Big Books

This book is a great one for those who are into the history of computing in general and the history of operating systems specifically. If you are taking a course in computer science and you need to write a paper on such subjects, for less than a dollar, there is a wealth of information here on how operating systems transitioned from the unstable state they were at in the early 90's to today. I'm not singing Windows 95's praises as a product that fixed everything, but it was a product that started down the road to stabilizing home and business computing platforms so that you didn't cross your fingers every time you added hardware or software to your PC. In 1994 my husband and I spent two months just trying to get a sound card to talk to the rest of our computer without "screeching"! This involved pouring over documentation about every component in our machine.

The following is the table of contents:
1. The Road to Chicago - Chicago was the codename for Windows 95. This chapter talks about the mission of Windows 95 - to make every aspect of the PC running on Windows 95 easier for users, support staff, hardware manufacturers, and software developers.

2. Intel Processor Architecture - Talks about the history of the Intel processor architecture through the 80386 and how Windows 95 intended to capitalize on the features of the now ancient 80386.

3. A tour of Chicago - Looks at the structure of the system and associated terminology. It's just a brief overview.

4. The Base System - Examines the programming interface and the 80386. It also talks about true threading - something that was new to Windows.

5. The User Interface and Shell - Takes a lengthy tour through the most visible part of the system, which is the user interface. The chapter does a pretty good job of highlighting the differences between 3.1 and 95.

6. Applications and Devices - Looks at the implementation of the Windows User and GDI modules and at a few of the device drivers and subsystems associated with the User and GDI modules.

7. The Filesystem - Talks about the advantages gained in terms of performance, multitasking, and reduced memory requirements in a full Windows 95 protected mode driver.

8. Plug and Play - Talks about how Windows 95 made it much easier to add a new device adapter card to your computer.

9. Networking - Windows 95 came out when the internet was in its infancy. Thus, here the emphasis is on getting different computers within a confined environment to talk to one another versus internet computing. Remember that Novell was still top dog when this book came out.

10. Mobile Computing - Again, mobile computing did not mean in 1994-5 what it does today. Thus this chapter looks at the capabilities that the author loosely groups under this heading of mobile computing - communications support, electronic mail and fax support, and portable systems support.

Finally, there is an interesting epilogue in which the author interviews those heavily involved in the design of Windows 95 about its various functions and plans for the future. It's very interesting from a historical perspective.

I bought this book when it first came out, and I'll probably always keep it, along with a handful of similar books, just because it is so interesting to look back on computing history from time to time, particularly when it is written by those that were in the trenches.

Inside Windows 9

Dear Amazon.com Readers,

"Inside Windows 95," by Adrian King, is a very good base for understanding the design considerations Microsoft undertook when it set out on its Chicago (later named Windows 95) project. Adrian King, a Windows expert himself, looks at each step of the development of Windows, all the way to the new 3d-controls, such as dialog boxes. There are illustrations of how each control looks, and explanations of why Microsoft chose the interfaces it did.

I read this book, and was very impressed by it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know the WHY of the Windows 95 interface. This book also covers a bit of the Cairo project that Microsoft worked on. Cairo went through many phases and changes, and eventually evolved into the Windows 2000 of today.

An excellent short bio of the wondrously talented songwriter who had little musical education yet produced hundreds of great popular songs between 1908 and the end of the century (He died at 101.) As a non-musician, I didn't always understand the author's explanations of why a particular standard broke new lyrical or musical ground, but I found the information riveting anyway. Berlin, the immigrant, became a symbol of the American Dream and deservedly so. Anyone who cherishes American music should read this.

The creativity of Irving Berlin was amazing. This is a story of an interesting life, but also points out that, eventually, time erases foundations just like eroding soil or dripping water. Now, I would like to find a source to hear all of his songs as his number one concern was always quality. At times he would create a song in minutes, but it could also take years. As with most artists, he was continually looking for verification that his output was good. The appendix lists ALL of his tunes as well as other interesting data. A fine read.

