Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, 2nd Edition
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • MySQl-PHP textbook
  • I really like this book
  • Fairly Useful
  • Buy this book
  • Disappointingly poor index
Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, 2nd Edition
Hugh E. Williams
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596005431

Amazon.com

PHP and MySQL go hand in hand; the former has been carefully adapted, through the efforts of the open-source community, to the latter. For situations that require dynamic content but don't merit the complexity and development time of Java or .NET enterprise applications, the PHP language and the MySQL database server fit the bill perfectly. That's the point Hugh Williams and David Lane make in Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, which combines language tutorials with application design advice to yield a comprehensive picture of its subjects at a reasonable price. Williams and Lane--both Australian academics who use an online wine store in many of their examples--deserve tremendous kudos for their way of presenting recommended coding strategies. Though the code listings themselves aren't remarkably well commented, the authors do a commendable job of explaining in prose what the code is up to.

Case in point: The ever-essential task of using PHP to open a connection to a MySQL database, submit a query to that database, receive a response, and format the returned rows, if any. The book addresses this problem with a straight code listing, followed by text that explains what's happening in five numbered steps. Similar care goes to the other popular applications of the PHP/MySQL duo: session management, shopping carts, and authentication of users. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use the PHP server-side scripting language and the MySQL database engine to underlie dynamic Web sites (those that rely on database queries) and full-on Web applications, such as those that require session management and maintenance of user rosters. Tutorials in both subjects begin with the basics and proceed through moderately complicated stuff, though there's no absolutely comprehensive reference here.

Book Description

There are many reasons for serving up dynamic content from a web site: to offer an online shopping site, create customized information pages for users, or just manage a large volume of content through a database. Anyone with a modest knowledge of HTML and web site management can learn to create dynamic content through the PHP programming language and the MySQL database. This book gives you the background and tools to do the job safely and reliably. Web Database Applications with PHP and MySQL, Second Edition thoroughly reflects the needs of real-world applications. It goes into detail on such practical issues as validating input (do you know what a proper credit card number looks like?), logging in users, and using templates to give your dynamic web pages a standard look. But this book goes even further. It shows how JavaScript and PHP can be used in tandem to make a user's experience faster and more pleasant. It shows the correct way to handle errors in user input so that a site looks professional. It introduces the vast collection of powerful tools available in the PEAR repository and shows how to use some of the most popular tools. Even while it serves as an introduction to new programmers, the book does not omit critical tasks that web sites require. For instance, every site that allows updates must handle the possibility of multiple users accessing data at the same time. This book explains how to solve the problem in detail with locking. Through a sophisticated sample application--Hugh and Dave's Wine Store--all the important techniques of dynamic content are introduced. Good design is emphasized, such as dividing logic from presentation. The book introduces PHP 5 and MySQL 4.1 features, while providing techniques that can be used on older versions of the software that are still in widespread use. This new edition has been redesigned around the rich offerings of PEAR. Several of these, including the Template package and the database-independent query API, are fully integrated into examples and thoroughly described in the text. Topics include:

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars MySQl-PHP textbook.......2007-02-19

As usual in text books, there is a lot of useless information that is not necessary, but since writers are paid by the word, this is to be expected.

I wish there was a section on MySQL commands.

4 out of 5 stars I really like this book.......2006-11-18

I really like this book--direct, no-nonsense, and intelligently written with a minimum of jokes.

One thing that seems strange, that I'm hoping someone can clarify:

In the section of chapter 8 dealing with transactions and concurrency, there is no mention of setting transaction isolation levels (SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL command in MySQL). Instead, concurrency is achieved solely by setting table locks.

I can sort of understand this in that the authors are using MyISAM tables. But why no mention of transaction isolation levels using INNODB tables, given that this is the more standard way of dealing with concurrency issues?

3 out of 5 stars Fairly Useful.......2006-11-06

The book got me off the ground with my first client application, a rudimentary database maintenance system. Most valuable were the techniques and thorough understanding required to build a satisfactory security component.

However, it falls way short as a reference tool and could have included a more comprehensive list of mysql functions.

4 out of 5 stars Buy this book.......2006-10-26

If your having trouble deciding on a book for your php & mysql development buy this book. It covers all major aspects of php and mysql web development and then some. You will find something useful on every page of this book, and theres a good amount of book here.

2 out of 5 stars Disappointingly poor index.......2006-06-28

I'm new to PHP and MySQL, but a programmer for over 3 decades. I'm customizing some PHP code, using code examples for ideas. When I (a) see something I want to understand better or (b) want to find the PHP analog for basic functions, I naturally turn to the index to try to find the information I need. However, I found the index very disappointing because of what it doesn't have. For example, simple and basic keywords are not in the index: "comment", "logical operator", "and", "or", etc. I'm going to have order a different book as a PHP reference.
Rails Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Practical book for working programmers.
  • Love the recipie format
  • Essential once you start building your first app
  • Will reach both programmers and serious programming libraries.
  • A fine collection of problems and solutions
Rails Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))
Rob Orsini
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596527314

Book Description

Rails Cookbook is packed with the solutions you need to be a proficient developer with Rails, the leading framework for building the new generation of Web 2.0 applications. Recipes range from the basics, like installing Rails and setting up your development environment, to the latest techniques, such as developing RESTful web services.

With applications that are code light, feature-full and built to scale quickly, Rails has revolutionized web development. The Rails Cookbook addresses scores of real-world challenges; each one includes a tested solution, plus a discussion of how and why it works, so that you can adapt the techniques to similar situations. Topics include:

Whether you're new to Rails or an experienced developer, you'll discover ways to test, debug and secure your applications, incorporate Ajax, use caching to improve performance, and put your application into production. Want to get ahead of the Web 2.0 curve? This valuable cookbook will save you hundreds of hours when developing applications with Rails.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Practical book for working programmers........2007-08-27

The "Rails Cookbook" is a very useful book for the working programmer.

