A truly outstanding book

This book is definitely worth having on your bookshelf. It breaks down one of the most complex and demanding subjects into delightful, succinct and digestible pieces.<br /><br />Having dredged my way through similar books in the past, I wasn't expecting too much, but Programming Collective Intelligence is remarkable. I found this book gripping; completing each example was very rewarding, and has now got me hooked on learning more.<br /><br />I ended up working my way through the entire book, and really feel that it was time well spent. I now feel that I actually understand the concepts and algorithms surrounding machine learning/AI/data mining, and as a bonus have become familiar with a huge number of web 2.0 APIs.<br /><br />The source code is almost impeccable. Most programming books falter on sloppy and/or incomplete code, but Programming Collective Intelligence is well explained and has the complete Python code written in the book, as well as being available for download. I was able to do every example without any major problems, despite having never used the Python language before.<br /><br />Well written & diagrammed, with good examples and wonderful explanations: this a fantastic book, and to be highly recommended.

Needs updating

This is definitely good value for money :- clear layout, attractively designed, good handy size to pop into a camera bag, easy to read and digest. However, I'm a bit confused that Amazon states it was printed in 2006 because my copy says 2005, please correct me if I'm wrong. I feel that it needs updating regarding megapixels, memory cards etc. and if it were, then it would certainly deserve 5 stars.

What a nerve... I feel cheated !!!

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Maximum Performance: Unleash the hidden performance of Elements by Mark Galer is a rip-of. Anyone that has read my previous review on the same book title, (read Elements 5 and not 6) would know that in me you are already talking to the converted. That book and indeed this book are just perfection in themselves and for the average Element user this book will explain AND show you how it should be done and what can be achieved by the powerful piece of software called Photoshop Elements 6. By now I expect you are thinking that my initial comment was a contradiction in terms. Well not necessarily so as I write this review to save others from spending their hard earned cash that I have unnecessarily already spent.<br /><br />Because of my previous pe5 book purchase (and review) by this Author, when I upgraded (yet again Adobe!!) to pe6 I naturally wanted Mark Galer's new book once more. It topped my 'wish list'. Thinking of coarse that it would hold new articles and new tutorials, certainly new videos, in fact new everything. I was wrong. This book is just a simple update of pe5 with a few more paragraphs and words thrown in here and there together with all the old and same videos. Yes it does differ slightly in certain areas but it would appear to me that the distributor simply said:"Let's do a new pe6 book Mark, we'll just throw in a couple of new sentences and a couple of pictures to make em' think its new! Maybe a new front cover? That will fool them all into thinking etc etc etc" Well it fooled me and that's a fact. Now at a huge £ 18.99p (todays date) this new books entire content was and is a massive disappointment to me. It's a re-hash and to re-use the original videos, pictures, tuts etc., as originally in the pe5 book is, quite frankly, taking a liberty........ I could use stronger words, but maybe not for this review.<br /><br />So to conclude, I cannot say that this book is worthless, it is as brilliant as was his pe5 book.... hence my review there. Trouble is it's 98% the SAME book....... !! If you have just recently purchased pe6 then it is still THE BOOK in my opinion and on that basis I cannot downgrade my original 5* rating without appearing to be hypocritical. However for those of us that had already purchased Mark Galer's Elements 5 book, it's a bloody impertinence at the very least ..... regretfully. Hope this review will help some to save their dosh. All IMHO of coarse.

Java 6 (Teach YourSelf)

A very good and well written book. Covers all the basics and more advanced concepts of java programming. Unlike some books it shows fully coded working examples. <br />I would recommend this book to any students at university (like myself) or wanna be programmers.

could do better

As probably already mentioned in lots of other reviews, yes, this is written by the people who write the exam, yes it does contain all the topics in the exam and yes it does contain a whole raft of jokes that aren't funny, spoil the flow of the book and should be removed.<br /><br />What people seem to ignore is that the book in parts is very good but in other parts it is dreadful. It is supposed to be teaching everything about the exam but it is ambiguous, there are large chunks of vital information that is missed, and some chapters only describe the finer points of chapter's topic in the answer to the end of chapter lesson after you get it wrong because it wasn't described anywhere else!<br /><br />If I could go back, I'd buy a different book that was purely for the SCJP.<br /><br />One other thing to bare in mind, this book won't teach you java; it will teach you some core java concepts, but mostly it will teach you about all the things you don't need to know, will never use and let you know how to try and spot errors that you shouldn't have to spot. But, that is what the SCJP exam is about, not knowing about Java, rather knowing about stuff that's irrelevant! So in that respect, the book is a necessity as only the authors of the exam know how daft the questions they've created are - which begs the question - is the exam as it is so that they could get this book published, or is the book a response to the exam?<br />

Start Here ...

