Editorial Review

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Reviews (43)

Just What I Needed
In seeking out materials to train myself on Access 2003, I have found several books that have done adequate or good jobs of teaching the program. Most of them, however, did not do so well on teaching database theory or on instructing in how to use the native programming environment. This book helped to fill in the gaps. It is not perfect but it certainly was a good place to start.
this book got me started on databases...
Years ago, I've picked this book up to learn Access... I haven't used Access for quite a while now (mostly an Oracle person now), but I still have fond memories of this book.Not only does this book teach you Access, and it does that very well, it also go through the database fundamentals. An overall great book, imho.

If you own 2 Access books, this should be one of them
I first read Steven Roman's book on Access a few years ago when it was written for Access 97. I recently bought a copy of the current version as a reference.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Data Base Management    4. Database design    5. Database management    6. Desktop Applications - MS Access    7. Microsoft Access    8. Operating Systems - Windows    9. Access    10. Computers / Data Base Management    11. Computers / Data Modeling & Design    12. Computers / Database Management / General   

Reviews (1)

Learn Windows Vista
Ever since I bought Stanek's Windows Server Inside Out last year, he's become the one author I turn to whenever I want to learn a new technology. His books are always concise and to the point, and I like that. When I was looking to study for my MCSE recently, I bought his book as soon as I saw it. It was no different for me with this book, I ordered it as soon as I saw it and I can't wait to read it cover to cover, dogear the pages, and highlight like crazy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Operating Systems    2. Computers    3. Computers - Operating Systems    4. Microcomputer Operating Environments    5. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    6. Microsoft Windows (Computer software)    7. Non-Classifiable    8. Nonfiction    9. Operating Systems - NT    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Operating systems (Computers)    12. Computers / General    13. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (11)

A very good book about Postfix
I wasn't looking for esoteric information on how to administer Sendmail. I was looking for a book on Postfix and that's what the author provided. I got the book based a lot on the quality of O'Reilly books and the editor's reputation. Andy Oram is a top notch editor. I recommend this book to any Linux or UNIX person wanting to substitute Postfix for sendmail. Postfix is a drop in replacement for systems configured for sendmail but Postfix is not a monlithic program with lots of vulnerabilities. The author expalins that perfectly.

Good reference guide for PostFix
PostFix is a replacement mail server, MTA, for Unix based systems that
Not what I was expecting
If you're looking for a comprehensive guide on setting up a Postfix mail server, then this isn't the book for you.For those that are already familiar with setting up MTAs, the information provided in "The Definitive Guide" is probably enough, but this book only covers a subset of the Postfix configuration parameters and does not provide the step-by-step instructions that many people may be expecting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Database    2. Computer programs    3. Computers    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Electronic mail systems    6. Internet    7. Postfix (Computer file)    8. Programming Languages - General    9. Reference - General    10. Computers / Data Transmission Systems / Electronic Mail    11. Computers / Languages / Programming    12. Computers / Programming Languages / General    13. Electronic mail (email)    14. Postfix, MTA, mail transfer agent, chroot, mailing lists, virtual domains, UBE blocking, SMTP authentication, content filtering, MySQL, LDAP, configuration parameters    15. Unix, Unix Linux & Unix TCL/TK   

Reviews (4)

A True Reference for the Rest of Us
This is my first review of a book, so please allow me a few mistakes. I am a chemist who is being forced, by work circumstances, to become more of an IT person than I thought possible. I will be administering a client-server system in our laboratory. I needed to find a book that would expand on the very limited knowledge that I currently possess. I found that book in "Windows Server 2003 for Dummies". The first couple of chapters are basic network setups, after that they got more in depth and to the point of what I needed to know. I'm obviously still learning and I use the book as a constant reference. I have since purchased "Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for Dummies". I only hope I find this book as useful.

