Computers Books

Top Marks for this highly readable and clear intro to Voice over IP. The subject matter is dealt with in reasonable detail and the author achieves great clarity in explaining difficult technical concepts. He also delves a bit into the history and background which also helps to put the subject matter in context. He even adds a small example of how to go about dimensioning a VOIP network at the end of the book.

Aimed specifically at designers of public telecommunications networks, this easy to read book provides practical and useful hands-on information. Where necessary, topics are covered in great detail. For example, 120 pages are dedicated to H.323. Softswitch architecture and programming are covered, and 55 pages are devoted to discussing Quality of Service issues.

We believe this book to be an essential read, and recommend it highly.

Great book on VoIP, still emerging technology. It did a great job in explaining concepts related to QoS such as RSVP, DiffServ and MPLS. Right from basics such as IP, UDP, TCP and various coding techniques you will find great explanation to each and every item. If you are interested in knowing about VoIP or you if u wanna work on VoIP this is the ONLY book you need. There is very detailed and neat explanation related to MGCP, MEGACO, SS7 and SIP too. The only thing that i felt lacking is testing of voice quality both subjective and objective and how they could be done. No doubt in giving 5 *s to it, great job!

This book does a very good job of giving an introduction to the VoIP world. As a professional in the telecom domain, I found this book very useful. Application of VoIP to telco domain as in the case of softswitch architecture for backhaul and the QoS issues that carriers have to deal with is also well covered at a good amount of detail. The book also provides detailed discussion on the protocols. However, I skipped passed these sections and unable to comment if such material was covered well.

Overall - a very good book. Highly recommend it.

I serious think that I should not write this review since I do not understand half of this book, but then again, I have read this and also Cisco Intergrated Voice Data and can in some way be a poor/insufficient abeit enthusastic tour guide. I have noticed other reviewers describing this book as great - but I do not think this book is comparable to monumental classic like Jeff Doyle or Kennedy Clarks books on Routing and Switching - where they display in-depth knowledge on the topic plus an ability to explain thing in the clearest possible way. I rate this book 5 stars for the sole reason that the author do appear to have an overwhelming knowledge of computer telephony - although I cannot quite judge whether they are technically accurate or error free - and has taken his valueable time off to write them down and share with us. While the author definitely has the kindest intention of making it "understanable" to even the not-so-technically-advance group of reader - as is evidenced in the way he start off this book by explaining why bother with IP telephony, and why TCP/IP is inherently unsuitable for IP telephony - I suspect that when it come to harder topics like H.323, SIP etc - there is simply no way or no time to find a more reader friendly way to present it. In the end it is a tough read - so tough that I will have to put it aside for a while as you need to be in the highest state or mental agility and strength to make hard yakka through the book. Nevertheless, this book is a useful reference - and for topics that this author decide not to include - check out Cisco's Integrated Voice and Data.

I bought this book for Computer Graphic Course for Animator class, and I found it really valuable because I wanted to learn much about history of computer softwares like painter, photoshop,and Maya. Anyways, this book is superb! This book is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in working in Entertainment industry.

Superficially subdued by a bland title that reads like a basic, frills-free "Introduction to Computer Graphics" course, Terrence Masson's CG 101: A Computer Graphics Industry Reference, by New Riders Publishing, nevertheless dispatches preconceived notions with its exquisitely detailed history of digital art production. A visual effects director and the founder of Digital Fauxtography, the author has spent at least two stints with Industrial Light & Magic and once served as a technical director at Digital Domain.

An amalgam of CG terminology (pp. 1-209), impactful corporate industry presences (pp. 210-347), programming and mathematics terms (pp. 348-361), fundamental and miscellaneous terms (pp. 362-385), a computer graphics timeline (pp. 385-437) and other mini-sections on CG FAQ (pp. 438-451), job descriptions (pp. 452-461), previsualization (pp. 462-467) and the analog computer era (pp. 468-476), this unique text probably represents the definitive chronology of computer graphics' evolution. The resource's 500 pages belie the mundane name and cover by chronicling numerous advances marking the historic progression of computer graphics-from the pre-mechanical days of the 1940s to the archaic, punch card-based leviathan units of the 1950s and `60s, to the sleek and potent desktop workstations of the late `90s. (The book was published in 1999.)

