Bradley Books

This book is big and it talks about a lot of issues but doesn't get into much detail. Perhaps it was not intended to. It sure gives a good general picture for the beginner, but I would have liked to see more on the Internet features like POP3. In coclusion, it's a good "overall" book on Exchange, but my advice is to supplement it with some smaller specialized books like MS Exchange Server Internet Mail Connector by Spyros Sakellariadis

Using Microsoft Exchange Server

This book has been very helpful in explaining the basics of Exchange server. However, there have been multiple questions that have gone unanswered by this book. If it's intention is to be a complete reference for Exchange, it needs much more detail regarding newsgroups, forms, and client software. I would also like to have seen more detailed instructions on HOW to accomplish something with Exchange. There is a lot of text stating "with Exchange server 5.5, you can do this . . . " fill in the blank, but then there are no follow-up instructions on HOW to accomplish that task. Overall, it is a good beginner's guide, but not very helpful for real-world Exchange administrators who need to use Exchange server to its fullest capacity.

Limited detail, not much more than Win98 Help files provide. for example: No info on setting up fax server under Win98 Peer to Peer. Very limited trouble shooting guide. Mostly for Windows NT.

This book offers pretty comprehensive coverage of networking with the 98 OS. Especially useful information on integrating with NT and NetWare networks, but good fundamental coverage of protocols and remote access.

Worth the $$.

Useful both to the novice and the network administrator, this book is a no-nonsense guide that eliminates the technical jargon that only an electrical engineer would find useful in the real world. For example, rather than bogging the reader down with lengthy explanations of the OSI Reference Model and how network protocols map to is various layers, this book focuses on how to set up such protocols on a Win98 client using step-by-step instructions. An experienced network technician who already understands the underlying technical details of such issues will find this a useful reference guide, while a novice will find that it brings him up to speed on the basics of networking and teaches him how to configure a networked Win98 computer in the real world.

I'm always impressed with writings by Richard Wright. This book took me on a written and pictorial journey in history of the plight of African Americans in this country. Wright did an excellent job of connecting the past with the present. What a wonderful history lesson!

A Good Book to explore the culture and history of the pain that they went through. The struggle which we don't see or realize.

First of all, I should say that I really enjoyed reading this book. It is written in an informal way, which is really nice for people whose mother language is not English (like me). When you read this book, you feel like Phil Bradley is speaking to you personally and it's a real pleasure.

Basically, The advanced internet searcher's handbook shows you how to get information from the web with simple and clear examples. The book covers nearly all kind of research on the internet. The main ideas that come out of this reading could be summarized in one sentence: Don't trust a unique web engine and keep checking information with other sources of information. The book clearly shows the drawbacks of search engines such as Google. For example, a whole chapter is dedicated to the hidden web (not accessible to Google).

I conclude by saying that this book widely covers basics of search engine (the advanced in the title is certainly too much) and has very interesting chapters about weblogs, mailing lists and newsgroup. To my mind, the chapters about finding people and search tips are useless (straightforward). Finally, the author is a librarian, not a computer scientist. Therefore, the "how to find information" aspect is very nice, but the "how to use the web" is often less interesting (e.g. the finding people chapter).

The book goes beyond the performing of a simple search query at Yahoo, Google or other search engines. For example, Bradley offers suggestions regarding finding information about people on the net. Helping you craft more directed queries to the search engines, for example.

Plus, he explains how there is still a lot of information not accessed by the search engines. Commonly called the hidden web. [Think Lexis/Nexis or the Science Citation Index.] Typically you can get paid access. His advice is useful in explaining the existence of several large commercial caches, and how you might get to them.

Then, he also talks about meta search engines. That take a query and spin it out to various actual search engines, and collate the results for you. Very useful.

Okay book on basic parakeet information. Good book for children to read on their pet.

This is a cute little book about budgies, with a lot of info and good photos. However, you can find the same info in many web sites.

Brief, but not dumbed down. It is a good, fast read. It is great if you have kids and cockatiels, cohabiting.

The vocabulary and concepts are more advanced than the large print. However, reading this book together would be a great sharing and growing experience, if you have kids.

They could read it outloud, and you can explain what the words mean, such as egg binding, nutrition, clutch, minerals ... They can expand their vocabulary, and develop their sensitivity toward the needs of other living things.

The large print and concision might also benefit those who love birds, but have a hard time seeing smaller print.

Even if you have no need for the larger print and concision, it is still a useful book.

For those who are new owners of cockatiels, this book is a must have. Don't be put off by its brevity. All the important questions such as, "Is my cockatiel a boy or a girl?" are answered within. Topics such as training and taming, diet, cage space, breeding, and health are dealt with succinctly yet clearly. So whether you've already purchased a feathered bundle of joy or are thinking of getting one, check this book out. The price won't ruffle your feathers.

the book was ok, the price is right, but the info is limited. a good book for a beginner

this is a good book but it doesn't say as much a beginner hamster owner might want to know.