Programming is all about solving problems, and that is exactly what this book is about. Each "Recipe" contains the problem, the solution and a discussion about the solution. They are concise without being too vague to be useful.

The book contains almost 200 of these problems / solutions.

This probably wouldn't be a good introduction to the language or the framework, but if you already are familiar with both - this book is a very valuable tool to help you get your work done.

5 out of 5 stars Love the recipie format.......2007-06-20

Now that I've encountered a few recipies books, I have to admit I'm in love with the format. I proves very practical and much easier to use.

4 out of 5 stars Essential once you start building your first app.......2007-06-08

Probably my most worn RoR book. It doesn't teach you Ruby or Rails since it's really a how-to book. I learned Ruby and Rails from other books but once I set out to build an app, I often thought to myself "now I remember reading about this somewhere, I just can't remember the syntax." Instead of digging through my other books, I thumbed through the TOC and quickly found a refresher. Well worth your money and saves you a lot of time spent on google or searching for solutions in other books.

5 out of 5 stars Will reach both programmers and serious programming libraries........2007-05-08

Web programmers and practicing developers working with Rails will want this solution-oriented guide to building web 2.0 applications - a guide packed with recipes for success from the basics of installing and using Rails to the latest applications. Learn how to work with an application's logic, how to test and debit a Rails application, and use Rails plug-ins with RAILS COOKBOOK: APPLICATIONS FOR RAPID WEB DEVELOPMENT WITH RUBY, which covers version 1.2 and will reach both programmers and serious programming libraries.

4 out of 5 stars A fine collection of problems and solutions.......2007-04-05

When reading the foreword of Rails Cookbook I felt a strong kinship with Zed Shaw, I too have fond memories of the first edition of Perl Cookbook and the way I relied on it once I'd taken the training wheels off. Since that one I have relied on several of the O'Reilly Cookbook series. It is only when I discard the early tutorial and dive in the deep end with a "cookbook" on my desk that I really start to learn proficiency.

I felt timorous and unsure when I finished "Agile Web Development with Rails", a marvelous tutorial that introduced me to my first real web development framework (I must have enjoyed it, I just bought the second edition). Since I have volunteered to develop a fairly large and complex web application in Rails I awaited the arrival of my copy of Rails Cookbook with hopeful anticipation and bated breath.

Rob Orsini, his fellow contributors (15 in all) and the team at O'Reilly have once again delivered. Compared to the previous titles in the series I've owned "Rails Cookbook" seems to have fewer recipes but as it is tackling an entire application framework and some serious issues, some of the solutions and discussions run a lot longer. The book is targeted at programmers who know something about web development but are early in their use of Rails, though it should be helpful to all Rails developers.

The book starts with tackling issues of installation and getting development tools installed in the first two chapters. Despite already deploying a couple of simple Rails apps I found that there was the odd useful tip in these chapters. The book then covers each of the three main sections of Rails; Active Record, Action View and Action Controller. The rest of the book goes on with large chapters on testing, Javascript, debugging, performance and hosting and deployment. Along the way it also covers REST, Action Mailer, security, plug-ins and graphics.

The extremely large section on Active Record was to me the most useful. I seem to spend an inordinate percentage of my Rails coding time with Active Record and it contains a large part of Rails power so I appreciated the size of this chapter. By contrast the chapter on graphics is almost entirely unread.

It seems obvious that this book should be compared to Pragmatic's "Rails Recipes". The first point of difference is that Rails Cookbook covers installation and setup. The second point is that is 'Recipes' covers Rails 1.1 while 'Cookbook' targets the brand new Rails 1.2. As a project fairly new on the scene Rails is a fast moving target so the six months between the two books makes a difference. Both books have excellent coverage of the various aspects of Rails, with a great deal of overlap. 'Recipes' has more, shorter pieces while 'Cookbook' tends towards longer pieces with more discussion. 'Cookbook' is also more general, with more recipes more likely to be useful in every Rails project you write.

The style is different between the two. Here Cookbook comes off second best, it feels as though tightly edited by a number of hands and ends up lacking personality; functional but cold compared to Recipes. The writing, however, is good. It's easily read, at times it feels like a good textbook. The layout is clean, it is easy to find the information you need from each recipe when you want.

With almost all "cookbook" style books I seem to be left feeling that a number of the recipes are just a little too obvious and covered well in beginner tutorials. There is some of this in Rails Cookbook, most notably the first two chapters, but overall the book will be useful to any beginner to intermediate Rails programmer. Personally I had a couple of moments where I read a tip and wanted to scream as it demonstrated and explained in a few short sentences and half a page of code what had taken me hours to discover for myself.

The "Cookbook" series all seem to be books worth the price and shelf space. This one is no exception. I'd give it three out of five with an extra half for its timely information on Rails 1.2 and would recommend it for all Rails programmers from the absolute beginner through to all but the most experienced. If you already have a copy of 'Recipes' and are happy with it then you might want to stick with that till either volume is updated for the next major revision of Rails, otherwise you will almost certainly appreciate a copy of Rails Cookbook.
Linux Cookbook
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • excellent book
  • Very Useful, but it's Hit-and-Miss
  • Succinct and clear to understand . . .
  • Perfect binding keeps the book open at the desired page
  • It was perfect to get me moving on LINUX
Linux Cookbook
Carla Schroder
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596006403
Release Date: 2004-12-01