With the ambitious aid of 97 other industry sources, Masson begins the book by defining "color and light," "painting and graphic design," "modeling," "animation," "rendering," "compositing" and "input & output" terms alphabetically, per section. Processes, programs, properties, rules, companies and more are clearly defined during this first section, accompanied by applicable screenshots, diagrams, quotes and informational tidbits. For the purely artistic members of the digital art community, this material doubtless will prove dry and unpalatable. But for those having more of a technical and scientific bent, this comprehensive industry reference is a fascinating excursion into the intricacies that help materialize the eventual pretty, pixelated pictures so many of us enjoy producing and admiring. Learn what "pixel" denotes ... who invented the Phong shading method ... what "pixmap" means ... the origin of the omnipresent teapot icon ... the beginnings of morphing ... who started Atari ... the conception of ILM ... the significance of SuperPaint ... and much more. It's all here.

Section 8, "Historically Significant Companies," really is the beginning of the salivating learning experience, though, introducing readers to pioneering companies and people whose prosperous contributions have nursed CG through its proverbial growing pains. Some of today's popular and recognized field leaders appear, such as Industrial Light & Magic and Robert Greenberg and Associates, and they're graced by numerous lesser-known but equally essential precursors. Remember the 1979 feature film The Black Hole? Think Abel Image Research and Robert Abel & Associates. Recall 1984's The Last Starfighter? Think Digital Productions. The list and sundry, voluminous details are phenomenal.

The second portion comprising stellar, historically intensive reading, Section 11, "Computer Graphics Timeline," lists and delineates all key advances in the industry, throughout the 20th Century's final half.

On the downside, some of the quotes by CG experts seem to ramble, are inapplicable or just plain too long, but they appear to represent Masson's method for best expressing these individuals' contributions to the digital art community-or just relating arguably interesting events. (Besides, art often is about storytelling, anyway.) The text also is somewhat outdated, having been printed three years ago. But this does not diminish the paperback's essential overall value.

As for the seemingly innumerable industry term definitions, these provide industry professionals -and interested hobbyists-with a valuable reference resource. They also remind the reader that, despite all the creativity involved in generating digital art, CG's undergarments are math and science. It's always technicality before imagination.

Quite simply, if you're genuinely interested in computer graphics as an artistic medium, and you value the learning experience, CG 101: A Computer Graphics Industry Reference is a must-read. All told, this undoubtedly is among the most interesting titles-of any kind-this reviewer has ever read. (No kidding.) Assuming you possess the technical interest in these details, you'll find yourself perusing this gem night after night, until you've marked your last highlight with a neon felt tip and a corner page fold. (I tallied 14 page folds and 39 blue highlight markings in my copy.)

It's not as full featured about technique and practice as I had hoped, but certainly a fantastic reference for the terminology, and techology employed in Digital Production today. By far my favorite parts of the book are the historical references that help really put my daily work into perspective.

CG 101: A computer Graphics Industry Reference Terrence Masson: PUBLISHER: New Riders REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: CG 101 is a great reference guide. Forgotten what a particular term means? No problem! Just Open CG 101 and look it up. The first 208 pages and a few more inbetween are jam-packed with terminology and what they mean. There are side bar "blurbs" that contain factoids and quotes. This provides great bits of trivia.

The next 148 pages tell about the history of the graphics industry and how it has progressed from the start to what we know today. CG 101 tells about the companies and the people who use computer graphics to provide us with entertainment in movies and much more.

The 22-page index provides an easy way to find items, people and companies you want to know about. And just in case you wanted to know more than the book has to offer, there are URLs and telephone numbers to give you added places to glean information.

This book covers the bases quite well. Not only is it useful to industry veterans, but more importantly I feel that it's essential reading for people starting out a career in computer graphics. It gives a very detailed background of not only the history of CG production, but also the innovators, movers and shakers, to include production houses and developers. The glossary is very helpful too.

An excellent book! but if the author can put all the configurations online, and make the scinarios more realistic with more practical exercises, this would be a masterpiece in this area. It is much better than other Cisco CCVP books in many respects. Thank you, the authors, who took readers into consideration when writing this book!

