IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, Third Edition
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Ben Forta
Rating: 5/5
Title: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, Third Edition
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Ben Forta
Rating: 5/5
If you're a student taking any type SQL course then get this book. Super handy and a quick reference. Gives some of the differences in MS Access and Oracle when using the same type of command because they can and do differ sometimes. Get it if you're not an SQL guru. I'm not either. You won't regret it.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Leon Atkinson
Rating: 4/5
Title: Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Leon Atkinson
Rating: 4/5
Great book for PHP newbies, but the title suggests that the contents will address advanced users. It doesn't.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache: the Definitive Guide (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Ben Laurie, Peter Laurie
Rating: 3/5
Title: Apache: the Definitive Guide (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Ben Laurie, Peter Laurie
Rating: 3/5
Really, this book can be described as the Apache httpd manual in much greater detail.The book covers pretty much everything you might want to know about running Apache on a *nix or Windows Operating System, but the basic attitude toward Windows users is "If it doesn't work for you - tough luck", which is fine, since Apache really isn't meant to run on Windows as anything more than a test server anyway. Still, I fear that a lot of the Windows folks who are jumping into the Open Source craze may pick this book up and be greatly disappointed.Another problem I had with the book was the fact that it plays out as more of a step by step manual for setting up specific features of Apache. This makes it fairly difficult to use it for reference later on, but perhaps the idea was that once you got through this book, you could use the web and the manual as a reference instead.All in all, the book is fairly useful, it just takes some getting used to. If you plan to use it to set up a Windows server, you'd probably be better off braving the various forums and threads out there available to Apache users. However, if you have a good Operating System (BSD, Unix, or Linux), and you want some extra help setting up your Apache server, or setting up specific parts of your Apache server, by all means give this book a shot. It's an above average book, but it's below average by O'Reilly standards.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Michael J. Hernandez, John L. Viescas
Rating: 5/5
Title: SQL Queries for Mere Mortals: A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Michael J. Hernandez, John L. Viescas
Rating: 5/5
I'm a professional SW engineer of several years, and I program in several languages, Java, C, C++. I used to do embedded work until a couple years ago, but yecently I had to start working with databases and applications. This book was excellent at showing me the construction of SQL queries. It's not meant to be one of those all-inclusive 1,000 page monsters which document every configuration of a database, or how database internals work. This is strictly queries, and had plenty of detail for that. I would combine my purchase of this book with another book specific to the database you may need to work with if you have to worry about doing more than using the database (load balancing, query poooling, etc. are not subjects really covered here).
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Transact-SQL Desk Reference: For Microsoft SQL Server
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Deac Lancaster
Rating: 4/5
Title: Transact-SQL Desk Reference: For Microsoft SQL Server
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Deac Lancaster
Rating: 4/5
The back of this book claims that "This is the SQL reference you'll reach for first!" and I can personally support their claim. It is easily the best organized SQL reference that I have encountered. It contains alphabetical listings of all SQL data types and their related functions, in-depth instruction on data definition (create, alter, drop, etc.) and comprehensive descriptions and examples of all data manipulation methods (insert, update, delete, etc.).
The only possible drawback of this book is that it is not, nor is it intended to be, an instruction manual for SQL. The book cuts right to the point, and only tells you exactly what you need to know. For beginners, this book would not be a good starting point, but for people with at least some exposure to SQL, this book will probably never leave your desk.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Weekend Crash Course
Publisher: Wiley
Authors: Alex Kriegel
Rating: 5/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Weekend Crash Course
Publisher: Wiley
Authors: Alex Kriegel
Rating: 5/5
Lives up to its promise: introduction ito MSSQL Server, no less, no more.
I moved from Oracle and was somehow confused by the "database", "filegroups" etc.
I've got my answers here (and from couple more titles, to be sure)
I neither had problems with instalation, nor with running the examples (save for one: the
chapter on cursor sports keyword DEALLOCATED, has to be - DEALLOCATE; had to check BOL on that)
The Transact-SQL examples could be better (I know PL/SQL, so I had some base here), but again
the book does not claim to teach T-SQL..
