Sams Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days (2nd Edition)

Amazon.com

A great book for beginning programmers who want to learn Perl. Filled with concrete examples and, yes, by using this book you will be able to write good Perl code on your own in 21 days. But no perlson is an island, and there is no single book that covers Perl completely, so we recommend that you also get Programming Perl, which is better at providing the language specifications, and, in fact, was written by the author of Perl.

Book Description

Sams Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days covers the basics of Perl in the first few chapters, and then moves on to practical issues of Perl and in-depth discussions of more advanced topics. Later chapters also delve into software engineering topics, with discussions of modular code and object-oriented programming. CGI is covered in one chapter, but it is not the focus on the book. The book relies heavily on longer working examples and code, as opposed to small snippets and code fragments, and each chapter includes two to three smaller complete examples and one major one that illustrates most of the concepts for that chapter and builds on the chapters before it. Written by Laura Lemay, this is her third major book after Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML in 21 Days and Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days.

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The clearest, best-written Perl tutorial on the market. Provides step-by-step lessons for one of the most popular languages used in Web programming. Written in a straightforward, easy-to-understand style with numerous useful and complete code examples. Updated and revised to cover Perl 5.6 and 5.7, and to improve and refine the book's organization, examples, and explanations. Sams Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days, 2nd Edition covers the basics in the first few chapters, and then moves to practical uses of Perl and in-depth discussions of more advanced topics. Later chapters delve into software engineering topics, with discussions of modular code and object-oriented programming. Sams Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days, 2nd Edition relies heavily on longer working examples and code, as opposed to small snippets and code fragments. Each chapter includes two to three smaller complete examples and one major one that illustrates most of the concepts for that chapter and builds on the chapters before it. Laura Lemay is one of the world's most popular authors on Web development topics. She is known for her ability to clearly explain even the most difficult technical topics, while complementing her discussions with interesting yet practical examples. Other books by Laura Lemay include Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days, 0-672-31958-6 and Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML in 21 Days, 0-672-31725-7.

Customer Reviews:

Great book - clear and easy to read.......2006-07-12

I find myself using this book as a refernce almost every day. It is well written and easy to follow. I highly recommend it.

I haven't even finished the book and I am already feeling like a perl programmer.......2006-02-11

I bought this book after trying to learn Perl through another book (Perl for Bioinformatics). This book is definitely a better introduction to Perl than any other book I've seen. It is clear and concise enough and although it might be hard to finish it in 21 days, you can start coding your own scripts much before the end of the book. I am still on chapter 11 and I can program most of what I need with it (i.e parsers and simple bioinformatics applications). I recognize that there are a few typos on the book but if even Knuth's Art of Computer Programming have them why shouldn't Lemay's Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days do the same?

Given what I said above, I must warn begginer programmers (like me) that Perl is not the best language for you to learn as your first one. It is a dirty scripting language which does the job and is most suitable for parsing files and formatting data but it has a lot of things which make it quite confusing initially (its context dependency for instance). If you want to learn something that will give a solid programming base you should start with something else (i.e. Java, Pascal, Ruby etc) which will probably be a little bit harder but will payoff later.

Above Average Introduction.......2005-08-14

Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days by Laura Lemay is sufficient for the beginner wanting to learn Perl, be it on Windows or a UNIX-based operating system. If Perl is your first programming language, then this book is a fairly good book to choose as a starting point. It teaches the basics of programming in Perl and moves quickly from that point onward.

However, while this approach introduced me to the language I found my ability to pace through the book as I normally would with other programming languages hindered by the author's organization. Unexplained code is used in almost all of the examples before you get to its respective chapter. While this approach may work for some and give cause for thinking, it gave me an unnecessary headache.

Don't get me wrong, it did teach me a good bit about Perl, it inspired me to install Debian Linux on my programming workstation, and left me to pursue Perl. Despite this, I turned to Learning Perl. I found Lemay's writing to be too verbose and the organization of the book a bit of a twister.

Overall, it can be summed up by the following pros/cons:

~ Pros
- Good introduction to Perl
- Independent of Operating System (Great for Windows users ready to Learn Perl and perhaps Migrate to Linux for programming purposes)
- Solid examples and references
- Covers more advanced topics later on

~ Cons
- Verbose
- Awkward structure. Things such as loops are constantly used in beginning examples without much of an explanation. If you don't' have any experience with programming, it will give you a headache. The sections on these devices come much later, and have a strange introduction as well.
- Frustrating at times when it shouldn't be (IE, having you use functions that you haven't learned, or haven't been mentioned, in an example for a particular chapter)

Additionally, I'd recommend picking up Learning Perl or using it instead. I picked up Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days, learned what I could, and then fell in love with Learning Perl's concise, straight to the point chapters and examples (albeit with a fair amount of humor). If you're a Linux/UNIX user, you'll probably find Learning Perl a better catch, but for me, Teach Yourself Perl in 21 Days was the stepping stone to Linux and Learning Perl. Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase.

