Rating: 
Summary: I learned a lot from this book...
Review: As a software professional, I thought I knew about Mozilla. I was under the impression that it was nothing more than the open source version of the Netscape browser. But after reading this book, I was quickly corrected in my thinking. Mozilla isn't just a browser. It's a software development platform that combines XML, scripting, and objects in order to allow for rapid application development of web-enabled applications. While browsers can be part of that application, there is much more there than I originally thought. The book starts out by explaining XML User-interface Language, or XUL. This is the foundation of the design layout of Mozilla applications. JavaScript manipulation of the document object model is then covered so that you can build logic into your applications. The concepts of RDF for data storage and XPCOM for object management round out the major new concepts you'll learn. Throughout the book, you will build an application called NoteTaker that will allow you to create "notes" about web pages that will pop up whenever you display that web page. The examples are clear and the end product of the application is something that is actually useful when you get done with it. Conclusion
If you are looking for an open-source platform for rapidly building web-enabled applications, you should explore the use of Mozilla. And if you do, this is the perfect book to get you started.
Rating:
Summary: I learned a lot from this book...
Review: As a software professional, I thought I knew about Mozilla. I was under the impression that it was nothing more than the open source version of the Netscape browser. But after reading this book, I was quickly corrected in my thinking. Mozilla isn't just a browser. It's a software development platform that combines XML, scripting, and objects in order to allow for rapid application development of web-enabled applications. While browsers can be part of that application, there is much more there than I originally thought. The book starts out by explaining XML User-interface Language, or XUL. This is the foundation of the design layout of Mozilla applications. JavaScript manipulation of the document object model is then covered so that you can build logic into your applications. The concepts of RDF for data storage and XPCOM for object management round out the major new concepts you'll learn. Throughout the book, you will build an application called NoteTaker that will allow you to create "notes" about web pages that will pop up whenever you display that web page. The examples are clear and the end product of the application is something that is actually useful when you get done with it. Conclusion
If you are looking for an open-source platform for rapidly building web-enabled applications, you should explore the use of Mozilla. And if you do, this is the perfect book to get you started.
Rating: 
Summary: a bit disappointed
Review: As other readers pointed out,though this book has a lot of information it is a bit messy making it hard for completly newbies to the Moz platform. Every chapter took me one or more deep re-reading (which is not something I appreciated very much).
The code provided is desperatly buggy (-3 stars) and only works with Mozilla 1.4 (precisly, 1.4.1 it won't work!). And as the author points out debbuging is not easy.
Fact is, there's not many books around on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Book For Mozilla Developers
Review: Having read "Rapid Application Development with Mozilla" by Nigel McFarlane I can say that it is a must read book for Mozilla developers. The writing style is clear. The material is comprehensive and organized in sensible fashion. There are numerous code examples and screen shots to illustrate the points. The book has 17 chapters which cover the following topics: 1) Fundamental Concepts
2) XUL Layout
3) Static Content
4) First Widgets and Themes
5) Scripting
6) Events
7) Forms and Menus
8) Navigation
9) Commands
10) Windows and Panes
11) RDF
12) Overlays and Chrome
13) Listboxes and Trees
14) Templates
15) XBL Bindings
16) XPCOM Objects
17) Deployment I first discovered Mozilla and more specifically XUL when I began a search for a way to build rich web client interfaces. I quickly realized that there was quite a bit of documentation but it did not cover the material in a consistent way leaving out information that was needed by someone not familiar with all the subtle details of Mozilla. This book filled in those gaps nicely. The chapters on RDF, Templates, Overlays and XBL were extremely helpful in my case. The author often included more details than I needed at the present which means this book will still be useful as I grow in my expertise with Mozilla. The author also explains the design philosophy and implementation details of Mozilla so you know what is going on beneath the surface. I especially like the fact that he told you what items were not implemented and which should be avoided. Before I read this book I had been building a test interface for a database application but failed to make RDF work consistently until I read the RDF chapter and discovered I had sometimes used what the author calls anonymous content which is ignored by Mozilla. Now my RDF implementation works correctly and I feel confident that I will be able to create a nice rich web client interface for this application. Simon White
Independent Developer
Barrie, ON P.S.
