Showing posts with label development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label development. Show all posts

End-to-End Game Development: Creating Independent Serious Games and Simulations from Start to Finish Review

End-to-End Game Development: Creating Independent Serious Games and Simulations from Start to Finish
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The way 'End-to-End Game Development: Creating Independent Serious Games and Simulations from Start to Finish' was written is simply not the way that I feel this book should have been undertaken. For subject matter such as this, an example project should have been devised, and the book should have gone through the steps to do exactly what the title says. Show the starting point of how an idea was created, and the steps it goes through to get from point A to point Z. Instead of doing this, the authors use a variety of examples throughout, with scattered content and scattered results.
This approach might work for talking about a programming language, but I really think it's haphazard way of doing things here.
I simply cannot recommend this book.
**

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You're part of a new venture, an independent gaming company, and you are about to undertake your first development project. The client wants a serious game, one with instructional goals and assessment metrics.Or you may be in a position to green light such a project yourself, believing that it can advance your organization's mission and goals. This book provides a proven process to take an independent game project from start to finish. In order to build a successful game, you need to wear many hats.There are graphic artists, software engineers, designers, producers, marketers - all take part in the process at various (coordinated) stages, and the end result is hopefully a successful game.Veteran game producers and writers (Iuppa and Borst) cover all of these areas for you, with step by step instructions and checklists to get the work done.The final section of the book offers a series of case studies from REAL indy games that have been developed and launched succesfully, and show exactly how the principles outlined in the book can be applied to real world products. The book's associated author web site offers ancillary materials & references as well as serious game demos and presentations.*Step-by-step no-nonsense approach to developing games from start to finish (graphic arts, software engineering, designing, producing, marketing all covered). Indy game developers will gain a clear understanding of what's involved.*Demonstrates a proven process for meshing gameplay and story to create an immersive experience for the player.*Even experienced game developers will benefit from some of the coverage, especially: setting curriculum goals, setting client expectations, and client management.*Authors are authorities in the field with decades of experience in designing and producing entertainment and educational media. Their games and other instructional designs have received numerous awards and accolades and they have held executive positions in training organizations at Fortune 500 companies. *Accompanying web site offers tools and helpful add-ons related to the book, including a serious game demo and presentation.

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Enterprise AJAX: Strategies for Building High Performance Web Applications Review

Enterprise AJAX: Strategies for Building High Performance Web Applications
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College-level computer holdings strong on Ajax or web programming guides need ENTERPRISE AJAX: STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING HIGH PERFORMANCE WEB APPLICATIONS. It covers advanced Ajax topics, so it's not for the beginner - that will please any already versed in Ajax who want to skip the basics. From implementing Model-View-Controller in the browser to overcoming security risks and optimizing Ajax functions, this is the item of choice for any collection moving beyond introductory texts.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

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"The core technologies of Ajax are quite straightforward; the hard part is applying them in the real world. Fortunately, the authors have been putting Ajax into practice since long before the term 'Ajax' was even coined. Enterprise AJAX offers excellent coverage of issues rarely explained to date, but frequently encountered by enterprise developers—including architecting of Ajax applications, and how to deal with such concerns as usability, security, and reliability."-DR. MICHAEL MAHEMOFF, PH.D. author of Ajax Design Patterns (AjaxPatterns.org)"Just when you thought you knew all you need to know about Ajax, Dave, Alexei, and Andre force open your cranium and unload a dumptruck full of Enterprise Ajax techniques, best practices, and hard-earned expert insight onto your brain. If you want to mix some serious Ajax into your serious business applications, the solid information and advice you get from this book will let you do so with confidence."-BRENT ASHLEY, Web Developer and Ajax Pioneer"I can't think of any better authors for a book on Enterprise AJAX. The book is sure to be a valuable reference for developers the world over working on the next generation of web applications."-MATT MCKENZIE, Software development manager, LiveCycle, Adobe Systems Inc."A great resource for writing quality, enterprise-level JavaScript."-CHRISTIAN VAN EEDEN, Senior Application Specialist, Schenker DB LogisticsBUILD RELIABLE, SCALABLE, ENTERPRISE-CLASS WEB APPLICATIONS WITH AJAXWriting for enterprise developers, architects, and user interface specialists, the authors explain why AJAX offers such great promise in large-scale development. Next, they systematically introduce today's key AJAX techniques and components.You'll walk through developing frameworks for building AJAX applications that combine data tables, Web forms, charts, search, and filtering: the very systems businesses depend on in CRM, ERP, BI, and beyond. Then, building on this strong foundation, the authors identify proven AJAX architectural patterns, and present case studies drawn from actual .NET and Java AJAX applications. Coverge includes
Using AJAX to implement Model-View-Controller (MVC) in the browser
Encapsulating user interface functionality to facilitate code reuse and reduce cross-browser development problems
Overcoming the unique security challenges associated with AJAX Web applications
Optimizing AJAX usability: the "back" button, caching, bookmarking, offline usage, and beyond
From security to scalability to project risk, this is the only book to cover all the issues facing AJAX developers in the enterprise. Whether you're migrating legacy HTML interfaces or building new applications from scratch, you'll find it absolutely indispensable.ABOUT THE WEBSITEwww.enterpriseajax.com contains code samples, case studies, tutorials, live demos, and other AJAX resources.ABOUT THE AUTHORSDavid Johnson has many years of experience with AJAX-related technologies. He is co-founder and CTO of Nitobi, producer of a component library designed to speed AJAX development. Johnson has written widely for print and online publications, including JavaWorld.com and XML.com. Alexei White is Product Manager at Nitobi. Andre Charland, co-founder, President, and CEO of Nitobi, is an experienced Internet software developer.

