Product Description
Learn Java and learn it well. Get to know it intimately. Learn its quirks and its foibles. Understand its strengths and weaknesses. Know what you can reasonably expect it to do and what you can't. Be in complete control as you write reliable, robust and efficient Java code. The first part of the book explains the mechanics of Java. It shows you in step-by-step detail how Java works - from the basics of class definitions and object construction to the programming of Graphical User Interfaces with visual components such as buttons, checkboxes, sliders etc. It starts at the beginning with an in-depth explanation of classes and objects - the building blocks of Java. Each new concept is demonstrated with one or more concise, fully executable programs - not code fragments - that can be compiled and run as they stand. Line by line explanations are given of what exactly happens behind the scenes as the code runs. The second half of the book applies what has been learned to areas of Java programming such as event and exception handling, applets and animation, inheritance and interfaces, graphics and painting, jar files and collections, input and output streams and threads i.e. multi-tasking. Included are detailed explanations of bit manipulation and how Java stores negative numbers. If you want to really understand how Java works, and be able to use it with total confidence, this is the book for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

a differentjava book
Excellent examples and the author understands very well the didactic process when you are learning the java language alone at home !

Way way beyond........
A friend had attended a Java programming course and the Beyond the Buttons had been the book used on the course. He said he found it very useful and encouraged me to borrow it. I had some fairly limited programming experience ( Cobol ) but was a long time ago and I was a little apprehensive about attempting to learn Java.

The book more than exceeded my expectations. One of the things I particularly liked were the short concise code examples that show you how various programming concepts work in a program . The book does not claim to be an introduction to Java programming, but, with my outdated knowledge and half forgotten experience I had no trouble in gaining a pretty good understanding of what Java is about and how use it.

Fantastic way to learn Java!!!
I am a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and I am very impressed with this hands-on approach to learning Java.After being at a loss for a Java textbook that can be prescribed for students that will explain concepts to 1st year students, yet that can be used by 4th year students, this book is a must.2007 will be the third year that we are prescibing this textbook.The textbook has very clear and direct explanations enbabling the reader to create an image in their minds of object oriented programming.From classes and objects, to Applets and Files, the content is mapped out well and there is a common thread that runs through the book.Whether you are a first-time Java learner or an experienced programmer wanting to get a handle on complex concepts, this book will be of benefit to you.It is a textbook that will be used over and over again.There are two chapters on threads which can be tricky, yet this textbook explains the concept very well.What is very benficial for students is the fact that there are "Test Yourself" questions at the end of each chapter.At the end of the textbook there are three appendixes which provide an overview of some new programming features, give an explanation of counting systems and provide some insight into floating-point values.Overall it is an excellent book and I can Highly recommend it.The author, Robin Knox-Grant, is also very approachable and happy to explain and assist wherever possible. ... Read more

Product Description

For readers who want to design Web pages thatload quickly, are easy to update, accessible to all, work on allbrowsers and can be quickly adapted to different media, thiscomprehensive guide represents the best way to go about it. By focusingon the ways the two languages--XHTML and CSS--complement each other,Web design pro Patrick Griffiths provides the fastest,most efficient way of accomplishing specific Web design tasks. With Webstandards best practices at its heart, it outlines how to do things theright way from the outset, resulting in highly optimized web pages, ina quicker, easier, less painful way than users could hope for! Splitinto 10 easy-to-follow chapters such as Text, Images, Layout, Lists,and Forms, and coupled with handy quick-reference XHTML tag and CSSproperty appendixes, HTML Dog is the perfect guide andcompanion for anyone wanting to master these languages. Readers canalso see the lessons in action with more than 70 online examplesconstructed especially for the book.

Customer Reviews (13)

Not for beginners
HTML Dog: The Best Practice Guide to XHTML and CSS is clearly a quality book, but...
- The fact is that for someone like me who last looked at HTML over a decade ago it was often confusing. The author is clearly on a campaign for purity and for using solely the latest standards, so he commonly spends time advising the reader that some older mode of coding is bad and should not be done. As a result when trying to integrate the lessons with existing code problems arise. The book appears to be quite what it claims to be, a "best practice guide" rather than a tutorial for those of us who need to start from zero.

Pretty good!
Loved getting the book- it was in amazing mint condition to start with, and I think this book is one of the most awesome books if you want to learn more about HTML and CSS! Go for it! :D

had higher expectations
I was disappointed. 3 stars.

The content of this book is good, not great. I think the author should cut the lengthy explanations and arguments short. Feed us the beef please. But he knows what he is doing and the external resources (especially the author's website) are very helpful.

The book introduces the concepts of content structuring and then content presentation. Every chapter (save the first one) follows the pattern: structure, then presentation.

Was there a full CSS 2.1 reference?? a full XHTML1.1 reference (ok the author gave an excuse, saying he removed the tags that were not really structuring tags, but rather presentation ones)?? Because if there were, I wouldn't have gave this book 3 stars.

You see, I got this book because of the appendices. I don't like to have to find my way through Google search results (most of them which got on the first page by using marketing and SEO tricks anyway...). So I thought this book was the deal. I was wrong.

I still had to ask my friend Google questions like "how precisely are the values set for the background-position property?" The author did not bother explaining that or point to where you should find that.

This book is too superficial, just like a tutorial.

Beginner book but very good
This is a great book for beginning HTML and CSS quick and easy to read also with an accompanying website. I find myself referring to it all the time. I've read it in full 3 times now just for heck of it. I really would also recommend the "Head First" titles. I swear by those to start learning in a particular subject.

Not for a beginner
This book serves as a great reference, but if you don't know what css and xhtml is leave this book alone. The book only has about 100 pages of material. He goes through the differnt aspects of xhtml and css, but if you have never heard what he is talking about its very hard to understand. I would say this book is meant as a reference NOT!! a leraning guide. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

Boo - Missing source files
Yeah, seems like a great book...if you're already familiar with SQLite. But the publisher didn't make a concerted effort to make sure ALL the source files were included on their website, thus, source code for a helper file is MISSING. Who knows what else is missing. I'm only interested in the database aspects of AIR and their SQLTutorial application wasn't included in the downloads. Further, the book was published July 2008, this is 2010, and they still haven't fixed the problem. They apparently don't pay attention to their forum on the matter because they haven't offered ANY help whatsoever. The more I write, the more frustrated I feel.

Review by Arnaud Lemercier
"Adobe AIR in Action" is a book that has everything you need theory, practice, advisory for you at the center of the matter. The introduction helps you understand the architecture of an AIR application.
The suite is divided into 3 parts: Flex Builder, Flash and Flex SDK. For those who want to use AIR via HTML, do not panic, Chapter 7 is dedicated to that.

Thereafter, the book explains the case of use. These include window management, transparency, full screen, use the menu ...

Chapter by chapter, we find all the basics such as access to databases, interaction with the clipboard, use the drag & drop, use sockets or file access.

Throughout the book, you can test what you learned on a sample application which is enriched and expanded in each lesson.

To understand more easily the various source code exposed, it is preferable to have some concepts of ActionScript 3.0. Beginners will find them but also the reading may be a little more difficult.

To summarize, it's a very good book. Well presented, clear, simple, interesting and really useful. Personally, I just regret that there is no explanation on the use of WebService with AIR.

Good intro to AIR for Flex developer
If you are flex developer and looking into AIR this book is for you. It is for beginners in AIR but flex knowledge is of great help to understand AIR.

