Web Books

The value of the networks to your web connected homes will be awesome for you and your family...IF...you participate (See "Metcalfe's Law" p.187-188). The near future holds great surprises for you and your family...IF...you participate (See "The 57.5 Year Megacycle of Prosperity" p.69). Just wait till the wireless web hits the masses. Yes. We must dream bigger, and buy this book!

It seems especially appropriate to review this book on September 11th. Mr. Feather points out that September 11, 2001 changed the way we will all think about and experience our lives in North America. How will we respond in the future? Although no one can know for sure, Future Living is a helpful inspiration to look for the opportunities to improve the world for everyone.

When the stock market bubble burst in 2000, many people assumed that the aggressive forecasts for the on-line world also burst. Some did, but the on-line world is still developing rapidly . . . adding new possibilities and changing behaviors.

The book begins with a look at major forces that are affecting us, "G-Forces" in the book's nomenclature. These are social forces (increasing aspirations for the top part of Maslow's hierarchy), technological innovation (especially microchips, software and the Web), economic modernization (the effects of long-term economic cycles are about to turn positive), and political reformation (democracy reasserts itself against special interests).

Trending those thoughts into the future, Mr. Feather describes a world that has most of the good qualities of both the Agricultural and the Industrial eras with relatively few of the drawbacks. See the comparison on page 21.

The core thought is that your world will become home- and cyber-based at the same time. People will telecommute rather than physically commute, shop on-line and have most things delivered, bank on-line and manage their money there, use the Web for at-home learning (replacing even school), take more responsibility for one's own health and health care, use the Web for more forms of entertainment, increase spirituality through on-line activities including on-line congregations, vote on-line and start e-businesses based at home.

I found the speculations about changing democracy to contain the most interesting ideas. Most of the other forecasts have already happened to a large degree with one member or another of our family.

I was also very interested in his thoughts on economic cycles. I hadn't heard anyone say much about Kondratieff Waves and Juglar Cycles in years. Mr. Feather's analysis (summarized on a stylized graph on page 69) is most interesting, and seems to suggest that the best days are ahead (at least though around 2020).

Although no one can be sure until it happens, I think that Mr. Feather is more right than wrong in his forecasts. We have yet to see the full benefit from the Web and advances in microchips. We will inevitably start to gain disproportionate benefits as time passes and people become more accustomed to the possibilities.

The only major conclusion that I disagreed with was that most people would be better off setting up a multi-level marketing business than trying some other form of start-up. If you run the economics of having everyone do MLM, you quickly see that there will be little long-term gain. I think that local services for the elderly or Web-based information services based on proprietary survey data would be better bets.

I was especially drawn to the notion that we now have the potential to spend more time with our families, expend less energy in nonproductive ways, and devote ourselves to more meaningful lives. That potential is certainly there, but we have to grasp it . . . or it will not happen.

If you still commute a long distance to work, hopefully this book will get you to rethink that choice.

Future Living will be most appealing to those who are relatively unfamiliar with using the Web, especially older people. For teens, the reaction to reading this book might be . . . "so what's new about that?"

After you finish this book, spend some time thinking about how you could make more time available for your family and yourself. Then discuss with your family how they would like to spend any additional time you can make available with them. Then this book will have had a great payoff for you and those you love!

