IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Administrator's Companion (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Marcilina Garcia, Jamie Reding, Edward Whalen, Steve Adrien DeLuca
Rating: 5/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Administrator's Companion (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Marcilina Garcia, Jamie Reding, Edward Whalen, Steve Adrien DeLuca
Rating: 5/5
I found this book to be an excellent introduction to sql 2000. I am a Network/Systems Engineer/Consultant. Most the environments I have worked in have dedicated staff acting as DBA's. In these environments the cultish status of the DBA camp has always left me wondering what do and how they do it. Now I have a pretty good idea what dba's do and ideas about how to resolve problems with databases in a pinch. Basically, this book has given me enough that when confronted with SQL I will know where problems are rooted and be better equiped to solve them. The bulk of the reviews here say this is far from an Administrators companion and will leave you high and dry. Point is these reviewers have more experience than myself and need finer granularity of information. If you are experienced with SQL this book will probably fall flat other than to introduce you to the product and version specific enhancements. If you are looking for a way to begin unraveling the SQL knot, this is a good way to start. Look at it as a first step.
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
This book is great if you can't fall a sleep. One of the worst computer books I ever read. I suggest Sam's teach yourself SQL in 21 days.
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: 3/5
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: 3/5
This is my second SQL book, and I selected it because it provides a lot of examples to work through. Generally it is well written, and I have referred to it often. This could be an outstanding book for novices IF the authors would provide simple examples and problems when they introduce a new topic. Too often however, they rush to include previous concepts which can inhibit comprehension of the new topic and present unnecessarily complex examples. I have had to consult other SQL books and resources to gain a clearer understanding of some of these topics.Also, I have found several instances in the exercises wherein the solution code appears to be incorrect - it does not generate the correct result set, such as producing 0 rows instead of 2, etc.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional PHP Web Services
Publisher: Wrox Press
Authors: James Fuller, Ken Egervari, Harry Fuecks, Bryan Waters, Jon Stephens, Daniel Solin
Rating: 4/5
Title: Professional PHP Web Services
Publisher: Wrox Press
Authors: James Fuller, Ken Egervari, Harry Fuecks, Bryan Waters, Jon Stephens, Daniel Solin
Rating: 4/5
I think it's a nice book, good job! It introduces wide range about the relationship between PHP and the web services, it's a good base to start. However I have to tell, that there are some bugs (or the descriptions are not clear, don't know) in the example sources, for example I've found one in the chapter about security (Chapter 6).This is a problem, but with it, I still could recommend this book for everybody not familiar with Web Services, and would like to learn all the related technologies. As it is true at other books, too: you can learn all these things from the web, but you can just find these together in this (or other) book, and you can read it conveniently at your bed with your girlfriend. :)
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL Tips & Techniques
Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade
Authors: Konrad King, Kris Jamsa
Rating: 5/5
Title: SQL Tips & Techniques
Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade
Authors: Konrad King, Kris Jamsa
Rating: 5/5
I agree ... this book covers all aspects of SQL. Code examples work and are meaningful.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 High Availability
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Allan Hirt, Cathan Cook, Kimberley Tripp, Microsoft Corp, Microsoft Corporation, Frank McBath
Rating: 5/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 High Availability
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Allan Hirt, Cathan Cook, Kimberley Tripp, Microsoft Corp, Microsoft Corporation, Frank McBath
Rating: 5/5
This book collates the experience of installing 'Real World' SQL virtual servers on Windows 2000 and Windows 2003.
Even if you have already deployed a SQL2000 clustered instance, there will be tips in this book for you.
There are numerous chapters including Disk configuration, Installation and Service Pack management.
As with any major undertaking, the book underpins the need for planning and research without forgetting the detailed technical stuff we all love.
The Knowledgebase articles referenced in the book make it that little bit easier to be confident that you are following Best Practise.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Jakarta-Tomcat
Publisher: Apress
Authors: James Goodwill
Rating: 2/5
Title: Apache Jakarta-Tomcat
Publisher: Apress
Authors: James Goodwill
Rating: 2/5
The author in the preface says that he expects this book to be a complete reference for Tomcat. I would say that it falls far short of the objective.
