IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Essentials: Install, Configure, Maintain (Pioneering Series)
Publisher: Friends of ED
Authors: Darren James Harkness
Rating: 5/5
Title: Apache Essentials: Install, Configure, Maintain (Pioneering Series)
Publisher: Friends of ED
Authors: Darren James Harkness
Rating: 5/5
While this book will not make you an Apache guru it does give you all the basics you need to get an Apache server up and running on Linux, Windows, or Mac OS X. The author literally starts at the very beginning by discussing what a web server is and the basics of how one works. From there he examines the history of the Apache web server and how it compares to Microsoft IIS as well as which operating system might be the best one for you. Each server operating system has its pros and cons when used as an Apache server and each benefit and shortcoming is listed.Installation of the Apache server is also covered from the very beginning with how to get the source code. After installing the program the author turns to configuring the server, setting up your domain, and setting up users. He even covers setting up virtual hosting so you can host multiple web sites on one IP address.On the positive side the book covers all the essentials for basic setup and configuration of an Apache server including information on setting up Perl, PHP, and Server Side Includes. On the negative side it leaves out a lot of detail on the configuration files and other items. If you need to do anything different or unusual you will need another book. "Apache Essentials" is a recommended book if you need a good overview that has all the basic information to get Apache up and running quickly with a standard configuration.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: MCAD/MCSE/MCDBA Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation, Exam 70-229, Second Edition
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 1/5
Title: MCAD/MCSE/MCDBA Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation, Exam 70-229, Second Edition
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 1/5
I was not pleased with the contents of this book in terms of sloppy editing and in the paltry treatment of important topics. Those of us in pursuit of the MCP or MCDBA will have to augment this book and what we take from this book with other more complex books dealing with design and implementation. Do be prepared to purchase additional books on T-SQL programming and do be prepared to purchase real exam prep software.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Fundamentals
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Authors: John J. Patrick
Rating: 5/5
Title: SQL Fundamentals
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Authors: John J. Patrick
Rating: 5/5
I found this to be a very good read on SQL. I learned SQL in a whirlwind fashion in college. I then began programming in Oracle and found that I could use some review of SQL. This book is the only one that I found that would fit the bill. It was just the re-calibration I was looking for. It does have a couple of typo issues (few) but, it wasn't in the code examples. Considering the speed that these books are produced to keep up with the technology, I think John Patrick did a good job with this book. I would give it high marks as an SQL reference. I haven't found one yet that compares.
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: 4/5
Title: The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson, Marcy Darnovsky
Rating: 4/5
I used this book in a "Introduction to SQL cource", it was well written and simple for this purpose, I would give it a 5 star, however. The front page says "CD-ROM includes the Sybase SQL anywhere Runtime, a Full Featured SQL Database", and it was very annoying to find a read-only database restricted to the example used in the book, I found that very non-honest from the publishers. this book is not for the experienced database programmers, but is a very nice introduction with good examples that illustrated the use of SQL quite well.
Product: Book Textbook Binding
Title: McSe Testprep: SQL Server 6.5 Design & Implementation (Testperp Series)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing
Authors: Rob Scrimger
Rating: 3/5
Title: McSe Testprep: SQL Server 6.5 Design & Implementation (Testperp Series)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing
Authors: Rob Scrimger
Rating: 3/5
The book is well-structured and full of information. The only thing that's annoying is that the example answers to the questions are sometimes completely wrong. It gives an uncertainty about the quality of the other material in the book.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Cristian Darie, Mihai Bucica
Rating: 5/5
Title: Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Cristian Darie, Mihai Bucica
Rating: 5/5
Before I buy a program book, I always to read the book to see if it meets my two basic requirements: one is writing style. It should be written in clear and plain English and well organized. The another is more, clear explanation of "How it works", not only just put all the codes and without or with only little bit explanation. Cristian Darie's books always are one of my top choices. I recommend that you read CHAPTER 8, The Shopping Basket and CHAPTER 11, Customer Details. It lists all methods, dig more detail and offer "Do it yourself". Finally, you Got a Fish and Learned How to Fish!!!
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Lan Times Guide to SQL
Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: James R. Groff, Paul N. Weinberg
Rating: 5/5
Title: Lan Times Guide to SQL
Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: James R. Groff, Paul N. Weinberg
Rating: 5/5
As an in-depth SQL reference is excellent. I have been studying SQL using this book as the only reference and it's perfect. It's well written, and easy to understand and digest. It even talks about the diferences among Vendors and standards. The only problem is its age: it's a 5-year-old book, and in the evolving computer market, it's a lot. But as an SQL reference: I really recommend it!