Does exactly what the title says...
...it provides a Windows Server 2003 reference for people who are starting from scratch (a.k.a. Dummies). I'm really shocked by the other reviews. This book promises no coverage whatsoever of any exam objectives for Microsoft's exams. I am a, sometimes blunt, redneck from West Virginia (now transplanted to Ohio), and I must say that only a true dummy would buy this book to prepare for an exam. In that light only should the book be condemned (I have a real problem with the whole "for dummies" series as an adult educator myself, but that's another story for another review.), in that a true dummy buying the book is probably making a bad decision anyway - as they do not have the capacity to make an educated decision, since, by definition, a dummy (according to webster: one without intelligence; and intelligence is a lack of the ability to learn) cannot become educated. In the end, the market for the "for dummies" books should be about .001 percent since that's about how many people would be "dummies".
Useless Book
I wish they has 0 stars as a choice to rate this book. This book is for someone who has very little experience or who has never installed a server. I usually like the dummies books as they are easier to read and understand but this one was a DUD!!!
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Subjects:  1. Client-Server Computing - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer operating systems    4. Computers    5. Computers - General Information    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - General    7. Microcomputer Application Software    8. Microcomputer Operating Environments    9. Microsoft Windows server    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Operating systems (Computers)    12. Computers / Operating Systems / Windows    13. Microsoft Windows    14. Networking packages   

Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Maintenance And Repair    2. Apple And Macintosh Programming    3. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    4. Computer Architecture - Repair & Maintenance    5. Computer Books: Operating Systems    6. Computers    7. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Computers / Operating Systems / Macintosh    10. Macintosh OS   

Reviews (6)

a work still in progress, but quite intriguing
WCF is a very promising new technology being put out by Microsoft. You should take note that it is still actively a work in progress. Made clear both by the text in the book and by postings from other reviewers and the authors. There is indeed a potential drawback, inasmuch as specific coding details may get obsoleted by an eventual stable production release. But before you are tempted to turn away, keep in mind that the very title cover of the book says "Beta Edition". The advantage is an early, informal look at WCF.
Good Initial Perspective on WCF
Gives a good MSFT perspective on WCF and the HOWTO get up & running with WCF.

A very well written book
This a very well written step by step guide to WCF. Though the book does not reflect the changes in June CTP, it presents the concepts in a nice, easy to understand manner. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Application software    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computer Programming    4. Computers    5. Computers - Languages / Programming    6. Development    7. Microcomputer Application Software    8. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    9. Microsoft Windows (Computer software)    10. Operating Systems - NT    11. Programming - General    12. Programming - Systems Analysis & Design    13. Computers / Programming / Systems Analysis & Design   

Reviews (1)

Test Preparation, but also a lot of Basic Material
It has taken a while to get this book published. 1230 pages of material takes a lot of time to put together. Obviously the stated aim of this book is to prepare the student to take the exam. However, even if you are not planning on taking the exam, the material covered here is a complete book on Windows Server 2003 Networking. It covers everything from defining TCP/IP to troubleshooting nearly any kind of trouble.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Operating Systems    2. Computers    3. Computers - General Information    4. General    5. Operating Systems - NT    6. Reference - General    7. Computers / General    8. Computing and Information Technology    9. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (10)

Great book, good companion to UNIX DVD!
This book makes a great companion for "UNIX Essentials and UNIX Core" DVD course! It is nicely written, pleasure to read and easy to follow. It is one of these books that were carefully edited and the examples work correctly. As I mentioned I have coupled it with the DVD and these two make very efficient couple!
Excellent, even while out of date.
While the Linux world develops by the day, and new advances and Kernels are constantly being updated, this book remains a helpful and near essential tool for a beginning Linux user. From the absolute basics to a moderately advanced approach, this book offers a huge amount of tips as to which direction to approach Linux. I would suggest that anyone reading this book actually download and install the most recent distributions rather than installing the outdated ones on the disks.
everything a noob will need to get up and running linux in no time
i've been thinking what to avail first, the RHFL3 Bible or this one. i just thought this one would be the right one to start learning linux and administering it. well, my decision was right and this Linux Bible really is a bible, learned a lot from it and even a dummy will not have a hard time following what the author wants to say in this book. only problem i have with this one is it didn't discuss configuring a DNS server. nways, still a great book to start with... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Operating Systems    2. Computers    3. Computers - Operating Systems    4. Linux    5. Operating Systems - Linux    6. Operating systems (Computers)    7. Computers / Operating Systems / Linux    8. Unix, Unix Linux & Unix TCL/TK   

Reviews (3)

Compehensive and More
Lisa wirtes one of the most (if not the best) comprehensive books about Final Cut Pro enabling almost anyone to "get it" when even the Apple Manuals and on line help do not. I had her version 4 book and now the version 5 book. I only hope she updatesit for version 6, 7, 8, 9 etc, that Apple most assuredly will continue to release.

