Programming Books

It will bring you trouble if you are new to programming.
By "trouble" I meant the book is very successful in teaching u how to build a solid programming foundation, thus you will have hard time with your teacher's assignments.

I have read some other books about C++ before and found "no problem" in them because after reading, I have no clue... and of course, I don't do the assignments.

The choice is yours.

I am a computer Science student. Like any other computer science curriculum , C++ is the main programming language that is taught in any University .This is an excellent book for anyone who is starting to learn C++ programming. The language , examples and the content of this book are better than any book available in the market . I actually learned C++ reading this book , as prior to this i had no experience in programming. This book will teach you everything that u need to know in C++ programming. Well ofcourse C++ is really vast , you really dont need to know everything that is on the book , so anyone who buys this book should get a syllabus or discuss it with someone who has had prior experience in C++ programming to what to study or what not to .
Highly recommended if you are serious about becoming a programmer.

I bought this book a month back.Its an amazing book for beginners. Its well written and have good examples.

I purchased this book for a C++ course I am taking. I have found it very easy to follow. I also like how the author does not get bogged down in minutiae or jargon but quickly gets into topics that are usually reserved for later--such as file processing.

This book is used as the textbook for the class in C++ I am taking. It makes no assumptions about previous knowledge in programming and is very thorough in testing your understanding as each concept is presented. It has obviously been tested in the classroom as it anticipates many of the questions a beginner would have about programming and the C++ language.

The book includes a C++ compiler by Borland so if you have a Windows computer you can follow along with the programming exercises. There is another version of the book that has a Microsoft compiler instead of the Borland compiler, but you have to make a special arrangement with the publisher to purchase it (according to information in the book).

I would recommend this book to people who are new to programming as well as to the C++ language. I have tried to learn C++ on my own with other books and was frustrated--they would start too basic (how to turn the computer on) and would introduce subjects in a haphazard manner ("here is a list of all C++ operators and what they do"). This book develops its topics in digestible chunks of information with each chapter building upon the previous chapter.

This book won't teach you everything you need to know about programming or the C++ language, but it will give you an excellent start.

I would like to add to my review that the book does have errors in the exercises that could seriously frustrate a reader who doesn't have an instructor or other resource for outside help. Some exercises can only be solved using concepts taught in later chapters, which I believe is an important flaw.

There are also typos in the example programs that could derail someone studying without assistance from an instructor. I still believe this is a very good textbook, but now I believe it should either be avoided by people learning programming on their own, or be used with other C++ reference works.

I was given this book when I first joined Mcdonnell Douglas back in the early 90's, as every programmer did. It is the bible of design books. Every software engineer and designer should have a copy.

One of the first book written on structured systems analysis and still, after 20 years, one of the best. The techniques has stood the test of time.

I read this book over 20 years ago. It is still the best. I keep it right on my desk.

I was introduced to Data Flow Diagraming in college with this book. Since then I have seen many other books describing DFD's. All fail to explain them as clearly as this book does. I highly recommend it!

As a business process consultant and information systems designer, I am constantly looking for effective techniques for capturing business details and new system requirements. I have looked at every new tool and method to come along, but this is STILL the best one there is. A testament to this book and it's methods is that many of the latest software tools, using the latest technology, still build on the methods and diagrams used in this book. And it's all still valid. Every consultant, business analyst, and systems designer MUST have a copy of this book in their library!

With a strong example-to-paragraph of information ratio, this this title is readable and well presented: highly reccomended. But I'll hold back on a 10 only because the authors only skimmed the most important aspect of HTML layout: tables. While this book *was* just a starter, as the "...24 Hours" claims, I am still struggling to learn how tables function. Still it's, very well-written, enjoyable, topical (covering what you need to know), and organized, giving you a good taste so all those lines of Hypertext Markup start becoming legible.

This is, without a doubt, the best book on the market for learning beginner's HTML.

This book helped me out so much when I just started out. I was 13, and had just gotten the internet and I realized that even the average person had a web page, so I looked at the source code and realized that it is not that hard. I wanted to expand my knowledge, so I bought this book, and it helped so much. It has definetly helped me as a resource when writing my pages now. I reccommend this book to anyone just starting out.

I bought 2 other HTML books before I found this one. This book was really awesome. It was easy to read and understand. I learnt a lot.

Dick Oliver is the best author!! You will really get a lot out of this book even if you are a beginner!