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Building Websites with DotNetNuke 5 Review

Building Websites with DotNetNuke 5
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I wish that this book was available when I started using DNN 1.5 years ago. It takes you though the installation, then introduces you to the basic concepts, and explains some things that you "must get around to figuring out what it does".
There is a middle section that then explains a little about the core and about the web.config, which are extremely useful, and they are the first documentation I have seen on that subject area.
Finally, the third section, is the brilliant examples from Michaels site on how to build modules easily. If you have not built a module, you will love this.
This book will suit a complete beginner but it will also suit a developer that wants to learn DNN and wants to learn how to program modules.
To followed on from the previous reviewer, my father always said about Country music that it is the chords you leave out that are he nicest. Michael Washington has a particular style, he cuts to the chase and tells you what you want to know without the fluff.
I have five DNN books now, but this is the best. I repeat, I wish I could have bought it a year ago.
thanks for all the help.

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This book has been written both for beginners wanting to set up a website and also for ASP.NET developers with a grasp of VB.NET and C# who want a deeper understanding of how to work with DotNetNuke. To work with the DotNetNuke code, you will need access to Visual Web Developer Express or Visual Studio .NET 2010. No prior knowledge of DotNetNuke is assumed.This book is a practical tutorial with step-by-step instructions and clear, concise explanations. Illustrative screenshots are used for better understanding at every step. You will learn how to set up and administer an example site, stepping through all the tasks to ease your learning. The emphasis is not on becoming a better VB.NET or C# programmer but on taming DotNetNuke.

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Learning iOS Game Programming: A Hands-On Guide to Building Your First iPhone Game Review

Learning iOS Game Programming: A Hands-On Guide to Building Your First iPhone Game
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Having nearly finished the book I thought it would be a good idea to write a review.
Reading the last review I felt even more compelled to write my own. The last reviewer really hasn't got a clue about what this book is about! He tries to pitch it as a book that covers many different technologies in great detail and fails. There is a note on the first page of chapter 2 that tells that totally contradicts what he says.
Note
It is not intended that this book will teach you how to develop in Objective-C or C or teach you everything you need to know about the other technologies in their own right; there are many excellent books and online resources that cover OpenGL and OpenAL in greater detail. We will however cover these topics in enough detail to allow you to understand why we are using them and how.
Thats what I love about this book! It tells you how to write an entire game from start to finish and doesn't bore you with incredibly complex algorithms or low level code or the ins and outs of every technology.
As for the game engine you write, it's very modular so you can include only the bits you need in your game. I wanted to recreate the JetPack game I played when I was younger. With this book I'm well on the way. It's saved me a huge amount of time trying to learn from other resources on the net.
Their forum and blog is quite active too, I've posted a few questions and they've answered promptly.

