Computer Books

This is definitely in my top three all time picks. Picking up this book, I already had good knowledge of Group Policy and AD implementation but surely needed more conceptual explanations and best practices. However, this book could surely be read and understood by someone just starting to create their own Group Policy implementation. The text kept me interested and was even comical at times. It was very smooth in it's transitions from one topic to another, with many great references. Jeremy Moskowitz is a fine educator and writer. I plan on attending one of his training seminars soon!

An excellent book that teaches group plocy from the ground up, and well into the advanced levels. I especially like end of chapter summeries of tips and practices to avoid the pitfalls of Group Policy hell.

I like the author style in writing the book, it's a kinda active voice approach and this really benefit a lot for reader.

If we talking about Group Policy books for Windows 2000, I recommend this one, it's 110% pure Group Policy. One more thing the discussion of login Profile is superb.

Highly recommend this book to any IT professional involved with Group Policy or Active Directory. I knew that Group Policy was a great way to lower TCO in most organizations, but was always struggling to decode the Microsoft documentation. This book covers all aspects of Group Policy, in great detail, with great examples, and with extra muggets that I believe you will not find anywhere else.

I am a Microsoft Certified Trainer and has been working more or less day and night for three years - in labs, in theory, in real-world and in class - with Windows 2000, Active Directory and Group Policy. Earlier this year I invested in a few books concerning these subjects, and was once more thoroughly disappointed. Every one seems to be meant for beginners, and/or for the publishing business: thick, promising books with nothing in them. Said to my collegue: "Perhaps one knows so much nowadays, that you really can't find anything new in books (as opposed to Internet, real-world, lab)," and I actually decided, somewhat bitterly, not to waste any more money on "computer related" literature.

But then I read Moskowitz' "Windows 2000 Group Policy, Profiles, and IntelliMirror" (2001), and is what I hope for every time; here's a writer who's obviously passionate about the subject, who with great theoretical and practical knowledge been working hard to share his knowledge in a clear, no-nonsense fashion.
As you know, these kind of books usually have a common problem: they all tell you the same basics, throw in some pseudo-advanced details, and - most importantly - avoid the tough nuts. What's so liberating with Moskowitz' work, is that he indeed tells you the basics, just to make sure you follow him, then he goes one step further, along the way he throws in some real nuggets for technicians, and cracks them nuts one after another, like it's never been a problem at all. No-nonsense, easy read, nearly fascinating from the first page to the last. I'm very impressed. This book is extremely useful, a real treasure. If you're at Amazon searching for a book about these matters, you've certainly found what you're looking for.

I myself, will keep my eyes open for further works by Jeremy Moskowitz. Aside of being very experienced and knowledgable, he's also a skilled writer, free from that nudge-nudge-humor which some writers grasp at to make their thick nonsense "easy read"; but still he is easy read, has a laid back dry sense of humor, and writes fluidently. I don't think he's written any other books, though he's been writing for magazines, but I will keep my eyes open. This is truly great work! Perhaps the best in a long time.

This is a great book. It covers all of the design and tuning needed for a Citrix environment. It includes desktop replacement strategies...the works. It is easy to understand and organized well.
I was forced to learn Metaframe 1.8 in a hurry and this book gave me the tools to be able to implement a robust thin-client solution.

Having just gone through the process of loading Citrix XP this book made life a million times easier.(The book appears to me more orientated towards earlier versions than the one I loaded but this caused no problems at all)
I had had very little experience with Citrix beforehand but this book prepared me for the install and fine tuning of Citrix once installed...Take a bow Mr Mathers - very well written and well layed out

If you are new to TS/Metaframe, but you have a solid handle on Windows NT/2000, this will be an easy and informative read for you. While you will already have a solid grounding in file system an regsitry security, system and group policy, user groups, performance tuning, and system configuration, Thin Client Solutions is full of detailed information on how to apply your NT/Win2K savvy in these areas to the TS environment.

Mathers covers both the TS and Citrix products in detail. You'll get coverage on everything ranging from the differences between the two products, to installation, licensing, optimization, security, and application integration. And don't forget, the appendixes are also chock full of useful stuff such as a TS/Metaframe command reference, file system security configuration scripts, registry security configuration scripts, and more.

A word of caution, however. If you don't know Windows NT/2000, you'll probably be lost -- Mathers assumes that you are on a pretty solid footing with the Windows environment. If not, you'll need to bring your Windows NT/2k skills up to speed before this book will be of benefit you.

If you are thinking about configuring a Terminal Services server and/or using Citrix Metaframe, this is the best book you can buy. I have bought them all, and even if you have experience with TS, and or Citrix, this book is full of great tips and extremely useful information. Buy it! Don't wait.

