Computing Internet Books

This book is very far from being a definitive guide to CSS. It's patchy and confusing and contains too few useful examples. It's printed entirely in cheap black and white, hence you have no idea what the colours do, and contains extensive coverage of features which have been removed from CSS over the years - not much use except for historians. The examples it gives are only a limited subset of CSS's possibilities and frankly they are almost all extremely ugly, discouraging the reader from wanting to try out the styles rather than attracting or inspiring him or her.

Further to this, I've repeatedly tried to master aspects of CSS using this book and repeatedly ended up frustrated, because it doesn't contain enough detailed information or illustrations of how the browser will look. It substitutes tedious meditations for factual discussions, and the writing style is turgid and pompous, bordering on the absurd in places - for example the author writes that CSS is "our last best hope" - for crying out loud, it's just a way of marking up HTML pages!

In the end you can probably learn CSS quicker and better from almost any other book than from this, and if you do use this book the information it gives is so patchy that you'll have to resort to a great deal of trial and error anyway.

A real educational experience. Also a well defined book. Be ready to learn when you read this book. This book gets two thumbs up.

Nicely written, very informative. My deduction of a star is for the reference having neither examples nor page numbers where a more detailed explanation would be found. This is a common omission, so I would still recommend this book. I would not recommend this as a first introduction to web authoring, as it is strictly CSS, which of course does nothing without structural mark-up. For those who have been building sites for a while, and need some guidance and insite into CSS, this is a great choice. However, for those who have very little or no experience I would instead recommend 'Build your website the right way...' by Ian Lloyd.

Before purchasing this book, I had purchased about a half dozen books on css, one from the same author. I was really surprised to find new ways to use css that I hadn't learned in the other books. Each topic is discussed completely and in detail. For a reference on css, this book is the best I've found.

This is a book about CSS, and CSS, is about the presentation aspect of web pages. How the text appears, the size, the layout, etc.

However, the presentation style inside the book is kind of sloppy. For example, on page 186 and 187, when it talks about inline elements, Figure 7.33 "Strongly emphasized" is printed not as tall as Figure 7.34 and 7.35 when the CSS style is the same. And the word being used is "which is" and is changed to "that is" in Figure 7.34 and 7.35, when it is changing the vertical-align only. The reader would be better helped if they can see the contrast of the CSS style, without the change of wording for no reason at all. Also, in Figure 7.34, the bigger words should not overlap with the smaller words above, as tested in CSS compliant browsers, but it is printed so on the book.

Then again, in Figure 7.36, for no reason at all, the picture is shrunk down to 1/4 size of the previous examples, when they are all talking about the same case except for some vertical-align difference. It may be done just because the page is running out of space. That is pretty sloppy.

On page 181 to 182, it talks about various terms of the inline box model, and there is no figure at all to exemplify the terms at all. Then after the reader goes through a tough time to read through those text of hard definitions, 3 pages later, the figures start to appear. Please, can the book be designed so that the readers are considered? CSS is partly for making the content easy for the audience, and how about this CSS book is made easier for its audience too?

This book has some great tips as responses have noted. My one issue - at least a quarter of the book -- possibly more -- are tips that apply only to PCs. While often there will be a separate entry for PCs (usually longer) and Macs, there are a good number of suggested tools/tricks that only apply to PCs. I would have like to be able to read through only relevant ones.

Upgrade Your Life is a great book. I've followed the blog for several years, but it's nice to have an analog version when you want to practice the best techniques available.

Recommended for information or technology workers who need to get more productive to survive and/or avoid insanity.

If there's one book that's provided me with value for money recently, this is it. I've had it for over a week and I look at it every day. The other reviews here do a fine job of telling you the content, so mine is a more personal review.

I have plenty of experience in computers, so I can see the advantage of many of the tips. Since buying the book I have changed my browser from IE and my e-mail from Yahoo to Thunderbird, as well as downloading some of the many freeware programs she recommends. It's improved my life immensely, and often the time spent downloading has been paid back in minutes.

