Computing Internet Books

This book is perfect for programmers AND webmasters! Before reading this book I had very limited knowledge of what mod rewrite was or how it worked. After I finished it I was able to:

1. Make search engine friendly URLs (dynamically generated by my site) work.

2. Block bad bots and remote file inclusion attempts.

3. Rename pages or move them seamlessly.

I would recommend this book to anyone, it was easy to understand even from the point of view of someone just starting out.

The freely available online documentation for mod_rewrite is a great deal more "definitive" than this book could ever hope to be, but it's also a great deal more difficult to navigate and read. This book is considerably more human friendly and un-man-page-like, and even if it doesn't contain a specific solution for your particular problem, it will at least point you in the right direction so you have some general idea of where to look in the official docs.

I was very disappointed with this book. The information inside is so basic and cursory that you're bound to quickly run into situations more advanced than the contents can cover.

For instance, it doesn't deal at all with using a rewritemap within a rewritecond, and it only gives one small paragraph to rewritecond backreferences. I've spent the last few weeks scouring the internet for details about mod_rewrite, and there's very little documentation.

This book, at most, aggregates that documentation in one place. To call it the "definitive guide" is a bit much.

Apache is the most commonly employed web server software on the Internet. While it is powerful and flexible out of the box your needs may require more advanced security, virtual web servers, flexibility or other items that can easily be changed. The ability to use mod_rewrite allows you to rewrite your URL in many ways so that it works the way you want it to. Among its other capabilities it allows you to set up Mass Virtual Hosting and rearrange your site with ease. And for those of us who love the Linux world the use of regular expressions allows a lot of flexibility. Some of the more powerful features include the ability to use conditional rewrites (the content is different based on usernames), force users to enter the site only through the main page, limit user access to particular directories, prevent spider access, and prevent image theft. The Definitive Guide to Apache mod_rewrite is a highly recommended introduction to this very popular but vastly under-documented program.

The Definitive Guide to Apache mod_rewrite by Rich Bowen leaves nothing to be desired. After pointing out when not to use mod_rewrite, a chapter on regular expressions and one on installing and configuring mod_rewrite (both statically and as a dynamic object), the author digs right in to the RewriteRule directive with clear examples for doing simple and more complex redirection. Chapter five expands on those rules with the RewriteCond directive illustrating its strength with time-based redirection (different pages day & night) and how to solve the "image theft" problem, and chapter six lays out the RewriteMap directive which allows to map URLs based on external data; I again found some very good examples here.

The next two chapters cover real-world examples which include adjusting URLs, reorganization of content, forcing SSL, and serving content based on a username. Access control, virtual hosts (yes, using mod_rewrite!), proxying and debugging make up the remaining chapters which are packed full of information (a lot of which I didn't know about).

I think that The Definitive Guide to Apache mod_rewrite really is just that: definitive. It is a must have for any systems administrator who wants to use mod_rewrite on an Apache web server, and I strongly recommend it.

I can see that a lot of work went into this book and it does a pretty good job of explaining Business Objects at a high level. This is a good book for you if you are tentative about working with computers and don't expect to do intermediate or advanced work with Business Objects.

The notion that this book is a 'reference' or can replace a manual is completely off base. This book is a 'primer' not a reference. Any topic that is easily addressable through discussing the GUI is handled, but only for obvious cases. The function reference is incomplete and poorly documented. Insightful examples that make you think, "Oh, that's how you do X (where X is anything nontrivial)" are not found in this book. The kind of situations you will likely encounter if you want to create reports for a real business, are not handled. In these cases you are left to your own devices.

If you are new to Business Objects and need a good understanding of what Business objects does and can do then this is an excellent book. Where I work we have purchased several copies of this book. Doesn't go into tremendous detail on how to do some of the more complicated concepts of Business Objects but is more than enough to get you started.

I've been implementing and supporting BO since version 4.0.3, so I've read a few BO manuals over the years. It's difficult to encompass all the functionality of BO XI R2 into a single manual without turning it into a multi-volume text. This is a very good reference covering the major ground work of the new BO version. I recommend it as the starting point for all old and new users of BO, especially given the fact that they've totally rewired our favourite BI tool. And didn't it need it!

It is a great book to give you an overview of the product from a user's perspective. Recommended for universe designers. Although it doesn't go in detail on best practices. This coupled with reading the business objects documentation online (which is REALLY good) shoulg get you pretty far.

