IT programming books related reviews
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Mastering Oracle PL/SQL: Practical Solutions
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Connor McDonald, Chaim Katz, Christopher Beck, Joel R. Kallman, David C. Knox
Rating: 5/5
Title: Mastering Oracle PL/SQL: Practical Solutions
Publisher: Apress
Authors: Connor McDonald, Chaim Katz, Christopher Beck, Joel R. Kallman, David C. Knox
Rating: 5/5
I've had the pleasure of meeting Connor McDonald and I have read many of his published works on Oracle technology.Connor is very precise and detail-oriented and this comes through in this book. This is not an ideal book for beginners and newbies. Unlike other PL/SQL books that feel compelled to cover the language features soup-to-nuts, Connor focuses on those areas of PL/SQL that are important to the successful programming professional.Filled with solutions, not theory, this is a pragmatic book that offers real-world tips and techniques for the working PL/SQL professional. Especially delightful are the examples of PL/SQL performance tuning.Overall, I highly recommend this book for any practicing PL/SQL developer who wants to get the most from their code.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD Training Guide (70-229): SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation
Publisher: Que
Authors: Thomas Moore, Ed Tittel
Rating: 5/5
Title: MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD Training Guide (70-229): SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation
Publisher: Que
Authors: Thomas Moore, Ed Tittel
Rating: 5/5
Despite the fact that I've worked with SQL Server since the days when the manual said "Sybase" (SQL is a spawn from Sybase), I am always amazed and delighted to find the pieces I still don't know. One of the benefits of studying for exams is that these tidbits become more relevant. Programming is a great field, because we can never get bored.This book assumes that you are a relative beginner, and the 70-229 test assumes both programming and administration knowledge. There is therefore a lot of ground to cover. Due to its Que Training Guide format, the information is properly chunked for digestability. The first 9 chapters talk to the programmer, the rest to the administrator.You need two learning styles to pass the exams: one for understanding and one for memorization. I not smart enough to do the second without the first. This Training Guide is an excellent resource for understanding SQL administration concepts.The fact is, the 70-229 is a moving target. I base this on the fact that all 70-229 books carry both programming and administration information, but the Microsoft "Skills Being Measured" focuses almost solely on programming skills. I think that one is well served by reading and truly understanding this book, but then getting the latest certification buzz before taking the exam.
Product: Book Hardcover
Title: MCAD/MCSE/MCDBA Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation, Exam 70-229, Second Edition
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 1/5
Title: MCAD/MCSE/MCDBA Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Database Design and Implementation, Exam 70-229, Second Edition
Publisher: Microsoft Press
Authors: Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Corporation
Rating: 1/5
I bought this book, thinking I would get certified.I spent 2 months reading the pages, and doing the exercises.Then I went to take the exam... Failed 3 times before I actually threw the book away and searched for another training source. And I'm not a dufus; I've passed many certification exams in the past.This book contains SOME quality information, but if your goal is to get certified, just read Books On Line and totally disreguard the existance of this book.Its common knowledge that the goal of MS certification tests is to test your ability to transform working knowledge of a product into real world application, and for that reason, an effective training source should simulate that real world expierence. This book fails to do this.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Apache Axis Live: A Web Services Tutorial
Publisher: Sourcebeat
Authors: James Goodwill
Rating: 1/5
Title: Apache Axis Live: A Web Services Tutorial
Publisher: Sourcebeat
Authors: James Goodwill
Rating: 1/5
Almost from the very first page, the early chapters of this book are filled with errors. You can see at a glance that the source code is all wrong. You see code that belongs in a method, and will only compile in a method, right after the declaration of the class...code that can't possibly compile. (See page 27.) At another point, the book directs you to run the AdminServlet by clicking on a non-existent "View" link. Instead, you should click on the "Administer Axis" link. Then the book tells you that you should see a screen like the accompanying figure, which is of the "Axis Servlet," as the URL bar in the figure only too clearly shows. NOT of the "Admin Servlet."
