or designing a sharepoint environment. What is best is that most chapters leave you with some many ideas not only from what is written but also what else the MVP's cover.

A Great Work!!

This books lacks rhythm. Being written by multiple authors, its a bumpy ride from chapter to chapter. Most of the examples dont work.

Very good practical book on SharePoint. I own several different books on this topic and this one is GREAT!

Can't someone edit this book before it's published? For example, chapter 9 workflow integrating with InfoPath is not working! There are missing information here and there and I wouldn't have known unless I look at the author website. But still, it doesn't work (your initiation form is missing).

Wrox books have become predictably bad and this one is no exception. It is filled with non-working, hard to follow examples and incomplete information. Unless you want everyone in your organization using Visual Studio to post their Word documents, this book is not for you. The section on creating webparts does not work and it contains DEAD LINKS to on-line sites. Ouch! Did anyone edit this thing?

Being written by multiple authors also does not help. The book lacks a continuous voice and each section is written with a different focus. The book should be retitled "Random, Incoherent Musing Over SharePoint" as that is what it is.

I was 100% satisfied with this book. It is clearly written, well organized and filled with many usefull examples of both good and bad designs. It also is very well cross referenced to other user interface design resources on every topic. In particular, it contains comprehensive reviews of other usefull books related to user interface design. I rate this as a must-have quality book.

This book is well written and contains a helpful CD with a great set of sample guidelines that acts as a terrific cheat sheet of the book's main points.

This book is a very interesting read. The author gathers a lot of information from very diverse sources and presents it in a thoughtful and well-ordered manner. This book covers a very wide range, from high-level methodologies to lower-level design advice. The sample User Interface Guidelines were particularily useful to me in getting a leg up on starting to define Guidelines for my organization.

Mr McKay knows his subject and could have written an attractive slim volume. As it is, he has given us a fat ugly one. Ironically, the worst aspect of this book is its UI and for exactly the reasons that the author is at pains to explain. The giant headings are distracting, the over printed chapter numbers, just silly, etc. To compound the irksome UI, the author insists on recycling every sentence he has written over and over again - this undoubtedly bulks out the book, but it does nothing for this user's experience.

Not to dissent, but this seems more one man's personal manifesto than a guide for making apps conform with existing Windows standards. Did Microsoft Press just farm this book out to some random writer? Not that he doesn't raise the occasional valid point, but if you're looking for Windows standards and practices, be it ui or infrastructure--or if you're looking for the results of solid research as opposed to assertions of opinion--look elsewhere.

I have read numerous books about computer/network/internet security and Linda McCarthy's book "Intranet Security" gets 5 stars. She has captured what is important in an easy to read, brief yet descriptive synopsis of where intranet security has been, where it is now and where it will be in the future.

Whether you are just getting started in the security field or have been working in security for 25 years, this book is a MUST READ.

I work for a company that sells Intrusion Detection Systems. After reading Linda's book it really helped me in positioning our products to potential customers. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in computer security and hacking.

Good examples if Security auditing

"Intranet Security : Stories from the Trenches" gives you more than the title promises. It is not only a collection of enlightening case studies, but the author also gives a brief and to-the-point analysis of each case. The morals can easily be generalized for networks other than Intranets. The book does not intend to go into technical details, so anyone who is interested in network security will find it easy to read. The chapters are well-structured and the most important messages are repeated throughout the book. My experience as an IT consultant shows that the problems highlighted in the book are common to many organizations, so it is a very useful (though not comprehensive) high level guide for Security Managers, Executives and IS Auditors.

Written in an annoyingly chatty conversational style, this book tells the same story over and over about how clueless clients set up cyber-shop with no security whatsoever. This book is of no technical value.

This book presents ideas from top-down. They show you something and then explain the pieces that they think are important. They are fairly good at this but the problem is they don't explain everything in detail. They tell you just enough about a subject to make you think you understand it but gloss over pitfalls. They keep telling you not to worry about certain parts of the code - they will explain them later. I think learning a language from the bottom up is better. That way one understands all the pieces that are being assembled. This book is getting the job done but I'm often confused about what code (explained in later chapters) is doing. Maybe I should read the book in reverse order...

The book says that the source code can be downloaded from wrox.com. But that is not true. The book does not have a CD nor does it have source code at wrox.com. Beaware of it.

I found this book to be very useful. I have been developing we applications now for 4 years using ASP, and I still found this book useful. I have been trying to find a good book about developing we apps, especially in JSP. It has great examples for developing the JSP page and the presentation is also excellent.The one star missing due to lack of robust code in some sections.Nevertheless,a must have book for all.

