Programming Books

AJ is tired of her "good girl" image so when she comes home to help out her mother she decides to go after what she wants and what she wants is Cord McKay. AJ has been in love with Cord since she was 5 years old and wants him to be "her first lover".

When Cord first sees AJ at a local bar he can't believe how hot she looks or how hot she makes him feel. But, that's nothing compared to how he feels when she propositions him to initiate her into "hot sweaty no holds bared sex" At first shocked and later intrigued, Cord agrees until his son comes home from visiting his mom AJ will be his every night no strings no ties. Can AJ wins Cords Heart?

The interaction between characters is amazing. Lorelei weaves a spell around the reader and before they know it the characters are no longer characters but "very real" people with "real lives, desires, hopes, and dreams". I can't wait for the next book in this series. I do so love this family and do so want a Mckay man of my very own.

Amy Jo Foster, aka AJ, is known for being a good girl and always doing the right thing. So, when her mother needed her to leave school and come home to take care of her, AJ went without even thinking about it. But going home comes with a problem, not with school or her mother, but with the handsome rancher that lives on the next ranch. AJ has had a crush on him since she was 5 years old. Unfortunately, he still sees her as a little girl.

Cord McKay had his own problems. His wife left him with a small son and he's got a big ranch to run. Granted it's a family run ranch and he has plenty of family to help but he's still kept busy. Right now, he's having to adjust to his son visiting his mother for the first time in a couple of years. Cord isn't happy about it but his son seems to be adjusting well. When he bumps into AJ, he gets the shock of his life and only because his son isn't at home can he act on AJ's suggestion and desire.

AJ wants Cord to teach her all about making love. She can't think of anyone better and at 22 either she's going to get Cord to love her back or she's going to loose her virginity and gain a lot of knowledge. Cord strikes a deal with AJ fulling expecting her to back down but when she doesn't, things get interesting.

Though AJ's love life may be looking up, her home life isn't. Her much older sister has decided to divorce her husband of 12 years and the father of her 3 children. While she figures out what she is going to do, she moves home to the family ranch. AJ's mother finally decides that it's time to sell the ranch and move into an assisted living center. Suddenly, AJ's packing up the only home she has ever known and has no place to call home! Even her plans for after school change when her best friend and fellow classmates decides that she's not returning to open a business with AJ. With all the change and turmoil, AJ is holding on to what she has with Cord for all she's worth but even that will end when his son return home in a few weeks.

This is a book in Ms James's stories about the McKay family. They don't need to be read in order though the timeline would make more sense. This story is good all on its own though many characters from the first two books are also in this one.

AJ and Cord are well-developed characters. AJ has issues and problems that many people face in real life. She deals with them the best she can but not perfectly as none of us are perfect. Cord has major concerns. He has a young son whom he has primary care for. He doesn't want anything to hurt him. Cord also worries about the age gap between him and AJ. AJ is just starting out in life while he's been living it a while. Because both characters interact with their families on a regular basis, this adds dimention to them.

The love scenes, while containing some bondage, are just that love scenes and not just sex. Yes, AJ wants Cord to teach her about sex and even though he doesn't love her, he does care about her. Will he ever love her? Maybe. Regardless, the caring comes out and while not everything that Cord and AJ does would be considered normal sex, it works for them and their okay with it, which makes everything okay. If you don't like graphic sex scenes this may be a bit much for you.

By the end of the book, you're rooting for AJ and her love for Cord. And as it is a love story, you know how it's going to end.

This is such a fun read!! I loved it! While I am not really into the western type stories, I am so glad I took a chance!! Don't let it pass you by! (And the Kindle is great, too!) Erotica - My Dirty Thirties: Male/Female/Male, which was a real turn on,too, just like this book!

Amy Jo "AJ" has loved Cord McKay since he "rescued" her when she fell of a horse at 5 and he was 18. Since then AJ is best friends with Cords sister Keeley, and studying massage therapy in Denver. Now almost 18 years later AJ is home to help her sister help care for her mother after a accident on the ranch that borders the McKay ranch. AJ decides to take the Bull by the Horns and Bootscoot her way into Cords life and heart.

Cord McKay is the oldest McKay and feels the responsibility of helping the rest of the family on the McKay Ranch. He is defintely not looking for a relationship. Having already been married to a flighty girl from Seattle who up and left him 6 months after their son Ky was born. Now 4 years later the Mother is demanding visitation and Cord is free for the first time in years.

