Computer Book Reviews - Computer Programming Book Reviews - IT eBooks Download

The Adobe Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:02:00 +0000

Publisher	New Riders
Author(s)	Scott Kelby
ISBN	0321492161
Release Date	12 January 2007

Books Description :

You've just purchased Adobe Lightroom, the brand-new, revolutionary workflow application. Now what? Pick up this book, written by best-selling author Scott Kelby to give you all the dirt you need to allow you to work faster, smarter, and more creatively. You'll learn the essential shortcuts you need to know to save hours every week, the best ways to import and organize your images, which tools and features to really hone in on to get the most out of this application, how to manage your photos like a pro, plus all the inside secrets on processing raw images. You'll also learn how to use Lightroom together with Photoshop to get the best, most efficient workflow, along with the best images. Finally, the book is loaded with tips, tricks, and insights that will absolutely transform the way you work with digital images!

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Windows Vista(TM) Inside Out

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:42:00 +0000

Publisher	Microsoft Press
Author(s)	Craig Stinson
ISBN	0735622701
Release Date	18 January 2007

Books Description :

Written by the authors of the immensely popular Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out, this book packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for using the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating systemall in concise, fast-answer format. Dig into the work-ready tools and resources that help you take your Windows Vista experience to the next level. Get the answers you need to use the new features of Windows Vista, including the sidebar and gadgets, and the Windows slideshow. Youll also discover how to use new features in Microsoft Windows Media Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. Get up-to-date information on how to configure and customize your desktop, how to use new security-enhanced features, and more.

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Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:33:00 +0000

Publisher	O'Reilly
Author(s)	Matthew MacDonald
ISBN	0596528329
Release Date	23 January 2007

Books Description :

Fast-paced and easy to use, this new book teaches you the basics of Excel 2007 so you can start using the program right away. This concise guide shows readers how to work with Excel's most useful features and its completely redesigned interface. With clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, lots of illustrations, and plenty of timesaving advice, Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual will quickly teach you to:

- Build spreadsheets
- Add and format information
- Print reports
- Create charts and graphics
- Use basic formulas and functions
- and more

The new Excel is radically different from previous versions. Over the years, Excel has grown in power, sophistication and capability, but its once-simple toolbar has been packed with so many features that not even the pros could find them all. For Excel 2007, Microsoft redesigned the user interface completely, adding a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate.

Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as scant as ever, so even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. But with this book, you can breeze through the new user interface and its timesaving features in no time. Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information.

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Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 13:21:00 +0000

Publisher	O'Reilly
Author(s)	Matthew MacDonald
ISBN	0596528337
Release Date	25 January 2007

Books Description :

This fast-paced book teaches you the basics of Access 2007 so you can start using this popular database program right away. You'll learn how to work with Access' most useful features to design databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry. The new Access is radically different from previous versions, but with this book, you'll breeze through the new interface and its timesaving features in no time with:

- Clear explanations
- Step-by-step instructions
- Lots of illustrations
- Larger type
- Plenty of friendly advice

Ideal for small businesses and households, Access runs on PCs and manages large stores information, including numbers, pages of text, and pictures -- everything from a list of family phone numbers to an enormous product catalog. Unfortunately, each new version of the program crammed in yet another set of features -- so many that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks the mold: Microsoft changed the user interface by designing a tabbed toolbar that makes features easy to locate. One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation.

Even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information.

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Pro JavaScript Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 09:07:00 +0000

Publisher Apress

Author(s) John Resig

ISBN 1590597273

Release Date 11 December 2006

Books Description :

Pro JavaScript Techniques is the ultimate JavaScript book for the modern web developer. It provides everything you need to know about modern JavaScript, and shows what JavaScript can do for your web sites. This book doesn't waste any time looking at things you already know, like basic syntax and structures.

Expert web developer and author John Resig concentrates on fundamental, vital topics--what modern JavaScripting is (and isn't), the current state of browser support, and pitfalls to be wary of. The book is organized into four sections:

Modern JavaScript development--using JavaScript the object-oriented way, creating reusable code, plus testing and debugging
DOM scripting--updating content and styles, plus events, and effect and event libraries
Ajax--how Ajax works, overcoming problems, and using libraries to speed up development of Ajax applications
The future of JavaScript--looking at cutting edge topics like JSON, HTML 5, and more

All concepts are backed up by real-world examples and case studies, and John provides numerous reusable functions and classes to save you time in your development. There are also up-to-date reference appendixes for the DOM, events, browser support (including IE7), and frameworks--so you can look up specific details quickly and easily.

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Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2005 Administrator's Companion (Pro - Administrator's Companion)

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:54:00 +0000

Publisher Microsoft Press

Author(s) Edward Whalen

ISBN 0735621985

Release Date 13 December 2006

Books Description :

This comprehensive administrator's reference delivers the details you need to successfully plan, deploy, administer, and support Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The authors - experts in database technologies - provide easy-to-follow procedures, practical workarounds, and key troubleshooting tactics for everyday, on-the-job results. Delve into system features and capabilities - and get hands-on insights for implementing business intelligence applications in organizations of any size. This book covers planning and designing optimal database systems, configuring SQL Server to your I/O system and model system capacity, optimizing for improved performance, and data analysis and reporting. With the ADMINISTRATOR'S COMPANION, you get the in-depth information you need in a single volume. Includes a companion CD.

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From After Effects to Flash: Poetry in Motion Graphics

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:44:00 +0000

Publisher friends of ED

Author(s) Tom Green

ISBN 1590597486

Release Date 11 December 2006

Books Description :

As a Flash 8 designer, you have discovered the power of the video tools in the application. The new filters and effects and ActionScript classes allow you to create a variety of stunning visual effects in Flash. What you probably haven't discovered is how easy it is empower your video hundreds of times more by combining the many effects and tools in After Effects 7 Professional with Flash!

This book, the first to explore the potential power and creativity boost that can be unleashed when After Effects and Flash are used together, is designed to get you up to speed with working in these two applications while hitting you with some creative innovation. You will discover how effectively you can use After Effects to create video and animation effects that were either extremely difficult or impossible to achieve in Flash.

By the end of this book, you will have created a variety of projects ranging from text effects, masks, and alpha channel video to 3D effects and audio visualization. All are designed to show you the potential available to you with these two powerhouse applications, and, more importantly, to expand the arsenal of creative motion graphics tools at your disposal.

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Python Phrasebook (Developer's Library)

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:50:00 +0000

Publisher	Sams
Author(s)	Brad Dayley
ISBN	0672329107
Release Date	06 November 2006

Books Description :

Python Phrasebook gives you the code phrases you need to quickly and effectively complete your programming projects in Python.

Concise and Accessible

Easy to carry and easy to use—lets you ditch all those bulky books for one portable guide

Flexible and Functional

Packed with more than 100 customizable code snippets—so you can readily code functional Python in just about any situation

Customer Reviews :

Reviewer: Dennis Gilmore

Has great little snippets of code. is very clear in what is says and how to achieve your goals. While it seems to be intended at people with prior Python experience. I had previously only done python debugging. and that combined with perl, bash and C experience i was able to pick up the concepts and get functional quickly (I got done what i wanted to quickly). It is a handy little guide that I am sure I will use regularly.

Almost everything I wanted to accomplish I got done just by using this book.

two weak points.
1) could have covered number formatting in output
2) dealing with dates is not really covered

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Start-to-Finish Visual Basic 2005: Learn Visual Basic 2005 as You Design and Develop a Complete Application

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:43:00 +0000

Publisher	Addison-Wesley
Author(s)	Tim Patrick
ISBN	0321398009
Release Date	07 November 2006

Books Description :

Writing a book is a lot like writing a Visual Basic application. Well, except for the parts about finding a publisher and working with an editor. And then there's that pesky rule about correct spelling. Come to think of it, they're really quite different. But in one way, books and programs are similar: They are both written to meet the needs of the user. When writing software applications, the user's needs drive the organization and features of the final program. When writing a book, like the one you're looking at now, the needs of the user—that's you, the reader—drive the organization and features of the final text.

So it was with you in mind that I set out to write this book. Oh, there's the fame and the prestige, but it's really about you. You, the person who seeks to understand Visual Basic and the .NET Framework on which it is built. When I thought about you and your needs, I came up with these ideas:

You might know how to program, but maybe not. In the programming world, there are four types of people: (1) those who already program joyfully; (2) those who don't program, but will learn it and love it; (3) those who don't program, but will learn it and struggle; and (4) those who should return this book immediately to the bookstore. If you are in one of the first three groups, this book is definitely for you. I believe that anyone who can break down a task into its basic step-by-step instructions can successfully program in Visual Basic. If you are unsure about your ability to quantify tasks in this way, you might want to start out with a book on basic programming concepts. One example is Dan Appleman's How Computer Programming Works (Apress, 2000).
You might know how to program in Visual Basic or .NET, but maybe not. And that's OK, because this book will teach you. Most of the chapters introduce important topics in Visual Basic and .NET development, like object-oriented programming concepts, or using the different types of variables available to you, or interacting with a database. If you already know how to use Visual Basic 6 or earlier, that's great, but it's not a prerequisite.
You want to write programs. Most programming books teach you to write code in ten-line increments. At least that's what's scattered throughout their pages. I've put some of those "code snippets" in this book. But I spend my days writing real programs, not ten-line sample programs. If you want to write whole programs, you should learn using whole programs. And so I also put a program in my book—a whole program. Over the next several hundred pages, I will develop a real program—a database for a small library—and you will write it with me.

I put all of these ideas into 25 easy-to-read chapters and had Addison-Wesley glue the pages together for your convenience. When you reach the index, you will have learned how to write complete programs in Visual Basic and .NET. It will be a programming adventure, so let's get started!

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PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy (Solutions)

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:13:00 +0000

Publisher	friends of ED
Author(s)	David Powers
ISBN	1590597311
Release Date	20 November 2006

Books Description :

In this book you'll learn how to:

Create dynamic websites with design and usability in mind, as well as functionality
Understand how PHP scripts work, giving you confidence to adapt them to your own needs
Bring online forms to life, check required fields, and ensure user input is safe to process
Upload files and automatically create thumbnails from larger images
Manage website content with a searchable database

You want to make your websites more dynamic by adding a feedback form, creating a private area where members can upload images that are automatically resized, or perhaps storing all your content in a database. The problem is, you're not a programmer and the thought of writing code sends a chill up your spine. Or maybe you've dabbled a bit in PHP and MySQL, but you can't get past baby steps. If this describes you, then you've just found the right book.

PHP and the MySQL database are deservedly the most popular combination for creating dynamic websites. They're free, easy to use, and provided by many web hosting companies in their standard packages. Unfortunately, most PHP books either expect you to be an expert already or force you to go through endless exercises of little practical value. In contrast, this book gives you real value right away through a series of practical examples that you can incorporate directly into your sites, optimizing performance and adding functionality such as file uploading, email feedback forms, image galleries, content management systems, and much more. Each solution is created with not only functionality in mind, but also visual design.

But this book doesn't just provide a collection of ready-made scripts: each PHP Solution builds on what's gone before, teaching you the basics of PHP and database design quickly and painlessly. By the end of the book, you'll have the confidence to start writing your own scripts or&8212;if you prefer to leave that task to others--to adapt existing scripts to your own requirements.

Right from the start, you're shown how easy it is to protect your sites by adopting secure coding practices. The book has been written with an eye on forward and backward compatibility--recommending the latest PHP 5 techniques, but providing alternative solutions for servers still running PHP 4.3. All database examples demonstrate how to use the original MySQL extension, MySQL Improved, or the PHP Data Objects (PDO) introduced in PHP 5.1, letting you choose the most suitable option for your setup.