I suppose it was just bad luck that the first API (ReadDirectoryChanges) I needed help with wasn't in this book. I ended up spending some time searching the news groups to get more information. Seems like ReadDirectoryChanges should have been included in a book that has been described as the "definitive reference for the Win32 API"... A bit disappointing.

I could say 5 Stars and it would be all what to say - but if you are not shure, what a type of book to choose that would be to few. Well I have this book for a long time and it is my bible. It is very practice indeed and close to the problems. My own projects have gone much more easier to solve. My own focus is on automation sectors and so I did some work for automating rs232 driven radio controls for hobbie and HAM- interested people. If you are interested in it so you can look at my website http://www.peter-geisler.de - looking to results from which I can say are a lot of ideas from John Ayres Tomes of Delphi - I rating it 5 Stars.

you just cant afford not to get it, with the declining availability of good delphi source out there... its indespensible

Have only been been using Delphi for 4 months now. This book and the Core API are very good. I found them very easy to understand.

Imposing as the material in this book might otherwise be, I am most impressed with the clean authorship of the material. This book is more than a developer can reasonably hope for in a source reference. I expected to have to give maybe 10 days' time to absorbing it cover to cover, but it is written so well that most chapters require reading less than a page describing the chapter; and the rest of the material can simply be used. So full of treasure is this book that I spent hours the first evening just typing code into projects. All of it ran right the first time. I doubt a better book can be written on this subject, and will from here on consider any book with John Ayres' name on it the one to look at first on whatever the topic. A huge thanks to you John for doing your work so well. You made ours' far easier than we imagined.

Comprehensive in-depth guide to creating personas using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Well written. No fluff. Note that creating personas requires significant resources, so small businesses would be less likely to develop them. Nevertheless, this book provides valuable insights for anyone serious about developing user centric web sites. If only more "practical guides" were like this one.

It delivers how to know user's thoughts and express it in effective way to others. And also remind me a lot of thing I know already but I forgot while working.Good for someone who interested in user experience design.

It is clearly one of the best books on webdesign, a compulsory one on any IA's or IxD's bookshelf.


What I liked:
- the insights this book gives you are instantly actionable, it is really a step-by-step guide
- the authors discuss the topics that are relevant to persona creation (and take it literally, there is great information on survey design, how to segment results, what sources to use to find a photo for your persona, etc.)
- you will find good real world examples
- the book shows multiple approaches based on different needs and constraints
- the copywriting is also outstanding, no nonsense and easy to digest

What I didn't like:
I am trying hard but really can't think of anything :)

This book has got to be one of the most comprehensive on the topic of personas available. Between the detailed types of personas and processes on when and how to use them, it's almost overwhelming in scope for such a relatively small book.

The power of this book is the amount of experience the authors have in the subject. Where other books may make a cursory review of personas and how to apply them, this one makes clear delineations of the two types it describes (qualitative and quantitative) and how/when they should be used and their limitations. Examples and discussions of successful projects as well as when "personas are taken too far" distill a lot of practical experience.

This book is for the serious UI/usability designer/developer. Though it is not so technical as to be over the heads of executives, managers and stakeholders, once past the first chapter the details are likely to be more than most will need.

This comprehensive guide approaches user experience research like never before, and is well-written, easy-to-read, and quite user friendly. It provides real-world examples of how user research is done in just enough detail that it can both inform an executive of the role of usability research as well as introduce methodology for persona creation to someone starting out in user experience design.

"You are not the user."

As an interaction designer and information architect for the past 12 years, I have been most drawn towards books that go far beyond principles and theory to ones I can actually extract from and use their contents for the praxis of the craft, rather than just reading descriptions of a process. This is a great book that is a blueprint to follow to get it right. It defines the entire user research and persona creation process and offers insightful case studies from successful companies that Mulder and Yaar worked with like Vista Print.

The use of personas has become an increasingly popular technique being used by the interaction design community to address user needs. Introduced into the mainstream in 1999 in The Inmates Are Running The Asylum, personas have gained momentum in both the software and website design communities, but still faces hurdles.

What are the benefits of personas?

A key aspect to any practitioner responsible for bringing real user centered design to an organization's product design process, being able to evangelize the importance of user research and persona creation is absolutely key. Many interaction designers understand the importance of persona creation, but lack the arguments to persuade management to both fund user research and persona creation, and to incorporate real users into the design process. This is where the book is particular important - selling proper user research and persona creation to upper management constrained by resources and deadlines.