I bought the book hoping to get a sound overview of BusinessObjects - what it is, how it works, and how to use it. Instead, I found a combination of marketing gibberish and user documentation that has been recycled and updated so many times that it no longer makes any sense.

This book might be useful for folks who already know some version of BusinessObjects and are looking for a refresher. But if you're trying to learn what BusinessObjects is all about, this book is a very expensive waste of money.

"Advanced Sharepoint Services Solutions" is the second book by Scott Hiller, on Sharepoint Technologies. The first one was about building basic web parts. This book is for developers who have good knowledge of Sharepoint technologies. It is also assumed that you have already built some web parts and also have good understanding of .NET development. If you are looking for basic Sharepoint stuff, refer to his other book "Microsoft Sharepoint Building Office 2003 Solutions".

The Advanced book is not a complete reference on Sharepoint technologies. Instead it contains 8 chapters, which covers widely different areas. There are few chapters which are not covered by other Sharepoint books. This book is good source for CAML, Information Bridge Framework, Business Scorecard Accelerator, Sharepoint and BizTalk Integration, and for Sharepoint and Content Management Server Integration.
Since these topics are usually not covered in regular Sharepoint books, it becomes good source for these topics.

The book has good amount of source code (in C#) along with the text and provides some great ideas for system integrations. But as I said before it is not a complete reference book, just some great solutions for customizing and integrating Sharepoint technologies.

Well, so Hillier's first book on SharePoint wasn't enough for some readers! Apparently, he found demand for explanations of broader, more advanced usages, that he furnishes here in this book.

Perhaps the more important of these are discussed in the second half of the book. Microsoft has developed several other intricate applications, independently of SharePoint. But consider how it integrated the various parts of its Office suite, so that you can easily go from Excel to PowerPoint, say. In similar wise, Hillier explains how SharePoint is compatible with Information Bridge Framework, Business Score Cards Accelerator, BizTalk Server 2004 and the Content Management Service. Granted, none of these is as successful and widespread as something like Excel. These packages are far more specialised and their usages might often involve some programming effort. Thus too, using SharePoint with them also necessitates programming.

Ok, there are parts where you might pass an XML data file to an application, where this file tells it much of what you want it to do. And the XML approach is declarative, not procedural, so it minimises your programming effort. But typically, there are places where you still need the latter.

My impression of what Hillier describes is that Microsoft is not done with further refining of this integration. There are simply too many low level programming steps to be currently dealt with. No fault of Hillier's, naturally. He's calling it as it is. But let us hope that Microsoft continues improving these products.

Scot Hillier is the best SharePoint author - period.

For example: developers need to write web parts. Web parts are custom controls. Can't view a custom control at design/development time, right? Need to install it into SharePoint, run it, test. Right?

Wrong! Scott shows you how to design, develop, and debug at design-time. This little tidbit alone is worth the price of the book.

All of his books will help you become the best SharePoint developer out there.

Sharepoint is so confusing when you get into the backend and this book answered almost all of my questions. Best book I've found. You can tell the author spent a lot of time digging around in the guts of SP and was probably as frustrated as most of us are trying to figure out how to do the simplest of things. Small book, high price. WORTH IT.

I've been in IT for over 25 years, and in that time I've read a lot of technical books. "File System Forensic Analysis" is not only the best book I have read on computer forensics, it's probably the best technical work in ANY field I've ever read. It's thoroughly researched, clearly written, and contains virtually no fluff. The numerous rave reviews it has received are well-deserved.

My only quibble is the short, but seemingly gratuitous section on hexadecimal and decimal arithmetic. If you're ready for this book, you'll already know this stuff. But, that's only a few pages in a book that's otherwise packed with real substance.

I can't say enough good things about this book and author. The material is beautifully laid out and the writing style is fluid and effortless. The author has a real talent for using metaphors and figures to illustrate elusive concepts.

All but the very rarest file systems are covered, and numerous 'screenshots' show how to use the Linux command prompt and get your hands dirty exploring disks on your own.

While this book is a gold standard for digital forensic examiners, it would also be valuable to the computer enthusiast who's interested in things such as what happens to their hard drive when they format it, exactly what happens during the boot process, etc.