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Frank Feather is a to-the-point business futurist who marshalls an extraordinary amount of evidence on future trends but presents it in common-sense terms and in few words. This book is only 200 pages but it is jam-packed with valuable info for citizens, businesspeople and policymakers alike.
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Feather presents a big-picture view of the impact of the Internet on North American life and society. Nine entertaining chapters then spell out the implications on how a critical mass of North Americans will soon live a Web Lifestyle. These 9 chapters are as follows:
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Chapter 1. Telecommute: Escape the Skyscraper
Chapter 2. Shop Online: Have it Delivered
Chapter 3. Bank Online: e-Manage Your Money
Chapter 4. School @ Home: e-Learn a Living
Chapter 5. Self-Doctor: Heal Thyself @ Home
Chapter 6. Digitize Your Fun; Download It
Chapter 7. Cyber Worship: Congregate Online
Chapter 8. Vote Online: Click the Rascals Out
Chapter 9. Build e-Wealth: Start an e-Business
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This is no pie-in-the-sky futurism but facts about what many people are doing right now. Feather does not argue that everybody will be doing all these things all of the time. But that (as Bill Gates argues) the majority of people will be doing some of these things at least some of the time to live a Web Lifestyle by later in this decade -- what Gates calls the Digital Decade.
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The implications are profound for consumer businesses because the Web Lifestyle is radically altering the way in which products are made, marketed and distributed. (Amazon.com is a prime example.) The Web Life also will require changes in many laws about telecommuting and home-based businesses. And for families caught up in harried lives, the Web Life offers an exciting future that frees up a remarkable amount of time, saves money, and even can help families make money by starting their own online business. Indeed, Feather predicts that, with 630 million people worldwide already online and starting to shop online, most future economic growth will come from family-owned enterprises rather than large corporations.
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These and other forecasts are well argued, backed up with solid facts and, whether you agree with them all or not, are bound to provoke your thinking. As for me, I'm getting a Web Life. And this book is going to be my roadmap. I rate FUTURE LIVING highly. I think you will too.

I started using Groove and it is a great piece of software.

Get in the Groove: Building Tools and Peer-to-Peer Solutions with the Groove Platform is a great book as the Groove documentation, while excellent, lacks a lot.

To many people, p2p software and networks are synonymous with unauthorised copying of music or video. Hence all the to-do about Kazaa, Gnutella and BitTorrent. But along comes Stanhope with his explanation of what you can do with Groove, to put a different spin on matters.

He shows how you can use Groove as a framework for ad hoc groupware, for a set of users scattered over the Internet. Prior to the Web, the concept of groupware certainly existed in the 1980s. Groove is a natural extension of those ideas. Plus others that have also proved fruitful. Like using XML to encode configuration settings. And Groove supports several programming languages, like C++, Visual Basic and C#. Alas, no Java at this point.

The book can be intense. The author assumes you are already experienced in one of those languages. He dives in quickly into the gritty details of coding. Which is probably what you need.

Stanhope deserves credit for helping show that p2p can be used for valid and serious purposes.

Packed with very useful information and examples for the developer. It hits the ground running - just pure code that gets you up & developing in no time. Lucid text, content & layout, tips & cautions, tools and sample code on CD-ROM - a great way to start developing for the Groove platform. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel to this book - developing for Groove with C#/.Net ;)

Even though this book is supposedly out of print, you can still order a copy of it from the people who made it. Just email hackersguide@mods.com tell them that you want to order a copy of hacker's guide to navigator.

This book has a rare combination of clear, readable text combined with all the technical information you are looking for! Dan Cradler obviously knows his subject - there are wonderful Netscape 'tricks' throughout the book I haven't found elsewhere. I highly recommend it!

This book has something for every level of Netscape user. Tips and tricks, shortcuts and a good section on how Internet security works (for all you people out there afraid to use your credit card on the web). Reading this book has definitely enhanced my surfing experience.

I bought this book about 4 years ago, and still find myself going back to it again and again for reference. To this day its the only technical book that I have read cover to cover. While I have not yet checked out the 2.0 book for web apps, I still feel you can't go wrong adding this book to your arsenal.

this book is quite complete, very utile to learn all about security on web applications.

I recently received copies of Hacking Exposed: Web Applications, 2nd Ed (HE:WA2E) by Joel Scambray, Mike Shema, and Caleb Sima, and Professional Pen Testing for Web Applications (PPTFWA) by Andres Andreu. I read HE:WA2E first, then PPTFWA. Both are excellent books, but I expect potential readers want to know which is best for them. I could honestly recommend readers buy either (or both) books. Most people should start by reading HE:WA2E, and then fill in gaps by reading PPTFWA.