If there is one book I would recommend to anyone with an interest in creating a website then this would be it. The book is an excellent introduction to not only XHTML and CSS but also the main features that make up a website. In a light-hearted, easy-to-read way, it covers topics such as use of graphics, form creation, website hosting options and even blogging. And if that's not enough, it ends by giving you pointers on what you could go on to learn. Most importantly for a beginners guide to web design, it gives an excellent grounding in creating websites using web standards ... no table based design here ...

If I could give it 6 stars...

For the last 5 years I have been writing C++ code, and discovering coding 'patterns' for myself. Each time, I thought that there must be a book out there which documents these 'patterns', and would save me months of work figuring them out for myself. This is that book, and it does not disappoint.<br /><br />The 23 patterns are built on a set of core principles. I was aware of these principles before, but seeing their application in pattern after pattern has given me a much better and deeper understanding of how and why to apply these principles in my own code.<br /><br />I would probably have used some of the patterns, some of the time. But after such a clear and deep explanation of each one, I now see opportunities to use the patterns frequently. And in each case, I realise why my code will be better with them than if I hadn't used them.<br /><br />Reading this book immediately improved my coding skills by an order of magnitude. <br /><br />This book belongs on the shelf of every C++ coder, alongside Meyers 'Effective C++' and Beck's 'Extreme Programming Explained'.

#1 DIYmcse.com {{RECOMMENDED}}

This set of books covers the four Microsoft MCSA/E core exams.<br /><br />Having purchased and read these books, there really is no other set which is as comprehensive or well written.<br /><br />Youl will find these books accurate and concise and note a vast amount of"real world" experience referenced inside them.<br /><br />Hope this helps!<br /><br />Mike Firth<br />www.DIYmcse.com<br />

A bit outdated...

Bought this book on the recommendation of a friend, bought"Debugging the Development Environment" on the recommendation of my boss and would probably recommend neither for todays fluidic environments. Mythical Man Month contains a somewhat outdated view of software development, more suitably apt for an age when only long time development projects for mainframes existed and Web/PC development had not been heard of.<br /><br />Still relevant in parts to large waterfall based development projects, not helpful with RAD/Extreme and other more modern, small team development methods and probably only a useful read if you are new to project teams and/or have not worked in an IT environment

Excellent introduction into VB 2008

This is an excellent introduction into the art of Visual Basic 2008 programming, from start to finish it comprehensively covers in enough detail to enable you to start cutting code. <br /><br />If you're new to programming or just want to learn Visual Basic then I'd strongly recommend this book.<br />