I've had 3 courses in digital forensics, and this book gives an in-depth discussion of disk level concepts (HPA, FAT, MFT, etc) that were merely glossed over in my formal studies.

Great resource on file systems and file system data structures, although I wish it covered Apple's HFS+.

Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!

Great Book. Great job Brian. A must have in your bookshelf if you are serious about computer forensics.
It only lacks two things to be perfect: a reiserfs and a HFS+ sections.

Only an error. GPT partition schema isn't used only in big servers. New Intel Macintoshes use it by default for their boot drive.

This book easily earns five stars despite a few glaring issues. Why? It's the best, most consitent, and approachable guide you'll find to writing Apache modules.

I spent two weeks scouring the net for APR examples and explanations. I started with the O'Reilly books only to find they are incredibly out of date. I moved on to Apache sanctioned module source code. I dissected source code for other modules only to find that the examples fluctuated on approach and, apparently, on the author's grasp of the entire APR libraries. Some folks wrote against previous APR version libraries and macros. Others used the updated APR. Still others rolled their own versions of functions that were already written, just not discovered. Tutorials varied in reliability with similar issues. And my desk quickly filled with highlighted and sticky-noted annotated examples.

This book replaced all those loose inconsistent notes with a solid example-centric nicely bound guide. Five stars. Just for that.

This book is not without problems though. First, it makes reference to programming paradigms which, frankly, I've never heard of before and which this book inadequately explains. Brigade buckets is an example. Bridage buckets are incrementally explained as a ring data store (eh?), a doubly linked list (okay, firm ground), and then a mechanism for passing data through layered IO (another eh?). I couldn't get much from the explanation. Googling "brigade bucket" led to IEEE DSP circuit design and a heated debate on using solid state delay effects for guitar pedals. Apparently brigade buckets don't quote share the same prolific status as, say, something more Knuth-ess.

The book explained thread safety in a similarly gap toothed summary. It offers this fatherly advice: avoid shared memory and make sure functions are reentrant. That wasn't much help for me. I'd prefer to have a detailed explanation of why the APR libraries have both reentrant and non-reentrant versions of the same functions. Wouldn't any reasonable programmer always use the reentrant version? If not, I'd like to know why... with some precision.

The final gripe: the book includes RFC 2616 in it's entirety. This needlessly adds 200 pages of non-original and otherwise easily (and FREEly) accessibe volume. Granted, the publisher formatted the RFC nicely. It's a bit easier to read than the fixed format of the real RFC. But why not add a few notes? The author could have taken the edge off of the RFC-legalese and made it a bit more approachable (think learning bible with more notes than text). At the risk of discouraging future books of this level, the RFC is a blatant copout and just a really disgusting way of bumping page numbers.

So, those are the issues I had. I'm still giving this a solid five as it outshines any other information I've found to date.

This should be considered a required resource if you need to learn about writing apache modules. It is the best introduction available to writing modules for Apache 2, and holds up well as a reference.

Apache is more than a popular Web server; it's a versatile and complex platform covered well in THE APACHE MODULES BOOK, the first guide for developers who already work with Apache and want to make the most of its features. From code security and basic processing to C-based shortcuts and techniques, APACHE MODULES BOOK uses real-world code examples and techniques to provide an excellent manual of basics. Perfect for any serious programmer's Apache reference collection.

I tried to write an Apache module using only the documentation and reference material available on the net, and failed. The documentation you can find on the net (even on Apache.org's own website) is either completely out of date or maddeningly vague. If you spend enough time in trial and error you might get your module to work. Then again, you might not.

If you're trying to write or maintain an Apache module, this book is an invaluable tutorial and resource. It saved me a great deal of time and frustration.

This book came recommended to me from a well-learned Apache module developer, and I can't laud it enough. It is simply impossible to find another reference text out there that covers this topic with this level of completeness. I'm not really sure why the HTTP RFC and the Apache Software License is tacked on to the end of the book, but the real content of the book make it well worth the relatively hefty price tag.