I think this book was rushed into print, had no editor (or else one who deserves to be shot at dawn), and the final phases of it were done by an author who was tired and staying up until 3 in the morning, so that huge ridiculous errors slipped by his attention again and again.
I've already been through the ringer with Axis, so by the time this book arrived, I already knew what should happen in the early examples, and what the author was trying to get at. But if I hadn't been already familiar, I would have been confused, lost and very angry with this book.
This book may prove to have valuable information later on, if it isn't filled with errors all the way through. But I no longer trust it. If something doesn't work, I'll be more likely to blame the book than any error I might have made.
One more thing: Even if the book wasn't filled with errors, it's a mere 180 pages, and it has no index. Over 20 of those pages are devoted to debugging Java applications in Tomcat. Unrelated filler in a book of a mere 180 pages! Very insufficient for the price. The lack of an index is another sure-fire sign of a book that was rushed into print. I speculate that they wanted to beat O'Reilly to press. They did--but that is about the extent of their achievement.
Avoid.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Stored Procedures, XML, and HTML (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
Title: The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Stored Procedures, XML, and HTML (With CD-ROM)
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Ken Henderson
Rating: 5/5
This book was all I could have asked for. I have been wanting to learn about XML in SQL Server for a long time. I read the Books Online, but just couldn't really get it. I mean I could write the code and I could play with OPENXML, but I didn't really *understand* what I was doing. This book changed all that. Now it all makes sense. Unlike a lot of other books, it doesn't repeat the online docs. It starts where the Books Online ends. And the sample code is really useful. The book says there are over 700 example files and I don't doubt it! The sheer number and the quality of the samples makes the book worth the price all by itself.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Professional Apache Tomcat 5
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Vivek Chopra, Amit Bakore, Jon Eaves, Ben Galbraith, Sing Li, Chanoch Wiggers
Rating: 4/5
Title: Professional Apache Tomcat 5
Publisher: Wrox
Authors: Vivek Chopra, Amit Bakore, Jon Eaves, Ben Galbraith, Sing Li, Chanoch Wiggers
Rating: 4/5
Very good book, but I first read it as a preparation to manage a tomcat server and I could barely understand. A re-read it later on and it was a lot clearer.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: PHP: Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content
Publisher: Visual
Authors: Paul Whitehead, Joel Desamero
Rating: 5/5
Title: PHP: Your Visual Blueprint for Creating Open Source, Server-Side Content
Publisher: Visual
Authors: Paul Whitehead, Joel Desamero
Rating: 5/5
It took me only about 15 minutes to size this book up and it's a winner. It's concise, complete, and extremely well organized. It's a heck of a good reference when you're programming and just can't remember something. And unlike most of the programming books I've used, it's large titles (every two pages are a "module" discussing an important concept) make it EASY to find exactly what you're looking for.IT'S UNIQUE, AND IT'S ACTUALLY INTELLIGENTLY WRITTEN------------------------------ ------------------------------
What's unique about this book is that the information is presents is very easily digestable. I own 4 php books including this one, and none of them are as useful to me on a day to day basis, because finding information in them is so much work--I usually just end up looking on google. Most of the books I own (and I do own quite a few), well, they.... um.... suck. Especially after you realized they're index is not good for looking things up or they're written like the hobbit (actually, we have a theory about that... you see... how do hobbits make money after all...).Additionally, the format seems to appeal to different kinds of learners. I am more brainy in the way that I learn, but my more corporeal "hands-on" programmer friend (who learns by doing) took one look at this thing and insisted I order him a copy (which is the reason I'm writing reviews, don't you know ;-). I think the format will appeal to a wide variety of learners.WHAT'S REALLY REALLY GOOD
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* Awesome format
* Complete index
* easy to find information
* clear writing
* well laid out information
* introductions to more advanced material (like how to set up a mysql database)
* the entire book is on PDF on the CD, which is SO COMPLETELY AWESOME IT SOLD THE BOOK (publisher if you read this, it's the reason I bought a copy of your book -- keep it up). No more wishing you had a copy of the book with you at work when you need it -- now you don't have to own 2 copies to have a decent reference!!!