WINDOWS NT/2000
Thin Client Solutions
Implementing Terminal Services and Citrix MetaFrame
AUTHOR: Todd W. Mathers
PUBLISHER: New Riders
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: Windows NT/2000 reminds a reader of "War and Peace" in that it contains over 800 pages of in-depth information. The font is a fairly readable size.

Author's note, tips, warnings and many graphical examples can be found throughout the book. The Content section has 13 pages while the Index contains 44 information packed pages. With this much reference material, the reader should not lack the ability to locate the information he/she is seeking. Just in case this isn't enough, the book is divided into Parts and each Part lists what the Chapters of that Part contain.

If the reader is building a "Windows NT or 200 thin client system", Windows NT/200, Thin Client Solutions, Implementing Terminal Services and Citrix MetaFrame should provide the answers.

I've been having back pain in the morning for the last few months after some furniture moving. I stopped at Borders for a coffee and picked this up to read (ok, I'm shameless). After about an hour with the book, I developed a game plan for dealing with the backache which I learned is of a very common garden type. It might be too early to declare victory but I woke this morning with almost no pain after sleeping in the prescribed position with a heating pad and taking a few NSAIDS before bed.

I have family members that opted for surgery years ago and it ruined their lives - possibly even led to a death of a cousin from OD of narcotics. I wish that they had had this book to read. A lot has changed in medicine and it seems like the author has much more modern thinking than most of the medical profession that still seems bent on drugs and surgery first.

This book is laying on the floor next to my bed. Why? I do the exercises every morning, and refer to the chapter to make sure I don't miss any. I do most of the exercises on the floor, so that's where the book lives. It is a part of my life now.

I've suffered from low-grade back pain for years, and learned a lot from this book. I especially like the integrated mind-body approach, the solid, realistic information about the mechanics of the spine, and the practical advice for care and recovery.

I've spoken with a chiropractor and an MD about my back problems, and the advice they gave me is identical to the advice in this book -- and the book was far less expensive.

Unless you were injured, your back took years to get into its current condition, and it will take a while to improve. This book is a first-rate map of the road to recovery.

This books covers a lot of territory but I did not find it particularly helpful. It feels like it has a lot of filler material to get it to "book length", without focusing in on the most useful information. Also, it completely ignores the neck, apparently assuming that all problems are lower-back problems.

Save your money on Back Pain Remedies for Dummies or just check it out of the library and skim it; in my opinion it is not worth the space it takes up on my book shelf.

Overall, a very informative book, as everyone else says. My only reservation - be careful doing the exercises in the book. The author also has a warning about this - he says "at no point during your back exercise program, should you feel that you are straining...to the point of significantly increasing your pain."

I tried doing a lot of the exercises in the book, and it did add to my pain, so I then got a referral to a physical therapist, who then worked with me, showing me the 9 exercises that were best for me - using the big exercise ball. Those exercises (and perhaps the glucosamine that I take) have gotten me back to where I can again play badminton once a week, and no longer have the serious back pain I had before. (The book does mention, of course, the possibility of getting help from a physical therapist.) I'd recommend the book - just don't increase your pain by overdoing the exercises - as the author warns, in that chapter.

i love this book! its so easy to understand, and it really put my mind at ease on alot of pain issues.it covers so many topics that you dont usually read about, such as: the pros and cons of back surgery, who to seek help from, exercises, getting back to work and the feelings associated with it,etc. a definite must read!

Having bought TrueSpace2 with no prior knowledge of CGI, and being the world's worst artist, I was skeptical reading previous reviews. However I needn't have been.

The author gently takes the reader through from first principles to advanced modelling in a clear and concise manner, and in such a way that it gives you confidence to try something new.

I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Great book, it also taught TrueSpace in a matter of weeks instread of learning by exprimentation.

I started using TrueSpace back when version 2 was the newest release. I figured I could play around and build some small videos for myself. This book walked me through many of the functions and allowed me to apply what I have learned. Practically from the first page, the author walks your step by step in creating your own object. Now with version 6 available, I wish this author would write an update to keep us all in the know. Even now I still refer back to this book for missing tips and function that I don't use offen enough to remember. If you like to use TrueSpace and really want to develop something not only recognizable, but high-end I suggest you start with this book.

What are Amazon playing at! nowhere is the price displayed of this ite

Even though Caligari has recently released trueSpace 4, this book covering version 2 is a must have. The easy to follow and understand print will have you creating breathtaking graphics in no time at all. Caligari's trueSpace is truly outstanding only if you learn to use it properly. This book will do that for you.