Before proceeding I should note I used to work with the two ex-Foundstone authors of HE:WA2E, although I haven't been afraid in the past to review books honestly.

I read and reviewed the first edition of HE:WA about four years ago, and I rated that book five stars. Authors like Scambray and Shema exemplify the best aspects of the HE series: explaining technology, then showing how to exploit it. Frequently the first time security people hear about new applications is when they are being attacked. By digesting books in the core HE series, readers become familiar with the latest services, their flaws, and attacks against those technologies. HE:WA2E continues this tradition.

I was pleased to see HE:WA2E is largely a thorough reworking of the first edition. (This has not always been the case with HE books, considering there are five editions.) In one case, however, this worked against the authors. Ch 8 (Attacking XML Web Services) references non-existent material in Ch 1. Ch 1 in HE:WA2E is completely different from Ch 1 in the first edition, which contains the referenced diagram. A positive aspect of the rewrite is the frequent reference to outside material, instead of repeating techniques and tools already published. Combined with the extensive chapter-ending references list, this makes for a book packed with value. Note that the second edition still offers 520 pp, vastly exceeding the 386 pp of the first.

HE:WA2E is very consulting-oriented, which delivers some excellent real-world experience. For example, Ch 2 (Profiling) explains how to identify and deal with load balancers and web application firewalls. This seems to contrast with PPTFWA which says, for "IDS/IPS Systems," "[m]ake sure your client disables these." I thought HE:WA2E took a more realistic approach to this problem.

HE:WA2E's major weakness is its coverage of Web Services. PPTFWA does a better job addressing this important area. In fact, HE:WA2E's Web Services coverage seems fairly similar to the first edition's material. PPTFWA also includes a larger variety of attacks and tools, albeit in a manner not as organized as HE:WA2E. Ch 12 of HE:WA2E would be conceptually stronger if so-called "threat trees" were called "attack trees," as originally developed by Bruce Schneier in 1999. Furthermore, the list of "threats" on pp 404-5 are mostly vulnerabilities. The figures of Ollydbg in Ch 12 are also too small.

Despite these issues, I think HE:WA2E is the best general-purpose Web application security book available. I would definitely add it to your HE library. In other words, if you have HE:5E, you still need HE:WA2E. If you have the first edition of HE:WA, it's time for an update. After reading HE:WA2E, read PPTFWA. Perhaps both sets of authors could collaborate on a comprehensive Web app attack, defend, and test virtual machine, building on the one Andres Andreu built?

I wrote the review "Not Just for Kids" in 1998. After I learned how to create web pages (thank you, Christoper Lampton!), I built on this new knowledge by analyzing the code in other websites, reading other books, and expanding my skills through practice. Now I teach workshops for adults and I'm in my fourth contract year as a teacher in our local homeschool assistance program, teaching both writing and Web site design (www.kimn.net)--all thanks to HOME PAGE. Who knew? This is THE book to get your child, or for yourself, if you want to know how to create a Web site with graphics, photos, and text, with links galore. My youngest son at age 9 picked up all the basics from this book, and two years later at age 11 is proficient in Visual Basic programming language and devouring C++ books. I hope the publisher reconsiders and reprints this book so it DOESN'T go out of print. There's NOTHING as inspiring, as simple, as concise, or as clear as HOME PAGE by Christoper Lampton. ~Kimn S. Gollnick, www.kimn.net.

I have seen books, and I have seen covers, but this one puts them all to rest!!!

When I get the book, I'll talk about the inside, but the outside looks great!!!

who says you can't judge a book by it's cover???

For two years I've wanted to make my own web page, but I didn't know how. This book by Lampton takes the mystery out of web pages. If you can type, you can make a web site, following the clear instructions in this book! Especially helpful are the side-by-side graphics showing how the typed page looks (the HTML code and text you type) and how it appears when viewed with a browser like Netscape (and how it will appear on the Internet). Using this book, I set up my first home web page in just two hours. EXCELLENT book!

