IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: SQL/400 Developer's Guide
Publisher: 29th Street Press
Authors: Paul Conte, Mike Cravitz
Rating: 5/5
Title: SQL/400 Developer's Guide
Publisher: 29th Street Press
Authors: Paul Conte, Mike Cravitz
Rating: 5/5
SQL the standard for data access is now presented in a AS400/iSeries user format. The differences that exist for the DB2/400 user are minor but significant enough to warrant 500 pages plus. Conte and Cravitz flood the text with real working examples that hit homeruns with the IBM midrange user. Yet, minus the sprinkling of RPG/ILE & Cobol code any DB2 user would find the text extremely helpful. Keep this book at the ready since it's a "quick grab" when questions come up regarding triggers, UDF's or Database Modeling and design.The Book is a great starting point for the AS400/iSeries guru looking to open their database to the outside world. With a solid SQL footing the JDBC mountain is a much easier climb.Conte & Cravitz keep up the great work!
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Visual Basic Developer's Guide to E-Commerce with ASP and SQL Server
Publisher: Sybex Inc
Authors: Noel Jerke
Rating: 4/5
Title: Visual Basic Developer's Guide to E-Commerce with ASP and SQL Server
Publisher: Sybex Inc
Authors: Noel Jerke
Rating: 4/5
This book does exactly what is says on the cover. It is a very good guide to building online stores with ASP and SQL Server. The sample online store and the associated code samples are both extensive and comprehensive. It successfully explains the underlying business model, database design and table structures, together with a few ASP tricks. A minor annoyance is that the code is given and dissected before a view of the related screenshot is shown. I found myself constantly trying to find the screenshot and then looking back at the underlying code.All the criticisms I have of the book are in part answered by the book, but not with enough detail or consideration. For example, it is typically preferable to use COM components instead of putting all the code in ASP, and to use a database instead of Session variables to store state information for truly scalable sites. Perhaps all this `advanced' information could have expanded the final (and too brief!) chapter on `Best Practices and Scalability'No information given on the use of transactions, even though there was the code for the related processing of Orders and Payments and Baskets (chapter 8) that certainly needed it.This book should take the user's level of experience from beginner to intermediate.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Programming PHP
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Rasmus Lerdorf, Kevin Tatroe
Rating: 3/5
Title: Programming PHP
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Rasmus Lerdorf, Kevin Tatroe
Rating: 3/5
this is a thin, mediocre book. at 373 pages, not counting the appendix, this is not a thorough treatment of the language. Maybe Oreilly should rename this "Learning PHP, and put out a thicker, more in depth book that will teach you everything you could possible want to know about php. Think Programming Perl 3rd Edition.
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
Since the book says it was published in 1999, I don't understand why it doesn't cover SQL Server 7.0 better. It should not have been published w/out decent 7.0 coverage. Worse, the cover claims it covers 7.0, but the only real 7.0 coverage is in a single appendix. This borders on false advertising. Had I known this when I first looked at it, I would not have bought it.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Server for Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Authors: Ken A. L. Coar
Rating: 4/5
Title: Apache Server for Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Authors: Ken A. L. Coar
Rating: 4/5
Open source projects are hot right now and for good reason. At this point in time, the only two serious adversaries that Microsoft appears to have are the United States Department of Justice and Linux, the open source operating system. With those lights shining so bright, it is easy to miss another major open source project, the Apache server. According to the latest survey, slightly over 60% of sites are currently using it. Given this market share, obtaining some knowledge about Apache is clearly a good career move.
I am generally impressed by the "for Dummies" series. When you need to learn the basics of a new area literally overnight, (perhaps overhour is more appropriate), there is rarely something better available. However, these books generally have a weakness, in that after the first pass, there is no need for the book, as it is of little value as a reference. While that criticism can also be leveled against this book, it must be muted. Although no one would seriously claim that the book could serve as a major reference, it does have value as a quick check of the more routine questions.