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Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 On Demand

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Publisher	Que
Author(s)	Perspection Inc.
ISBN	0789736438
Release Date	08 December 2006

Books Description :

This book uses real-world examples to give you a context in which to use the task. This book also includes workshops to help you put together individual tasks into projects. The PowerPoint example files that you need for project tasks are available at www.perspection.com.

Perspection has written and produced books on a variety of computer software–including Microsoft Office 2003 and XP, Microsoft Windows XP, Apple Mac OS X Panther, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Macromedia Flash 8, Macromedia Director MX, and Macromedia Fireworks–and Web publishing. In 1991, after working for Apple Computer and Microsoft, Steve Johnson founded Perspection, Inc. Perspection is committed to providing information and training to help people use software more effectively. Perspection has written more than 80 computer books, and sold more than 5 million copies.

Includes MCAS Exam Objectives!

This courseware meets the objectives for the Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS). Upon completion of this courseware, you may be prepared to take the exam for MCAS qualification. To learn more about becoming a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist, visit www.microsoft.com.

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Windows Vista(TM) Administrator's Pocket Consultant (Pro - Administrator's Pocket Consultant )

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 19:42:00 +0000

Publisher	Microsoft Press
Author(s)	William R. Stanek
ISBN	0735622965
Release Date	27 December 2006

Books Description :

Designed as a quick reference that administrators and support professionals can carry wherever they go, this pocket consultant focuses on the administrative tasks they perform most often. It covers essential topics for administering Windows Vista, including installation and updates; desktop configuration and management; hardware and device driver configuration; wired and wireless networking; mobility and remote access; desktop, laptop, and data security; Internet security; offline files; disk quotas; shadow copies; and system troubleshooting. Featuring easy-to-scan tables, step-by-step instructions, and handy lists, this book offers the streamlined, straightforward information you need to solve problems and get the job donewhether youre at your desk or in the field!

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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:38:00 +0000

Publisher	New Riders
Author(s)	Scott Kelby
ISBN	0321492161
Release Date	12 January 2007

Books Description :

You've just purchased Adobe Lightroom, the brand-new, revolutionary workflow application. Now what? Pick up this book, written by best-selling author Scott Kelby to give you all the dirt you need to allow you to work faster, smarter, and more creatively. You'll learn the essential shortcuts you need to know to save hours every week, the best ways to import and organize your images, which tools and features to really hone in on to get the most out of this application, how to manage your photos like a pro, plus all the inside secrets on processing raw images. You'll also learn how to use Lightroom together with Photoshop to get the best, most efficient workflow, along with the best images. Finally, the book is loaded with tips, tricks, and insights that will absolutely transform the way you work with digital images!

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PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide (2nd Edition) (Visual Quickpro Guide)

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 15:45:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : LArry Ulman
Paperback: 720 pages
Publisher: Peachpit Press; 2 edition (June 21, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 0321336577
Product Dimensions: 9.0 x 7.0 x 1.4 inches

Book Description
It hasn't taken Web developers long to discover that when it comes to creating dynamic, database-driven Web sites, MySQL and PHP provide a winning open source combination. Add this book to the mix, and there's no limit to the powerful, interactive Web sites that users can create. With step-by-step instructions, complete scripts, and expert tips to guide readers, veteran author and database designer Larry Ullman gets right down to business: After grounding readers with separate discussions of first the scripting language (PHP) and then the database program (MySQL), he goes on to cover security, sessions and cookies, and using additional Web tools, with several sections devoted to creating sample applications. This guide is indispensable for Web designers who want to replace their static sites with something more dynamic. The companion Web site includes source code, support forums, and extra tutorials. In addition to being updated for the most recent releases of MySQL and PHP, this new edition offers 25% new material, including updated examples for improved clarity and comprehension and new installation instructions for PHP, MySQL, and other related technologies.

From the Back Cover
When static HTML pages no longer cut it, you need to step up to dynamic, database-driven sites that represent the future of the Web. In PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide, the author of best-selling guides to both the database program (MySQL) and the scripting language (PHP) returns to cover the winning pair in tandem-the way users work with them today to build dynamic sites using Open Source tools. Using step-by-step instructions, clearly written scripts, and expert tips to ease the way, author Larry Ullman discusses PHP and MySQL separately before going on to cover security, sessions and cookies, and using additional Web tools, with several sections devoted to creating sample applications. A companion Web site includes source code and demonstrations of techniques used in the volume. If you're already at home with HTML, you'll find this volume the perfect launching pad to creating dynamic sites with PHP and MySQL.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer : A Reader
This book is, to say the very least, the finest computer book I have read in a very, very long time. I have spent the last three months trying to learn how to use PHP and MySQL to build a website with a simple content management system, however, due to the grossly unethical practice that publishing companies have of releasing books that are filled with editing and other errors, along with authors who are completely unable to write even a simple complete sentence that may be understood by their readers, I had nearly given up. Specifically, I have already WASTED money on the following books:

Creating Interactive Websites with PHP and Web Services by Eric Rosebrock - this book crashes around page 100 - it COULD have been a good book but is filled with errors that make it unusable. The publisher, Sybex, refuses to publish a real errata sheet and the book is NOT supported on the author's web site. Isn't that nice?

PHP MySQL Website Programming: Problem - Design - Solution by Chris Lea, Mike Buzzard, Jessey White-Cinis, and Dilip Thomas. Good luck if you can get past just page 30! Considering this book has been out for some time, there is NO REAL support or errata sheet for it. The "sample site" that one is allegedly able to build by working through this book is filled with questions such as "Has anyone made it all the way to the end of this book?" Need I say more? What a joke.

MySQL/PHP Database Applications, SECOND EDITION. Gosh, considering this is the SECOND edition of this book, one might think an errata sheet and other help might be available. Forget that though - Wiley gets your money, you get plastered with errors so you can't get through the book.

PHP and MySQL Web Development by Luke Welling and Laura - Another USELESS second edition. Not only does the code in this book NOT WORK but the examples that you can download doesn't match what's in the book! Not only that but, as to be expected, there is no errata sheet and the authors web site that is allegedly there to "support" this book has nothing but an advertisement for it with the promise that the "site is under development." Wonder if it will ever be "developed."

As noted, ALL of the books above are USELESS. On a fluke, I decide to try one more - Larry Ullman's PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites by Peachpit Press. While a second edition is allegedly going to be released soon, I have the first edition. To be honest, I was ABSOLUTELY AMAZED that:

1. The code in this book WORKS!
2. The book is SUPPORTED by both the publisher and the author. The author's support site for the book actually contains an extensive list of errata for the very minor errors in it (unlike ALL of the books listed above which DON'T have an errata list). Furthermore, I haven't needed to check the errata because the errors in this book are so minor.
3. The author actually ANSWERS questions to problems on his site.
4. The author is capable of explaining everything, very clearly, and yet conveys a LOT of great information.
5. This book is CHEAPER than all of the one's listed above (and yet it is the ONLY one worth spending your money on).

I have been so, completely, feed up with the incompetent and unethical practices of so many book publishers that I was beginning to wonder if there were ANY books that really taught you how to create a dynamic website. Well, there's one - Peachpit Press. No, I don't work for them and don't know the author - I'm merely a DISGUSTED customer who is tired of spending money on useless books.

RUN, don't walk to buy this book. You will be very, very glad you did.

Reviewer: Callmebob "Robert" (Brooklyn)
First off, I'm an outright dullard when it comes to coding. Let's be clear about that. But I'm smart enough to know a good thing when I find one. This book is just such a thing. Not just because of what's inside the book, which is excellent. And that it's well-written and easy enough for a simpleton such as myself to follow. But also because there is a companion web site to the book with a forum that the author moderates himself. The author doesn't know me from Adam (scout's honor), but he's spent the past three days walking me through a snag I encountered while installing MySQL and PHP on my computer. I am truly humbled by how generous the author has been with his time. And how well he explains things. These are all abundantly clear in the book. It's just surprising that he's so committed to making sure his readers understand the material he covers that he would also devote so much time to fielding questions from the book's forum. I've purchased many Visual Quickpro Books over the years; there isn't a finer one on its respective subject than this. In my opinion that is. And I'm just a dullard. Don't be one too. If you're new coding dynamic websites, buying this book would be a smart first step.

Reviewer: Rafiq Elmansy "Rafiq" (Egypt)
PHP and MYSQL for dynamic websites for Larry Ullman is another member of Visual Quick Pro Guide series that gives you a fast efficient way to learn. The book covers PHP 5 and MYSQL 4.1 for beginners, intermediate and advanced users.
The introduction of the book gives you a fast definition for some important terminology about dynamic websites, what is PHP, why use PHP, how it works and what is MYSQL.
The first chapter is an introduction to PHP language, the basic Syntax, sending data to browser, writing comments, variables, strings, numbers, constants and quotation marks.
The second chapter covers the programming with PHP such as creating forms and validating forms data. The next chapter covers dynamic websites.
Chapter 4 and 5 covers SQL and MYSQL. And using PHP with MYSQL is covered in chapter 7.
The following chapters covers different related issues such as web application developing, cookies, sessions, security, CMS example and ecommerce example.
The book is good start for beginner to learn web developing with PHP and SQL.

Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0 (5th Edition)

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:18:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : Bill Burke, Richard Monson-Haefel
Paperback: 732 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 5 edition (May 16, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 059600978X
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches

Book Description

If you're up on the latest Java technologies, then you know that Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) 3.0 is the hottest news in Java this year. In fact, EJB 3.0 is being hailed as the new standard of server-side business logic programming. And O'Reilly's award-winning book on EJB has been refreshed just in time to capitalize on the technology's latest rise in popularity.

This fifth edition, written by Bill Burke and Richard Monson-Haefel, has been updated to capture the very latest need-to-know Java technologies in the same award-winning fashion that drove the success of the previous four strong-selling editions. Bill Burke, Chief Architect at JBoss, Inc., represents the company on the EJB 3.0 and Java EE 5 specification committees. Richard Monson-Haefel is one of the world's leading experts on Enterprise Java.

Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0, 5th Edition is organized into two parts: the technical manuscript followed by the JBoss workbook. The technical manuscript explains what EJB is, how it works, and when to use it. The JBoss workbook provides step-by-step instructions for installing, configuring, and running the examples from the manuscript on the JBoss 4.0 Application Server.

Although EJB makes application development much simpler, it's still a complex and ambitious technology that requires a great deal of time to study and master. But now, thanks to Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0, 5th Edition, you can overcome the complexities of EJBs and learn from hundreds of practical examples that are large enough to test key concepts but small enough to be taken apart and explained in the detail that you need. Now you can harness the complexity of EJB with just a single resource by your side.

Book Info
Describes a major new technology for server-side application development in Java. Offers a component architecture for developing distributed, multitiered enterprise applications. Allows you to build complex, mission-critical systems using simple snap-together pieces that model individual business objects and processes. Softcover. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Author
Dear Reader,

This book is has complete coverage of EJB 2.0. The book also covers EJB 1.1, for readers still using legacy servers.

Over three years have gone into refining the content this book to ensure that it was technically accurate and a pleasure to read. Delivering content that meets these standards isn't easy, and while my name is on the cover, credit is shared with many people.

In addition to this book, we are making companion workbooks available that show how to download, install, and configure different servers so that you can run the books examples on different EJB products. Workbooks and example code are available for free download from OReilly.com for WebLogic 6.1, WebSphere 4.0 and other products.

