Jason Salas' WebLog : Tech books

Book Review: "Ajax in Action"

guam-aspdev — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 04:00:00 GMT

Let me first preface this review by saying this is the first technical book that I've read cover to cover TWICE prior to posting a review. I had to make sure the stuff stuck, because the material covered in Manning's very excellent "Ajax in Action" is really deep. But bringing the next evolution of user experience, giving your web applications a rich client feel, isn't completely easy. This won't scare you away from using Ajax in your existing applications, but make you aware of exactly what to expect.

The book first starts out by presenting a healthy discussion of the key components of remote scripting - CSS, the DOM, JavaScript's XmlHttpRequest object and client callbacks - and how they interact within the scope of your project. Before diving into full-on Ajax development, authors Dave Crane and Eric Pascarello discuss the need for object-oriented JavaScript programing, which will be foreign and awkward to most developers, even those coming from procedural backgrounds like Java and C++. The authors familiarize you with the various ways of composing the unconventional constructs available (JSON-RPC, prototypes) for optimizing remote scripting.

Best practices are encouraged throughout the chapters and enforced in all code snippets. The use of patterns like Observer, Command and MVC and refactoring and module-based programming (mainly .NET assemblies and Java servlets) permeate the entire work. The actual meat of the book doesn't get started until Chapter 9, which the authors clearly state, dealing with the aforementioned discussion of raw JavaScript programming that'll be completely new to most people. But for those not wanting to engage in the massive task of writing syntax by hand, the major libraries available are thankfully referenced.

The book also isn't a "copyist's" title, one that can provide working code right out of the gate. Also, the audience for this work should be fairly sopisticated and experienced with modern-day web programming, as the book assumes a certain level of competency and doesn't waste time with rudimentary concepts or examples. Crane and Pascarello take a platform-agnostic look at incorporating Ajax-style programming into web applications, citing examples in PHP, Java and .NET, and accordingly the examples are all partial and abstracted, to be implemented in whatever platform the developer/reader is familiar with.

This is also one of the few books that I've ever recommended people read the appendices in addition to the chapters. Most titles have supplementary info that doesn't match the flow of the chapters, or exclusionary stuff you can skip, but this book is really a tome of good reading. Appendix B is an outstanding discussion on JavaScript OOP, providing an introduction to and examples in JSON.

Ajax programming is a lot more complex than it lets on, but not as daunting as you might think. This book is critical in your understanding of how to make the next big thing in web development to work for you. A must-have.

Book review: "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP"

guam-aspdev — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:52:00 GMT

The one quality that makes "Murach's Java Servlets and JSP" (buy from Amazon) a clear winner is the quality of the content and clarity of author Andrea Steelman and Joel Murach's writing. They use a friendly, humorous voice that eases the normal tension accompanying such a complex topic as programming Java servlets and designing JavaServer Pages. I'm a C# developer, so this was most appreciated by someone like me. You'll also be thankful for this tone as the book takes you through some very challenging scenarios in developing winning browser-based apps.

The book is the rare breed of tech manual that stays relevant to the neophyte reader and the experienced developer alike. It's outstanding as a college-level classroom reference, with oversized dimensions (it's a large book, height- and width-wise) are loaded with rich illustrations and healthy amounts of code with thorough explanations of the concepts behind then. Physically the book is ready to sustain the harsh conditions of the learning programmer. Its rigid design will survive a reader's rampant paging through chapters to find that one code sample and stretching the book's spine, in the classroom as well as the web shop.

The book presents the reader with the holistic JSP experience, and the organization of the chapters is very logical. I particularly enjoyed the chapters dealing with JavaMail programming, working in SSL environments, database access with JDBC and MySQL, working in the HTTP pipeline, custom JSP tags and use of XML. Also featured are basic discussions of incorporating componentization in your projects through JavaBeans. I also liked wrapping up my reading with the capstone project: designing, coding and deploying a very practical Music Store web app.

The accompanying CD-ROM is outstanding, including the Java 2 SDK for Windows, Tomcat 4.0, MySQL, and trial versions of HomeSite and TextPad.

In criticism, I felt the book to be ironically a little light on servlets themselves. I would have liked to see more on servlets and beans programming discussed, and perhaps highlight a bit more some of the key classes in the Java 2 API. The book also I feel neglects the object-oriented programming concepts that are so critical to modern-day development. Maybe such topics are out of this book's range, but simple class design would have been nice. However, the best-practices approach to development - use of patterns, proper system organization and implementing MVC architecture greatly offset the book's very minor shortcomings.

I fully recommend this book to anyone looking to get into beginning to intermediate JavaServer Pages programming. It's essential to becoming a well-versed Java programmer.

I'm looking forward to checking out books from Murach

guam-aspdev — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 22:22:00 GMT

I stumbled across Mike Murach & Associates this morning, and I was pleased with the titles I saw on the company's site. I admittedly hadn't heard of the company before, but they've done some very intriguing work on servlets and JSPs and with .NET 2.0 upgrading in both C# and VB.NET. I'm going to have to check those out and post some reviews.

Manning publishes "what is Ajax?" screencast

guam-aspdev — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 22:54:00 GMT

I got an e-mail from Manning Publications about a "screencast" (I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I'm guessing a series of screenshots set against narrated audio) for a "What is Ajax?" presentation. It's 4 minutes long, so it'll be a nice break while you download today's podcasts or synch your PDA.