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Get Started Fast with iOS Game ProgrammingSince the launch of the App Store, games have been the hottest category of apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. That means your best chance of tapping into the iPhone/iPad "Gold Rush" is to put out a killer game that everyone wants to play (and talk about). While many people think games are hard to build, they can actually be quite easy, and Learning iOS Game Programming is your perfect beginner's guide. Michael Daley walks you through every step as you build a killer 2D game for the iPhone. In Learning iOS Game Programming, you'll learn how to build a 2D tile map game, Sir Lamorak's Quest: The Spell of Release (which is free in the App Store). You can download and play the game you're going to build while you learn about the code and everything behind the scenes. Daley identifies the key characteristics of a successful iPhone game and introduces the technologies, terminology, and tools you will use. Then, he carefully guides you through the whole development process: from planning storylines and game play all the way through testing and tuning. Download the free version of Sir Lamorak's Quest from the App Store today, while you learn how to build the game in this book.Coverage includesPlanning high-level game design, components, and difficulty levels

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Programming Embedded Systems: With C and GNU Development Tools, 2nd Edition Review

Programming Embedded Systems: With C and GNU Development Tools, 2nd Edition
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Presents a good introduction to embedded system programming; no complaints there. However, their choice of development kit is poor. The Arcom (now EuroTech) kit is $600, rather than the $300 stated in the book. And it took almost 3 weeks for them to respond to a quote request. Fortunately, there are kits available from other vendors (BiPom, Olimex, etc.) which can be substituted for less than $300. However, the impracticality of using the Arcom kit robs the book of its purpose of being a hands-on, guided tutorial.

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If you have programming experience and a familiarity with C--the dominant language in embedded systems--Programming Embedded Systems, Second Edition is exactly what you need to get started with embedded software. This software is ubiquitous, hidden away inside our watches, DVD players, mobile phones, anti-lock brakes, and even a few toasters. The military uses embedded software to guide missiles, detect enemy aircraft, and pilot UAVs. Communication satellites, deep-space probes, and many medical instruments would have been nearly impossible to create without embedded software.

The first edition of Programming Embedded Systems taught the subject to tens of thousands of people around the world and is now considered the bible of embedded programming. This second edition has been updated to cover all the latest hardware designs and development methodologies.

The techniques and code examples presented here are directly applicable to real-world embedded software projects of all sorts. Examples use the free GNU software programming tools, the eCos and Linux operating systems, and a low-cost hardware platform specially developed for this book. If you obtain these tools along with Programming Embedded Systems, Second Edition, you'll have a full environment for exploring embedded systems in depth. But even if you work with different hardware and software, the principles covered in this book apply.

Whether you are new to embedded systems or have done embedded work before, you'll benefit from the topics in this book, which include:

How building and loading programs differ from desktop or server computers
Basic debugging techniques--a critical skill when working with minimally endowed embedded systems
Handling different types of memory
Interrupts, and the monitoring and control of on-chip and external peripherals
Determining whether you have real-time requirements, and whether your operating system and application can meet those requirements
Task synchronization with real-time operating systems and embedded Linux
Optimizing embedded software for size, speed, and power consumption
Working examples for eCos and embedded Linux

So whether you're writing your first embedded program, designing the latest generation of hand-held whatchamacalits, or managing the people who do, this book is for you. Programming Embedded Systems will help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to achieve proficiency with embedded software.

Praise for the first edition:
"This lively and readable book is the perfect introduction for those venturing into embedded systems software development for the first time. It provides in one place all the important topics necessary to orient programmers to the embedded development process. --Lindsey Vereen, Editor-in-Chief, Embedded Systems Programming

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The Business of iPhone App Development Review