While I concede that my knowledge of Apache was weak, that does not change the fact that I learned more from this book than I have from any of the other books in this series. Ken Coar is excellent at explaining the basics of how Apache operates and how the Apache network keeps things moving forward. Each of the basic tasks that a webmaster would be expected to do are outlined and sample configuration files are listed where appropriate. With beta versions of both Linux/Unix and Windows 95/NT on the CD, you also have the opportunity to peek under the hood and see what makes it so popular. The only major negative is that the material is somewhat dated.
With a market share in excess of 60% and growing, Apache is reaching the levels normally reserved for monopolies. Which brings up an interesting legal question. Can an open source group be considered a monopoly?
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Database Implementation Training Kit (Training Kit)
Publisher: Microsoft Press Rating: 4/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Database Implementation Training Kit (Training Kit)
Publisher: Microsoft Press Rating: 4/5
This book is focus on all the main aspects of the MSCD 70-028 test. This is the material you need for passing this really hard test. Also it comes with the SQL 7.0 CD (3 months) and NTSP4. The first time I went to the exam I just reviewed the course materials. Then, I failed for 200 points. Then I decided to buy this book and then I scored more than 800 points.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Php 4 Bible (Bible (Wiley))
Publisher: Hungry Minds
Authors: Tim Converse, Joyce Park
Rating: 4/5
Title: Php 4 Bible (Bible (Wiley))
Publisher: Hungry Minds
Authors: Tim Converse, Joyce Park
Rating: 4/5
This is good for a person with some PHP progrmaming experience. The author covers all of the areas pretty thouroughly, but at some points it becomes boring. I admit though that it would be hard not to make it boring. Definatley buy this book if you are serious about PHP programming.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000: A Guide to Enhancements and New Features
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Rahul Sharma
Rating: 5/5
Title: Microsoft SQL Server 2000: A Guide to Enhancements and New Features
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Rahul Sharma
Rating: 5/5
I have been an avid reader of Mr.Sharma's article at swynk.com and sqlservercentral.com and like the way he presents the information. No munching of words, just pure technical information. He has done the same in this book. The chapters on performance issues, profiler, indexed views, collations and the section on Advanced DBA topics is very good.Even though the chapter on the XML Support in SS2k is good it only talks about openxml and the other native support provided in SQL Server, he should also have covered SQLXML as well which is one thing that is missing from the book. With the release of SQLXML 3.0, the XML functionality of SQL Server is very much enhanced. It is a very good book though, written with careful thought, illustrated with a lot of examples, no page fillers unlike most of the technical books out there. A definite buy.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Kalen Delaney
Rating: 2/5
Title: Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Kalen Delaney
Rating: 2/5
This book is a great referrence... but I feel funny judging it. It's like judging an encyclopedia... just another one of MS 'Inside SQL Server' series books. It's a good referrence to keep around, has useful info, and I prefer to read paper over a monitor anyday.... I won't be returning my copy anytime soon. I only gave it a 4 star rating because there is nothing that jumps out and makes this a "gotta have this" type book... but, by all means, it's worthwhile keeping around if you work with SQL 2000 at all.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional PHP4 XML
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Luis Argerich, Chris Lea, Ken Egervari, Matt Anton, Chris Hubbard, James Fuller, Charlie Killian
Rating: 4/5
Title: Professional PHP4 XML
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Luis Argerich, Chris Lea, Ken Egervari, Matt Anton, Chris Hubbard, James Fuller, Charlie Killian
Rating: 4/5
"PHP XML" does a great job of covering a little bit of everything you can accomplish using PHP and XML. There's so much to cover, though, that a thorough, in-depth discussion of each is impossible in the scope of one book. Rather, the book teaches a programmer enough about the various technologies that they are much better prepared to make initial design decisions in their projects, and have enough example code to get their feet wet with the code to implement those decisions.I'd recommend the book to anyone who'd like a convenient all-in-one-place reference to XML-related technologies and how PHP interacts with them. The book enables a developer to not just pick a tool because it's available, but to make intelligent decisions about which tool is best for their purposes.It also gives one enough of a head start that understanding much deeper and more technical information on the web or in other books (XSLT Programmers Reference 2nd Edition, Pro PHP4, etc...) becomes easier to digest.
