JavaScript: The Web Technologies Series Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy JavaScript: The Web Technologies Series? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on JavaScript: The Web Technologies Series. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

JavaScript: The Web Technologies Series ReviewI am told that earlier editions were even worse. How sad. The book is poorly written, the examples hard to follow,and the discussion of the language is incomplete. It is hard to explain why this book made it to the 5th edition. Do not buy this book if you have a choice. If it is mandated by your school wait till the first day of class to buy it-- you may find that your instructor has no use for it either and it is on the approved list though no choice or control of his/hers'.
Course technology is becoming a very popular choice among 2 year schools. The text book choices may be based on other than educational merit and may relate to the fact the the book comes with a ready made syllabus and approved course outline that neatly fits some committee recommendation, which in turn neatly facilitates accreditation. Or it could be that they like the slide decks. In any case there is no depth of instruction in this book, no pointers to other materials and most of the labs that I have seen ( I am using it in a course right now) are trivial. It will be of no use to the practitioner as reference and you are advised to ignore it, unless explicitly told to do a given assignment. There is not even a section for further reading, the very least you can expect in a book which is so incomplete.
If your school is using this book consider another school. It is that bad. If this is not possible speak to the instructor before hand you may find that the book is not really used in the class. If you must buy it buy used( you will find that frequent updates which do not update anything are the norm for this book and indeed most of course technology's books. This is exactly what it appears to be. Make use your department chair hears what you think. Make sure that you point them to the amazon site for other opinions. If you are lucky enough to have a choice of schools or instructors try to find one that does not use the book, or if that is not possible find one that 'uses' it in name only.
I would hate to see a 6th edition of this work.
I am also curious if Mr Gosselin's books are of equal caliber. Not all course Technology offerings are this poor, and perhaps a few are even pretty good, but if this is an indication of what they produce we are all in trouble if the trend continues.JavaScript: The Web Technologies Series Overview

Want to learn more information about JavaScript: The Web Technologies Series?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

jQuery 1.4 Reference Guide Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy jQuery 1.4 Reference Guide? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on jQuery 1.4 Reference Guide. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

jQuery 1.4 Reference Guide ReviewI recently read through the newest revision of Karl and Jonathon's amazing jQuery reference manual, which has just been updated for the latest release of the jQuery library itself. Even though it's a reference manual used to refer to specific methods or properties of the library rather than a teaching book that takes the reader on a journey through the API I still wanted to read through it in its entirety in order to give it a balanced review and to see how much additional information it provided. I'm already fairly competent in using jQuery so I wanted to see if there was anything new it could show me. It did - there were subtle aspects to a number of methods that I had never used before, and with the new additions to the guide added for jQuery 1.4, there was actually a lot I took away from this book.
The first chapter served as a very good general introduction to jQuery and what the library is capable of. The whole chapter is dedicated to an interactive example that uses a wide variety of different jQuery methods and functionality, and the accompanying text gradually picks apart all of the code to show what it does. The example is excellent for those new to jQuery and was a very good way to start the book.
After the initial example-based chapter the book switches tone to more of a reference style guide; chapter 2 is a very detailed, quite lengthy chapter that covers all of the different types of selectors that can be used to select elements from the DOM. Many different selectors, including advanced ones like the different types of attribute selectors are covered.
Remaining chapters look at the different types of methods that are exposed by the library; there is a chapter dedicated to DOM traversal methods, another that looks at AJAX-related methods, etc. Helpfully, the book is structured similarly to the online documentation so readers should be able to easily find the method they require information about without too much difficulty.
Towards the end of the book there are chapters that look at the miscellaneous methods such as .grep(), .unique(), etc which don't fit neatly into any of the other categories, and the different properties of the jQuery object that can give us extra information about the environment that the library is executing in such as the .browser properties. These last chapters will be of huge importance to many developers that are familiar with some of the more common methods, but less familiar with some of these lesser-used methods and properties.
There is also a chapter dedicated to the construction of jQuery plugins; the authors didn't have to include an entire chapter on this topic as it is sometimes seen as beyond the scope of general jQuery usage. They could have just included some basic information under the miscellaneous chapter perhaps, but they didn't, they provided a whole chapter to it because the topic deserves a whole chapter. It's a relatively short chapter, and the example plugins are very light, but it covers all of the essentials for plugin development such as the standard conventions, the object method and global functions, so this chapter adds a lot of value.
The book also features some potentially very useful appendices including lists of useful tools for JS developers such as code minifiers and browser development tools, information about where to find useful JavaScript, (X)HTML and CSS references as well as a complete alphabetical listing of every jQuery method and property.
Overall, I found this an excellent reference book for developers of all levels and would recommend it to anyone that was serious about jQuery development. Bear in mind that it is a reference manual opposed to a recipe-style example-based book, so the style is very concise and sometimes dry. Personally I think this was a good thing as it allowed the book to remain focused on the core topics without going off on a tangent about implementational specifics that the reader may never encounter. It's highly accessible, very information-heavy and literally covers every single method and property found in the library. This book will stay on my desktop (my real, actual desk) for some time to come and will remain my first point of contact from now on when looking up any method of the library.
My one complaint is that some of the appendix items from previous versions of the book seem to have been removed; for example, there is an information box in one chapter which states `An in-depth discussion of closures can be found in Appendix C of the book Learning jQuery 1.3. I'm sure many people buying the 1.4 version of the book won't already have the previous edition so this is not helpful in any way. Leaving this non-essential but related information in the book would have been far better. Sometimes however, due to the limits that are placed on page count by publishers, old, less-related information has to be removed. It's not a massive complaint, and I can understand why the authors may have had to remove these extras to make room for information relating to all the cool new functionality of jQuery, but I think the book would have benefited from retaining this information if at all possible.jQuery 1.4 Reference Guide Overview

