Computer Books

Simon Singh books usually hold you from the first page and till the end. "The code book" is very well written and very informative. You will see how it's started and where cryptography goes, but even more interesting part of history of cryptography - life (sometimes secret life) of people who worked and continue to work on development of cryptosystems.

Nutshell review - This is an excellent book covering the history of cryptography up to present day and into the near future. Very well written, easy to understand and worth reading by any layperson interested in the topic.

If you want to know about codes, secrets, cryptography and cryptanalysis then this is the book. Simon Singh presents the history of codes in a clear and simple way. Without the mathematics to disturb the flow of the story, you enjoy plots, conspiracies, secrets and algorithms. Excellent for general knowledge and for an introductory text in cryptanalysis. Buy it!

great book regarding the history of cryptography. The only way to truly understand anything is c the history of it's introduction

For a book on cryptology from a historical perspective it's really hard to believe it would be as entertaining as Singh makes it. Using his skill as an author he weaves history, technology, and methods of encryption together to explain topics that normally would leave many of us in the blind.

The most interesting thing about the whole book is that as you begin to read up on forms of encryption and decryption you begin to absorb yourself into the whole culture. One chapter describes the Beale Ciphers, a set of ciphers that gained popularity especially in the early 1900s and still are significant today linking to a fabulous treasure and yet still remaining unbroken. I remember spending the day after reading up on it thinking of ways I'd try to break the cipher. Not many books fill your mind with such rich images and excitement as this book seems to.

Generally, the book is wonderful and has enough to keep you hooked until the very end despite its historical nature.

Max Lucado has an touched a nerve with his delightful stories. This book reaches the heart of all of us.
We all want to know our worth. This beautifully written and illustrated story reminds us that we are all of infinite worth, in the eyes of our creator.

LOVE this book - perfect gift for an adult or a child - beautiful pictures and wonderful, meaningful story.

I work with children with Autism and have given this book to each of them once they do not need my services anymore. This book is a rare find! Excellent story and great pictures!

This is an excellent message for children that they are special and not to place too much importance on what other people may think. My 2 and 3-year olds are captivated by the story.

This is a timeless story that teaches a wonderful lesson.
The book was shipped in wonderful condition without defect.

this is the book the nice man on the cover gave to me after he touched me in a bad place.

If you are a fan of Jimmy Norton and would like to learn a little more about him and laugh a lot more, then buy this book. It is a good read and not for anyone that get offended easily.

This is a fun book to read for a man, but I wouldn't recommend it to a woman.

The book is pretty explicit. Coarse language is used, so definitely not recommended for kids.

I started reading the book but quit half way through. I did enjoy it at first, and did laugh out loud, but it just got too much at the end. I found the book too repetitious, sick at times and overly perverted. I did not like it when he talked of kids and sex. I know he is trying to be funny, but one should draw the line somewhere. There are some sick people out there who might just take him seriously. Words are mightier than the sword, so we should really be careful about what we say.

I would prefer seeing the book performed in a comedy club than actually reading it. I think the jokes and stories would sound better in a club with other people participating and laughing. Sometimes you find yourself laughing at mediocre jokes or stories when you hear others laugh. After all, that's why TV programs sometimes have a live audience or recorded laughter in the background.

You might also want to check out the audio version of this book, which is read by the author.

I bought the book based on a Norton interview that he gave to Maxim magazine. Based on the interview I expected more down in the dirt sex depravity out of this character and I found it sparse in that department. I expected more 'monster rain' events in his life but instead it was more random journals from his days on the comedy circuit junket. He tends to have the same problem a lot of comics do, which is their comedy doesn't translate well to the printed page... given how perverted he looks with his bug eyes, the physical comedy plays a lot better [especially on Lucky Louie in that stained bathrobe].

As far as shocks go, Dave Attell's new material is exactly what this book should have been.

I like Jimmy and O&A, but this book was a chore to finish. I was expecting a book of interesting stories of his sexual tastes, but instead it is mostly a bunch of random entries from an uninteresting diary. 3 chapters (if you can call them chapters) devoted to silly TV show ideas? Let's spread them out in the book so no one will notice they are essentially the same thing. When the book sticks to the the topic matter of hookers it wasn't bad, but the rest of the chapters should have been titled,"Who Cares", which is what I found myself repeatedly saying out loud.

I did laugh a few times, hence the 2 stars instead of 1.

This book is fantastic, I own three editions.

But the Kindle edition is a pale shadow of the print edition. Purchase the printed edition first, use the Kindle edition only as a portable reference. Expect your reading speed to be much slower on the Kindle edition than in the print edition.

The Kindle display is too narrow for the code, causing lines to wrap at inconvenient places. Code is mostly readable, but the line wraps render the code less readable than the print edition.