Citrix MetaFrame XP: Advanced Technical Design Guide, Second Edition was a decent general read. In depth technical detail seemed to be lacking and was replaced by repetitive best practice lectures. However, I enjoyed the authors side comments and general personality that was interwoven into the reading. Overall the book is informative and well written.

We had 2 other books on Citrix Metaframe but the books didn't give us much detail so we started looking for a better resource. I found this book and recommended it to my Network Adminsitrator. I thought I won't get much from it because I don't work with Citrix everyday but when time permits, I read the book and 70% of the time I got the answers from this book.

Not a book for beginners. This is written for engineers and people who already have a good grasp of the basics of Terminal Servers and Citrix. No "how to" install in this book, but rather how to design, implement, identify and resolve your own problems, with a lot of real-life examples.

The style of the book (way it is written) makes a pleasant change from the usual technical books, as it addresses you like you know what you're talking about. You will come out with a clear understading of the issues you're facing and how to resolve them.

This book is self-published, which makes it all the more remarkable.

The book covers up to Windows 2000 and Mataframe XP FR2. I'm keen to see when the next edition comes out, and hpoefully it will concentrate on Windows 2003 + Metaframe 3.0

I had a real tough time searching the Internet and all other places to get some real stuff on Citrix and my search ended with "this" book by "Brain" Madden.

Citrix will notice a sizeable improvement in their sales if they include this book with their product. Everything is explained clearly with visuals and no filler material.

One of the best Tech Books to hit the market in recent times.

In my opinion, this book is the ONLY interesting published book about Citrix until now. I have read most of the available books about Citrix and Terminal Services and this is the only one I would buy again.

If you are a Citrix Certified Administrator, you will find this book very helpful. Personally speaking, I prefer it to most of the Citrix official documentation.

Take into account that it is a book for people who already has a deep knowledge about Citrix. It is not a guide for begginers. It gives you hints to improve your own Citrix project methodology.

Amazon guys, let me suggest this, please: If you are looking for a step-by-step begginers guide, have a look at Methodology in a Box (freely available at http://www.dabcc.com)

The good thing about this book is that it gets just to the point. Unlike other books, which tells every detail of this and that drawing tool, this book instructs you how to make nice and stunning graphics in a short time. With only a beginners knowledge of CorelDraw I started up following Shane Hunts carefully written instructions and succeded in making some spectacular images for my Website - graphics that I could never have done myself, without the help from a professional designer: Metallic looking 3D objects and so on... I found it relatively easy to learn tricks from examples and then adjusting it for my own purpose.

There is only one thing I would ask for in a new edition: A little more on Web-graphics. I can recommend a couple of other books with almost the same approach as this one: "The CorelDraw Wow Book", by Linnea Dayton, Shane Hunt and Sharon Steuer and "Corel Studio Techniques", by David Huss & Gary Priester. They are also great.

Prior to reading Shane's book I had pretty much given up on being able to learn the program...I was stunned to see how easy he made it to create stunning images in coreldraw...I learned techniques I truely did not feel capable of learning prior to reading his book and enjoyed the process...His enclosed cd alone was worth the price of the book ...He does not guard his techniques ...he shares them openly and wants you do know all he knows...very well organized and writen and simply turned my graphics life around!

So many computer related books written in the last several year look like they've been thrown together. They're full of typos or the content is just incorrrect or incomplete. It's apparent that a lot of time and effort went into this book. The book is full of great examples, the insruction are complete and it's interesting to read. I was a relative novice with CorelDraw and this book allowed me to create some great designs quickly. It showed me tricks that I probably would have never figured out on my own.

Highly recomended!

I've even had a Corel novice use the book with no problems. She liked it MUCH better than another one in the standard style. It's an easy to use book written in a fun and useful style. Look at the many positive reviews..

Somewhere in this long list of raves you will find my first review of this book. I gave it four stars. That was very high praise from me...back then when I had just finished the book and thought 5 stars was fawning. Now I know I was wrong. I finally put another book in the space CorelDRAW f/x was supposed to occupy on my shelf. It sits by my computer while I work, and frequently comes with me when I need lunchtime or waitingroom reading. I use this book constantly. I can't let my first review stand any longer. If you have any doubts about this book forget them IT IS WELL WORTH MANY TIMES THE PRICE! I intend to add the new version to my computer desk and book bag when I upgrade to CorelDRAW 9. And probably 10 and 11 and...

I am currently studying for the CWNA exam and I have no other resources. This book helps you understand the concepts in plain language. I started using it with the SQ3R method and I find that I can really retain the concepts offered in this book. The SQ3R method takes a little time but if you really want to learn it for the test combine it with how the information is laid out in this book and you'll get it. Good luck!