According to Mulder and Yaar, personas bring many benefits, including these:
* Users' goals, behaviors and attitudes become a common point of focus for the team. (They keep repeating this mantra until I found myself chanting it in the shower)
* The team can concentrate on designing for a manageable set of personas knowing that they represent the needs of many users.
* By always asking, "Would Will use this?" the team can avoid the trap of building what users ask for rather than what they will actually use, or the problem which is far more pernicious - building features that a product champion thinks are important.
* Design efforts can be prioritized based on the personas.
* Disagreements over design decisions can be sorted out by referring back to the personas.
* Designs can be constantly evaluated against the personas, getting better designs into usability testing.

What is a persona anyway??

A persona is a fictional person that the team creates to reflect what is know about one of the key audience groups (sometimes that knowledge is gained from interviews, focus groups, or surveys). Typically, a team creates two or more personas to represent different user segments, while identifying a few key archetypes as the primary personas.

Helpful persona profiles include demographic information, levels of computer expertise, descriptions of the personas' needs for the particular site in development, and the goals and tasks they would have in mind when using the site.

The User Is Always Right takes you through each step of persona creation, including tips for conducting qualitative user research, new ways to apply quantitative research (such as surveys) to persona creation, various methods for generating persona segmentation, and proven techniques for making personas realistic. You'll also learn how to use personas effectively, from directing overall business strategy and prioritizing features and content to making detailed decisions about information architecture, content, and design.

What characteristics are included in a persona?

Some of the information Mulder and Yaar say a persona usually includes:
* a name and picture
* demographics (age, education, ethnicity, family status)
* job title and major responsibilities
* goals and tasks in relation to your product/web site/application
* environment (physical, social, technological)
* a quote that sums up what matters most to the persona with relevance for your site
* A narrative that brings the persona to life

The User Is Always Right is an entertaining and clearly written book that is also filled with great insight into the process, both qualitative, and quantitative, of creating user personas based on real research and how that can help interaction designers, product designers, and other user experience professionals make more usable and useful software. There are also extensive samples and examples throughout the book of real personas, actual user research data, and analysis spreadsheets. These give a very clear idea of how the recommended approaches work in practice.

For the first time (as far as I'm aware), this brings together two very different approaches: qualitative research based on interviews and observation; and quantitative research based on surveys and usage data. The authors' overall methodology provides real answers on when to use field research, when to conduct surveys, and how to combine the two sets of results. The end product are personas that have much greater rigueur and impact.

In summary, this is a must-have book for people tackling the design of complex sites, applications or devices, or for user-centered designers seeking more rigorous methodologies when creating personas. I cannot recommend this book too highly.

Rawlings does a first-rate job of conveying elegant solutions to very arduous problems. If you find yourself in the trenches trying to bridge the technology gap between modern tools and older EDI or flat file based systems - this is your book. Those without the budget for a commercial product will especially appreciate do-it-yourself practical code and easy to follow examples.

This book provides practical advice and examples on integrating XML into existing business systems. The book is easy to read and follow. The approach of the book is to break the problem down into a chain of simple problems, addressing each as a data 'filter'. The end result is to connect the input/output of a legacy system with the input/output of an XML parser.

I recommend this book to anyone faced with the problem of using XML to extend the reach of existing applications.

Mike Rawlin's book deals with the reality that legacy business applications are not readily converted to processing XML-formatted information. While XML works fine as the interchange format, you need to convert between that interchange format and the format your applications understand. Mike covers all of the minor nuances that you need to consider, presents a wealth of knowledge in an easily-understood format, and provides examples to boot.

A lot of IT people are busy making different applications running on different platforms "talk" to each other. XML was invented as the "Esperanto" of the IT world to get these systems to understand each other. In practice however it just isn't that simple, as most of these applications don't talk XML yet, until this book.

This book is a real do itbook. It does not teach you XML or XSLT but shows you how to use it. What I especially liked is that he discusses his design considerations, he wants you to understand the whys. Once he thinks you know the basics he goes back to his basic design and improves it to make it make it fully reusable and modular, making it even beter.

Mr. Rawlins gives you toolbox of utilities, with the source code, that can become the building blocks for your own application integration system.