I picked up a copy of "Cisco Voice Gateways and Gatekeepers" to use as a study guide for the Implementing Cisco Voice Gateways and Gatekeepers (642-453 GWGK). This book was enormously helpful in successfully passing the exam. With that said, this is not an official Cisco Press exam study guide, in fact it cover much more, and was also beneficial to me in passing the CCIE Voice written.

As with most Cisco Press books, the opening chapter covers some basics, in this case the basics of Voice Gateways and Gatekeepers, as well as a high level review of gateway protocols and deployment scenarios.

The subsequent chapters jump right into the meat of the material. Each ensuing chapter covers each topic, such as H.323, SIP, MGCP, Dial Plans, and SRST with great depth and clarity. The book if full of very detailed and comprehensive sample configurations and debug outputs. Finally, the examples throughout the book are based off of the same case study network that is introduced in the opening chapter. As I consider sitting for the CCIE Voice Lab, I anticipate that I will revisit this book again and use the case study in my home lab.

I highly recommend this book to any looking to learning more about Cisco IOS Gateways and Gatekeepers, studying for the CCVP, and/or preparing for the CCIE Voice!

Mark G. Reyero, CCIE 12932

As a person studying for my Voice CCIE, this book is invaluable. It covers a wide range of topics in a coherent, well-articulated fashion. After perusing this book, I finally figured out exactly what an IPIPGW was and how exactly it worked with a VIA gatekeeper.

If you are studying for you Voice CCIE, do yourself a favor and pick up this book.

This book is intended for network engineers, IP Telephony engineers, and Telco engineers who are tasked with the installation, configuration, and maintenance of VoIP and IP Telephony networks. This is an intermediate level book and that the reader understands IP networking and at least is familiar with the Cisco courses: CVoice, CIPT, QoS, IPTT. These imply a basic understanding of VoIP and time-division multiplexing (TDM) voice fundamentals, the basic concepts and configuration of basic IP voice routers and Cisco CallManager basics.

This book is not so much an Exam Cram as a more traditional reference book. That is not to say that it doesn't cover the material that will be found on several Cisco certification tests. It gives a firm foundation in the complex VoIP networks that in which Cisco specializes. Obviously this book covers Cisco equipment, but as Cisco is the major manufacturer of such equipment as well as providing for the certification of workers in the field, that's not a bad place to start.

This book has the advantage of a very good writing style by the three authors. This is important as I don't find computer books to be nearly as much fun to read as say a good sci-fi novel.

I work for a large Cisco reseller and purchase many Cisco Press books to augment knowledge base and assist with best-practices. I have to say that this book is one of the best Cisco Press books I've ever purchased and probably the best Cisco Press AVVID book.
I've been searching for a comprehensive source for DSP information and deployment guidelines, and COR theory. This book does an excellent job on explaining both. It is a must for anyone working with or provisioning DSPs.
In other matters, it is well written and talks plainly of other gateway technologies that AVVID engineers run into day-after-day.
If your looking for VoIP books, this is a must for your library.

This book works through some great effects in cookbook style, such that if you follow the recipe, you can great some fantastic results. Although I am using CorelDraw 8 LE on the Mac, and am a beginner when it comes to graphic arts, I was still able to amaze friends and family with the output!

The written style is clear, concise and easily understood, and the side bars are very informative. The color pictures in the center of the book are helpful in defining the target look, and the enclosed CD with electronic "recipes" and results is great.

This is now in my top 10 technical book list!

I absolutely LOVE this book. It's opened up a whole new world of possibilities with Corel Draw 9. By the time I've experimented with all of the tutorials, I'm sure I'll be quite the whizz kid. Unfortunately, I'll have to do it all without any help from the CD. There is no INSTALL.EXE on the CD. Therefore, I am unable to install it. Although I can access its contents through my CD-ROM, using it that way tends to freeze up my system and it's just not worth the aggravation. But the book itself is a real jewel and I truly enjoy reading and learning from it. Shane Hunt's writing style immediately puts the reader at ease. This alone is worth its weight in gold and is a rare and welcome commodity in "How-To" books. Thanks Shane!