Book Description

This unique and valuable collection of tips, tools, and scripts provides clear, concise, hands-on solutions that can be applied to the challenges facing anyone running a network of Linux servers from small networks to large data centers in the practical and popular problem-solution-discussion O'Reilly cookbook format. The Linux Cookbook covers everything you'd expect: backups, new users, and the like. But it also covers the non-obvious information that is often ignored in other books the time-sinks and headaches that are a real part of an administrator's job, such as: dealing with odd kinds of devices that Linux historically hasn't supported well, building multi-boot systems, and handling things like video and audio. The knowledge needed to install, deploy, and maintain Linux is not easily found, and no Linux distribution gets it just right. Scattered information can be found in a pile of man pages, texinfo files, and source code comments, but the best source of information is the experts themselves who built up a working knowledge of managing Linux systems. This cookbook's proven techniques distill years of hard-won experience into practical cut-and-paste solutions to everyday Linux dilemmas. Use just one recipe from this varied collection of real-world solutions, and the hours of tedious trial-and-error saved will more than pay for the cost of the book. But those who prefer to learn hands-on will find that this cookbook not only solves immediate problems quickly, it also cuts right to the chase pointing out potential pitfalls and illustrating tested practices that can be applied to a myriad of other situations. Whether you're responsible for a small Linux system, a huge corporate system, or a mixed Linux/Windows/MacOS network, you'll find valuable, to-the-point, practical recipes for dealing with Linux systems everyday. The Linux Cookbook is more than a time-saver; it's a sanity saver.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars excellent book.......2007-03-26

Excellent Linux book! Gives step by step answers to common Linux problems in a "Problem - solution" style way. I'm a tad disappointed in the SAMBA section, but that really is a topic deserving of a book of its own.

4 out of 5 stars Very Useful, but it's Hit-and-Miss.......2006-09-11

Because this is a "cookbook," it gives you recipies -- step-by-step instructions for performing specific tasks.

This makes Linux Cookbook EXTREMELY useful when it has a recipie you need, and it often gives you a good starting point when you need to do something that isn't specifically covered.

For example, let's say you need to setup a mail server, which you've never done before. As long as you're willing to use the mail tools she describes (which are perfectly good tools), then this book is the fastest way to get the job done. She also shows you how to make sure the server will be secure.

I'm glad I have this book on my shelf, I recommend it, and I refer to it whenever I need to do something new in Linux. The problem is, you can't have a step-by-step recipie for everything. When this book hits the mark, it's the best book you can have, but you cannot rely on this as your only Linux book.

5 out of 5 stars Succinct and clear to understand . . ........2006-05-10

A well-organised and clearly written collection of useful commands and solutions to help one along with the often exasperating arcana of Linux. Covers all flavours and is a 'must have' book.

5 out of 5 stars Perfect binding keeps the book open at the desired page.......2005-09-28

... which comes in real handy considering how often I reference it.

Chapter 10 (Patching, Customizing, and Upgrading Kernels) and Chapter 12 (Managing the Bootloader and Multi-Booting) helped me recompile my kernel for the first time. Not only are the instructions clear, but the author also made sure to explain each step so I knew why I was typing a certain command. There's even a section on how to create an initrd image for SCSI drive users, which I had a hard time finding on the web.

This book does an excellent job covering all the basics, and it's worth spending the time to read it from beginning to end. I certainly see myself getting a lot of mileage from it.

5 out of 5 stars It was perfect to get me moving on LINUX.......2005-08-10

I wanted to become more experienced with UNIX so I had the Ubuntu distribution installed in my computer. I spent six months having a hard time getting simple things done until I came accross this book.

It is organized in such a way that it is easy to get to do what you want/need and, what's better, the explanations provided give you insights on how UNIX works. After a while, you will find yourself doing new stuff on your own.

If you want to get into UNIX but knows little about it my advice for you is: get this book and jump into LINUX - it is worth it!
DNS & BIND Cookbook
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent
  • Magic bullet for quick DNS fixes/receipies
  • A 'MUST HAVE' for new DNS Administrators
  • A NICE PROBLEM-SOLVING ORIENTATION
  • Little good things here and there, but not enough on BIND9
DNS & BIND Cookbook
Cricket Liu
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596004109

Book Description

The DNS & BIND Cookbook presents solutions to the many problems faced by network administrators responsible for a name server. Following O'Reilly's popular problem-and-solution cookbook format, this title is an indispensable companion to DNS & BIND, 4th Edition, the definitive guide to the critical task of name server administration. The cookbook contains dozens of code recipes showing solutions to everyday problems, ranging from simple questions, like, "How do I get BIND?" to more advanced topics like providing name service for IPv6 addresses. It's full of BIND configuration files that you can adapt to your sites requirements. With the wide range of recipes in this book, you'll be able to and much more. These recipes encompass all the day-to-day tasks you're faced with when managing a name server, and many other tasks you'll face as your site grows. Written by Cricket Liu, a noted authority on DNS, and the author of the bestselling DNS & BIND and DNS on Windows 2000, the DNS & BIND Cookbook belongs in every system or network administrator's library.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2006-10-24

I can't think of anything negative to say about this book. It's certainly not an outright replacement for its bigger cousin "DNS & BIND", but it is clearly written and well-organized; an excellent "how-to" resource to get you up and running quickly with a minimum of fuss and background theory. I'd like to see an updated version which covers DNS-SD in the near future.

5 out of 5 stars Magic bullet for quick DNS fixes/receipies.......2005-05-13

If you need to understand the difference between BIND 9 or Windows AD DNS and BIND 8, this is not the book for you. But if your management decides to tell you about the imporant new product launch on 20 servers in a new domain they just bought and kept under wraps to stun the competition which they need implemented in some novel way that requires a DNS twist, THIS will save you.
It will also save you if you are really a Windows admin, but you need to configure something in BIND. Or if you need to do something in BIND that you haven't done before.
Or if you don't care WHY you have to do task X, Y and then Z to get the desired result, but you need to know HOW? This is your book.

The WHY is in the BIND book from O'Reilly.

5 out of 5 stars A 'MUST HAVE' for new DNS Administrators.......2003-03-28

This book has turned out to be the best investment I've made so far in my 20 year IT career. I've always trusted O'Reilly books for their detailed accuracy. However, for the task at hand, I didn't need a book to explain WHY things work... I needed one to tell me how to GET them to work. This book was perfect! It doesn't replace the DNS and BIND, 4th Edition, but is a great compliment... Actually, I'm finding the 4th Edition a perfect compliment to the Cookbook.

