Rating: 
Summary: good for your library, not much more
Review: alright, but a delves a little too much into theory and Instrucitonal design... not as much advanced info as I would have liked.
Rating: 
Summary: Authorware 6
Review: As the Director of a Training Staff that uses Authorware I am always interested in new media available to teach non-programmers how to use Authorware. Of all the books currently on the market from Orsen Kellog's to the TAAM (The Alternative Authorware Manual) this book is by far the MOST comprehensive. Not only do the authors cover the basics of Authorware, but they provide even more intricate information such as using ActiveX controls and scripting.I would recommend this book for the experienced Authorware user or as a guide for creating a course curriculum for teaching the general principles of Authorware programming. However, I would NOT recommend it for the novice simply for one reason: Throughout the book there are numerous editorial mistakes that can make the learning process for the novice confusing. For example, there are several references to incorrect file name titles, or references to using the white start flag (this was probably due to the authors using this function when creating the program but forgetting that the USER had not been instructed to use the white/black stop/start flags. There is actually a reference to a file on the help disk which must have had it's name changed before publication time (therefore, new users may not understand what to do or what file to use). However, I fault the publisher OnwordPress/Thomson Learning for lack of proper proofreading for these mistakes. This is incredibly unfortunate, because without these mistakes, I would rate the book over all as a 5+! Kudos to Scott Wilson and Jennie Thornton!
Rating:
Summary: Authorware 6
Review: As the Director of a Training Staff that uses Authorware I am always interested in new media available to teach non-programmers how to use Authorware. Of all the books currently on the market from Orsen Kellog's to the TAAM (The Alternative Authorware Manual) this book is by far the MOST comprehensive. Not only do the authors cover the basics of Authorware, but they provide even more intricate information such as using ActiveX controls and scripting. I would recommend this book for the experienced Authorware user or as a guide for creating a course curriculum for teaching the general principles of Authorware programming. However, I would NOT recommend it for the novice simply for one reason: Throughout the book there are numerous editorial mistakes that can make the learning process for the novice confusing. For example, there are several references to incorrect file name titles, or references to using the white start flag (this was probably due to the authors using this function when creating the program but forgetting that the USER had not been instructed to use the white/black stop/start flags. There is actually a reference to a file on the help disk which must have had it's name changed before publication time (therefore, new users may not understand what to do or what file to use). However, I fault the publisher OnwordPress/Thomson Learning for lack of proper proofreading for these mistakes. This is incredibly unfortunate, because without these mistakes, I would rate the book over all as a 5+! Kudos to Scott Wilson and Jennie Thornton!
Rating: 
Summary: Authorware has a new Bible! By Dan 6.0
Review: Finally I can lay my tattered, dog eared, coffee stained copy of Authorware 4 to rest. I once took some classes from Jennie at The Alternative Authorware Conference 6. I found her teaching style light, friendly, and very very thourough. That is reflected in this book. Never in the years I have used Authorware have I found a more complete Guide to ALL aspects of Authorware programming. This book will help the beginner with a detailed look at the interface, menu's, and nuances of every Icon.
It will further help the beginner by looking at the aspects of Multimedia beyond the software i.e. how to set up a project, what the roles are for various team members during development, and what instructional strategies there are to consider, How to build your navigational structures to fit your project. The book then ventures into territory few others dare tread by taking a complete look into scripting covering base programming constructs, functions and variables, Arrays, and how to easily make that all work for you regardless of your prior experience. Other areas reaching beyone Just the Authorware program itself include; connecting to databases, using XML, and active X. Finally Jennie and Scott show you how to use the tools you have been given, by showing you how to create Dynamic structures that adapt based upon the input, subroutines that simplify your code by using the same piece over and over again by simply changing the variable data and jumping back to it as it is needed. Imagine building One multiple choice question on the flow line that can be used 100 times as a lesson is run Each time with different questions and answers. Finally, every bit of this is supported with well thought out comprehensive examples that show your exactly what has been decribed. All at an extremly resonable price. Buy this book, weather just starting out or well versed in Authorware, this Book will be invaluable on your journey. Dan 6.0
Rating: 
Summary: Floridaconsultant
Review: First time your mistake; second time mine. I have now used the Wilson/Thornton tutorial for two training sessions, and will never use it again. The format and layout is good, but the errors that should have been caught & corrected have enough of an impact upon learners that it should not be used, particularly for anyone at the beginning level, even though the book is marketed as a tutorial for beginners. Macromedia should be informed of the negative impact this book has upon AW. In the last training session I had one trainee have the IT person from where she works help her ... and he couldn't believe the errors found in the middle and later chapters. The trainee gave the book back to me and said she would never use AW again! Enough said.