I stop short at some of the suggestions for advanced users, but that's because I don't want to change things for the sake of changing them. Otherwise I have more programs that I know what to do with, but that's because there are so many of them.

What's good is that Gina has covered the recommendations down to the last detail, especially living your life with them. Too many books on software run through the features with no recommendations as to where and how to use them. So if you're a person with any level of computer experience you will be using these programs and tips more or less from when you adopt them.

So thank you Gina (and Terra) for bringing this book about. I would guess it's made me 50 percent more effective in the first week. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't do marvels after reading this.

This is a collection of hints, tips and hacks for the technologically inclined. Areas covered are email, organizing your data, tricks to overcome your procrastination, clearing your mind, focusing your attention, streamlining common tasks, mastering the web, honing your computer survival skills and managing multiple computers.

Not at all ironically, the people for whom this book will be most useful - real geeks - will already know some, not all, of these things. I am most definitely a geek, but I did learn many new things and happy for that.

In some ways, the book will a half-loaf for many. There's a lot of Macintosh stuff that will not be helpful to Windows users and vice-versa. There's Windows Vista material that will not be useful to those (most of us, perhaps?) who are sticking with Windows XP. But this is not a major problem: the book has so much good stuff in it, that there is plenty for everyone.

Trapani's writing style is wonderfully clear, direct and concise.

Overall, other than calling it useful, versatile, eclectic and well-done, this book is difficult to classify. It merges real life (remembering to pick up the milk) with the technical (setting up a VPN) and lots, lots more. It is definitely a fun book to browse, packed with lots of great information.

A very worthwhile addition to your library.

Jerry

I remember reading the first edition of Gina Trapani's Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better and thinking how wonderful it was. Of course, when the second edition came out, I had to get that one too. And as with the first one, I have all sorts of post-it notes scattered throughout the book for reference and "go back and try this" notes. Well worth the time and money you spend here.

Contents:
Control Your Email; Organize Your Data; Trick Yourself into Getting Done; Clear Your Mind; Firewall Your Attention; Streamline Common Tasks; Automate Repetitive Tasks; Get Your Data To Go; Master The Web; Hone Your Computer Survival Skills; Manage Multiple Computers; Index

Over the span of the chapters above, Trapani presents 116 different "hacks" that you can incorporate into your daily computer life to, well... work smarter, faster, and better. As with most books that are a compilation of different tips, some will resonate strongly with your current needs, while others are skimming material that may not be relevant. For instance, the hacks in the first chapter, Organize Your Data, hit home. I'm working towards consolidating multiple email addresses with Gmail, and I'm cutting down the number of folders I have, relying on search to find what I need. Master The Web also had some cool tricks, like having multiple home pages in Firefox and using Google Notebook for web clippings. I wasn't quite into the Managing Multiple Computers as much, as my current setup doesn't call for that. Still, it's good information to have around should you need it at a later time.

I actually found a couple different things occurring as I read through the material. There were hacks where some software was presented that did a certain task, and I'd realize I've been looking for something just like that. Similar to scratching an itch that you couldn't quite reach. Then there were the hacks that opened your eyes to whole areas you didn't even know you needed. Let's call that finding AND scratching the itch you didn't know you had five minutes prior. After going through some of the Automate Repetitive Tasks hacks, I have started to look at a lot of things I do with a view towards eliminating the manual repetitive effort that I just accepted as necessary before.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who spends most of their waking hours in front of a computer, and/or earn their living in front of one. Taking away even a small handful of nuggets can radically change the way you do things.

The iPhone is pretty easy to figure out right out of the box but this book just puts the icing on the cake. There are "finesses" for different modes that just make the phone a lot more useful & allow you to get the most out of it. Like Pogue's other "Missing Manual" books, it is a superb reference book.

I found many things in the book that I would not have found on my own. Very useful.

I finally coughed up the $500 for the coveted iPhone, and swallowed the bitter pill of having to be indentured to a cell phone company for another 2 years. And I couldn't be more thrilled with the purchase! I LOVE my iPhone - some would say a little too much.

However, my newfound love affair wouldn't be nearly as sweet if I hadn't also shelled out the $14 for iPhone: The Missing Manual.

