IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Building Research Tools with Google For Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Authors: Harold Davis
Rating: 5/5
Title: Building Research Tools with Google For Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Authors: Harold Davis
Rating: 5/5
I've been a fan of Harold Davis's books for some time. I come at them as someone who has been writing computer programs from the days when computers were room-filling monsters. If I need to quickly get going on a new programming language, I know that if Davis has a book on that language, that's the book to buy. But this book is way different. Sure it has stuff for programmers like detailed information about the Google APIs so we can easily build our own slick search programs. But it has fascinating information for anyone who uses Google - and nowadays that's everybody. I promise that if you get this book you will learn surprising and useful things about Google that you never suspected.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Basic and SQL Server
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: William R. Vaughn
Rating: 2/5
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Basic and SQL Server
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: William R. Vaughn
Rating: 2/5
If you are like me, looking for specific examples so you can get on with the code, then this book isn't for you. Much of the book is wasted on object definitions (Let's not forget, I can use the VB Reference Guide for this), and antiquated connection methods (DAO, RDO, etc.). Nevertheless, it does have one bright spot when the book presents different ways of optimizing the database connection using ADO; but I found that towards the end of the book. What a waste of time! Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book. Get something else.....
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Beginning SQL Server 2000 for Visual Basic Developers
Publisher: Peer Information Inc.
Authors: Thearon Willis
Rating: 3/5
Title: Beginning SQL Server 2000 for Visual Basic Developers
Publisher: Peer Information Inc.
Authors: Thearon Willis
Rating: 3/5
OK for beginners who want to know some of the innards of SQL server, but there are two major faults. One is that newbies to networkable machines will find themselves crushed under the weight of networking and communications jargon that the author never explains, and Win98 machines can't handle half of the book. Second, the last third of the book for some 200 pages has nothing to do with VB: the samples are written entirely in XML, DHTML, and a mere snippet of VBScript. There are better VB tools for creating Web apps that can handle big datasets and ActiveX, whereas XML has enfuriatingly slow performance and an unattractive and inflexible interface that looks like something pounded out on a typewriter (remember those?). 5 stars for the first two-thirds, zilch for the remainder.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Cookbook
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Ken Coar, Rich Bowen
Rating: 4/5
Title: Apache Cookbook
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Ken Coar, Rich Bowen
Rating: 4/5
As Cookbooks go, this on is fairly decent, although thinner than I expected. There are enough examples in this book to cover pretty much everything you might need to do with Apache or get you started (along with the Apache documentation) if it isn't covered.Personally I think the first two chapters on installing Apache and adding modules are wasted space. Presumably by the time you're ready for this book, you've already got Apache installed on your servers and are just looking for ways to tweak it.I would have liked to see a section on SSI (Server side includes...does anybody use those anymore?) and maybe some more mod_rewrite stuff.This book will probably be most useful to novice and intermediate Apache administrators who are comfortable with messing around in httpd.conf, but need to refer back to the online docs now and then. Advanced Apache administrators probably won't find much new or useful in this book.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache in 24 Hours
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Julie C. Meloni
Rating: 2/5
Title: Sams Teach Yourself PHP, MySQL and Apache in 24 Hours
Publisher: Sams
Authors: Julie C. Meloni
Rating: 2/5
I agree with the previous poster as to how challenging this book makes php, mysql, and apache. at least several of the examples don't work (whether this is a function of poor testing by the author/publisher or a limitation of php, mysql, or apache is left to the newbie reader to figure out -- a great way to learn, but not worth the cost of the book; incidentally so far all of the problems I have encountered fall squarely on the shoulders of SAMS). There are typos, illustrations of output in the book that don't correspond to the text, and from time-to-time, the included sample files (on the CD) don't match up with the files in the text.I can't recommend this book, though I'm still trying to wade through it. There have got to be better books out there. Perhaps my mistake was trying to find one book to introduce me to all three tools in one swoop. If it seems too good to be true... (and so on).Good luck to anyone using this book, I'm emailing all of the problems I find to SAMS, hoping that they'll improve it in future editions, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: MCSE: SQL Server 7 Administration Study Guide
Publisher:
Authors: Lance Mortensen, Rick Sawtell
Rating: 4/5
Title: MCSE: SQL Server 7 Administration Study Guide
Publisher:
Authors: Lance Mortensen, Rick Sawtell
Rating: 4/5
I have written a review on this book before. Now I have passed the exam, and therefore would like another (better) review on the book.I like the book, and the writing style. It's good on SQL. It might be weak on some areas, but overall, it's a good study guide for 70-028. Recommended. You should have noticed that there is no *one* single good book for the exam, therefore, be prepared to work on some external source like BOL and M$'s white paper.What I have heard is that it's better than the MOC, but relly don't know.Yes, I passed the exam after 2 tries. If you want to pass the exam just on this book, then forget it. It won't be sufficient. Use it as an introduction to SQL7, and read BOL and white paper!!! Then you will pass.
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: 2/5
Title: The Practical SQL Handbook: Using Structured Query Language (3rd Edition)
Publisher: Pearson Education
Authors: Judith S. Bowman, Sandra L. Emerson, Marcy Darnovsky
Rating: 2/5
The free "lite" sybase that comes on CD is only for Windoze (expensive, buggy). If you are using one of the free database engines for Linux (free) or Solaris 7 (free for noncommercial) I would not recommend this book.
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
I wish every programming book was written in this easy to read, "hands-on" style. I found myself amazed at how simple SQL actually is. After you gain a solid ground in the fundamentals with this book, progressing to more complex elements of SQL is a breeze.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle Web Applications: Pl/Sql Developer's Introduction
Publisher:
Authors: Andrew Odewahn
Rating: 3/5
Title: Oracle Web Applications: Pl/Sql Developer's Introduction
Publisher:
Authors: Andrew Odewahn
Rating: 3/5
Don't expect too much from the book that covers so many topics on just two hundred pages! First five chapters are dedicated to current Oracle & If you have time you can probably download white papers with better technical information about the topics from Oracle, Technet or related websites. On the other hand this five chapters are good time savers. Last four chapters are much better, covering introduction to PL/SQL and Toolkit (HTF, HTP, OWA_***), two sample web applications (Survey and Discussion Forum) and XML. The best thing about this book is that you'll find out what you don't know, so you can make a list of relevant books that covers the topic in more detail.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle Web Applications: Pl/Sql Developer's Introduction
Publisher:
Authors: Andrew Odewahn
Rating: 5/5
Title: Oracle Web Applications: Pl/Sql Developer's Introduction
Publisher:
Authors: Andrew Odewahn
Rating: 5/5
I have used this book as a handbook reference in teaching advanced Oracle & Relational Database Development. As I metioned, it is a very good theoretical book. I particularly liked Chapters 3 (WebDB), 4 (OAS) & 9 (XML). Should you require more hands on examples & sample usage, however, you will have to look elsewhere.