One night at the local watering hole Cord notices a pair of legs that lead to a way short mini skirt and can't take his eyes off her. When he realizes it's little Amy Jo, his sons baby sitter he can't believe it at first. After a light flirtation and AJ's request that he be her first they decide that until Cord's son comes home AJ will spend every night with Cord. The teaching is about to begin.

AJ is a likable character. I could totally relate to her vision that Cord was the one for her and that she was willing to sacrifice her heart to have what time she could with him.

Cord was just as easy to like. Pure ALPHA male through and through. This DOM/Submissive story was very tasteful and erotic. I never felt that he meant to hurt or humiliate her in any way. It was as much a learing experience for him as much as her. I could feel the love they had for each other through the whole book. She struggled with the fact that the relationship was only for a short time plus the fact that her whole life was changing around her (Sister's divorce and Mother selling the Ranch). Cord struggled with the obvious feeling he had for her right away and the fact he had already had one wife leave him so it was only right the AJ would too, not to mention the age difference.

The back stories were very interesting but could have been fleshed out a little more. Colt's struggles with his addiction would make a nice story and a little more explanation for Dag would work. Kane and Kade the twin cousins of Cord have their own problems and I can't wait to read their stories in much more detail. Not to mention Keeley. She is not going to fall lightly that is for sure. I can't wait to see her get her own story and can just imagine the pure Alpha male that awaits. Although why leave it with just one. She's strong enough for more. I personally can't wait for her story.

This is actually a sequel to "Long Hard Ride" and "Rode Hard and Put up Wet". So I would suggest you read the other two first.

Overall the story was good. The dialogue was snappy and real. Very sexy, steamy, and worth a permanent spot on my keeper bookcase. I will definitely be adding Ms. James to my Author list to keep track of.

You would not be disappointed with this story line or with the writing style. It seemed to flow very nicely for Ms. James. With a little more work I believe she could be the next Julie Garwood or Julia Quinn.

AJ Foster has been in love since she was five years old. Too bad her dream cowboy has only seen her as his little sister's best friend, and therefore, a little sister for her entire life. What he and everyone else have not realized is that AJ is determined to get what she wants. She just has to wait until the timing is right -- when she is home from college taking care of her mother who has broken her leg.

Cord is stunned when he notices little Amy Jo at a bar and before he knows that she is also "AJ," he's asking those around him who the hottie is. He is further surprised when she actually propositions him. She is relentless and he finally gives in to a short-term affair. AJ doesn't want a short affair, but she will take what she can get.

The fun and games might just be what they both need. But what will happen when their time is up? Will either have learned anything about the other's heart? Or will they have just had a great affair?

Cowgirl Up and Ride made me cry, which isn't a bad thing. It means I was so involved in the story that I was upset with something in this "fiction world." I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I'm now searching for any other stories that Ms. James has written about this extended cowboy family. She also did a wonderful job of weaving the characters' histories through the story. I thoroughly enjoyed Cowgirl Up and Ride and think if you like contemporary western romances, you will, too.

Tanya
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Just in case you're not aware, Crystal Reports is a graphically oriented program designed to produce reports filled with data that comes out of a database, comes from a specialized type of server called OLAP, or from data that is calculated internally. It was one of the first such packages and was usually used in conjunction with big powerful databases such as Oracle or SQL Server that didn't have sophisticated reporting structures built into the database.

This book is oriented to guiding the reader through passing the CRCP exam. As such, it's orientation is less formal and descriptive and more oriented to the practical aspects of what's on the test. It includes a CD with a simulated set of examinations (you take three tests) to give you the look and feel of the test and help identify any areas where you need more knowledge.

The design of the book is such that it will be useful in passing the test and still of value as a reference book to the Crystal Reports user.

If you are a Crystal Reports Developer, this book is a must have. Not only is it a great teaching resource, but it also make an awesome reference. It's loaded with thought provoking questions and exercises. I've currently got five Crystal books on my bookshelf here at work. The ONLY one I refer to is this one. This book is also outstanding for someone new to Crystal, as long as you have some IT background. If you are completely new to programming/reporting, this book will be very useful to you eventually, but it's not a good book for your level.

I highly recommend this book! If you are writing Crystal Reports this book is a MUST HAVE even if you are not interested in getting your CRCP certification. I have been using Crystal Reports for 5 years and have read several Crystal Report reference manuals. This one is by far the best!!!

This textbook contains everything the reader will need to gain Crystal Reports Certified Professional (CRCP) certification.

I used the textbook to take all three exams, and passed them all within twelve weeks. The only other source of information I used was the on-line documentation provided with the product (and I used that as a secondary reference only). Note that I did not take any education courses from Business Objects or third-party providers--this book was my sole information source, and it guided me to high scores on all three exams. I also became a much better Crystal Reports developer in the process.