Review Building Websites with Joomla! 1.5

Content.<br /><br />The book is a tutorial guide to Joomla! 1.5 and was already written and published during the development of Joomla! 1.5. This is the final version and it aims for"web developers, designers, webmasters, content editors and marketing professionals" and is suitable for anyone starting out with Joomla! 1.5, for people who upgrade to Joomla 1.5 and for those who just want a good printed guide/manual at hand.<br /><br />Step through.<br /><br />The first chapter called Terms, Concepts, and Deliberations lays the foundation for the rest of the book. I think this chapter clearly shows the author's fine teaching skills. Without realising it, the reader will be handed all the important basics and principles behind Joomla!. Here you will find an answer to questions about the history an structure of a great CMS. Among other things there is a great almost rant like comparison between the business models of Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. You can read about the spin-off from Mambo and the structure of a CMS. The chapter end's with an appetizer, showing off some web pages made in Joomla!.<br /><br />Chapter two steps you through the installation of Joomla!. In only 20 pages, you will be shown what you need to install, run and manage Joomla. And then it steps you through several kind of installations on either Windows, several flavors of Linux and even a VPS. You will be shown how to setup a testing system or a production system and the differences between them. Installing Joomla! is a piece of cake, grab a bite.<br /><br />Chapter three will then show you around through your newly installed system. It is a quick tour that is supposed to get you acquainted with the basic structure of the system. Joomla! tends to be a bit confusing in it's initial state because the sample data was meant to show off as many aspects as possible. Therefore it sometimes is a bit overwhelming. This chapter helps you to understand what you are actually seeing.<br /><br />From chapter four to eleven give you a clear and understandable breakdown of all the features Joomla! has to offer you in it's basic state. Starting with the handling of several languages and the exterior look that can be changed by templates. Then the introduction to the administration interface. Once that has been covered , the book will guide you through the many setting that can be altered in the site menu. This is a typical 'must' read section as a lot of these settings will also influence the security of your system. Don't start without reading and understanding this. The following chapters explain how to create menus and content, and how to use some of the pre-installed components. Chapter ten will then show you how to use the extension menu. It's a considerably important chapter as it offers you the power to create the sites shown at the end of the first chapter, by extending and changing the default capabilities of Joomla.<br /><br />Up to this point Hagen has given you a full manual to Joomla! 1.5. But the book doesn't stop here. In chapter 12 Hagen shows you how to use a few extensions that, not only show you once more, how to incorporate third party extensions in your website, but also gives you a few fine examples to add to your site. Fireboard is the more or less recognised standard for a forum extension. If you build a community site with forums this is the way you want to go. DOCman is an extension that will make your content management even better. DOCman enables you to work with remotely stored documents and enables an access control system. Exposé Flash Gallery will render images and video with the so called 'ahhhh' effect. It is based on Adobe's flash format and has many different options to present your images or videos. Now you don't have to install these to use Joomla!, but I can assure you from experience that it will make your Joomla! live much easier and interesting if you do.<br /><br />Chapter 13 goes to the inner works of Joomla. The templates. These are made of a mixture of HTML, PHP and Joomla! tags to construct the final display of your site. This chapter shows you how to change or even create a template. This chapter is completed by chapter 14 that was actually written by Angie Radtke who created the Beez template. The chapter discusses the so called Barrier Freedom and demonstrates it use in the Beez template. To cut things short, it shows you how to NOT exclude people with a disability from your website, which is in some (civilized) countries indeed a legal requirement. I can only hope that Google uses these standard guidelines in it's web ranking system. The nice thing about this chapter is that it will show you how to change the Beez template by its own author. And before you ask, making the Beez re-size dynamically you just edit position.css where it says max-width: 1000px; to max-width: 100%; and deal with the pain :-) If you want to make a serious template please do consider reading this chapter.<br /><br /><br />Chapter 15 shows you basically how to create your own extensions. It covers a complete framework that can get you started and shows you the basics of MVC programming in php. If you want do do some serious extensions you are better off with one of the other Joomla books available that cover the subject explicitly, like Mastering Joomla! 1.5 Extension and framework development from the same publisher by James Kennard. Never the less this chapter gives a good impression of the work involved by stepping you through every aspect in the making of a real usable component.<br /><br />Chapter 16 and 17 form the grand finale. Here the author takes you through a step by step approach to develop a website with Joomla! 1.5. All the experience from prior chapters will be applied in a practical experience. In fact in a merely 30 pages, you will be building a website for a fictional family business site. After this building your own site will/should prove as easy as Joomla!.<br /><br />Conclusion.<br /><br />The book is very complete. It is a real beginning to end piece that has great instructional value. I can see it easily implemented in workshops etc. Up to chapter 13 not much knowledge is needed. Chapter 13 to 15 require some experience with php/html to be completely understandable. The only thing I really miss is a chapter about security. A lot of sites get hacked because of the behaviour of beginning developers. Some simple guidelines would have made a great addition especially for the beginning administrator. Hagen Graf was able to transfer his knowledge of the subject, combined with his teaching knowledge, in a way that organises the book into a complete tutoring and reference document. He is not just listing features and their use but also explains very clearly how Joomla! happened, what technology was used and how everything evolved. He is clearly very passionate about Joomla! which shows already in the preface starting of with"Joomla! is life!". But anyone that ever worked with Joomla! will easily forgive him and might be equally enthusiastic or become it after reading this book.<br />

Who is this book aimed at?????