This is a great book on Wireless. Tons of detail on RF properties, troubleshooting and things to look for. Aside from being a decent study guide for the exam this book will serve as a handy reference in day to day work as well as research activities.

The book very well organize and easy to follow, however it needs more detail in order to pass the exam.

I read this book after reading the official CWNA Guide from Planet3 Wireless. I was amazed at how easy it was to read considering the depth and breadth of the material presented in the book. Some topics which weren't very clear from the other CWNA book were made much clearer. Even though I haven't taken the exam yet, I have not found a book on WLANs that I could recommend more highly for getting you up to speed as quickly as possible. The fact that the authors supply their email addresses is a HUGE bonus too. The end of chapter questions are especially useful for testing your understanding. In short BUY IT!!

After taking a class given by David Westcott I decided to buy his book. I am so glad I did. I went from working in the wireless field for three years and not being certified to reading his book and two months later becoming a CWNA. This book is just very easy to understand. They use alot of analogies to help you get the point of what they are trying to teach. If you have ever read a Cisco press book you will really appreciate the two David's writing style.

After I purchased this book a co-worker purchased "the other" CWNA book and the rest of my fellow co-workers compared the two and after all the scrutiny they all purchased this one.

If you have ever wanted to become a CWNA or just learn more about wireless technologies this book is definitely for you.

One of the best series I have read. I started reading the 2099 series in 5-6th grade and I am still reading it in my senior year of high school now. I must have read them at least 5-6 times by now! They are that good! This series never gets old and the plot is fantastic. Definitely worth a read! Go buy it! This series needs more attention!

I thouroughly enjoyed this book series in Jr. High. It has everything you could ever hope for from an original sci-fi story! I'm awaiting a collector's edition collection of all six books in one volume. I would love to see a motion picture adaptation as well...

this book is awsome action packed scifi with a twist i read this in 2 days i just couldn't put it down Tristin a boy who finds out that he was adopted and is trying to find his real identity when he alerts his clone of his presence that could be a fatel mistake find out what happens
-podus

John Peel is one of the best authors i know, and i tend to be picky about books. You can hardly put them down, and they keep you guessing. He has some character backgrounds without making it boring. The character's personalities are very distinguished, and he has a great way of discribing things. in 2099, the whole planet is almost completly run by machines. Devon (who is NOT tristans clone! Tristan is Devons clone. Devon was born first.) is set out making a virus to have complete world domination. It's devons game, and tristan is just another obstacle in his way. Genia, is the 16 year old girl who just happens to get caught in the crossfire. An exellent hacker, raised in the underworld, she manages to a vital key in devon's game. Inspector Shimada ( i think...) is the officer on the case, and is determined to track him down. Tristan is one of the accused, and is a prime suspect to Inspector Shimada, and becomes a flaw in Devons grand sheme. Now devon's out to destroy tristan, as well as the rest of humanity. (i hope i didn't give too much away...) Doomsday and the rest of the series are nothing short of exellent! JOHN PEEL RULES!

This is the best book! I love John Peel. The characters and the suspense is awesome! Tristan is 14 and in big trouble. Ever since he fell off his girlfriends roof his whole world has changed. He found out that he is adopted and has a clone! Devon is Tristans clone and is evil! He (Devon) has created a Doomsday virus that will destroy the world. It's up to Tristan to save it! With the help of Genia, an outcast,and Mora, Tristans ex-girlfriend. Can he save them? Read the book to find out! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fiction, especially science fiction!

This book is the perfect starting point for a beginner. I started with a limited amount of programming experience. By the time I finished, I felt extremely comfortable with all of the concepts presented.

It's important to set realistic goals. You're not going to finish this book and start writing real world applications. Instead, this book builds the foundation needed to tackle more advanced concepts and programs found in other books.

This is an excellent book. I have completely read this book. I recommend this book for every student learning C#.

This is a great book for C# beginners like me. The book is very well written as it simulates the real class environment and answers every possible question that the beginner might have. I went to a 5-day C# training and I learned less there than I learned after reading this book. The author is a talented instructor, and I wish all computer science professors were like him. I am looking forward to an intermidiate C# book by John Smiley! Thank you, John.