Thank you for considering my book, Enterprise JavaBeans, 3rd Edition, and good luck in your career as a distributed object professional. It's an exciting field with unlimited challenges and rewards.

Yours truly,

Richard Monson-Haefel Author of Enterprise JavaBeans, 3rd Edition (O'Reilly 2001) Co-Author of Java Message Service (O'Reilly 2000) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.com
As many Java developers and IS managers already know, Sun's powerful Enterprise JavaBean (EJB) technology offers an attractive option for developing server-side components. A suitable read for both managers and Java programmers, Enterprise JavaBeans provides a surprisingly clear and engaging introduction to designing and programming with EJBs.

The tour of the EJB component model presented here centers on several beans created and tested for a travel reservation system in a fictitious cruise ship company. The samples are just right in scale, large enough to test out key concepts in design and deployment, but small enough to be comprehensible, even to those who are not Java experts. The author pays close attention to the real-world issues of deployment with EJBs (as well as the differences among the vendor application servers that run them).

While there are enough details in Java syntax for designing both entity and session beans for the developer, sections on design here will please those who manage projects without delving much into code. Later, the author shows various ways to design entity and session beans. (For instance, entity beans can allow their bean containers to handle the details of connecting to a database, or they can do it themselves. This book demonstrates both approaches.) When it comes to session beans (which "wire" together entity beans to do real work), the author's introduction to managing state and transactions is also a standout. Tips for performance and reusability close out the book.

In all, Enterprise JavaBeans provides an engaging tour of one of the most promising component technologies. It's technically astute, but thoroughly approachable too, and can serve the needs of any manager or Java developer considering EJBs for future projects. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) basics, distributed architectures, Component Transaction Monitors (CTMs), bean-containers, home and remote bean interfaces, resource management, configuring EJB servers, entity beans, JNDI, container-managed and bean-managed persistence, session beans, stateless and stateful beans, transactions, design and performance hints. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va)
This book was released in May 2006, so all reviews earlier than that are talking about an earlier edition of this book, which is a completely different animal than this edition.

This book explains and demonstrates the fundamentals of the EJB 3.0 and Java Persistence programming models. Although EJB makes application development much simpler, it is still a complex technology that requires a great deal of time and study to master. This book provides a straightforward, no-nonsense explanation of the underlying technology, Java classes and interfaces, the component model, and the runtime behavior of EJB. It does not include material on previous versions of the specification, however.

Although this book focuses on the fundamentals, it's not an easy read. EJB is an extremely complex and ambitious enterprise technology. While using EJB may be fairly simple, the amount of work required to understand and master EJB is significant. Before reading this book, you should be fluent in the Java language and have some practical experience developing business solutions. Experience with distributed object systems is not required, but you will need some experience with JDBC to follow the examples in this book. I review this book in the context of its table of contents:

1. Introduction - Defines component transaction monitors and explains how they form the underlying technology of the EJB component model.

2. Architectural Overview - Defines the architecture of the EJB component model and examines the differences between the three basic types of enterprise beans: entity beans, session beans, and message-driven beans.

3. Resource Management and Primary Services - Explains how the EJB-compliant server manages an enterprise bean at runtime.

4. Developing Your First Beans - Walks you through the development of some simple enterprise and entity beans.

5. Persistence: EntityManager - Explains how entity beans interact with the new entity manager service. This chapter focuses on the details of the persistence service and how it can be accessed within Java EE and with regular Java programs that run outside of a Java EE environment.

6. Mapping Persistent Objects - Defines the basic relational database mapping provided by the Java Persistence specification. This chapter takes a thorough look at the process of developing entity beans--specifically, mapping them to a relational database.

7. Entity Relationships - A continuation of chapter six that expands your understanding of persistence and complex bean-to-bean relationships.

8. Entity Inheritance - Discusses entity bean inheritance and how an object hierarchy can be mapped to a relational database. This chapter modifies the Customer entity defined in earlier chapters to make it fit into an inheritance hierarchy. It extends a base class called Person and define an Employee class that extends a Customer class.

9. Queries and EJB QL - Addresses the Enterprise JavaBeans Query Language (EJB QL), which is used to query entity beans and to locate specific entity beans in Java Persistence.

10. Entity Callbacks and Listeners - This chapter discusses how you register your entity bean classes for life cycle callbacks as well as how to write entity listeners that can intercept life cycle events on your entities.

11. Session Beans - Shows how to develop stateless and stateful session beans.Session beans fill the gaps left by entity beans. They are useful for describing interactions between other beans (taskflow) and for implementing particular tasks. Unlike entity beans, session beans do not represent data in the database, but they can access data. This means that session beans can read, update, and insert data in a business process.

12. Message-Driven Beans - The message-driven bean was introduced in EJB 2.0 to support the processing of asynchronous messages from a JMS provider. EJB 2.1 expanded the definition of the message-driven bean so that it can support any messaging system, not just JMS through the JCA. EJB 3.0 does not really expand on the feature set of earlier specification versions, but it does simplify configuration with the use of annotations. This chapter examines both JMS-based message-driven beans as well as the expanded message-driven bean model available to EJB 3.0 developers.

13. Timer Service - The Timer Service is a facility of the EJB container system that provides a timed-event API, which can be used to schedule timers for specified dates, periods, and intervals. A timer is associated with the enterprise bean that set it. The rest of this chapter describes the EJB Timer Service API and its use with stateless session and message-driven beans, as well as providing some criticism of and suggested improvements for the Timer Service.

14. The JNDI ENC and Injection - Every EJB container that is deployed in an application server has its own personal internal registry called the Enterprise Naming Context (ENC). This ENC is implemented by JNDI and is a sandbox where the EJB container can hold specific references to its environment. Think of it as the EJB container's personal address book, where it writes down addresses to various Java EE services that it wants to look up and use within its business logic. This chapter shows how you can populate the ENC and use it as your own JNDI registry, and also how to use it to inject environment references into bean fields.

15. Interceptors - Interceptors are objects that are able to interpose themselves on method calls or the life cycle events of session and message-driven beans. They allow you to encapsulate common behavior that cuts across large parts of your application. This behavior is usually in common code that you don't want in your business logic. Where most of the changes to the EJB 3.0 specification were designed to make EJB easier to use for application developers, interceptors are an advanced feature that provide you another way to modularize your application or even extend your EJB container. This chapter shows how to write an interceptor and shows various real-world examples of where interceptors can be used.

16. Transactions - In business software, a transaction embodies the concept of a commercial exchange. This chapter provides an in-depth explanation of transactions and describes the transactional model defined by EJB.

17. Security - Although a small programmatic API is available for interacting with Java EE security services, users rarely have to write any code to secure their applications because setting up security is usually a static declarative process. Only session beans can be secured in the world of EJB. Java Persistence does not yet have a mechanism to secure access, but it is possible--depending on the RDBMS system you are using--to assign privileges at the database level. This chapter focuses on how to set up authentication and authorization for your session beans.

18. EJB 3.0: Web Services Standards -Explains the XML, SOAP, WSLD, and UDDI web services standards.

19. EJB 3.0 and Web Services - Discusses how the JAX-RPC API supports web services in EJB.

20. Java EE - Provides an overview of Java EE 5 and explains how EJB 3.0 fits into this new platform.

21. EJB Design in the Real World - Provides some basic design strategies that can simplify your EJB development efforts and make your EJB system more efficient.

The rest of the book, chapters 22 through 37, consist of an applied workbook for the first part of the book. Chapters 22 and 23 discuss the installation of JBOSS, an open source Java EE application server. Chapters 24 through 37 consist of exercises that cover the material in chapters 4 through 19. This workbook is based on the production release of JBoss 4.0.4 and many of the EJB 3.0 examples from Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0, Fifth Edition. All of the examples will work properly with JBoss 4.0.4 and above, but not with earlier versions of JBoss.

This is truly a very densely packed but informative book. A good companion to it is "JBOSS At Work" which is pretty good at explaining Enterprise Java. I highly recommend this book to the Java professional who is already familiar with developing business solutions.

Reviewer: Ricardo Memoria Lima "Ricardo Memoria" (Brazil)
I've been using java for WEB apps development but I'm moving my apps to a EJB server by now and decided to find a book about the new specification of then EJB. I loved the book. It comes in an easy language and covers in details the new features of EJB 3.0 and how it applies to Session Beans, Transactions, JMS, JNDI, Time Services. All in the book can be used in any EBJ server, but the last chapters explain how to install and configure the JBOSS server, which for me was very handy.

Reviewer: Sheng-he Gu "GUS" (Madison, WI United States)
I began to learn EJB 3.0 from JBoss EJB 3.0 tutorial and demo examples, and found that the EJB 3.0 is really a amazing technology in Java evolution. After finishing half of the book, I feel much more confident on EJB3.0. The book has more detailed explanations and examples comparing to the tutorial. If you want to learn and practice Java EE 5, the book should be the best start.

IPv6 Essentials

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 14:07:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : Silvia Hagen
Paperback: 418 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 2 edition (May 17, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0596100582
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches

Book Description
IPv6 Essentials, Second Edition provides a succinct, in-depth tour of all the new features and functions in IPv6. It guides you through everything you need to know to get started, including how to configure IPv6 on hosts and routers and which applications currently support IPv6. The new IPv6 protocols offers extended address space, scalability, improved support for security, real-time traffic support, and auto-configuration so that even a novice user can connect a machine to the Internet. Aimed at system and network administrators, engineers, network designers, and IT managers, this book will help you understand, plan for, design, and integrate IPv6 into your current IPv4 infrastructure.

Beginning with a short history of IPv6, author Silvia Hagen provides an overview of new functionality and discusses why we need IPv6. Hagen also shares exhaustive discussions of the new IPv6 header format and Extension Headers, IPv6 address and ICMPv6 message format, Security, QoS, Mobility and, last but not least, offers a Quick Start Guide for different operating systems. IPv6 Essentials, Second Edition also covers:

In-depth technical guide to IPv6
Mechanisms and Case Studies that show how to integrate IPv6 into your network without interruption of IPv4 services
Routing protocols and upper layer protocols
Security in IPv6: concepts and requirements. Includes the IPSEC framework and security elements available for authentication and encryption
Quality of Service: covers the elements available for QoS in IPv6 and how they can be implemented
Detailed discussion of DHCPv6 and Mobile IPv6
Discussion of migration cost and business case
Getting started on different operating systems: Sun Solaris, Linux, BSD, Windows XP, and Cisco routers

Whether you're ready to start implementing IPv6 today or are planning your strategy for the future, IPv6 Essentials, Second Edition will provide the solid foundation you need to get started.

"Silvia's look at IPv6 is always refreshing as she translates complex technology features into business drivers and genuine end-user benefits to enable building new business concepts based on end to end models." Latif Ladid, President IPv6 Forum, Chair EU IPv6 Task Force

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: calvinnme "Texan refugee" (Fredericksburg, Va)
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a network layer standard used by electronic devices to exchange data across a packet-switched internetwork and is intended to provide more addresses for networked devices, allowing, for example, each cell phone and mobile electronic device to have its own address. IPv6 is actually capable of supporting 5×10^28 addresses for each of the roughly 6.5 billion people alive today.
This book covers a broad range of information about IPv6 and is an excellent resource for both managers and system engineers, since this book discusses economic and strategic aspects as well as technical details. This book is not a detailed guide for program developers. The book assumes that you already have a good understanding of network issues in general and a familiarity with IPv4. It makes generous use of tables and illustrations and is very accessible. Amazon does not show the table of contents so I review this book in the context of the table of contents:

Chapter 1 WHY IPV6?
Briefly explains the history of IPv6 and gives an overview of the new functionality. It shows that the large address space and the advanced functionality of IPv6 are much needed.