My good friend Barbara Brabec has produced what I believe to be the most comprehensive "manual" for anyone starting or thinking of starting a home-based business.

No questions are left unanswered. From start-up concerns like zoning, permits, and legal forms of your business, to running your business day-to-day, this book is the only one that you'll need to get up and running in no time.

What's more, Barbara Brabec has solicited the comments of industry professionals from many different fields. They offer tried-and-true tips and techniques to run your business smoothly and, as the title says, "Bring in the bucks"!

Highly recommended as more and more people are starting and running their own businesses today-- from home. And it contains all of the info you need.

If you buy just one book before launching out into the deep waters of home-based self-employment, make it this book!

As a woman who has worked from home for over eight years, the most important lesson that I have learned is to enjoy all of the expert information that is available for research about working from home. Homemade Money: Bringing In the Bucks is a perfect example of reading something that will enlighten you, help you in areas that you never imagined and give you the self-confidence to know that you are choosing your own path for your life instead of letting some employer rule your days! I never imagined how much information author Barbara Brabec was cramming into this great read! Even though I feel good about my work and my lifestyle, I learned even more about working from home and increasing my future income from Homemade Money: Bringing In the Bucks. I suggest you take the time to read this jam-packed book, filled with information, been-there-done-that advice and helpful tips. It could possibly help YOU bring in the bucks!

Barbara has really outdone herself again in part 2 of her Homemade Money book series, Bringing in the Bucks. In this follow-up to her Starting Smart! book, Barbara has provided an encyclopedic A-Z "crash course" in home business management that's an incredible resource all by itself, and has devoted the rest of the book to the number one problem with which my clients struggle--marketing their businesses. Barbara literally takes you by the hand and walks you down the marketing path, from helping you devise your marketing strategy to providing insight on how to play the publicity game to giving you ideas on inexpensive marketing techniques. Once you've gotten through these stages, there's a whole chapter devoted to doing business online. I would be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive resource to help my clients manage and market their businesses.

HOT-WIRING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS: STRATEGIES FOR PRINT AND NEW MEDIA DESIGNERS tells how to recognize and believe in creativity, using inspiration past and present to evaluate work, develop new experimental applications for standard tasks, and more. Any designer who would streamline creativity and develop more efficient work habits will find HOT-WIRING YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS comes packed with tips on how to put into practice an array of creative techniques.

I have several books designed about creativity and this is the best one that I've read. It is filled with solid information, not gimmicks.

Being creative is very difficult for me. The movie actor and singer Judy Garland was called "one take Judy" because she could act a scene or record a song perfectly in one take. Creativity doesn't come that easily for me. Sometimes it becomes so difficult that I want to give up, close up Photoshop and just write computer programs for a living. Programming is comforting. There are rules to follow and as long as you don't break them, your program will work. But eventually, I find myself back into Photoshop trying again to be creative. If you want to be a professional artist, you need to be creative "on demand" and, to make things even more difficult, the project concept is usually not yours. So what do you do? I am always in search of that "secret" which will help me become and, even more importantly, stay creative. One thing that can help, until you find that magic pill, is to study how other artists are creative.

This book, by Curt Cloninger, has some very useful ideas for increasing your creativity. He uses quotes, tidbits and interviews to share his and other artists' creative process. He begins by breaking down the creative process into four steps; predesign, design, development and implementation. He discusses how each step is influenced by the needs of the artist and client. He then shows several ways to stay creative from brainstorming to using a set of cards by Peter Schmidt called Oblique Strategies: Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas.

Another source of creativity is what has been done before. Cloninger discusses how to recognize good design and ideas from history and how they might be applied to your current project. He then moves on to software and grids. He tells you not to be afraid to use these tools to free you to be more creative especially when you use the software in ways it was not originally designed for.