Rating: 
Summary: A very good reference, but...
Review: For someone totally unfamiliar with Authorware, I thought this book rather confusing. I typically learn best by playing with software and using the manual to construct my own exercises. However, I knew Authorware was pretty complex so I thought this book would help. Well, it did help a little but overall I became quite frustrated with following the book's exercises. As I use Authorware I imagine I'll keep this book on my desk as a reference tool. But until then, I'll content myself with playing on my own.
Rating:
Summary: I Agree, But .. .. ..
Review: I agree that this book is a very good text for Authorware 6, but . . . Many, many editing errors leave the student looking for nonexistent portions of the lessons and some of the lessons are completely omitted from the CD! Too bad editing and publishing creates almost as many problems as the book was intended to solve.
Rating:
Summary: Wilson/Thornton Authorware 6 Text FULL of Mistakes!
Review: I am a new user of Authorware 6 and am using this text for a college-level course. Despite my novice status as an Authorware user and developer, I have 20+ years in using computers, programming, and developing computer projects; thus, I am no notive when it comes to computers. This text is RIDDLED with mistakes, some small and foolish, others major and appalling. (My favorite laughable one was "Ctrl + Shirt + R" found on page 537 rather than "Ctrl + Shift + R"!! Even a novice editor should have caught that one, so it gives you a good idea as to the overall quality of the editing.) Typographical errors appear throughout the text, particularly the later chapters; some files on the companion disc have different names from those in the text while other files aren't available, buttons or graphics that should be available are not, and the list goes on and on. For example, Step 10a found on page 503 has at least two errors: (1) ":=True" should be "=True" and (2) "ButtonBackup" should be "ButtonForward". If you use error (1) you receive a warning message that your expression is incorrect, and if you use error (2) your navigation will not work as it should. Perhaps most annoying, the book takes a step-by-step approach that guides the user through the development process, which is a great idea. HOWEVER, steps are occasionally omitted or a sentence is missing that makes you think you have done something wrong---until you retrace your steps (another waste of your time) and realize the book has neglected to mention something. Using this text to learn Authorware has been a frustrating, frustrating experience, a waste of many hours of my time, and has made me think seriously about wanting to develop software using Authorware. Having only recently purchased this text in January 2004 (text was copyrighted in 2002), the publisher should be ashamed not to have yet published a newer edition of this text to correct many of these errors. Grrr!
Rating:
Summary: My Opinion (so far)
Review: I am only up to Chapter 17 in this book and will post more detailed comments later, if warranted. Yes, there are many typographical errors and it is obvious that the Copy and Paste commands were used extensively in writing this book, but the proofreading was not done carefully enough (entropy won). However, these errors are minor. My overall opinion is that this is an excellent book and if you are relatively new to AWare and are thinking of buying it you will not regret it. I used Kellogg's book to get started in Authorware and it is an excellent "getting started" book that I would recommend as a first introduction to the program. That book was helpful in allowing me to correct a few of the glitches in the Thornton example files. As for the missing files, you can get copies of the missing files (Chs. 16 and 25) by calling Thomson Learning at 1-800-477-3692; select Option 2 (8:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern time, M-F) and asking the software support people how to get the missing files. They have an FTP site from which I downloaded the files, but such sites are constantly under revision and may have changed since this writing (which is why I am not giving the site here). Bottom line: buy it.
Rating:
Summary: My Opinion (so far)
Review: I am only up to Chapter 17 in this book and will post more detailed comments later, if warranted. Yes, there are many typographical errors and it is obvious that the Copy and Paste commands were used extensively in writing this book, but the proofreading was not done carefully enough (entropy won). However, these errors are minor. My overall opinion is that this is an excellent book and if you are relatively new to AWare and are thinking of buying it you will not regret it. I used Kellogg's book to get started in Authorware and it is an excellent "getting started" book that I would recommend as a first introduction to the program. That book was helpful in allowing me to correct a few of the glitches in the Thornton example files. As for the missing files, you can get copies of the missing files (Chs. 16 and 25) by calling Thomson Learning at 1-800-477-3692; select Option 2 (8:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern time, M-F) and asking the software support people how to get the missing files. They have an FTP site from which I downloaded the files, but such sites are constantly under revision and may have changed since this writing (which is why I am not giving the site here). Bottom line: buy it.
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