Computing Internet Books

I've noticed that most reviews (both positive and negative) are a bit out-dated, referring to older editions. This review is about the latest (third) edition, which is also somewhat outdated (2004).

My biggest complaint is that the book is basically a glorified API with some very boring examples. Each chapter explains the methods and constructors of a certain class then throws them together in a sample program.

In my opinion, the book should have included more ideas and concepts and logic used in networking. It doesn't really discuss how networking relates to most of the things any given programmer would like to do. The book's cover and description leads you to believe otherwise, to believe it's more than a strict reference. Unfortunately, it isn't.

Another complaint is that the book is a terribly dry read and almost completely devoid of illustrations. This makes things terribly confusing when discussing things that might be new to you such as sockets.

It's not a bad book overall, it's just bad at some things. Admittedly, a great desk reference, and no one can deny that the API docs can be cryptic at times.

Bottom Line:
Good reference, mediocre instruction. Nice to have but might not be enough.

I bought it to prepare my class

It was a good reference to me

This book begins with three chapters that outline how networks and network programs work. Chapter 1 is a gentle introduction to network programming in Java and explores some of the unique programs that become feasible when networking is combined with Java. Chapters 2 and 3 explain in detail what a programmer needs to know about how the Internet and the Web work. Chapter 2 describes the protocols that underlie the Internet, such as TCP/IP and UDP/IP. Chapter 3 describes the standards that underlie the Web, such as HTTP, HTML, and REST.

The next two chapters discuss two parts of Java programming that are critical to almost all network programs but are often misunderstood and misused - I/O and threading. Chapter 4 explores Java's classic I/O models which, despite the new I/O APIs, are still the preferred means of handling I/O in most client applications. Understanding how Java handles I/O in the general case is a prerequisite for understanding the special case of how Java handles network I/O. Chapter 5, explores multithreading and synchronization, with a special emphasis on how they can be used for asynchronous I/O and network servers. Chapter 6 shows how Java programs interact with the domain name system through the InetAddress class, the one class that's needed by essentially all network programs.

Chapter 7 explores Java's URL class, which enables you to connect to and download files and documents from a network server without concerning yourself with the details of the server's protocol. It lets you connect to an FTP server using the same code you use to talk to an HTTP server or to read a file on the local hard disk. Chapter 8 introduces some little known classes for parsing and rendering HTML documents that make this task easy.

Chapters 9 through 11 discuss Java's low-level socket classes for network access. Chapter 9 introduces the Java sockets API and the Socket class in particular. It shows how to write network clients that interact with TCP servers of all kinds including whois and HTTP. Chapter 10 shows how to use the ServerSocket class to write servers for these and other protocols in Java. Chapter 11 shows how to protect your client server communications using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and the Java Secure Sockets Extension (JSSE).

Chapter 12 covers the I/O APIs that were introduced in Java 1.4. These APIs were specifically designed for network servers. They enable a program to figure out whether a connection is ready before it tries to read from or write to the socket. This allows a single thread to manage many different connections simultaneously, thereby placing much less load on the virtual machine. These APIs primarily provide huge performance boosts for high volume servers. Chapter 13 introduces the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the associated DatagramPacket and DatagramSocket classes, and Chapter 14 shows how to use UDP to communicate with multiple hosts simultaneously.

Chapters 15 through 17 look more deeply at the infrastructure supporting the URL class. These chapters introduce protocol and content handlers, concepts unique to Java that make it possible to write dynamically extensible software that automatically understands new protocols and media types. Chapter 15 describes the class that serves as the engine for the URL class of Chapter 7. It shows how to take advantage of this class through its public API. Chapter 16 also focuses on the URLConnection class, but from a different direction; it shows how to subclass this class to create handlers for new protocols and URLs. Finally, Chapter 17 explores Java's mechanism for supporting new media types.

Chapter 18 introduces RMI, which enables distributed Java applications to run across multiple heterogeneous systems simultaneously, while communicating with straightforward method calls just like a nondistributed program. Chapter 19 discusses JavaMail, which is an alternative to low-level sockets for talking to SMTP, POP, IMAP, and other email servers.