The writing is exceptionally clear and free of all the techno-babble that clutters up so many other texts. This book is clear, easy to read, and structured perfectly. Not only that, but the examples are exceptional and applicable.

In addition to guiding the reader through the certification material, the text will thereafter continue to serve as a valuable reference for Crystal development.

Highly recommended--this is the Crystal Reports book that nobody should be without.

NOTE: Now that Business Objects has revised their CRCP examinations you might be wondering if this text would still be useful. The unqualified answer is YES. The two exams for XI are nearly identical to the three exams for version 10, except all of the Business Views components have been removed.

For XI certification, you still use this text. Just i) skip the Business Views parts (skip chapters 27, 28, 29)--as that software component has been dropped; ii) focus on the SQL components elective (chapter 22); and iii) skim the other elective sections (chapters 23, 24)--as there are no longer elective test tracks. Do this and you will still find this text the definitive preparation material for the CRCP exams.

The CRCP exams for version 10 Crystal Reports are difficult without taking instructor led courses. This book gives detailed information that is critical when preparing for these exams.

I've been waiting for more than 2 months to get this book. Finally I got it from amazon a few days after the book released.

I have 8 NXT book, nothing is as details as Daniele's Book. The best NXT book so far.

There are 6 robots describes in this book. From the concept and then step-by-step assembly it and even the guide line to program it. So you not only able to build the robot, but also teach you how it works.

The cream-of-the-soup of this book of course is the JohnNXT ...... About 1/3 of the book focus on this great Robot. If you plan to build JohnNXT, this is the only book you need.

I'm really impressed with Daniele, I cant wait to the next book "Lego Rubik Utopy (LRU)".

Hi,

One of the better books at this moment for the Lego Mindstorms NXT robotic set. This book is clearly written and despite the black and white images, the building instructions are also very clearly written.

This book is obviously written by people who know what they are doing and motivated to reach the highest standards.

After a short program in the Nxt-G programming language, they started to use the NXC programming language for the rest of the book. What makes this book so outstanding, everything is very well documented and everything is explained in great detail.

This is also an easy and pleasant to read book. And many times you find here what is missing in other books. For me, esspecially the introduction of NXC was very usefull. I wanted to use C for a long time, but I did not found the answers I was searching. This book takes its time to show you the mechanics behind th programming language. It teaches you clearly how to construct event tables and how you can visualise the design process, structuring your thaughts.

Also the walking models are very interesting. It gives you a clearly understanding about the problems of let a robot succesfully walk.

What I do missing is coverage of the acceleration, gyroscopic and compass sensors. It should be nice if those sensors also where covered in this book. But it is almost impossible to cover everything and an author has to draw a line.

The projects are well choosen and all very interesting. Personally Quasimodo I find the less interesting robot. While NXT AT-ST is in my opinion a very nice project to understand a walking robot. But I have to be honest, at this moment I am building the AT-ST robot. I did not have the time to build the other robots. Nevertheless, I took a quick look and i found the other projects also very impressive.

This book is a must have for every serious Lego Mindstorms NXT builder. You definatelly will refer back when building your own creations. I gave it five stars because it is well deserved.

Congratulations for the author and everybody worked behind the scenes of this book. A job very well done!

I wish you all very much reading and building pleasure. This book will surely touch your creativity and imagination.

Friendly greetings,

Bad_Wolf

I bought this book for my grandson's 11th birthday. He is thrilled with the book and is trying to learn the code. We thought the program for each robot was available to just download from the internet, but we couldn't find such an easy method. He will have to type in the code from the book himself which will help in the learning process. At this point in time, though, this programming may be a bit too complex for him.

I have been waiting for this book even before it was wrtitten because I have wanted to build JohnNXT5 ever since I saw it posted on the Internet. This book is probably the best book so far for the Mindstorms NXT robotic system. I have purchased most of the books available for the NXT. I like Jim Kelly's books too, but this one has moved from wheels to robots that use tracks to get around and walk. It is well written and well illustrated even though the building instructions aren't in color. The author has a sense of humor as well as being well versed in the NXT system. I like the fact that he continues to refine and redevelop his creations and try to make them the best they can be. I hope to see more books from him, especially one covering the Rubic Cube solver. I congratulate the author for a job well done and highly recommend the book to all robotic nthusiasts.

