Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As far as I'm aware this is the only book currently on the market that covers Windows Live Programming and therefore in quite unique in that aspect. I was actually quite surprised to hear of this book as I am a Windows Live Microsoft MVP and so it was with great enthusiasm that I delved into it and read it cover to cover.
The book is split into 11 chapters, apart from the first few which gives overviews of windows live, each chapter basically covers a single technology, ranging from better known technologies like Virtual Earth, messenger and Live ID to lesser known ones like Custom Domains and Live Expo.
With each chapter/technology, Jon gives a brief introduction to what it actually is then dives straight into the available SDK and shows you how you can use that particular technology for yourself and how to integrate it in with your own web applications. He doesn't cover every single API call available for each technology but does cover what will be the most widely used situations.
As mentioned Windows Live technologies are mainly web based and the available API's and there to be used within your own web sites. In order to use this book Jon has assumed that you already know technologies and languages such as Javascript, HTML, CSS etc. If you don't or if you're just getting started in web programming then this book isn't for you, yet.
Microsoft has made available a great number of technologies through Windows Live including authentication, mapping and search. Each of these potentially has it's place in your web site. There is a terms of use for each technology however unless you're a very heavy hitter, essentially all these technologies are free for you to include in your applications.
Overall this is a great book for an introduction to programming using the various Windows Live technologies and one that I thoroughly recommend picking up and reading. If this is the case then why did I score it higher? This book was published in 2007 and Microsoft have been very aggressive in their releases and updates to these technologies. Unfortunately this book, as every other computer book will eventually become, is now out of date. Some of the technologies that Jon covers like Windows Live Expo, Microsoft is no longer supporting. Other technologies like Virtual Earth have been updated with new API's and features and Microsoft have also released other technologies not covered in this book for example the Windows Live Web Messenger API. The question therefore isn't why didn't I rate this book higher, but why did I rate it as high as I did? This book gives you an excellent grounding in various Microsoft Windows Live technologies and the things you learn in this book can be applied to the latest releases. So I would recommend picking up this book, reading through it, then visiting http://dev.live.com to get the most up to date information regarding the API that you are interested in.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Professional Windows Live Programming (Programmer to Programmer)
Windows Live is the collective name for a group of Microsoft tools whose services and user data are available anywhere-without ever having to install an application
Windows Live currently consists of: Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Safety Center, Windows Live Favorites, Windows Live OneCare, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Search, and Windows Live Local
Certified Microsoft Software Developer Jon Arking shares his experience in developing for Windows Live, and teaches readers how to build applications that embrace the Windows Live platform
Packed with examples, this hands-on guide offers an insightful look at the tools and technologies behind Windows Live, using the MSN Activities APIs, building mapping applications with Virtual Earth APIs, and developing Gadgets for both online and Windows Vista
Also examines integrating MSN Search capabilities as well as Live services into existing sites with Live custom domains
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