This book assumes you are an experienced Java programmer. Thus, you should be comfortable with basic AWT and Swing programming, since some of the code examples use these APIs. It is assumed that you know the basics of computer networking - how to use the Internet, what a URL is, how to FTP files, and write simple HTML. However, it assumes no prior experience with network programming. I found the book to be complete and in-depth. The code examples are plentiful, non-trivial, and well commented. I would recommend it not only as a tutorial in Java network programming but as a reference for someone who already knows the subject.

This book is certainly a good reference book for me when I need to know about network programming using Java. As you all know, Java Network Programming is a vast subject, on which a single book can make no justice of. But Elliotte has tried and he is successful with this book.

I liked his treatment of Multicasting, NIO, Threads and reaped a lot of benefit reading these chapters. I particularly liked his treatment of NIOs.

Elliotte is an educator and his books on XML have been fantastic. As a teacher, I am sure he knows how to write books.

This book caters to beginners and intermediate programmers who want a good reference book on Java N/W programming. The expert programmers can always read the Javadocs on the Sun website and other generic network books.

Anil Saldhana,
Chicago Java Users Group.

If you're doing anything with Java and Network I/O programming, the topic will most likely be covered in this book. The author does a great job describing not only how Java handles network programming, but the concepts and details of network programming in general. The book takes the core java.net classes and describes each method, what it does, how to use it, what to watch for, code examples, etc - it takes the API Javadoc and expands upon it.

It's a great Java Network API reference book.

My book arrived 2 days earlier than expected.
That night I pretty much scanned it from cover to cover, stopping at the parts that caught my eye.
I bought two books, the other being "How To Build a Car PC". This book far exceeded the other one in knowledge, projects, etc.
My goal is to build the car PC, but I know nothing about car electronics, that's where this book came in, with tips on how to wire it, how to load balance the battery, so the PC doesn't crash on start up, etc.
If you are looking for info on Car PC's and OTHER hacks, this book will stear you in the right direction, if not give you all the info you need.
I loaned it to my neighbor who is a mechanic, and I still haven't gotten it back!!! (Little does he know, he's going to help me now)