If you're searching for some exciting NXT projects and ideas--or would simply like to build JohnNXT, a replica of the famous Johnny 5 robot--you will enjoy Daniele Benedettelli's book Creating Cool MINDSTORMS NXT Robots. The book presents helpful ideas that you can use in your own inventions and carefully integrates them in a variety of robots with detailed building instructions. In fact, these very features are why I've given the book five stars: challenging robot projects, excellent discussions of useful concepts and ideas, and exceptional building instructions.

Most of the robots seem intended for more advanced users looking for a challenge; in other words, these are generally more complex robots. For example, there are several walking robots--including three bipeds (two-legged robots), one of the most difficult types of robots to create. And with the exception of the massive, multi-NXT robot "JohnNXT" (chapter 8) and a remote control (chapter 9), you can build all the robots from the parts in a single retail LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set. All the programming in the book is done in NXC (Not eXactly C), an unofficial text-based language with a C-like syntax.

Along the way you'll find in-depth explanations of robotics concepts and helpful descriptions of the robots. Besides an entire "theory chapter" on building biped robots (chapter 1) and another such chapter on finite state machines (chapter 3), the robot chapters themselves include explanations of concepts such as hysteresis, writing a multitask program, and quadruped (four-legged) walking as well as information on the robots' functionality and history. The author also does a good job of presenting and explaining the programming. Although prior NXC experience is helpful, such experience is not required.

The BIs (building instructions) are outstanding, which is important since they are a major part of the book. The author used advanced BI techniques, including complete electrical cables and callouts, and Ldglite to render the images, creating BIs that are remarkably "LEGO-like." I found that the BIs were generally very easy to follow even though many of the steps were complex. Such clarity is invaluable for a book that is filled with building instructions.

I admit that I didn't build the famed JohnNXT robot. Why? For starters, I don't have all the necessary pieces! All the same, I'm glad to see that the author included the robot because a number of readers will want tackle this enormous project.

In conclusion, this book is ideal for you if you're a more experienced NXT user looking to broaden your robotic horizons--while having lots of fun. Nevertheless, even if you're new to the NXT set, you would still enjoy the book. Either way, after working through the projects and grasping the concepts, you should be well-equipped to create your very own cool NXT robots.

It was back in early 1982, I believe, that I bought my first copy of Alan G. Konheim's _Cryptography:_A_Primer_. It proved to be addictive. The author taught me the basics of cryptanalysis, explaining means and ways with a clarity that seldom finds its equal.

If you buy one book on the subject, I implore you to let Bruce Schneier wait a while -- get the basics first.

Konheim tried in 1981 to do what Helen Gaines tried to do in 1939; to provide a basic working knowledge of the state of the art in cryptology to people with little or no previous knowledge. By and large, Konheim succeeded admirably. He had to overcome two major hurdles. By 1981 the amount known in the public domain about cryptology was very large: too large for a modest-sized book like this. And the basis of the topic had become largely mathematical, which is a put-off for many readers. Konheim copes beautifully with both problems, selecting important material and skipping less important material, and limiting the mathematics to what can almost all be followed by a high-school science honors student (although it helps to have at least three years of college math.) I would love to use this book as the text for a one semester course.

Having said that, I'll offer a few minor criticisms. The whole art of cryptology (as distinct from the mathematics) lies in dealing with the fallibility of people who design and use (or don't use) crypto systems. Konheim doesn't emphasize this enough. For example, cypher-text-only cryptanalysis of a good modern cypher is apt to be extremely hard, but it is often unnecessary. Konheim does not discuss the enormous diversity of ways in which the cryptanalyst may hope to acquire plaintext or probable plaintext. Professional designers of ciphers and codes know all about this, and their choices are heavily influenced by the need to limit damage when, for example, a general sends a back-channel message in a weak cipher that has the same content as an official message in a strong cipher.

He also fails to discuss in detail just how hard it is for the designer of a cipher to create a cipher as strong as the designer believes it to be. This is unfortunate, but I can't lay the blame on Konheim. Most of the most interesting anecdotes to illustrate this point (such as the reasons why NSA rejected LUCIFER and instead worked with IBM to create NDES) are sort of known in the folklore, but not really in the public domain, so could not be included in a college textbook. This is also presumably why Konheim chose not to mention the earliest, original discussions about public key ciphers.

I'll also observe that Konheim's discussion of rotor ciphers is remarkably brief, in view of the importance and widespread use of various types of rotor ciphers in many countries for many years. I understand why Konheim decided not to delve into this topic in detail, but it leaves a serious gap in the student's knowledge. Similarly, Konheim's discussion of NDES pays little attention to chaining and related topics, although he surely had access to the NBS unclassified manual on this subject.