The Kindle edition uses the same serifed font for both code and prose, all in black. The printed edition uses a serif font for prose, and uses a sans-serif font to differentiate code. The print edition uses color to identifies important code.

Comparing the two editions gives you deeper appreciation for the art of typesetting.

Photos comparing Kindle and printed formatting at
http://gallery.mac.com/ziggr#100056

The Scott Meyers books were *the* reason I bought a Kindle: these books were in my backpack on the day I ordered my Kindle. "I could carry a 10oz Kindle instead of a stack of books? Sold!" Even with the Kindle's limited formatting capabilities, I'm glad to finally have them in a Kindle edition.

This book must be required reading for anyone developing in C++. I count this book as essential as Bjarne Stroustrup's "The C++ Programming Language"; these two books are a necessity.

Mr. Stroustrup's book could be considered a technical reference to the C++ language. This book I consider as a technical reference for how to use the C++ language.

The book was well written. I found the book to be easy to read and the index to be exhaustive enough for the book to be used as a quick reference.

Is this a great book? I have been asking myself that question ever since I found out that Scott Meyers does not write (or has not written for a long time) production code in C++. With that said, book is a great theoretical treatise on how to make your C++ code better but it is not a "cookbook" which will be immediately useful in day to day tasks. This is not necessarily a bad thing; such approach will encourage deeper understanding of issues at hand and that will lead to better code.

A good book in an informal language to take a look at the most importance topics to avoid many common errors during the programming in C++. Widely used in the industry.

This is a great book which covers a lot of useful topics for every C++ professional. I have been programming in C++ for a while so some of the topics Scott Mayers discussed were already familiar but I still picked up a lot from this book. From a beginner to intermediate programmer, this is a must have. Advanced programmers probably have this book already (or its previous editions). Otherwise, if you bought this in order to learn something new then you are not really "advanced", are you?

This book assumes that you already used C++ and understand its fundamentals. Scott's goal is not to teach the fundamentals but to advice readers on how to use the language effectively - generating good, efficient, re-usable, portable code. On this goal, he was successful. Its pretty much like when I was learning Japanese. I understood the fundamentals and word translations but in order to effectively communicate in that language, I had to be familiar with proper sentence construction, various formalities (some words are not appropriate for certain settings or people) and word dynamics as well. In a sense, this book (or Scott) is your sensei to good C++ programming.

Some more suggested reading to complement Scott Mayer's series:
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
and
Modern C++ Design: Generic Programming and Design Patterns Applied (C++ In-Depth Series)

I would highly recommend this book to any parent who has pre-school aged children. It is a great bed time story.

This is the story that captivated by interest in this author's storytelling. My students love the books! Plus, the book came in excellent condition.

If you give a mouse a cookie is a fabulous book from the mouth watering food pictures, to the non-stop hilerious literature. I love the cute little mouse shown in every fantastic image. I would recommend this for ages 1 to 100. It starts out as a tiny mouse wanting a cookie, then wants more and more. A fun picture book, estatic is a great way to describe this grand piece of art.

BOTTOM LINE:

Numeroff does it again!
Anyone who gives this less than 4 stars is a soulless android. There is NOTHING to not like about this book in a series of 'If you give a ...'! It is laugh out loud funny, great to read, and the pictures are cute and hilarious! The story has a nice touch of irony without forcing a MESSAGE.

I think its wonderful to have a children's book that is so clever and whimsical - hard to find one nowadays. Not only does my 6-yr old love it, but I love it myself. :-)

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is a modern classic, beloved by children everywhere. It is also a book that teaches about sequential action and consequence. For example, if you give a mouse a cookie, he is going to ask for a glass of milk. If you give him a glass of milk, he will probably ask for straw. As the book continues, the drink leads to a napkin, which leads to a mirror (to check for a milk mustache), which leads to a haircut, which leads to cleaning up, etc., and so forth. The tale eventually comes full circle, with thirst leading to a glass of milk, which leads back to giving a mouse a cookie. And of course, if you give a mouse a cookie...

My three year old and I love reading this together at bedtime. I start the sentence on each page ("If you give a mouse an xxxx...), and she shouts out the end of the sentence (",...he is going to xxxx."). The result is lots of giggles which are very nice right before bedtime.

This fun, entertaining book is beautifully illustrated with rich, detailed, colorful drawings. I highly recommend this book for small children and beginning readers, and I guarantee that it will quickly become a family favorite.

I am only about half way through this book and already have learned numerous things about the design of Java as a language and about proper usage of said language. This book is going to be a staple in my programming library and a book recommended to anyone I know working with Java. I am also looking forward to the second edition which is slated to be released in May sometime.