While I would never consider myself a technogeek, I am not un-savvy in the ways of Apple computers, software and iPods. I've been using Apple products for 15-20 years. So, I was a bit concerned that this book might be a bit too much along the lines of "How To Turn On Your iPhone" -- you know, basic stuff I'd already figured out.

I was delighted to find that this book is chock full of hidden (and not so hidden) tricks and workarounds. Some of this stuff I would have NEVER figured out on my own. It's made my iPhone so much more useful and fun.

Some examples:
* How to send photos to your friend's cell phones. For some reason unknown to me, Apple didn't enable this phone to send photos directly to other cell phones. (possibly because this is more of an awesome iPod with a great phone feature, not the other way around.) Pogue gives the easy workaround, as well as the email addresses to make it happen.
* Great tips on how to use Maps. This has become an app that I use much more than I thought I would, simply because it's sooo much more in-depth and useful than I ever imagined it would be. The app isn't very intuitive, however. If I hadn't read and re-read this section in the book, I would be totally missing out on this powerful application.
* IF you don't want to be locked in to a 2-year agreement with ATT, BUY THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR iPHONE!! Yep, there's a workaround for that, too!

This book is easy to read, and it's easy to remember and immediately apply its tips and tricks.

Great book, took it on the plane and read it from over to cover. Tons of terrific helps/hints for the IPhone. I've been recommending it to everyone that has an IPhone. It's a must have manual. Easy to read, easy to understand.

David Pogue's independant manual for the iPhone is, quite simply, a book you have to read if you have an iPhone - or are thinking of getting one. When you invest in an iPhone, one of the first things you'll notice as you open the box is the absence of a conventional instruction manual - especially after the ever-increasingly thick tomes supplied with Nokia et al. So whereas the iPhone is extremely user-friendly, it's accompanying leaflet is derisory if you really want to get the best from Apple's baby. In an easy-to-read and logical layout, the "Missing Manual" addresses all the questions you're ever likely to raise about iPhones and answers them.
Now all we need is a Volume Two to do the same for the Version Two, 3G iPhone when it is (finally) released - and if Mr. Apple is reading this in Apple valley, US of A, please send me a 3G, V2 iPhone as soon as you can - after you've sent one to Mt. Pogue!

I bought this book back in April to help me learn Windows Server 2008. At first I was somewhat overwhelmed as this is a monster book at nearly 1500 pages. I hung in there and read through Chapters 1, 2 and 3. Those chapters introduce new features, provide advice for planning and give specific instructions for installing Windows Server 2008. They are so well organized and so well presented that I felt better about making the move to Windows Server 2008.

In the acknowledgements, William states he has been working with Windows Server 2008 for six years (since 2002). After reading almost every chapter and page in the book over the past 4 months, it is clear that he knows Windows inside and out --- and probably better than anyone else in IT.

With what I learned from this book, I was able to help plan the migration of our network and directory services to Windows Server 2008. My manager selected me to perform the migration in our test lab. This was such a success I was selected to lead the deployment team, and our deployment is proceeding without a hitch!

The book is so packed with useful information I feel I got my money's worth and then some. I've bought several of Stanek's books in the past and they've never let me down. His writing style is top notch --- clear, concise and no nonsense.

I like this book, but what's with the draft-mode printing? The text is so light compared to my other "Inside Out" books, I wonder if this is Microsoft's way of trying to save some money by printing in what looks like draft mode? I study late at night by a lamp, and I have to strain sometimes to continue reading hours at a time with this light print.

My other issue is the ebook, the font doesn't really resemble the book. It seems like the book is printed in Times New Roman (I could be wrong), but the ebook is printed in...something else that's not too easy on the eyes.

However, the content is excellent, and other than the printing of the book and ebook, I'm glad I made this purchase.

This manual is awesome for all your WinSvr08 needs and it's all delivered in William Stanek's extremely friendly, to-the-point prose. No stand-up routines and asides to wade through to get what you need, but with clarity and intelligence throughout that keeps you reading. Yes, even though it's a computer manual.