Complete Adobe AIR Start-up kit for Flex and Flash CS3
GREAT READ!
Adobe AIR In Action is a great resource for those starting to learn the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR).This book takes you from the absolute essentials, step-by-step with thoughtful screenshots to light your path to creating great AIR applications.

I was really impressed that the authors take you through everything you need or want to know in order to get up and running.For example, I have often avoided making a lot of configuration changes to the AIR app.xml file just because I did not have time to scurry around finding clear concise explanations of what effects my actions would have.Lott, et al. break it down thoroughly and completely in a section that took me about 5 minutes to fully understand all of the various settings of the config.xml file.

I am a visual learner and, in the past, spent hours looking at framework documentation ASDOCS only to realize that I didn't learn nearly what my time investment would have supported.I can say that the style of this book is very conducive to retention without "talking down" to the reader.

Coming from a Flex background, I enjoyed the many examples provided in Flex, but was especially interested in the step-by-step examples provided for people coming from a Flash CS3 background.As with all of the examples in the book, Adobe AIR In Action not only provides you with the "how" to do something, but background information on the "why" you do something (should you be interested in knowing the "why" that is).

There is an entire chapter devoted just to integrating your AIR application into your SQL database.The chapter is quite thorough, yet explained clearly and effectively.

My only criticism, if any, would have to be that I would have liked a little more in the way of network, and web service integration.Since the majority of AIR applications are distributed applications that call back to some form of data storage, I would have enjoyed a little more depth in different approaches of asynchronous server communication with your AIR application.However, the book does cover network monitoring for both HTTP and sockets.

I'm not trying to sell you anything.But I will say, that this is one of the better beginner level books I've read.Is it going to answer ALL of your questions?No.But it will give you a great head-start and sound foundational working knowledge of Adobe AIR. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is aimed at Java programmers with at least an intermediate skill level with Java. The intent is to teach the reader to use Java Foundations Classes (JFC) and the Swing classes with JBuilder. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Easy read
This book is easy to read and easy to follow.I wish it where longer and cheaper, but its a good book to teach you the basics of JFC.

Easy Read
This book was darned easy to follow.I liked the full code samples in the book, and they all worked!!I found JFC to be remarkably easy to understand with this book.So why not five stars? Well I have two complaints:
Its too short, and too costly.I say revise it, add another 100 pages, and drop five or ten off the price,then I will call it a five star book!

Good - but short
This book covers using JFC/Swing in a terribly easy to follow manner.If you cannot understand this book, then you should give up programming. Everything is spelled out in an easy to follow step by step manner with complete code samples so you can see everything.My only complaints are that its too short and too high priced.I would like to have seen another 100 or so pages, and about 10 dollars less on the price tag. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (19)

good but not great
The actual content of this book is 50% DHTML, 30% application design, and 20% AJAX. And by AJAX, I mean, something that actually involves asynchonous (or synchronous) communication with the server.It could be entitled "Head First DHTML with Ajax." The DHTML lessons are in DOM and javascript/json (of course.) The application design emphasizes separation of content from presentation from behavior. At my level of expertise, I learned more than I thought I would from the non-Ajax topics.I have not read any other book on Ajax, so maybe there just isn't too much to learn about AJAX, so the authors padded material with the 'interactive spirit of AJAX', i.e., DHTML.

I have read another Head First book, Design Patterns, so I anticipated a little fun. This book was not as fun. The word search puzzles have no value; you are not forced to remember what you've learned. I prefer the crosswords of the Design Patterns book.

The authors leave security considerations to the last chapter, where they tell you that you've been doing executing the less secure form of asynchronous communication for the previous 11 chapters. Read the whole book.

I didn't have PHP installed, and installing it was a chore. The book (also Head First/Oreilly websites) gives no clue as to how to install, and executing the first procedure I found online completely disabled my IIS 5.1 server(Window XP OS). There is no instruction in PHP despite the fact that all the async communications are with .php files.

You'll definitely want to hit the errata and forum pages online as there many errors, including plainly incorrect statements in big type.

I imagine that reading this book makes the reader almost dangerous, but you'll need to pick up PHP to really do some damage.

Ajax review
I am only halfway thru the book. So far, I am enjoying this book as it teaches new AJAX concepts, but also reinforces other XML and JavaScript skillsets and shows how they play nicely together. Hopefully, the book finishes well.

Good writing lousy exercises
I am a fan of the Head First books. The explanations and examples in Head First Ajax are pretty good. The book helped me understand the concepts, but I was repeatedly frustrated with issues in the exercises. The forums helped with some of the issues, and the final code helped with others. Correct the exercises and this would be another 5 star Head First book.

A great introduction to Ajax!
If you're new to anything that Head First offers a book for, I strongly recommend you start with them.Their books aren't the most in depth, but they do a great job of introducing the concepts and helping you wrap your head around the technology.

Don't waste your money
While the concept of the book is excellent, the examples simply do not work.There is a forum on O'Reilly's web site, but they refuse to offer any solutions to any problems in the text.

There is no errata and no support whatsoever.

Avoid this book if you value your sanity. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Use Your HTML/JavaScript Skills to Develop AIR Applications
If you're already familiar with HTML and JavaScript and would want to develop desktop applications using Adobe AIR then this is the right book for YOU.

In a nutshell, there are several approaches to developing AIR applications:
1. Using HTML and JavaScript
2. Using Flex
3. Using Flash

Obviously, this book focuses mainly on the first item.

I'm coming from Java Web Development background and I have just started with Flex. I also got interested in Adobe AIR after seeing some examples on the Internet. But since I'm already developing Flex applications for the web, I prefer developing AIR applications using Flex also (so it will be easier to port the application from web to desktop and vice versa).

Even so, I find the book very informative. Most especially the cookbook section where it shows you how to connect to the embedded database, read/write files and so on.

Given that this book is a Pocket Guide, I was quickly up to speed with the capabilities of Adobe AIR in a couple of hours. ... Read more

Product Description
Web authors and administrators have many sources for information, both inprint and online. WebMaster in a Nutshell puts it all togetherin one slim volum for easy desktop access. This quick reference covers:

• HTML 3.2, the markup language for Web documents
• CGI, for creating interactive content on the Web
• JavaScript, a scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML
• HTML extensions by Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Microsoft InternetExplorer 3.0
• Examples and descriptions of the HTML tags for creating frames,tables, and fill-in forms
• HTTP 1.1, the underlying protocol that drives the Web
• Configuration for the Apache, NCSA, CERN, Netscape, andWebSite servers
• Perl 5, the programming language used most often for CGI
• WinCGI, the CGI interface for Windows-based programming languages
• Cookies, for maintaining state between multiple instances ofCGI, Java, and JavaScript programs

Customer Reviews (38)

Webmaster in a nutshell
This is a required book for web programming. It's easy to use as a guideline.

Good overview
Have not read this that much, but what I did read did help me.It's a great overview of different web programing languages, but if I ever got serious into one of them I would definitely want a specific book on that language.

Maybe I'm just a different kind of webmaster...
But I haven't found this book to be nearly as useful as I had hoped to after reading all these glowing reviews.My biggest problem with it is the lack of a simple Apache section governing all the real-world mods you might have to do on a regular basis.NOTHING in the book on, for instance, implementing SSL via .htaccess.In fact, it's because of the lack of treatment on SSL that I have to give this thing three stars.The CGI section is useful, the XML stuff is nice, the JavaScript reference is very valuable.But I have to say that without a comprehensive section on implementing SSL, this isn't a "real-world-ready" reference.