The Business of iPhone App Development
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In order to get a jump on this a few weeks ahead of print, I got the e-book version direct from Apress.
And what a treasure trove of great ideas & resources it is! Anyone interested in the business side of doing iPhone apps (and indeed, mobile apps in general) will find a lot of valuable info here.
In fact, this has to be one of the most comprehensive surveys of information & hard-won wisdom in the entire mobile sector (and much of this knowledge could certainly be applied to other platforms as well).
The author(s) cover an array of different topics, including:
- doing effective market research
- a great section on intellectual property and legal issues
- user interface design tips
- pricing strategies and case studies of different business models
- methods of distribution
- how to write an effective press release
- savvy marketing via web, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, et al
- and more ...
Moreover, they've have mapped out the chapters to correspond very logically into Planning / Development / Release phases ... and most importantly, the content consistently exudes experience and insight.
So, bottom line: I'd say this title is a no-brainer for anyone serious about doing business in the still-nascent -- and largely uncharted -- mobile space.
And as for me, I'm especially looking forward to perusing this little gem even more ... on my shiny new iPad. :)
Sweet!
~~~
Apress has created a number of great titles in just the past year or so, and if this is any indication of what's to come, they'll continue to be a preferred vendor for this kind of informative content.

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The Business of iPhone App Development is the book every iPhone and iPod touch developer NEEDS to own to maximize their chances for success on Apple's iTunes App Store. This is the only guide devoted just to the business aspects of developing great iPhone.

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ANDROID A PROGRAMMERS GUIDE Review

ANDROID A PROGRAMMERS GUIDE
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I had fairly low expectations from this book as the API is still in a state of flux, so if some of the examples needed tweaking that would have been alright. However, I could not even find any example code on the book's website as advertised on the back cover. This is a 400 page book so I expected to get at least some useful material from it, but the author does not even get past Hello World until over 100 pages. The material after that consists of repetitions of trivial code additions followed by regurgitation of the source. It would appear that the author was just trying to increase the page count with no real valuable content. There is no in-depth discussion of what Activities, Intents, etc. actually are or how they work. After this poor experience I went back to the online help and am finding it vastly more thorough and helpful. I would not recommend this book for any level of developer.

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Master the Android mobile development platform

Build compelling Java-based mobile applications using the Android SDK and the Eclipse open-source software development platform. Android: A Programmer's Guide shows you, step-by-step, how to download and set up all of the necessary tools, build and tune dynamic Android programs, and debug your results. Discover how to provide web and chat functions, interact with the phone dialer and GPS devices, and access the latest Google services. You'll also learn how to create custom Content Providers and database-enable your applications using SQLite.

Install and configure Java, Eclipse, and Android plugin

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Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup Review

Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup
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I'm a programmer. I really love writing software, both personally and professionally. I've always wanted to start my own software business, but have never had the willpower in myself to make it happen.
Rob's book has totally changed that.
This book is an excellent resource for any developer who wants to start their own business. I feel like Rob was writing directly to me when he wrote this, as he answers my questions one at a time in order, and leaves me wondering nothing.
The book contains practical advice for planning your business, starting it, marketing it, and running with it post-launch. It also discusses what to do once you've grown your business (do you want to automate it? sell it?).
After reading Rob's book, I couldn't help but feel empowered. The practical, logical advice presented in this book is a great tool for any programmer who wants to start their own business. Follow these principles, use your skill set, and you can't go wrong.
Rob, if you're reading this, thanks for writing this book.

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Start Small, Stay Small is a step-by-step guide to launching a self-funded startup. If you're a desktop, mobile or web developer, this book is your blueprint to getting your startup off the ground with no outside investment.This book intentionally avoids topics restricted to venture-backed startups such as: honing your investment pitch, securing funding, and figuring out how to use the piles of cash investors keep placing in your lap.This book assumes:* You don't have $6M of investor funds sitting in your bank account* You're not going to relocate to the handful of startup hubs in the world* You're not going to work 70 hour weeks for low pay with the hope of someday making millions from stock optionsThere's nothing wrong with pursuing venture funding and attempting to grow fast like Amazon, Google, Twitter, and Facebook. It just so happened that most people are not in a place to do this.Start Small, Stay Small also focuses on the single most important element of a startup that most developers avoid: marketing. There are many great resources for learning how to write code, organize source control, or connect to a database. This book does not cover the technical aspects developers already know or can learn elsewhere. It focuses on finding your idea, testing it before you build, and getting it into the hands of your customers.

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Developing with Google App Engine (Firstpress) Review

Developing with Google App Engine (Firstpress)