And finally, Konheim devotes less attention than I could wish to the problems of generating, distributing and safeguarding keys. There is a popular belief that RSA with a suitably long key is nearly impregnable, for example, and there is good reason for this belief, but only provided that nobody can steal keys or guess them. Stealing and guessing keys is a game not restricted to cryptology (or computing); it has occured to a huge number of people over the years that the easiest way to get at something you're not supposed to get at is to steal or make a copy of the key. How else could so much pilferage from locked storage rooms and "secure" file cabinets take place? The same problem arises in cryptology, and it's one of the most interesting aspects of the field.

All this being said, however, this is a wonderful book.

This book is quite suitable for junior/senior or first year graduate school student interested in COmputer Information Security.

Prof. Konheim's book is, well, fun to read. While I took the class in UC Santa Barbara, he essentailly followed the book. It covers classical as well as part of modern cyrptography. Needless to say, we have a lot of programming and deciphering a lot of crypted text as homework.

The knowledge is basic and essential for crypto-analysis. You will find this book indispensible, even though it doesn't cover topics such as interactive proof system which is more theory than practice as you find very little real world implementation in action.

Read it, program it, decrypt it and enjoy yourself.

I contemplated buying this book a few years ago when the original edition was still available, but put it off until earlier this year. The book is now available only as a reprint and the quality is nowhere near as good as the original. For a $185 book, I was somewhat disappointed. Still, at least the content hasn't changed.

Topics in this book include cryptanalysis of substitution ciphers, polyalphabetic ciphers, playfair and rotor machines. It has a chapter on the design and analysis of the DES block cipher. The final part of the book concentrates on key management.

The approach is mainly from a statistical angle, as opposed to combinatorics or number theory (which is more common in crypto textbooks). There is not a lot on public key crypto (or even modern cryptanalysis methods) in here, but it is a nice introduction to cryptology from a well-respected cryptographer.

I used the source code in this book when I implemented buddy system in my OS.
Bruno's code is very effective and the design is excellent too.
I've learned a lot of things in this book.
So, I'd like to recommend this book absolutely!

I think I said it all right there. Great for intermediate/advanced c++ users. It also contains sections on various algorithms which implement many of the data structures discussed in previous chapters. Just get the book already!

The book has a detailed introduction and explanation to the subject and clearly explains how to analyze and implement in programming. This is done all in C++ and it is suited to students in Computer Science Courses. The exercises at the end of the chapters are quite useful.

Believe the summary...this book is for 2nd and 3rd year post-secondary students. I am an experienced C++ programmer, but Grade 12 math isn't enough to cut through the explanations to get to the code, which I can understand perfectly well.

Who should buy this book? Students with a good grasp of basic calculus, who want a thoroughly academic treatment of algorithms in C++ in order to pass Computer Science.

Who should not? A C++ programmer that wants clear, effectively presented information on implementing standard algorithms and data structures in order to get their project done.

I'm of the Keep It Simple school of thought, and the practical theory and implementations in this book could have been presented much more effectively without the adademic bafflegab.

I am currently working on my calculus skills in my spare time, and as my familiarity with the mathematical notation grows, I may be able to put this book to good use. Untill then I wish I'd bought something else, programming doesn't need to be as dense as this book makes it.

This is a great book for one who has had a formal study of undergraduate Calculus/Algebra and a very good understanding of the C++ language. The book starts off with explaining the fundamentals that will be applied to measure the effectiveness of a piece of code, and is very helpful for those who wants to understand the basic theory applied in the later chapters. This books treats almost all the basic data structures and have been presented in a very simple non-profounding way, like keeping the class design and hiearchy the same throughout. All the data structures have been explained using the (easy to use) arrays as well as link-lists. This makes it easier for a novice to grasp the fundamentals and go on to implement more complex and effective data structures using link lists. Overall, I found this book extremely helpful in getting a sound footing on this topic.

From its very beginning until the end the book contains adaptations of software design and architecture patterns to the field of dating. This makes dating an engineering discipline. It is a fun book, though the author claimed on her homepage that the patterns somewhat resulted from personal experience and so there was some truth in the patterns proposed.

The fun a reader might experience for sure while reading this book may result both from his or her a priori knowledge on software design and architecture patterns and from his or her insight into the specific subculture the book talks about.

OK, when I saw this under the tree I thought that the Gang had a new little workbook deal out or something, and then I saw that there was a silhouette of a naked woman on the front and that it was very very doubtful that this was going to help me figure out distributed programming. But at that point I didn't care anymore and it is now officially my favorite gift. Applies the rules of patterns (strategies, refactorings, all that) to dating and it's hilarious. Definitely a kick for anyone with even remotely geeky tendencies.