I Like The Visual Guide Format for Learning Software
The folks that do the Visual QuickPro Guides have developed an interesting format that they use for computer books. Basically each page has two columns. The outside column has the text that describes what is being done on that page. The column near the gutter of the book is used for screen shots that show what the screen should look like as you do the procedure described on the outside column. This philosophy is combined with an excellent index and table of contents to enable you to quickly find what you want to do.
An invaluable reference!
Lisa Brenneis has done it again!This book is a great primerand a very thorough reference source.I studied it for several days before taking a course in Final Cut Pro and went into the class better prepared than I would have been without this book.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books: Operating Systems    5. Computers    6. Data Processing - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Computers / Interactive Media    10. Image processing: video   

Features

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Reviews (23)

Good Book for Beginners
I have Linspire 5.0 and I wanted to learn more about Linux command line. The book is good if you are using Fedora Core and it was a good start for command line. I enjoyed it but it could be a little more in depth.

Great Place to Start with Linux
If you want to learn to use Linux for your desktop computer but are not intested in indepth technical jargon then this is the book for you. It is written in simple, easy to understand "non-geek" English so that the average computer user can understand what is going on. Anyone should be up and running Linux in a short time. And by running Linux I mean doing all the things you want to do on the computer. This book focuses on teaching the average home user how to do the things you want to do like customizing your desktop and icons, surfing the net, playing your CD's and mp3's, downloading and installing games and software (all for free), and much more. Even after using Linux for a few years I still use this book for reference if I need to look something up.
Linux for Non-Geeks
The book is very helpful in setting up a Fedora Linux installation if the accomopaning disks were complete. The insturctions in the book were clear and concise.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Operating Systems    2. Computer Books: Languages    3. Computer operating systems    4. Computers    5. Computers - Operating Systems    6. Linux    7. Linux (Computer software)    8. Operating Systems - General    9. Operating Systems - Linux    10. Operating systems (Computers)    11. Computers / Operating Systems    12. Computers / Operating Systems / General    13. Computers / Operating Systems / Linux    14. Unix, Unix Linux & Unix TCL/TK   

Editorial Review

It has taken four years, but with Read more

Reviews (139)

Awesome Quick Read
This is a great book.How many technical books have you read in 1 week?That's what I did with this book.I love the Head First series. They don't make great reference books if you are an expert, but the expert on the title topic is not the audience.

quick review
After I borrowed and read this book I decided to purchase it for the following reasons:
Great book to get you started
After reading a great book titled "Thinking in Java (JAVA 1.4)" by Bruce Ekcel.That book is so far the best book I have read on JAVA so far.It has TONS of information and for the most part the author does a very good job in explaining the information.However my main complaint with the TIJ book was that it was very hard to read at times due to the author's writting style.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Operating Systems    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Java (Computer language)    5. Java (Computer program languag    6. Java (Computer program language)    7. Programming - General    8. Programming Languages - Java    9. Computers / Programming Languages / Java    10. Java & variants    11. Java, J2SE, servlets, JavaServer Pages   

Reviews (10)

Why not ALT
I suppose this is a good book.Typical Microsoft white paper with discussion related only to MS.
A must...
I haven't read this yet. I'm still going through the XP book, but if this one is even close, this book is a must. An easy read and well laid out. The accompanying CDs are very beneficial also.

Horrible
Of the thousands of pages read preparing for one certification for another --- this is the worst book I have come across.Frankly I am so disapointed I may well not purchase another book from this publisher.
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Subjects:  1. Certification Guides - General    2. Certification Guides - MCSE    3. Certification Guides - Msce    4. Computer Books And Software    5. Computer Data Security    6. Computer networks    7. Computers    8. Computers - Certification    9. Computers - General Information    10. Microcomputer Operating Environments    11. Microsoft Windows server    12. Networking - Security    13. Operating Systems - Windows    14. Security - General    15. Security measures    16. Computers / General    17. Data security & data encryption    18. Home Computing    19. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (2)

Great
I found this book very helpful. Sybex books are straight to the point. I prefer Sybex Study Guides over Microsoft Press.