4 out of 5 stars A NICE PROBLEM-SOLVING ORIENTATION.......2003-02-10

"DNS & BIND Cookbook" is a problem-solving text, which Network Administrators will be glad to read. It displayed utmost rationality in its simple and concise way of dealing with most problems, which arise from Domain Name Systems. It also exposed all the factors, which are likely to escalate Berkeley Internet Name Domain problems, before providing their remedies in a clear sequential order.
Net Administrators (as well as voracious users of any of the major Operating Systems) would appreciate the inclusion of an easy-to-digest chapter on Internet Protocol version 6, (IPv6). This book clearly made the mark!
Apart from the rather summarized information, which I noticed on two of its chapters, (i.e.: 'Create Zone Files For Your Domains' and 'Use Increment Transfer'), there is nothing that I will hold against this book. Cricket Liu did a very good job in writing it.

3 out of 5 stars Little good things here and there, but not enough on BIND9.......2002-11-02

I bought this book because I saw it had the "Upgrading to BIND9" chapter. However I found very little information on how zone files are different in the new version or what advantages BIND9 offeres over its predecessors.
MySQL Cookbook
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Too much book, too much money.
  • MySQL help!
  • Thick and Lovely
  • MySQL Recipes Galore!!!
  • Excellent Reading for MySQL Users
MySQL Cookbook
Paul DuBois
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596001452

Amazon.com

Good programming--which is to say, programming that yields both efficient code and a profitable life for the programmer--depends on not reinventing the wheel. If someone else has solved the problem you're facing (and someone almost always has), you'd be foolish to waste your energy figuring out your own solution. MySQL Cookbook presents solutions to scores of problems related to the MySQL database server. Readers stand a good chance of finding a ready-made solution to problems such as querying databases, validating and formatting data, importing and exporting values, and using advanced features like session tracking and transactions. Paul DuBois has done a great job assembling efficient solutions to common database programming problems, and teaches his readers a lot about MySQL and its attendant APIs in the process.

DuBois organizes his cookbook's recipes into sections on the problem, the solution stated simply, and the solution implemented in code and discussed. The implementation and discussion sections are the most valuable, as they contain the command sequences, code listings, and design explanations that can be transferred to outside projects. The main gripe readers will have about MySQL Cookbook is that the author, in his effort to cover the range of MySQL-friendly programming languages, uses different languages in his solutions to various problems. You'll see a Perl solution to one programming challenge (Perl, in fact, is the most frequently used language, followed by PHP), a Python fix for the next, and a Java sample after that. Readers have to hope that they find a solution in the language they're working with, or that they're able to transliterate the one DuBois has provided. It's usually not a big problem. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to make MySQL databases do your bidding--in terms of queries, table manipulation, data formatting, transactions, and Web interfaces--through the database server's command line interfaces and (more importantly) through the MySQL APIs of Perl, PHP, Java, and Python. Particularly excellent coverage deals with formatting dates and times, management of null values, string manipulation, and import/export techniques.

Book Description

While MySQL has turned up among high profile users such as Yahoo!, NASA and the U.S. Census Bureau, the rising popularity of this open source database is especially keen among users with little database experience. These days, even a small organization or web site has uses for a database, and MySQL is an obvious choice. Affordable and easy to use, MySQL packs the power, speed and efficiency that enable it to rival expensive, proprietary database solutions. Yet, even if you know the basics, anyone without practical MySQL experience--novices and skilled DBAs alike--might stumble over common database-related tasks. Fortunately, there's a sensible shortcut. MySQL Cookbook provides a unique problem-and-solution format that offers practical examples for everyday programming dilemmas. For every problem addressed in the book, there's a worked-out solution or "recipe"--short, focused pieces of code that you can insert directly into your applications. But MySQL Cookbook is more than a collection of cut-and-paste code. You also get explanations of how and why the code works, so you can learn to adapt the techniques to similar situations. The book covers a lot of ground. Solutions for typical MySQL dilemmas range from simple ways to find all records that contain a given string, to more difficult problems, such as finding matching/non-matching records in two tables. Whether you use MySQL on Unix, Linux, Windows or the Mac OS X platform, the book will show you how to: This learn-as-you-go resource will help users of all levels exploit MySQL more fully. MySQL Cookbook supplies you with an armory of ready-made techniques for specific problems so that, even if you're an experienced MySQL user, you don't have to write everything from scratch.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Too much book, too much money........2007-07-03

If this was a quick reference book, then the information contained would be useful. This, unfortunately is a big book containing a little book's amount of useful info. Save your money and print out the mysql users guide that is available online for free. I found myself using the online guide as a reference even when the book was in front of me.

Bottom line: A wide range of methods for doing things you probably already know how to do if you are using mysql.

4 out of 5 stars MySQL help!.......2007-05-28

The MySQL Cookbook weighs in at over 940 pages and will help you find quick answers to everything from beginner-level basics up through dba and software developer tricks.

The book is a collection of real-world tasks and compliments Paul's DuBois' other MySQL books very well. It goes beyond basic use and admin-level goodies - it has loads of code examples as well. As a software developer using MySQL for many projects, I find the MySQL Cookbook indispensible.

5 out of 5 stars Thick and Lovely.......2007-03-08

If you deal with MySQL on a daily or weekly basis then this book is a perfect go-to. So many scenarios (recipes) are covered, from simple to fairly advanced.

This second edition is almost twice as thick as the first, but that doesn't mean it's too much to handle since you wouldn't entirely read it from cover to cover because you'll want to go try out so much of it.

This really is worth space on a shelf (digital or not). I would prefer the digital edition since it'd be a breeze to search through.