Want to learn more information about jQuery 1.4 Reference Guide?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Joomla 1.5: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (2nd Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Joomla 1.5: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (2nd Edition)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Joomla 1.5: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (2nd Edition). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Joomla 1.5: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (2nd Edition) ReviewI recommend to every Joomla user who is less than "expert level" -- read this book! I have been working with Joomla 1.0 for about 5 months, so already had a basic understanding of many of the terms: component, module, etc. I purchased this book just before Christmas and took it with me to read on the holiday roadtrip. You know you are reading a great computer-related book when you can read and understand and make copious notes in the book margins...without sitting in front of a computer! Not only did it "fill in the blanks" about much of my understanding re: Joomla (any version), but I felt excited, and much more confident, about using Joomla 1.5. Great overview of Joomla, great details, great tips! A well-written user's guide. Thank you!Joomla 1.5: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (2nd Edition) Overview

Want to learn more information about Joomla 1.5: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla Powered Website (2nd Edition)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques Review§
One of the valid criticisms of the profusion of JavaScript frameworks is lack of documentation. This valuable book is the best possible boost to jQuery, one of the most popular frameworks in the pack. This documentation provides a gentle introduction to jQuery concepts and at the same time gives you the tools and examples to do some wickedly cool stuff.
Although jQuery is advanced JavaScript, you don't have to be an advanced scripter to use it or to follow the flow of this book. In fact, the book makes very clear that, aside from the particular advantages of this framework, jQuery will be especially welcomed by Web workers who are familiar with the value and syntax of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Someone who knows CSS well yet is weak on JavaScript will have no trouble at all slipping in advanced functionality to Web pages or applications with the help of this guide.
I have reviewed many books dealing with Web tech, CSS, and JavaScript. Even with the best of these books, I have often complained of lack of attention to scripting the display and behavior of data tables. This book totally eclipses every other book I have studied in this regard. As a designer of Web reporting tool interfaces, with a heavy use of data display, this book would get a 5-star rating for that alone.
The fine chapter on scripting data tables is not alone of course. The book handily deals with form manipulation and all sorts of approaches to dynamically modifying Web pages.
The book comes with not one, but two supporting Web pages where you can see the code in action and download it for play and profit.
I think getting this book is a no-brainer if you want to pick up on the latest practical trends in Web development -- as well as save yourself a lot of work and fuss.
§Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques Overview

Want to learn more information about Learning jQuery: Better Interaction Design and Web Development with Simple JavaScript Techniques?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

Microsoft Expression Web 4 In Depth Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Microsoft Expression Web 4 In Depth? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Microsoft Expression Web 4 In Depth. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Microsoft Expression Web 4 In Depth ReviewThis is EXACTLY the book I wanted.
I'd bought the Expression Web4 program and was really struggling to learn to use it properly by myself. It's a complex full-featured program with a lot to know. I've only had this book for a few days, but it's already more than justified its cost by demystifying heaps of things about how EW works. I've already learned a whole lot of things I hadn't understood, plus a number of incredibly useful, quick and nifty (not to mention efficient!) ways of doing things that I'd been going about the looooonnng way around.
I very much like the way it's laid out, and Jim writes very clearly and explains well. Heaps of helpful examples. I do recommend registering the book with informit, so you get access to a full PDF copy of the book in colour (which helps illustrate even better how some of Expression Web works, highlighting tags, etc) plus codes, and more to use with the book.
I disagree entirely that this book is 'not for beginners', though I guess it depends on what one means by a 'beginner'. I was very definitely a beginner with Expression Web (still am, but rapidly improving). Though I'd hunted around and found some helpful videos etc on the web, and tried to drive it, I still considered myself very much a beginner, which is why I needed a good book. I understanding HTML tags, am reasonably literate with them, and have some understanding of CSS. I've used Front Page, though EW is not even in the same ball park,and in many ways, having used it really doesn't help with EW. I know about designing and structuring websites. If everything I've listed was also complete and utter mystery, that would be a very steep learning curve, but it wasn't, though I also think he's done a nice job explaining quite a lot of these topics also.
What I needed was something good to teach me how to use THIS program, both the basics (many of which I thought I was probably missing - and I was right!) as well as some of the more advanced features when I'm ready for them. And preferably not by a long-winded and tedious step-by-step, monkey-see, monkey-do rote learning method, which I find irritating. Jim's book is right on the money for me, and the cross-referencing and structure enables me to jump around and find the bits that I need. He's also in favour of learning by doing, so there's plenty of nifty little examples to illustrate what he means. Terrific. I'm very happy with this book.Microsoft Expression Web 4 In Depth Overview

Want to learn more information about Microsoft Expression Web 4 In Depth?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...

jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide)? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide). Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide) ReviewMuch anticipated jQuery cookbook that was well worth the wait.
This cookbook will serve any (beginner to intermediate) jQuery/web 2.0 developer with 150+ easy to grasp "recipes". Nothing groundbreaking here, just great scripts that do 95% of what you need to do faster/efficiently. END NOTE: I was hoping for more AJAX-jQuery or JSON related material. This book with jQuery in Action is a good combo.
jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide) Overview

Want to learn more information about jQuery Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for jQuery Developers (Animal Guide)?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now

Read More...