An indispensable, insightful, and well written Java book to add to your reference library. The second addition is due out May 25, 2008.

I ask all of the developers I manage to read this book, after having been introduced to it by a coworker. Great tips, and helpful in clarifying some of those "gut feel" things that come up during pair-programming.

It is incredible to read Joshua's insights. Forget about being a Java Guru or something like that. This book is pure joy to read if you are detail oriented, perfectionist or a student of art of programming in general.

I have started this effort of creating a distilled version of this book coupled with my own reflections at: [...]. To any curious reader though, any such effort is not a replacement for the book itself. It is a masterpiece.

- Kedar Mhaswade

I've been using Java since 1995 and have owned this book since 2001 and it's the only Java text I still turn to. I recommend every Java developer, no matter what level you're at, read this book and read it again every year for the remainder of your career. I doesn't matter who you are or how experienced you think you are -- you will learn from this book. I give "Effective Java" my highest recommendation. I cannot wait for the Second Edition.

...I got a little teary-eyed. This is an excellent book. It's funny and compelling and Wil shows what a great writer he is. I wanted more and I'm upset that I didn't buy "Just A Geek" first. I'll be remedying that as soon as I'm finished writing this review. If you just like a good story whether it be about Star Trek or just being a regualar everyday person, or if you want a good laugh, I recommed this book.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Wheaton at a sci-fi convention in 2006. He was really nice and easy going. I picked up a smaller book that he had printed in limited numbers. I love how he spins his tales. It took me a while but I finally grabbed his book Dancing barefoot. His childhood storys and those of his current family are heartfelt and warm. His dealing with the memories of his Trek experience and coming to grips with his "Child Actor" status. If you are a trek fan or not doesn't matter the guy is a great writer and I can't wait for the next book.

I was very pleased with this book. Excellent writing, but it leaves me wanting more.

Whether you are a Star Trek Fan or not, this book is worth reading. As Wil tells his stories, you feel each and every emotion. After you finish the book, you a yearning for more, so go and pick up "Just a Geek". Enjoy it- I sure did!

Dancing Barefoot is one of those books that as your reading, you take a step back and say, "oh my god I totally understand this! This was me."

The book is a collection of stories that Wil had posted on his blog and compiled together. The stories are very inspiring and Wil shows his emotions in one of the most effective ways that humans do: through his writing. I was very touched after having read Dancing Barefoot and even inspirted enough to do some writing of my own.

If you're considering whether or not you want to purchase Wheaton's book, just read his blog and within 10 minutes of reading some of his entries your mind will have been set yourself.

I loved it, and look forward to Wil's next novel.

I was in a book store and I was attracted to the title and the cover color. I picked up the book and read the jacket and I was hooked. I hardly ever buy non-technical books -especially non-fiction. But I was hooked after reading the jacket so I bought the book and assiduously read and enjoyed it. Also I am a Wharton alumnus. I also took classes with Len Lodish.

Eric Ericsson

The book spells out tips for starting a business (use credit cards instead of banks) and the mistakes the authors made along the way (when do you enter the market). You can even contact them after reading and talk to them about your ideas. The encouraging aspect of the book is that while they are starting their business, they spoke to their classmates who were making $200,000 on wall street and working for the dot-coms, but John and Kyle were not discouraged. I am happy that they were able to take an idea like a computer mouse shaped like a gold club and turn it into THEIR company. Congrats guys!

There is so much in this book that I can relate to, having started my own company around the same time in Silicon Valley (although in software). John and Kyle made the same mistakes that many entrepreneurs thankfully make - they followed their passion instead of their senses, and didn't buckle under the pressure and the unknown. One other valuable lesson from this book -- document your process. This is a great way to share your successes and your mistakes with others. I wish we had more stories like this when I was working on my MBA - something more than the dry, non-applicable case studies stuck in front of us. And John and Kyle also provided one other important gem: how to save a few bucks a month at the neighborhood gym. Thanks guys.

The Mousedriver Chronicles is the story of 2 Wharton MBA's who take a business plan developed on their entrepreneurship course at Wharton and decide to make a go of it. In 1999 they turn away high paying jobs at investment banks and over funded dot.com startups to go it alone.

Their idea: to make and sell a computer mouse that looks like the head of a golf driver.

They fund the venture themselves, find a manufacturer in Hong Kong, move to San Francisco (to be part of all the start up vibe in The Bay area) and run the business from the kitchen of their rented flat.