The code snippets sometime seem to be taken out of the contexts of bigger procedures, and
I had to figure out how to fit them in; the usp_FindFactorial example seems too complex for
the task it solves (it uses intermediate table to accumulate results
instead of calling itself recursively; should it then be a function?),
but my understanding is that the elegancy was sacrificed to cram in more techniques than requred.
My examples did run correctly, though
After I was through with the book, I had to buy an additional one on Transact-SQL
(IMHO: O'Reily's book Transact-SQL Programming did NOT live up to my expectattions
and the publisher's reputation; I used Sam's T-SQl in 21 days, and then Ken Henderson's book)
To sum up: if you are new to SQL server, and find yourself
somewhat overwhelmed by the Books-On-line style
(comes free with every MSSQL Server installation), get this book
NB: better download new installation from microsoft site; the one included with the book does not have latest security patches)
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Jakarta-Tomcat
Publisher: Apress
Authors: James Goodwill
Rating: 4/5
Title: Apache Jakarta-Tomcat
Publisher: Apress
Authors: James Goodwill
Rating: 4/5
Imagine action films were 30 minutes long. There would be no time for sub-plots or romantic involvements or "No! You go on without me ...". All there would be is car chases and explosions. Godwill's book is rather like that. I liked it. Forget the measured blend of theory, fact and example which is the style of O'Reilly's authors. This book cuts to the chase, and it works.You see, Tomcat is a servlet runner. It isn't that interesting or even the best of breed (Jetty is way better). Tomcat is as interesting as what you do with it, and Goodwill drags you along through a flash tour of all the goodies. Its a bit like a night tour of Naples on the back of an Italian cigarette smuggler's Vespa. Somehow, at the end, despite not having understood much, you find you know your way around and feel comfortable exloring further on your own.Take it or leave it. That's just the kind of book it is.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Beginning Visual Basic SQL Server 7.0
Publisher: Wrox Press
Authors: Thearon Willis
Rating: 5/5
Title: Beginning Visual Basic SQL Server 7.0
Publisher: Wrox Press
Authors: Thearon Willis
Rating: 5/5
The author does an excellent job of using examples to help you learn difficult material. I mainly use this book as a reference guide and it has not left my desk since I bought it. This book is not for those just starting to learn the VB language. This book is for someone who knows the language and wants to learn how to incorporate SQL Server Functionality into their application. Overall this book is worth every penny.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, Third Edition
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Ben Forta
Rating: 5/5
Title: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes, Third Edition
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Ben Forta
Rating: 5/5
SQL is not a topic you want to jump headlong into. An intro as concise and comprehensive as SQL in 10 minutes is worth it's weight in Gold. I know, because I read several "developers" SQL books first, and found myself overwhekmed and confused. This book cleared things up and opend my eyes. Thanks Ben Forta!
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional Linux Programming
Publisher: Peer Information Inc.
Authors: Neil Matthew and Richard Stones, Brad Clements, Andrew Froggatt, David J. Goodger, Ivan Griffin, Jeff Licquia, Ronald van Loon, Harish Rawat, Udaya Ranawake, Marius Sundbakken, Deepak Thomas, Stephen J. Turnbull, David Woodhouse, Richard Stones, Christopher Browne
Rating: 5/5
Title: Professional Linux Programming
Publisher: Peer Information Inc.
Authors: Neil Matthew and Richard Stones, Brad Clements, Andrew Froggatt, David J. Goodger, Ivan Griffin, Jeff Licquia, Ronald van Loon, Harish Rawat, Udaya Ranawake, Marius Sundbakken, Deepak Thomas, Stephen J. Turnbull, David Woodhouse, Richard Stones, Christopher Browne
Rating: 5/5
This book is a follow-up to Beginning Linux Programming, but with a wider range of authors. The book is a series of chapters on various tools and applications, all of them Open Source, based mainly round things that application developers might use, though there is a single chapter on device drivers.Most topics only get a single chapter, so there isn't as much depth as you would find in a dedicated book on each topic, but there is a very wide range of material all covered in enough depth to get the more experienced programmer started with a new topic. There are one or two weaker areas, but overall a good choice of material succinctly presented for the more experienced application developer. I've given it 5 stars as it was exactly what I was looking for - a single reference to help me create a Linux-based web database application, your mileage may vary. I recommend you at least consider it.
