Editorial Review

Mark Minasi is an excellent technical writer and a veteran of many high-quality projects. Read more

Reviews (141)

Balanced and Comprehensive
Sybex Mastering Windows 2000 server
The Bible
We used this book as the primary text in our MCSE 2000 certification course last year, and everybody passed. Although not expressly designed as a certification text, the Minasi covers all the bases. It's comprehensive, accurate, and easy to read.
Simply outstanding...a wealth of knowledge
First I should say that I've read quite a few tech books, as I'm in the business, and I've purchased quite a few from amazon.Some books have been good and others not so good.This is the first one that has ever prompted me to write a review.Read more

Subjects:  1. Client-Server Computing - Windows    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computers    4. Computers - Operating Systems    5. Interactive & Multimedia    6. Microcomputer Operating Environments    7. Microsoft Windows server    8. Operating Systems - General    9. Operating Systems - Windows    10. Operating systems (Computers)    11. Computers / Operating Systems / Windows    12. General Theory of Computing    13. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (10)

Designing Web Graphics, 4th Edition
This is a good reference book for Web Designers.It covers the basic concepts of color usage on the Web.It also gives many hints and examples of good Web design.

Complete Reference
Group 1.
An excellent book for the new web designer

Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computer Networks    6. Computers    7. Design    8. Desktop Publishing - General    9. Digital techniques    10. Image processing    11. Internet - Web Site Design    12. Web sites    13. Computer graphics software    14. Computers / Internet / Web Site Design    15. Publishing on the Internet   

Editorial Review

At 4.5 by 7 inches in size and only 89 pages long, the aptly named Read more

Reviews (17)

Where's the rest?
I realize it's a pocket reference, but this is a brief guide to syntax and then the DOM for the rest of the book. It doesn't cover any of the API stuff like the Date class. It'd be nice to have more information at the price of needing slightly larger pockets.

Moderately good.
I am not a big fan of these 'Pocket Reference' books by O'Reilly.Although I have 8 of them, I find them too brief to be very helpful as a reference.Usually they come up short on many parts of the language.
Missing the Point
If you are new to JavaScript and looking for a helper title, this isn't it.If you're already familiar with JavaScript, and need specific information, you probably need more than an extremely condensed pocket reference is going to provide. There really isn't anything wrong with the pocket reference - it has correct information, formatted pretty well, and contains the most common parts of the core language as well as the common DHTML references one needs for general use.What it doesn't have, and shouldn't for a pocket reference, are complete explanations for the components, or any usage examples - two things needed by people who are turning to a reference book.JavaScript is really too complex to be summarized along with DHTML elements in 127 half-sized pages.If you're looking for a JavaScript reference, purchase the authors full-sized reference guide, "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" (ISBN: 0596000480) instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Internet - Web Site Design    5. JavaScript (Computer language)    6. JavaScript (Computer program language)    7. Programming Languages - CGI, Javascript, Perl, VBScript    8. Programming Languages - Pascal    9. Reference - General    10. Computers / Languages / Programming    11. Computers / Programming Languages / CGI, JavaScript, Perl, VBScript    12. Computers/Internet - Web Site Design    13. Computers/Reference - General    14. Java & variants    15. JavaScript, scripting language, Explorer, Netscape, scripting   

Reviews (9)

For both beginners and experts
I've taught HTML and e-commerce at the university level for about a decade now.This book is the best I have found.I use it as my personal reference.I require it for my classes.
Ok
This book is ok.I had to get it for a class.The writing is alittle hard to follow, but it is a good reference.

Great for beginners
I purchased this book to use in a class I was taking.I had no prior knowledge of HTML, but this book does an excellent job of introducing the reader to designing web pages.I found the chapters very easy to follow and the exercises were kind of fun as you got to practice what you just read about.I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn HTML. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books And Software    2. Computer Networks    3. Computer Programming Languages    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Electronic publishing    7. HTML (Document markup language    8. HTML (Document markup language)    9. Internet - General    10. Programming - General    11. Programming Languages - HTML    12. Web publishing    13. Web sites    14. XHTML (Document markup languag    15. XHTML (Document markup language)    16. Computers / Programming Languages / HTML, SGML, VRML, XML    17. HTML    18. Publishing on the Internet   

Reviews (6)

Student and IT Professional
I think this is a great book.I learn best in a "classroom" environment while doing lots of hands-on exercises.This book meets both of these needs.The material is presented in a logical manner that makes sense and the book is inundated with example code for hands-on work.When I received my book, there was some problems with some of the pages.I contacted the Deitel company and was impressed with how quickly and professionally they responded to my problem.When I have a need for books on programming, they will be the place I look first for resources.