I did find one mistake in Listing 14.2 where the RDF code example is incorrect as shown. The author informed me that following lines should be removed to fix it. <Description about="http://www.example.org"/>
<Test:Container>
</Test:Container>
Rating: 
Summary: Cluttered, but useful
Review: Most good programming books have clear examples and good Appendices. This book, unfortunately, decided to take the examples and the Appendix and shuffle them together. Code examples for the 'Note Taker' application are hard to follow on first read through. Too much detail is given for tag options (that should have been in appendices), and the example app is never displayed in full. It may just be me, but I learn quicker if I can see something practical and then have it explained. I can identify pieces of a puzzle much better if I know the context of each piece beforehand. It may be "Rapid Application" Development, but I'm afraid it isn't Rapid "Application Development" in my opinion. It's obviously written by someone with a deep understanding of Mozilla application development - I just wished that they had tested it on some Mozilla newbies and taken on board feedback before publishing!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Information for Mozilla Programmers
Review: Mozilla is earning new prominence in today's fast-paced Internet society. So for anyone who wants to know how to leverage Mozilla's power for their own Web applications, they need a decent practicum. Enter Rapid Application Development with Mozilla. This is a highly detailed book that starts at the beginning and ends at the end, such as it is. The technology is so open ended, it's hard to find a place to stop, so it is left up to the user's imagination and desire to take the technology explained in the book wherever they want to go. Two of the biggest things Mozilla brings to the table are DOM (the Document Object Model) and XUL (the XML User-interface Language). For anyone who already understands the basic data structure of XML, they can realize huge benefits from Mozilla's XUL interface. The book details how to use these technologies to build exceptional Web applications which can be integrated with other technologies like JavaScript?. From the most basic examples to the beginnings of large application examples, a reader can find most anything within the pages of this book. It can be used as a learning tutorial if read cover to cover. Or, with its extensive index consisting of topics, tags and assorted conventions, one could simply use this book as a reference guide. The only drawback I could find with the text is its limited scope. However, if you're not the sort of person who is going to be designing Web applications using Mozilla's tools, you would hardly be interested in this book anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for new Mozilla programmer
Review: Nigel McFarlane has produced one of the most extensive books on application development using Mozilla that I have seen. His writing style is easy to follow and he wisely walks the reader through the creation of a useful example program. Longtime programmers will recognize the traditional "Hello, World" program as a starting point for learning how to program Mozilla. From this small beginning he moves the reader forward to writing a complete program. The coverage of Mozilla is thorough and provides the reader with all the basics they need to have a solid foundation in Mozilla. The XML User interface Language (XUL) is clearly described, the available tools extensively described and explained, and all the other important areas are covered including Listboxes, Chrome, Overlays, Trees, Events, Forms, Menus, Layout, Scripting, RDF, Bindings, XPCOM, and anything else you may need to know. This will not make you a Mozilla expert but it will give you all the basic information you need to program basic applications and understand more advanced books and articles. "Rapid Application Development with Mozilla" is a highly recommended purchase for anyone interested in programming web applications with Mozilla and Nigel McFarlane is the right author to take you to your goals.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended for new Mozilla programmer
Review: Nigel McFarlane has produced one of the most extensive books on application development using Mozilla that I have seen. His writing style is easy to follow and he wisely walks the reader through the creation of a useful example program. Longtime programmers will recognize the traditional "Hello, World" program as a starting point for learning how to program Mozilla. From this small beginning he moves the reader forward to writing a complete program. The coverage of Mozilla is thorough and provides the reader with all the basics they need to have a solid foundation in Mozilla. The XML User interface Language (XUL) is clearly described, the available tools extensively described and explained, and all the other important areas are covered including Listboxes, Chrome, Overlays, Trees, Events, Forms, Menus, Layout, Scripting, RDF, Bindings, XPCOM, and anything else you may need to know. This will not make you a Mozilla expert but it will give you all the basic information you need to program basic applications and understand more advanced books and articles. "Rapid Application Development with Mozilla" is a highly recommended purchase for anyone interested in programming web applications with Mozilla and Nigel McFarlane is the right author to take you to your goals.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a Browser
Review: Surely the browser wars are over? Microsoft's Internet Exploreer won, right? Certainly, on desktops, IE is said to be on over 90%, with the rest divvied up between Netscape, Mozilla, Konqueror, Opera and sundry others. Plus, by now most browsers have the same core functionality. So on your desktop, regardless of what browser you are currently using, why switch to another type anyway? As opposed to following the upgrade path for your browser. Given all this, you might askk why we need a book on Mozilla? Game over, right? Well, Mozilla has become far more than just a browser. It is now a chassis or platform upon which to quickly develop applications. It has a library of over 1000 objects, GUI and nonGUI, that have been extensively tested. The idea is that you can then easily write your application in JavaScript, using this library. By the way, JavaScript is the only choice. You might compare Mozilla to java and its now large library, or to C++ and its Standard Template Library. The book points out repeatedly that this is open source and free. Here, free is the operative word. Because, as McFarlane is careful to note, for the typical developer, open source Mozilla is moot. If you want rapid development, you have neither the time or inclination to acquaint yourself with the source at a level that you can usefully change it. The book does not seem to say the following, but I offer it as extra guidance. If you want to compare Mozilla with a Microsoft product of similar functionality, then that is not IE. Rather, it might be Visual Studio .NET. Also, in the open source arena, another alternative to Mozilla is Eclipse, donated by IBM. Eclipse is also extensible, but where you program in Java.
Rating:
Summary: Do not buy this book
Review: The important question is: why use Mozilla over other programming platforms? Cross platform(Windows and *nix)? Rapid application development? Hmm.. You can use rapid application development techniques on any platform. Why should application developers choose Mozilla? Because its web enabled? This in not a bag on the Mozilla platform. From a programmers perspective, the author doesn't quickly give you a real reason to care about the Mozilla platform. Instead you have to slog through XML dialects like XUL and the like wondering why you should bother.
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