Provides a lot of information over a wide subject
The book includes reference on HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, PHP, HTTP, Apache modules and configuration, and web server performance.While all of the material is covered in O'Reilly's other books, I was impressed with the layout and presentation of this book.I also found that the reference material that is buried deep in O'Reilly's other books, was very easy to find in this one.I was especially impressed with the JavaScript and HTTP reference, and feel that these two sections will be used by the majority of this book's readers.

Life easier, desktop manageable with 2003 THIRD edition
I invested in a copy of the THIRD edition and am DELIGHTED. This reference does a good job of putting all the day-to-day needed information in one place. It saves me froming having to keep separate references on HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, CGI/Perl, HTTP, PHP, Apache functions, etc. right in my face.

I really applaud the compact and accessible way each chapter organizes and presents the details of syntax: they are clear yet take up much less space (1/5 the pages of books that are billed as references to each of the subjects included here) while giving you 95% of what a "comprehensive reference" might. I had been concerned that the information might be too compressed to be accessible, but in fact this volume is so much easier to scan through for an answer than many other reference styles. (Kudos to the book designers at O'Reilly!)

Although a reference work, it is not only a listing of syntax (as helpful as those lists are). The authors have compiled pretty readable and thorough mini-backgrounds and basic principles for each of the enormous realms that they document here. These are providing some reminders for me as I am ramp up my knowledgebase and skills; plus there are hints that I have not yet seen elsewhere in weightier tomes (e.g., on performance).

Readers may save themselves some money and desktop/bookshelf space + save some trees: this Nutshell is a vast storehouse that may enable you to forestall buying reference volumes for each of the topics covered here. Thanks to Spainhour & Eckstein for some careful work!

Note to aspiring (novice) webmasters: this IS a REFERENCE book. That is not a bad thing. You'll still appreciate having it by your side because you're regularly going to have basic questions about formating ("how do I say this in CSS instead of HTML?"). However, as one young reviewer below discovered, to BECOME a webmaster (or master) is going to require some "Quickstart" books, some instruction in DESIGN, and STRATEGY, etc. Bon voyage!

[ Further note from my earlier review: be sure you are NOT getting EARLIER edition. Complaints mentioned (below) in reviews of this book are rectified in the THIRD edition (ISBN 0596003579 ). It's probably a good idea to be watching as the reviews of that December 20002 volume to see how the work has changed.
In any event, with browsers and markup languages changing so fast almost everyone can be advised to jump to considering the most current edition -- even though (as of this writing) new copies of this 1999 second edition are still available. ] ... Read more

Product Description

Practical JavaScript, DOM, and Ajax Projects is ideal for web developers already experienced in JavaScript who want to take their knowledge to the next level. It presents ten complete example projects for you to learn from and adapt for use in your own work.

Customer Reviews (5)

Good Book Overall
The goal of the book "Practical JavaScript, DOM Scripting, and AJAX projects" illustrates what it takes to create an application solely in JavaScript.This book discusses projects in different genres: using mashups to pull external data, creating a calculator, creating and playing a game, creating widgets, setting up a custom validation scheme, setting up a drag and drop shopping cart, and more.

Each chapter sets up the application from scratch, so each chapter isn't building upon itself to create one large application.For each project, the author provides the CSS details, the JavaScript architecture and HTML markup, and the third-party JavaScript library information.Every project has a new library, such as the following: Dojo, Rico, Prototype, YUI, MooTools, script.aculo.us and a few others.When discussing these libraries, the author gives a brief overview, something I found beneficial, but an understanding of these libraries is where I wanted more.Of course, a book can only cover so many topics, and thus I found myself exploring these libraries on my own.

Most chapters in the book setup each project in a common fashion: explanation of the project, overview of the script library that will be used for the chapter, listing of the CSS styles used, followed by walking through the HTML markup and JavaScript code associated with the project.Overall, the author conveyed the details of the project well, though not always covering contents in the order a reader may expect.The author had a unique style to his writing, and each chapter in the book was easy to read.The author is into pop culture and included statements and taglines from various pop culture sources, including reference markers explaining where the pop culture reference came from.

My favorite chapter was creating the AJAX mashups.This was a topic that was somewhat foreign to me; I didn't quite understand how they worked, and the book illuminated it magnificently.The chapter used Yahoo Maps and Google Base to setup a zip code/hotel lookup.I also enjoyed the drag and drop shopping cart using YUI, and how simple it is to provide the drag and drop ability for dragging items into the shopping cart.
One disappointment I had was that each chapter didn't build upon itself to show you something new, with the exception of the JavaScript libraries.Each chapter focused on what it needed to do to get the problem solved.Furthermore, the books didn't get into any complicated design patterns to solve any of the problems, which is a hot topic these days.This would have been helpful to illustrate to the readers.A lot of the same techniques are used throughout each project, which I would have like to seen him build upon the techniques used and have the book increase in complexity of application design have to offer.

Overall, the book is good, especially for those new to JavaScript.The techniques learned you will be able to apply to your own projects.

Good Combo of JavaScript Frameworks and Projects
This book combines a look at some of the most popular JavaScript frameworks available at time of print (Dojo, YUI, Rico, MochiKit, Prototype, and MooTools) with a project-based focus.

For each chapter, the author selects a framework (such as Dojo) and uses that framework to build a project (such as a Drag and Drop Shopping Cart). This framework/project combo works well to give the reader familiarity with a wide range of frameworks and framework coding styles in the context of building real-world components. He also shows you how to build your own framework.

The one issue that kept nagging me as I read through the book is the author's frequent use of obtrusive JavaScript code in the projects, in light of the fact that he spends an entire chapter up front discussing JavaScript best practices, including the use of unobtrusive coding techniques. If you can live with that, then this book presents a brief look at various JavaScript frameworks effectively. Just don't expect to learn any one particular framework in-depth from this book.

Saved my ***
It was one of those Friday afternoon surprises. Rewrite the code in a customer facing document and it needs to go out on Monday. The problem was that I had never written an AJAX program and hadn't written much JavaScript. This book really helped me to put together simple and correct examples over the weekend and inspired this ASP.NET bigot to keep learning more about these technologies. I owe the author a big one!

It filled a niche I didn't know existed!
To be honest I wasn't expecting too much from Practical JavaScript, DOM Scripting and AJAX Projects, I was anticipating a cut down version of the AJAX part of his Practical Ajax Projects with Java Technology book, but it was so much. In fact it has taught me so much that I'm still trying to work out why some of the concepts weren't in some other AJAX/JavaScript books I have read and how I had gone for so long without encountering them.

Usually AJAX in Action is given as the yardstick for measuring AJAX books, and I found Frank's first book a good compliment for AiA when you're integrating with Java, but Practical JDAP (if I may call it that) is something else again, and still a very strong contender for the web-developer's bookshelf. The main reason is that while it provides coverage of JavaScript with a view towards use of the latest technologies and practices in web development, its approach is complimentary rather than overlapping. For example only the last chapter covers AJAX explicitly, with the main focus of the book being the manipulation of the data on the client.

On the down side, most of the hints and gems in the book are hidden in the text and are not marked up to bring them to your attention. If you browse the book or only implement parts of the examples you may miss some of these items.

So while I wasn't expecting to learn from this book, I found it filled a niche between general JavaScript and AJAX that I wasn't aware existed.

Another great coding book by Zammetti
I've been a fan of Frank Zammetti's writing since the first book I read of his.I was browsing through a local bookstore one day, taking a look at the Javascript and AJAX-related books available, and ran into another book by Frank Zammetti on a similar topic.One of the things I like to do when looking over technical books is read the dedication... authors tend to express themselves more openly in the dedication.In that book's dedication, I saw a Babylon 5 reference.That really caught my attention, and I pulled the book out to read more.It really paid off.