This is not a book about how to hack the controllers in your car's engine to make it go fast, burn different fuel mixtures, etc. Just like the title says, it is about car computers-and this means everything from actual onboard computers, to audio and video configurations. Like the other books in the "Hack" series, this is not a long narrative about Car PCs, it is simply a book full of 75 projects arranged by topic. Some of the tamer projects include installing headrest video screens, listening to email on the road once you've rigged up your computer to receive free wi-fi, installing a back-up camera and screen, receiving satellite TV, and rigging a free GPS-based navi-system. Of course, since all this stuff is power-heavy, there's also a bunch of hacks on how to strengthen your car's electrical system. To give you an idea, one of the hacks shows how to install a heavier-duty alternator. Throughout the book there are plenty of instructive diagrams, cross references to other relevant hacks in the book, and lots of links to web addresses where further instruction and freeware can be found.
There are seven chapters in Car PC Hacks, each covering a different way to turn your car into a functioning computer with cupholders. Amazon does not show the complete list of hacks, so I do that here:
Chapter 1. Car Power Basics
1. Understand Car Electrical Systems
2. Prevent Electrical Fires
3. Gauge Your Wires
4. Connect Your Wires
5. Calculate Your Car's Battery Life
6. Upgrade Your Car Battery
7. Add New Power Connectors Throughout Your Car
8. Use a Huge Capacitor to Sustain Power
9. Upgrade Your Car's Alternator
10. Add a Second Car Battery
11. Put Home Power Outlets in Your Car
Chapter 2. Automotive Audio Entertainment
12. Get a Headful About Your Car Audio
13. Install a New Head Unit
14. Get Computer Audio into Your Head Unit
15. Amp Up Your Computer Audio
16. Make a Very Cheap AUX-in
17. Reduce Your Audio System's Noise
18. Control Your iPod with Your Car Stereo Knobs
19. Tune Your PC for Radio Reception
20. Record Radio Shows
21. Listen to Email, Weblogs, and RSS Feeds on the Road
22. Find Out What Was Playing on the Radio
Chapter 3. Automotive Video Entertainment
23. Understand Video Connectors
24. Choose Your Screens
25. Install a Headrest Screen
26. Install a VGA Touchscreen in Your Dashboard
27. Install a Sun Visor Screen
28. Install a Motorized Fold-out Screen
29. Install a Fold-Down Ceiling-Mounted Screen
30. Supersize Your Fold-Down LCD Screen
31. Turn Your Laptop into a Fold-Down or Dashboard Screen
32. Connect a Car PC to Your Factory Screen
33. Install a Rearview Mirror Screen and Camera
34. Boost Your Video Signal for Multiple Screens
35. Customize Each Passenger's Video
36. Tune in TV in the Car
37. Receive Satellite TV While Driving
38. Play DVDs with Your in-Car Computer
39. Put Multi-Channel DVD Surround Sound in Your Car
40. Install a Video Game Console Computer in Your Car
Chapter 4. In-Car Computers
41. Choose an in-Car PC Hardware Platform
42. Power Your Car PC
43. Start Up and Shut Down Your Car PC
44. Reduce the Boot Time of Your in-Car Computer
45. Keep Your Computer on During Engine Cranking
46. Turn On Your Car Computer Before You Start Your Car
47. Boot Your Car Computer on a Schedule
48. Choose an in-Car PC Software Platform
49. Install Windows on a CompactFlash Card
50. Power Your Portable Devices in the Car
51. Install USB Ports in Your Car
52. Build an in-Car PC
53. Build an in-Car Macintosh
54. Install a Mac Mini in Your Car
Chapter 5. Car PC Interface Options
55. Control Your Car PC with a Keyboard and Mouse
56. Control Your Car PC with a Handheld Remote
57. Control Your Car PC with a Touchscreen
58. Car-Enable Clunky Applications
59. Listen to What Your Car Computer Is Saying
60. Control Your Car PC with Voice Recognition
61. Find More Ways to Control Your in-Car Computer
Chapter 6. Wireless Connectivity and in-Car Internet
62. Get Online in Your Car
63. Make Your Mobile Phone Hands-Free with Your Car PC
64. Transfer Data to and from Your Car PC
65. View Real-Time Traffic Data on the Road
66. Videoconference from Your Car
67. Use GPS on Your Car PC
68. Find WiFi Hotspots on the Road
Chapter 7. In-Car Applications
69. Plug into Your Car's Built-in Computer
70. Put a Video Jukebox in Your Car Theater
71. Choose Your in-Car Navigation Software
72. Play Thousands of Games by Emulating Video Game Consoles
73. Use CENTRAFUSE as Your Car PC Frontend
74. Use Neocar Media Center as Your Car PC Frontend
75. Use FrodoPlayer as Your Car PC Frontend

This book gave a good introduction for CarPC newbie.
I'm coming from computer background but have no idea about car electricity, AC/DC, etc. The guide was comprehensive and very clear.

This book has almost everything you need to get started with hacking a car pc. Its great to have.

Car PC Hacks tells you how to install a computer and all sorts of cool tech in your car.

It includes 75 projects. Well, the first few are not really projects, but very helpful explanations of automotive electrical systems. I was most interested in the chapters on how to install LCD screens, how to integrate a computer in your car, and how to power everything from the car battery.

This book is obviously written by people who have installed a lot of computers in their own cars and used them for their own and their families' entertainment. It has just the information I needed to be able to do these projects. Excuse me, I'm going to geek my ride now.

I highly recommend this book. The authors have done a terrific job of blending in the full spectrum of issues related to IPv6 in a very readable tone and format. The technical components of the book are excellent but the best parts are the ones that add perspective and address the economic implications of advanced networking and IPv6. This book should be required reading for all non-technical managers and decision makers.

This book advances the current IPv6 debate beyond the various pitfalls and complexities of IPv6 integration and shine light on the economic impact of advanced networking. It would be terrific if the authors could initiate the IPv6 wake-up call that is desperately needed in North America.

Excellent read....

IPv6 adoption doesn't really mean much to most people or organizations today, even though we've all heard at some point that IPv4 IP addresses are being depleted rapidly, the problem is not yet that evident.

