Review of Perl for Dummies (Third Edition) (Paperback)

I am copying an excerpt from "The Perl Journal" review of this book.

__START__

Summary: This is a really rotten book. Very few books are able to attain as many as eight major flaws:

1.'Dummy' approach encourages and reinforces the reader's disability

2.Lack of concrete programming examples

3.Lack of general discussion of how to program, apart from language-specific features

4.Reference manual organization style

5.Inclusion of too many useless and abstruse features

6.Complicated explanations where simple ones arepossible

7.Scaremongering and panic instead of calm explanation of affairs

8.Many, many technical errors, some very serious

__END__

I taught myself Perl with little programming background (BASIC, 20 years ago). I started 1 1/2 years ago and am now using it daily as a web developer and data analyst.

Learning Perl from the books and resources out there is *extremely* difficult. There were many times I could've saved 3 weeks of hammering on a script if a perl guru had said, "Hey, list context just means the function wants a list, like an array or hash." I understand very well that the O'Reilly books are godawful for a beginner b/c that's where I started and suffered long from every explanation that said simply, "It's just like in C, so we won't explain it." That said, the books are pretty terrific once you're at a level to absorb them, but steer clear before then, unless you already know everything that POSIX means.

It might be tempting to pick up this book b/c there are pretty much no Perl books for those who haven't coded already. You should consider "The Elements of Perl" instead of this one. It's a better start for beginners and a wonderful way to start to understand Perl, its idioms, its culture, and how to program well. There is also "The Perl Black Book" which is a much better overview of the Perl than any single O'Reilly book, though the author isn't a guru, he's a good writer and tackles everything from the basics to advanced stuff with lots of examples and a CD with all the code.

Perl is wonderful, so please do pick up a book, just not this one.



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Review of Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Bible (Paperback)

The small non-profit company I work for needed a website, and I drew the short straw for designing and maintaining it.We bought the Studio MX suite, and I hoped this book would cover everything I needed to design a simple, yet cool website.

The thing is it DOES cover EVERYTHING I needed, but it is SO overwhelming in all the details, I was pulling my hair out and wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

You really have have some experience with website design before attempting this book.I had no idea what to do, and couldn't filter out what applied to me and what didn't; I needed a little more hand-holding than this book offered.Now that I've been through the H.O.T. and Naked series of help books (which others complain of being too basic), I'm much more comfortable with this book.I'll definitely be using it as a reference as I add dynamic content to the simple website I've built.

Overall, this book is an excellent resource for intermediate or advanced users.Beginners should shop around for other books before buying this one.

Product Description
Packed with hands-on instruction, and expert tutorials from the crème de la crème of the Macromedia development community, Macromedia Studio MX 2004 Bible is everything web developers need to build cutting-edge applications with Macromedia's product line. Covering of all the Studio MX 2004 applications - Dreamweaver MX 2004, Fireworks MX 2004, Flash MX 2004, ColdFusion 6.1, and FreeHand MX, Macromedia web development expert Joyce Evans guides readers through the use of each product, but more importantly, how they can be used together to build next-generation, data-driven web applications. Topics covered include:

• Building data-enabled sites with Dreamweaver 2004
• Creating Flash MX 2004 animations
• Working with ActionScript
• Creating web graphics and animations with Fireworks MX 2004
• Building interactive ColdFusion Applications
• Integrating Flash and ColdFusion
• Drawing vector art with Freehand MX

The Companion CD-Rom incl udes trial versions of the software as well as extensions, sample databases, images and applications.

From the Back Cover
"Joyce Evans' ability to teach readers how to use the tools in Studio MX 2004 together, as an end-to-end solution for building great sites, makes this book a must-have for every Web developer using Macromedia tools."
--;Andrew Spedzia, Web Developer, arttask.com

If Macromedia Studio MX 2004 can do it, you can do it too...

Macromedia Studio MX 2004 offers a revolutionary set of integrated tools for Web developers. This book gives you control of its power. You'll benefit from the expertise of volunteers, beta testers, and advisory board members who share the inside track on Dreamweaver MX 2004, Fireworks MX 2004, Flash MX 2004, FreeHand MX, and ColdFusion MX 6.1 versions. Whether you're building your first Web site or seeking advanced guidance on the newest tools, you'll find the information, instructions, and tutorials that let you create cutting-edge sites.