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I was really looking forward to reading this book. I've been working with the Google App Engine from the first week it was released, but as a Python newbie, I still thought I'd get a lot out of a book dedicated to GAE development.
Unfortunately, the book doesn't go far enough beyond the Google online documentation to be useful. The book is thin, but it also uses an incredibly large font size throughout. It's like a junior high school student trying to stretch a book report to meet the teacher's page number requirement.
There are plenty of topics that warrant discussion but are strangely absent. Performance profiling and the performance of the datastore are topics that many developers are struggling with but the book says little or nothing on these topics, and others.

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Google has been able to create a massively scalable architecture so that they can run their applications on literally hundreds of millions of machines without a hitch. Now they are making that technology available to the public in the form of Google App Engine. This book discusses what it takes to develop cloud computing applications using the GAE and walks you through the process of not only developing the applications but also deploying them.

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Android Application Development For Dummies Review

Android Application Development For Dummies
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I'm going to preface this review by saying that I have been programming for about 15 years, and have been working professionally as a developer for almost 3 years. My background is in VB, C#, Javascript, HTML, and even a little dabbling in C/C++. With that in mind, my Java knowledge was essentially everything I had learned from C# (which is very similar), and the tutorials on Google's Android development website. You could argue Javascript may help, but they're so different that I don't think it counts as experience.
I finished all of the tutorials on Google's site and still felt like I wasn't really grasping the concept of Android development. For those of you who have developed in C#/VB for Windows or Windows Mobile, you may understand what I mean when I say that going from something so straight-forward as using Visual Studio and .NET languages to something a little more complex and code-heavy like C++ or Java while using an unfamiliar IDE like Eclipse can be a little daunting at first. Google's tutorials, while full of great examples, don't really take the time to explain the "why" and then "what" of Android development, and instead have a more confusing approach of "Step 1: Type all this code in; Step 2: That code you just type does [this]; Step 3: Run your application".
The first half of this book is incredibly informative, and after reading only a couple short paragraphs on things I've already tried to learn and failed, I really understood it this time. The author's tone and descriptions make even the most complicated topics very easy to understand. The author also likes to commonly encourage the reader, writing that we are "experts", and making assumptions that we understand what we just read, even after it was some insanely complicated thing that was described in detail across four pages. It seems like this approach might be little odd, but I liked it. It kept my confidence up as I was reading.
The second half of the book, while also great, starts a little on the fast track. There are other reviews that mention this, and although I partially agree, it's also worth mentioning that a lot of the things that are flown through quickly come together a little later in the book. However, the pace does seem to go from a "one line at a time" methodology into a "type these 60 lines of code in and I'll explain it later" sort of teaching. While I don't prefer this, and I think it's a bit messy, the information IS there; it's just harder to soak it all in than it was in the first half of the book. The application you are building at the end is quite large, and I have tried to think of an easier way the author could have filled me with the knowledge instead of the approach taken, but I really couldn't think of a better way, mainly due to the way the code has to be written for the particular task at hand.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a great introduction to Android development, and is leaps and bounds above Google's documentation, at least for a beginner. I wish the book was a little longer, and I wish the author didn't frequently say things like "I could write an entire book on [subject], so I won't go into detail about this. If you want to learn more, read the documentation at [Google link]." For these reasons, I gave it four stars instead of five. The fundamentals do exist in this book, but I would have liked to have seen more.
I would recommend this book for anyone with any sort of programming background looking to get into Android development. I would probably not recommend it to someone who has no programming background whatsoever.


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The fun and friendly guide to creating applications on the Android platform
The popularity of the Android market is soaring with no sign of slowing down. The open nature of the Android OS offers programmers the freedom to access the platform's capabilities and this straightforward guide walks you through the steps for creating amazing Android applications. Android programming expert Donn Felker explains how to download the SDK, get Eclipse up and running, code Android applications, and submit your finished products to the Android Market. Featuring two sample programs, this introductory book explores everything from the simple basics to more advanced aspects of the Android platform.
Takes you soup through nuts of developing applications for the Android platform
Begins with downloading the SDK, then explains how to code Android applications and submit projects to the Android Market
Written by Android guru Donn Felker, who breaks every aspect of developing applications for the Android platform into easily digestible pieces

No matter your level of programming experience, Android Application Development For Dummies is an ideal guide for getting started with developing applications for the Android platform.

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Beginning Ruby on Rails E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional Review