This is the best how to book I have ever worked through. It is a must have for Corel Draw 9 and 10 users who have never learned all the hidden secrets and shortcuts to this program. After learning each and every technique in this book, my talents in graphic design have multiplied greatly! I find my self creating amazing graphics I never would have believed possible. Thanks Shane Hunt for writing this incredible book!

After trying several of the web based tutorials I decided to try Shane's book. One of the best things about this book is that it takes an artistic approach in the instruction. I have used what I have learned from this book in all my projects to date. Shane has made me a more creative Corel Draw user. After several years of just using Corel Draw I am now creating on a level I never could have attained before. One should know the basics of Corel Draw before using this book. If you know how to access the menu commands then you should get this book. Highly recommended.

The CorelDraw 9: FX and Design is one of the best books on the market to get the most out of your software package. Author Shane Hunt knows his stuff. He presents facts, tips and creative ideas in a fun and entertaining way. This book is exactly what I needed to teach me the 'how' of CorelDraw 9 and at the same time teach incredible creative tools I can use right away. The Official Guides are fine but this book gives you the tools to think not only 'outside the box' but outside the stratosphere.

This book is clearly a "must have" for anyone developing with VFE. Despite spending a fair amount of time on the VFE Tech Support Conference, attending 2 VFE DevCons, etc., I have found this book to be invaluable. In particular, I like the narratives on the Instantiation of the Application object and Form, along with the discussion of various key properties and methods of the major classes. To the extent that one spends time actually studying these narratives, properties, and methods in conjunction with stepping thru the code, I feel this will reap rewards in the form of better productivity and higher quality applications. For those who aspire to get some depth of understanding of this framework, this book is for you.

This book is a "must have" reference for all Visual Foxpro programmers who use Visual FoxExpress. The information in this book will save many hours of development time. I highly recommend it.

I have read this book twice and will probably read it again. Everytime I read it I gain a little more insight into this great foundation and n-tier development. I especially like the explanation of the step-through logic in Chapter 10 and the explanation of each method in the various objects.

I think that if you buy Visual FoxExpress and buy this book, you will reduce your learning curve by several months.

This book is great for both new users of the VFE framework and experienced users alike. Not only does it provide step-by-step guidelines for building your apps with the VFE framework, but it also contains numerous tips and tricks for experienced developers. A required reference for all VFP/VFE developers!

This book is a crucial part of my reference library. Although Visual FoxExpress comes with good documentation and a sample application, it lacks the step by step walkthrough with explanations on the thoughts behind the concepts. This book fills in the blanks very nicely and helps the reader to gain a better understanding of not just the "how" but also the "why". The authors do not hesitate to inject their own observances and opinions about working this powerful framework. This makes it an interesting read as well as a good reference.

A door opener, maybe, but also very basic. I needed something slightly more advanced than this picture book text. If you have no experience with web pages and limited experience with computers, this might be the book for you. For me, it was a waste of my money.

Creating Web Pages Simplified, the best book of web page creation I ever read. This book will clearly show you how to create a basic web site, to a great state-of-the-art web page. Why buy another web page creation book when this one has it all? Graphics, incredible exaples etc. This book is a must. I recommend it.

The full color photos and easy to follow instuctions make this a great book for the experienced and inexperienced computer user alike. I would recomend this book to any one who wants to learn how to build a web page or wants to learn more about building web pages.

Some of those commenting here are teenagers; here's a comment from an almost-50 Mom. This book provides a great overview. I've been in computers for 25 years, but never had occasion to create my own web page. This book gives a good overview of the various parts of a web page and how the pieces fit together.

Those of you who are mainframers will laugh your heads off when you see that the internet has made Script cool...

This book is a door-opener for those who want to learn to use HTML. This book teaches you the basics, and gives you room to expand, and learn more by practice and trial-and-error. The best book for learning HTML!

Aliza is an enormously impressive woman. Not only has she obviously inspired thousands of woman, but she manages to remain humble and uneffected. Is is just those qualities that enable her books to reach out to woman. I highly recommend them all.

Great book for women who want to to know more about the internet and how they can get into the field. Aliza Shermnan gives a lot of practical information on many different positions in the field, what skills are needed and how you can get started. The experiences shared by many women in the book serve as great encouragement for any woman interested in giving it a try, who want to broaden their prospects or who want to get some new ideas on how to further advance their existing business. It's easy reading and fun -- buy it for yourself or somone else as a gift!!