I have not come across a book with as much usable code in my IT career. We have already redesigned quite a few of our systems because of it. If you are into connectivityyou cant be without this book.

Ps. The word Legacy in the title does not imply big mainframes.

Easy to read, in a refreshing unpretentious style, Rawlins explains numerous complicated concepts associated with using XML. Especially useful are the chapters covering the conversion of EDI formatted data into and out of XML and the converting of one XML format to another XML format. The inclusion of Java and C++ considerations in appropriate chapters provides excellent practical advice.

Your VB2008 book is terrific. I'm now using it all the time.
It's a great reference library. It has been very helpful in making my applications user friendly and accomplishing my objectives. Great Job.

A weighty tome with substance to match the heft. Mr. Stephens knows his material and knows how to make his knowledge accessible. This book has become a necessary adjunct all of my VB projects.

I have taught programming for about 20 years in a local college. I have several other Rod Stephens books so when I needed a book to help me with the new features in Visual Basic 2008, this book was my first choice. I was not disappointed. At over 1000 pages it covers just about everything you might need, whether you are a beginner or an expert. The good explanations are backed up by good examples. I highly recommend it.

For the novice user this book will take you by the hand, and guide you through VB.NET from the IDE, to basic principles and concepts of OO programing, and into concrete examples, covering a vast amount of information. There is an incredible 200+ page appendix.

Like most other books on the subject, the sections that cover parts of VB that I work with daily (and thus understand well) offered few new insights. The other 75% of the book has proved to be extremely helpful!

If you truly "know" VB.NET '08 inside and out, then you don't need this book (or any others for that matter!), for the rest of us the useful information abounds.

I'm experienced with VB.Net but needed a quick reference book for the new features (esp. LINQ) and that would also provide an overview for features I might not otherwise discover.

My first project with VB 2008 sent me right to the book. I was able to easily adapt code lifted right off the page on the first task. However, different code from the book for a second task was less successful (LINQing on a data set table). The syntax (in the book) for the ORDER BY clause was erroneous and raised a perplexing error. (Perhaps the Wrox web site corrects this; I haven't checked.) Googling brought me to a Microsoft web site with an example with the correct syntax.

I guess you should expect such issues when applying 15th century technology (i.e., printed paper) to a bleeding edge tool.

All in all, however, the book was worth the modest investment. Make use of Amazon's excerpts to evaluate it for your own needs (I did).

By the way, the (first) one I received was damaged (crumpled pages, torn backcover) in packaging, but Amazon redeemed themselves by promptly sending an intact replacement.

After thinking it over and over again if I should do my very own website, and if I should just learn to do it by myself because it would have been either too expensive for a professional webmaster or too much to ask from one in the family (trust me, working with family doesn't work!); I finally decided: the heck with it, I shall learn it and do it all myself. The first book I chose to study from for my high-tech adventure is actually a textbook currently used in many web design schools. Dennis Gaskill's "Website design made easy" is just that. Gaskill is a professional webmaster who really knows his trade. You'll be shown not only how to build a basic page, but also given the technique to create more advanced websites that include the use of Javascript, CSS, frames, tables, etc. Even though the book doesn't really delve into these more specialized languages, we do get help on their basics and, at the end of the book, there is a list of online resources one can go for help.

Something I did find boring about the book is that Gaskill expresses, right from the beginning, that he does not endorse any of the HTML editing programs (such as, for instance, Macromedia Dreamweaver), and this is the reason why he explains how to build a website from scratch. In this way, you are taught ALL the codes to do everything manually in HTML, something that I believe is good to know - especially if you run into problems while using Dremaweaver; although in this day and age to believe that a new student of the subject will eventually do it this way and without the help of one of the major software programs available seems to me kind of naïve. I would still recommend this book, since if you don't know anything about building websites the task can look daunting. But do not despair, Dennis Gaskill is here to make it easier for you and, with his own brand of humor spread throughout the book it is actually a fun ride to hang on to. You can even practice your new learned talents with the quiz and the exercises at the end of each chapter, where that last question is always a joke (e.g.: How many web designers does it take to change a light bulb?)

Overall, a fine book you'll keep referring to again and again, especially when you need to check on your code. Only one question remains: being Gaskill, as he calls himself, a professional graphic designer as well as a webmaster; why would he approve such an awful layout design for the printing of his book?