Useful but not quite enough
I found that this book gave me good general information on VC++.NET but not quite enough.When going through the book I tried to write the sample pieces of code as I was going and there was just not quite enough information on each of the samples for me to write it with out having to go and copy the code from the examples.Also it wasn't clear what the project settings should be set to.Eventually I figured them out but it just wasn't quite enough.
Good on its topic
This book is a very nice choice for learning .NET 1.1 programming with C++, provided that you have enough knowledge of the C++ language itself (as always is the case when programming with C++ in some platform). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. C (Programming Language)    2. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    3. Computer Books: Database    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Programming Languages - C++    7. C & Visual C    8. Computers / Programming Languages / C++   

Reviews (30)

A must read for CLR Insight
If you havn't read this book, Buy it! I really enjoyed the style, flow, and great insight into the CLR.

Excellent but
only for advanced readers. If you are a beginner, you may get lost. I had to read a couple of times to get 100%. Excellent. Some concepts are pretty difficult to understand.

Solidify your understanding
This is not the book to dive into first if you want to really get .NET. It's actually a fairly interesting mixture of what I now consider obvious and what I never stopped to consider. If you are just starting out, I would begin with Richter's book, and then digest this one quickly afterwards. There is a significant amount of overlap, but your final understanding will be very balanced. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. C (Programming Language)    2. Component software    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer software    5. Computers    6. Computers - Languages / Programming    7. Electronic Commerce    8. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    9. Microcomputer Application Software    10. Microsoft .NET    11. Programming - General    12. Programming Languages - C    13. Programming Languages - C#    14. Programming languages    15. Programming languages (Electro    16. Programming languages (Electronic computers)    17. C & Visual C    18. Computers / Programming Languages / C#   

Reviews (12)

Great but Outdated.
This was "The" standard for creating C++ 99. Since then the standard libraries were added, a full implementation of templates and exception handleing etc. So while its a good reference for the "core" of C++, i.e. the classes etc, it shouldn't be the first book (or even the 2nd) on C++ you buy. Better to get the Hardcover "The C++ Programming Language (Special 3rd Edition)" which has chapters on all of the language. Outdated
This book was fairly complete at the time of its publication, but there have been so many significant improvements and new approaches to the C++ language that the book is outdated.I'd recommend this book only to people who are interested in a historical collection of C++ documents. Needs to be updated.
This book was good when it came out in 1990. It needs to updated to to the newer versions of C++. Other than that it is a good book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. C (Programming Language)    2. C++ (Computer program language    3. C++ (Computer program language)    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Programming Languages - C++    6. Reference    7. C & Visual C    8. Computers / Programming Languages / C++   

Reviews (13)

Robin WIlliams sets the future archetype for technology training
I cannot say enough good things about this woman's writing. She breaks the normal rules of teaching by rote, instead helps to impart a holistic understanding of the pros and cons of the technology, and thus it becomes obvious how to use it to the best effect. I have taught seminars using her books as reference materials, and recommend that everyone should own this book who uses a computer. Most people today learn technology by rote, this does not give a person the understanding necessary to face different software versions, or even different challenges that pop up everyday in the workplace. Many books written on technology are only good as doorstops, as they perpetuate the step by step learning by rote crap. This book, very thin and unassuming in it's length, get's in a user's brain like yeast and expands to help them to be able to comprehend WHY things work the way they do. I hope she writes a lot more books, especially one for Windows users, like her Little Mac Book. She deserves to be famous, successful, and prosperous.