Chapter 2 THE STRUCTURE OF THE IPV6 PROTOCOL
Describes the new IPv6 header format with a discussion of each field and trace file examples. It also describes what Extension headers are, what types of Extension headers have been defined, and how they are used.

Chapter 3 IPV6 ADDRESSING
Explains the new address format, address notation, address types, international registry services, and prefix allocation.

Chapter 4 ICMPv6
Discusses how the health of the network is maintained and reported using ICMPv6. This chapter describes the new ICMPv6 message format, its error and informational messages, and the ICMPv6 header in the trace file. All of this leads to making a network administrator's life easier.

Chapter 5 SECURITY WITH IPV6
After a short discussion of basic security concepts and requirements, this chapter discusses the security elements available in IPv6 for authentication and encryption. Since future networks will require new security architectures, this chapter includes a description of a new model.

Chapter 6 QUALITY OF SERVICE
QoS elements available in IPv6 are presented as well as how to implement them. Different QoS architectures are also discussed.

Chapter 7 NETWORKING ASPECTS
Layer 2 support for IPv6 (Ethernet, Token Ring, ATM, frame relay, etc.), the mapping of multicast addresses to Layer 2 addresses, and the Detecting Network Attachment (DNA) working group are discussed.

Chapter 8 ROUTING PROTOCOLS
The advanced routing features of IPv6 and the available routing protocols such as RIPng, OSPFv3 for IPv6 are presented. Also mentioned are the BGP extensions for IPv6, IS-IS, and EIGRPv6.

Chapter 9 UPPER LAYER PROTOCOLS
Starting with changes for TCP and UDP, this chapter continues with a detailed discussion of the DHCPv6 specification, DNS extensions for IPv6, SLPv2 in IPv6 networks, FTP, Telnet, and web servers.

Chapter 10 INTEROPERABILITY
The different transition mechanisms that have been defined, such as dual-stack operation, tunneling, and translation techniques are explained. A broad variety of case studies show that IPv6 is mature enough to be used and how this can be done. The chapter also discusses what is still missing from the standard and the cost involved in implementing IPv6.

Chapter 11 MOBILE IPV6
This chapter explains why this technology will become the foundation for a new generation of mobile services.

Chapter 12 GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY
How to get started with IPv6 on different operating systems, such as Sun Solaris, Linux, BSD, Windows 2003, Windows XP, Mac OS, and a Cisco router. The most common IPv6 tools available for each operating system are discussed along with the author's lab activities and trace files.

Appendix A RFCs

Appendix B IPv6 RESOURCES
Summaries of all indexes, protocol numbers, message types, and address allocations.

Appendix C RECOMMENDED READING

Reviewer: Jase T. Wolfe (Seattle, WA USA)
If your day to day involvement with IP consists only of managing WINS, DNS, DHCP and subnet configurations, then this book is not for you. Don't get me wrong, there are many interesting sections worth reading that go far in introducing administrative aspects of IPv6, and no time is wasted reading them. This title, however, is for those of you who daily get really dirty with IP and want to know everything there is to know about the new version, the differences between the versions, the features and behaviors of IPv6, and the new tools for configuration, management and tracking.

The book starts of with a very brief and concise history of IPv6, and then jumps right into well explained sections on packet structure, addressing, and ICMP. Each of those sections are written clearly and interestingly, make good use of figures to visually illustrate the information being discussed. Once the structure and hardware-related management points have been driven home, the author provides many chapters that serve as an excellent reference guide and will prove useful well after your initial read. Chapters on IPv6 security, QoS, Upper-layer and routing protocols proceed extended reviews and demonstrations of real-life networking design aspects, protocol version interoperability, co-existence configurations, and toped off with platform specific utility demonstrations.

If you are planning on moving your environment to IPv6, increasing your understanding of the technology for more informed decisions, or looking for a reference guide to assist in your current administration of an IPv6 environment, this is the title for you.

Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 10:15:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : Paul Hudson, Andrew Hudson
Paperback: 1104 pages
Publisher: Sams; Bk & DVD edition (May 19, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 067232847X
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 2.3 inches

Book Description

Continuing with the tradition of offering the best and most comprehensive coverage of Red Hat Linux on the market, Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed includes new and additional material based on the latest release of Red Hat's Fedora Core Linux distribution. Incorporating an advanced approach to presenting information about Fedora, the book aims to provide the best and latest information that intermediate to advanced Linux users need to know about installation, configuration, system administration, server operations, and security.

Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed thoroughly covers all of Fedora's software packages, including up-to-date material on new applications, Web development, peripherals, and programming languages. It also includes updated discussion of the architecture of the Linux kernel 2.6, USB, KDE, GNOME, Broadband access issues, routing, gateways, firewalls, disk tuning, GCC, Perl, Python, printing services (CUPS), and security. Red Hat Linux Fedora 5 Unleashed is the most trusted and comprehensive guide to the latest version of Fedora Linux.

About the Author
Paul Hudson is a recognized expert in open source technologies. He is a professional developer and full-time journalist for Future Publishing. His articles have appeared in Internet Works, Mac Format, PC Answers, PC Format and Linux Format, one of the most prestigious linux magazines. Paul is very passionate about the free software movement, and uses Linux exclusively at work and at home. Paul's book, Practical PHP Programming, is an industry-standard in the PHP community.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: S. Fink
Fedora Core 5 was released in March of 2006 so getting this book to press in June was a huge undertaking and the author's have done an excellent job of including tons of information into this book. The Step-by-Step installation chapters include screen shots of the whole process. These are always a great addition to any instructional book.

Post installation configuration includes information on configuring keyboards and mice which is done during the installation process and shouldn't need to be repeated unless the user changes something.

Additional screen shots are used throughout the book which add the connection between the material talked about in the book and what the user sees on the screen.

This book refers to several excellent applications (pirut, yumex) which are a part of Fedora Core 5 but not shown in the Menu's by default.

Although this book attempts to bring the history of Linux, Step-by-Step installation, a plethora of information for beginners and experienced user alike. I don't believe a beginner would be able to use this book as a guide. The heavy use of computer industry acronyms would only serve to confuse the beginner.

This book should definitely be purchased by experienced computer users who want to break into the daily use of Linux and experienced Linux users as a resource for troubleshooting and configuration.

An overall excellent resource for every Linux enthusiasts bookshelf.

Reviewer: Glenn Dicaro "Book Junkie" (Covina, CA)
As with the other books of the "Unleashed" series, this book does not disappoint. From installation through recompiling the kernel, each chapter gives clear and concise instructions. Great for beginners and those already familiar with linux. If you want to learn the basics and beyond with one of the best open source distributions, this book is the one. Comes with a DVD packed with programs.

Publish and Prosper: Blogging for Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 10:03:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : DL Byron, Steve Broback
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: New Riders Press (June 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0321395387
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.7 x 0.3 inches

Book Description

While personal blogs take up much of the blogosphere, blogs are quickly gaining popularity in business as an inexpensive and amazingly effective marketing tool. It’s time for a practical book about business blogging: this is the first book to demonstrate how businesses are blogging and how you can use blogging technology to converse with your customers to build your brand and sell your products.

Written from the business person/designer’s perspectives, this book shows how businesses can leverage current, real-world blogging techniques, tools, and platforms to promote and enhance their ventures. The key idea is that the conversation with your market is stronger and more meaningful with a blog. Filled with practical information and a how-to approach, this book provides case studies of companies as large as Boeing or General Motors and as small as Clip-’n-seal. Readers will learn about the types of business blogs, how companies use blogs, how to sell blogs to management and IT, effective blog design, content, and conversation, pitfalls to avoid, how to develop Web presence, and more.

About the Author

DL Byron has just completed the development of Boeing's blogs. He is currently working on the next Blog Business Summit and rolling out a network of sponsored blogs.

Steve Broback is the co-founder of the Blog Business Summit and the i3forum conferences. Steve manages the editorial blogs rawformat.com and pixelupdate.com which are the center of Avondale's marketing strategy.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: Marcus Connery (Seattle, WA United States)
This a great book for anyone thinking about blogging be it for business or just for pleasure. Even if you are just doing a personal blog, the point is you want people to see it, otherwise you could just write in a journal and put it under your pillow. They lay out in very detailed yet understandable terms how to go about getting it set up, what options you have, and where to go do so. Then once set up, the whole point is getting it out there. Thats where this book really shines. Lots of books and articles and yes, even blogs, have been written about how to blog. These guys take it to the next level and explain how to get it out to the masses.

All in all, concise, informative, and easy for people that might not be all that tech savvy. Just what I was looking for.

Reviewer: MANUEL J HERNANDEZ "http://askmanny.com" (Orlando, FL)
As a longtime blogger and an entrepreneur I approached this title from New Riders with interest. I was happy to find out a wide range of information that I immediately put to good use in my own blogs. Interestingly enough, though the focus of the book is on blogging for businesses, the elements it presents are not limited to the business world. As a matter of fact, there at times throughout the book that you forget about the title of the book and get sunk into it due to the usefulness of the knowledge the authors share from their experience.

The framework Byron and Broback offer makes perfect sense, taking the reader through a natural progression to make sure the resulting blog is a success. From determining the focus of the blog, how much to write and how to design and implement it; to getting down to the task of posting, getting traffic and monitoring it, the book is thorough in spite of the fact of being less than 200 pages in length.

So, if you are considering to start a blog for your business, do yourself a favor and read this book before. I suspect you will thank me for it!

Reviewer: Charles Ashbacher "(cashbacher@yahoo.com)" (Hiawatha, Iowa United States)
When used in the context of the Internet, blog is an abbreviation for weblog and refers to an online journal. The most advanced blogs allow readers to contribute to the journal, creating an inline discussion group. Many businesses have found blogs to be a valuable tool in increasing their internal and external communications. Internally, a blog can serve as an online discussion group between employees, where issues can be resolved and decisions made. By doing so online, the participants do not have to leave their offices and can contribute, even though they may be a continent away. The online community of blogs is known collectively as the blogosphere.
Externally, some companies are using blogs to maintain better communications with their customers. However, this is not without risk, in that the solicitation of feedback can lead to a great deal of negative expression. The fact that these negative comments will be there for all to see unnerves some people to the point where they are reluctant to insert their company into the blogosphere.
This book is not technical by any means, written at the level of the manager. It is also not evangelical in any way, the advantages and disadvantages of using blogs are clearly and completely stated. It is by now a cliché, but it is also true that blogging is like everything else. If you take the time and make the appropriate effort, blogging can return substantial rewards. However, if that is not done, it will be a disaster that will explode very quickly. Word travels fast in the blogosphere, which is an advantage if you are doing it right and a severe detriment if you are not.
There are signs that the blogosphere may alter marketing as we now know it. To many people, marketing is an area of loud hype and dubious claims made by people who really don't understand the product they are trying to sell. I am one of the many people, when I read a testimonial I wonder if the person being "quoted" really said that or meant it if they did say it. In the blogosphere, people who are users of the product can honestly state their experiences. It also gives the producer an opportunity to get more and better feedback from their customer. As the concept of blogging continues to develop as a marketing tool, the era of marketing by hype may begin to pass from the scene. I for one will feel no sadness if and when this occurs.
If you are a manager and have heard about blogs but don't know what they are or how they can be used, then this book is right for you. The messages are clear, complete and will prove invaluable if you are considering or planning an entry into the blogosphere.