Inside, you'll find complete coverage of Macromedia Studio MX 2004

• Learn to use the Studio MX 2004 tools together to create dynamic sites
• Add ColdFusion MX 6.1 capabilities from within Dreamweaver MX 2004--;without writing a single line of code
• Develop superb animations with the new Flash MX 2004 capabilities
• Design Web pages with Dreamweaver MX 2004 using tables or CSS style sheets, pop-up menus, and third-party extensions
• Learn to optimize images in Fireworks for smaller file sizes, then slice and export them as a fully functioning Web page

Bonus CD-ROM

• Demo versions of Image Doctor, Wild Flix Pro, and Xenofex 2
• Trial versions of Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004, Fireworks MX 2004, Flash MX 2004, and ColdFusion Server MX
• Bonus chapters, tutorials, code listings, and more

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Review of Red Hat Linux 9 Bible (Paperback)

I have been attempting redhat since release 6.1 have never come across a good reference manual, bought over 6 books,today finally someone has taken the initiative to write a well documented manual, anything that you can think of is pretty much covered in the book, I best like the guidance on how to setup redhat to perform according to certain situations, the writer simply puts it across in english.

+980 pages of information, the book was so simple to read I managed to complete it in 2 days.

Alot of other boks simply point to online references this book is what you require, you will be referring to it on daily basis, I think the best approach is to read the whole book first then go through it once again step by step chapter by chapter.

The most important aspects of securing the server the network setups, mysql apache and sendmail all covered as well as non bias information to other 3rd party applications the writer simply puts across his point of view and lets you decide from the option paths yo want to take.

Kudus to the writer simply the best buy.

Product Description
"The definitive work on Red Hat Linux. Chain it to your desk. You'll browse others, but you'll wear this one out."
-Nicholas Petreley, Founding Editor of LinuxWorld
If Red Hat Linux 9 can do it, you can do it too...
Activate the power of Red Hat Linux 9, the most popular distribution of this practical, economical operating system, with the in-depth information in this comprehensive reference manual. If you're exploring Linux for the first time, the hands-on instructions for installing, configuring, and customizing the system will get you going with confidence. If you're a Red Hat veteran, Linux expert Christopher Negus gives you everything you need to administer the latest desktop, server, and networking enhancements, plus much more.
Inside, you'll find complete coverage of Red Hat Linux 9
* Explore GNOME and KDE desktop menus, panels, file managers, workspaces, and themes
* Configure a firewall to share your Internet connection and protect your LAN
* Run applications for Internet browsing, publishing, music, video, and gaming
* Construct your own public Internet server, complete with mail, DNS, FTP, and Web services
* Administer users, manage backups, and automate system tasks
* Create dial-up connections, wireless LANs, and virtual private networks (CIPE)
* Set up Windows (Samba), Mac (netatalk), or NetWare (mars-nwe) file and print sharing from Linux
* Use the Red Hat Network up2date facility to easily get software updates
Special 3 CD-ROM version of Red Hat Linux 9, with 260 additional packages not included in the standard 2 CD Publisher's Edition
Red Hat Linux 9 core includes: Linux kernel, GNU C compiler, GNOME desktop, Apache Web server, Samba Windows file/print sharing, CUPS print service, Sendmail mail server, and BIND DNS server
Additional packages include:
* KDE desktop
* samba-swat
* vsftpd
* spamassassin
* sendmail-cf
* Legacy UNIX network services
* Tripwire
* sndconfig

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Review of MUD Game Programming (Game Development) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

When I read Ron Penton's first book, Data Structures for Game Programming, I couldn't wait to see what he did next. MUD Game Programming lived up to all of my expectations, and indeed surpassed them.

The author has an extraordinary knack for making complex topics understandable -- and, equally important, making them interesting. Reading MUD Game Programming is like having a friendly, cheerful expert sitting down next to you and showing you the tricks of the trade. Instead of just telling you what to do, he explains the thinking behind the decisions that go into the design of a complex program such as a MUD server, enabling you to make the decisions that are right for your own project, which might not be the same. You end up with not just knowledge but understanding.