Very outdated but still of some use for beginners
I did pick up one or two useful hints in this book. If you haven't managed to figure out for yourself that two spaces after a full stop (period) just looks plain stupid, then you will probably get a lot of utility from this book. As other reviewers have said - it is extremely short and light on content - you'll probably read the whole thing in an hour.
Useful but an extremely short book
Not counting the introduction and appendices, the content is less than 50 pages.There are excellent tips for making a document appear more attractive and some nice "before" and "after" images are provided.Some tips are obvious for proficient users, like use tabs instead of spaces for indenting.That was the case for me, and I found this book to be overpriced for what I got out of it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - IBM    2. Computer Books: Word Processing    3. Computers - IBM    4. Desktop Publishing    5. IBM Personal Computer    6. Operating Systems - Windows    7. Programming    8. Style manuals    9. Word Processing - General    10. Word processing    11. Computers / Operating Systems / Windows    12. Personal computers   

Reviews (1)

OK..mainly used in schools
I have written java code in a production environment. Please for your mental and resume's sak don't think you know java because you got an A+ in a class that used this book.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Languages / Programming    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computers    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Programming Languages - Java    6. Computers / Programming Languages / Java    7. Java & variants   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (16)

Great overview of C# 2005 (2.0) enhancements
I purchased this book to get prepped for 2.0 development.As usual , Jesse delivered with additional benifits.He is a great, clear speaking, author.I needed the facts and he delivered.
Not quite what it says it is
This is a very good "delta" book for moving to 2.0. It doesn't spend a lot of time with "object oriented programming began in 19..."-type gibberish. Instead it moves directly to some of the new features and talks to you like you know what your talking about.
Surprised
I just borrowed this book from the library as I'm trying to cut down and only buy true reference books. I didn't have a whole lot of expectations, but this book was exactly what the doctor ordered. I knew C# for VS.NET 1.1 and am gradually migrating to 2.0 and all of it's extra features. I just wanted a book that covered the new stuff... and could come as close to just injecting the information into my brain without all of the extra fluff. This book does exactly that. If you're new to .NET don't get this book... but if you're looking for an incremental upgrade book (as I was) that is concise, full of examples, and covers the whole spectrum of VS.NET 2.0 then this is IT! That said, the title is just a bit misleading... the first chapter is about the new C# keywords and constructs, but this book covers changes with Forms, ASP.NET (Themes, Master Pages, ...) and so forth. This books has been hard to put down and I'm seriously considering buying this one to add to my reference collection. I've learned a lot from it in just the past 24 hours. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Networking - General    5. Programming - General    6. Programming - Software Development    7. Programming Languages - C#    8. Software Development    9. C & Visual C    10. C# (Computer program language)    11. Computers / Languages / Programming    12. Computers / Programming Languages / C#    13. Computers/Networking - General    14. c#, C# 2.0, visual c#, visual studio .net 2005    

Reviews (1)

useful explanations
Possibly the most important things Gookin explains are how to keep an eye on your power consumption when using batteries, and how to hook up to the Internet. These are both usually in the real world context of you travelling to some place. That's why you're getting a laptop, right?
Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - IBM    4. Hardware - Personal Computers - PCs    5. Laptop Computers    6. Portable computers    7. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / IBM-Compatible    8. Personal computers   

Reviews (6)

Excellent for Much More Than Just eBay Photos
Using simple, lo-tech language and a wealth of color photos, this excellent book can teach anyone to arrange, light, photograph and even edit macro (closeup) pictures. I bought it sight unseen on a friend's recommendation, and it's even better than I thought it would be.
My eBay photos will never be the same
Not being a true photographer(strictly for business) I looked through many books hoping I could find one that would help me take better photos for eBay. That's when I stumbled on this little gem. I'm sure this stuff is old hat to photo pros and hobbyists, but to those of us who don't know our f-stops from our brackets, this is a God send. My photos look so much better, that I've gotten compliments from friends and buyers (who'd a thought that!) People ask me what kind of camera I use, settings, etc. and my answer is read "eBay Photos That Sell". If nothing else the chapters of Objective and Subjective photos will help most folks (and don't forget the shower curtain). Simple stuff I know, but it makes all the difference in the world. BUY this book! You won't be disappointed.

Highly Recommended!
If one takes a look at the items up for sale on eBay, many of the items have pictures. Some of them are stock photos from the manufacturer's website, but the great majority of them are amateur photos taken with a digital camera. The photographic quality of eBay is usually on the lower end of the amateur scale, filled with distracting elements, flash reflections and a host of other problems. The goal of this book is to teach the reader how to take product photos that sell.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Books: Desktop Publish    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Digital cameras    5. Digital techniques    6. Electronic Commerce    7. Image processing    8. Internet - World Wide Web    9. Photography    10. Techniques - Digital    11. Computers / Internet / General    12. Image processing: graphics (static images)    13. Photographic equipment & techniques   

Editorial Review

Charles Petzold's latest book,

Reviews (49)

Only a genius could write such!!!!
For years i have been searching for information on how computers really work under the hood. Many text just skimp over the whole process and leave you unfullfilled, but this book, will not let you down. It starts off from the basic or foundation, like the light bulb situation,bits and bytes and develops furthur into stuff like logic- AND and Or Gates and so forth, right down to programming languages and how the translation is made. after reading this book you will look at computers in a different way.