Throughout, you'll be rewarded with tons of practical tips and how-tos that make such a difference. For example, I've been using Windows since before WinNT, and I got a bunch of excellent tips in the very first chapters!

WinSvr08's a whole new os, and while the obviously new features are covered, there are major improvements and tweaks to almost everything, and this is a Really Great Guide for pointing out the new way of doing things (even for those things you think you know already.)

If you're going to get one book on WinSvr08, get this one. It's accessible so you can get what you need quickly if you're looking for specific help, while having substantial depth to make a more comprehensive reading of it rewarding. Certainly do recommend it.

Stanek's Windows Server 2008 Inside Out is the definitive resource for network administrators who are deploying and using Windows Server 2008. I've never found a single server book that tells you everything you will ever need to know about any edition of Windows Server, but this one comes close and it digs in much deeper into the most relevant topics than any other Windows Server 2008 book I've used.

I have my MCSE, CCNE, CompTIA Security+ certifications, and I have enjoyed reading Stanek's books for years. He writes everything in friendly easy to understand language, so that you don't get lost in computer jargon. He also has a very organized and very clear style and his details are never off topic. He truly understands Windows and his sense of what's important and what's not makes it possible to read the whole book and get the most information out of it.

I feel that Windows Server 2008 Inside Out is the greatest book for me. I have tried many others and can find more answers in this than any other.

My copy of this book has so many highlights, dog ears, and sticky notes it looks like a porcupine. I'm definitely glad I have it. You will be too.

On a different note, the book is so big it's difficult to lug around. I bought a second copy so I have one at home without having to lug my work copy home.

Stanek once again is able to take technical topics and make them understandable. I have been running WinServer08 since beta one, and this book is an excellent reference for those of us already familiar with the Windows operating systems and newcomers alike.

It's written like all Stanek's others to deliver what I needed. It's so good I read the first few chapters straight through.

I have enjoyed reading Stanek's books for years. My understanding always has increased while reading his books. He understands practical IT in the real world and writes from experience and with a goal to increase our understanding.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone upgrading from previous versions and any current administrators.

Everything is easy to find and well laid out.
A must have for trouble free deployment of configuration manager 2007.

Gives the info I need in a format that is easy to use as a reference document. While I would still recommend training for those who are going to SC:CM from nothing at all, this book is great for Administrators of existing SMS infrastructures. Gives a good look at the new capabilities.

If you are new to SMS and looking for a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know, you may want to look elsewhere.

Just like the SMS 2003 Administrators Companion, this book is really for someone who has little to no knowledge of the product. It is not really intended to help a seasoned admin or someone who needs to architect a large environment. As a book for someone new to Configuration Manager and having no experience with SMS, I would recommend it.

I've been planning a SCCM 07 install for a while and was using the technet site and webinars to learn the product. I was eagerly waiting for a book laid out in plain english to help me in the process. I am somewhat disappointed.

The author says in the intro that the book is not intended to cover every nuance of the product and then praises the Technet writing team for already having done that. He says "In fact you'll find many references throughout the book that point you to the core documentation for more detailed information."

In many cases when I look up a topic in the book I need clarification on, I find a short paragraph that ends with a URL of a technet article.

The book has helped me organize a better outline in which steps to take to install and configure the product. But it seems the purpose it really serves is to help in finding appropriate articles in the massive technet library easier. But is that worth $59.99?

Like the last guy said, this book is fairly basic. I haven't read the Beta docs, so I can't say if this is just a rehash of the initial white papers. But really...I can't remember a single MS book that's ever been 50-layers below the surface like many experienced Admins want. There's no way you could cover **everything** about SMS/SCCM in one volume.

Provided he/she has a good working knowledge of (a) AD (b) PKI and (c) SMS2003, I'd bet a mid-level Admin could deploy SCCM based on what he/she gets from this book.

Right now, we are in the middle of migrating a (very large) SMS infrastructure over to SCCM. I've found this book to be an invaluable resource. But lets face it - a good SMS/SCCM admin knows where to go if he/she is facing a weighty problem. The depth and breadth of SMS is just that....deep and broad. I honestly can't think of another MS application aside from AD that can do more.