Shortly after leading my first Six Sigma process improvement project, which involved my constructing of software to automate client business processes, I came across this book by the Poppendiecks. At the time, the integration of Lean and Six Sigma seemed to be picking up steam, and rather than reading a general text on Lean, getting a better understanding of how to apply Lean to software development seemed to make sense. In reading through this book, although Lean and Six Sigma (now often called Lean Six Sigma) share some commonalities, it became quickly apparent that Lean shares much in common with practices set into motion by the agile software development movement. The introduction to this text lists seven Lean principles as applied to software development: eliminating waste, amplifying learning, deciding as late as possible, delivering as fast as possible, empowering the team, building integrity in, and seeing the whole. In addition, it is also indicated that the Lean principles, respectively, do not mean throwing away all documentation, continuously changing one's mind, procrastinating, rushing and delivering sloppy work, abandoning leadership, performing big upfront design, or ignoring the details. It is interesting that the authors wait until the last chapter to disclose what the authors deem as instructions and a warranty card. The authors caution the reader that "one team's prescription is another team's poison", one should "not arbitrarily adopt practices that work in other organizations", and "the right amount of features analysis and traceability depends on the nature of the system and the probability of change" just as "the right amount of user interaction design depends on the users of the system, their background, and how they might use the system". These cautionary notes present a reminder of what the Lean principles applied to software development are all about. The authors also briefly discuss such areas as "special work environments" like the government, where skeptics to agile methods are common. I would like to see the Poppendiecks (or someone else) write an entire book on special work environments. En route to the closing chapter, the authors present 22 tools to help customize the right agile practices for any particular environment. Much of the material will probably already be familiar to agile practitioners, but a substantial amount of the discussion is on Lean. Most of the diagrams presented are well done, although some are a bit amateurish and do not aid the associated discussions. Small case studies that are provided throughout the text are beneficial (although sometimes minimally so) in helping the reader understand the problem space as well as apply the tools. The first few chapters are well suited for an introduction to Lean, and the book in general is recommended for those interested in exploring how Lean might be incorporated into software development.

It's pretty much all been said by previous reviewers but this one is worth another accolade. As a CIO with over 20 years in software engineering, I've just about read it all, seen it all, tried it all. As a result I'm a big believer in Lean/Agile, and this is the best introduction I've come across. It's a nice, practical mix of principles and practices and touches on all the right themes.

A previous reviewer laments the authors' distaste for CMMI and PMI. For instance:

"Between PMI and CMM certification programs, a heavy emphasis on process definition and detailed, front-end planning seemed to dominate everyone's perception of best practices...spending a lot of time and getting the requirements right upfront was the way to do things `right the first time'...CMM, in its eagerness to standardize process, leaves out the heart of discovery and innovation..." Spot on.

As a PMP with CMMI experience, I couldn't agree more with the Poppendiecks' observations and concerns. They go on to say, "This is not to say that CMM and PMI are bad, but only that for anyone who has lived through the lean revolution, they tend to give the wrong flavor to a software development program." That "wrong flavor" is called "waterfall."

Of course there are Level 5 Agile shops out there, and the author's recognize that "CMM is not supposed to dictate approach, but only assess..." But here's the problem: "CMM programs...may standardize on less than ideal practices...they may be better implemented separate from--and after--process improvements."

This book is a must read for software development managers and other business execs pursuing the promise of an Agile company (vs. IT shop). I'll definitely be passing out a few copies!

This book is excellent. Both Mary and Tom compares the software development with other fields of production. I've to say that if the steps planted in this book are followed seriously, your company will be great.

Think lean, be lean, but don't copy manufacturing verbatim. An excellent foundation for understanding basic lean concepts and how they do and do not cross-pollinate in the software evolution world. Follow this reading up with the second book in this series by Poppendieck.. "From concept to cash".

This is a stellar book.

I found nothing concrete or useful in this book. It is loaded with interesting anecdotes but they're vague with regard to execution and follow through. The success stories generally end with the release date. Never mind the poor slobs who had to maintain whatever was slapped together at the last minute.

this is a nice book to answer a specific question and shows the ease of using quickbooks

The Dummies books are designed to get people started using the 5% of any application most people use, most effectively. This book continues in that tradition. For previous Quicken users, it may be a bit confusing, but this version of Quicken has some changes that are a bit confusing (in my unofficial poll of 26 Quicken 2005/2006/2007 users who upgraded). Worth having on the shelf for quick questions.

I would like to review a few pages(10)before making a decision to purchase. This was my first Quicken product in many years. My friend who ahs used the software for a while finds the new release confussing on navigation-the book needs more visuals(using color codeing) and a quick ref sheet removable-to use when new user navigates.( remember, the new user may not be a tech head! There is a information lack on" OK-I made a mistake and I want to start over and need to delete what I have and begin all fresh again".