5 out of 5 stars MySQL Recipes Galore!!!.......2007-02-09

At ~950 pages, the 'MySQL Cookbook' is an EXTENSIVE look at using MySQL from top to bottom. Upgrading this cookbook with lots of new material and Ruby examples, Paul DuBois takes a great book and makes it that much better. There is SO much material it would be difficult to easily condense it all, but I can provide a chapter listing that should make it easier to see all the yummies included within:

01. Using the mysql Client Program
02. Writing MySQL-based Programs
03. Selecting Data
04. Table Management
05. Strings
06. Dates and Times
07. Sorting Query Results
08. Generating Summaries
09. Obtaining and Using Metadata
10. Importing/Exporting Data
11. Generating and Using Sequences
12. Using Multiple Tables
13. Statistical Techniques
14. Handling Duplicates
15. Transactions
16. Stored Procedures, Triggers, Events
17. MySQL on the Web
18. Incorporating Query Results into Web Pages
19. Processing Web Input with MySQL
20. Using MySQL-Based Web Session Management

Add on 4 appendixes and 250+ tips/tricks/recipes/yummies (yes 250!) and you have an indispensable reference for any and all MySQL developers and/or administrators. Solid layout and regular fantastic O'Reilly writing make this a MUST HAVE book for MySQL users. Go out and get it now!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

4 out of 5 stars Excellent Reading for MySQL Users.......2007-02-09

The MySQL Cookbook removes some abstraction from reading the docs. The recipes are concise answers to real-world questions about how to accomplish specific goals with MySQL. It covers common vexing problems that would require significant spelunking in the manuals or web search engines. The recipes provide more clarifying context than the manual, making it easier to learn how to use all those arcane features you had barely noticed. Great as a reference or, upgrade your brain by reading a few entries a day.
sendmail Cookbook
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Just what I needed
  • This book has something about sendmail for everyone
  • A must have for anyone who administers sendmail
  • Not for amatuers
  • A Much Easier Way to Handle Sendmail
sendmail Cookbook
Craig Hunt
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596004710

Book Description

More often than not, the words "sendmail configuration" strike dread in the hearts of sendmail and system administrators--and not without reason. sendmail configuration languages are as complex as any other programming languages, but used much more infrequently--only when sendmail is installed or configured. The average system administrator doesn't get enough practice to truly master this inscrutable technology. Fortunately, there's help. The sendmail Cookbook provides step-by-step solutions for the administrator who needs to solve configuration problems fast. Say you need to configure sendmail to relay mail for your clients without creating an open relay that will be abused by spammers. A recipe in the Cookbook shows you how to do just that. No more wading through pages of dense documentation and tutorials and creating your own custom solution--just go directly to the recipe that addresses your specific problem. Each recipe in the sendmail Cookbook outlines a configuration problem, presents the configuration code that solves that problem, and then explains the code in detail. The discussion of the code is critical because it provides the insight you need to tweak the code for your own circumstances. The sendmail Cookbook begins with an overview of the configuration languages, offering a quick how-to for downloading and compiling the sendmail distribution. Next, you'll find a baseline configuration recipe upon which many of the subsequent configurations, or recipes, in the book are based. Recipes in the following chapters stand on their own and offer solutions for properly configuring important sendmail functions such as: sendmail Cookbook is more than just a new approach to discussing sendmail configuration. The book also provides lots of new material that doesn't get much coverage elsewhere--STARTTLS and AUTH are given entire chapters, and LDAP is covered in recipes throughout the book. But most of all, this book is about saving time--something that most system administrators have in short supply. Pick up the sendmail Cookbook and say good-bye to sendmail dread.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Just what I needed.......2005-08-08

Great book, exactly what I needed. I'm pretty good with Sendmail, but there is nothing like just looking up an issue and following through a solution. I would recommend this to anyone who works with Sendmail!

5 out of 5 stars This book has something about sendmail for everyone.......2005-01-20

This book has something about sendmail for everyone.
I know sendmail very well, and have used it for years.

But even I and sendmail gurus I work with learned a lot.

this is a great book.

5 out of 5 stars A must have for anyone who administers sendmail.......2004-08-27

Working with sendmail can be very challenging at times; while the documentation for it is very complete, finding real-life use-cases can be tough and messing up a configuration is very easy. Fortunately the sendmail authors and community adopted the m4 language to help make building and managing sendmail configurations less painful (I remember having bad dreams about sendmail configuration language when I started learning it). Even with m4, understanding what goes where when and why in a sendmail configuration file can be a real challenge.

O'Reilly helped we mere mortals out tremendously with the publication of "Sendmail: The Definitive Guide," a book that helped demystify and clarify many of sendmail's inner-workings and configuration options. Even with this book, it was still hard to answer real-life use case questions, like how to enable SMTP AUTH for sendmail, how do I use LDAP with sendmail, how do I use sendmail to accept email for multiple domains in a virtual hosting environment, how do I use blackhole list services?

Enter "Sendmail Cookbook." This clear, easy to read, well-indexed book contains a wealth of useful recipies that make previously difficult to figure out tasks quite easy. The book is organized in typical Cookbook fashion; each chapter or section stands on it's own, and if it does require knowledge of other sendmail configuration topics, the section includes cross-references to other relevant recipies and references to appropriate sections in the "Sendmail: The Definitive Guide" book, which is a nice additional feature.

This cookbook starts with recipies that step the reader through building and installing sendmail, with sections on configuring the build so that sendmail compiles with SSL/STARTTLS support, LDAP support, and SASL support. Chapters that follow deal with everything from enabling and configuring SMTP AUTH, to securing sendmail itself, to controlling spam. Recipies use m4 whenever possible and only dip into the sendmail configuration language when necessary, another feature I found very impressive.

I own quite a few O'Reilly books; this is one of a small number that I enjoy just picking up and flipping to a random page and reading; I always find something that I either didn't know or had forgotten. I wish I had this book seven years ago when I was struggling to learn the basics of sendmail configuration and administration; I might have more hair left if I had! I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with sendmail, be that daily administration or occassional troubleshooting.