This book is an excellent guide for those who are new to the Internet and for those who are veterans -- everyone will find something new and useful. Sherman is a clear and practical writer with lots of experience to back up her recommendations. I would recommend this book to any woman.

Terrific book -- both interesting to read (especially the stories of how other women used the web to become successful) and helpful (containing tips on how you can do it too.) It was also very practical, especially (at least for me)the section on growing your business on the Internet. I've read other books in this area, which were very dry, but this was a fast read and a very helpful one as well. I highly recommended this book -- and you don't have to be a female to enjoy it.

Lets face it sisters, it is time to help each other to get ahead professionally. Ms. Sherman shares her knowledge and expertise, as well as others for using all the tools available to us. Don't pass up a fun quick read that can make a difference and make your life better.

I ordered this book to serve as a reference for my symfony work. It has been an excellent reference guide to symfony, though it is not meant to be a "Introduction to.." or "Getting Started" book. I highly recommend if you work or have a solid background in symfony and need a handy desktop reference manual.

This book is really the definitive guide. It covers everything you need to know to build a web 2.0 application with symfony. It is written by the people behind symfony, so the book is extremely detailed and has a great format that makes it easy to understand. Well done.

The books contains all the information you can find in the online manual on the website of the symfony project.
If you know this before (and I did), the book has the same quality like the online manual, in my opinion a very good one.

I'm a freelancer that was in search of a framework that would allow me to expeditiously develop applications for my clients, without sacrificing reliability. After researching several PHP-based MVC frameworks, I landed on symnfony due to its comprehensive set of features, strong OOP support, PHP5 utilization, and (very importantly) the great documentation. Yes, this book is available in web format online - but I'm very glad I made the purchase so I could learn the framework as I traveled, and it's much easier to use as a reference (I have it sprawled across my desk as I type this review). If you're looking for a great framework, I'm convinced symfony is it. And if you're looking to learn symfony, and have a resource as you build your skills, this book is what you'll need. The only caviat is, if you have no Object-Oriented programming experience, I would recommend you pick up "Objects, Patterns, & Practice" by Apress before learning symfony.

Well written and understandable for such a large chunk of software. You can be the judge yourself, of course, by reading it online before you buy the hard copy. I'd definitely recommend having the real thing if you're just starting with symfony though.. you can't dogear or bookmark the online version.

Not all websites have a social focus, but all websites can benefit by becoming more social. Joshua Porter explains how to build features and flows that focus on getting users from "unaware" to "passionate user" status through well-designed and thoughtful design. The book is packed with practical tips and ideas for getting the most out of your site. Highly recommended!

Joshua Porter pours his knowledge about user interface design in social media in this title. While the AOF method (Activities, Objects and Features) he presents early in the book gets a bit confusing when you first read about it, very quickly you get his point.

The design framework he presents is aimed at taking new users of a social site through the steps that make up the usage lifecycle: not being aware of the site > becoming interested in it > using the site for the first time > becoming a regular user > becoming a passionate user.

I see a practical application of Joshua's design philosophy in the way Ning.com (a platform for you to create your own social network) is put together: it is easy for a new member to sign up and create/manage a profile page, interact with other members and sharing with others inside or outside the network so as to make more people aware of the network.

The main downside I found to the book was that, in an attempt to be more comprehensive, it went into certain topics that had little to do with design, such as the case with the chapter on "Authentic Conversations" (why they are the most important thing you can do for your social web site) and the closing chapter on "Funnel Analysis" which seemed a bit rushed and disconnected from the rest. Still, the chapter on authentic conversations was useful and even the one on metrics carried weight and useful tips, just not as much as the rest of the book.

Overall, a very good reference for folks needing to catch up with the social web in the sites they manage.

This book teaches you how to think about designing web interfaces for social websites or websites with social features. You will learn a bit about the psychology behind what works well, so you can incorporate the knowledge into your own design.

The book explains how to prioritize features from the initial sign-up through active user participation on the social website. Many industry examples are given along with some of the reasons why each is successful or not.

The book is about designing the user interface and the overall web site experience. It can and should be read by all team members on the web project including: graphic designers, information architects and developers.