Beginning Ruby on Rails E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional
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While I really hate to slam down the authors of the book, this text really offers nothing to readers that isn't in better form elsewhere. The text is ridden with buggy code, incomplete explanations, and the style of coding leaves much to be desired. The "Agile Web Development with Rails" text (also available on [...]) builds nearly the same application (an eCommerce site), but does so while explaining the rails framework as well as offering up a solid reference textbook style for later use.
I teach graduate level computer science, and switched my curriculum to Ruby on Rails this term for my "Complex Websites" course. I reviewed many books, and this one ended up at the bottom of the pile. Sorry.

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Ruby on Rails is the hottest new open source technology around. It offers developers the opportunity to create fully-featured web applications in double-quick time. Rails and e-commerce are a match made in heaven and Beginning Ruby on Rails E-Commerce is the first book to directly target this market.This book explains to readers, via real-life scenarios, how to use Rails to create every aspect of an online store - from creating a product catalog, to building a shopping cart system, all the way through to adding cool features such as customer feedback forums. In addition, the book explains how to interface with vital third-party software applications, such as those provided by online payment systems. Because of this breadth of focus, Beginning Ruby on Rails E-Commerce is the book that all Rails developers are crying out for.

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iPhone SDK 3 Programming: Advanced Mobile Development for Apple iPhone and iPod touch (Wiley) Review

iPhone SDK 3 Programming: Advanced Mobile Development for Apple iPhone and iPod touch (Wiley)
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this is a really good book. but be warned...advanced users only. it does take you from the beginning but the approach i must say...is not for absolute beginners.

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Get the expert guidance you need to begin building native applications for Apple's new iPhone 3G as well as the iPod Touch

Apple's iPhone is the hottest mobile device on the planet. More than one million iPhone 3G phones were sold in the first three days of release and millions more are sure to be in the hands of iPhone fans each year. Apple's iPhone SDK has been updated and includes more than one thousand new APIs that developers will want to get their hands on.
iPhone SDK 3 Programming shows you how to build great applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Inside, veteran mobile developer and Bell Labs scientist Maher Ali begins with a foundational introduction to Objective-C and Cocoa programming, and then guides you through building programs with Apple's iPhone SDK 3.
Covers the complete application development process, and highlights all the key device features including the camera, location awareness, and more
Completely revised and redesigned with more than 100 new pages of content
iPhone's new SDK release contains more than one thousand new APIs you will want to use right away
Includes a focused introduction to the Objective-C language and Cocoa frameworks that new iPhone developers need

With this advanced resource, you'll get the expert guidance you need to begin building native applications for Apple's new iPhone 3G as well as the iPod Touch.

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Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005 Review

Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# 2005
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This is problably the first 2.0-specific book to hit store shelves. I'm currently building with Visual Studio 2005 Beta 2. AFAIK this build has the final major changes. The book seems to be written for the final VS release. In ohter words, I have not found any outdated examples yet in my reading.
I got this book last week and I'm very pleased with it. I jumped ahead straight to the Membership and Profile sections. There are *several* chapters on this! I'm very impressed so far with their teaching abilities and I appreciate the fact that they give full examples. First the authors cover how to use ASP.NET 2.0's shrinkwrapped solution. Then they give detailed information on how to implement your own custom providers for Memebership and Roles. This is fantastic because at the time of this review, I had not found any complete examples on how to do this.
So far this book hs a great reference and help to me. It's over 1,000 pages but nothing of what I've seen appears to be "fluff". Nice job! I would definitely recommend this ASP.NET/C# programmers. I think beginners can follow it and advanced users will like the solid 2.0 coverage.

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ASP.NET 2.0 is the latest version of Microsoft's current ASP.NET 1.1 technology. ASP.NET 1.1 is fast becoming the accepted technology standard for creating dynamic web pages on the Windows platform, and is now used across the board from start-ups to blue-chip multi-national corporations. ASP.NET 2.0 is building on this solid foundation and adding new improvements. The new technology will be faster to code, offer a more powerful set of tools (i.e. MasterPages and Generics), and run faster when deployed, so that customers enjoy a significantly better user experience.Pro ASP.NET 2.0 in C# follows the well-regarded Pro ASP.NET 1.1, rooted in the same best-practices and pragmatic style. Matthew MacDonald explains how ASP.NET 2.0 works for the professional programmer - covering both new innovations and the features carried over from the previous version. And while new features are important, MacDonald stresses the importance of the technology as a cohesive whole. His broad-based approach shows how all of the features inter-relate. This gives readers the solid understanding they need to code real applications.

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Marketing Campaign Development: What Marketing Executives Need to Know About Architecting Global Integrated Marketing Campaigns Review

Marketing Campaign Development: What Marketing Executives Need to Know About Architecting Global Integrated Marketing Campaigns