In all honesty, we had our doubts about this Cisco Press title, but the first 30 (out of a total of 400) pages put things into perspective. The title helps you clearly understand what IPv6 is all about. Its approach is brilliant - with the handful of real statistics and examples it provides, you will realize that IPv6 is not about a new breakthrough or trend but a solution to an uprising problem.

The fact is that the global network, aka `Internet', relies on a 30 year old protocol originally developed for a much smaller network. The growth of the Internet was unforeseeable, as were the problems to be encountered. The experts agree that the IPv4 addressing space will be completely depleted by the year 2015.

Global IPv6 Strategies kicks off with an analysis of this depletion, providing accurate information and a unique methodology, suddenly you are aware of the impact and significance of this problem. It then tackles the myths and realities of IPv4 and IPv6. Does IPv6 really offer enhanced security compared to IPv4? What about Quality of Service (QoS) and improved routing abilities of the new protocol? These questions are all demystified, along with many more, making clear that which IPv6 can and cannot offer.

Analysis of the IPv6 adoption strategies of governments and businesses all over the world is also covered, showing the actions governments have taken to research the necessity and adoption methodology of IPv6.

A brief chapter is devoted to the new services that will emerge from the IPv6 evolution in many sectors such as the educational, entertainment, business and many more.

The rest of the book is an eye opener - Real example case studies of IPv6 adoption. These case studies show IPv6 planning in the context of the business, operational and technical realities of actual organizations.

The structure the book uses for the case studies are intended to help the readers identify similarities between their environments & IT goals and those of the organizations covered in the case studies.





The structure followed in each case study is as follows:

- Company profile. Overview of the company profile and scope of its business network and IT profile, overview of the IT environment and the way it supports the business goals of the organization.

- IP infrastructure characteristics. Overview of the IP aspects of the environment, listing any challenges experienced or envisaged.

- Perspective on IPv6. Presents the organization's perspective on IPv6 as a technology, and the IPv6 adoption trends within its market space.

- The case for IPv6. Combines the perspective on IPv6 covered earlier in the book, with the early or late adoption position considered by the organization.

- IPv6 planning and implementation. The case made for IPv6 adoption shapes the adoption strategy and its implementation. Determining factors that must be considered.

Global IPv6 Strategies is not a highly technical title. It won't analyse technical perspectives of the IPv6 protocol, but it will give you the necessary knowledge to help you see the importance of the protocol, which will also help you make unavoidable important business decisions in the near future.

Are you an IT professional or department manager. If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Patrick Grossetete Ciprian P. Popoviciu and Fred Wettling, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that provides a global overview of the strategies that developed around the IPv6 adoption and perspectives taken on it within various markets.

Grossetete, Popoviciu and Wettling, begin by introducing you to the importance of the Internet in today's economy. Then, the authors discuss the original case for developing IPv6 as presented by the IETF. The authors also take a closer look at the constraints presented by an IPv6 infrastructure to national economies and individual businesses. They continue by mapping some of the adoption drivers to IPv6 adoption strategies that emerged at the beginning of the 21st century. Then, the authors show you how to apply practical information in the development of IPv6 adoption strategies. Finally, they cover key aspects related to IPv6 planning.

This most excellent book provides practical guidelines based on the extensive IPv6 planning and deployment experience of the authors. Perhaps more importantly, this great book bridges the gap between the technology and the business dimensions of IPv6 to shed some light on a technological evolution with potentially revolutionary business outcomes.

I love that these three guys took the time to write this book. Collectively, they have the technical and business skills, combined with the necessary experience to make business sense of the transition to IPv6. They did a good job of looking at each of the key areas, with both the technical (where Patrick is widely respected) and business (where Fred actually led the Fortune 500's first global transition) focus.

This is the first v6 book that I would recommend to the general business population. Prior attempts have been good at the technical issues, but were written mostly for the v6-immersed set. This book will reward the non-v6 reader with practical benefits in business case, network optimization, security and more.

Good job authors-- and thanks for taking the time.

One thing to keep in mind is that this is not a "cookbook". It is less tactical, and more strategic.

I am not saying these are bad things, in fact when coupled with "Deploying IPv6 Networks" (also from Cisco Press, and some of the same authors!) you have a very holistic view of what IPv6 is, how to implement it, why you should be ready for it, the concerns that lie therein, etc.