Short & Sweet....

This book contains a very accurate representation of what you will see on the Network+ exam and has good practice questions to better prepare you. If you read this book cover to cover and absorb most of the material, you will have no problem obtaining a passing score on the exam. Highly recommended.

I wouldn't say to only depend on this one for your Network+ test. But what I love about this book is that even after I read my other book that was more in detail, this one allowed me to refresh topics quickly and able to put my brain in the mind set needed for the test. I found it very useful to get quick snippets of topics on the go, and before the test. Highly recommend for that reason, but make sure you buy a more detail book to start with. I used TestOut's DVDs, another book, and this book to make sure I knew the content. Some had their pros and con's but when they are all put together you know the topic very well! You don't have to use the DVD's but my school let us check them out for the semester so it was nice supplement for the studies...

Haven't taken the test yet, but it appears that this book will be a big help in getting ready for it. Seems very straightforward. Would like to wait to review it until after I've taken the test, but don't know when I'll find time in my schedule yet.

I kust took the Network+ exam on 5-19-2008 and passed with a 607 out of 900 and you need a 554. The exam cram2 book for the N10-003 is not adequate enough to use as your only study material. They should update it completely to reflect what you will see on the test. Yes the book is easy to read and the practice questions are a bonus. Go to [...] to really get some extra practice on concepts just glazed over by these jokers. I do not recommend this book for a complete novice in the IT field, otherwise you can study the material and take educated guesses on the exam for material that this book does not even cover.

I think that this book is total trash! There are so many mistakes in this book, and even more information that is needed for the exam that is missing. I used this book as my only material for studying for the exam, and I passed with the lowest possible passing score. To let everyone know, I do not have a lot of hands on networking experience. I have a bachelors in computer information systems, and have taken a few networking classes. The questions provided along with this book are a joke. If you are lucky about 10% of the questions on the exam will be as easy as the ones in this book. Several of the questions on the exam were never addressed in the book. An example of an actual test question would like: Out of the following fiber technologies, which technology uses a 2000nm beam? This is not the exact question, but its close. Good luck finding info anywhere near this in this book.

I own this book for almost 2 years I also own many more and by far this is the best IPv6 book. It covers all the topics of IPv6 and does it in a clear but not to simplistic way.
It serves both as a tutorial and a reference manual. One of the great things about it is that it covers IPv6 configuration on all major platforms like Windows LINUX and many others.

I considered many different books about IPv6. It looks like I made the right choice. This book teaches both about IPv6 itself and how to implement it with different operating systems (Windows XP, Vista, Linux, FreeBSD, etc) using Cisco routers or Juniper routers. I am currently running a dual-stack on my home network (both IPv4 and IPv6) and hope to be fully prepared should I need to migrate a large business network to IPv6 in the near future.

Face it folks, IPv6 is coming. Windows Vista comes with it enabled, as well as a few tunneling technologies (such as ISATAP) to help the transition from IPv4.

This is a very comprehensive reference for IPv6. The author covers IPv6 from the basics to advanced topics like multicasting, anycasting, and mobility. The book even covers the application aspects of IPv6 and porting issues, as Marc has that background as well. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a up-to-the-minutes overview of IPv6, and as a reference for anyone that will be working with the protocol over the years ahead.

Really useful IPv6 technical books are few and far between because the technology is so new and evolving rapidly so its hard for a book to keep up. Marc's new book is the most up to date and informative book available now. I've got a copy on my bookshelf and am already handing it to clients for reference about our IPv6 integration projects.

Amazon's date is wrong on this book. It was just published in Jan 2006, not in 2002.

Sylvia Hagen's book IPv6 Essentials is also excellent - I'm waiting for the 2nd edition to bring it up to date.

I have half a dozen books on IPv6 on my shelf and by far Migrating to IPv6 provides the most comprehensive view of IPv6 and related protocols in both breath and depth. The book is written in clear and concise manner so it is a perfect learning tool. Moreover, it also makes for a good reference book because each chapter in the book is self-contained.

Our team works on IPv6 transition and we liked Migrating to IPv6 so much that we order a book for each team member. This is a must have book if you are working in Networking.