4 out of 5 stars Not for amatuers.......2004-04-30

This is definitely a book for systems administrators. You won't learn the basics about sendmail, or get an introduction. This book is for folks who generally know sendmail, but are having specific issues with it.

The first chapter has a lot of very specific fixes for a bunch of operating system specific issues. After that the solutions become a bit more general.

The two standout chapters are chapter four, on relaying, and chapter six on spam filtering. Both of these have great introductions and in-depth techincal descriptions, with effective graphics, covering the topics.

I recommend this book for systems administrators and for people actively using with sendmail.

5 out of 5 stars A Much Easier Way to Handle Sendmail.......2003-12-31

The first killer application of the Internet was email. For over twenty years, the most common program used to handle this was sendmail, written by Eric Allman. Over this time, sendmail has become a fully fledged language, with a very inelegant syntax. To learn how this, you need the book "Sendmail" by Costales and Allman.

The basic problem is that twenty years of ever increasing complexity in mail handling has created concomitant complexity in sendmail. For system adminstrators, the sendmail configuration files are probably the most complicated things they have to understand and maintain.

The rub is that most sysadmins have many duties, and little time to thoroughly read the above book. What is needed is a crib sheet, that lets you quickly solve very common sendmail configuration issues. Wherein the need for this book. Hunt takes a pragmatic approach. He tells you enough to handle these common issues. Sometimes, this comes at a slight cost. For example, he never really fully explains the the sendmail class notation. For a rigorous explanation, you still need Allman's book. But as a practical matter, you probably not that curious about the notation anyway. Hunt's approach may solve your problems quicker!

An interesting aspect of this Cookbook is that it shows the recent evolution of sendmail, as seen in the subtitle at the top of the cover, "Spam-Fighting". Sysadmins who dealt with sendmail from 5 years ago or earlier will recall nothing pertaining to antispam techniques.

But just as email was the first killer application, the second killer application was the browser, starting in 1992-3. The third killer application was spam, often viewed via the second application. In the last 5 years, spam has grown amazingly. So much so that it has been debated on the floors of the US Parliament! It has gotten to the point that some alarmists are even claiming that this third killer app might be crippling the first app!

Well, this Cookbook has several sections, including an entire chapter, focussed on various antispam techniques, like procmail parsing, or hooking up to Real Time Block Lists like spamhaus.org. The efficacy of such methods may vary widely, but you do get a choice. Though none of these currently appear to offer a truly effective countermeasure. You are still getting tons of spam, aren't you?

Perhaps some genius in the not too distant future can help us!
Linux Security Cookbook
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Pensacola LUG review book
  • Excellent resource on Linux security
  • Good book for quick reference...
  • Not up to par
  • Worth it
Linux Security Cookbook
Daniel J. Barrett , Richard E. Silverman , and Robert G. Byrnes
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596003919

Book Description

Computer security is an ongoing process, a relentless contest between system administrators and intruders. A good administrator needs to stay one step ahead of any adversaries, which often involves a continuing process of education. If you're grounded in the basics of security, however, you won't necessarily want a complete treatise on the subject each time you pick up a book. Sometimes you want to get straight to the point. That's exactly what the new Linux Security Cookbook does. Rather than provide a total security solution for Linux computers, the authors present a series of easy-to-follow recipes--short, focused pieces of code that administrators can use to improve security and perform common tasks securely. The Linux Security Cookbook includes real solutions to a wide range of targeted problems, such as sending encrypted email within Emacs, restricting access to network services at particular times of day, firewalling a webserver, preventing IP spoofing, setting up key-based SSH authentication, and much more. With over 150 ready-to-use scripts and configuration files, this unique book helps administrators secure their systems without having to look up specific syntax. The book begins with recipes devised to establish a secure system, then moves on to secure day-to-day practices, and concludes with techniques to help your system stay secure. Some of the "recipes" you'll find in this book are: This cookbook's proven techniques are derived from hard-won experience. Whether you're responsible for security on a home Linux system or for a large corporation, or somewhere in between, you'll find valuable, to-the-point, practical recipes for dealing with everyday security issues. This book is a system saver.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Pensacola LUG review book.......2004-04-15

The Linux Security Cookbook is a good hands-on guide to the major aspects of securing your Linux box. This book offers many quick reference guides to pieces of software for securing or testing your system and goes through many different means of fortifying your box including:
-controlling system access with firewalls
-monitoring your network
-using SSH and SSL
-intrusion detection systems
-authentication and cryptographic keys
-encrypting files and email messages
-system security probing

The recipes in this book allows administrators to learn quick and easy ways to secure their systems including over 150 ready-to-use scripts and configuration files without having to look up or research specific syntax.

This book is definitely a quick hands-on guide to securing and monitoring your system and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good source of guides and ready-to-use scripts and configurations.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent resource on Linux security.......2003-12-09

At fewer than 300 pages, the initial size of the Linux Security Cookbook may seem to be meager to cover such a broad subject. But what the book lacks in size, it makes up in content.

While many security books may waste the reader's time by spending hundreds of pages on introductory subjects; chapter 1 of the Linux Security Cookbook goes straight into using and configuring Tripwire.

The book then goes into fundamental topics such as firewalling with iptables/ipchains, authentication, access control, file control, email security and more.

If you are interested in Linux security, this is a well-written and well-organized book, filled with valuable and timely information.

5 out of 5 stars Good book for quick reference..........2003-08-29

I read this book from cover to cover and consider it a great effort by the authors to cover many security issues related to not just Linux, but most *nix operating systems. Here's a chapter by chapter review of what I've observed in the book:

Chapter 1 - System Snapshots with Tripwire

I liked the discussion of Tripwire and its configuration options. The sections on "Ultra-Paranoid Integrity Checking" were great! A decent introduction to Tripwire and some of its features.

