IT programming books related reviews
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: 5/5
Title: Professional PHP4 XML
Publisher: Peer Information
Authors: Luis Argerich, Chris Lea, Ken Egervari, Matt Anton, Chris Hubbard, James Fuller, Charlie Killian
Rating: 5/5
This book offers an incredible guide and reference to everything you can do with XML and PHP. Not only does this book cover the fundamentals of XML, such as SAX, DOM, XPATH and XSLT, but it covers rich topics like Apache Xindice, advanced XML storage techniques, XML-RPC, SOAP and a variety of both functional and object-oriented approaches to all these concepts.At IBM, we have always been a strong advocator of PHP for being the perfect language for connecting to databases over the web and offering dynamic content and services. It's simple, elegant, easy and effective. Even further, IBM has always explored XML within PHP and has advocated the use of PHP with our DB2 product.This book takes your existing PHP skills in HTML and databases and brings them to a whole new level. By taking your current knowledge and adding XML into the mix, this book will truely help you think creatively and create more complex applications. Even given all the hype around "Web Services", this book takes an incredible look into XML-RPC and SOAP. The authors have done, in my opinion, a fantastic job. I give this book 5 stars because it truely deserves such a rating. The book is absolutely solid. If you want to learn anything from the fundamentals of XML all the way to Web Services, this book will show you the path and everything in-between.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Instant SQL Programming
Publisher: Wrox Press
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 2/5
Title: Instant SQL Programming
Publisher: Wrox Press
Authors: Joe Celko
Rating: 2/5
Most people who are looking to learn SQL want explanations of SQL and examples. A nice plus is to have strategies for making your SQL run as efficiently as possible. The problem with this book stems from the author's involvement with the group that sets standards for SQL. For example, after providing an example of SQL on page 259, the author states: "This is a legal expression in SQL-92, but isn't yet implemented in many products." In other words, the example is permitted by the standards group, but you are not likely to be able to use it in Oracle, Sybase, Informix, SQL Server, etc. This type of teaching is quite common among people like the author who, as is noted on the back cover, has been a member of the ANSI X3H2 Database Standards Committee since 1987. No doubt the book is theoretically correct. But is it practical? When explaining the GROUP BY clause in SQL, the author gives example SQL that includes the line: GROUP BY partid. People who already know SQL will wonder about this example, because in the book's sample database partid's are unique -- it makes no sense to group them. People who already know SQL will be lucky enough to realize that this is simply a bad example. But people who are trying to learn will scratch their heads and wonder what the real life purpose of the GROUP BY statement is -- it is not apparent from this example. Sometimes a teacher who knows his subject very well is unable to explain it in a way that is helpful to beginners. Sometimes a teacher who is caught up in theoretical aspects of his subject is unable to explain it in a practical way. The author has both of these problems. If you already have a good working knowledge of SQL, you might gain a few insights from this book. But the emphasis here is on the word "few." For example, the chapter on "Optimization and Performance Tips" probably should be retitled, "A Beginner's Guide to Putting an SQL Query Together." To give you an idea of how poor the advice is, the last section of this chapter on optimization and performance has a Bag of Tricks, and Trick #2 is: "Don't use more tables than you have to." That's it -- that's the complete text of Trick #2! This has to qualify as one of the top ten least helpful SQL tips of the decade. If the author was teaching cooking, I wouldn't be surprised to see this tip: "When cooking food on the stove, don't burn anything." So, if you are just learning SQL, you can certainly find a better offering than this one. Look for books that provide real life examples. Avoid books, like this one, that go off onto tangents about things that are permitted by the SQL-92 standard but have not been implemented yet in the database you will be using. If you already know SQL and are looking for advanced tips and tuning ideas, look elsewhere. There are lots of good books brimming with ideas on these topics. This book just isn't one of them.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional PHP Programming
Publisher:
Authors: Jesus Castagnetto, Sascha Schumann, Harish Rawat, Chris Scollo, Deepak T. Veliath
Rating: 4/5
Title: Professional PHP Programming
Publisher:
Authors: Jesus Castagnetto, Sascha Schumann, Harish Rawat, Chris Scollo, Deepak T. Veliath
Rating: 4/5
I never heard of PHP before I was assigned a project for a class that required the use of MySQL and PHP. My project was done in three days after recieving this book.The best thing about Professional Php Programming is the great examples and a no-nosense get the job done approach.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: MCSE/MCSD: SQL Server 7 Database Design Study Guide
Publisher: Sybex Inc
Authors: Kevin Hough
Rating: 4/5
Title: MCSE/MCSD: SQL Server 7 Database Design Study Guide
Publisher: Sybex Inc
Authors: Kevin Hough
Rating: 4/5
I agree with a lot of the reviews here, the editing is not up to par, but the content and the writing style are! How do I know? I passed the exam on the first try.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP 4: A Beginner's Guide
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: William McCarty
Rating: 2/5
Title: PHP 4: A Beginner's Guide
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Authors: William McCarty
Rating: 2/5
I, for one, don't expect myself to know anything about a topic when I first start reading a book around it - especially when that book has the word 'Beginner' in the title. However, I DO expect the author to know quite a bit, and to pass on that knowledge. Others may find it excusable that, with recent releases of PHP (meaning 4.2.0 and later), the scripts in chapter four won't actually work with a default PHP configuration - but I don't. I found it infuriating to have such a result, especially since it took me about an hour to resolve. (Kudos to php.net's page on 'Using Register Globals' for explaining things.)