Reviewer: Debbie Weil (Washington, DC USA)
Byron (as he's known to friends and colleagues) and I exchanged feverish emails last fall while we were chained to our respective desks and slogging away on our books. His slim elegant volume - co-authored with Steve Broback - belongs on your blogging bookshelf. Er, right next to my book - "The Corporate Blogging Book"! I love all the screenshots and the practical advice on tools and techniques for effective blogging. Chapter 3 cogently addresses the *time* issue - a key roadblock for many would-be business bloggers.

P.S. If Byron and Steve's book had been out before I completed the manuscript for The Corporate Blogging Book, I would *definitely* have included it in my Recommended Reading list. Now for heavens sake, go order my book along with Byron and Steve's! The Corporate Blogging Book will be released August 3rd, 2006 by Penguin Portfolio.

Oracle Database 10g OCP Certification All-In-One Exam Guide (Oracle Database 10g Handbook)

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 21:56:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : John Watson, Damir Bersinic
Paperback: 926 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (September 12, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 0072257903
Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches

Book Description
The Most Authoritative OCA/OCP Exam Guide Available Prepare to pass the OCA and OCP Oracle Database 10g certification exams with help from this Oracle Press guide. With complete coverage of all the material on Exam #1Z0-042 Oracle Database 10g: Administration I and Exam #1Z0-043 Oracle Database 10g: Administration II, this book covers everything you need to know to pass both exams. Inside, you'll find helpful exam tips, hundreds of practice questions, and real-world exercises. This comprehensive guide serves as both a study tool and an on-the-job reference. Get full details on all exam objectives, including how to: Install Oracle Database 10g and create a database Use SQL, SQL*Plus, iSQL*Plus, and PL/SQL Create and manage database user accounts Configure Oracle Networking Manage shared servers Monitor, tune, and troubleshoot a database Handle database backup, restore, and recovery Use Oracle Recovery Manager and Oracle Flashback Configure and manage security Use Automatic Storage Management and Resource Manager Automate administrative tasks Included on the CD-ROM Electronic Practice Test engine with two full practice exams Complete electronic book

From the Back Cover

The Most Authoritative OCA/OCP Exam Guide Available

Prepare to pass the OCA and OCP Oracle Database 10g certification exams with help from this Oracle Press guide. With complete coverage of all the material on Exam #1Z0-042 Oracle Database 10g: Administration I and Exam #1Z0-043 Oracle Database 10g: Administration II, this book covers everything you need to know to pass both exams. Inside, you’ll find helpful exam tips, hundreds of practice questions, and real-world exercises. This comprehensive guide serves as both a study tool and an on-the-job reference. Get full details on all exam objectives, including how to:

Install Oracle Database 10g and create a database
Use SQL, SQL*Plus, iSQL*Plus, and PL/SQL
Create and manage database user accounts
Configure Oracle Networking
Manage shared servers
Monitor, tune, and troubleshoot a database
Handle database backup, restore, and recovery
Use Oracle Recovery Manager and Oracle Flashback
Configure and manage security
Use Automatic Storage Management and Resource Manager
Automate administrative tasks

Included on the CD-ROM

Electronic Practice Test engine with two full practice exams
Complete electronic book

About the Author
Damir Bersinic (Mississauga, Ontario), OCP, MCSE, MCSDBA, MCT, is an Infrastructure Consultant with Trecata Corporation, a system integration consultancy in Toronto, Canada. He has more than 20 years of industry experience and has authored a number of titles on Oracle, SQL Server, Active Directory and Windows. His credits include multiple exam preparation titles Oracle and Microsoft certification programs. His most recent title, Portable DBA: SQL Server has sold more than 1800 units in the two months since publication and has a 5-star ranking on Amazon.

John Watson (South Africa) OCP DBA 8.0, 8.i, & 9i, Internet Application Server Administrator, and certified on Managing Oracle on Unix, is a senior consultant with BLP management Consultants in South Africa. He has taught for Oracle University in South Africa for four years. John taught the DB10g New Features course, the DB10g Manageability and Performance seminars, he validated hundreds of OCP 10g New Features exam questions and contributed to the course material for all the 10g courses. John is the author of numerous articles on technology.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: jensen (indonesia)

I buy this book together with sybex's book and have passed the oca exam with 87% score (less than what i expected though). i found this book easier to read and understand compared to sybex's book, and the many-but-short chapters works better for me. if you could only choose one book to pass the 1Z0-042 exam then this is definitely the best choice. but don't forget to practise what you read (although the book makes it looks so simple), you'll remember more by trying each exercise in this book.

Reviewer: Eva Pawlowski (Zürich Switzerland)

I used this book to (sucessfully) prepare for the OCA exam. It is well structured and important points for the exam are specially highlighted. This makes the content memorable and easy to learn.

The review questions are pretty good. I recommend getting the question set of www.selftestsoftware.com, too. They are not exactly like in the exam (like TestKing) but representative.

I used this book and the SYBEX OCA preparation (OCA: Oracle 10g Administration I Study Guide (1Z0-042) by Chip Dawes) and found this one clearly superior.

Still, it is not perfect: There was some exam-relevant details missing, e.g. for data pump. So check with the selftest questions and get the missing information from the Oracle manuals on the net.

Network+ Study Guide, 4th Edition

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 15:25:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : David Groth, Toby Skandier
Paperback: 592 pages
Publisher: Sybex; 4 edition (April 14, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 0782144063
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches

Book Description
Here's the book you need to prepare for CompTIA's updated Network+ exam, N10-003. This revised edition of the best-selling Network+ Study Guide was developed to meet the exacting requirements of today's certification candidates. In addition to the focused and accessible instructional approach that has earned Sybex the reputation as the leading publisher for certification self-study guides, this book provides:

Clear and concise information on networking essentials.
Practical examples and insights drawn from real-world experience.
Leading-edge exam preparation software, including a test engine and electronic flashcards.

You'll also find authoritative coverage of key exam topics, including:

Media and Topologies
Protocols and Standards
Network Implementation
Network Support

Reviewed and approved as CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC), this book provides numerous study advantages with CAQC materials, including coverage of all exam objectives, implementation of important instructional design principles, and instructional reviews that help students assess their learning comprehension and readiness for the exam.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Book Info
Explains all you need to know about computer networking to pass CompTIA's Network+ exam. Covers the fundamentals of local area networks (LANs), the seven-layer Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) network model, and network operating systems. Also covers the TCP/IP protocol suite. CD-ROM included. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher
The revised Network+ exam goes live on January 31, 2002, and our new Network+ Study Guide, 3rd edition, is what you need to approach the exam with confidence. The previous editions have been critically acclaimed and recognized by many as the leading Network+ book on the market, and author David Groth has done another excellent job updating this edition for the new Network+ exam objectives. We're also excited to note that the cover of this book sports the new CAQC (CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum) logo. In a comprehensive review conducted by Procert Labs, the Network+ Study Guide, 3rd edition, scored a 4.5 out of 5! If you're looking to enhance your resume with the leading vendor-neutral networking certification, this is definitely the book for you.

Neil Edde Associate Publisher, Certification Sybex, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover
Here's the book you need to prepare for CompTIA's updated Network+ exam, N10-003.

This revised edition of the best-selling Network+ Study Guide was developed to meet the exacting requirements of today's certification candidates. In addition to the focused and accessible instructional approach that has earned Sybex the reputation as the leading publisher for certification self-study guides, this book provides:

Clear and concise information on networking essentials
Practical examples and insights drawn from real-world experience
Leading-edge exam preparation software, including a test engine and electronic flashcards

You'll also find authoritative coverage of key exam topics, including:

Media and Topologies
Protocols and Standards
Network Implementation
Network Support

This book has been reviewed and approved as CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC). Students derive a number of important study advantages with CAQC materials, including coverage of all exam objectives, implementation of important instructional design principles, and instructional reviews that help students assess their learning comprehension and readiness for the exam.

About the Author
David Groth, Network+, MCSE, CNI, is a full-time author and consultant. He is the author of the Sybex's best-selling A+ Complete Study Guide as well as Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Wiring. Toby Skandier, Network +, i-Net+, Server+, is in technical education development and delivery for Sprint Corporation.

Amazon.com
The Network+ Study Guide explains all you need to know about computer networking to pass CompTIA's Network+ exam. The book covers the fundamentals of local area networks (LANs), the seven-layer Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) network model, and network operating systems (including NetWare, Windows NT, and to a lesser degree Unix variants). Readers will find considerable coverage of the TCP/IP protocol suite, including some of the utility programs used to configure it locally and remotely. There's also a lot of "softer" material about the duties of a network administrator, good troubleshooting practices, and the issues involved in network security. Organized to match CompTIA's stated objectives for the Network+ exam, this guide will prepare you for that test as well as Microsoft's Networking Essentials exam (70-058). The presentation style is dense with prose, and tables are inserted where there are options or variations to memorize. More and larger conceptual diagrams would make this book better, since networking concepts are sometimes hard to grasp. There are quite a few stepped procedures though--most of them geared toward networked Windows machines. Each chapter concludes with a selection of multiple-choice review questions, the answers to which appear--without discussion, unfortunately--in an appendix. Additional questions appear in a drill program on the companion CD-ROM. --David Wall --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: Yoshiro Aoki "mark aoki" (oahu, hawai'i)
This book (Network+ Study Guide, 4th Ed) targets the latest CompTIA Network+ exam (as of 2-28-2006 anyway) and comes with a practice exam CD. Personally, I did not review the practice exams on the CD.

The book has remarkable parity with the actual exam in regards to content and chapter exercises. The chapter exercises, by the way, have answers and explanations (unlike some other prep materials I looked at).

At about 430 pages, this is a small book but well-written which translates to a quick certification if the exercises are completed and some time on the keyboard is spent. And some time on the keyboard is spent (oops...am I giving something away?:)) I did not have time to look at the Exam Cram series but they are usually very good and may be more suitable for more experienced folks. This book (and the exam itself) is geared to individuals having about 1 year of professional networking exerience.

The Thompson course materials that you can order from the CompTIA web site for this exam are lengthy and overkill for this exam, though the included video's (about 10 hours worth at least) are surprisingly good. In fact, they are the best Ive ever seen taped to the back of any book thus far. But its a major time sink to wade through all of that material unless its a classroom - bootcamp situation that you are in. The Network+ Study Guide, 4th Ed is much easier to carry around, has immediate feedback in the form of answers and explanations to exercises, and thus more suitable for self-study.
Applied competently, it will certainly more than carry the exam.

Reviewer: Rick Bowman "WNxGratefulJed" (Trailerparkansas, VA)
First off let me say that I managed to pass the Network+ test with a 715 (thats about a low "B" but a pass is a pass). I also used the Exam Cram 2 book as well because its always a good idea to study from at least two sources. One of the sources may cover something in more depth or is easier for you to understand then the other and vice versa.

This book is great and is not a dry read due to the touches of humor added here and there. One of the most helpful pages in this book is the Layer 1 cabling chart that list one of the hardest parts to remember: cable lengths, speeds, transmission lengths, ethernet name (100BaseTX, 1000Base-LX, 10GBaseER, etc), and connectors with notes on each one all on two pages!.

Other features that I liked were the bolded titles, bulleted notes, and flags to get your attention about specific information.

The included disc featured the book in PDF format, two practice test (which were very hard as I only managed to get around %50 on both of them), and flash cards.