Chapter 2 - Firewalls with iptables and ipchains

The difference between "Drop versus Reject" targets was good. So many books have info on iptables, but none discusses these issues. Also the point made about dropping ICMP messages was good. Quick to learn and implement recipes presented in this chapter.

Chapter 3 - Restricting Access by Remote Users

Recipe 3.7 was very neat. Allowing users to access a service only by port-forwarding over ssh allows the administrator to restrict access by user names. A smart way of imposing restrictions!
Also, in recipe 3.9, I liked the authors' approach to finding if xinetd is compiled with libwrap support.

All recipes regarding tweaking xinetd were good. It isn't always possible to look at all the configurable options with xinetd, and the authors did a good job in mentioning a few useful options.

Chapter 4 - Authentication Techniques and Infrastructures

Quick tips with PAM, openssl and kerberos. I couldnt get some of the recipes to work on my machine, but got most openssl stuff to work.

Chapter 5 - Authorization Controls

I liked this chapter the best. The discussion on sudo was enlightening, and I was able to effectively tweak most recipes to my needs. The man page would never have provided me with such a good explanation. Thanks to the authors for this chapter.

Chapter 6 - Protecting Outgoing Network Connections

Two of these authors had written the snail book and I expected nothing less than a very useful recipe session on SSH. The most useful recipe here was setting up public key authentication between an openssh client and an ssh.com server and vice-versa. I had always wanted to do this but didnt have a clue until I read these recipes. All recipes have strong technical content and are well written. The recipe on running cron jobs with ssh was
amazing. The authors teach how to be creative, rather than merely
explaining facts and methodologies.

Chapter 7 - Protecting Files

I liked all recipes on GnuPG especially neat hacks like maintaining encrypted files with vim, encrypting backups etc..

Chapter 8 - Protecting Email

I tried out a few recipes and got them to work with my configuration. Pretty impressive stuff! The difference between SSL and STARTTLS daemons was very well explained. I havent seen a consolidated discussion on this topic thus far and was really happy to see things explained clearly in just one sidebar. I couldn't get the imap/ssl recipe working for my settings, inspite of spending quite some time. Perhaps a few screen-shots
made available via the website would've been of greatest help..

Chapter 9 - Testing and Monitoring

Recipes on Cracklib, using find for setuid/setgid files and the discussion on the 'find' command are very well written. Though this stuff has been mentioned in most security books/magazines, a consolidated treatment here is nice to note. nmap truly deserved the long section and I was able to learn a few facts I didnt know about nmap until now. The recipe on examining local network activities covered the best tools in business -
netstat, lsof and rpcinfo. Sniffing network traffic, using tcpdump, ethereal and dsniff provide a good refresher and ready-to-use recipes.

Overall, Linux Security Cookbook is a very useful book for quick
reference. It covers a wide range of security topics and issues related to not just Linux but most Unices. The recipes provided here are well written and ready to use. I have found many tips related to sudo, SSH, xinetd, encryption and network security extremely useful. Full credit to the authors for bringing out such a comprehensive book on Linux Security.

2 out of 5 stars Not up to par.......2003-07-29

I've been reading "Linux Security Cookbook". I fully understand the goal of this book is to provide lots of little bits of wisdom, not a full fledged security book. I think that's pretty cool. However I'm finding that a lot of the recipies, if you will, are either not well explained, the equivalent of reading a real cookbook witohut knowing what it means ot 'fold the blueberries into the batter'. They could easily have spent more time explaining things so we didn't need to go read/re-reading the man pages just to understand the book.

5 out of 5 stars Worth it.......2003-07-28

A very cool collection of recipes for common, daily, security of Linux
systems. Some of the other reviewers missed the point...this book
doesn't try to be the ultimate self-contained security book, it's a
collection of one-off recipes...it even says so on page 1. Look at
O'Reilly's other cookbooks (the awesome Perl Cookbook, Javascript
Cookbook, etc)--they aren't meant to be comprehensive or teach you
everything about the subject, they assume you know the basics already
and show you specific solutions to specific problems. This cookbook
does the same thing with Linux security, and I think it succeeds...it
sure helped me with my firewall and with gpg encryption. This
shouldn't be the only security book you own but it's great for what it
is.
Asterisk Cookbook
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Asterisk Cookbook
    Jim Van Meggelen , Leif Madsen , Kristian Kielhofner , John Todd , and Evan Henshaw-Plath
    Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    Telephone SystemsTelephone Systems | Telecommunications | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 059652692X

    Book Description

    Asterisk Cookbook contains recipes for getting more out of Asterisk--an open source PBX telephony system than runs on Linux. This Cookbook covers installing, configuring, and integrating Asterisk with existing phone systems, without the need for additional hardware.
    The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Pretty Good but very basic
    • Not for the fairly initiated
    • Cookbook approach to working with Linux
    • Thorough Coverage
    • Not really a cookbook
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    Michael Stutz
    Manufacturer: No Starch Press
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    ASIN: 1886411484

    Book Description

    Over 1,500 step-by-step “recipes” show how to use Linux for everyday tasks.

    The Linux Cookbook shows how to use Linux for everyday tasks such as: printing; converting and managing files; editing and formatting text; working with digital audio; creating and manipulating graphics; and connecting to the Internet. The quick-reference, cookbook-style format includes step-by-step Linux “recipes” covering many hundreds of day-to-day issues.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Pretty Good but very basic.......2006-12-28

    It's a book for beginners that concentrates on the console commands and programs. It was mostly review for me, and I'm just a novice in Linux. I've been kicking around with it for 6 or 7 years just on a very casual basis (a few minutes a week, really) and I guess I was hoping for something that could advance me to the next stage of understanding, but all it did was reincforce some things I already knew and introduced a few I didn't. Might be a real eye opener for an absolute beginner. In fact I would recommend it to anyone just getting started with Linux to get their feet wet in the console. Pretty good command index to keep at arm's reach.