I highly recommend MUD Game Programming to people doing any type of network-based multiplayer programming, not just traditional MUDs. I'd give this book six stars if they'd let me.

Product Description
MUD applies to the genre of games that are designed to be multi-player communities. To create todays ultra-popular MMORPG's, a solid background in MUD programming is necessary. "MUD Game Programming" teaches you everything you need to know about the protocols needed and concepts used for all sorts of multi-user-dungeon games. While this book is aimed at those who want to learn the basics of client-server based "dungeon" games, it is not limited specifically to a medieval theme. It includes coverage of basic networking, layered protocol format for the internet, text MUD concepts, graphical MUD concepts, and more.

About the Author
Ron Penton is an independent programmer with a primary interest in computer games.He began using GW-BASIC in 1989, moved on to Visual Basic 4 in 1995, QBasic in 1996, and learned C++ in 1997.Ron began working on his degree in 1998 at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is working on completing his Bachelors in Computer Science at the University of Buffalo. Ron contributed a chapter in the book titled "Game Programming All in One" published by Premier Press.

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Review of Virus Proof : The Ultimate Guide to Protecting Your PC (Paperback)

If you want to learn how viruses work or how to create one or how to detect one, forget them. This book is too shallow. He will teach you what viruses are, how to send anonymous e-mails and others things like that. That's all. If you really need to understand about viruses try a different book, please.

Product Description
Like biological viruses, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult to get rid of without causing damage. Virus Proof: The Ultimate Guide to Protecting Your System provides key steps you should take to protect your system from these destructive viruses. Inside you will learn how to recover data that is lost as a result of a virus, what common viruses do, and how they spread.Virus Proof is an excellent resource for any computer user, from the beginner to the expert.

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Review of The SAS Workbook Solutions (Paperback)

This is the second book of the author's set; Book 1, "The SAS Workbook" contains the problems and context for the solutions presented here in Book 2, "Solutions" (the two-volume set is available at Amazon). I don't know why anyone would purchase the Solutions book only instead of the set (perhaps a copy of the SAS Workbook" is available).

These are challenging problems, probably most appropriate for the intermediate to intermediate-advanced SAS programmer. The answer book is limited to solutions, with little or no discussion of pitfalls, alternatives, or the logic behind the answers. Therefore, if you do not immediately understand the solution, you will need to work backwards, pick it apart, or use some other technique (like asking someone). This somewhat limits its audience to those who are more experienced. I hope either Cody or someone else will have a more instructive answer book in the future. Still, at this time, with so few books like this available, this is a great way to test and expand your knowledge. (Although you may also wish to examine the shorter but cheaper "test" book by Robert Virgile, also available from Amazon.)

The four sections of the "Workbook" are "Data Step Programming," "Procedures," "SAS Programming Techniques," and "Statistics Problems." Each of these sections has several brief topics; for example, Data Step Programming includes combining data sets, using IF-THEN/ELSE and other logical operators, numerical functions, dates, arrays, and working with longitudinal data.

Why two separate books? Cody explains that the "solution is obvious once you see it" and "the learning potential of the book is lost." He therefore "removed the temptation for students to flip to the back of the book." (Come now, aren't we more disciplined than that?). A more persuasive argument is that "teachers may...feel more comfortable in assigning problems without the solutions too close at hand." Recommendation: Buy the set, especially if you are an intermediate to advanced user.

Product Description
This book provides solutions to the problems in TheSASWorkbook. Use it to compare your own programs to those created bythe author of the problems workbook. Alternate solutions are offeredfor a number of the problems. The solutions book is also available aspart of the set The SAS Workbook and Solutions.

Supports releases 6.09 and higher of SAS software.

About the Author
Ronald P. Cody
Ronald P. Cody, Ed.D., coauthor of two books, Applied Statisticsand the SAS Programming Language, Third Edition, and SASProgramming by Example, has over 17 years of experience usingand teaching the SAS System.A prolific contributor to national,regional, and local users group conferences, Cody is a professorand researcher in the medical field.

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