This book is a solid introduction that covers all the key basics. Be aware that over half the book is spent teaching Java, not JSP. Since I already know the basics of java, the numerous Java chapters were a distraction to the main point of JSP/Servlet programming. Also, being a beginner to JSP, I have to agree with an earlier reviewer that the book hurries on to each next chapter with only the barest of examples to illustrate the topic, and usually the examples are just "toys". You have to wait until the end of the book where two chapters are devoted to developing a realistic web application. The result is that you don't get a chance, as you go along, to really practice a concept and see it in various contexts. Also, I like to get into database access early in a book, since using a database is the main point of a web application. In this one, you have to wait until near the end before you learn how. Aside from these caveats, the book is clearly written, the concepts are well explained, and it covers the subject quite well.

Thanks to everyone who mentioned the numerous errors in this book in their reviews. I only wish I had read them before buying the book. Not only is it full of every type of error you can think of, it is also poorly organized with a heavy-duty chapter on tag libraries sandwiched between otherwise introductory material. Also, the last half of the book is meant to be a case study but the sections are pasted together with little or no indication as to what is part of the case study and what is an overall observation making it impossible to follow along. If you do buy the book (and I recommend you don't) print out the errata list from their website -- it'll save you hours of frustration. However, don't expect it to be complete.

My teacher recommended this book and it's now my bible. I just started building a WSS 3.0 environment and the book explains each feature in detail. Also, the author includes what that feature couldn't do in Sharepoint 2003 and the extras added in MOSS. So you learn the past, present and future of each feature. Great job explaining the whole picture.

With this much information packed into one book, it's crucial that information can be easily found when looking up something. This book is never presenting the information where you'd expect, and the index is horrible - I haven't found anything I was looking for yet by using the index.
It's not about presenting everything - it's about presenting everything so that you can find it when you need it.
Maybe adding a Google feature would do the trick...

Could use more programming examples. More for a power users then dev user. But its very good if you are looking for just a power user book.

Was a little hesistant to get another in the "unleashed" series since I have been burned before with a lot of content that is dry and not pertinent to my environment. On the contrary, this is one of the best books I have seen on the new MOSS 2007 enviroment. It is clearly written and organized so that I don't have to search to hard for what I need and I can ignore what I don't.

So far I have read 5 books about SharePoint 2007. This is my fifth book in this subject. This book is different. This book is for IT system administrators and not for developers. However, as a consultant for SharePoint 2007 development, I find that this book reveals the administration considerations I usually ignore. Therefore, my review is based on the uniqueness of this book.

Pros:
1. This book is an excellent resource for system administrators. It covers most of SharePoint administration I can think of. In addition, the authors provide guide lines for SharePoint migration, the integration of SharePoint 2007 / Exchange 2007 / ISA 2006 / Forefront, and farm planning. These are the gems of this book. You can not afford to skip the chapters about application of Exchange/ISA/Forefront in Internet SharePoint 2007 environment.

Cons:
1. Tables and Figures are printed in small fonts. I would prefer a bigger font size.
2. This book is around 800 pages, and is written for system administrators. If you are a developer, you might be disappointed because there are only a few lines of code.
3. The authors discuss the SharePoint infra-structure including Exchange/ISA/Forefront. However, the lab environment is not designed that way. So the readers who want to do exercise might be disappointed.

My personal recommendation: If you are MOSS and WSS administrator, you must have this book. If you are a versatile consultant, this book should be a good reference on your book shelf. If you are a pure hand-on developer and new to SharePoint, you might opt to choose code-intensive books such as Inside SharePoint Service 3.0 by Ted Pattison.

I rate the book four stars.

Simple, straightforward and easy to follow.
An excellent step by step guide, and a good reference manual.

I found this book to be a godsend win I first started using SharePoint at work. It's small and easily tabbable. This book will get you off and running with SharePoint and how to use it. I recommend this book to all new personnel who come to my work. Great starter book.

This book is good if you want an overview of sharepoint. Do you need a deeper knowledge you have to look elsewhere.
The book is well written, with focus on getting through most of the subjects of sharepoint 2003.
Today it might be a little out of date, as the new sharepoint 2007 is available.

The book is very simple and does not bring much information on share point. Maybe it is just outdated.
I read it maybe a year ago and back then I didn't like the book.
You can read it in an hour, if that helps.

What the heck is Sharepoint? We bought this book to help us find out. I've liked many of the SAMS 24-hour and 21-day books, but this is the first 10-minute SAMS that I enjoyed. This book has a 2005 copyright and addresses Sharepoint 2003, the release prceding the current Sharepoint 2007. Since the book is an introduction, it serves well even if you envision a Sharepoint 2007 environment.

As we reengineered our IT resources at our small technology company to run on Microsoft Small Business Server, we almost discarded the built-in Sharepoint-based CompanyWeb intranet. Just in time, we (I and one other experienced administrator/developer) took a closer look by rapidly exploring CompanyWeb using the twenty-five, ten-minute lessons in this book. Wow, we realized we could do so much with Sharepoint to improve our intranet. We quickly invested in four thicker Sharepoint books, but this is the book we will give to end users who are looking for something beyond read-only access to the documents and lists.

