Windows 2000 Web Applications Developer's Guide (Prentice Hall Ptr Microsoft Technologies Series)

Rating:
Summary: A tremendous wealth of Knowledge!!!
Review: I got this book expecting that it would just sit on my shelf most of the time. I'm a DBA, not a developer, and was really just getting this so I would have it to thumb through every now and then. When I opened it, I started looking through some of the chapters, and couldn't put it down. I read 5 chapters that first night, and went back again and again. The author clearly knows this technology, and has a very relaxed, smooth style. He also has a very educated sense of humor that reminds me a bit of Dennis Miller. You will not be bored reading this book. I was also impressed with the level of depth he was able to reach in a book that was supposed to only survey the material. I found myself sitting at my server with the book in my lap trying the things in each chapter. I have a basic knowledge of a lot of the technologies in this book, but I had no idea how much I didn't know. This isn't the only book you'll need to finish a project, but even if you've been developing for years, you'll learn quite a bit that you never thought possible. The reference sections in the back are incredible too. Very complete.

I really enjoyed the section on DHTML, and XML. I have been writing with DHTML for quite some time, and it's one of those things I just memorized, but this book actually explains so many things, I find myself going back over my own code and actually understanding why I had to do things the way I did. Don't even get me started on the JavaScript section. Is there anything this guy doesn't know? My only real complaint is that the publishers didn't contract him for a sequel. This is a book that could easily be split into 2-3 different volumes, and I firmly believe that the author could more than fill them up. Trust me, he is a true master of his craft, and even if you're old-hat at most of this, you will still learn enough to make the cost of this book worth your while. Tom Yager really went out of his way on this one, and he really understands what people need/want in a book on web development. I sincerely hope he writes another.

Rating:
Summary: A tremendous wealth of Knowledge!!!
Review: I got this book expecting that it would just sit on my shelf most of the time. I'm a DBA, not a developer, and was really just getting this so I would have it to thumb through every now and then. When I opened it, I started looking through some of the chapters, and couldn't put it down. I read 5 chapters that first night, and went back again and again. The author clearly knows this technology, and has a very relaxed, smooth style. He also has a very educated sense of humor that reminds me a bit of Dennis Miller. You will not be bored reading this book. I was also impressed with the level of depth he was able to reach in a book that was supposed to only survey the material. I found myself sitting at my server with the book in my lap trying the things in each chapter. I have a basic knowledge of a lot of the technologies in this book, but I had no idea how much I didn't know. This isn't the only book you'll need to finish a project, but even if you've been developing for years, you'll learn quite a bit that you never thought possible. The reference sections in the back are incredible too. Very complete.

I really enjoyed the section on DHTML, and XML. I have been writing with DHTML for quite some time, and it's one of those things I just memorized, but this book actually explains so many things, I find myself going back over my own code and actually understanding why I had to do things the way I did. Don't even get me started on the JavaScript section. Is there anything this guy doesn't know? My only real complaint is that the publishers didn't contract him for a sequel. This is a book that could easily be split into 2-3 different volumes, and I firmly believe that the author could more than fill them up. Trust me, he is a true master of his craft, and even if you're old-hat at most of this, you will still learn enough to make the cost of this book worth your while. Tom Yager really went out of his way on this one, and he really understands what people need/want in a book on web development. I sincerely hope he writes another.

Rating:
Summary: A Great General Overview of Current Microsoft Technologies
Review: This book is targeted at a technical person, who doesn't have extensive exposure to Microsoft Technologies. As a software architect coming from a Unix/C++ & NT/Java background, this book gave me enough background to feel confident in building architectural prototypes using Microsoft Technologies.

The flow of the book is very good, transitioning from major section to section with little difficulty. This book is not a reference book on any of the technologies mentioned on the cover! It is a great overview of each topic and how they inter-relate.

The downside of this book is that it doesn't go into enough detail in some areas. To actually begin implementing some of the ideas, you need another teaching aid to learn the Microsoft Tool in question. Fortunately, the book offers pointers to good references on each of the tools described.

All in all this book was a very thorough, easy read giving a great overview of the current state of the art in Microsoft System Architecture.

Rating:
Summary: A Great General Overview of Current Microsoft Technologies
Review: This book is targeted at a technical person, who doesn't have extensive exposure to Microsoft Technologies. As a software architect coming from a Unix/C++ & NT/Java background, this book gave me enough background to feel confident in building architectural prototypes using Microsoft Technologies.

The flow of the book is very good, transitioning from major section to section with little difficulty. This book is not a reference book on any of the technologies mentioned on the cover! It is a great overview of each topic and how they inter-relate.

The downside of this book is that it doesn't go into enough detail in some areas. To actually begin implementing some of the ideas, you need another teaching aid to learn the Microsoft Tool in question. Fortunately, the book offers pointers to good references on each of the tools described.

All in all this book was a very thorough, easy read giving a great overview of the current state of the art in Microsoft System Architecture.