/TJ

Dungeons & Desktops is a very rich and detailed look at the history of computer role-playing games. Matt Barton takes us on an extensive journey, beginning with the genre's roots in tabletop games, to its early years on mainframes and BBSs. We're then given a tour of some of the most beloved CRPGs of all time, such as Richard Garriott's Ultima series (a personal favorite) and The Bard's Tale. Barton even explores Japanese console RPGs, as their explosive popularity with gamers in the 90s has had an acute effect on modern CRPGs. The book concludes with the future of CRPGs in the form of persistent massively multiplayers, such as World of Warcraft.

What makes D&D (hah!) a treasure is that Barton doesn't just pay attention to the hits and genre influencers, but also the misses, such as Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (which Barton calls the worst CRPG ever) and games which never got their due, such as the great Planescape: Torment. The MMORPG section could have used some better fact checking (e.g. EverQuest's realm is called Norrath, not Narrath, and Asheron's Call 2 was shut down years ago), but otherwise the book is quite spot on.

Fans of gaming history will really appreciate this book and may rediscover some long-forgotten classics. I know I have. If you'll excuse me, I need to go play some Universe.

A was pretty excited when I heard about this book. Being a very specific topic its rare to find books as this. The book is basically structured as a quite complete enumeration of CRPG grouped by 'ages' or periods of time the author has indentified. Sadly, I miss a more coherent view of the whole. I mean, instead of a gripping CRPG industry story the book looks like an encyclopedia of games, a kind of scholar work. If you are more interested in the people and the context behind those games than the games themselves, I would recommend 'Dungeons and dreamers'by King Borland instead.
Anyway a good reference book.

I ordered Dungeons and Desktops hoping for some insight on the development of the computer RPG genre. Unfortunately, after slogging through 436 pages of disjointed, superficial game summaries, I had gained insight only into the book's low quality.

To start, the book has all the professionalism of a photocopied high school book report. Besides being littered with typos, the writing is bland and clichéd: "We've got a lot of great CRPGS to cover in this chapter, so let's ready our trusty Longsword +3 (+4 vs. critics) and charge into the fray!" The book's screen captures are mostly dark black rectangles with some light black highlights, which is a shame--half the captures look like they're supposed to be title screens, and I really wanted to learn more about video game title screens (as opposed to, say, video game interface and mechanics).

A similarly high-schoolish aspect is the footnotes, which are rare and whimsical. Chapter 8, for example, describes 50 games in 63 pages. Just about every description includes a judgment on the game's quality or a sweeping assertion that "most critics liked this" or "few fans enjoyed that." The entire chapter, however, has footnoted references to just five outside sources. (My favorite is on page 268: It basically says, "For more information on BBS door services, see the Wikipedia article on BBS door services.")

The chapters themselves are organized roughly by game release dates, and they read like detailed descriptions of an Excel Spreadsheet. They feature summaries of the hackneyed plots of game after game after game, even though most of them are just "Go rescue this magical artifact from Lagoth Zanta or possibly another monolithic evil whose name would also earn you 86 points in Scrabble." Also included are lists of each game's character attributes: This one has strength, intelligence, and dexterity; that one has power, wisdom, and quickness; and another one has energy, understanding, and agility. Fascinating.

One solution would have been to focus chapters by themes (say, the evolution of RPG storytelling, or the development of magic systems). The lack of such insightful organization might have been forgivable, however, if I could have trusted the book as a source of raw information. But when reading about games I had played, I frequently got the feeling that the entries were written after skimming the aforementioned Wikipedia. For example:

* The author says that the game play of Secret of Mana is similar to the game play of Final Fantasy except for the battle system. This is like saying oranges taste similar to apples except for their orange-like taste.
* After describing the first two Zelda games, the author says the third allows the chance to collect heart containers on the world map, as if that feature weren't in the previous two. He makes a similar statement about the Dragon Warrior games and battery back-up.
* The author spends a quarter of his Quest for Glory II review describing how each class has various humorous career paths. For example, he mentions that fighters and wizards can become combat instructors and computer programmers, respectively. However, none of these "career paths" are actually in the game: they are just a throwaway gag in the manual.