* It's CHEAP. I'm buying a number of this series because it's almost like two for one on Amazon.
* lots of pictures and screen shots (that make sense for once!)
* an example on the same page as almost every category
* it's the same format most folks learn in -- do and then see what happens, then do this and see what happens, etc...WHAT'S NOT GOOD, OR COULD BE IMPROVED
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* Could use a little more in depth information
* Could use a keyed index (in other words, put the page number of the page the stuff you're talking about is referenced in the reference section -- a minor, but useful, tune up)
* Index of functions, while useful, it pretty slim on explination
* Missing more comprehensive examples -- how do you put it all together kind of material. Kind of a mixed blessing.
* It has a few typos. And as you know BOOKS are not supposed to be like web pages.
* I'll bet you one of the examples is broken somehow. All computer books have a broken example in them. It's like, a cyber-rule. Really. So go find it. Go on. Email me and I'll put it in the review (I couldn't find anything that looks obviously messed up straight off).
* A map of the php world would rock. I love books that give me nice big fold-out "reminescent of National Geographic" maps of programming languages. <sniff>
* This book could be improved if it was packaged with $100 dollars of cold hard cash. That's a joke.WHAT I REALLY THINK (REALLY!)
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In short, this book won't help you write better programs or give you a really good framework for understanding and developing applications (and don't be fooled, most books that claim to suck continuiously for 500 pages before boring you into submission). It will get you productive in php and teach you what you need to know. And the pdf version of the book on cd makes this the benchmark computer book format (it's like it's, NOOO!!! It's from the future!!! Oh my god, another publisher realized that releasing computer books in pdf won't hurt sales, and in fact encourages users to buy more of their books! <nod o'reilly>THE BOTTOM LINE
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If you're a beginner/intermediate, or even just want something to use as a reference or occasionally brush up, this should be in your library.
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
The author uses very loose language. I don't know how a company like Microsoft can publish a book without editing for language. Lot of the sentences in the book begin with No, or Yes. Is that a way to write a professional book? William Vaughn brags too much about working at Microsoft. Ok so he works at Microsoft and he is a big shot blah blah blah... but who cares. When one pays for a book one expects to be taught on the subject and not hear about how great and big the author is. The book is filled with unnecessary nonsense and the author's stupid jokes which makes it bulky. On the other hand this is probably the only complete and dedicated refrence for information on accessing SQL server using Visual Basic. Most of the stuff is covered in this book. It has good examples which work unlike some other books. Given no real choice I would say a VB programmer accessing SQL server needs to have this book.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Oracle PL/SQL Programming, Third Edition
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Steven Feuerstein
Rating: 5/5
Title: Oracle PL/SQL Programming, Third Edition
Publisher: O'Reilly
Authors: Steven Feuerstein
Rating: 5/5
This is an excellent book on PL/SQL and especially for PL/SQL beginners! .Every DBA and Oracle programmer should buy this book and READ READ and READ.After this book I suggest two other books by Steve, 1. Programming with PL/SQL packages 2. Oracle Built-in packagesThese 3 books are my Online Oracle tutor on PL/SQL and Oracle Packages! You won't regret buying these books. How about a book on Designer 6000 steve ? Keep up the good work steve.
Product: Book Paperback
Title: Php Fast & Easy Web Development (Fast & Easy Web Development)
Publisher: Premier Press
Authors: Julie C. Meloni
Rating: 3/5
Title: Php Fast & Easy Web Development (Fast & Easy Web Development)
Publisher: Premier Press
Authors: Julie C. Meloni
Rating: 3/5
One thing this booked lacked was the ability to progress on practicle subjects. Most information was random and not very useful. However, the topics that described SQL seemed a bit stronger then the PhP text itself.
-andy