It's like the Gang of Four had a little too much to drink (or something) at a National Lampoon party and went home and wrote a sequel. I think my favorite pattern is goTo guy, which is prefaced with a note that the article "GoTo Considered Harmful" doesn't apply to dating patterns. Haven't tried any of the patterns since my SO disapproves strongly of multithreading.

I don't know what kind of mind is so into patterns that they come out the other end with this book, but the result is very funny. You need to be a geek to get it, but if you do it's definitely worth it. It's a satire of patterns and of some fairly leading figures in the computer industry. Basically the authors say that the Gang of Four came up with these dating patterns in college: Trojan Proxy, Interested Listener, Half Bad Boy Plus Protocol, Unexpected Persistence, Container-Managed Relationships, etc. Christopher Alexander was in on it, too, starting off kind of geeky and playing Dungeons and Dragons and going on to be a dating machine.

I've never laughed this hard reading a patterns book. (Well, OK, I haven't really laughed much at all at patterns books.) Can hardly wait for the book on refactoring. Wonder if Martin Fowler was dating refactoring god in college?

We all know that software development has benefited tremendously from design patterns. But I had no idea what you could REALLY do with patterns. Fortunately, my partner Bert was a beta tester for some of these patterns, and let me tell you, without half-bad-boy-plus-protocol, I'm not sure he would BE my partner today ; )
If you have a brother/friend/co-worker geek in your life who is still single and searching, you might want to slip this under the tree as, you know, a "gag" gift. But it's really a lot more than that--there's REAL dating advice in there! Don't be fooled by the fun; this book is really stealth love-life-improvement wrapped up in a package that will look funny and geeky and won't embarass the guy who needs it. He can put it on his desk or bookshelf where it'll look right at home next to the Dilbert-a-day thing. It'll make every developer/programmer (and yes, even the *architects*) laugh out loud, but secretly they'll be learning how to apply a pattern language of design to... dating. (Sorry, no sex patterns in this edition, so if the advice works and you find yourself in a successful dating scenario, you're on your own for what happens after that. Perhaps there'll be an eXtreme Dating (XD) version?)

Heck, forget the single guys--if you're a woman, you might give this to your partner if he's forgotten (or never knew) how to *act* like he's trying to sweep you off your feet.
There's one more reason I like this book... if even a fraction of the guys who work in cube farms take up the advice, the workplace will get a lot more fun and stimulating! How could more chocolate, games, and toys at work be anything but GOOD? (Yes, they really are girl magnets...although they might be guy magnets too, but that's OK too... the more friends you have in your camp, the more likely it may be that one of them will introduce you to your next hot date. And don't forget the puppy.
This is no fluffy, foofy, self-help, mars vs. venus, get-in-touch-with-your-inner-whatever book. You'll find all the things that make a software developer feel right at home, beginning with UML. If you've read GOF or just skimmed it, you know what to expect from the format.
So, get it for the humour, get it for the practical advice. And for gosh sakes, go get a slinky, a couple of unusual action figures (there's even an Einstein action figure now and a Starbucks-style barrista--either one a better choice than G.I.Joe) and some chocolate, right now, and put them on your desk tomorrow.
Have fun!!

This book makes a good technical companion to Kahn's historic treatment in 'The Code Breakers'. It covers the technology up through the advent of computers. Its treatment is technical, going into details about how an encryption technique is performed, and how it is attacked. This book is the first place where I've seen the Enigma machine described in enough detail to understand how it works (or they worked since there were many variations and many of them are discussed here), and how to actually build (or simulate) one. It's a big book, and I carried it around for months, sometimes just diving into a chapter or topic. I loved it.

This book is the best book I have found so far on mathematical cryptology. Although the author does a fairly sketchy treatment of DES and IDEA compared to some other books out there, I feel that he makes up for it by placing all of the most common cryptographic systems in the context of a coherent and rigorous mathematical framework. Many other cryptology books fail to tie all the various cryptographic methods together using the powerful tools of modern mathematics. Dr. Bauer's text however, leaves no question in the student's mind where all the techniques fit into the theoretical framework. The second half of the book is also a pleasant surprise: a very readable but mathematically rigorous explanation of cryptanalysis. The author presents a number of statistical methods of attack that are difficult to find all in one place in the open literature. Dr. Bauer does a thorough job of explaining and augments the theory with many examples. This thorough treatment of cryptanalysis distinguishes his book from many other books on cryptology. Many authors of cryptology books pay lip-service to Kerckhoff's maxim (Only a cryptanalyst can judge the security of a crypto system.) but few bring the student enough cryptanalytic knowledge to even begin to evaluate the crypto systems presented in their books. Dr. Bauer does an excellent job of balancing cryptography with cryptanalysis. I highly recommend this book for any serious student of Cryptology. It is a real gem.