A book with many purposes
I hold a bachelors degree in computer science, but it has been 11 years since I have studied it seriously.This book has rekindled my interests, and I am now considering returning to school to get my masters degree.Charles Petzold is a very gifted author.He made several topics in his book much clearer than any professor or lecturer ever did.I recommend that anyone with an ounce of curiosity about the inner workings of computers read this book from cover to cover.Its destined to be a home library must-have.

Excellent book on technology in general
"Code" is a well-written, easy to follow and compelling book on technology in general.The book focuses on how, over time, the manner in which technology has changed how data and information are processed.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Coding theory    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer programming    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Data Processing - General    7. General    8. Machine Theory    9. Computer games    10. Computers / Programming / Software Development   

Reviews (8)

It is realy a Bible
This book is really a bible covering everything about Photoshop CS. All what you need to know.I have two issues about this book: it is not tailored to a certain provision such as graphics designers, photographers and so on. The second is the lack of proper classifications, for example: file formatting is explained in full details, but not mentioned in the Table of Contents. Nevertheless it is a great book for those consider themselves serious Photoshop users. Looking forward to see CS2 version of the book.

anathema!
Who are we, mere mortals, to make easy criticism with the great achievement of the Master himself?
Very Good
As interested in digital photography and art, I decided to buy this book after after a couple of excellent books from Scott Kelby. This is the kind of book that goes beyond the instructions on how to create/correct a digital image following predefined, but obscure, steps. This book is for those wanting to understand what's really behind the photoshop software with the objective to become a knowledgeable user of the product with new horizons of creativity. Very happy of the buy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adobe Photoshop    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - Design    4. Computer Graphics - Game Programming    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computer Graphics - Photoshop    7. Computer graphics    8. Computers    9. Computers - Desktop Publishing    10. Desktop Publishing - General    11. Microcomputer Graphics    12. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    13. Photoshop   

Reviews (5)

EASY TO READ
This book is very informative ad even enjoyable to read. It has been a big help and explains things so anyone can understand.
Basic But Beautiful
This book is about the very basics of computers, but it completely covers all parts of a computer, inside AND out.

basic information, will help you get started with PCs
This book is aimed at complete beginners, which is not a bad thing; too few computer books really are. It covers the basics of how to use a computer (with an emphisis on the XP OS). Covers basic hardware and software, what part of the computer does what, the difference between an OS and application software (many people don't have a clue) and other basics. It won't make you a computer geek, but it will certainly, for many people, increase thier computer literacy significantly.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Literacy    3. Computers    4. Computers - IBM    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - PCs    6. Microcomputers    7. Reference - Beginner Guides    8. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / IBM-Compatible    9. Personal computers   

Reviews (4)

Focus your reviews on the PRODUCT, people
I will be HAPPY to have this comment removed once the other Mac-bashing comments on the site have ALSO been removed.
Good for all
Even if you aren't switching, this book provides accurate information on Mac OS X and the technical help for transferring documents to a Windows computer. David Pogue, my favorite mac writer, known for his vivid style, won't let you down. Highly recommended.

Can't recommend enough
If you're a PC user and you're buying a Mac, for whatever reason, do yourself a favor and buy this book.I've been a PC user for most of my life, and all of my previous Mac experience had been with OS 9 or earlier.When I decided to buy a 12" Powerbook (also very highly recommended) I went out and picked up this book.Despite its size I had it read in less than a week.It's very well written, informative but still fun to read, and, a rarity in computer books, even not having the computer right in front of me didn't keep me from understanding and learning from this book.In short, it covers everything you'll need to know to get started, and it does it from the point of view of a PC user, making the transition a quick and relatively painless one.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    6. Mac OS    7. Macintosh (Computer)    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Operating systems (Computers)    10. Programming    11. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    12. Macintosh    13. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (1)