As with most books on learning how to program, it's not so much the actuall programming that's the hard part - but the language of the 40 year expert. Within 3-4 pages this book is covering things that maybe shouldn't be covered so early on. And if your new to C, you should maybe consider this as your second book (but at the end of the day, why do you need two?? One should suffice). <br /><br />The author has made some quite large assumptions about the reader - in-that he already knows some C; and has a grasp of the language used amongst programmers. And that's were this book doesn't really make sense.<br /><br />==========================<br /><br />I wrote the above review in April last year (almost 1 year ago), knowing very little C. As I've become more and more versed in C, i've noticed the use of this book has risen exponentially, I would advise anyone who wants to get to know C and really become a good programmer to buy this book. I'd still advise beginners in the subject the start elsewhere.<br /><br />I change my two stars to FIVE!

Brilliant book

Manning seem to be hitting the nail on the head when it comes to open source Java technologies. This 2nd edition is a great book, from start to finish. Much more than an introduction to the (also great) Spring framework, it covers each of the key topics in depth, with just the right amount of example code. The only competition at the moment is Pro Spring, which is a good book, but has nothing on this. Pro Spring is rather dry and is a couple of years old, whereas this book is appropriately humorous and currently up-to-date. It explores the basics such as bean wiring well, but covers more advanced topics such as AOP, Spring Security (aka acegi), Spring MVC and Web Services with excellent lucidity. The author knows both what to cover, and how to impart his knowledge. I can't rate this product highly enough, it is one of the best technical books I have bought.

THE Prince2 book ...

This is the one - if you want to understand Prince2 or take either the foundation or practitioner exams. However be warned most courses will supply this book so if you are looking to take a course and then the exams you'd be better off with the small handheld guide and/or alternative books as this book will be provided as part of the course (please check with your proposed provider!). <br />Quite a difficult book to read and assimilate but once the concepts have got in your head it is THE reference book. Often used after the course to support specific areas. <br />Once you've seen others with the book and taken the exams you'll soon understand why everyone's copies have tabs sticking out all over them!<br />Good luck with your studies...

Brilliant book - essential for Speedlite novices

I've recently bought my first camera and the Canon Speedlite 580 EX to go with it. After hours on the internet I still had no idea how to use the flash. The instruction booklet is accurate, but very brief. Hence I was confused about how to set the flash up and when to use the various functions.<br /><br />This book is very detailed and has lots of clear photos and instructions on how to use the flash. Furthermore it has real world advice on which features to use for various sorts of pictures.<br /><br />As far as I know it is the only book of it's kind and essential for anyone using Canon's Speedlites for the first time. Professionals probably wouldn't get much from the book, but then it is aimed at amateurs and enthusiasts.

An excellent read

Zittrain's book is a rare treat. Incisive without being trite and detailed without being dull. It is one of the rare books on the internet that is readable by both the amateur and the expert. It opens our eyes to the danger of neglecting the power of a generative internet. No-one can read this book without thinking differently about the internet afterwards. It will shape our future. <br />Disclaimer: The author of this review is a (soon to be former) colleague of Zittrain's at the University of Oxford but one whose work lies far from this area and whose eyes were opened widely by this book.

Moving from Joomla 1.0 to 1.5

I came to this book having previously implemented a Joomla 1.0 site, wanting to know what Joomla 1.5 has to offer. The depth of Barrie North's knowledge is impressive and his explanations are very clear. I found myself focussing on chapters 9 and beyond, covering templates and examples of practical site implementation, dipping back into previous chapters for reference detail. The book was written before the Joomla 1.0 to 1.5 migration process was finalised, so it doesn't cover practical migration steps. However, this topic is well documented on the Joomla site.<br /><br />Some advanced subjects are well covered, such as Google Adwords conversion, going beyond other books I have read. The book does a good job of explaining Joomla to the new user and clarifying topics for the more experienced user.<br /><br />I thoroughly recommend the book.

Programming Philosophy By Analogy

This is a refreshingly different book which uses a lot of real-life analogies that relate to the software development paradigm. For instance the"Broken Windows" analogy for"Zero Tolerance Construction" was very useful; they just had to explain the analogy and I could already see how it related to software engineering practice. <br /><br />In most of the cases their philosophy reinforced the ideas I had developed myself over the years, such as witnessing design patterns being used inappropriately.<br /><br />I didn't agree with all of their advice, for instance they suggest learning new programming languages, when really they should suggest to just continue learning and keep up-to-date on industry trends.<br /><br />The ability to explain software engineering principles with real-world analogies helps with communicating them to laypersons (end-users) who, after all, don't understand UML notation. Much of the book is"obvious" but it helps to take a step back from time to time and be refreshed.<br />