In all, the stunning depth of research made me wonder why I had paid to read one gamer's ramblings on what he liked and disliked about every computer RPG in history. I have the Internet for that. In fact, a lot of the book is just copy-and-pasted from the author's articles on gamasutra.com (where the screen captures are much clearer).

I suggest spending your money on an actual game instead.

I would hesitate to call this book a history of CRPGs - a chronology would be more appropriate. Barton is comprehensive - every major CRPG from the inception of the computer is covered, but as another reviewer pointed out it is more of a collection of review summaries - I would liken it to Maltin's capsule reviews of films.

The organization into the different ages is intriguing, and aside from the nostalgic look at games I had forgotten about, it the best part of the book. The author does not do enough to flesh out the trends, technologies, people and other aspects that may have gone in to the different ages. They are all covered piecemeal with the review capsules, and this hurts the coherence.

The jumping from capsule review summaries to personal opinion is a bit awkward as well. I would have liked to have read more of the author's opinions - they were the on the whole more interesting than the reviews themselves.

The decision to include a bit on console RPGs without deviating from the spirit of the book was a good one.

All that said, for those of us who lived through the entire period and remember seeking out judgment day, getting eaten by a grue, or fighting vorpal bunnies it is a trip down memory lane and a nice reference volume, just not the most coherent read-through.

Dungeons & Desktops is a comprehensive and thorough history of the Computer Role Playing Game genre. It's basically a more fleshed out version of the author's earlier four-part series on the Gamasutra website, maintaining the same format of dividing the games into different ages (Dark, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and devoting some time to each game, explaining key gameplay features, release information and sometimes the author's thoughts on the game's merits.

The book's greatest strength is in cataloging both well-known and obscure games in the genre and explaining how each was innovative in some way or representative of a trend in the genre. In this way, the book gives a fairly good outline of the history of this wide-ranging genre. Even hardcore fans of the genre may be surprised by some of the very early examples Barton was able to unearth. As the book moves into the more familiar modern age, it becomes less interesting in this regard.

Although the book covers an impressive number of titles, there were spots were I felt the writing was bogged down by the repetitive nature of looking at game after game, a result of being an expanded Web feature article. Although Barton pauses at times to discuss major trends, I thought this was inconsistent, and the bulk of the book reads like Mobygames summaries of dozens of games. At times, I wanted more about the people behind the games, and voices other than the author's to break up what amounted to a series of opinions on various games.

This isn't helped by some questionable choices in organization and selection. A thorough look at console games like the Final Fantasy and Zelda series should have been reserved for another book, while Gothic, a well-known modern PC RPG series, gets nothing more than a few paragraphs as a footnote to the downfall of the Ultima series (ironically, the author states that the series has been unfairly overlooked). There are also issues that arise from attempts to lump the games into different "ages." Why one game is listed in one age and not another isn't always clear, and it leads to a confusing chronology.

I spotted a number of minor errors in the text, mostly related to chronology. A few examples: Oblivion was not released simultaneously on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Also, Vampire the Masquerade was released before Half-Life 2, and was the first Source Engine game released. While these may be minor, it left me wondering how many more I didn't catch. Also, the printing quality of the screenshots leaves much to be desired. Most look like dark blotches.

Barton's articles, from which much of this book comes from, are still a great read and catch nearly all the key games in the genre. I felt that this book did little more than add games that are of far less importance, and therefore of little interest to most readers. This book may be valuable for those who want a very comprehensive catalog of computer role playing games, but I would recommend that most readers stick with the free online articles.

Written and edited by members of the International Game Developers Association, Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing is a no-nonsense guide to the professional craft of writing the story, narrative, dialogue, tutorials, manuals, strategy guides, and anything else that needs to be written for modern-day video games. All contributors are themselves seasoned video game writers; they give the down and dirty on how to break into the business, what it means to be part of a writing team, principles of narrative design, and much, much more. Script samples offer illuminating examples that enhance this absolute "must-have" for anyone contemplating or pursuing a career in video game writing or technical writing, even (or especially) if they already have experience in crafting standard prose.