Want to know MS best-practice for designing your upcoming SCCM-infrastructure, plan an SMS-SCCM migration, how to leverage DCM or Software Metering, etc...? Well, here's your book.

Want to figure out how to troubleshoot SMS/SCCM-related WMI issues, troubleshoot your Management Point, trick out your MOF to start collecting DIMM bank info, figure out why you are getting all those SQL errors after making said MOF change? Well, that's where the internet comes in. MYITforum or the Blogcast Repository in particular. Like I said, SMS/SCCM is a very deep and broad application. No one book is going to tell you how to do **everything**.

Steve and team did a good job here painting the 30,000FT view and giving perspective on all the new features. Like I said, its been an invaluable resource.

This is a good course text. It is very basic. It does a good job of being specific with each detail at each level. I will be well versed in the use of Office 2007 when I get through.

The best computer book, on Office programs, that I have ever read.
Fore the money, this is it.

I was very pleased with this buyer and my book. It was in good condition and the service was quick and friendly. Two thumbs-up

The book was exactly what I expected. It is very helpful, and I received it quickly.

It's important to note that this book is released in different countries as specific country editions. The triangle headed guy on the front cover is holding the flag from of the country each edition is from. Each country has its own laws and taxes, postal system you'll be using for domestic and international sales and so forth. Although most of the info (the general stuff) is the same if you're going to the effort of buying it I'd get one applicable to where you live. Even though Amazon is a global website, it is based in the US so you'll no doubt get the US version ordering it here.

There's heaps of books out there on ebay. Let's be honest none of them are really needed at all as all the info you could even need is on ebay's FAQ, help pages and discussion boards. If however your online internet time is very expensive or you don't have much time or opportunity to access the internet and want to be completely prepared for buying or selling an item on ebay before the expense of going online, then I guess you are going to buy a book to help you. Although if this is the case odds are you're not online and not reading reviews on Amazon about books anyway. But if you are after a book containing the basic information you need to buy or sell eBay for Dummies is one of the better ones out there.

This book is laid out in easy to follow chapters with headings on the various actions you'll be looking to do. It also has a pretty good index to search for particular things that way as well. There's not a great deal of pages devoted to buying, it's more for sellers (probably about 4 fifths of the book) but the basics are covered.

A much better book I have subsequently come across since writing this review is The eBay Myth-Bu$ter: Turn 199 Misconceptions Into Money! by David Busch. It debunks a lot of myths sellers tell buyers (and other sellers on the discussion boards) such as buyers are responsible for lost items (nope sellers are), feedback is important (nope but how you respond to it is), you can't have multiple accounts (yes you can, in fact you're stupid not to), buyers or sellers must respond within 3 days of auction ending (no they don't have to). It's a much better book to learn stuff than this Dummies or any other e-bay book I've come across.

Warning about ebay!!! I try to avoid credit cards so I can prevent massive debt, so I tried using ebay and paying everything with personal checks. The sellers grew very impatient or didn't report having received my payment and soon I had too many nonpayment strikes and my account was blocked within a month or two. To fix it, I had to mail my proof of payments into ebay, but that is way too much hassle and no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again next time! I wouldn't trust a company that can't tell the difference between a fake J.K. Rowling autograph and a real one!

I was a complete novice at selling on eBay, but thanks to this book I have completed three transactions! I did not have a single question that was not answered in this book. I highly recommend this as a resource for new (and not so new) eBayers!

This is a good book if you want
to know how to do Ebay.
Good service. Thank you.

The book does exactly what I expected it to do. Had I reviewed the tutorial already on eBay having to do with selling, I might have tried to work with it rather than buying a book.
Since some of the items I expect to offer on eBay are expensive (over $100) I wanted to be sure they were presented properly in order to draw a decent group of bidders. For me the book was a worthwhile investment.

Useful reference and the eBook (pdf) has been invaluable. Unfortunately, the pdf is locked which restricts copy/paste (which would be great for documentation). This booke is not a sit down and read from cover to cover, but a go to book for research/reference.