We learned that Sharepoint quite simply is a Microsoft server technology with an impressive set of tools for creating, viewing, and editing intranets. (Call them "portals" if they are comprehensive and well designed.) Sharepoint works just fine too for public web sites but so far has been promoted by Microsoft largely as a way to share Office 2003 and Office 2007 documents.

Use of Sharepoint encourages and almost ensures best practices for not just sharing but also collaborating on documents, lists (including contacts), discussions, surveys, links, and many more intranet elements. A wide variety of templates are available from Microsoft and others. Each of these intranet elements is a Sharepoint Web Part. Web Parts are enhanced ASP.Net pages with integrated assemblies of controls. The assemblies have properties and methods that permit easy runtime modification of content, format, and views by end users - in almost the same manner as end users can edit, format, and view Word or Excel documents. Most Sharepoint documents and other items can be automatically maintained in SQL Server databases (with version control and checkout if you need them) so you can say goodbye to huge assortments of poorly organized folders that are typically found in intranets, and this improvement in content management greatly eases an intranet administrator's burden.

Of course developers can build their own web parts using the sophistication of Visual Studio and all the power of the .NET Framework.

Apache Cookbook is a great resource on various best-practice tips and tricks on how to setup and run Apache HTTP server day to day.

The included HOW-TO recipes are:
* Extremely practical and relevant
* Easy to follow and implement
* Well-explained so that not only do you know what you are doing, but also why you are doing it
* Neatly categorized and indexed so that they are easy to find when needed

While this book can be very useful to Apache novices, people who would benefit the most from it are the ones who've had some previous exposure to Apache administration and are familiar with the basic concepts behind Apache (configuration files, included programs, modules, directives, sections, and such).

If you are an Apache administrator, this book ought to be on your bookshelf.

Beware that several of the cool sounding recipes you might see in the table of contents are tricks; once you actually turn to the correct page to see how the author has managed to implement something you might have formerly believed to be impossible, you will be greeted only by a placeholder paragraph stating that what you want to do IS in fact impossible. Why on Earth would you waste paper printing this?

The other, less cool, recipes are pretty standard faire, and if you have any experience with Apache whatsoever they will probably not be very useful to you. Complete newcomers however will probably find it somewhat handy, though I'm not sure it's worth the price even for them.

Some of the reviews for 'Apache Cookbook: Solutions and Examples for Apache Administrators' have stated that this book is a little too basic and simple for Apache administrators out in the world, but I would disagree. Apache is a solid technology that has proven it's mettle in the world for many many many years but there aren't a whole lot of books out on the market for it. It is of this reviewers opinion that even if some individuals feel this book is too simplistic that ANY book on the market that covers Apache would have to be pretty poor to get a negative mark. With over 200 tidbits of information that cover the gambit of Installation, Module creation, Logging, Security, Virtual Hosts, Aliases, SSL, Error Handling, Performance, etc. etc. etc. this is a solid text. Unlike other bloated books this one clocks in at under 300 pages and the tidbits are short and to the point. If you are an Apache admin there is definitely something that you can get from this cookbook so get out the bowl, eggs, flour and start cooking!!

***** RECOMMENDED

I read this book about a year ago and recently re-read it. Coar and Bowen provide an excellent pragmatic approach to taking care of common Apache administration tasks. The Apache "recipes" are well organized, and presented with sufficient depth to be understandable for intermedia users.

The tips in the "miscellaneous topics" section and the troubleshooting guidelines are excellent, and will save Apache administrators significant amounts of time and frustration.

The good:
* Broad coverage of all tasks that Apache administrators will commonly encounter.
* Excellent writing style - concise yet sufficiently descriptive.
* Good organization of topics and very useful book index.
* Very good coverage of virtual hosts (required in most web hosting environments).
* Very appropriate "see also" references associated with each recipe.

The bad:
* Almost 25% of the book is taken up by installation, loading modules, and logging. These are good topics, but they take up too much of the book in my perspective.
* No information on the use of mod_python. mod_snake (a dead sourceforge) project is referenced. Blech.
* No information on co-hosting two versions of PHP (PHP4 and PHP5 on the same server).

Overall, this is a great book. If it had slightly better coverage on mod_python and mod_PHP I would give it five stars for certain.

The kind of solutions this book gives are not aimed at someone like me, new and uncertain when it comes to linux. This is a dissapointment for me, as I have normally always been very pleased with O'Reilly books.

I think this book provides a good starting point for getting to know share point services. It really helped me to get started.
The book is easy to read.

This book has been a helpful aid to me as I learned to use Sharepoint. Nice pictures, easy to read and it gets to the point.

Easy to follow, and fun to use

I thought this book is wonderful. If you want to personalize and change default setting in SharePoint this book will show you how to do it. However, it does not cover the administration end of SharePoint.

5