Thank you, Catherine Seda for providing us with simple yet powerful SEO Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Tips that WORK!

My copy of Seda's "How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders" looks like a college text book after 3 semesters: it is heavily bookmarked, with a bounty of scribbling and highlighting! Almost every page has a practical tip worth the nothing and applying. A full 10 chapters and 186 pages of SEO and Internet marketing content for about the price of 5 Caramel Macchiatos - what a deal!

I appreciate the author's successful attempt at creating a fluid "flow" from topic to topic, and chapter to chapter. It makes for easy reading, although I DO admit that I find myself stopping SO often to re-read and highlight the MANY useful and practical tips that are so generously littered all over this book!

Case studies and interviews with real clients and tech gurus make for interesting and captivating reading. Very authentic - and very effective! I ALWAYS want to know whether OTHERS have found the tips effective. These case studies/interviews are great testimonials!

I recommend Catherine Seda's "How to Win Sales & Influence Spiders"! It's a five-thumbs-up read and has ALREADY helped me gain traction in my own SEO and internet marketing efforts!

I liked this book. It covers Internet marketing in a pretty thorough manner. There's material about online public relations or reputation and credibility building. And there's coverage of online advertising. The book is split into two parts and ten chapters as follows:

I. Using public relations for longterm success (Chapters 1-5)
II. Making online advertising profitable for your business (Chapters 6-10)

1. Winning the SEO battle
2. Leveraging articles for the Web
3. Blogging for business
4. Networking in social media
5. Broadcasting your message
6. Connecting through email
7. Unleashing an affiliate force
8. Maximizing pay-per-click
9. Reaching out through contextual advertising
10. Targeting shopping communities

The book is well written and outlined pretty well. I'm not sure chapters 6 and 10 belonged in Part II, but who knows? And I'm not sure it is possible to UNLEASH an affiliate force (Chapter 7). But who knows? I would have liked the book better if chapters 1-6 and 10 had been included in the main body of the book. And the advertising and referral fee stuff were included in a short appendix section or saved for another book.

I think chapters 2, 3, and 5 were intimately related. And I would have kept them together instead of breaking them up by inserting Chapter 4 as the author did. And Chapter 5 (podcasting) could have been split into two chapters with one being about streaming audio and the other being about streaming video. 4 stars!

Catherine Seda's presentation of information is enjoyable and most of all understandable. Whether you have been in the website development space for 15 years or 15 months she delivers the information in a manner which enables you to grasp and then implement it. I found that she confirmed what I knew and then gave me some new tactics and strategies that I am employing now for the first time. I highly recommend this book to both web savvy individuals and those just beginning.

The book has very helpful, up to date tips for website optimization and traffic generation for the beginner and intermediate audience. I would recommend it.

Just when I was ready to wipe the dust off of my Internet Marketing Books to "brush up" from just a year ago, out comes this book.

After reading this book, I realize now that my "other" books seem antiquated. I have no need for them now as "Win Spiders" has introduced me to the next generation of Web Buzz and Marketing.

Catherine Seda really has her finger on the pulse as this book opens your eyes to what is working now and what is not working.

If your not using these techniques this book teaches, your behind the eight ball. I would like to see a full blown "course" from the author as I will be the first in line to own it. Great Job !!

I thought from the title "Decoding the Kindle" that this book would significantly provide above and beyond what I could read in the Kindle manual. However, that was not the case. If you remove what's duplicated in the Kindle manual, you're really not left with much extra content.

This book covers everything in the Kindle manual and a whole lot more. It goes into things in much more detail and the illustrations are very helpful. I thought I really knew my Kindle but this book has really helped me to go beyond what I had been using my Kindle for. The author's writing style is easy to read and you can tell he's an enthusiastic Kindle user too. Definitely worth the low cost if you want to get the most out of your Kindle investment.

Jim Cheshire's Decoding the Kindle is a clearly written and accessible guide to navigating all the features of the Amazon Kindle.

His instructions are easy to understand, even for those who are not "techies". The material is well-organized and the Kindle format can be searched, so finding the answer to a specific question is a snap.

I will keep it on my Kindle to refer to again and again.