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This is more than an excellent book, it is also a practical and easy-to-use "tool kit" to help the reader develop complex company-wide marketing campaigns successfully. Mike starts with the basics: marketing campaign terminology, roles and responsibilities, establishing campaign objectives and schedules. He provides examples of agendas for key meetings, and suggestions for who should be invited to attend each. He provides templates for key planning documents, slide presentations, and campaign timelines. Gospe describes how to build the program blueprints critical for success, how to manage campaign budgets, and even how to overcome objections from the inevitable nay-sayers in many organizations. Throughout the book Gospe provides real-life examples of marketing campaigns he has planned.
As a bonus, Gospe also provides a website from which to download the templates, program blueprints, and a comprehensive integrated marketing plan slideset template. There are a lot of good ideas in this very complete and comprehensive book. An excellent value for a very reasonable price.


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This book is a practical, pragmatic "how to" book designed for hi-tech marketing operations, regional, and corporate marketing leaders at every level. This unique book takes you step-by-step through the disciplined, yet practical, process of architecting truly integrated marketing communications plans that work. In it, you fill find a prescription for building a successful, repeatable campaign development process, including the necessary templates and helpful, practical techniques.
This book is your guide that will show you how you can optimize your marketing efforts and achieve an even greater return on your marketing investment.
While many of us will recognize a good, well-thought-out marketing campaign when we see one, the single, basic truth about world-class marketing campaign development is that it is easy to say, but hard to do. It is hard to do because we all like to take short-cuts. I hear the lament all too often: "I'm over-worked don't have the time to think strategically" or "Planning is overrated. I just need to get these projects done." As a result, we take short-cuts like "ready, fire, aim." Lack of planning is the slippery slope that leads to wasteful marketing. Then one day we get the call from the corner office to come and explain why our marketing efforts did not produce the desired results.
Luckily, architecting world-class campaigns is achievable for any marketing team. Successful marketing requires following a disciplined, systematic approach to working cross-functionally and cross-regionally in order to prioritize marketing objectives, design a customer-engaging go-to-market strategy, and execute the plan.

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iPhone SDK Programming: Developing Mobile Applications for Apple iPhone and iPod touch Review

iPhone SDK Programming: Developing Mobile Applications for Apple iPhone and iPod touch
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I bought this book after I'd gone through Beginning iPhone Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK (Beginning from Novice to Professional), hoping to get another set of useful skills and tools to use, such as a reference for XML & RSS, SQLite, and a little more depth on the collections objects such as NSArrays, etc. that was only brushed over in the Beginning iPhone Development book. Overall, this book does fill in some of those gaps, but it really doesn't stand well as a standalone iPhone programming book. I'm glad this is my second choice, because if it were my first I'd probably be more confused!
If you're building your foundation, this book may be worth your while.
My largest complaint about this book is actually the way the code is written out on the page. Instead of clear, Courier-font code blocks, the editors just stuck code in Times Roman font. Anyone who's ever read their share of programming books knows this just complicates life by making it harder to differentiate code from content and better recognize typos, etc. I hope they revise this and publish another edition of the book - it's extremely noticeable. Also, I think this book was pushed to market without double-checking that the graphic examples are copyright compliant, because instead of icons in some of the screenshots the author substituted ugly character graphics that just looked dumb.
Overall, this is an okay programming book. There are some nuggets of good information, but as a beginner's book it's too complex, nor does it have enough depth to be a compendium for an advanced programmer.

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With iPhone SDK Programming, developers have the expert guidance they need to begin building native applications for Apple's new iPhone 3G as well as the iPod touch. Inside, veteran mobile developer and Bell Labs scientist Maher Ali begins with a foundational introduction to Objective C and Cocoa programming, and then guides you through the building programs with Apple's iPhone SDK.

iPhone SDK Programming covers a wide range of topics, including:
The Objective-C programming language

Collections

Cocoa Touch

Building advanced mobile user interfaces

Core Animation and Quartz 2D

Model-View-Controller (MVC) designs

Table Views File management

Parsing XML documents using SAX and DOM

Working with Google Maps API

Consuming REST Web Services

Building advanced location-based applications

Developing database applications using the SQLite engine

Building Multimedia applications

Making use of the camera and video Working with the accelerometer





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Sams Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development in 24 Hours Review

Sams Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development in 24 Hours
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I've read through the first nine or so chapters and tried a couple of examples - fairly impressed so far.
Good:
+ loads of color screenshots.
+ strong on UI description and diagrams.
+ easy read and good flow, without compromising content or making silly jokes all the time.
+ technically most of it is correct, with a few caveats.
+ quite strong on application lifecycle and the authors have an ability to put some points over (sometimes fairly complex points) in a surprisingly efficient and straightforward way.
Not as good:
- some typos/errors (missing pointer asterisks, diagrams that don't display what is discussed in the text).
