IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Server CE Database Development with the .NET Compact Framework
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Rob Tiffany
Rating: 5/5
Title: SQL Server CE Database Development with the .NET Compact Framework
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Rob Tiffany
Rating: 5/5
I am pretty new to the all of .NET, and this book was an amzing learning experience for the budding programmer in me.This book covered the subject very well and provided examples constantly, a very big plus is that all the examples are done in both C# and VB.NET (though the 2 languages arent that hard to convert to the other).Overall a really good book and one that belongs in your collection of Mobile Development books if you are serious about the NETCF and SQL CE.
Product: Book Textbook Binding
Title: McSe: SQL Server 7 Database Design (The Training Guide Series)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing
Authors: David Besch, Sean Baird, Chris Miller, Denis Darveau, Wayne Smith, Deanna Townsend
Rating: 2/5
Title: McSe: SQL Server 7 Database Design (The Training Guide Series)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing
Authors: David Besch, Sean Baird, Chris Miller, Denis Darveau, Wayne Smith, Deanna Townsend
Rating: 2/5
Like a visit to the Wizard of Oz, every exam candidate sees a different 70-029 exam. The main thrust of my 3 hour exam was (pretend there is no SQL 7 Server GUI) recognizing how various tasks and procedures are accomplished in T-SQL, and their uses and consequences. This is in sharp contrast to 70-028, which tests your facility with the GUI. And there are data structures to interpret, and maybe some ugly BCP and more practical DTS questions.Besch, et al. do a good job of focusing on T-SQL approaches, while mentioning the alternative GUI tools. I found the text comfortable and readable. Their treatments of data modeling and creating physical storage are excellent. Physical design is a little tougher reading, but the material is covered fairly well. The chapter on indexing is comprehensive, except for the discussion of Full-Text searches.While the BCP (Bulk Copy Program) is a powerful, but horrid thing to learn and use, with its dozens of optional parameters and flags, the book's explanation of it is about as lucid as you are likely to find. It will make you grateful for the new DTS (the GUI Data Transformation Services), which is not covered in sufficient detail, though just as likely to show up on the exam.The several chapters on structures of the SQL language cover a vast amount of territory, and cover it fairly well. Database maintenance is addressed in a cursory way.WEAKNESSES: The SQL language chapters (and some other areas) rely too heavily on formal syntax diagrams -- the kind that show all the possible choices of required and optional parameters of a given statement. While these are great for future reference, they make some pretty difficult reading when you are first learning SLQ. You'll have to expend some calories to translate the diagrams into reality. In some areas the subsequent examples provide adequate clarification. In others, the reader is left with the vague malaise of fuzzy theory. Replication and security are significantly slighted. The details of the workings of DTS are inadequate. The "Review Questions" (different from the "Exam Questions") often expect knowledge that has not yet been (and sometimes never will be) covered. But the info is usually useful in the answers provided.The examples contrasting Full-Text predicates vs Full-Text functions are not sufficient. The important series of steps required to set up and use Full-Text search are left unclear. A numbered list of essential steps would have been useful.Coverage of optimization of execution plans and Server Profiler is only marginally adequate.IF YOU ARE NEW to SQL Server, the condensed nature of any exam book will leave gaps in your understanding. I would strongly encourage you to read a second, smaller book, like Exam Cram, after completing this one. It will clarify the fuzzy spots and provide a different perspective on the material. Regardless, you will need to take notes and maybe do some flash cards (home made) to congeal all the knowledge. But take heart in the certainty that you'll be able to apply much of the data structure knowledge to exam 70-100 (Solutions Architectures).STRENGTHS: In addition to the good things mentioned above, the Fast Facts final review chapter is wonderful. The end of chapter exam questions do a good (though slightly buggy) job of reviewing the types of information that will be tested, though the format is not quite right.CONCLUSION: Despite its shortcomings, I really liked this book. Consider a "small" book as an adjunct. Take notes. Look up fuzzy syntax in the Books On Line. And, by all means, run the SQL exercises in Query Analyzer.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Web Application Development with PHP 4.0 (with CD-ROM)
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Tobias Ratschiller, Till Gerken
Rating: 2/5
Title: Web Application Development with PHP 4.0 (with CD-ROM)
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Tobias Ratschiller, Till Gerken
Rating: 2/5
As another reviewer pointed out, this book was written when php4 was in beta. Despite it's title, this book is NOT a PHP 4.0 book. The extension of every example file throughout the book is .php3. The authors even present a round-about way of maintaining state using the uniqid function and rewriting the url. ??? If you're using PHP3 or if you don't mind filtering out the PHP4 relevant information, you might find this book useful, otherwise look at PHP4 Programming and/or the O'Reilly books.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional Apache Tomcat 5
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Vivek Chopra, Amit Bakore, Jon Eaves, Ben Galbraith, Sing Li, Chanoch Wiggers
Rating: 3/5
Title: Professional Apache Tomcat 5
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Vivek Chopra, Amit Bakore, Jon Eaves, Ben Galbraith, Sing Li, Chanoch Wiggers
Rating: 3/5
I looked through it in 1 day, from the programmer point of view, what I learned is totally worth I paid for the book, I have a clear overall picture of Tomcat, the components ( server, service, host,contexs),directories,especially the class loaders that helps me develop my web applications.