This book covers most of what an administrator needs to know, very acurate information. I use this book all the time for reference because you can't retain everything that's in this book, it's a great tool for studying for MS Exams.

The sheer amount of information presented in this volume is impressive in and of itself. The depth and quality of coverage into the many topics varies, and there's no one topic covered in totality, but this is the "one" book. English et al. nailed coverage across topics i.e. in scope and breadth. This is certainly not the book for beginners; there is a degree of basic SharePoint knowledge assumed, and you'll need to go elsewhere for deeper developer discussion (e.g. Pattison and Larson) or specifics on administration (various blogs). But if you're to make a career out of SharePoint 2007, you'll need most if not all of the information that's contained in this book. It's nice to have it in one reference.

If this companion where a living entity, I would kick it off my team.

Having an O'Reilly safari account I read through it and was very disappointed in that it doesn't cover some of the basic functionality that might be expected from a companion.

As for the hype, don't buy it to it!

This book is geared toward readers such as Web Developers, Information Management / Compliance Specialist, Administrators to name but a few. If you are a beginner to Sharepoint Server 2007, this book will be a most difficult read. The concepts and topics that are presented will have to be re-enforced with online research or the purchase of another book.

To give an example.
The book is composed of six sections, with the first three ( 663 pages in length ) being targeted towards administration and configuration. However, within this mix we have presentations on performance monitoring and MOM 2005, high level discussions on information security policies such as password and storage policies, data classification. We are introduced to advanced Enterprise topics such as the Business Data Catalogue and records compliance ( that is the Sarbanes Oxley Act etc. ). These discussions all assume prior expertise and should you be new to Sharepoint Server 2007 this will no doubt frustrate you. The Authors, in their quest to appeal to a wide variety of readers, cannot delve into the in-depth explanations, followed up by well worked out examples that a beginner to Sharepoint Server 2007 would require.

Web Developers will tend to focus on Sections 5 and 6. While these sections do introduce Workflow Services, Webparts and products like Sharepoint Designer I found the overriding theme is again one of high level discussion and overviews. Expertise is assumed.

Overall I would say that if you are coming from a background with some expertise in Sharepoint Server 2003 or you require a high level picture of the abundance of features that Sharepoint 2007 can bring to your organisation in addition to how it integrates with other server platforms, such as ISA 2006 for example, you will enjoy this book and the nuggets of useful information it provides. The writing style is not engaging; this book is not a joy to read but it will tell you what can be done with Sharepoint Server 2007, outline best practices and point you in the correct direction. The how-to part is very much left to yourself.

If however, your goal in purchasing this book is an in-depth knowledge of the installation, administration and configuration of Sharepoint 2007 and you have no prior expertise with Sharepoint Server 2003 or indeed 2001, then you will gain little benefit from this book. You will find it difficult to read, difficult to digest and your understanding of Sharepoint 2007 will not improve. If anything, you may be discouraged from using Sharepoint Server 2007 which would be a shame as the product is in my opinion really good. Regards.

Must-have for anyone who cares about real-time rendering. It will save you a lot of time -- trust me

The primarily reason to buy that book was reviews. There is no CD and no examples. So if you are a developer and want to see some code or examples, do not waste money on it. I think I am the only one who gave this book 1 star. This makes this book absolutely meaningless.

Real-time rendering is a perfect resource to bring always :) with you and read something about this world.

I find it really useful and elegant and complete

This is not a book of algorithms on computer graphics methods. Instead, it is a comprehensive high-level survey of rendering techniques for making the graphics appear to occur in real time. This book has a very academic tone to it, and with the exception of chapter 3 which is on matrix transforms, it has precious few implementation details. Some reviewers have called it a successor to Foley and Van Dam's classic text, but I find this misleading. That book is primarily about computer graphics techniques, and is not that concerned with real-time issues. The bibliography of this book is extensive and impressive, and if you are doing research on the subject it is probably essential, especially if you are interested in the subject of virtual reality where real-time presentation is a must. However, if you are just looking for pseudocode or more "cool effects" to insert into a game or graphics program you are writing/programming you would do best to look elsewhere.