Have you ever thought you wanted to learn how to program, and bought a book on programming that didn't teach you anything? Or maybe you took a class that had a required textbook that was worthless? Did you get discouraged, and think programming just wasn't "for you"? That maybe you just didn't "get it" like those other people that seemed to have no problems learning to program? If so, then this book is for you. If more computer programming books were written like this, I KNOW there'd be a lot more programmers in the world. It's not about intelligence, it's about LEARNING STYLES. This book is more narrative than just lines of code to interpret. John Smiley talks TO the reader, not AT him. He puts you in a classroom setting where people ask questions, even DUMB questions that you yourself may have wanted to ask. And guess what? He ANSWERS the questions. If you've been stymied in one way or another from reaching a point of confidence with programming then this book is for you. I give it 5 stars because that's the most that Amazon's system will let me give it. If you don't believe me, hit the library. Then buy the book to put food on this man's table, and have this awesome book in your personal library.

I am taking a series of classes from "someplace" with the intention of making a carreer change. "Someplace" offered to get me from being a non-programmer to an MCSD in 8 months using Microsoft official curriculum (MOC). An ambitious undertaking to be sure.

I have found the MOC to be of very limited help. Wow, that's an understatement.

Anyway, I have been using other resources to supplement the training and this book has been the best.

The book starts with understanding the requirements of a program. From there the author walks us through the process of building a program and incorporates a lot of very practical and useful concepts. In general, the book has followed the progression of the MOC "Programming with C#". Whether by design or not, this has been very helpful.

The book is written in narrative or as a story unfolding. The reader is included in a small class learning to program. The other students in the class ask questions to the instructor (John Smiley) and in general greatly facilitate the learning process. This narrative makes it a lot easier to follow and the simple program turns out to be full of lots of very useful training opportunities.

At first, I was underwhelmed that the author had chosen to use Notepad and the SDK to create the programs. However, having finished the book and being halfway through the MOC course (which uses Visual Studio) I am glad that he does. Visual Studio tends to be expensive to get your hands on, and while it does have some VERY helpful functionality in terms of writing code, for the beginner, a lot of the stuff it does seems like it is overwhelming for the "newbie" (at least it was to me.)

Many times, I would complete similar exercises using the notpad/SDK method in 1/3rd or 1/4 the time it would take me to do it in Visual Studio. For the most part, this was because of all of the "helpful" stuff that Visual Studio was doing. Don't get me wrong, it is a great IDE, but for a newbie like me, I think Smiley's approach was better.

I have bought many other C# books and I will be doing reviews on them as I read them to supplement the material. I've also been taking video lessons from LearnVisualStudio.net.

I hope John Smiley will create a book on Visual Studio and Intermediate and Advanced C#. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it HIGHLY to anyone just getting started.

Easily the best book on Linux that I have ever read or bought. Also one of the best computer books overall that I have ever used. That is saying a lot given that I have many computer books on the full range of computer topics and given that I am very picky in what I buy. The other reviews - all but one 5-star - give details on the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to set up a Linux system or who has an interest in learning about Linux.

In regard to Linux in general, it provides a superior platform to the Microsoft platforms. Also the add-on programs that are available - all of the most useful are included in any of the best-known distributions, such as Ubuntu or Red Hat/Fedora - are as good as (in the sense of user-friendly) as the comparable Windows programs and in many cases better.

What is interesting to me is that much of the Linux development occurs outside the USA. It is a great tribute to the huge Linux-oriented developer universe that those developers have developed such outstanding tools that are free of the exorbitant, monopoly-determined prices of Microsoft products. So I hereby thank you all for your fantastic contributions to computer technology. Without your programs we would all be prey to the monopoly pricing and less-than-optimal programs produced by Microsoft. Not to say that there is anything wrong with most Microsoft products, but thank god there are better products available and better yet that most are free of licensing cost and most are changeable because the source code is available.

It's been two years since I've purchased this book, and I still reference it from time to time.

This book covers many common open-source applications used in conjunction with linux (bind,samba,sendmail,etc).

The examples are well-written. It's a great book for someone who is wanting to educate themselves to use linux.

I will note that the book seems to be red-hat/fedora biased. I use fedora, so that was a plus.

Much of what I have done piecing together information from Google is concisely done in this guide. This book got my mail server setup in no time whereas in the past I gave up in frustration (and lack of knowledge).

The mail chapter alone was worth the price but this book is full of solving common system administration tasks for people with some linux experience but not the expertise of being a sysadmin.

I really enjoy the content of the Book. Since my early days using Linux consult the linuxhomenetworking website for tips & howtos.

This is surely a must have book. It's been a while since I see some book with so much content !!!.

This certainly isn't a hand holding introduction to Linux by any means (jump in at the deep end, it works!). However if you're looking for a down to earth, practical guide to a variety of everyday tasks involved in running Linux in a server environment you'll find this book very useful. The subject matter covered is useful, and the explanations are sufficient with plenty of useful examples. Certainly a good introduction although obviously for the finer points of configuration more specialised sources will need to be consulted.