I am quite fond of Msrion Zimmer Bradley's world of Darkover, and have read almost all of the books set in it, even including the "Friends of Darkover" fan fiction anthologies edited by Ms. Bradley. It is, however, noticeable that the quality of the writing improved markedly as the series progressed (in real time; the stories were not written chronologically, so many of the earlier-written stories were set later in the history of Darkover). Ms. Bradley learned a great deal about the craft of writing as she matured, and as she wrote. This book is not one of her earliest books, but it isn't one of her latest, either, and so, not surprisingly, the quality of the writing is middling by her standards, which is fairly good by general standards.

One thing that bothered me about the story (which was, in general, a fairly gripping mystery story) was that the love interest, which was central to the plot, was a typical Harlequin-style love interest -- two people, who have absolutely NO reason for falling in love: nothing in common, have barely spoken a civil word to one another, and have very strong taboos AGAINST falling in love, suddenly fall madly in love. Why? Just because. After all, love is irrational, and needs no justification.

Frankly, that is hooey, no matter how popular the notion is, and I find it jarring when as intelligent a woman as Ms. Bradley was falls back on it. I'll chalk it up to immaturity; she generally treats the subject somewhat better in later books, although I have the definite impression that by the time she wrote this book, she OUGHT to have been old enough to know better.

This is my second Darkover novel, and it's very different from the first one I read ('The Shattered Chain'), but much more gripping--I had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep at 2am (I recommend waiting to start this til the weekend!).

This is the mysterious story of an orphaned boy, raised in a Terran orphanage on Darkover, and shipped off to his Terran grandparents when he's 13. Yet, he can't forget Darkover, and makes his way back to what he feels is his home planet--though he doesn't really feel that he fits in anywhere.

He wears a mysterious jewel, that he secretly hope will unlock his hazy past, reveal his heritage--and maybe even establish him as the long lost heir to a kingdom. Turns out he isn't far from the truth, and as the adventure unfolds the mysteries become increasingly complex.

This novel focuses on the Comyn, the noble caste with psi powers, and their fascinating world. Darkover's rich heritage and hidden powers are revealed in a gripping tale of intrigue, politics, and betrayals.

I am now completely hooked on Darkover and its tales!

To be honest, I bought this for it's notselgia value. The whole presentation is clearly designed to wisk the owner back to the "glory days very early D&D.

What you get: A White box, the same size of the now legendary original D&D rules, with booklets, designed to bring those booklets in that fabled edition to mind, some dice, a crayon and a product list.

I think it would have worked better if the booklets were truer to the originals, this the crinkled, faux leather paper covers- Instead they are just plain white paper, and not of very sturdy construction.

Now, what you get is a set of variant D&D rules, designed to accomodate all editions, from 1st edition through 3.X, while retaining the flavor of "old school dungeon crawling".

The problem is the rules as they are, cling to all the "dumb" rule convention that made the game of D&D a relic to begin with, with out really considering any of the "advances" in RPG games for the last 30 years. To be fair it does tac on some fairly novel ideas to the relic that is the original D&D system, and brings combat up to speed with other D20 games, but over all the rules don't do
anything new or very original, and a lot of it is as silly and nonsensical as those classic rules from 1975.

I guest in that respect it succeeds at what it wants to be, and "old school" type game, that brings forth misty eyed memories of a bygone age.

The thing is, I can do the same thing by dragging out that old battered and yellowed box that this product wants to imitate , and achieve the exact same results.

As a pale imitation designed to make you yern for the "Good old days" it rates a 4

As a intresting, inovative set of rules I give it a 2.

The Dungeons and Dragons game got its start with a small boxed set much like this one... inside are three booklets that contain everything you need to run a Castles and Crusades game (including dice).

One booklet is a small version of the Players Handbook with condensed easy to read and understand rules. Another booklet acts as a mini monster manual with dozens of creatures that you can use against your players. Finally, the last volume is the very well written adventure, "The Rising Knight"... basically a standard dungeon crawl (although with some very interesting twists).

I love this boxed set because of what it is and what it stands for... a rules light, easy to learn game system that lets your imagination soar and because it gives a respectful nod to a previous and much loved incarnation of the Dungeons & Dragons game.

Only 1,000 of these boxed sets were made... get one while you still can.

As stated in the title of the book, The Concise SGML Companion is really consice. The book is very seriously presented and the there is absolutely no hand waving involved. Every page is filled with useful information.

The problem with this book is that is to concise! First of all SGML is not explained in full. There is several (not commenly used) parts of SGML that is simply not discussed. If the book is supposed to be used as a reference book (as seems to be the point) the it becomes useless. Not even the road map (a strangely formatted list of production rules) in the end of the book is complete. This book is not to be used alone. If only one book is to be bought then The SGML Handbook is a better alternative.

Second, all the examples is very short (mostly 3 lines or less) and can it hard to grasp the context in which each construction is used. The book should have had at least a few larger examples and at least one full SGML document showing most the features.

Third, there is chapters that introduce HTML and CALS tables, which in my opinion is not very relevant for the book. If any other languages are to be described it is XML. XML was not developed at the time of writing, but then a newer edition could have done that.

I had to learn SGML "the hard way" and this book became a bible to me - it is now my most treasured SGML book - all battered and highlighted to death.

It offers a concise guide to the syntax of SGML DTDs. It isn't meant for folks looking for an all over how-to book for SGML. Its a serious reference book that is concise and to the point.