The Pros

Zammetti has a very "friendly" style of writing.His writing seems like he was actually speaking to the reader, and it's like he's talking to a friend.He intersperses humor into his writing rather regularly, in such a way that reading never becomes boring.His writing style makes the book very accessible, regardless of programming experience.

Mr. Zammetti is a proponant of the "hands-on" approach.This book is all practical projects, all with full source code.(The source code is available from the publisher's web site.)Each chapter essentially breaks down a project, explaining why each section was written the way it was, and how to apply the theory behind it.This means a programmer can get a project working using the included source code, and then go through Zammetti's text to learn how it works.Working with this book feels like a hands-on project with a teacher available, as opposed to some other technical books which feel like a lecture.

Despite the emphasis on getting hands-on with projects, this book can be utilized easily even without working with the included code, as Zammetti's descriptions and examples are all very well written for accessibility and ease of understanding.The selection of projects is varied and has a pretty wide range of subjects, and includes building your own Javascript library early on which contains many helpful functions not available in stock Javascript.Also, the introductory chapters of the book have a very good "refresher" on basic Javascript concepts and best practices.This section has a good deal of information I found valuable.(For instance, which string concatenation method takes 3000 milliseconds longer in IE than in Firefox?)


The Cons

Both of Zammetti's books showcase a wide variety of frameworks and extensions.This is a good thing and a bad thing.It's good in that it gives the reader knowledge about a large number of different frameworks (prototype, Dojo, etc).The downside is that it may result in reliance upon one or more of those frameworks.

The other downside about this specific book is that it's hard to track down specific techniques within the projects themselves.For instance, an autocomplete field with a "drop-down" list of recommendations.This is only a minor inconvenience, as the goal of the book is on full working projects, not just the elements inside of the projects, and it's organized accordingly.

Both of the aforementioned cons are really more a matter of personal preference than a problem with the book itself.I only use frameworks when absolutely necessary, for instance.


Summary

I'm very impressed with both of Frank Zammetti's coding books.This one was on pre-order for a good long while, and it was completely worth the wait.The focus is very tightly upon web applications independant of server backend, and it's a great read.I highly recommend picking this book up if you're wanting to improve your understanding of DOM and Javascript techniques. ... Read more

Product Description
What does it take to develop an enterprise application with Rails? Enterprise Rails introduces several time-tested software engineering principles to prepare you for the challenge of building a high-performance, scalable website with global reach. You'll learn how to design a solid architecture that ties the many parts of an enterprise website together, including the database, your servers and clients, and other services as well.

Many Rails developers think that planning for scale is unnecessary. But there's nothing worse than an application that fails because it can't handle sudden success. Throughout this book, you'll work on an example enterprise project to learn first-hand what's involved in architecting serious web applications.

With this book, you will:

• Tour an ideal enterprise systems layout: how Rails fits in, and which elements don't rely on Rails
  
• Learn to structure a Rails 2.0 application for complex websites
  
• Discover how plugins can support reusable code and improve application clarity
  
• Build a solid data model--a fortress--that protects your data from corruption
  
• Base an ActiveRecord model on a database view, and build support for multiple table inheritance
  
• Explore service-oriented architecture and web services with XML-RPC and REST
  
• See how caching can be a dependable way to improve performance

Building for scale requires more work up front, but you'll have a flexible website that can be extended easily when your needs change. Enterprise Rails teaches you how to architect scalable Rails applications from the ground up.

Customer Reviews (17)

Awesomely useful book
I just finished Enterprise Rails and want to tell you what a capital, outstanding, helpful book it is. I was sad when I finished it!

I've been building a startup site of moderate size, not even something you'd call enterprise yet, for the last 3 years.When I started I was just the sort of naive and overconfident Rails guy this book is aimed at.The author has been through all the scaling issues involved with running a popular website and the book is chock full of useful advice and examples.I wish I had read it way back when I started as I have made many of the mistakes he warns about and had to learn the hard way. Dan shows you how to avoid painting yourself in a corner with overly optimistic/naive design choices up front.He shows you how to design things properly from the start, with a special emphasis on using the native features of a relational database instead of doing things at the application level, and how to keep things organized.I love love LOVED this book.

Required reading for any rails developer
The author provides an important perspective that can easily be forgotten in the rails community.You may not put into practice everything you find in the book but it is an invaluable, intelligent description of design strategies that need to be re-aquired in the rails community if it wants to survive beyond "this is a really cool language!" ;)

Must read before you develop enterprise application.
It addressed the real world problems of Rails. It's emphasized the organization and code sharing when you put the Plugin chapter at the very beginning of the book. I got very frustrated on most of the Rails book since they seem to threat database as annoyance and just focus on quick demo app w/o thought of real world apps.If you finish the book Agile Web Development with Rails book, this is the 2nd one to read.It will saves you a lot of trail and error when you go through the large scale application.

You are going to see a lot of advance database stuff here (Postgres) and it will convince you why you should take advantage of those features.

I wish the book has more chapters for "View", authentication and authorization.

Also, having examples with MySQL5 trigger and store proedure would not hurt either.

Must have book for building scalable enterprise Rails apps
I bought this book based on a recommendation from a friend and I'm so glad that I did.While I was expecting the book to walk through ways to architect scalable Rails applications, what I wasn't expecting was all of the useful advice on how to design your code to scale your development organization.Seems obvious now, but Dan's advice and recommendations on how to modularize code, leverage utilities and services in a way that easily allows you to scale a development organization is fantastic and alone would make the book worth buying.

I also appreciate Dan's frank comments in the book.You can tell that he's been in the trenches and is not writing this book as an academic exercise that may or may not be based in the realities of running a web based business.

If you're just getting started on your development project, read this book first so you can architect things the right way from the beginning... fortify your database, modularize your code, and leverage services the right way.You'll be glad you did.

No buzzwords!
In a Rails world full of buzzwords and magic, this book brings you exactly where you have supposed to be when programming in the enterprise with the framework we all love.
One of the flaw of Rails is that it makes things too simple, leading developers to understimate the complex architectural pieces of an enterprise Web app.
Dan is here to remember you this complexity by showing when it is a good option to use the tools bundled with Rails and when it is not the case. I really understood topics i thought to already know (two for all: SOA and DB normalization). Maybe at the end of the journey you will be less confident about Rails invincibility, but (believe me) this makes you a better developer. ... Read more

Product Description
Programming JavaScript is much simpler than programming for Java since the Java Script code can be embedded directly into the HTML document. JavaScript Unleashedunveils the mysteries of this new code, allowing programmers to exploit its full potential in their Web applications.

• Covers Netscape LiveWire server system, Netscape Navigator Gold, and more
• Readers learn how to use JavaScript for dynamic Web page creation
• CD-ROM includes source code from the book, sample applications, and third party utilities

Customer Reviews (7)

Review: JavaScript Unleashed - Second Edition
This has to be the best JavaScript refrence available. All the JavaScript is compatiable with version 3.x browsers to help you learn how to write for all web browsers. Also the Electronic library that is included with thistitle is very helpful. Recomended to ALL web developers who are usingJavaScript.

A Very strong title for Developers
As a web developer, I found this book invaluable.The author covers such topics as interbrowser compatibility, the document object model, LiveWire and more. It is divided into well defined chapters with clear and easy tofollow examples.This is NOT a book for persons looking for "I don'tcare how it works, gimme code I can slap on my web site".It isgeared towards developers entering into web based development.