While this book doen't cover as much of Berlin's personal life as does Laurence Bergreen's biography entitled As Thousands Cheer, Furia's biography does cover in great detail the background involved in a number of Berlin's songs. "What'll I Do" was written just after the loss of his mother. However, Berlin said people read too much personal stuff whenever he writes a ballad. I like the fact that the author includes the lyrics of a number of Berlin's songs. Despite being a prolific song writer, Berlin often felt insecure about his ability to continue to write songs. Following his first big hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" he always felt he had to continue to follow up with another big hit. He was able to continue to adjust to the music tastes of the country until rock and roll came in the mid-fifties. He became a very private man in his later years and felt people no longer cared about his music. Despite these thoughts, his contributions to American music remain timeless and will remain with us long after the latest fad of music passes by. To think that so many great songs came from this one man simply boggles the mind.

Did you see that the comics 11/27-12/31 are comics from the years 1987-1992? That's because Charles Schulz took a five week break for the first time. But it's still a good book and it will be like that in the Complete Peanuts 1997-1998 in 2015 I guess.

One the best books with Charlie Brown's failures, Rerun's attempts at getting away from school, Snoopy's encounters with General Washington at Valley Forge. Its a good collectible. One of the best peanuts books. Although its like Peanuts 2000, only 2 or 3 strips are the same.

All of Sparky's strip from 1997 in full color! Plus 2 from 1996 as an added bonus.

Included are strips where: Rerun gets suspended from kindergarden *twice!, the Literary Ace geting help from Lucy, a look at Valley Forge and WWI, Olaf and Andy's quest for Spike, Charlie Brown getting a love leter...

Let's face it: Charles 'Sparky' Schulz was great. This book belongs in any fan's collection.

As a pre-k teacher "It's Pumpkin Time" is a must have for my fall unit. The colorful, painted paper collages that illustrate this book are fantastic and the text is simple yet not too simple. I also use this book to teach the sequence of growing a seed. I have several copies of "It's Pumpkin Time" in my classroom, one for me and 3 for my students and they still fight over who gets to look at this book!

I bought this book for my two year son to introduce him to Halloween and the autumn season. From the moment we received this book, it was one of his favorites. The book goes step by step in planting, taking care of, and harvesting a pumpkin patch. The pictures are so colorful and bright. It is really an enjoyable book to read.

We just bought this for our 2 year-old, and she absolutely loves it. The pictures are bold and colorful, reminiscent of Eric Carle-type pictures. This book tells the story of how pumpkins are grown, and how they eventually become Jack-o-lanterns. It is a wonderful book, especially for the price.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks! Every recipe I have made from this book has resulted in a "Wow" response from my family. If you like food with bold flavor, this is truly a "must have"!

What a great cookbook! As the title suggests, this book is packed with "Big Flavor" recipes. Mr. Fobel has mastered walking that fine line between not enough and too much spice. The resulting recipes are awesome. My current favorites include "Harlem Meatloaf" and his fresh roasted "green chili" -- both of which are absolutely incredible.

In addition to the recipes, his cookbook contains lots of little factoids about cooking, techniques, and ingredients.

What a great book.

Steve

Out of the hundreds of cookbooks I have this is my most consitently used. Everything is absolutely incredible. Many of the recipes are a bit time consuming but very much worth it! It's full of neat info and tidbits of trivia. Try the bolognese sauce and the barbeque sauce. Both are out of this world.

Ken

This is a wonderful book, where the imagination of a child runs wild over a visit to Sea World. It involves sharks, penguins, goldfish, whales, an octopus and a heroic boa constrictor. The group goes to Sea World and the supervising mother is accidentally bumped into the whale tank. She yells, "I can't swim", but the children hear, "Jump in!" They do, unleashing a chain of events where the animals and children play together. After being kicked out of Sea World, all of the children buy Jimmy a goldfish and they have a party at Jimmy's house. At the end, Jimmy's mom is totally stressed, but Jimmy is thanking her for a wonderful birthday. I loved it and I passed through my real childhood decades ago.

I knew from the first sentence in this book that we (my 3 boys and I) were going to love it. It is a riot to read this a loud. A wonderful combination a reptile and truely creative writing. We are going to buy every Jimmy's Boa book we can find!

This is a wonderful book for children and adults as well. The humor in the book was easily understood by the children. The book was easy enough to read but yet challenging. It was such a great hit in my class that we had to get another copy!

The different rythyms and tempos of the songs in the books really make the playing exciting. I enjoy playing Star Wars songs becuase they are thrilling.