I acually read this book cover to cover theres alot of information in the book and its a great book to refer back to. Its really good as a companion with OpenGL. theres some directx stuff in it too but there seems to be more with OpenGL references.

It was a very helpful book.

I think it is a great book even if you are not applying for the certificate. It helped me in my work, certificate, and personal SQL Server 2005 knowledge.

I would recommend this book for every one who is looking for a SQL Server 2005 book.

I just passed my test in the high 800's using this book- I'd venture to say it is important to do the labs and use any on-line references you can to help you; I use CompTIA's IT Pro 24x7 book library myself for additional studies. Overall MS press does a good job, it is expected I think to do the labs and practice tests is you want to succeed. A good background in Vista would be most beneficial as well to gather a thorough understanding of hwo it works and why.

As a first time user of this service I was pleased with the ease of how to sign up and order. I am always wary of online ordering but gave it a go, saved me $160 min. I was kept fully informed all the way. My items were ordered July 24, shipped quickly and arrived in Australia, on my desk smack on the estimated arrival time of July 31st. I am very impressed !! I will absolutely be using Amazon's service again. The packaging was sufficient and the contents were not damaged in any way. Again, great service guy's. As for the books, time to get stuck into some study.

This review is for the 70-622! I have never reviewed any book before because I generally agree with the high ratings and therefore see no reason to write one. Beware of the other "high" reviews of this book they are for the 70-443 or 70-441 where stated which are specific to becoming an MCITP on Microsoft SQL Server 2005 not an MCITP on Windows Vista the 70-431, 70-441, 70-441 have nothing to do with this book or certification! I do not know why those reviews are here but don't listen to them for the 70-622 Book.

I am only halfway through this book and all I can say is it is riddled with a lot of typos, unclear explanations, and technical errors and leaves a lot to be desired in terms of detailed explanations in some subject areas. Also details have been left out on potential sticking points (such as making exceptions in the new Vista firewall and UAC control issues).

For example one pitfall I discovered early on there is no explanation in the difference of going to start Run or start and the search box in Vista (these are two different things the run box is not on the start menu by default).

Typos:
pg. 246 is just one example of many typos. It says under the section Histogram Bar: "If you have a large number of values and you're primarily interested in the current value (rather than the value of each counter over time), this will be EARLIER to read then the line chart"
I think it should have said EASIER, but being that we are talking about a histogram which has to do with a timeframe it could also mean it shows an earlier point then the line chart. However if that were the case that would be some extremely poor sentence structure. I do believe it should have said EASIER.

Technical Issues:
When joining the Vista PC to a Windows 2003 Server Domain you get a DNS related error message. What the author fails to mention is that you may have to go into the advanced properties of the NIC card and either under TCP/IP v4 or v6 enter the IP address of the 2003 Server as your preferred DNS server before the Vista PC's can join the domain.

On pg. 238 - 239 Practice 3 Configuring and Event Subscription
The terms Event collecting and Event forwarding are counter intuitive. Instead of laying out bulleted parameters such as the author saying Vista PC1 is the collecting computer and Vista PC2 is the forwarding computer would be helpful. Really to grasp this counter intuitive convention of naming they have used here a diagram would have been best showing the events and how they are collected and forwarded.

You would think the collecting computer would be the one the events are being generated on. That is not the case it is the one getting the events from the forwarding computer which is forwarding the events to it.

During this exercise I got an error saying "Object reference not set to an instance of an object". After changing two things (making an exception in the windows firewall and putting in a description in the description field), I can now successfully complete the exercise. Before doing these two things the subscription would not work. I had tried over 10 times and kept getting that same error however I now cannot replicate the error by reversing my two steps so I cannot explain this.

Overall the book to me seems very rushed and poorly edited. I am hoping I can pass the 70-621 upgrade exam with this book and the 70-620 but I think I will most likely have to supplement this with another in depth book on Vista as this book is very lacking in my opinion.

This self-help book helped me a lot in preparing me for the MCITP exams. Having a busy time at work and no time at all to go to a learning partner, the book guided me through the learning objectives of the exam.