Great book for heavy duty programmers!
Unlike the first 3 reviewers, I am a software engineer who LIKES TO PROGRAM.My complaint with other Javascript books is that they are too lightweight and there is not enough information besides how to make cuteweb pages.I consulted this book frequently during the development of alarge project, and it never let me down.There was information on everytopic I needed, and examples with enough substance that I could take itfrom there. This book spans the simple to the complicated, so you get alot of value out of this book - this book will remain useful as your skillsgrow.

Very good and informational.
This book is the best book for starters and people who want to have a complete JavaScript reference book. I spent 5 hours in book store thissummer in the States just looking for the best book for starters, andbelieve me this is it.

Good book for novices.
This is really good book for novices in creating Web pages, but I'would not reccomend it for somebody expiriensed, because the book contains a lot of information, that expirience users wouldn't want to read. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes data disk.

Mastering JavaScript: Part 2 picks up where Mastering JavaScript: Part 1 ends. It provides continued study of JavaScript version 1.2, the Web's most powerful and popular scripting language. Like DDC's other technical Internet courses, Mastering JavaScript explains a potentially difficult topic in a clear and approachable manner with a large number of hands-on exercises. This course provides students with more sophisticated applications of JavaScript and a deeper understanding of the powerful elements that give JavaScript its utility and lend to its popularity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Buy another book
This book is easy to read that is the only good thing about it. You won'tmaster JavaScript with this book.

If you are looking to use the examplesin this book you will be sadly mistaken. The mirely don't work. In short adisappointment. If you buy this book don't be suprised if you want yourmoney back. Part II is just as bad.

In you want a book that is easy tounderstand for all levels and scripting from the first day buy JavaScriptBible, It's excellent.

Buy another Book
This book is Easy to read being how it only 145 pages. As far as MasteringJava Script you won't do it with this book. The big flaw in this book itTHE EXAMPLE CODE DOES NOT WORK. If you are new to JavaScript and you don'tyet have the knowledge to start debugging don't buy this book. If you wantto buy a GOOD Book with examples that work thats tells you what browserthey will work on buy the JavaSript Bible. You will be writing script fromthe first day with the JavaScript Bible, an Excellent Book and its900-pages of knowledge. If you buy Mastering JavaSript Part I or II youwill be asking for you money back .. I PROMISE!

The book was great
I really liked this book because it picked up where the first book left off. It taught me every thing that the last book didn't.

My Personal Opinion
This is a very good book for the people who wish to make fancy personal web pages. This book grooms your Java Script concepts and also touches some nerves of advanced scripting techniques. It is a good start for the beginners and a good reference book for the advanced users. In short, it iswrth the price ! ... Read more

Product Description
Includes data disk.

Mastering JavaScript: Part 1 introduces students to the basics of JavaScript version 1.2, the Web's most powerful and popular scripting language. Like DDC's other technical Internet courses, Mastering JavaScript explains a potentially difficult topic in a clear and approachable manner with a large number of hands-on exercises. This course teaches students enough aspects of JavaScript to write useful programs with it. More importantly, this course prepares students to move on to more complicated JavaScript tasks, as taught in the companion course, Mastering JavaScript: Part 2. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

IT'S WORTH IT!
"This is a very good book for the people who wish to make fancy personal web pages. This book grooms your Java Script concepts and also touches some nerves of of advanced scripting techniques. It is a good start for beginners and a very good refence book for the advanced users.In short, It's worth the price !" -B. Kataria, NY

Short & to the Point!
I found this book very useful. I did not have the same difficulties as other reviewers.(I found no mistakes in the book,perhaps the earlier reviews alluded to problems that have since been corrected by the publisher)I loved the fact that there was no B.S, just what I needed to know.I was not an expert in Java but this book allowed me to get the training I needed without wasting my time. I would recommend it to users who do not have alot of time on their hands but need quick, competent training. I do not need the 'Java Bible' as another reviewer mentioned. I need to be able to do my job and quickly, this book helped me do that plain and simple- Samara Alman

Buy another Book
This book is easy to read that is the only good thing about it.

If youare looking to use the examples in this book you will be sadly mistaken.The mirely don't work. In short a disappointment. If you buy this bookdon't be suprised if you want your money back. Part II is just as bad.

Inyou want a book that is easy to understand for all levels and scriptingfrom the first day buy JavaScript Bible, It's excellent.

STOP! DON'T BUY THIS BOOK
This book is Easy to read being how it only 145 pages. As far as MasteringJava Script you won't do it with this book. The big flaw in this book itTHE EXAMPLE CODE DOES NOT WORK. If you are new to JavaScript and you don'tyet have the knowledge to start debugging don't buy this book. If you wantto buy a GOOD Book with examples that work thats tells you what browserthey will work on buy the JavaSript Bible. You will be writing script fromthe first day with the JavaScript Bible, an Excellent Book and its 1000pages of knowledge. If you buy Mastering JavaSript Part I or II you will beasking for you money back .. I PROMISE!

Good for beginners
This book builds nicely through the basics.It's good enough that I'm going to buy the next course.One of the big problems, though, was thatthere are quite a few errors in their example code, but hey, I guess that'sa good way to learn. ... Read more

Product Description
A concise, comprehensive and accessible guide to the scope, strengths and limitations of the XSL (eXtensible Stylesheet Language) family of stylesheet standards for XML, this book explains the practical ways in which XSL can be utilized for formatting and manipulating information held in the hugely popular XML data formatIf you are a current or potential XML user looking for just one reference to get you up to speed on styling and manipulating your XML documents with clarity, comprehensive coverage and precision, then this book will be your essential and constant companionAmazon.com Review
One of the most important technologies on the XML bandwagon is XSL, which really comprises separate XSL, XSLT, and Xpath standards. The XSL Companion provides in-depth coverage of XSL and XSLT--the core technologies behind the formatting of XML data.

This book focuses on the details of how XSLT in particular can be used to mold information on the fly. The author breaks the standard apart into digestible chapters that cover, say, "contextual formatting" and "sorting." The content is fast moving and demands a technical reader who is comfortable with complexity. Those who are new to XML technologies should pick up a general tutorial prior to tackling this book.

Along with text explanations of all of the magic that XSLT and XSL can do, the author uses code snippets and numerous graphical diagrams to illustrate information processing, layout, and tree navigation. These visual elements add much to the explanation of what otherwise would be abstract concepts indeed.

The author addresses head-on the fact that much of XSLT's job today is to turn XML data into HTML-formatted documents that are compatible with the current batch of browsers. There is plenty of focus in this book on how that is done, but the chief purpose remains the exploration of the powerful transformation and formatting features that the XSL standards provide. --Stephen W. Plain ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Not a good introduction
I am one of those who wish to pick up a book and be able to work with the technology in matter of hours, and this book is not the right one for it.

The BEST book on XML related technologies ... PERIOD!
This is the best book I have ever read on XML related technologies. If you own just ONE book that wonderfully teaches this in's and out's of XSL as it relates to XML infrastructures, this is the book you absolutely MUST buy!

Very helpful, and very clear.
This books presents XSL in nice bite-sized chapters that are clear, to-the-point, and illustrated with good examples.

I am an experienced and (I think) pretty good procedural programmer, and I find XSL to be a challenge.I've looked at tutorials on the web and at other XSL books.I recommend this book because it reads well, covers the territory, and leaves you with a clear understanding of what XSL can do for you.