This is the ONLY Star Wars Piano Arrangement that does justice to the original score. It's the only STAR WARS piano score I've found that is challenging. And that is where the books strength lies. This arrangement is not merely a collection of themes from the movie. It is an exact reproduction of cues from the original soundtrack, though not necessarily in order. Note that this book ony contains cues from STAR WARS EPISODE IV. But considering that there is no other arrangements coming close to its caliber, I recommend it wholeheartedly to the enthusiastic intermediate or advanced pianist.

This is the ONLY Star Wars Piano Arrangement that does justice to the original score. It's the only STAR WARS piano score I've found that is challenging. And that is where the books strength lies. This arrangement is not merely a collection of themes from the movie. It is an exact reproduction of cues from the original soundtrack, though not necessarily in order. Note that this book contains only has cues from STAR WARS EPISODE IV. But considering that there is no other arrangements coming close to its caliber, I recommend it wholeheartedly to the enthusiastic intermediate or advanced pianist.

my mom always does the jumble in the paper so I got this for her. She was very pleased. In great condition.

I purchased this item as a Christmas gift for my sister who is a big Jumble fan. She loved it and claims that some of the jumbles are a bit of a challenge. The print is oversized for easy reading. A great gift for those hard to buy for also!!

...to play the JUMBLE, get this book! Bet you can't play just one. Good brain exercise. SKANTH (or THANKS, unjumbled)

This book from April, 1999, is the 3rd issue in a series either Ralph or Signet publishing calls the 'Big Iron series'. This book continues the ongoing saga of Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack and his trail partner, Maria.

Anyone having read books by Ralph in the long line of books he has issued since 1999 will be right at home with this one. The easy to read style of writing, usual cast of characters, bad and good, we have all come to expect, and the trials and trails that Sam endures to get his man.

Getting his men in this book as the title JUSTICE indicates means just that: justice as opposed to revenge. Ralph states that while justice satisfies, revenge leaves one with little satisfaction. And while the Half Moon Gang may be composed of little more than half wits, they are as fully mean and dangerous a group of craven killers one could ever run into on the trail.

The point is hammered home by a small child named Justice whose sad experience at the hands of the half wit, Half Moon Gang, represents a dramatic turning point in the story, as she is the daughter of a murdered mother by the Half Moon Gang. The murdered mother's father is a judge, with the judge playing a very vital role in the development of the story line. He has made a grevious error that his daughter's murder must cause him to correct.

So if you enjoy novels set in the 'west' you will certainly enjoy this one from Ralph Cotton. And yes he continues to write them with a new one due out around December, 2006, and another due out spring, 2007. We who enjoy his writings look forward to more entertaining novels from this prolific author.

Semper Fi.

I didn't think the Ranger series could get any better than "Badlands" or "Montana Red," but Ralph delivered one up that's the best to date. When Ralph writes of the hard times and harder men, you feel the thirst; taste the dust; smell the horse's sweat and know the pain of catching a bullet. I hope Ralph's around for a long time writing stories like this. He has outdone even the great Louis L'Amour.

If there is formula for writing a great novel, Ralph Cotton has knows the recipe. Justice is a fine piece of writing that gazes into human nature. Once again, Ralph Cotton is able to peer into the very souls of humankind. Both good and evil, while touching on good people who make mistakes. Page by page, he weaves continual twists and turns, holding the reader spell bound. The Ranger must try to understand why an old friend has been swayed to making a bad "judgment call". A judgment call that effects many lives. Highly recommended reading.

Poor Katie, whenever something goes wrong at home her older brother and sister say, "Katie Did it!" and Katie gets the blame. But at the end of the book Mom gets flowers and when she asks who they are from, Katie pipes up, "Katie did it!" So in the end, she triumphs over her older sibs. Good story, made better by the excellent illustrations for your young pre-schooler.

I like all the Rookie Reader books. They are just a great way to get a little pre-schooler started on his or her reading career. And an early start is so important in today's world. Children need every advantage they can get, so if you're a parent or guardian of a precious little one, I highly recommend Rookie Reader books. The dividends they will pay in the long run will be priceless.

I was the youngest of 4 children in my family and this was one of my favorite books as a child. I got this book for my daughter whom incidentally I named Katie!!

this book is the best. i love it. katie certainly did it all. she helped the firemen. she helped the pilot people. katie is definately my hero. buy this book.