<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Covers light detail of most aspects of XML
Review: Even at 150 pages, this book could have been shorter. Its covers XML just enough to let you have a good idea of how each of the technologies that go into XML work with each other and just enough to be able to create XML documents yourself. However, a soft point of the book is that goes into a little fluff at times, presumably because it is "A manager's guide", talking a lot about nothing consequential. There were several paragraphs that could have easily been summed up in a single sentance, (fortunately, at times they were summarized in the sidebar). Nevertheless, it does give you a solid understanding of most of the concepts of XML and a good starting place for those wanting to work with the technology, whether manager or not.
Rating:
Summary: Really is the book
Review: Excellent rendition of the XML landscape, painted mostly in broad brushstrokes, but detailed in places with enough code samples and product names to show what it's like on the ground with this technology. Describes the problems that XML attacks. Moves on to expose some details of XML and DTD. All of the related acronyms and buzzwords are then catalogued in the next two chapters on associated standards and web services. Surveys the array of infrastructure software for supporting XML-based applications. Proposes processes and skills for building applications with XML. Finishes with an examination of ten typical applications for XML. Positions these technologies within conceptual frameworks. Takes pains, for example, to distinguish clearly between remote interface and business document messaging architectures before launching into the details of XML messaging and web services. The classification schemes for XML infrastructure software and XML applications are also most helpful. If you've read and appreciated David Taylor's popular books on object technology, then you'll like Mr. Dick's presentation, which follows the same pattern. The prose is clear. Major divisions are clearly marked. Every paragraph is summarized with a brief sentence beside it in the margin. I find these summaries particularly helpful in locating a specific paragraph that I want to re-read. Mr. Taylor, who in addition to establishing the pattern also wrote the foreword, is probably correct: for those of us who will read only one book on XML, "this is the book."
Rating: 
Summary: Manager should and could read!
Review: First, the length of this book is just right for a manager.
Second, the content of this book is just what a manager should know about, especially on the impact of application development process, resource and skill.
Third, the edit style is friendly for the manager, too.
So managers, don't hestitate to take and read this tiny book!
Rating:
Summary: A good overview
Review: For the manager or executive looking for the concepts, this is a good book. For those looking for more detail, it provides that too. If you are looking to code, then you may be wanting more. It is concise and easy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Great to use as leave-behind
Review: I found this book to be a concise and easily understood overview of what XML can do for business. I've shared copies with one or two special clients and gotten a positive response.
Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to the Technology
Review: If you are looking for an introduction to what XML is, but not looking to develop XML, this is the place to go. The book covers several different areas including standards under development to leave you with a good overview of what XML is and how all of the different components fit together. After reading this book, you should be able to see where XML would tie in to your organization and be useful in your business processes.
Rating:
Summary: Technical enough to be useful but not overly so
Review: In the world of over-hyped and under-performing technologies, the manager, who is often not technically proficient, is left trying to make decisions with insufficient or inaccurate information. Attempting to keep everything organized and learn the basics of and justifications for the new technologies is a hurdle that few can leap. Fortunately, this book lowers the bar to some extent. It is an explanation of the new XML (eXtended Markup Language) technologies without being a tutorial on the particulars.
As an overview, it covers all of the primary aspects of XML, what it is used for, how files are structured and the general standards that now exist. It will not teach you XML, but from it you will learn what it can and will be used for. Some time is also spent on XML messaging and web services as well as the different type of documents that can be created. The explanations are well done, landing neatly within the narrow range of being technical enough to be worth reading but not so technical as to be beyond the grasp of the intended audience.
If you are interested in understanding what XML is and are not yet ready for the technical details, then this book will show you what you need to know. In the hyper-competitive world of modern business, knowing what XML can do in data transfer and storage is a necessary skill for many. This book makes the opportunity to learn it readily available.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what it says it is
Review: This little book is an excellent resource for managers, consultants, project managers or anyone else who has a need to understand the issues involved with XML without needing to create it. The chapters cover areas such as XML Basics, Processes and People, and Five XML Applications for Enterprise. _XML: A Manager's Guide_ is made additionally useful through the use of the sidebar explanations which further distill the information in the major paragraphs down to a summary of their contents.
Rating:
Summary: No other XML book is so clear and so focused
Review: While there are so many people talking about XML, there are not so many good books about it in the market. Most of them are simply obscure. It makes hard for decision makers to see all the potential behind this technology. This book takes a light but conceptually deeper approach. It goes into sufficient detail to make most other books looking too thick. This clear, focused and intelligent little book will open new doors to you. Some managers may even end up knowing a lot more than their own experts and consultants.
<< 1 >>
| 
