Rating: Summary: Exactly what I'am needed Review: A very good book
Rating: Summary: Disjointed Review: Although the book correctly explains that it is not a beginners book, it also claims that even if you have not seen CORBA before, you will be able to follow what is going on.This is not the case. The authors make frequent use of forward-referencing in the book leaving gaps in the comprehension that inhibit the learning process. I did try to read the forward-referenced sections in an attempt to overcome this but found that they often required that the previous sections had been read and understood. The book is probably best suited to people who have extended experience with CORBA and C++ who want to use it as a reference guide. It is not a useful work for someone on the first rungs of the CORBA ladder.
Rating: Summary: A good book for advanced users Review: As the title states this is a book for advanced programmers. Not the kind of book I would recommend to someone looking to pick up a book and the learn from it. Might serve as an excellent reference source.
Rating: Summary: One book to buy? This'd be it.. Review: Don't wish to wade through book after book? This book would be the one to buy! The concepts are clearly defined and the code examples are fairly easy to follow. (The thermostat example grows too complicated at the end of the book to even comprehend all pieces - authors could use other smaller constructs to show the concepts.) The authors are well-versed in the topic and it shows in every chapter. There is no hand-waving on topics, as I have seen in other treatments of this subject. I've been a Corba programmer for the last 3 years and this has been my bible... Can't wait to see a second edition of this book from the authors!
Rating: Summary: Excellent introduction to CORBA Review: For my money, this book is worth every cent and more. The authors are knowledgable and articulate. If you know of a better book on CORBA, please let me know.....
Rating: Summary: Advance CORBA with C++ Review: Good book. Worth the money. There is a a lot of material here and it is pretty well organized. Some of the examples assume to much - they would be better if they showed complete code segements. If you needed to get one book on C++ and CORBA, this would be the one.
Rating: Summary: Thorough, well organized Review: I cannot believe that some people gave such poor review just because they coudln't get it. The book is titled as advanced so it's not supposed to be a book for novices. I don't have much knowledge of CORBA but find this books not so hard to follow. If you know C++ and want to learn CORBA, I think that this is a great book to read.
Rating: Summary: This book is much needed Review: I don't know if people really understand, but the POA is a major CORBA re-architecting. Outside of the OMG specs, this is the only reasonable source I have been able to find. As the major ORB vendors release POA compliant ORBs (I know Visibroker has theirs in beta and BEA has had one out for quite awhile), the value of this book will increase exponentially.
Rating: Summary: The only alternative is to read the CORBA spec Review: I have worked extensively on ORB development, and I can honestly say that this is the only book I have seen that I refer to regularly other than the CORBA spec. It is the only text that is (mostly) current with the spec, and it provides real insights into many frequently asked CORBA questions, such as object reference identity and persistence, memory management, and the POA. Most ORBs don't have the POA yet; they will by mid-2000. It was an important and correct decision by the authors to include it instead of the BOA, most of the details of which are vendor-specific anyway (that's why the POA exists). Note to BOA lovers: sorry, the BOA is no longer part of the spec. ORB vendors are free to keep it around, and many do, but it's only because they're nice. The POA is so vastly superior that the only reason you would use the BOA is if you have an existing code base to maintain. This is not a book for beginners, grazers, or wanna-bes; it is a book for serious, working practitioners, and it works best as a reference (although you can read it cover to cover). It is also C++-specific; it is the best CORBA book available for any language, but programmers who don't know the CORBA interface language mappings in both C++ and another language will not know which parts are C++-specific and may be confused or frustrated. The CORBA C++ mapping is by far the most complex, so it makes sense to do this one, but be forewarned that the early chapters on the C++ language mapping will be of marginal use if you are not a C++ programmer. The POA section makes the POA sound harder than it is for most applications, and does not provide complete detail on POA policies and architecture, but it is close. Your alternative is to read the CORBA spec (a horrifying prospect for most people), or your ORB vendor's documentation (sometimes adequate, sometimes not). Flaws? Yes. Alternatives? No. If you are a CORBA programmer and you don't like reading the CORBA spec, BUY THIS BOOK.
Rating: Summary: Mostly it's too little too late. Review: If that's the only book on Corba you read, it probably is useful. But, if you're following the technology for a while, and especially if you've used it yourself this may not be a book to purchase. The title notwithstanding, the book's too general and for its thickness contains astonishingly little code. There have already been other books covering Corba in general terms (with probably more code, btw.) Sean Baker wrote one, there are some other too. It's a piece of 'OO wave' literature that is supposed to be bought because of the names on the cover. One guy probably wrote it, another lent his name... well, I don't know actually, so it's no more than a suspicion on my part (but I've been around though <g>. I'm suspicious for a reason.) Anyhow, stay away. Also, be careful about reviews with the .edu in the author's address <g>... them are a warm cabal of superfluos CS PhDs praising and quoting from one another in hope of having the favour returned. Watch your wallet. I'll return this book.
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