Very Good Study Guide
I used this book to study for the test and passed it. The chapters are broken down great. The review questions are very good and almost exactly what you will find on the test. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Certification    2. Certification Guides - General    3. Certification Guides - MCSE    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer networks    6. Computers    7. Computers - Operating Systems    8. Electronic data processing personnel    9. Examinations    10. General    11. Information Technology    12. Microsoft software    13. Operating Systems - Windows XP    14. Software Engineering    15. Study Guides    16. Computers / Technical Skills    17. Microsoft Windows   

Reviews (3)

Doesnt worth its price
Provided you have NO knowledge on C programming and microcontroller, otherwise you dont really need this book. I personally think that big portion of contents could be found in CCS's manual and sample code FREE.
Excelent book for a Newbie!
For a Newbie on PIC C programming like me, this is really an excellent book. It teaches C language programming, helping the reader to create an entire program (step-by-step). Also, the reader can understand the PIC architecture and learn how use a C compiler (like CCS C). Finally, the reader can learn and try to implement a complete project using microcontrollers. I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking to make a travel through the field of microcontrollers and embedded programming.

A very good Text Book
A very good textbook for undergraduate learning MCU programming. This book is based on CCS C complier, a step-by-step guide from basic C programming to project planning. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. C (Computer program language)    2. Computer Books: Operating Systems    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Electronics - General    5. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    6. Programmable controllers    7. Programming Languages - C    8. Technology    9. C & Visual C    10. Technology / Engineering / Electrical   

Reviews (15)

iPod Book: Doing Cool Stuff with the iPod and the iTunes Music Store, The (2nd Edition)
Great book! Love the writing style. It's like reading a personal e-mail from a friend and is so easy to understand.I don't do well with manuals, as a rule.I'll purchase Mr. Kelby's books in the future without hesitation.

Now we're talking!
I just want to thank the author,Scott Kelby for making this an easy step by step how-to book for iPod users. Thanks for using 'user friendly lingo' in your book! I can't believe how much easier it is to use my iPod now and how many features I am now using on my computer as well as my iPod. Great reference!

Easy to use resource for the non-tech savvy
I bought this book because of the format - each page has a set of instructions for how to do one thing, ensuring that it is kept simple and concise. I have had a video iPod since Christmas 2005 and could figure out enough to make playlists, download, and rip but knew no other tricks. My library now looks cleaner, misspelled titles/artists are now corrected, and I know how to better organize my over 6000 songs.
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Subjects:  1. Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound    2. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Data Processing - Speech & Audio Processing    6. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Operating Systems - Macintosh    9. Recording & Reproduction    10. Sound Recording And Recordings    11. iPod (Digital music player)    12. iTunes    13. iTunes (Computer software)    14. Audio processing    15. Computers / Interactive Media   

Reviews (10)

Good book, surprised at the sender
I received the book quickly, and the quality of the book is very good. Just surprised at the location of sender, it is in Taiwan, not California as displayed on the web site. And the shipping label was not clear, the manager of the apartment and I were very, very difficult to read the receiver's name, and almost cannot see the address. Anyway, I think this is good seller based on the time of shipping process and the quality of the book.

Expensive but good
I had to port some Windows C/C++ code to Solaris and went to the bookstore hoping to find something that would bring me up to speed with the basic utilities and UNIX concepts from the perspective of a programmer. Bookstore shelves are usually crowded with books that deal with the admin part of Unix but good programming books are a tad harder to find. Very good book for people new to UNIX
I have the first edition of this book, and used it in college.This book does a good job explaining the basics and some intermediate topics.I particularly enjoyed chapters on system programming and unix internals.Also, the book serves as a good reference.Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Operating Systems    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - Operating Systems    5. Operating Systems - UNIX    6. Operating systems (Computers)    7. Programming - General    8. UNIX (Computer file)    9. Unix (Operating System)    10. Computers / Operating Systems / UNIX    11. Unix, Unix Linux & Unix TCL/TK   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (25)

The book is truly excellent and unparalleled in detail
I have owned this book for at least seven years and have made a couple of good attempts to read/study it with some success as it may not be the best first book for programming the Win32 API although it certainly treats the subject in excruciating detail and with insights garnered by the two authors who are two of the most consummately professional programmers in the world - Brent Rector and Joseph Newcomer. For example Herb Schildt's Programming Windows 98 from the Ground Up teaches WIN32 programming and I find myself more productive in less time studying that book, even though WIN32 programming teaches with a philosophy that one is (ultimately) going to be writing large multifile programs, and this philosophy isn't apparent in Schildt's book. Additionally, an added bonus of Win32 Programming are the insights one gets into writing more robust and professional code - the C code (and there is a lot of it - 140,000 lines included on the CD ROM) has been written by the very best programmers.Additionally, the treatment of each topic is probably more in depth in this book - one example being the discussion of the GDI. More advanced topics included are chapters on writing a DLL, writing an MDI application, and writing multithreading applications. Finally, at 1500 pages the book is reference-like and also like a textbook thus I would assume that it may well take the better part of a year to study each chapter and the associated applications, making it one of the finest and most comprehensive books ever written on WIN32 API programming. I paid $50 for it at UCLA and the book has stood the test of time and proves to be an invaluable work well worth the cost. Finally, this book would seemingly rank among the most professional and scientific computer science/programming titles ever written - certainly it would be one of the most massive - the index is around 200 pages long in itself!