The book is easy to read and walks you through the process of setting up a web site in a very organized, step by step, process, with a little humor thrown in.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced web designer, you are likely to find something of value in this book. The information is presented in an easy-to-follow and easy-to-implement structure that walks you through all the steps needed to create and publish your website. Dennis even provides design tips to help the technically-competent-but-graphically-challenged! And, he provides lots of links to other useful websites as well as to special places on his own website... where he has provided even more tips, tools and techniques.

I wish I’d had this book when I first taught myself HTML – it would have shortened my learning curve incredibly, and with Dennis’ sense of humor, I would have had a lot more fun! With all these tips for designing, coding, promoting, and maintaining your site, and the added reference and troubleshooting charts, online resources, glossary, index and multiple screen shots, maybe it should be retitled, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Creating Your Website, But Didn’t Know How to Ask!”

Originally I was going to pass the book on to my daughter who is just now learning webdesign, but it’s just so doggone useful I think I’ll have to get her her own copy! (P.S. Go visit his site – you’ll get a sense of the quality of this book when you look through the many tutorials, graphics and ezines he already offers for free! And be sure to check out his Background Magic program, too.)

If you're a web design newbie, then this is the book for you. Finally there's a book that puts web page designing in plain English, rather than some techie jargon. It takes you step by step from the bare basics to some of the more advanced techniques in a way that's actually easy to understand. Plus, the author goes beyond telling you how to make a website work, but also gives practical advice on how to make it good. On top of all that, the book is well written with plenty of humor that makes it not just informative, but also fun to read. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I have read many books on designing web sites. Most of them are as confusing as dusty old text books. I have always wondered why learning new things has to be so difficult. It's always as if you need a teacher at your elbow so you can ask questions. But learning how to build a really, really good web site is easy with author Dennis Gaskill at your side. Yes, he is right there showing you the way with his new book, "Web Site Design Made Easy." It is easy to read, and easy to learn, and it's down right fun. Dennis not only leads you step by step, but he plays games along the way to see if you are paying attention. He has a wonderful, if not a bit twisted, sense of humor.

"Web Site Design Made Easy" is a joy to read. It answers all the questions, and clears up the mysteries. It starts out with simple HTML and carries you through many complex designing tricks and takes you all the way to optimizing for search engines and shows you how to upload your site to your server.

You will learn it all with this book. I don't know how he did it, but this book really does cover it all, right down to the little details that I always wanted to know. There are color charts, ascii character charts, html tag charts, trouble shooting guide, and a really great glossary. Everything is extremely well laid out, comprehensive, and fun.

It's no wonder to me why Dennis's own web site has won so many awards. I highly recommend this book. Its the only one you need.

An excellent book only spoiled by numerous typographical errors in the text although you will find the source code on the companion CD to be largely correct. Although Windows 95 is nearing the end of its commercial lifespan this series of books is still valuable to anyone wanting to write backwardly compatible Windows 98 applications. Although the typographical errors in the source code in this book are fairly obvious, some errors in the 2nd Volume in this series (Windows 95:WIN32 Common Controls and Messages API Bible) are are extremely misleading. For instance on page 677 it states that the EN_MAXTEXT message contains the identifier of the edit control in the low 16 bits of the wParam variable when it is actually in the high word of wParam. Another place it falsely states that the callback function used by the EM_STREAMIN returns nonzero to continue transferring data. However this series of books is still invaluable for anyone still writing in WIN32.

Despite any errors in this book. It has the 1 thing that is lacking in almost all books DECENT examples. Combined with the MSDN library, and Programming Windows by petzold you can go very far. Today most people are so enamored with visual basic and wizards they never bother to learn HOW windows works. This book along with vol 2, can help you in get a better understanding of windows event based programming! It is not the end all be all of books LOTS of win32 calls are missing (after all its been a few years since 95!). But it has the core of them. This book is an great item for any win32 programmers tool belt.

I have bought the 3 books which form the API Bible series - all of them very worthwhile, especially the Common Controls and Messages book. It mentions every Windows Message you are likely to encounter, and also how to code the common Windows controls. The examples, although in C, are easy enough to translate. I program with PowerBASIC, and the Bible series is invaluable to my work.

This book is simply brilliant! It covers absolutely everything about basic Win32 GUI programming: from creating windows to thread syncronization.

I'm new to Win32 programming, but found this book readable, with good explainations and examples, and it continues to be a excellent detailed reference. The CD which complements the book is also very good, offering updates to the book and code which can be used in your own programs.