Good intro book on Perl.......2004-10-06

If you want to start programming Perl in the shortest time possible, and have some programming background, you will benefit from reading Sam's Teach Yourself Perl in 24 Hours, which packs a lot of practical materials and emphasizes get-your-hands-dirty-immediately as well as uses a lot of code snippets to teach.

This "in 21 days" book, on the other hand, is better if you have more time to learn Perl. Each lesson takes 1-2 hours, if you already have some programming background, and longer if you don't. This book treats Perl more systematically and in more details than the "24 hours" book. It explains a lot of concepts, including hashes and modules, more clearly than the "24 hours" book. I recommend you do 2 or 3 lessons each day, because Perl is such a compact yet complicated language, that it's best to force yourself to learn it quickly, rather than slowly, because slow learning will make you forget things. Be sure to study the examples in the book until you understand every line of code.

It just didn't work for me.......2003-10-27

This book is not helpful for the newbies. Not only do some of the scripts not work, but the way Perl is explained in this book, it just doesn't make enough sense. I learned more from online tutorials that were perhaps 3 pages long than I learned in 15 pages of one chapter of this book. I usually pick things up quite easily, so it must be the book that is confusing.

At least two of the script examples given in Chapters 1-8 had typos in them, and not enough explanation for someone that doesn't know much to figure out what. I am unfortunately going to have to give up on this book to learn Perl and turn to the internet... too bad I spent $35 for the book. I don't recommend this book to anyone except perhaps someone that already knows Perl.

Average customer rating:

Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days

One for your library

Great for us programmer-dinosaurs

It's a welcome addition

Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days
Anthony Sintes
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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OOP Demystified

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Object-Oriented Programming

An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming

ASIN: 0672321092

Book Description

Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days differs from other OOP books in two main ways. Many classic OOP books are designed for software engineers and teach at an academic level. Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days presents accessible, user-friendly lessons designed with the beginning programmer in mind. Other OOP books work to present both OOP and to teach a programming language (for example: Object-Oriented Programming in C++). Although Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days uses Java to present the examples, the book is designed to present concepts that apply to any OOP environment.

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Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days differs from other OOP books in two main ways. Many classic OOP books are designed for software engineers and teach at an academic level. Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days presents accessible, user-friendly lessons designed with the beginning programmer in mind. Other OOP books work to present both OOP and to teach a programming language (for example: Object-Oriented Programming in C++). Although Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days uses Java to present the examples, the book is designed to present concepts that apply to any OOP environment.

Customer Reviews:

Sams Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming in 21 Days.......2007-06-17

Though not a professional programmer I have been programming for about 15 years working my way up the Basic ladder to currently Vba. I can see the benefits of OO programming as I deal with complex business problems. This book seemed a good choice and I started the 21 day journey with great optimism. Day 1 was as you would expect, very basic using very simple analogies and situations. Day 2 seemes to start at a higher level like there are some pages missing and Day 3 makes such a giant leap that I had to return to Day 1 and start again. I repeated this loop about 10 times without any success at all. I have all my life been a "Book Learner" but this one has me beat. All-in-all a total waste of money.

One for your library.......2007-04-21

One of the most crucial elements that any book on OOP can provide is a baseline grounding so that later in learning about object oriented programming, the reader knows what others are talking about. This book requires attention from page 1 as the author walks the reader through this complex process, not overlooking what many authors may assume to be obvious. For example, encapsulation is clarified by noting that it is synonomous with component, module or bean. Not a big deal unless you're used to using "component" as an object you can load in Flash. Interestingly, most OOP was developed before the Internet, and so often you will see other terms, like "client" used in a wholly different way than you will find in a "client-server" pair.

Being adverse to "gimmick books", I ignore the "...in 21 Days" portion of the title. The author doesn't get caught up in such cleverness by a marketing wonk. Rather, you can read it and later use it as a solid reference book. After having gone on to design patterns (which are nicely introduced in this book as well), I keep coming back to this book and finding more gems. The fact that I understand OOP much better now than when I first read this book--and have still returned to this book after going through several others attests to this book's value.

It's examples are all in Java, and I'm not a Java programmer. However, that doesn't matter, if you're learning OOP for anything from C# to ActionScript 3.0, there's much to be learned in this work.

Great for us programmer-dinosaurs.......2001-12-10

This book is a lifesaver. If you have done non-OOP development and are trying to learn Java and OOP, this book may be for you.

I find other Java books do not do enough to tie-in the big picture. Even after reading Eckel's Thinking in Java (among others), I found I was not really thinking in OO terms. I still had the procedural mindset. I have looked into other OO/Java topics for help in areas such as design patterns, UML, and unit testing, but was having trouble putting it all together. Too many books and instructor-led courses save these topics for later - after bad habits with regards to Java have emerged.