Good, but needs editting
Very good on the level of detail, and incredible on the pitfalls and specific problems they found when actually writing the code for the examples.Be careful, though - a number of the tables (and even some of the printed code samples) contain typos and other minor errors (like missing headings, making one table pretty useless!).You can figure out what's wrong, but if you just use this as a reference and happen to hit a section with an error you might not catch it without reading the accompanying text.I read it through, rather than as a reference, and it was clear which parts of the text had only been lightly checked for the latest edition. Excellent reference, not for beginners
If you are an experienced Win32 programmer looking for a good reference, or you learned MFC but want to know what's going on under the hood, this is the book for you.If you are a beginner looking for a book to teach you how to program Windows, do not get this book.Lots of tables, just the right amount of code examples, lots of real-world advice, and a 200-page index.This book does not cover MFC. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Languages    2. Computers    3. Computers - Languages / Programming    4. Microcomputer Operating Environments    5. Microsoft Win32    6. Microsoft Windows (Computer fi    7. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    8. Operating Systems - NT    9. Operating Systems - Windows    10. Operating Systems - Windows 95    11. Operating systems (Computers)    12. Programming - Software Development    13. Computer Programming    14. Computers / Operating Systems / NT    15. Microsoft Windows   

Editorial Review

Aimed at aspiring C# programmers of all levels, legendary Windows expert Charles Petzold's Read more

Reviews (73)

Excellent book for beginning C# / .NET windows programming
Mr Petzold covers a lot of ground here. The most fun thing is that you can use the very same concepts in VB.NET or J# with no loss in the material. Sometimes I found the book a little bit long winded in its explanations, but in the end you always know that Petzold will deliver. The book seems oriented toward beginners, but experts can benefit too.

Excellent coverage of GDI+
If you have a pretty good knowledge of C# and are interested in GDI+, this book is a must-read. I bought it 4 years ago but didn't read it because Java was so hot at the time. Moving from Java to C# is a breeze with the help of this book and the free Visual Studio Express Edition. Microsoft has done an amazing job of improving the Dot Net framework and the C# language.

Funtastic book, 1200 golden pages .
The last reviewers described all, so I decided not going too deep in my review. At this time I didnt had finished this one yet but for what I already saw its a classic C# for sure. The book price is also very good and if you are thinking in getting knowledge of C# on Windows you will not get this book content in other book so easy, this one you must have in your shelf. Very good book from the Master Petzold. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. C# (Computer program language)    2. Computer Books And Software    3. Computers    4. Computers - Languages / Programming    5. Interactive & Multimedia    6. Microcomputer Operating Environments    7. Microsoft Windows (Computer fi    8. Microsoft Windows (Computer file)    9. Object-Oriented Programming    10. Operating Systems - Windows    11. Programming - Object Oriented Programming    12. Programming - Software Development    13. Programming Languages - General    14. Computers / Programming / Software Development    15. Microsoft Windows    16. Programming languages   

Reviews (2)

Respectable coverage on Windows Security, from trustworthy folks
Ben and Brian, (my ex-Microsoft colleagues) have done a great job at providing well-rounded, valuable and actionable coverage of almost all aspects of Windows Security. Good job guys!
Terrific update to excellent security guide!
I have previously done a review of the First Edition of the Microsoft Windows Security Resource Kit which I was very impressed with. All what I said for that book still applies. The first book applied to Windows 2000 and XP Pro. Since then there has been a major upgrade for XP in SP2 and the introduction of Windows 2003 which the Second Edition covers. As with the first book this edition is great for anyone that wants to learn how to secure their Windows 2000/2003/XP Pro operating systems/networks and is geared mostly to administrator types though anyone with such interest including power users will find it extremely helpful.