IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Dba Survival Guide
Publisher: Sams Pub
Authors: Orryn Sledge, Mark Spenik
Rating: 5/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 Dba Survival Guide
Publisher: Sams Pub
Authors: Orryn Sledge, Mark Spenik
Rating: 5/5
Authers share their experiences in friendly fashion
without leaving any ambiguity.
With a great sense of humour, authors make sure that
the DBAs do not face any difficulty in common as
well as complex operations.
Points out microsofts' flaws in documentation. Some of these flaws
in microsoft's manuals are dangerous! I could have been spending hours on
getting 'Stored Procedures' working, if I had followed just microsoft manuals.
This book solved mysteries from exactly those areas I faced difficulties
The discussions about BCP (Bulk copy program) and Database sizing were very useful for me. Perhaps the only complete
source of 'real guidence'for DBAs.
If you want to undertake DBA function for the first time, this is the best source, which could make you servive.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Transact-SQL Programming
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Lee Gould, Andrew Zanevsky, Kevin Kline
Rating: 1/5
Title: Transact-SQL Programming
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Lee Gould, Andrew Zanevsky, Kevin Kline
Rating: 1/5
I picked up this one thinking I could learn about SQL Server 2000. This book doesn't even cover SQL Server 7.0, let alone 2000. The code examples are all geared toward 4.2 and 6.5. Also, they use techniques that were deprecated even in 6.5 days. For example, old-style outer joins are all over the place. Many of the examples no longer work because so many things have changed in SQL Server since 6.5. Some don't work because they never did -- even on 4.2/6.5.Last, the depth of coverage is really erratic. One minute they're giving you the command line options for the bcp utility (what does this have to do with Transact-SQL?), the next minute they're glossing over something really important.A real loser of a book in my opinion.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Leon Atkinson
Rating: 3/5
Title: Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Leon Atkinson
Rating: 3/5
I think this book has some great examples, and I think this book has a lot of breadth instead of depth. That's not a bad thing. I found it's higher level descriptions to be useful in learning php3.
I especially liked the last few chapters on good coding practices.
If I could have the author redo anything, it would be to expand on debugging, and to give a more detailed description of phpinfo(). Also, I really need an example of how to access HTTP_POST_VARIABLES when I'm using PHP3 for forms.
One major problem is the typo in all of the examples for mysql:
It says:
$mysql_link = mysql_connect(...);
$mysql_select_db(...);
and it should be:
$mysql_link = mysql_connect(...);
mysql_select_db(...);
mysql_select_db is a function, not a variable.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Dreamweaver MX: PHP Web Development
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Bruno Mairlot, Gareth Downes-Powell, Tim Green
Rating: 2/5
Title: Dreamweaver MX: PHP Web Development
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Bruno Mairlot, Gareth Downes-Powell, Tim Green
Rating: 2/5
This book is riddled with errors, from nonsense layouts to coding mistakes. The interface (a hotel booking system) is very rudimentary and does not work as advertised. The book does introduce readers to Dreamweaver's server behavior interface and does a good job walking readers through a local install of Apache, MySQL, PHP, and a few other tools.A good idea, poorly executed.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Server The Complete Reference
Publisher: Osborne Publishing
Authors: Gayle Coffman
Rating: 1/5
Title: SQL Server The Complete Reference
Publisher: Osborne Publishing
Authors: Gayle Coffman
Rating: 1/5
This text contains nothing beyond what you'd find in the microsoft online references. The book is useless, both as a learning tool and as a reference for experienced DBA's.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Rational Guide to: SQL Server Reporting Services (Rational Guides)
Publisher: Rational Press
Authors: Anthony T. Mann
Rating: 2/5
Title: The Rational Guide to: SQL Server Reporting Services (Rational Guides)
Publisher: Rational Press
Authors: Anthony T. Mann
Rating: 2/5
Its a very low cost, quick-to-market overview of the product, and so I applaud Mr. Mann and the folks at Rational Press for that. However, its nothing more than a rehash of the Microsoft marketing information and technical documentation freely available from www.microsoft.com/sql. If you don't have an internet connection, then by all means by the book. Otherwise, you won't be gaining much at all by picking up this guide.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Transact-SQL Programming
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Lee Gould, Andrew Zanevsky, Kevin Kline
Rating: 1/5
Title: Transact-SQL Programming
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Lee Gould, Andrew Zanevsky, Kevin Kline
Rating: 1/5
I bought this book because I needed to quickly pick up Transact-SQL for a new job I recently started. I was really disappointed. The purported 7.0 coverage is nothing more than an appendix. Why do the appendix at all? Do you really think you can cover a product that is as different from 6.5 as 7.0 is in an appendix?The other stuff is annoying too. E.g., there's this focus on bcp.exe that I don't understand. Who in their right mind would call it from Transact-SQL? And why are they using old-style joins all over the place? 6.5 had ANSI joins -- why use the old syntax that MicroSoft has recommended against?And the worst part is the writing. You can definitely tell a group of guys who don't know each other well put this one together.Usually, I'm really satisfied with the Nutshell books, but not this one. I'm sending it back for a refund.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Jonathan Gennick
Rating: 4/5
Title: Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Jonathan Gennick
Rating: 4/5
Well written, plenty of examples, very easy to read and follow. As someone who is new to SQL*Plus, I appreciated that. Once I got things installed and running, it was easy to get right into iSQL*Plus (running SQL commands through a browser interface) - really cool. The chapter on Create HTML Reports was very nice as well.
I found this book very helpful.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Server for Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Authors: Ken A. L. Coar
Rating: 5/5
Title: Apache Server for Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Authors: Ken A. L. Coar
Rating: 5/5
Congratulations, Ken Coar! We're ready for the next edition. If every Dummies-series book were written like this, we wouldn't need O'Reilly titles...Seriously, this book is a really first-rate introduction that will get most of us who operate in the Unix/Linux space where we need to be. It's not Windows oriented at all which is just fine since Apache belongs to Unix, right? Friendly advice: Use the Apache Server Bible by Kabir if you must deploy on Windows. But better yet, dump NT and go with a stable OS for a stable, scalable web server.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 (Microsoft Programming Series)
Publisher: Microsoft Pr
Authors: Ron Soukup
Rating: 5/5
Title: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 (Microsoft Programming Series)
Publisher: Microsoft Pr
Authors: Ron Soukup
Rating: 5/5
I used this book to study for the MCSD exam 70-127: Implementing a Database Design with SQL Server 6.5.This book is excellent! It touches on EVERY aspect of SQL Server 6.5 that you want to know about, and is written in a very readable format. This is very important when the subject matter is technical. Let's face it - no-one relishes this stuff, so when a book such as this is written in a manner which MAKES you want to read on, that's a great thing!Well done Mr Soukup.