- some fundamental errors related to properties (@property/@synthesize are not in any way required in order to make use of dot syntax), also the book declares properties and then doesn't use them, but makes the mistake of thinking they're needed in order to access properties of a pre-existing class. Interestingly - and I suspect not entirely unrelated - Mark and LaMarche made the exact same error in the first edition of their Apress iPhone dev book.
- ok Objective-C coverage but by no means great (though the authors stress the need to read up on it elsewhere).
The good points outweigh the bad and I'd recommend the book with the provisos: get an Obj-C book to go with it, and you'll probably want to read it with another iPhone dev book to get a different viewpoint (eg. Apress or Pragmatic Programmers).

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&>A clear, easy-to-understand tutorial for developers who want to write software for today's hottest market: iPhone, iTouch, and App Store!


The start-to-finish, hands-on introduction to iPhone programming for every developer, regardless of experience
Introduces the iPhone development environment and teaches every essential Objective-C concept with fully-documented, carefully-explained code
A complete tutorial package: step-by-step instructions, examples, Q and As, quizzes, exercises, tips, shortcuts, and more
iPhone is the world's hottest application market: more than 500,000 developers have downloaded Apple's iPhone software development kit in just one year. Now there's a friendly, accessible guide to iPhone development for every programmer, regardless of experience. In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, Sams Teach Yourself iPhone Application Development in 24 Hours will help beginning iPhone and mobile developers gain true mastery, so you can construct virtually any iPhone application. Each lesson builds on everything that's come before, helping you learn all they need to know without ever becoming overwhelmed. Coverage includes: preparing for iPhone development; navigating the development environment; mastering Objective-C and the MVC paradigm; using widgets and webviews; implementing multiple views; reading and writing data; building user interfaces; generating graphics; playing media; using maps; networking; using the touch interface; sensing motion; pushing application updates; debugging; optimization; distributing software via the App Store; and more. By the time you are finished you'll be comfortable enough to write real-world apps that sell.


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Unlocking Android: A Developer's Guide Review

Unlocking Android: A Developer's Guide
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This is a must have book for anybody doing Android development. It is definitely targeted at developers who are new to Android -- which describes most Android developers out there given what a new platform it is. However, the level of depth on many topics and the clarity provided behind many key concepts in Android are so well done that this book will benefit anyone working on Android applications.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section is called "What is Android? -- The Big Picture." I have to admit, I thought this might be fluff, but it is definitely not. The overview is good, but what the real value is the explanation on getting your development environment setup. This is something that many books fail to mention at all, as it can be a tricky topic to illustrate in a book. It is well done here, and can definitely be a big time save for new developers. More of this kind of "how to" material is also presented in the appendices.
The second part is called "Exercising the Android SDK" and is the real meat of the book. It takes a very practical, top-down approach to Android application development. It starts off by explaining UI concepts, then intents and services. It then dives into excellent detail on some of the key aspects of mobile application development: working with data, using the Internet, telephony, notifications, graphics, multimedia, and GPS. I would recommend that you immediately read the chapters 3-6 (UI, intents, services, data management, Internet) as these are really the building blocks of any mobile app that is not a game. The other chapters are great too, but you can probably read them as needed. Maybe you don't need GPS today, but need it three months from now. Just read chapter 11 at that time, and you will have no problem. The chapters are self-contained enough for this, while there is still a nice flow of thought between them as well.
The last part of the book is called "Android Applications." It starts off with a very nice example of creating a very "full" application. It really drives in all of the previous material, and is a veritable cookbook of sample code. There are a lot of clever little things you might want to do in your application that you can find an easy to follow sample of in this chapter. I found myself thinking "oh I'm going to rip this off and re-do some part of an existing app." The last chapter is title "Hacking Android" and is all about writing an application in C to run "closer to the metal" on Android. This is probably not that useful to most developers, but I imagine it would be invaluable if you actually did need to do something like this. If nothing else, it is a good read and reveals fascinating aspects of Android's internals. It certainly demonstrates the technical mastery of the authors.

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Android is a free, open source, Java-based mobile platform developed by Google. Unlocking Android prepares the reader to embrace the Android mobile platform in easy-to-understand language and builds on this foundation with reusable Java code examples. It's ideal for corporate developers and hobbyists who have an interest, or a mandate, to deliver mobile software.

The book first covers the big picture so the reader can get comfortable with the Android approach to the mobile applications. Then the reader learns to apply Android by following the many practical examples. The book concludes with two deep and hands-on examples.

Unlocking Android addresses the Android application framework, its graphical capabilities and media support, data storage, communications capabilities, phone interactions, and notifications.

Unlocking Android covers Android SDK 1.x


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