IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP Functions Essential Reference
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Zak Greant, Graeme Merrall, Torben Wilson, Brett Michlitsch
Rating: 5/5
Title: PHP Functions Essential Reference
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Zak Greant, Graeme Merrall, Torben Wilson, Brett Michlitsch
Rating: 5/5
This is a reference, and a very good one. Not for the "learning" set, but it will be kept when you are doing PHP.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional PHP Programming
Publisher:
Authors: Jesus Castagnetto, Sascha Schumann, Harish Rawat, Chris Scollo, Deepak T. Veliath
Rating: 2/5
Title: Professional PHP Programming
Publisher:
Authors: Jesus Castagnetto, Sascha Schumann, Harish Rawat, Chris Scollo, Deepak T. Veliath
Rating: 2/5
When I first glanced at this title, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume: 1,000 pages about PHP! My admiration passed away soon, though. The book doesn't cover programming concepts: it's focuses on technical coverage of PHP's language. From experience I know that this is much easier than writing about abstract techniques, development methodologies and the advanced parts of a programming language. And even with restricting itself to this kind of reference material, the 1,000 pages are constructed artificially: over 300 pages consist of (yet another) function quick reference and a totally unrelated "Wrox HTML Database Listing". If you like having a fat printed function reference on your desk, this book is for you - but whether it is that much better than the searchable, light-weight official manual, I'd like lo leave for you to judge. For the advanced software developer (as the cover claims), Professional PHP is not: function syntax description can be found online, and the concepts behind the APIs are not described in a manner justifying the cost of this book.
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
Wanted in depth disscussion on tomcat. Instead, I got
a cheezy intro to jsp/servlets/struts and other misc junk.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP and MySQL Web Development
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Luke Welling, Laura Thomson
Rating: 2/5
Title: PHP and MySQL Web Development
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Luke Welling, Laura Thomson
Rating: 2/5
I found this book to only touch upon important subjects of MySQL and PHP. If you want a better explanation of PHP and MySQL download the free online manual for each of these. The examples they give you are not detailed and can be misleading and have you scratching your head why they don't work.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle Database 10g PL/SQL Programming
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: Scott Urman, Michael McLaughlin
Rating: 5/5
Title: Oracle Database 10g PL/SQL Programming
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: Scott Urman, Michael McLaughlin
Rating: 5/5
I've only been completely through various sections that are relevant to projects that I am now working on. However, even though it isn't written for the novice, the general info has already proven to be an incredible refresher that takes the reader into great depth and with a wide variety of real world examples that make sense and work. No more old broken examples that never did work. Yipee!!!
Of particular interest to me is the information on working with different composite data types. Also, if you want solid and extensive info on handling exceptions with PL/SQL, I highly recommend the book. From a readability standpoint, it is by far the best Oracle book that I've come across, taking rather dry confusing information, organizing it, and laying it out in a logical and useable fashion.
Managers... know this book since it will be the title your new 10g PL/SQL hires will have been taught from. Particularly advantageous to those who teach will be NOT having to rewrite examples and the resulting loss of hair and sleep.
Kudos
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP and MySQL Web Development, Second Edition
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Luke Welling, Laura Thomson
Rating: 5/5
Title: PHP and MySQL Web Development, Second Edition
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Luke Welling, Laura Thomson
Rating: 5/5
Now in a new and expanded second edition, PHP And MySQL Web Development by Luke Welling and Laura Thomson, teaches the aspiring webmaster to develop dynamic, secure, commercial Web sites. Using the same accessible, popular teaching style of the first edition, PHP And MySQL Web Development has been updated to reflect the rapidly changing landscape of MySQL and PHP. PHP And MySQL Web Development teaches the user to integrate and implement these technologies by following real-world examples and working sample projects, and also covers related technologies needed to build a commercial Web site, such as SSL, shopping carts, and payment systems. The updated second edition includes new coverage of how to work with XML in developing a PHP and MySQL site, and how to draw on the valuable resources of the PEAR repository of code and extensions. Highly recommended.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Leon Atkinson
Rating: 2/5
Title: Core PHP Programming: Using PHP to Build Dynamic Web Sites (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Leon Atkinson
Rating: 2/5
After having this book for a week, I have found several shortcomings with its content. The coverage of some topics is not as thorough as it should be. It covers the basics, but as soon as you face a challenge, you're pretty much on your own. Also, I have found several instances where the index of the book only gets you close to a topic. It might not be on the page that the index says it is on (for example, the File function is listed in the index on page 134, but actually appears on page 133). HTTP vars don't even appear in the index (and aren't covered too well in the online help that comes with PHP). The CD in the book includes PHP version 4.0.0, which has been superceded already, as well as the examples in the book, most of which are only a handful of lines long each. The publishers should have saved money by having a web site for the book that could stay up-to-date. Overall, I was quite disappointed.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Kalen Delaney
Rating: 1/5
Title: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Kalen Delaney
Rating: 1/5
This book is heavy enough, but repeats so much of the 7.0 book that it's really not as comprehensive as it might appear or that it should be. There are far too many 2000 topics that are completely absent (not just XML, as some have noted, but also high availability, replication, new data types, new database options, and many others). On top of that, the book is boring. It reads like a very long whitepaper.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Advanced Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2000
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Itzik Ben-Gan, Tom Moreau
Rating: 1/5
Title: Advanced Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2000
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Itzik Ben-Gan, Tom Moreau
Rating: 1/5
There is just one problem with "Advanced Transact-SQL for SQL Server 2000": it is not "advanced" in the slightest. Not atleast compared to Kenneth W. Henderson's "The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL". I've been coding in the language for about 3 years now and didn't find a thing in it that I didn't already know. Henderson's book, OTOH, opened whole new worlds to me. Don't buy this book. Buy Henderson's book instead -- really, you'll thank me.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Guru's Guide to Transact-SQL
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
there simply isn't a better book on transact sql. if all you want to do is generate reports on your little four table database, then don't waste your time, this book isn't for you. however, if you are an ms sql server power user, i can't stress enough how valuable this book is. every time i pick it up i learn something new.