Good, but not great
A reasonable work on XSL, but certainly not the best. This book is neither fully a reference or an introduction. On the positive side the book provides a terse and intelligent introduction to the topic. On the negative side the explanation of a complex topic like XPath not covered in as much depth as it probably should be, and there are some extraneous sections on HTML and CSS which are better covered in other works. On the whole a good book, but not a great book. If you are interested in XSL you should try Michael Kay's XSLT Programmers Reference and Sal Mangano's XSLT Cookbook.

a lot of knowledge in a simple and few words
I am working on my IBM XML exam and had to study "Professional XML" and other books.

I found out there are two types of computer books
1) one type can tell you the same things in few pages(200-300 pages) and (of course in cheap price) without wasting your time and money.
2)second type will tell you the same things in 800-900 pages with price upto 60$ and size that will make you afraid even to pick up the book.(mostly "Professional series")

this book is from the first category. the author has done an excellent job to simply the understanding of how XSL,XSLT and XSL:FO works. what are different ways to do the same thing, whats the adv/dis to do them.

I got a chance to borrow it from my public library.
you may not find solid examples(only fragments) but believe me you wont miss the concept what the author is trying to teach at that point(he will use picture, fragment or whatever).

so here is the summary, if you want to save your time and money, pick this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Perl is the Web developer's language of choice for its flexibility, convenience, and cross-platform capability. Today's programmers use several different languages and need succinct reference that serve as refresher courses and idea generators--this series does both. Perl code can be downloaded easily, but downloads don't come with instructions--this book is the perfect quick reference. Delivers clear information on what the operators, statements, functions, and modules of Perl are and do, and exactly how and when to use them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Horrible if you don't already know Perl
Terrible book for learning Perl. As an example, I needed to know how to add an element to the end of an array. So I went to the 'Variables and Data' chapter where there is a section on arrays. Well, it mentions how to create an array, how to change the value of a specific array position and thats about it. I had to search online to find out how to do a very basic thing--add to the end of an array. The 'Variables and Data' section makes no mention of using 'push(@array, "whatever")'. I keep having to search online for very basic things that should be easily found in this book. Oh, and starting the book by talking in-depth about 'Perl parsing rules'--I got confused from the start. Definitely not something you want to learn Perl with.

Outstanding REFERENCE

This book is an outstanding Perl REFERENCE.

It's perfect for those times when you need something done in Perl but can't recall the syntax, semantics or parameters of some construct or function, or just when looking for a way to do something. I use it daily when writing in Perl, preferring it over perldoc and half a bookshelf of other Perl books that I have access to - it's that much better.

It's not a "tutorial", though, and it's not "for dummies". While you can certainly learn Perl from scratch using just this volume, I would advise against that if you're a TOTAL programming beginner. There are better "tutorial" books out there, get one of those and then get this as a reference. If you're a programmer already proficient in some other language, you won't have much of a problem switching to Perl using just this book.

Pros :
* it's very readable
* goes into considerable detail - mind the page count!
* the explanations are to the point - no useless stories or "cute" stuff
* summary tables are there when they ought to be - easy on the eyes
* it has a very comprehensive index - a must for a reference
* it's original content - not a perldoc rehash like some other books
* for each function there's an additional short summary including scalar/list context return values (love that one!).

Cons :
* it's... big. physically. not very convenient - but the content is well worth it!
* it's slightly dated (it covers Perl 5.6) but that hardly shows as of 5.8
* the more serious problem is that of availability - you can hardly find this book in stores nowadays, no idea why.

In a word, if you're shopping for a Perl reference - this is the book to get.

Far from ideal...
I felt this book fell into the trap that many teaching books fall into - it assumes that the reader is at the same level as the author.

Don't get me wrong, it was a *very* useful book, but it could have been a lot clearer about many of the key issues.

For a beginner - don't buy this book. For an "advanced beginner", do =D

Not for beginners
Apparently, this book is not for beginners. You will get lost if you try to learn perl by yourself. It may be a good reference book, I think, after I read the exhaustive listing of I/O variations.

great information:price ratio
I actually found this book in a bookstore while looking for Programming Perl.This book has an excellent reference section, with in-depthdescriptions on everything.It is very well formatted.I don't know howgood it is to learn from, but if you want a quick lookup reference thisbook is for you.Programming Perl provides the same information, but costsabout $50. ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing the latest version of our award-winning WebSite (TM), a 32-bit multi-threaded World Wide Web server for Windows NT (TM) 3.51 or higher and Windows (R) 95.WebSite is the elegant and easy solution for anyone who wants to publish information on the Internet or on a corporate intranet.The WebSite server lets you maintain a set of Web documents, controlaccess, index desktop directories, and use a CGI program to displaydata from applications such as Excel (R), Access (TM), Visual Basic,and other programs.WebSite includes WebView (TM), a powerful Webmanagement tool that provides a tree-like display of all documents andlinks on your server, logging statistics, and searching and indexingfeatures.It also includes the new Spyglass Mosaic (TM) 2.1 Web browserand full online Help, as well as a WebSite book, which has won ravereviews from users and the press.Version 1.1 features include the HotDog (TM) Standard HTML editor which supports text formatting, link building, tables, and forms; WebView printing, so you can print a view of your Web contents; a new graphical interface for creating virtual servers; enhanced search capabilities; server side includes (SSI), to combine static and programmed documents on the fly; and a Visual Basic 4 framework with sample applications, which significantly improves the speed and efficiency of working with spreadsheets, databases, and other programs.Order WebSite today to reach exactly the audience you want on the Web -- within your own company or on the Internet. (Upgrade offer from WebSite 1.0 available.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Enhanced with annotated code samples
Collaborative written by Java experts John Grayson and Jon Perry, JavaScript In Action begins with an elementary introduction to JavaScript and then progresses to cover all of the key features of this invaluable and popular programming language including flow control, functions, objects, regular expressions, cookies, and conditional compilation. DHTML is explored in considerable and accessible detail. Every element is introduced in an clear and easy narrative, and is summarized in visually separate "browsables". Enhanced with annotated code samples, tables, "hedgehog diagrams", and highlighted essential information, JavaScript In Action is an especially "user friendly" introduction and "how to" reference that will prove invaluable for the novice and the experienced reader alike. ... ... Read more

Product Description
Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) revolutionizes the way Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) are deployed and supports two primary technologies?Flash and HTML/Ajax?in order to make desktop development something that every web developer can do. This book walks you through eleven fully implemented AIR applications with source code that you can use as they currently exist or customize. Each project begins with a discussion of architecture and design, followed by code implementation. You?ll get hands-on knowledge of AIR application design and development that you can then use to build dynamic RIAs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

great way to learn Adobe AIR
Adobe AIR has a dual personality. On one hand it it doesn't spend a lot of time hand-holding when you get to the pages of code. But the good part is, they've told you most of what matters by that time - these authors really know their code. I learned more than I thought - as a beginner I thought I'd use this latter on but what I found is that (just like learning any language) it is best to just immerse yourself and you'll eventually see how it all fits together. Really :)

Not good for FlexBuilder
The examples are pretty good but it is really hard to follow if you are using FlexBuilder as I am. There are no instructions on how to use them in FlexBuilder, though it is not very hard to figure out. The really bad part is that the examples tend to do the UI's last. This makes it VERY hard to follow the examples. If you completely type in the examples, you tend to not be able to find the error until you COMPLETELY finish typing in all of the code. Also, the file name and path of the file you are typing in is given after the code which is backwards of most books.