However, I do regret the lack of information about Common Controls, and a Message Reference, which are in the second book, 'The Windows Common Control and Messages API Bible', which explains why I only give four stars.

Despite this, I would recommend both these books (and possibly the third for those interested in ODBC or Telephoney) for any Win32 programmer, old or new. In one word, indespensible.

This book is invaluable. Though I am new to straight API programming,(I previously primarily used Delphi), this book was easy to understand yet, concise and powerful enough to get a decent application running suprisingly fast. However, as this is the is volume one of three, important topics such as control interaction are left to the later volumes. This book is worth every cent and likely a little more!

This has a lot of information and quick tips in it on how to do a lot of stuff in Vista and speed your system up. I bought it for my husband and he read it cover to cover.

I have to agree with what one of the other reviewers had stated about not needing to be a geek. This book is very nicely laid out, is visually pleasing and an easy read.

I would recommend it for someone trying to get up to speed on Vista as well as for those who may be buying someone a computer that has Vista installed. It would be very helpful for finding and learning about new, key features.

So this is the long-anticipated (and somewhat delayed) Vista. Microsoft's answer to increasingly aggressive Macintosh and linux forays on the mass desktop. Meskers takes us on a guided tour, where he assumes that we are not computer experts. So he strives to write as plainly as possible, minimising technical jargon. This is reinforced by the train inspired graphics sprinkled generously throughout the book. So chapters begin with a turnstile logo and title "Enter the Station". A little hokey, I found, but maybe the metaphors will work for you.

Overall, the impression given by the book is that Vista's look and feel is converging to that of the Mac. It does seem that the ease of use is similar.

The most advanced feature of Vista, at least as explained by Meskers, could be speech recognition. It lets you control the computer using spoken commands, rather than the mouse or keyboard. To some users, this will be a paradigm shift. But to others, the novelty may quickly wear off. The speech recognition capability is impressive, and easy to set up. But it is not perfect. It may work best with isolated words as commands. Specifically, the best use in Vista could be inside Microsoft's Office suite. Unsurprisingly, this has been well integrated with speech recognition. And the restricted context of Office commands greatly improves the recognition.

I am an author of technical books myself, having written five up to this point. I can tell that this author put in the time and effort to create an excellent reference that really covers what you'll really use in the operating system. The "Information Kiosks" are superb. You can really go through the book quickly - reading just the Kiosks - and get a lot of value right away. The shortcut key for accessing the traditional File, View, Edit, etc. menus in the Information Kiosk on page 90 was worth the price of the book to me. I didn't know that one and I pride myself on knowing valuable keyboard shortcuts (sorry, I'm an old DOS geek).

The "Street Jargon" sections at the end of each chapter should probably be read first - just my suggestion. This section defines new terms introduced in the chapter and knowing their definitions in advance will be very helpful. I'm sure the author would have placed them at the beginning given a choice, but this series by Wiley already has the structure fixed in place.

The section on Networking with Windows Vista (pages 325 to 335) provide an excellent, to-the-point understanding of how to configure a wireless or wired connection. No fluff, just the steps.

I used Chapter 9 to learn how to use the non-technical features of Vista like photo editing and the photo gallery. Us Information Technology people tend to learn about the "under-the-hood" features and not spend the time discovering these great tools. Actually, this book is aimed more at a Vista user than a Vista support professions, but it is filled with vast amounts of information for the support professional too. Trust me, your users will want to know the great shortcuts provided in this book.

I could go on-and-on about what I like in this book, but suffice it to say: I feel that, if you don't read this book, you don't know everything you need to know about Windows Vista.

Have a great summer everyone. - Tom Carpenter - Author: Wireless#, CWNA, CWSP and 70-431 Study Guides

Michael Meskers explains the subject well, showing good screen shots, having handy self-study quizzes, and making fun glossary entries by treating the entries as "street jargon." There's no Windows computer topic you couldn't find here - he even helps you understand how to update your knowledge if you're a DOS-based dinosaur (like I once was). I particularly loved the info on Vista's free tools, including speech recognition software, and also really appreciated the easy to use information on the Windows Security Center. Reading Michael's book even helped me overcome a security software blocking problem on an older computer (employing Internet Explorer). I like the book and it's right above my computer because it's a handy reference for the future. I wish all computer books were written this well.