Check it out:
http://www.manning-sandbox.com/category.jspa?categoryID=229

My first (and likely last) e-book experience - "The Google Legacy"

guam-aspdev — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 01:19:00 GMT

Everyone remembers their first time (buying an e-book). I surely will. I was really jazzed about the release of Stephen E. Arnold's "The Google Legacy - How Google's Internet Search is Transforming Application Software", available exclusively as an e-book, a concept I've never been big on. Until now...what the hell, right? Rather apropos that I'd purchase a PDF'ed manuscript about an open-source company wanting to move everything from the desktop to the Internet.

I naively thought such would run me about $10 at most....I'd until I saw the site. $180?!?!? Someone tell me this is in error, or that I missed the placement of a decimal point.

I've read the sample chapter profiling Google's technology, and it's brilliantly researched, beautifully written and thought-provoking, but not worth a price that's more expensive than a 4GB iPod Mini. WebWord says the price is justified, but I disagree...no single-volume, 290-page book (seeing as how it's marketed as such, not to be confused as some government-level formal report or whitepaper) is worth that much. I'd still really like to own this work, but not at that price.

In lieu of a more formal reason why, I don't hold author Arnold solely responsible - I look to Infonortics, who publishes the work. Surely there can be a more cost-effective way of releasing the book. Heck, Manning is leveraging being drowned by the e-book tidal wave by creating its Manning Early Access Program, releasing single chapters sequentially to members as a forthcoming title is being published. I'm reading "Ajax in Action" this way, and it's very neat. And effective: I'll surely still buy the hard copy.

What gives?

Book Review: Building Websites with the ASP.NET Community Starter Kit

guam-aspdev — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 22:46:00 GMT

I previously discovered Packt Publishing Company after a random search for ASP.NET books. I was very happy I did, having now found a source of great, no-nonsense, quick-read compendiums of rock-solid technical information.

"Building Websites with the ASP.NET Community Starter Kit" is chock-full of practical, easy-to-use samples that go beyond just "Hello world!", each accompanied by a helpful screen shot and poignant code. The book's 11 chapters together make 211 pages, which is a good size, and won't have you reading more and stressing less. In my experience, the CSK, while intended to aide developers and streamline work, can be confusing if not approached properly. This is a book that makes sure you get the most out of the CSK.

As far as writing style, the authors are quick and to the point. K. Scott Allen and Cristian Darie don't bore you with exhaustive explanations of the core technical concepts of ASP.NET or the CSK - they talk a little about the foundations and then get right into making it work for you. In my experience, this is the voice with which most developers prefer their tech books by written. It therefore requires a bit of experience with ASP.NET programming already, but can be tackled by even novice devs.

All the major topics dealing with CSK programming are dealt with - administration, themes, skinning, core architecture, configuration, databases, modules, custom controls, and much more. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on publishing RSS 2.0 feeds and deployment; especially the latter's considerations for the differences between the Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 servers.

I also appreciate the book's physical properties. Packt's design is for the serious developer, using heavy paper that should be able to withstand a developer's stressful punishment - repeated opens, spine-breaking stretches, constant page-turning. This book is made to last.

Now in criticism, I will say that the book's arrangement of the chapters isn't exactly intuitive. I would have preferred that the chapters on configuration come first, then aesthetics with skinning and themes, then the database, and lastly coding the modules. I would guess that many ASP.NET developers would feel the same. Also, I enjoy when books use a chapter-independent approach to writing, not forcing the reader to have to refer to previous sections for reference. I found myself skipping around somewhat and not able to use each chapter as a standalone guide if I needed insight on a particular topic.

But the good far outweighs the bad. It’s a very helpful, very educational, very entertaining look at using the optional set of controls, modules and pre-fabricated tools from Microsoft to build great, quick, secure, community-centric web applications.

Packt Publishing - a slick new tech book company

guam-aspdev — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 11:10:00 GMT

I discovered Packt Publishing tonight, and I'm very impressed with their titles in print so far, as well as what's on the horizon. They've got a good mix of Java, a hefty gallery of Microsoft & .NET works, web services, and open source titles and others, plus other things like video production.

One title I'm very interested in is "RSS and Atom: Understanding and Implementing Content Feeds and Syndication". Looks to be a real winner!

Free Wiley e-book on EJB design patterns

guam-aspdev — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:31:00 GMT

Wiley & Sons' excellent "EJB Design Patterns - Advanced Patterns, Processes and Idioms" by Floyd Marinescu is available for download as an e-book from TheServerSide.com.

http://www.theserverside.com/books/wiley/EJBDesignPatterns/index.tss

Manning's "Ajax in Action" book

guam-aspdev — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 23:57:00 GMT

I'm planning to obtain a copy of David & Eric's "Ajax in Action" by Manning, specifically because it's got samples in J2EE and .NET. Looks to be a winner!

Can't wait for Wally's/Paul's/Scott's Ajax book

guam-aspdev — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 03:51:00 GMT

I found out my pals Wally, Glav and Scott are writing a book on Ajax, the technology that's sweeping through the ASP.NET web development community like wildfire. Wally's done some extensive research into Ajax of late (check out his blog for a ton of links, and download Show #8 of The ASP.NET Podcast for audio of Glav's analysis of Ajax and ASP.NET v.2.0's asynchronous callback framework. All three men are great guys and fantastic writers, so I've got no doubt in my mind that this book is doubt going to be a keeper.

On that note, I find it comical how everyone's soooo excited about using async JavaScript via XMLHTTP calls in this day and age. When ASP.NET 1.0 came on the scene circa 2001, part of the big push to migrate to the platform was that features like validation controls and the DataGrid class basically eliminated the need to write any client-side functionality whatsoever. Developers worldwide sang the praises of never needed to write JavaScript. And now, it's all the rage again. I guess fashions, like possessions, are fleeting.

Funny how things go.