The examples are cool but the explanations are a bit week and there is very little docs in the code which makes it a bit more difficult to follow especially if you are new to this.

Create Modify Reuse .... not really
This is a really good book.It has complete code example of using air to create real world examples.Each chapter is a different example.There are two things I would change about the book: 1. The Title.I don't see what this has to do with create, modify, reuse.There is sql hard coded right in variables!If it is called create, modify, reuse, you would think I would learn about good ways to set up an air database without hard coded create table statements!2.The long code blocks could use a few comments!There are pages and pages of just code...with no comments.While it is explained before and after, a few comments in the code examples would be nice.While I mentioned the negatives, overall I think this book is a really good learning experience with real applications.

extended case studies
The attraction of this book is the collection of 11 extended examples. Each is a case study in how to use AIR to code desktop applications. There is a slight irony here in the trajectory taken by Adobe. Its original products, and probably still its main revenue sources, were for desktop usages. Think Postscript and PDF. But the rise of the Web caused it to develop Flash for web applications. Now here, we come back to the desktop.

The book's examples involve Java as the programming language. Extensive usage is also made of XML and HTML. You are encouraged to use the examples as a basis for modification for your own needs. The examples are verbose, but luckily you can also get these from the accompanying website.

The examples do vary in their complexity. You may want to pay especial attention to the Map application. This involves accessing a SQL database that comes with AIR. The code shows how to make the necessary tables. If you have in mind a "serious" application with lots of data, then often you'll need a SQL database for it. The example here shows that this can be straightforward.

Truly an Amazing Book
This is truly an amazing book. Seldom are books (like this one) written which provide applicable programs that I can use to create more advanced applications on. This is a must buy for the serious Adobe Air programmer. I just completed an application based on the code in this book. Check it out on Youtube and Google Code at

Adobe Air Collada-Papervision3D Viewer

[...]

Many Many Many Thanks to the authors!!! I plan to write many more applications based on the code in this book. This book has saved me hours and hours and hours of work!
... Read more

Product Description
JavaScript has evolved quite a bit since its earliest days, from a relatively basic scripting language to a full-blown programming language in its own right. You can use JavaScript to create even more breathtakingly cool Web sites than ever before. You've probably seen Web sites with the following features:

• Images that change when your mouse moves over them
• Slide-show animations
• Input forms with pop-up messages that help you fill in the fields correctly
• Customized messages that welcome repeat visitors

All of these features (and much more) can be created with JavaScript. The thing is, JavaScript isn't easy to use. The JavaScript language itself has become more complex than its earlier incarnations – but that's where his new, improved, better-tasting edition of JavaScript For Dummies comes in! Even if you're not a crackerjack programmer, you can use the techniques and sample scripts in this book to create interactive, "intelligent" Web pages bursting with animated effects.

JavaScript For Dummies, 3rd Edition, gives you all you need to know to get started with JavaScript, plus some really cool JavaScript tricks, all explained from the point of view of the first-time JavaScript programmer. Here are just a few of the topics you'll find covered:

• Understanding JavaScript programming concepts
• Writing your first script
• Sampling browser cookies
• Making your pages interactive with button events and mouse rollovers
• Fiddling with forms and frames
• Automating your Web site
• Top Ten lists on online resources, common mistakes (and how to avoid them), and debugging your scripts
• Appendixes on JavaScript reserved words, color values, special characters, and the document object model reference

JavaScript For Dummies, 3rd Edition, also includes a CD-ROM with trial versions of popular Web creations tools, such as HomeSite, Dreamweaver, NetObjects ScriptBuilder, and SurfMap JavaScript.

So if you've worked with HTML before but want to add more flexibility and punch to your pages, or even if you've never written a stick of code in your life but are eager to hop on the JavaScript bandwagon, JavaScript For Dummies, 3rd Edition, is the book for you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (78)

JavaScript for Dummies
I received this book promptly and as described.I ordered this book for my son so I can't review it for you.But the book is in great shape.

A terrible book!
Do not buy this book, it's too old. It's actually using HTML that's outdated and not recommended anymore. Also, it's full of faults. Even in the very first code snippet there are major faults (even though it's the shortest code snippet available). Also, it's really boring and using too many words to explain the same things over and over again. I can't understand why I bought it, I should've checked the reviews. I won't trust the "for dummies" brand again.

This book deserves 0 stars
I created a website for a friend with Dreamweaver (and a lot of help from searching on Google), enjoyed it and decided to start teaching myself how to design from scratch. I quickly learned HTML and CSS, and attempted to start learning Javascript with this book. After reading the first three chapters, I thought I was may be in over my head in teaching myself. Now, I am no dummy when it comes to technical learning, as I am an engineer and work in a mechanical field, yet I just could not get this book. I came on here to check other reviews and realized that it was not me, but the way the book is written.

First and foremost, there are typos and errors that occur not just in text, but also in somee charts that convey wrong information. I think this is unacceptable in a book intended to teach. The author jumps into technical terms and code right away without giving much reason as to why you would use such code. My favorite is when the author gives 4 pages of code, and than promises to explain this 'very easily'. Yeah right.

When learning something like this, you will always be writing code that is a little different than the last bit that you wrote. It's not like a history book that you can just memorize. You must learn HOW to use the different objects and methods for what you need to create. The author throws terms at you left and right in hopes of you memorizing them.

I am glad I only rented this book from the local library. I will check out other books recommended in previous reviews. NOT RECOMMENDED.

Not for novices, but lots of examples
Despite the "for Dummies" moniker, this book is not for "...the Rest of Us!". It is for those who already know some of thebasics of object programming and want to add Javascipts to their arsenal of skills. The book is full of useful examples of popular features that can be easily customized. A CD is included that saves time in writing and building scripts. There may be better books for beginners out there, but this one does an adequate job of surveying the subject.

Obviously Obsolete
The intentions of this book are good, and it is reasonably well written (hence two stars instead of one). However, I have two strong objections to the book.

First, it is way overdue for a new edition. Much of the book deals with detecting and accomodating differences between Internet Explorer and Netscape. Internet Explorer has changed a great deal in the latest release or two, so some of the IE information is obsolete, and Netscape doesn't even exist anymore. All of the major IE competition (Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and perhaps Opera) is Mozilla based, with significantly different behavior from that documented for Netscape, even though Mozilla is an offshoot of Netscape. Just one example is MARQUEE support, which the book documents as IE only, but which all the Mozilla based browsers support. So, a significant portion of the book is of questionable value. You will spend a lot of time figuring out why something isn't working as expected, or rewriting code to see if mozilla indeed has to bypass code that the examples bypass for non-IE browsers.
The author attempts to anticipate changes to some extent by giving links to documentation for updated information on such things as the document models for IE and Netscape, but all of the links I tried were non-existent (including the IE ones).

Second, several of the examples will not run as documented, and as they exist on the included CD. Most of these are text errors, though it is possible browser changes might explain some. For example, one sample has an included java applet (JavaClock.class), but the path name is different from the path on the CD, so it would not load the applet until that was corrected, which obviously is a textual error. Also, I had to remove ".class" from the end of the name of the class before it would load. Since I have seen other documentation which included the ".class" extention in the name specification, I don't know if this is a browser change or what. I just know that until I removed the extension from the code, all of the browsers (i tested all listed above except Opera) refused to load the applet.

I would strongly suggest to Wiley (the publishers) that they get on the ball with an updated edition. I would suggest potential buyers find a more up-to-date book.
... Read more

Product Description

JavaScript is one of the easiest, most straightforward ways to enhance a Web site with interactivity.

Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours serves as an easy-to-understand tutorial on both scripting basics and JavaScript itself. The book is written in a clear and personable style with an extensive use of practical, complete examples.

The Third Edition of Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours includes material on the latest developments in JavaScript and Web scripting.

Readers will learn how to use JavaScript to enhance Web pages with interactive forms, objects, and cookies.They will also discover how to use JavaScript to work with games, animation, and multimedia.

Customer Reviews (31)

A good overview but ineffective
I came to this book with intermediate knowledge of XHTML/CSS. I bought it at a bookstore and thought it would be an effective teaching aide. I was able to follow the first few chapters but got lost soon thereafter. The author jumps too far too soon. Even though I tried to carefully read every chapter, highlighting and annotating, I was unable to comprehend many aspects of the language and felt entirely unprepared to do the examples. I ended up reading the book once through as an overview in order to get my head around Javascript but I don't think this book deserves a second reading.

Pretty good, but get some prior knowledge
JavaScript is basically a programming language.Not as powerful as C++, but still uses all of the basic programming constructs, such as variables, functions, objects, if/else statements and so on.Unless you have a good understanding of programming basics (like how to construct a for loop, what an Array is, how variables work, what a Function is and how to pass data to and fro a Function), JavaScript will be difficult to grasp.

Before I got this book, I read the following two books (in order) to give me a solid understanding of programming basics:
1. Computer Programming for Teens by Mary Ferrell
2. Head First JavaScript by Michael Morrison

The two books above tear apart what all common programming languages use to make things happen.Such as all the components of an if/else and for loop statements, what they are, and how they work.Without the two books above giving me a solid foundation, I would have not rated this book "JavaScript in 24 Hours - 4th Edition" 4 stars.

"JavaScript in 24 Hours - 4th Edition" helped me with some questions I had that the other two books did not answer.Such as there are three types of Objects in JavaScript:
1. Built-in objects
2. DOM objects
3. Custom objects
Breaking objects in JavaScript into three types, really cleared up my basic understanding of DOM.

I also found that "JavaScript in 24 Hours - 4th Edition" gives easy coding examples, so you can quickly code out and better understand how things work. For example:
In Hour 2, the book goes over a few implementations of how the built-in Date() object can be used and written to the web page.And gives the full coding in both HTML and JavaScript.

I like how the chapters are short and to the point.

This book is not for the absolute beginner, rather someone who already has a good understanding of programming basics and a little bit of exposure to JavaScript already.I highly recommend the two books I listed above as pre-reqs to "JavaScript in 24 Hours - 4th Edition."

I rate this book 4 stars because it really is not for the absolute beginner and I would like to see more coding examples.Otherwise, this book has a place on my bookshelf.

Happy Learning!

Book Review from Silicon Valley Web Builder (SVWB)
Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours

It is a very pleasant surprise to learn Sams Teach Yourself series has been improved into a very well-organized book. Each chapter is limited with 12-14 pages. It is easy to read entire chapter during short break. It includes the latest programming practices like object-oriented JavaScript, DOM Level 2 Scripting, Feature-sensing, Unobtrustive Scripting in CSS, JavaScript and AJAX. It helps you to review the content by reading Q&A and Quiz questions. Each chapter comes with good examples and sample codes.

Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours (4th Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself)

Not great, but not bad.
The Sam's PHP books made them my preferred publisher of tech books, this book didn't live up to my expectations.If you are somewhat competent this book will frustrate you.It doesn't provide much detail on the fundamental concepts.The last third of the book goes further and is devoted to examples that have "cook book" value but not a lot of educational value.

It's not a bad book by any means.I think it may even be a great book, for the right reader.The right reader I think is someone who: knows just a bit about html, what javascript is in vague terms, and wants to get something up and working quickly.If have a basic knowledge of javascript already and are looking to strengthen your foundation this may not be the best book for you.

good if you know basic elements of java
This is not a bad book. It's really a well written book, but it does require some prior knowledge from the user. It would help if a user has some basic knowledge of Java. Some rudimentary knowledge of Java will help to understand the JavaScript object model and methods like toString(), etc.

Compare to what I consider to be the main competitor for this type of book, the O'Reilly JavaScript book, this book is superior for beginners. It explains the document object, math object, etc. simply and clearly. It gives nice examples that you can either type in as an automaton, or that you can elaborate and experiment on. Either way, the explanations are great -- assuming you have a rudimentary knowledge of Java.

I own and have used extensively over 20 of the O'Reilly books, so it's obvious I like them. The O'Reilly JavaScript book is not bad, it's just not the best to learn from. My suggestion is to learn the basics from this book, and then go to the O'Reilly JavaScript: The Definitive guide book.

Can you really learn JavaScript in 24 hours? If you follow the book word for word, page by page, and type in the examples exactly as stated, then you can finish in 24 hours. If you like to experiment and try different variations of the examples (what I do), then it can take longer. Either way the book is a nice introduction to JavaScript. At least, now I know what the document model can do !!! ... Read more

Product Description
A visual approach to explaining and exploring the power of ActionScript for those who design with it. Organized according to differing creative areas, each basic type of project is deconstructed, with components broken down and ActionScript code explained; variations are then suggested. Four-color, with lots of visuals and annotated code. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Do Not Purchase if you want to follow with resource files. DOES NOT EXIST!
Be warned. If you are intending to download the resource files and follow along with the excercises....or want to look at finished projects with finished code.... The web site and resources that the book refers to NO LONGER EXISTS. I emailed both the publisher New Riders, and the author Brendan Dawes and have still not heard from them after two weeks. May have some useful information for you but if you want to follow along as the book suggests.... BE WARNED. I would be extra careful with any titles by New Riders or Brendan Dawes. Do research about the resources BEFORE you purchase.

not for newbies
I was very disappoointed when I bought this book.I was learning flash and I wanted to get a good basic understanding of actionscript.When I started reading the book, I knew this wasn't it. There were errors and as I quickly discovered, this is definitely not a book for beginners.There are better books out there. Save your money!

missed the mark
This book claims to take the fear out of programming but it jumps right into writing raw code in "Advanced" mode as opposed to coding in "Normal" mode which I would assume to be the logical first step.

The author does a good job of introducing the ActionScript language by using metaphors but failed to get me to actually program anything.

This book is not for designers, maybe it is for programmers but, I would guess that programmers would require more depth than this book provides.

Great for learning common ActionScript tasks
This book is great for learning how some of the great Flash tricks are done.I'm not a designer or Flash programmer by trade, but after perusing this book I was able to employ my knowledge of similar ECMA languages to ActionScript and create sliding and fading effects as well as a few others.

Highly recommended for someone trying to expand their ActionScript toolset.

-Steve Parks
Macromedia Certified Instructor
Macromedia Certified Advanced Cold Fusion MX Developer
Cold Fusion Developer's Journal Contributing Author

Has Its Ups and Downs
As others have stated, this book has errors, and what's worse those errors are not even pointed out on the book's website.The least the author/publisher could do is keep the website up-to-date.

The good part is this book does contain some interesting effects with ActionScript, but this is not a book for ActionScript beginners.It is for people with either some background in ActionScript already, or with JavaScript.Otherwise, you will be frustrated very quickly.The quality of the physical publication is quite high with excellent paper stock, full color throughout and long book width.New Riders, to their credit, rarely produces cheap physical products.

In all, this book has some good meaty content, but poor technical editing to catch the errors mars its overall usefulness; hence the mixed review. ... Read more