I read this book in the original German (even though reading in German is still a labor for me), and the effort was amply rewarded. This book is a first course in cryptography, at the upper undergraduate or beginning graduate level. Its competition would be books like Denning's or Beker and Piper or Koblitz' series. Denning's book is still great and worth buying (and Ms. Denning is a wonderful, accomplished, and intelligent person), but Bauer is more modern and complete. Koblitz' books are all first rate, but Bauer stays on the task of cryptology much more exactly and usefully. This is the basis of an excellent course in several German universities, especially in Munich. If I taught another course purely on cryptography (and not as part of a larger math curriculum---where Koblitz' book is best), I would certainly use this as the text. However, even though this is best, I really think everyone should still buy, read, and treasure Ms. Denning's book, Cryptology, too. (A true classic is never actually superseded.) Buy Bauer. It is better than an existing classic. While I don't have the English version yet, and cannot, therefore, vouch for the quality of the translation, I think that Springer Verlag is such a reliable editor that we can both trust that the translation will be good before we even see it.

This is an amazing book, and relatively inexpensive; Springer-Verlag has done it again.

Rather than being a dry recitation of encryption and cryptanalysis schemes, Bauer provides a great deal of information about what actually goes wrong when one tries to construct a cipher that must be used under pressure by non-cryptologists, with plenty of historical examples to illustrate his points. And he discusses at some length the ways in which cryptanalysts can hope to unravel ciphers and codes too strong to be broken by standard methods. Much of what he has to say I had never seen in print before; some of it was brand new to me. Perhaps it helps that Bauer is German, and doesn't have to write with the uneasy feeling that NSA or MI-6 is looking over his shoulder at every line he writes. For example, his explanation of how Robert Murphy compromised an American cipher in WW II so badly that the Germans could read it easily is one that I think some American officials would probably still prefer not to have in print.

Despite comments by other reviewers and by Cryptologia, I think it requires a certain mathematical sophistication to absorb much of the material in this book. The math is not hard, but Bauer implicitly assumes a mathematical mindset and a familiarity with the terminology of pure mathematics that most college undergraduates don't have. So I wouldn't choose it as the primary text for a first course in cryptology, but I would certainly use it as a supplementary text. I know of no other book that contains so much material on the practical realities of cryptology.

The book is full of very good and interesting technical information. The part on cryptanalysis is rather new and informative. The history part is mostly taken from Khan's book (you'll find some pictures in both) so there is nothing really new in this area

Having read many a "hacking" book and attended the odd course too, I was very interesting in looking at this product as it is an adoption of Security Associates actual Defensive Hacking course.

This self study guide does a good job of replicating the actual course environment. The DVD video has all the labs which are clearly narrated by the instructor.

I would rate the contents of this book better than the genre of Hacking Exposed and so on...this study guide is really aimed at the proffesional pen tester (or hacker) but not a script kiddie level of person.

On the down side whilst the contents are good they are really deep. The DVD alone in 4 hours + so in effect this product attempts to be "Jack of all trades"...perhaps a focus on a smaller content base would have made it more managable to digest.

But on the whole good stuff.

I have bought self study guides from Security Associates for all of there current three primary course (Hacking, Forensics and Deployment).

This hacking study guide is good stuff, well presented, neat DVD (2 DVD's actually), easy to read contents. I really like the way the instructor clearly explains each and every single point.

The price may seem a bit high, but to be fair there is a lot of content covered, the DVD alone is around 3 hours plus, the written content is 300 pages + and you get 3 months support.

Well worth a look for the newbie and the experienced pro.

This is great stuff, not good but really GREAT. By far the best thing on the market with respect to how to really hack, and hack from a security proffesionals perpective, not a script kiddie.

This study guide does not teach you how to do port scans or use NMAP but talks (more than talks actually, rather shows live on the DVD video) about advanced techniques such as fragmentation attacks, advanced DNS hijacking attacks and so on...its the kind of thing which every security admin needs on his/her desk as the essentail reference guide.

This is really a good Self Study Guide full of material for those who really want to see how it is done and how to do it.

The live DVD of the labs and narration of the presentation is absolutely great as they provide numerous opportunities to re-read and review the material.