My only suggestion (being the bargain-hunter I am) would be to include more resources for no-cost, public domain content. However, such resources are available on the Internet if you look.

All in all, Decoding the Kindle is well worth the purchase.

I've had my Kindle since last spring and all that I had basically done was read books and buy them from Amazon. Since reading this guide, I've discovered all kinds of neat tricks the Kindle will do. This is a very good resource and easy to follow along. This has really helped me to improve my Kindling. I recommend it to all Kindle users.

I was fortunate to be on the right site at the right time and received an invitation to review Jim Cheshire's new book Decoding the Kindle. I have long been a book lover, but have only had my Kindle for about ten (10) weeks now. I am somewhat of a technology junkie and may, as a result, find my way around new technology more easily than some.
Having had my Kindle for a number of weeks I had already discovered many things about the Kindle and its features before reading Decoding the Kindle. There were many things in Decoding the Kindle that I had learned by personal experience or had gleaned from sources on the internet, but there was much information, many tips, and several tricks in Decoding the Kindle which I had not found. There were also many resources referenced or listed that I found to be quite beneficial.
I can only assume that Decoding the Kindle was intended to provide "a little something for everyone" regardless of their previous experience, or lack thereof, with the device, because that is exactly what this book delivers. Mr. Cheshire has succeeded in providing something for everyone from the novice, to the casual, to the experienced Kindle user, and I would certainly recommend Decoding the Kindle to any Kindle owner, or anyone who would like to be.

Although I've been using Word for almost 10 years, I learned something new in the first 10 pages of this book. Word's automatic processes have always frustrated me; it was like a wriggling animal... you were never sure what would happen next. It looks like this book will be the key to the critter and I finally working together.

For a pre-computer generation senior citizen accustomed to learning about intricate procedures by reading thorough, clearly written explanations, this book has proved quite useful. For younger persons who grew up with access to personal computers, the book may be, for the most part, unnecessary.

I placed my order and was pleased to see that it was processed in a timely fashion and I recieved my book in the time predicted in the condition described by the merchant.

I DID NOT RECEIVE MY ORDER!

THANKS. GEORGIE HILL

Several years back, probably more than ten, I read one of the "for Dummies" books. It's been so long ago, I don't even remember what the book was about, but I do remember that I was very disappointed in it. For that reason, I've always steered away from this series of books. However recently, I found myself in need of WORD 2003 FOR DUMMIES by Dan Gookin. I have to admit that I have been shocked by just how good this book is.

I'm not a techie person by any means, and that makes me perfect this book. It is written in easy to understand terms and takes otherwise complex issues down to their basic level of simplicity. So far, I have turned to this book maybe half a dozen times and in each case, have mastered the subject with little difficulty.

If you're like me, this may not be a book that you read through, but it is certainly one that you will reference as the need occurs. To that end, I am very satisfied with this book. I have certainly changed my mind about this series of books. I know different people write these books, but my first experience was so disappointing, I judged all of these books by their cover.

I purchased several copies of the book for my sales team whose technical proficiency was across the board. While all of the material is covered in the online help available from Salesforce.com, several team members felt much more comfortable with a book that they could hold. It is a great help in getting all of the team members to use the same nomenclature which is the first step in any sales "methodology" becoming effective.

Those wishing a deeper dive, should look at the author's other books targeted towards a more advanced and technical audience.

This is a great book on SalesForce in the tried and true '- For Dummies' format. Covers a lot of the functionality of SalesForce in a well laid out manner. Between this book and "maximizing your sales with Salesforce.com" you should have everything you need on hand in your house/office to get you around SalesForce like a pro.

Good overview but lacking in detailed usage instructions. Need to have step by step walk throughs because the online help feature is very confusing. Also needs to reference more clearly what version of Salesforce and modules are needed for certain scenarios.

If you're considering this title in the Kindle edition - think twice. There are numerous screenshots which are simply too small to read. Text can be enlarged on the Kindle, but images cannot. Stick with the paper edition.

I couldn't help noticing that there are 3 Five Star raving reviews of this book posted on the same day from Feb 6 2005 (Strange considering there are only 6 in total). I'm sorry but that is too coincidental making them suspect and of no use to someone like me who just wants an honest opinion from an objective reader.