Also, what kind of author calls a project a 'Busy Box?!' C'mon. That's all I can say. C'mon. Osborne has put out some excellent books (such as Herb Schildt's C++ books), but this one is _not_ up to their standard. It's an easy read, and a reasonable way for an experienced programmer to pick up PHP quickly (aside from the aforementioned caveats), but there have GOT to be better books out there.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional SQL Server 2000 DTS (Data Transformation Services)
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Mark Chaffin, Brian Knight, Todd Robinson
Rating: 4/5
Title: Professional SQL Server 2000 DTS (Data Transformation Services)
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Mark Chaffin, Brian Knight, Todd Robinson
Rating: 4/5
There are very few resources for DTS, so I bought this one to help me understand the programming models involved. I'm not thrilled with it, but it does explain the models very quickly and succinctly.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP: Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content
Publisher: Visual
Authors: Paul Whitehead, Joel Desamero
Rating: 3/5
Title: PHP: Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content
Publisher: Visual
Authors: Paul Whitehead, Joel Desamero
Rating: 3/5
It does a good job of explaining basic programming functions... But once you get into anything somewhat advanced your left in the dark.. confused.. The section on database use with php is excellent. I wouldnt reccomend this book if your starting out with programming.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Mastering Oracle SQL
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Sanjay Mishra, Alan Beaulieu
Rating: 5/5
Title: Mastering Oracle SQL
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Sanjay Mishra, Alan Beaulieu
Rating: 5/5
This book presents complex stuctures in an easy to follow fashion with practical examples. I was able to apply new Oracle functions to real reporting problems immediately after reading it.If you ever have written a PL/SQL function purely to manipulate data because you didn't think SQL would be able to do it, you need to read this book!The book covers the spectrum from basics to the new 9i analytical functions. As such anyone can benefit from it.The book is written to help the user understand the power of well structured SQL. It does not contain an exhaustive syntactical list (which can be easily found elsewhere) but rather outlines how to acually use SQL to achieve solid results and optimal performance. In my experience, a high percentage of users who think they know how to write good SQL, actually only know a lot of low-level syntax and are in need of the big picture this book provides.The chapter on Dates however, does go into fascinating and exhaustive detail of the date data type structure, both pre-existing and Oracle 9i. This is an absolute must for anyone who works with a database that contains highly time sensative data, or for those who are confused by the data type.The new features in Oracle 9i are clearly outlined such as the reporting functions for grouping at multiple levels. This book presents them in a way that opens the user's mind to endless possiblities, leaving the reader wondering how they every managed without them (or how they will manage without them until their company's next upgrade).
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Google Pocket Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, DJ Adams
Rating: 5/5
Title: Google Pocket Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, DJ Adams
Rating: 5/5
I've always said "What good is a resource if you don't know how to use it?" Imagine walking into your public library and not being able to differentiate between fiction and nonfiction books, or being incapable of deciphering the Catalog Retrieval System to find your book.
With the plethora of obscure information at the deepest reaches of the Internet, you clearly understand the ramifications of not using a top notch search engine. To that end, Google is unmistakably and unequivocally the best search engine available in assisting you with your searches. O'Reilly's Google Pocket Guide, by Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, and
DJ Adams, should be required reading for not only learning the capabilities of Google, but for getting the most out of your searches as well. They say we only use 10% of our brains (don't quote me on that, but just go with it). I guarantee the majority of Google users tap into less than 10% of the search engine's voluminous capabilities.The Google Pocket Guide is 129 pages broken down into four main sections complete with an appendix and Syntax Summary (very useful). Part 1 explains exactly what Google is and isn't. It also provides a concise overview of how to improve your Google search results. Part 2 called "Asking for What You Want," should be considered Google 101. Here you will find the essentials such as Phrase Searches, Basic Boolean, and putting the wild cards to work for you. The Google "Advanced Search" is demystified as well. You will also find special syntax searches and how to mix them to create powerful possibilities in your investigative quests. Part 3 is all about making Google work for you and understanding the results you requested. This includes not only setting preferences, but how to interpret the results of your Google search. Additional coverage is provided in the "Anatomy of a Search Result" and how Google guides your questionable spellings to assist you. Part 4 for many will be like opening up a whole new world of Google services that will absolutely amaze you! I'm not going to give the store away, but I will tell you this-you will become a much smarter and more resourceful individual after reading this section.As a person that lives and dies by the Internet, I can tell you the Google Pocket Guide is the best ... investment you can make to grow your web experience. Resist your fast food drive-through lunch and go to the bookstore with your [$$]instead...nourishing your mind is a much better alternative!
Product: Book
Title: PHP and MySQL For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Publisher:
Authors: Janet Valade
Rating: 2/5
Title: PHP and MySQL For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Publisher:
Authors: Janet Valade
Rating: 2/5
The presentation of the chapters does not follow a logical sequence. The explanation for a number of items is lacking, while explanation for the same items is often given several times. It is a mystery how anyone working through the examples would have rated the book highly. Pages 56-58 describe the sample database design. By the time the reader gets to Pages 266-273, the nature of the database changes. Table and column names are different, such as Color, and PetColor, just to mention one amongst several differences. The records for the database tables are not given. If one tries to produce the examples on Pages 274-277, one has to reverse engineer the examples. The records have to be typed manually to match the examples . CD files do not give a clue.The CD should have given the graphics files for the examples. Page 77 and Page 272 give examples for adding data to tables from a text file, but there is no comment on the location of those text files. One can spend a long time, before the correct answer is obtained, not from the book. This was my first book on PHP and MySQL, and I learned something. However, after contending with the shortcomings I decided to switch to another book.