I had expected a meaningful look at Tomcat. Most of the information presented is already available with the standard Tomcat distribution. There is no attempt to go beyond the surface. It seems the author was in a rush to get a book published, rather than spend time providing some insight into Tomcat.
There is no proper introduction to the terms or concepts related to Tomcat. I don't expect an introduction to servlets or JSP. All I ask for is clear concise definitions of the various Tomcat components and a breakdown of the config files.
If you are intrested in finding more about Tomcat stick to looking for the information online. It will be time well spent.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 5/5
Title: Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties: Advanced SQL Programming (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems)
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 5/5
Celko has an amazing ability of making technical stuff seem readable and easy. A very enjoyable read.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Core PHP Programming, Third Edition
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Leon Atkinson, Zeev Suraski
Rating: 4/5
Title: Core PHP Programming, Third Edition
Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR
Authors: Leon Atkinson, Zeev Suraski
Rating: 4/5
One of my key concerns when reviewing a good book is the pull between information density and a light, easily read style. I believe that as we get further along the learning curve we can sacrifice some readability for density -- we want more facts and less explanation.The authors of Core PHP Programming have found a marvelous middle ground. Toward the beginning of the book they have a great deal of light, explanatory material as they cover the basics of PHP. As they move towards more advanced topics there is less explanation and a tighter packing of information. At the same time the book has a large number of small code examples throughout, making sure that you know how to use the functions under discussion.This is the third edition and I must admit that I had not come across it in either the first or second editions, so I have no great way of comparing them in this review. It has certainly been revised to take into account the changes for PHP 5 and examining the table of contents for the second edition on Safari I can see the that the basic structure has remained the same while the book has grown about 300 pages. The addition of Zeev Suraski as co-author can only be to the benefit of the quality of the information, particularly regarding PHP 5.The book starts with the absolute rock bottom of PHP, the basic data types and operators through to efficiency, debugging and design patterns. Along the way it covers almost all aspects of PHP 5 with a readable reference style. The `Core' in the title of this book is a key to understanding it. If you're looking for a book with all the code required to handle session management, or user logins and security (to mention two possibilities) then this isn't the book for you. If, however, you are after a book that more than adequately explains the power and nuances of PHP and programming in the language then this is a marvelous volume.It's broken up into 5 sections: "Programming PHP," which covers the basics of data, control flow and I/O; "Functional Reference," which is 600 odd pages broken up into 12 chapters that seems to cover every PHP function (a check of three sub chapters showed every function mentioned on the topic at PHP.net was also in the book) and does it well with good explanation and code examples; "Algorithms," which details a number of methods of performing routine tasks such as sorting, parsing and generating graphics; and "Software Engineering," devoted to design, efficiency and design patterns; and finally, there are a seven excellent appendices.Taken as a whole it does a good job of covering the whole language and the ways of using it.I can imagine it would make a good companion volume to my other favourite PHP volume, PHP and MySQL Web Development, which tends more towards recipes and leaves out the encyclopedic coverage of this book.Leon Atkinson has a good web page for the book that includes a link to download all the code and examples, a link to the Prentice Hall page for those wanting an example chapter or a look at the Table of Contents and some other reviews. His site also has a page for the inevitable errata, currently blank. While I did find only one typo (not in example code) I can't claim to have read every page or run all the code examples.I'd recommend this volume to anyone who wanted a comprehensive guide to PHP 5. It is probably useful at almost all levels.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP/MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner
Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade
Authors: Andy Harris
Rating: 4/5
Title: PHP/MySQL Programming for the Absolute Beginner
Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade
Authors: Andy Harris
Rating: 4/5
While, of course, focusing on the aspects of PHP and MySQL programming, the first few chapters of the book also make sure to teach the fundamentals of all programming - scope of variables, arrays, the different options for loops, etc. This was extremely helpful to me. With the in-depth example programs and the useful "Challenges" at the end of each chapter, I was programming in PHP from day one. The only problem I had is that he doesn't cover the configuration of PHP much at all, and the example programs on the CD require a certain configuration of PHP that is not standard with installations - so, I had to alter his code in order to see it work on MY computer.