Helping Make WORD Better for All
We've bought two copies of this book -- one, for ourselves and one for a relative.We recommend it to all our friends, even those who are quite proficient in using WORD.One learns things that one didn't even know are offered in this software and the helpful suggestions can make writing so much easier, whether for business or for fun. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Word Processing    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Word Processing    5. Microcomputer Word Processing Software    6. Microsoft Word    7. Word Processing - General    8. Word Processing - Word    9. Word processing    10. Computers / Word Processing / General   

Reviews (4)

I hate raining on the parades
This is a very good book for troubleshooting, and if you think you could use this, you probably could. Do you know how to defrag a hard drive? If not, this is for you (it's easy, really).
Great choice as a first line of reference to fix things...
[2nd edition review]
A must-have book for Windows users!
Containing great humor and experience(!), this book is written mainly for users of Windows XP/ME/and 98, although users of Windows 95/NT/and especially 2000 will find that most of this 1st edition still applies. 2nd edition= XP exclusively. Dan Gookin wrote the original Dos for Dummies book- all Dummies books started with him! Chapters 1-5 cover the basics, with 6-and-on being intense! This is the strength of the book: hands-on, down & dirty problem solving! Solutions include: getting around in Windows; minor irks & quirks; slow PC; audio-video; startup-shutdown; keyboard, mouse, monitor & printer; disk disaster; internet connection; Internet Explorer; Outlook Express; general Windows disruption- too much to list here! (This is mainly a software-related book- for an intro to detailed hardware-related issues, I highly recommend Upgrading & Fixing PCs for Dummies by Andy Rathbone, or for advanced issues Scott Mueller's Upgrading & Repairing PCs). My favorite thing here: Registry Editing 101! Many books mention the Registry- Dan actually walks you through some basic, yet sometimes necessary, editing procedures in a few very specific instances. This is beyond basic info, and is downright technical in nature. It's insane how much information he's crammed into one book! Finishing Chapters include PM- preventive maintenance- for disks in general, and using Backup. I use Norton Ghost for Backup myself- I can't stress enough how great it is! You can get it with Norton AntiVirus too if you purchase SystemWorks 2003 Professional (my favorite!). They're all worth their weight in gold(!). To Dan Gookin: In a good-natured way, I recommend Argument 4 in favor of reinstalling Windows: it brings peace of mind! With all the latest Internet threats today in the news- Viruses, Worms & Spyware- some people just don't trust that their computers are clean & secure without the reinstalling of Windows(!). Of course, with the proper use of disk imaging/backup software, this really shouldn't be an issue, but some people never get around to this kind of PM. Some people may not trust AntiVirus/Spyware apps to work for them, and reinstalling Windows can bring enormous peace of mind. Don't blame me for mentioning it- paranoia can be a powerful thing! Suggestions for next edition: maybe in PM section & Internet disaster prevention, including basic definitions & tips on safe Internet use? Phishing, Pharming, Identity Theft & Email-scams may not *directly* damage computers, but they sure do affect their users(!). Also- How about advanced videogame troubleshooting? Even people with up-to-date hardware experience crashes & restarts during games. In the Windows 2000 Getting Started book, a common solution to blue-screen stop messages is to "Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing". Believe it or not, it worked for me! Far fewer crashes during fast moving video & videogames. These are my best suggestions! Thank you for this incredible & long-overdue book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. Computers - IBM    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - PCs    6. Maintenance and repair    7. Microcomputers    8. Computers / Personal Computers & Microcomputers / IBM-Compatible    9. Personal computers   

Editorial Review

With his first book, Read more

Reviews (28)

Good
The book was in really good condition, although I did not recieve my book on time. Thanks.

Curtis shares his experience and gives pointers
I have read the Process and Inspiration sections thus far and Curtis gives helpful advice in how to succeed in media design.

A must-read for aspiring designers
As a design student, I was recommended to read this book by numerous friends of mine who have graduated from the program. I am a second-year student without a lot of real-world design experience, and reading this book still hit very close to home.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computer animation    4. Computer graphics    5. Computers    6. Computers - Desktop Publishing    7. Curtis, Hillman    8. Digital media    9. Interactive & Multimedia    10. Internet - General    11. Computer graphics software    12. Computers / Internet / General    13. Multimedia   

Editorial Review

The book that changed the way computer books are written and marketed has come out in a third edition. By and large, it's the same as the previous edition (advances in MS-DOS have not been numerous), but there is some new information here. Further,