Their story is brilliantly relayed as they grapple with manufacturing, marketing and distribution hassles. The single product focus of their new company, named Platinum Concepts Inc., makes for a wonderful entrepreneurial story with excellent lessons about what it takes to succeed as a self funded start up. The two founders quickly learn that they need more than the theoretical knowledge acquired on their MBA at Wharton; they need to be street wise. They experiment with different mechanisms to make things happen and end up categorizing their execution strategies as follows:
Plan A: Make use of their business school network and contacts
Plan B: Hit the streets and the shops to find a creative solution
Plan C: Work the Yellow Pages

More often than not, plan B and C worked far better than plan A.

One of the founders, John Lusk, began sharing their entrepreneurial adventure with friends and family via a monthly email called "The Insider". The Insider was a real, often humorous, sometimes highly insightful newsletter about their adventure. The insider subscriber list grew and grew. MBA lecturers began distributing The Insider as prescribed reading. In 2001 Inc. Magazine featured a cover story on the company and its two founders. The Inc. cover story entitled "An American Start-up" focuses on the impact of The Insider e-mail newsletter. The email newsletters were used as the foundation for the book published in 2001 entitled The "Mousedriver Chronicles".
The company has since been shut down but the Mousedriver website still serves as a portal for entrepreneurs and copies of The Insider newsletter can be found in PDF format on the website: www.mousedriver.com

MouseDriver is about two guys who graduate from Wharton with MBAs in 1999 (the heart of the internet boom) and start a business manufacturing and selling a computer mouse that looks like the head of a driver golf club, turning down high paying jobs at dotcoms, investment banks, consulting firms etc.

As a small business consultant (Transcendence Consulting, LLC tcllc.net) I can tell you right now that if you are looking to start a busines, buy this book TODAY. It is an amazing look at the entire process of starting a business, from the ability to jump head first, manage yourself during
the highs and lows, deal with self doubt and solve an endless supply of problems. It is an easy read that will take you no time at all to complete.

In the short time I have had this book I have found it not only to answer my questions but give me clear and concise information.

I had Photoshop Elements for about a year - until this book I was unable to use it effectively. Scott Kelby does a great job walking through the myriad features and functionality! Instructions are clear and easy to follow. Would definitely buy again!

I have found this book easy to understand and follow. Instructions take the material step by step to a conclusion. The subject matter is easy to locate thru its index.

One of the best "how to" books I've ever bought. Every step is detailed, taking the reader to the finest final product.

I bought this manual for my 13 year old daughter, so she can get more out of her new digital camera. She and her friends used the book to manipulate photos they took and they loved it, as they found lots of new and exciting things that can be done with Elements. She found the explanations and the language used very clear and easy. I'm not sure to what 'advanced' level it takes you, but it's definitely great for learning the basics of Photoshop Elements.

When I bought this book, I couldn't believe all the 5 star ratings in the reviews. But, now that I've finished it, I have to agree with them. Simply put, this is probably the best computer-related book I've read. In the book's 850 pages, I found a grand total of five minor problems: one was grammatical, two were typographical and two were minor disagreements with how some things were presented. All trivial. Content-wise, if the universities would teach this material and if programmers would follow the methodologies contained in the book, the world of software would be far, far better off. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and rate it an Excellent 5 stars out of 5.

This was a great book both for me and my team. I've been in the software industry for many years. I started building a team of developers and needed an easy way to bring novice and experienced programmers together on a similar set of standards. This book provided us with the perfect framework from which to start our team. We've developed several major projects using the principles in this book and have experienced a great deal of success.

One warning, the book gets a bit tedious after the first half. If you're looking to improve your C programming skills, it gets really detailed into pointers and other fun, or not, stuff. Also, the examples are in VB.NET...but you still get the point.

If you're an experienced software developer or a newbee in the world of commercial computer programming this book will give a good kick in the right direction. Steve McConnel will keep you hooked by mixing the right guiding concepts with real-life knowledge and examples.

I'm currently studying computer science and have been reading this in my spare time. Skip your lectures. Just read this book! If you want to construct software in a timely, efficient, and complete manner--this is the definitive book to read. Not dry at all, Steve McConnell covers topics for all experience levels. Even if you're an experienced programmer, you will learn something from this great piece of literature.

I've only gone through the first few chapters thus far. So pending finishing my reading, I'll update this review. Unfortunately this might never happen as I find myself re-reading portions of the book to pick up new ideas and details for software construction!

for all programmers. Shall I say Application Developers? Software Engineers? Whatever the title is, programming jobs are alive and well! This book provides a solid foundation. It is too bad very few American students are interested in this profession.

The average students are all studying business marketing. The good students are studying finance.

At Harvard University, they do not teach Accounting. The best ones, study Economics. There are only 21 students studying Computer Science at Harvard. Yet, parents are paying $220,000 to Harvard and other Ivy League. Truly amazing!

Is there anyway we can change this trend?