If your planning on taking Security+ soon I would also recommend you get the Exam Cram 2 Security+ as it's first chapter is dedicated entirely to what to expect on a CompTIA cert test, test stratigies, and loads of helpful info to help you get over test anxity and gain confidence in your knowledge.

Sybex and Exam Cram 2 (although I dont like the title of their series as cramming is most definitly NOT the way to STUDY) is a great combo when it comes to certification.

Keep in mind with any certification that the piece of paper is the BY-PRODUCT of your knowledge and that knowledge makes that piece of paper mean something other then just a piece of paper.

Reviewer: Charles Koeppen "vocals, sax, flute, didjeridu..." (New York)
I found this book (the deluxe edition) well written and I learned a lot from it along with the lab and test CDs included with the book. As far as preparation for the exam, I used this book along with Craig Zacker's Microsoft Press Network+ Certification book. I passed, not with flying colors, but I'm satisfied considering I had very little work experience involving network administration. There were a lot of questions on the exam that the book did not seem to cover well, particularly the ones on fiber technology. The assessment and bonus tests that came with the book were, like the book itself, educational but not the best exam prep materials. With all the braindumps available it seems that COMPTIA has made the test unrealistically difficult. Even though I have very little networking experience, I find it hard to believe that network professionals have all the network protocols and associated cable types, lengths, connector names, and speeds memorized. That's the kind of stuff reference books are used for. So, although the book provides a lot of the knowledge network professionals have, it's not the best exam prep material and would probably be a boring read for those who have a year or so field experience.

CISA Exam Cram 2 : Certified Information Systems Auditor

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 06:06:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : Allen Keele, Keith Mortier
Paperback: 456 pages
Publisher: Que; Bk&CD-Rom edition (April 20, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 0789732726
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.0 x 1.1 inches

Book Description

Want an affordable yet innovative approach to studying for the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) 2005 exam? CISA 2005 Exam Cram 2 is your solution. You will have the essential material for passing the CISA 2005 exam right at your fingertips. All exam objectives are covered and you'll find practice exams, exam alerts, notes, tips and cautions to help guide you through your exam preparation. A CD also provides you with a video introduction to the exam and complete explanations of answers to the practice questions from Certified Tech Trainers (CTT). As a special bonus, you will receive $75 in discounts on CTT products and services. For your smartest, most efficient way to get certified, choose CISA 2005 Exam Cram 2.

About the Author

Allen Keele has 20 certifications, the CISA, CISM, CISSP, and Security+ among them. As president and program developer for Certified Tech Trainers, he has over 14 years experience in information security and risk management. He has authored books on security and lectures at leading companies such as Deloitte and Touche, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and Fujitsu.

Keith Mortier holds a CISA and CISSP certification and a BS in Computer Information Systems. Within the IT industry, Keith has designed and implemented risk assessment, vulnerability testing and disaster recovery-security plans. Keith is president of LMI solutions providing security services to both commercial and government clients.

Introduction

Welcome to Information Systems Audit and Controls Association's Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) Exam Cram 2! Whether this is your first or your fifteenth Exam Cram 2 series book, you will find information here that will help ensure your success as you pursue knowledge, experience, and certification. This introduction explains ISACA certification programs in general and talks about how the Exam Cram 2 series can help you prepare for the CISA exam. This chapter discusses the basics of ISACA certification exams, including a description of the testing environment and a discussion of test-taking strategies. Chapters 1 through 7 are designed to remind you of everything you need to know to take—and pass—the CISA certification exam. The two sample tests at the end of the book should give you a reasonably accurate assessment of your knowledge—and, yes, we've provided the answers and their explanations to the tests. Read the book and understand the material, and you'll stand a very good chance of passing the test.

Exam Cram 2 books help you understand and appreciate the subjects and materials you need to pass ISACA certification exams. Exam Cram 2 books are aimed strictly at test preparation and review. They do not teach you everything you need to know about a topic. Instead, we present and dissect the questions and problems we've found that you're likely to encounter on a test. We've worked to bring together as much information as possible about ISACA certification exams.

Nevertheless, to completely prepare yourself for any ISACA test, we recommend that you begin by taking the Self-Assessment that is included in this book, immediately following this introduction. The Self-Assessment will help you evaluate your knowledge base against the requirements for an ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor under both ideal and real circumstances.

Based on what you learn from the Self-Assessment, you might decide to begin your studies with some classroom training, some practice with systems auditing, or some background reading. On the other hand, you might decide to read one of the many study guides available from ISACA or third-party vendors on certain topics, including the award-winning certification preparation series from Que Publishing. We also recommend that you supplement your study program with visits to http://www.examcram2.com to receive additional practice questions, get advice, and track the CISA program.

About the CISA Exam and Content Areas

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) developed the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) program in 1978 to accomplish these goals:

Develop and maintain a testing instrument that could be used to evaluate an individual's competency in conducting information systems audits
Provide a mechanism for motivating information systems auditors to maintain their competencies and monitoring the success of the maintenance programs
Aid top management in developing a sound information systems audit function by providing criteria for personnel selection and development

The CISA program is designed to assess and certify individuals in the IS audit, control, or security profession who demonstrate exceptional skill, judgment and proficiency in IS audit, control, and security practices.

More than 35,000 professionals have earned the CISA certification since inception, and the certification is widely respected as a premier information security and information systems auditing accreditation. The certification continues to grow in acceptance and employer desirability; more than 15,000 candidates are expected to register for the 2005 exam (15% growth from 2004).

The CISA exam is offered only once per year, in early June; the exam for 2005 is offered on June 11. You may register as early as February 2, 2005, and the registration deadline is March 30, 2005. You should note that this exam is not computerized and is not provided through conventional testing centers such as Prometric or Vue. You may register online at http://www.isaca.org or take the exam at any ISACA chapter location. The current published exam registration fee is $385 for members and $505 for nonmembers. The best place to learn more about the CISA certification and the CISA exam is http://www.isaca.org.

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association states that the tasks and knowledge required of today's and tomorrow's information systems audit professional serve as the blueprint for the CISA examination. These areas are defined through a Practice Analysis that is conducted at regular intervals and consists of both process and content components in a CISA's job function. Accordingly, exams consist of tasks that are routinely performed by a CISA and the required knowledge to perform these tasks.

How valuable is the CISA certification to employers and individuals? Sometimes the best measure of a certification's value is reflected by how certification holders feel about the certification after having achieved it. In 2001, ISACA surveyed its membership to obtain feedback from CISA certified professionals as to whether obtaining the certification had advanced their careers. Seventy-one percent of members holding the CISA certification affirmed the value of the certification toward career advancement, and 75% of all members, certified and noncertified alike, felt that the CISA certification would be valuable for career advancement in the future.

Another measure of a certification's value can be found by assessing the desirability of the certification to employers. How many employers desire the certification as an employment prerequisite? Looking to popular job boards on the Internet such as Monster.com, TotalJobs.com, and Workthing.com, we can see that the quantity and quality of jobs requiring CISA certification are growing every month.

What is driving the employer demand for the CISA certification? Companies are under growing pressure to improve, document, and test their methods for managing information. As the late Dr. W. E. Deming (1900–1993) was able to prove, the quest for quality of processes and product is achieved through careful measurement of what exists, thorough analysis of defects, and effective remediation and correction. The quest for quality is just that: a quest. This means that quality improvement is an ongoing process that requires continuous reassessment. Assessing the capability of information systems to support business goals while maintaining information confidentiality, integrity, and reliability is exactly what a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) does well.

It is easy enough to create and implement a technology for processing information, which is what the majority of individuals within the information technology (IT) industry are tasked with. However, using IT to facilitate communication and information management is only half the story. Today we need to make sure that IT not only does what it is supposed to do, but also that it will not do what it is not supposed to do. For example, we have created systems to facilitate online commerce and transaction processing. Will those same systems ensure that no transactional errors occur? Will those systems resist accidental or purposeful and malicious modification of data? Do the systems protect the information confidentiality well enough to comply with new privacy laws and standards? We cannot know the answers to these questions unless we have professionally reviewed, measured, and tested the systems. Again, this is what a CISA does.

Although many organizations strive to ensure quality of processes and manufacturing according to ISO standards such as the ISO 9000 series, for competitive reasons, other organizations are forced to invest in quality assurance to comply with the law. Either way, most organizations are spending increasing amounts of money to improve corporate governance.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: H. Lam (USA)
Per the authors' intent, CISA Exam Cram 2 is not meant to be a comprehensive preparation for the Certified Information Systems Auditor exam, but a summary of its important elements. As such, this book does a fair job, and I would recommend the book as a cursory appraisal of one's knowledge to identify areas for further study.

There are some idiosyncrasies in the book, such as:
- "4GL languages are inappropriate for designing any intensive data-calculation procedures" (Page 259);

but the book appears to be reflective of ISACA test policy. The authors and the publishing company were responsive to my questions about content in the book.

CISA Exam Cram 2 also includes a set of practice multiple-choice questions on CD-ROM. Registration of the book online entitles one to a bonus set of questions. As the book is not comprehensive, neither are the practice questions - in that they mirror the material in the book, and in that they require less analytical reasoning than typical of the actual exam. The answers do not explain why a particular choice is right compared to other choices, and why other choices are wrong. Nonetheless, the practice questions are a good value, considering their price and that the actual exam may also ask basic questions.

One should look to other resources for in-depth preparation (one can ask for recommendations in the various Yahoo and Google Groups dedicated to the CISA exam), but CISA Exam Cram 2 deserves to be considered as an introductory part of a rigorous curriculum in preparation for ISACA's Certified Information Systems Auditor exam. It is probably best to use this book before December 2005. ISACA has stated that the 2006 exams will cover new practice areas

Reviewer: Gary Waltrip (Hollister, CA USA)
I am a non-IT professional, a Certified Public Accountant, so passing the CISA exam appeared a daunting task. I read the CISA Review Manual carefully, underlining key passages and points. I knew it wasn't good enough, as I was missing too many of the CISA practice questions purchased from ISACA. So I found this book on Amazon and bought it a month before the exam, and read it all.

I found Exam Cram 2 more condensed than the CISA Manual and more readable as well. If you've cut it too close and find the exam looming before you with planned reading still not done, this book could save you. It solidified my understanding of several key areas. The book was a valuable tool for my exam efforts, and I passed on my first try in December 2005 with a score of 83.

You need to read more than one book on the CISA examination areas to round out your understanding. That, taking practice exams and researching those questions you don't fully understand, will probably get you over the hump. It worked for me.

Reviewer: Jean-francois Drouin (Vermont, USA)
I gave this book 5 stars because it's concise, well-written and reasonably complete. ISACA's exams are a b**ch because nobody really knows what stuff will be covered and what will not. Personally, I used this book as my first study material. I read that thing twice before switching to the official CRM 2005 which is longer and more detailed. There's not a whole lot of CISA books beside the official CRM, Kramer's misaligned Prep Guide and this Exam Cram. During my readings, I found a couple of errors and sent an email to the author about it. He replied himself and told me that they would be corrected in the 2nd edition which is due for April 2006.

To wrap things up, it's an excellent book with some small mistakes. It's concise and focused but it should not be your sole source of material. The Exam Cram + a thorough study of the official CRM is probably your best bet. Another big + : this book is as cheap as it gets in terms of certification books. Don't be fooled by it's cheapness, it really offers an incredible value.

That being said, as of today, I would suggest buyers wait for the 2nd edition which is due soon.