I've also attended the DefensiveHacking course and rate this book on par with attending the actual course.

For one (like me) who is fed-up with all the poor script kiddie hacking books on the market which teach nothing new...then I really recommend you try DefensiveHacking.

This self study guide taken from Security Associates globally taught course goes beyond the repeated stuff books like Hacking Exposed talk about again and again...what Hacking Exposed talks about in 300 pages DefensiveHacking completes in 30 pages and then in the rest of the 200+ pages gets stuck into advanced hacking and penetration techniques which are really an eye-opener, even for someone like me, who has been in the security industry for 6 years.

I recommend you take a look at this self study guide which comes with a super DVD to give one the impression who have actually attended the course, but at a fraction of the price!

I personally cannot wait for the other Security Associates courses such as Defensive Forensics and Defensive Deployment to released in self study formats.

This book does justice to the many issues facing any corporation today when designing their software. It has a balanced blend of theory and practice. While it can be used very easily in a college classroom, it is also well-suited for a more practitioner oriented audience. Practicing managers will find the chapters and corresponding steps very useful as they try to design and implement higher quality software.

My favorite chapter was chapter 5. This chapter presents a very clear list of steps that need to be addressed when designing trustworthy software. The authors do a great job integrating the various literatures on management of change. The implementation steps would probably apply to many more change issues in organizations - showing the versatile nature of the book.

Great text!

Design for Trustworthy Software is an excellent book for developing robust software designs. The book explains very well the principles and methodologies that can help in developing of software with emphasis on prevention rather than corrective action.Professionals have been looking for a good book which can describe and help them in the reliability side of the software. This book just does that.

I particularly like Part II-Tools and Techniques of Design for Trustworthy Software. Although these tools and techniques are well known



and applied for a long time on the hardware side, their application for software is very well rxplained here. The book is excellently organized for students and beginning practitioners. In each chapter key points are are braught out at the end to confirm the understanding and then the exercises and questions challenge that understanding.

The authors have demonstrated their knowledge of wide array of concepts and principles.At the same time, their keen grasp of those concepts and princples is clearly evident.

I will strongly recommend this book for the students of the subject as well as professionals who are working to achieve robust software designs.


ASH SAHNI
PRESIDENT,ASH AND ASSOCIATES
International Consultants in Quality and Compliance Management

College-level students of quality assurance will welcome this integrated approach to software quality issues, which tells how to prevent bugs in implementation rather than discovering them after. Case examples of DFTS technology include FMEA, QFD and more, and provide a blend of theory, applications, and exercises designed to test student knowledge. Classrooms in particular will find it excellent. Its authors are a CEO of a quality assurance company and a chairman of a consulting group, and professor.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This thoroughly researched book begins with an excellent summary of the state of software development methodologies. It provides a useful description of the important strategies, life-cycle models, and process improvement methodologies. The theme of the book comes from applying Taguchi Methods to software development. This approach to trustworthy software shifts effort "upstream" from testing to design: Build software right in the first place rather than waiting for a huge quality assurance department (or worse yet, customers) to find the bugs for you. Several chapters provide detail on how to apply these principles to large scale software systems.

The authors have pulled together material from an impressive set of resources into one, admittedly lengthy, book. The shear number of methodologies (including corresponding acronyms!) contained in this volume is staggering. The chapter endnotes document these sources and web references give many pointers for additional information. They also include several case studies written by practioners who have used the methodologies described in the book.

This is an excellent book providing exposure to a new technology in software design. Design For Trustworthy Software is well written. The quality initiative ideas are quite innovative.
I like the fact that the book's focus is on building quality into the product at the early design phases. Bugs found further downstream in the development process get more and more expensive to fix.
The exercises at each chapter's end are well presented to allow for better understanding of the material.
This is a great resource for both students and software professionals for producing high quality software.

The book provides many useful examples of core technology issues in building a JWS powered web site. Its treatment of the upcomming jsp standard (in JWS 2.0??) is helpful, but points to the fact that compiled pages (jhtml) may be short lived.

The clearest explanation I've seen of multithreading and synchronization

The authors explain the JWS, administration server and admin tool in very clear terms. The second part of the book does an excellent job in discussiing JSP, Servlets, and other advanced topics. Very practical.

This book is without peer. It is succinct and yet covers the JWS in depth and detail. The writing style is fluid and the organization is excellent. Alas, now that this superb book is available, Sun has announced it is pulling the plug on JWS!

With regard to this talented author and developer, all I can say is Larne Pekowsky ROCKS! This book is a great investment -- Larne Pekowsky truly IS Java Web Server Development.