    2 out of 5 stars Not for the fairly initiated.......2005-03-06

    I AM NOT A GEEK. That said, I'd have to say that this book fell short of providing me any really useful information. I've been a Linux user for about 5 years now, and I still find some aspects of it frustrating, but this book didn't really help me much. And, it certainly doesn't live up to the O'Reilley "Cookbook" series (not that it is pretending to be, just shares the name), which I always find helpful. There are numerous Linux books out there that are better than this one. To me, the hints provided don't help much. And, when I'm stumped about what's going on with my system, this book doesn't help either.

    If I were just starting out, maybe it would be OK. But I think I would probably spring for something else, "Unix Power Tools" comes to mind.

    5 out of 5 stars Cookbook approach to working with Linux.......2004-11-01

    Let me start with what this book is and is not. There is nothing on how to install, troubleshoot, or administer Linux and it is not supposed to have that information. This is a cookbook and is designed to be a resource when you have a specific goal in mind and want to know how to get there. The first several chapters focus on the very basic Linux information that everyone working in the operating system should know. This includes such common items as how to determine what processes are running and how to determine who you are logged in as. Of course anyone with even a minimum of Linux experience knows this stuff. For the more experienced Linux users the later chapters deal are a real treasure. It includes things like viewing and editing images, PostScript, working with sound, and cross-platform conversions. The recipe style layout really works well. Like a list of ingredients the author lists the program to be run, package manager name for the installation package, and the home page where the package can be found. This is one of the really nice features of the book. If you are looking for how to accomplish a specific task you can look it up, see if there is a program to accomplish it, locate and install the program if necessary, and follow through the specific directions to achieve your desired result. The Linux Cookbook, 2nd Edition is very highly recommended for the new Linux user, and recommended as a desk reference to keep available for the more experienced user who may just need to know how to convert that mp3 file to another format and burn the result to a CD.

    4 out of 5 stars Thorough Coverage.......2004-10-10

    When this book fell out of its shipping envelope, it made quite a thunk as it hit my desk. No wonder: at almost 800 pages, this is quite a chunk of reading material.

    I had been impressed by the first edition. The only real complaint I had about that was its exclusive focus on Debian Linux; that's been corrected here. The first edition was available on-line in its entirety; this is not, although you can see a sample chapter and the table of contents at (...).

    Unlike the first edition, this covers a lot more basic material. Don't let that turn you off if you have outgrown the beginner books - unless you are expert at everything, you'll find helpful material here. There are pointers to esoteric utilities you probably have never heard of mixed in with the "getting started" stuff.

    I was interested that Amazon reviews were luke-warm. I think it deserves better. I would have liked to see less attention to the real basics, but that does make this useful to the beginner also. One Amazon review didn't like it because it was too geeky, a complaint I can't sympathise with. Another didn't like the concentration on command line tools - I hope that isn't a sign of things to come where Linux users join their Windows brethren in disdain of character based interfaces.

    3 out of 5 stars Not really a cookbook.......2004-09-24

    If you are used to the O'Reilly cookbook formula you won't find that here. This is really and end-to-end user level walkthrough of Linux from the shell through the operating system and into applications. It's complete, but I found the text a little terse and stiff. Illustrations are sparse and underused.

    This book covers the shell, X windows, text editing, text manipulation, file system commands, network access, configuration and other common Linux areas of interest. It has a wide range of coverage, which means that even though the book is quite thick the time spent on any one topic is fairly light. One exception is text manipulation, which is covered in significant depth.

    This book is definitely worth the look, but you should also consider O'Reilly's "Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora".
    UNIX, Solaris and Linux: A Practical Security Cookbook:  Securing UNIX Operating System without Third-Party Applications
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Very Useful
    • Tons of practical information!
    UNIX, Solaris and Linux: A Practical Security Cookbook: Securing UNIX Operating System without Third-Party Applications
    Boris Loza
    Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    EncryptionEncryption | Security & Encryption | Web Development | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Unix | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
    SolarisSolaris | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Linux | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
    ApplicationsApplications | Linux | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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    GeneralGeneral | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
    Linux SecurityLinux Security | Security & Encryption | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 1420848240

    Book Description

    Whether you are an experienced Security or System Administrator or a Newbie to the industry, you will learn how to use native, "out-of-the-box", operating system capabilities to secure your UNIX environment. No need for third-party software or freeware tools to be and stay secure! This book will help you ensure that your system is protected from unauthorized users and conduct intrusion traces to identify the intruders if this does occur. It provides you with practical information to use of the native OS security capabilities without the need for a third party security software application. Also included are hundreds of security tips, tricks, ready-to-use scripts and configuration files that will be a valuable resource in your endeavor to secure your UNIX systems.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Very Useful.......2004-12-14

    It is practically impossible to find a good book with hands-on approach on information security. This book is one of the few that will show you HOW-TO secure your system and not just why you should do this! Also, security forensics chapter is my favorite... I recommend this book for anybody who is interested in UNIX and wants to know what could be done to protect the box using only OS bundled capabilities. As a security administrator for a company on a budget I get used to only rely on freeware or open-source tools to protect the enterprise. This book showed me that it is possible to use only out of the box solutions to achieve the same results! I would recommend it for everybody who is prohibited to use freeware and open-source tools for information security. Great book!

    5 out of 5 stars Tons of practical information!.......2004-12-13

    This book is one of the best I've read about UNIX security. Dr. Loza provides hundreds of hands-on, practical solutions for how to investigate suspicious hackers' activities, secure the system, or protect you on the Internet by using only "native" UNIX capabilities. This book is very unique in the approach that shows you how one can do absolutely the same things to secure your UNIX box that freeware or open-source tools offer - if you are creative and hove some scripting skills. Using freeware and open-source applications is prohibited in many companies. This is why this book is absolutely the best! Especially I loved the Forensics chapter. Once again, I would recommend this book for all hackers and system administrators alike!

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    5. Advanced Programming in the UNIX(R) Environment (2nd Edition) (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
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