CISSP ® : Certified Information Systems Security Professional Study Guide, Third Edition

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 13:12:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author :James Michael Stewart, Ed Tittel, Mike Chapple
Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Sybex; 3 edition (September 9, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 0782144438
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 1.8 inches

Book Description
CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Study Guide

Here's the book you need to prepare for the challenging CISSP exam from (ISC)¯2. This third edition was developed to meet the exacting requirements of today's security certification candidates, and has been thoroughly updated to cover recent technological advances in the field of IT security. In addition to the consistent and accessible instructional approach that readers have come to expect from Sybex, this book provides:

Clear and concise information on critical security technologies and topics
Practical examples and insights drawn from real-world experience
Expanded coverage of key topics such as biometrics, auditing and accountability, and software security testing
Leading-edge exam preparation software, including a testing engine and electronic flashcards for your PC, Pocket PC, and Palm handheld

You'll find authoritative coverage of key exam topics including:

Access Control Systems & Methodology
Applications & Systems Development
Business Continuity Planning
Cryptography
Law, Investigation, & Ethics
Operations Security & Physical Security
Security Architecture, Models, and Management Practices
Telecommunications, Network, & Internet Security

About the Author
James Michael Stewart, CISSP, is a security expert who has authored numerous publications, books, and courseware.

Ed Tittel, CISSP, is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to numerous publications, including C|Net, InfoWorld, and Windows IT Pro. Ed has authored over 130 books.

Mike Chapple, CISSP, is an IT security professional with the University of Notre Dame.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: M. Grader "Matt" (Upstate New York)

I took this book out from the Air Force Technical Library and found it to be extremely well-written, concise, and an excellent introduction to the field of computer security. When reading this book I felt that the author had an excellent understanding of the material presented and focused on the most important aspects of the subject matter. I have not taken the CISSP yet so I can not comment on how relevant the material is to the exam (as most people know the CISSP is mostly about work experience anyways - not something you learn from a book).

After reading this book I then read the Shon Harris CISSP book I can tell firsthand that this book (Stewart's) is of much better quality. The Shon Harris book shocked me at its lack of structure (many topics are covered multiple times and simple security/network fundamentals are repeated so much that I wanted to scream - literally), extremely simplistic and foolish examples, and very poor quality of writing. After reading both books I have much respect (professionally) for Stewart and very little for Harris.

As for the comments about typos - I did not notice any major typo in the book that took away from the presentation of the material. (So ICMP was misspelled once - who cares?) Overall I thought the quality was much better than the Harris CISSP book (which, itself, has loads of typos and incorrect quiz questions - don't get me started). Overall I would highly recommend this book to others looking to gain a firm understanding and grasp of computer security while preparing for the CISSP exam.

Reviewer: James Michael Stewart "author" (Austin, TX)
I am the primary author on this book.

M. from NY - I appreciate your comments. I appologize for any errors or typos that appear in the text. However, several of the items you mentioned as problems are not so. Yes, there are typos, but you won't find a single book in print that does not have typos. Authors and editors try to eliminate these, but they continue to crop up due to the number of people who handle manuscripts and tools used to get materials into print. Yes, even in multiple editions, old errors can be retained and new errors introduced.

P 54 - yes, ICMP is mis-spelled as IMCP. That is a typo.

P 254 - an relational database does define one to one relationships, such as one item in a column to one item in a row. An RDBMS does not limit the number of rows or columns that can exist in the database. You completely misunderstood the concept. You are confusing the concept that each row can have entries in mulitple columns, and that mulitple rows can exist with values in each column.

P 251, Q 10 - nonvolatile should be volatile, that is a typo. However, RAM is not a sequential access technology, it is dynamic or random access. In fact, that is exactly what the acronym stands for "Random Access Memory". Yes, you can force a computer to access RAM sequentially, but you'll be doing so by creating software code to perform that action, RAM will still be random access no matter what. Tape devices are sequential access. Once again, you are not seeing the concepts clearly.

P277 - yes, CGI is not a language, it is a concept / technique of allowing client input to be received and processed on the Web server by a server-side script or application. This is an error introduced by the editor. CGI scripts or applications can be written in many languages.

P371 - that is a mistake, it should read "...into simple machine lanaguage instructions..."

You have only mentioned 6 issues, two which are your misunderstanding, one which is a simple typo, and three which you are correct they are errors. Your scathing poor review of our work is not justified by the evidence you have presented. I challenge you to find any other CISSP book that is as current and exhaustive as ours which does not have errors. You will not find one.

I will be adding these items to the errata to help ensure these errors are corrected in the next edition. I appreciate your input, you are entitled to your opinion, but I urge you to be realistic and sensible in your critique.

I'll be happy to address anyone's concerns or issues with this book.

We, the authors, editors, and publishers of this book, have worked hard to update and improve the contents of this work in the production of each edition. The CISSP Study Guide 3rd Edition is to date the most current, complete, and exhaustive book for preparing for the CISSP exam.

I must take offense with "Doggers"' review as his statements about my book are false. This book is fully current on all topics and issues on the exam. The exam prep questions are similar to those on the exam. However, there are a few new question types that ISC2 has released onto the exam since the third edition revision of this book was produced. No study guide promises to get you to pass any exam. Failing to understand the topics and to perform sufficient study is not the fault of the authors. If my writing style is not palatable, that is fine, but deriding my work is non-professional. I would be happy to discuss this further if you will contact me. Please consider revising your review to a more appropriate stance.

The Zend PHP Certification Practice Test Book: Practice Questions For The Zend Certified Engineer Exam

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:46:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : John Coggeshall, Marco Tabini
Paperback: 149 pages
Publisher: Marco Tabini & Associates, Inc.; 1st edition (January 31, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN: 0973589884
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.3 inches

Book Description
As the usage of PHP grows, the need for a globally-recognized redentials program for professional developers is becoming more and more important. The Zend Engineer Certification Program, launched by worldwide PHP leader Zend Technologies, finally creates a professional designation that represents consistently high-quality skills and knowledge in the PHP world. Written and edited by four members of the Zend Education Board who also helped create the actual Zend Certification Exam, this book contains 200 questions on every topic that is part of the exam.

The Zend Certification Practice Test Book is an invaluable resource in testing your preparedness in every area of the exam, from the basics to the most advanced topics. Each question comes with a clear answer that provides an explanation of the question's topic, its goals and end result. Answering the questions in this book will allow you to clearly and quickly identify the areas of PHP in which you are strong and those in which you need further study before being able to pass the exam! Zend Technologies, Inc. is the PHP company. Founded by the creators and ongoing innovators of PHP, it is the developer of the Zend Engine, the heart of PHP. Zend focuses on enterprise-class products and services that enable organizations to develop, deploy and manage business-critical PHP applications.

NanoBooks are excellent, in-depth resources created by the publishers of php|architect, the world's premier magazine dedicated to PHP professionals. NanoBooks focus on delivering high-quality content with in-depth analysis and expertise, centered around a single, well-defined topic and without any of the fluff of larger, more expensive books.

About the Author
John Coggeshall is a Technical Consultant for Zend Technologies, where he provides professional services to clients around the world. He got started with PHP in 1997 and is the author of three published books and over 100 articles on PHP technologies with some of the biggest names in the industry such as php|architect, SAMS Publishing, Apress and O’Reilly. John also is an active contributor to the PHP core as the author of the tidy extension, a member of the Zend Education Advisory Board, and frequent speaker at PHP-related conferences worldwide. His web site is an excellent resource for any PHP developer

Marco Tabini is the publisher of php|architect, the premier magazine for PHP professionals. The author and co-author of four books, he was also part of the group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who helped write the Zend Certification Exam. He regularly maintains a blog where he discusses the business of open-source software.

Excerpted from The Zend PHP Certification Practice Test Book - Practice Questions for the Zend Certified Engineer Exam by John Coggeshall, Marco Tabini. Copyright © 2005. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
FOREWORD BY ANDI GUTMANS

There are many advantages to having a PHP certification program. Foremost, it allows employers, especially those of the non-technical kind, to set a certain standard for their PHP hiring decisions; they’ll know that people who are certified have passed a set of hurdles in earning their credentials and can clearly demonstrate their knowledge of PHP and its related technologies. Not only does that mean that a Zend Certified Engineer will automatically match such criteria and have an immediate advantage on the job market, but the certification process also allows for more and more enterprises to adopt PHP. This, in turn, will lead to a much more vibrant job market for PHP developers—making it easier to make a living from what PHP developers like doing most. I have no doubt that we will see an increase in the ongoing PHP proliferation due to the existence of Zend’s PHP Certification Exam. A few weeks ago, I finally found time to take the Zend PHP Certification Exam. Despite having written some of the questions and being part of the exam education advisory board that reviewed the questions a few months ago, I was surprised to realize that I was a tad bit tense—I think not only because exams in general tend to have this effect on me, but also because I remembered that the questions were very thorough, most probably due to the fact that the exam authors themselves are leaders in the PHP community who wanted to come up with the best possible questions. Without making the exam overly difficult, this ensured that every question was well-thought-out, thoroughly peer-reviewed and carefully constructed; this is bound to make any prospective exam-taker—especially one that was an integral part of such a thorough process—a bit nervous! I’m happy to say that I passed the exam—but I admit that some questions were quite hard. I think that, overall, the exam is fair but, unlike many other certification tests, much more thorough. A PHP developer with no experience really cannot pass this exam, which I think is great. It really certifies PHP developers who have experience in developing PHP based web applications in the real world. I believe this book will be of great help in preparing for the certification exam. Both Marco and John were on the Zend PHP Certification Advisory Board and understand the nature of the exam and what its goals are. Both authors also have many years of experience in PHP, which is readily recognizable from the book’s contents. This book very nicely covers the different topics on which you will be tested and provides questions that are very similar to the ones you will see on the exam. Having the answers at the end of each chapter will make it easy for you to validate your strengths and weaknesses. I wish you all the best with the certification progress and hope you will soon join the growing family of Zend Certified Engineers.

Andi Gutmans Co-founder & VP of Technology, Zend Technologies Zend Certified Engineer

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: David Norman "deekayen" (Orlando, FL United States)
Your time would be better spent reviewing the PHP manual to know what number of parameters go to basic/common functions and what they return for the major topic areas listed on the Zend website.

I got this and the Zend PHP Certification study guide. It does have errors, like others said, and I don't think I really learned anything *about PHP* from it, but I did learn about what to expect from the questions. I think it helped me on the exam only by making me look harder for bugs in questions before just selecting the seemingly obvious answer choice/output.

I don't think the questions are really any different from the chapter-end practice in the Zend book. My recommendation is to NOT get this, and just get the Zend book if you're wanting to study a book. I wanted to get both just to make sure I didn't waste the exam fee, but I think this book, in the end, didn't make a difference in whether I passed or not.

Reviewer: Bob
I just passed my Zend Certified Engineer test. It wasn't easy. For preparation, I used both the Official Zend Study Guide (by Zend Technologies) and this book. I often found myself frustrated by the numerous errata in both books, but there were significantly more mistakes in this book (ranging from having the wrong answer listed in the answers section to typos). The positive aspect of this is that it forced me to spend more time with the online php manual answering my questions. I found the questions on the actual exam to be more like those in this book, than from the Official Study Guide, but you really need the Official Study Guide to make some sense of the answers in here as well. There were questions in this book covering exam topics that wheren't covered in the Official Study Guide. That's reason enough to get it.

The print quality on the pages is sub-standard, but the questions and thorough answers were very helpful.