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Hardening Apache
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Tony Mobily
Rating: 5/5
Title: Hardening Apache
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Tony Mobily
Rating: 5/5
Apache is still by far the most common web server on the Internet. However, when the purpose of your computer is to allow access to your webpages by anyone on the Internet security needs to be a primary concern. If you are serious about hardening your Apache server you will want to have this book. Author Tony Mobily examines Apache security in detail all the way from making sure the initial installation package has not been hacked at the primary web server site through configuration and installation of security modules. The book has seven chapters that cover configuration, common attacks, logging, scripting attacks, security modules, using a jail, and automating security with scripts. While the book does cover Apache on the various operating systems the focus is on a Linux install, which is appropriate since that is the most common place to install Apache. This is not a book that I would suggest for someone who is totally new to Apache or Linux, but if you have a passing familiarity with them then you will find this to be the missing information from other Apache books. No matter which Apache book you get to learn Apache, your library will be incomplete if it doesn't include "Hardening Apache".
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP for the World Wide Web : Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition) (Visual Quickstart Guides)
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Authors: Larry Ullman
Rating: 4/5
Title: PHP for the World Wide Web : Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition) (Visual Quickstart Guides)
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Authors: Larry Ullman
Rating: 4/5
Recently I decided to try PHP for a little task, involving forms, file scanning with regexp, and other basic things. Although I've scanned numerous online PHP guides before, I wasn't sure how to do this, so I went to the local computer store and scanned the PHP titles. Many books filled those shelves, and I had little time to scan them. But then I spied a peachpit book on the topic, and since I've found them helpful (and inexpensive) before, I picked it up without even scanning it.This was Larry Ullman's book. Within minutes I had a basic idea how to do what I wanted, and within an hour I had code working. Now, some of this is just that php is a good language -- and a familiar one, to Perl users like myself -- but part of it is that Ullman has crafted a fine little book, easy to navigate and easy to digest. Like all Peachpit books, this is aimed at beginners. And, like most computer books, the details matter less than the framework. I gather, from other reviews I've seen on Amazon, that this book suffers some errors, e.g. in a discussion of prime numbers. I'm not sure I care, or that others should care. This is because I can't imagine reading this book (or any computer guide) from cover to cover, studying the details. Rather, readers do what I did. I needed to know how to open and read a file, so I looked in the table of contents and flipped to a page stating clearly how to do that. Ten seconds of scanning, plus a minute of study, and I was back to my text editor, typing in code. Ditto on the use of regular expressions (which is done in an odd non-perlish way in PHP). Did I read all the details of regular expressions? Lord, no. I just found the name of the subroutine, checked whether the search string or the pattern goes first, and I was back to my coding.This is the essence of computer books of this ilk. The _defining_ textbook should be very clear, very detailed, and very accurate. (Think of Kernighan and Ritchie for the C language.) But a quick-start guide is not meant to be studied labouriously. It is meant to be flipped through one evening, and then put beside the terminal the next day. Finding information should be quick, and digesting it should require scanning only a page or so. In these regards, Ullman's book shines. Another factor is cost. This book was about 1/3 of the competitors in my local store. One should admit that these books are really throwaway items anyway, since once you get familiar you'll go to online resources of the latest developments. This might argue that cost is significant, and that the best scheme is to buy a cheap and digestable guide to get started, switching to online resources once you've reached your stride. In a nutshell, this is what I like about Peachpit books, Ullman's being no exception.The bottom line is that it got me coding in a few minutes, really, within the time it took me to write these words!
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: MCDBA SQL Server 2000 Database Design Study Guide (Exam 70-229)
Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
Authors: Syngress Media Inc, Anil Desai, Jeffery Bane, Craig Robinson
Rating: 5/5
Title: MCDBA SQL Server 2000 Database Design Study Guide (Exam 70-229)
Publisher: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
Authors: Syngress Media Inc, Anil Desai, Jeffery Bane, Craig Robinson
Rating: 5/5
Needing to pass another test to keep my MCSD cert, I tried this book as prep for 70-229. Did the whole thing and examples. From passing other cert tests I knew it was LIGHT on specifics!. Talkes a lot about SQL server and new features in a general way but skirts around necessary details, specifics and examples needed to pass... Had to buy another book(Que Exam Geer: 70-229 SQL Design/Implement) and then went and past the test...