Next, he discusses five realms of design; media constraints, audience needs, client needs, professional ethics and aesthetics. Finally, he tells you it is OK to fail. According to Cloninger, failure is what leads to successful creativity.

Curt Cloninger is a successful artist, designer, author and instructor in Multimedia Arts & Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. His previous books include Fresh Styles for Web Designers: Eye Candy from the Underground. His artwork has been featured in popular publications such as How Design and FILE.

Juat like Yahoo for Dummies this book is a good reference for all but the most knowledgeable Yahoo used. Untap Yahoo's hidden potential.

I purchased this book for a friend who was new to the internet, but I couldn't resist cracking it open. The book is layed out in a very clear, concise format, if you're interested in a function of Yahoo!, there is probably a chapter devoted to it. I was amazed at the versatility of the site...I used the free email, messenger and companion, but had no idea that there was so much more to do on Yahoo!. I love Chess, now I can play online. I love getting up-to-date sports scores, now I can get them through Yahoo!. I love to buy through my computer, now I can comparison shop from a single web site, all through Yahoo! Shopping. If you want to save time and find out everything you can do with your computer, then this book is an excellent way to learn.

If, like me, you make your "home" in "Yahoo! country" or you're new to the neighborhood, you've probably found yourself overwhelmed by the hundreds of things to do and points of interest that should be taken in. But, with so so little time and so much to do, where do you find the assistance that you need? Pick up a copy of "How to Do Everything with Yahoo!" and you'll be on your way.

Unquestionably, this book is the answer. It is jam-packed with 500 pages of information on every conceivable neighborhood and how to get the most out of each one. Whether you are a Yahoo! newbie or a longtime resident, you shouldn't be without this book.

I was a seasoned HTML programmer a few years ago. Since then, I fell out of the craft and needed a book to start from the beginning so I wouldn't miss anything. This was that book. Examples, references, and meaningful information pertaining to the language. Recommended to anyone looking for a place to start on their own webspace.

Honestly, I just got the book today. But guess what, I've been glued to my desk for 5 hours by now... First of all, if you know what it feels like to have ALL of your questions answered regarding the webpage you're working on then you know how I feel right now. This book is every bit competent as it was written to be - an html "reference." I am no newbie in html but still, I like how the book organize and explain the syntax and methodology of this language. My favorite section of the book was on style sheets, not only did I learn quite a few new tricks (or maybe they were simply not listed in my other reference) but I also found the cross-browser reference very useful. This is a fantastic reference that's full of examples and thoughtful materials. Just so you know, my other reference is the well-know "html 4 for the world wide web" by Elizabeth Castro. I must say it is well deserved the praise and hypes because nothing I've seen can topper this champ for for it's purpose -- it'll get you started in no time. But trust me, after you start programming in html for a while, you'll need a more in-depth reference. well, look no further, this is IT. At first I was hesitated to buy this book because there's no review on it......now I'm just a happy reader.

This is the only book for HTML 4.01 needed. Written and arranged so that information is easily found and understood. An excellent, comprehensive resource for both novice and experienced alike as it touches on everything one would need to know, forms-tables-style sheets-deprecated's, etc.

It is really easy to comprehend. I am not an A student in my 8th grade classes but I can understand it without doughts. I look at HTML in a different way now that I now what they are used for.

this book is highly attractive from the start. It's organization makes it look like one of the easiest entry-level books, but it's challenging because it uses the notepad format for writing web pages. This is the best way to learn! This excellent book has a perfect pace; not too fast and not too slow. With easy-to-finish activities, it fits HTML classes into my BUSY schedule! I think this book is worth every penny of the price!

I'm taking an introductory course in HTML at the local technical college. The instructor is using this text. I'm most pleased with it. It's just challenging enough without overwhelming the student. The excercises are fun and practical. While most people these days use web tools like FrontPage 98, my company's computer specialist tells me that a basic knowledge of HTML "from scratch" (as provided by this book) will enable me to make much better use of web authoring tools than people without such training.