Simply put, I wouldn't have had any chance of passing the exam if it weren't for this practice test book, even though it's aggravating at times.

Reviewer: Kenjiro Yagi (Cupertino, CA USA)

Pros
- By working out and understanding the reasoning behind each question in this book, you will do "well" on the Zend Certification Exam.
- Excellent questions, many tricky qwerks about PHP is explained.

Cons
- The book has errors that will confuse you for hours and the authors are not too responsive in taking care of it. [...]
Note
- This book was not designed to teach, please don't expect to be taught PHP through this book.

Advanced Wireless Networks: 4G Technologies

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:14:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : Savo G. Glisic
Hardcover: 882 pages
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (June 5, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN: 0470015934
Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 6.8 x 9.8 inches

Book Description
The major expectation from the fourth generation (4G) of wireless communication networks is to be able to handle much higher data rates, allowing users to seamlessly reconnect to different networks even within the same session. Advanced Wireless Networks gives readers a comprehensive integral presentation of the main issues in 4G wireless networks, showing the wide scope and inter-relation between different elements of the network.

This book adopts a logical approach, beginning each chapter with introductory material, before proceeding to more advanced topics and tools for system analysis. Its presentation of theory and practice makes it ideal for readers working with the technology, or those in the midst of researching the topic.

Covers mobile, WLAN, sensor, ad hoc, bio-inspired and cognitive networks as well as discussing cross-layer optimisation, adaptability and reconfigurability
Includes hot topics such as network management, mobility and hand-offs, adaptive resource management, QoS, and solutions for achieving energy efficient wireless networks
Discusses security issues, an essential element of working with wireless networks
Supports the advanced university and training courses in the field and includes an extensive list of references

Providing comprehensive coverage of the current status of wireless networks and their future, this book is a vital source of information for those involved in the research and development of mobile communications, as well as the industry players using and selling this technology.

Companion website features three appendices: Components of CRE, Introduction to Medium Access Control and Elements of Queueing Theory

From the Back Cover
The major expectation from the fourth generation (4G) of wireless communication networks is to be able to handle much higher data rates, allowing users to seamlessly reconnect to different networks even within the same session. Advanced Wireless Networks gives readers a comprehensive integral presentation of the main issues in 4G wireless networks, showing the wide scope and inter-relation between different elements of the network.

Covers mobile, WLAN, sensor, ad hoc, bio-inspired and cognitive networks as well as discussing cross-layer optimisation, adaptability and reconfigurability
Includes hot topics such as network management, mobility and hand-offs, adaptive resource management, QoS, and solutions for achieving energy efficient wireless networks
Discusses security issues, an essential element of working with wireless networks
Supports the advanced university and training courses in the field and includes an extensive list of references

In highlighted box:

Companion website features three appendices: Components of CRE, Introduction to Medium Access Control and Elements of Queueing Theory

About the Author
Savo Glisic is Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Oulu in Finland. He obtained his PhD from Crenfield Institute of Technology, UK, before pursuing post doctoral studies at the University of California at San Diego, USA. His areas of interest include radio resource management in wireless mobile IP networks, network management, symbol synchronization in digital communications, automatic decision threshold level control (ADTLC) and frequency hopping modulation for wireless ad hoc networks. He has vast international experience in the field of telecommunications and has published prolifically on the subject, including two previous books with J.Wiley.

Gray Hat Hacking : The Ethical Hacker's Handbook

noreply@blogger.com (IT e-Books) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:05:00 +0000

Books Details :

Author : Shon Harris, Allen Harper, Chris Eagle, Jonathan Ness, Michael Lester
Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media(October 11, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN: 0072257091
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches

Book Description
Analyze your company's vulnerability to hacks with expert guidance from Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker's Handbook . Discover advanced security tools and techniques such as fuzzing, reverse engineering, and binary scanning. Test systems using both passive and active vulnerability analysis. Learn to benefit from your role as a gray hat. Review ethical and legal issues and case studies. This unique resource provides leading-edge technical information being utilized by the top network engineers, security auditors, programmers, and vulnerability assessors. Plus, the book offers in-depth coverage of ethical disclosure and provides a practical course of action for those who find themselves in a "disclosure decision" position.

From the Back Cover

Detect, ethically disclose, and repair security flaws before malicious hackers wreak havoc

Avoid devastating network attacks by acquiring the advanced skills malicious hackers and computer criminals are using today. Gray Hat Hacking: The Ethical Hacker’s Handbook takes you to the next level by explaining, line-by-line, the code behind the latest and most insidious hacking techniques, as well as their countermeasures. Many of the attacks described have been used to successfully carry out online fraud, identity theft, extortion, denial of service attacks, and access to critical and confidential data. Malicious hackers are dedicated to bringing about mayhem and destruction--this book will teach you how to identify and stop them.

Plan, script, and execute widespread security tests using redteaming approaches
Carry out advanced vulnerability assessments, penetration tests, code scans, and system auditing tests
Use the latest target discovery and fingerprinting tools: Paketto Keiretsu, Xprobe2, P0f, Amap, Winfingerprint
Generate error conditions and crashes within programs using fuzzers
Automate pen-tests with Python Survival Skills, Core Impact, CANVAS, and Metasploit
Deploy the latest sniffing tools/techniques: Ettercap, Dsniff, SMB/LANMan credential sniffing, Kerbsniff/Kerbcrack
Understand passive vs. active sniffing, including MAC flooding, ARP cache poisoning, MAC duplicating, and DNS poisoning
Use various classes of Reverse Engineering tools: Debugging, Code Coverage, Profiling, Flow Analysis, and Memory Monitoring Tools
Create proof of concept exploits using stack operations, local and remote buffer overflows, and heap overflows

Information Security, January 2005
smorgasbord of topics...some deep technical issues...great command of…material...a few refreshingly different topics...deliver[s]...ethical obligations…formidable understanding of…material.

Review
Information Security Magazine : Excerpts from review by Patrick Mueller
... a proficient work...offers a smorgasbord of topics geared towards moderate- and advanced-level practitioners...The authors touch on some deep technical issues, such as automated penetration testing and shellcode exploit construction...great command of the material...[authors] discuss a few refreshingly different topics -- such as vulnerability disclosure protocols -- that are hardly covered elsewhere. The authors did...deliver on their ethical obligations to provide accurate countermeasures to attack methods they describe -- a true value to readers. ... security professionals will find value in the authors' formidable understanding of the material.

Spotlight Reviews :

Reviewer: Richard Bejtlich "TaoSecurity.com" (Washington, DC)
'Gray Hat Hacking' (GHH) is positioned as a next-generation book for so-called ethical hackers, moving beyond the tool-centric discussions of books like 'Hacking Exposed.' The authors leave their definition of 'gray hat' unresolved until ch 3, where they claim that a 'white hat' is a person who 'uncovers a vulnerability and exploits it with authorization;' a 'black hat' is one who 'uncovers a vulnerability and illegally exploits it and/or tells others how to;' and a 'gray hat' is one who 'uncovers a vulnerability, does not illegally exploit it or tell others how to do it, but works with the vendor.' I disagree and prefer SearchSecurity.com's definitions, where white hats find vulnerabilities and tell vendors without providing public exploit code; black hats find vulnerabilities, code exploits, and maliciously attack victims; and gray hats find vulnerabilities, publish exploits, but do not illegally use them. According to these more common definitions, the book should have been called 'White Hat Hacking.' I doubt it would sell as well with that title!

Content-wise, the book mixes ethical and legal advice with tool overviews and technical information. Many reviewers note the good legal overview in ch 3, where I found the tables summarizing various laws to be helpful. The authors provide a sound rationale for penetration testing: 'Nothing should be trusted until it is tested' (p. 13). I enjoyed the disclosure discussion in ch 3 as well. I liked the brief tool descriptions of Core IMPACT, Immunity Security's CANVAS, and the Metasploit Framework. Some of the other discussions (e.g., Amap, P0f, Ettercap) didn't go deeper than already published explanations of those same tools.

I found the technical material to be accurate albeit somewhat disorganized and in some cases far too shallow. For example, the authors provide 6 pages on Python (ch 6), 6 pages on C (ch 7), and a single 21 page chapter (ch 10) mentioning system calls, socket programming, and assembly language. On p 279 and several other places the authors admit their topic 'deserves a chapter to itself, if not an entire book!' They should have trusted their instincts and required readers to have prior knowledge of programming in low- and high-level languages prior to reading GHH. Instead, short sections that are too basic for the pros but too rushed for beginners detract from the book's focus.

The five authors clearly know their subjects, but they should have coordinated their chapters better. For example, ch 7 introduces using debuggers without even a description of their purpose. Six chapters later (in ch 13), we read a description of debugging only to be followed again by another discussion of debugging in ch 14. All of this should have been consolidated and rationalized.

I think McGraw-Hill/Osborne's second edition of GHH should seek to differentiate itself from more focused books like 'The Shellcoder's Handbook' (by Wiley) and 'Exploiting Software' (by Addison-Wesley). There is a market for high-end security books without sparse introductory material included for the benefit of beginners. Authors should either commit to the beginners and give enough information to enlighten them, or tell them to read foundational references first and concentrate on the more experienced audience. Authors like Allen Harper and Chris Eagle, winners of last year's 'Capture the Flag' contest at Def Con, can deliver the goods if not constrained by a publisher's desire to address as broad an audience as possible. I would not be surprised to see this book greatly expanded in a second edition, which I look forward to reading.

Reviewer: Jeff Pike (Stafford, VA United States)
This book is designed as a beyond Hacking Exposed type book. It certainly lives up to that by concentrating on more fundamental knowledge. Among it's strong points, this book is the most solid introduction to vulnerability discovery techniques I have seen. Another point to this books credit is that I was unable to find any errors in the examples I ran (about half)

The authors start out with a 4 chapters that discuss things like... what pen-testing is, ethics, legal issues. Some of the more useful discussions in this section include legal issues, and reporting vulnerabilities to vendors. Some of the less useful discussions include the difference between gray, white, and black hats. Omitted was discussion the true old schoool meaning of 'hacker.' The first 4 chapters rate three stars.

Chapters 5 and 6 discuss some cool tools including: p0f, amap, ettercap, xprobe2, metasploit, CANVAS, and IMACT. Enough information is included to get you going on each one. Also the underlying principles are discussed. Good chapters. Chapters 5 and 6 rate four stars.

Chapters 7 through 11 discuss: Programming, Linux Exploits, Shell Code, and Windows Exploits. The "Programming Survival Skills" chapter is a little light, but that can only be expected. These chapters are very well done, and this is the best section of the book. The explanations are very clear and concise. I tried many of the examples in these chapters, and they worked flawlessly. The authors attention to detail will make these chapters very valuable to those learning vulnerability research and discovery. The material here provides a solid foundation. Chapters 7 through 11 rate a strong five stars.

Chapters 12 through 15 discuss reverse engineering, writing exploits, and patching the holes. Tools discuss include valgrind, sharefuzz, SPIKE, IDA Pro, RATS, its4, debuggers, and more. This is a nice introduction to reverse engineering. It's enough to get you going, but it's not quite as deep as many will probably want. The discussions here are well done. Chapters 12 through 15 rate a weak five stars.

Overall, I rated this book a strong four stars. I would have loved to give it five stars if the first few chapters were better. I wouldn't mind seeing them removed and replaced with expanded technical content in any future editions. Based on the strengh of the remainder of this book, it's hard to imagine a better introduction to advanced vulnerability discovery techniques. I wish I had this a few years ago!