if you are just a programmer and a looking for some systematic inforation of Tomcat, you just need read 3 or chapters,probably this information is publiclly available in tomcat's offical website. this is why I finished in just 1 day.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Google Hacks
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest
Rating: 5/5
Title: Google Hacks
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest
Rating: 5/5
Google is one of the (if not the foremost) most well-known search engines on the 'Net and this book of 100 "Google Hacks" makes anyone's forays into searching on Google much easier and fun. Among the hacks listed in Chapter 1 include "getting around Google's 10 Word Search Limit," Mixing Syntaxes, Date-Range Searching, Using Full-Word Wildcards, Tracking Stocks, and searching article archives. Perfect for "non-geeky types like me. But wait, there's much more! Chapter 2 discusses Google's Special Services and Collections, like the Google Directory, newsgroups and images. There's a chapter explaining the Google Web API and another chapter listing hacks for Google Web API programs. Chapter 7 lists a few hacks (ie. "pranks") you can pull on your friends if you're in a playful mood.The authors have put the usual excellent and thorough job into this book that I've known to love and appreciate about all O'Reilly books. Not only do they take the time to thoroughly explain Google and topics related to Google, they also with a number of hacks show code examples, making it easy to implement them.Hacks (and hackers, not crackers) in recent times have gotten a bad name as another reviewer pointed out. The 100 hacks this book lists are ones that are of benefit to all who use Google as their primary search engine.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional SQL Server 2000 DTS (Data Transformation Services)
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Mark Chaffin, Brian Knight, Todd Robinson
Rating: 5/5
Title: Professional SQL Server 2000 DTS (Data Transformation Services)
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Mark Chaffin, Brian Knight, Todd Robinson
Rating: 5/5
This is a very detailed book and answered some specific questions that I had on DTS. Especially in the OLAP portion. Very good level to get you started then moves into the lower level.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson, Marcy Darnovsky
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson, Marcy Darnovsky
Rating: 5/5
I had been using SQL for years, and found this book taught me more than a few things. It explained a number of mysteries, and proved to be enjoyable reading as well. Its a must read for anyone that needs to work with databases.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 5/5
Title: Joe Celko's SQL Puzzles and Answers (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 5/5
The hidden jewel of the Celko trilogy, this is one of my favorite SQL books. It takes the concepts in Celko's seminal work, SQL for Smarties, and illustrates how to apply them to solve real-world problems. As always, the book is rife with tales from Celko's long and varied career in the SQL trenches, as well as the subtle witticism for which he is famous. Like all great technical books - it's timeless - the techniques you learn today will work tomorrow because Celko follows the ANSI/ISO standard to the letter. As a fellow author, I can appreciate the work that went into writing this book - real examples require real work, especially by the author. This book belongs in the library of every would-be SQL practitioner.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle PL/SQL Interactive Workbook (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Benjamin Rosenzweig, Elena Silvestrova
Rating: 5/5
Title: Oracle PL/SQL Interactive Workbook (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Benjamin Rosenzweig, Elena Silvestrova
Rating: 5/5
This is another awesome book by the PTR Oracle Series. First you need to read the first one, Oracle SQL by Alice Morrison, then you can read this one. This is a great book and you will learn PL/SQL efficiently, but there are a ton of grammatical errors and incorrect syntax being used in sentences which almost seems like as if nobody proof read this book haha. On page 85 Self-review question 2, it asks:
"When a COMMIT has been issued, which of the following are true? Choose all that apply.
A) All memory holds on the data have been released.
B) All data inserts are available to other users.
C) You have to get married.
D) The transaction is not finished because SQL statements are still pending.Well in the book they have the answers as: A, B, and Yes, EVEN C. You have to get married lol I mean, if you're talking about a relationship then C is correct haha. But we're talking about comitting SQL statements. Go figure
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Upgrading to PHP 5
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Adam Trachtenberg
Rating: 4/5
Title: Upgrading to PHP 5
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Adam Trachtenberg
Rating: 4/5
Being fairly proficient on PHP 4 but looking for more info on version 5, the idea of getting books on PHP 5 that, once again, starts from scratch wasn't exciting at all. This book instead was exactly what I needed, it assume you know PHP 4 and covers only the new features with a good amount of details and a bunch of useful suggestions for code migration. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that in the chapters covering OOP and DOM the author try to explain the new functionalities but also attempt to throw in the mix more generic info on this two topics. The end results are somewhat mixed, the coverage of PHP 5 is, in my opinion, very good, but the material about OOP and DOM instead aren't up to the rest and does more harm than good.