I think its an excellent book
Sadly I lost it after reading 1/4 of it
He knows his subject Design for Social Web
and it was very interesting what I read
and there are good diagrams

Judy

I used this book as one of three textbooks in a class I recently taught. This was one of two texts concentrating on social networking. (The other was Derek Powazek's "Design for Community".) The students enjoyed the easy style of the book and the case studies for what works and what does not. The book kicked off more than one interesting discussion on barriers to entry, what makes good design, and how to effectively incorporate social networking tools into a business or non-profit website.

I'm not an expert in either Interface Design or Programming Methodology, and I've only read a little bit in these areas. As I read this book, I found myself thinking: "You mean this approach isn't standard practice already?"

After reading Ellen and Alan's description of how a UI Designer and a Developer should interact with each other, it just seems so obvious that everyone should work this way. User needs should affect architecture, and technology constrains design--how hard can it be to understand that? But the implications--design and development are iterative, and ongoing user testing is critical to the iterative process--could change the way some people think about programming projects. (The old Specify, Design, Program, Test, Release process seems somewhat naive in retrospect.)

The book has a kind of fun and lively feel to it. It's clear that the authors were having fun telling their various stories, and were excited about illustrating their points. The writing is casual, which made it amazingly easy to read.

On the other hand, once the informal style sold me on the overall approach, I almost immediately wanted a more rigorous treatment. I'd have loved an Appendix that summarized the formats of the various documents, for instance, and perhaps one that reviews the process flow diagram used at the beginning of the later chapters. (As a former academic, I found myself wondering as well about the independence and completeness of the Design Guidelines, too, but that's my quirk. It's probably not an issue most readers would care about.)

I think this book could become one of those that inspires a sort of religious commitment to its vision, and that that would probably be a very good thing.

First let me tell you this is an interaction design (or user interface design) book, since the title of the book doesn't do this job well.

This is one of the books that have great impact on me. I agree with the review written by Kevin Mullet (printed on the book's back cover) that the ideas presented in this book are a bit "dangerous". It is dangerous because they are not the common practice yet. If people want to follow these ideas, they need to have changes. Changes are always dangerous to many people.

Those "dangerous" ideas include:

- Build fewer features but build them well. (The current practice is to build as many features as possible so that marketers can list those features for promotion. Is a product easy to use? Everyone can claim that since there are no criteria for such a claim.)

- User interface design should drive the system architecture, not the other way around. (Modifying system architecture is always hard. If we want to support a certain interaction afterwards, the architecture will probably can't support cleanly, if at all.)

- Technology should be used for user needs, but not for technology's own sake. (Visual design should also be treated the same.)

Last but not least, this book shows that user interface design is actually science but not art. We don't need a graphic design degree to be an interaction designer.

As an IT project manager supporting web applications, sites and portals, this book summarizes the story of my life. Not just a must-read, but a godsend for application developers and UI designers -- two groups who traditionally don't always see eye-to-eye or face daunting communication challenges. Can't we all just get along? Yes! This book tells you how, using simple, easy-to-understand language and real-life examples. End users and customers will thank you for reading it.

I highly recommend this book as an invaluable resource for anyone currently in, or looking to enter, the instructional design field. The authors have successfully been able to present information, which can often be dry and complex, in a clear and easy to read format.

I have a read many books in this area and they have been a fantastic cure for insomnia. This on the other hand is a compelling read from start to finish. Many of the concepts presented will not be foreign to people that work in this field or in the area of product development. However the logical order and detailed examples work brilliantly to drive home the principles.

Publishers in this area should use this book as a bench mark for design and layout for its susinct and logical passage. Thank you very much Ellen and Allan for such a useful tool!

This book has many examples of good and bad web pages and also consumer products. What it covers is seemingly obvious, but apparently not realized by many. It shows how users and designers can work together for optimal result. It should be a required reading for anyone doing user-interface designs. It is good that they actually have a good free product, HUBBUB ... .that was created using this design philosophy.
I didn't give it a 5-star only because, to me, the section of their HUBBUB experience and the conclusion was too long and could have been made more concise. Also, it was disappointing to see their product not following their own design goals well enough, which seemed to make the book less effective.