Even though it is a SAMS book, Teach Yourself OOP in 21 Days does an excellent job of bringing it all together early and often. The author wastes no time introducing the UML and patterns in a clear, easy-to-understand format. He even explains and provides code for unit testing (via JUnit).

This book does not teach Java - but it does teach you how you should think about and implement Java applications. I highly recommend it as a companion text to an "Intro to Java" course - espeically for those with previous non-OO development experience.

It's a welcome addition.......2001-11-29

Sam's "Teach Yourself Object Oriented Programming" is a welcome addition to your Java arsenal. Whenever I've started a new language in the past, I would start with a Sam's book for an overview on the subject, followed by a Wrox series book to get more depth, followed by an "Unleashed" or "Professional" book.
This Sam's book is more than an overview. It teaches the full scope of OOP which is what Java is all about. If you need a solid foundation in Java, Sam's Teach Yourself OOP is the way to go.

Sams Teach Yourself J2EE in 21 Days (With CD-ROM)

Average customer rating:

The most complete Java2EE book
At Day 2 you come to a screeching halt
Terrible book
This Book is Obsolete (0 star rating)
Start looking for something else

Sams Teach Yourself J2EE in 21 Days (With CD-ROM)
Dan Haywood , Martin Bond , Peter Roxburgh , Debbie Law , and Andy Longshaw
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Sams Teach Yourself EJB in 21 Days
Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days (4th Edition) (Sams Teach Yourself)
Beginning Java EE 5: From Novice to Professional (Beginning: from Novice to Professional)
Beginning J2EE 1.4: From Novice to Professional (Apress Beginner Series)
The J2EE Tutorial, Second Edition

ASIN: 0672323842

Book Description

J2EE has become required knowledge for any serious Java developer, but learning this large and complex specification requires a substantial investment of time and energy. Sams Teach Yourself J2EE in 21 Days presents the enterprise Java architecture in accessible, easy-to-comprehend lessons, describing how each J2EE tool solves the challenges of n-Tier development. Using the architecture as a roadmap, following chapters describe Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), JavaServer Pages (JSP), servlets, and more, giving readers a full understanding of J2EE development.

Further chapters cover the role of XML, custom JSP tags, and how Java Connectors allow J2EE applications to interact with legacy and non-Java systems. The book finishes with sample applications that put all the pieces together, including an example using J2EE to create Web Services. Along the way, every concept is illustrated with practical, real-world examples to ensure understanding by Java students as well as experts.

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Sams Teach Yourself J2EE in 21 Days introduces the Java 2 Enterprise Edition to Java programmers in 21 straightforward, example-driven lessons. Covers all the features of J2EE, including how they work together to build enterprise applications. Completely up to date with changes in EJB 2.0 and J2EE 1.3. A great next step for readers of the best-selling Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days (over 500,000 copies in print worldwide). J2EE has become required knowledge for any serious Java developer, but learning this large and complex specification requires a substantial investment of time and energy. Sams Teach Yourself J2EE in 21 Days presents the enterprise Java architecture in accessible, easy-to-comprehend lessons, describing how each J2EE tool solves the challenges of n-Tier development. Using the architecture as a roadmap, following chapters describe Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), JavaServer Pages (JSP), Servlets, and more, giving readers a full understanding of J2EE development. Further chapters cover the role of XML, custom JSP tags, and how Java Connectors allow J2EE applications to interact with legacy and non-Java systems. The book finishes with sample applications which put all the pieces together, including an example using J2EE to create Web Services. Along the way, every concept is illustrated with practical examples to ensure understanding by Java students as well as experts. Martin Bond is an IT trainer and consultant who has designed and developed systems using C++, Java, and JavaScirpt and has developed training courses on UNIX programming, Solaris security, Java programming and XML. Dan Haywood specializes in training and technical writing in OO design, Java and J2EE, Sybase technical consulting, and data modeling. Previously, Dan worked at Sybase Professional Services.

Customer Reviews:

The most complete Java2EE book.......2007-09-10

This book covers a wide range of key points in the Java2EE technology, very complete reference for begginers and advanced programmers.

At Day 2 you come to a screeching halt.......2007-06-21

The book and the code you download from Sam's website is based on a Pointbase embedded database, but Java J2EE now comes with a Derby database, so you aren't able to create and install your database. I suppose this book would work as a reference manual for some things, but you definitely won't be able to teach yourself much.

Terrible book.......2007-03-28

The different authors write different chapters defining some things differently.

The material is outdated, you'll constantly have to update their junk to make it work.

Way too verbose and bouncing back and forth within an individual chapter (just try those two early BMP/CMP chapters).

It's just not worth $1.

Use the sun tutorials for a much better and much much clearer start.

This Book is Obsolete (0 star rating).......2007-02-20

The book's case studies, code and build files assume that J2EE 1.4 comes
with the PointBase database server. J2EE 1.4 currently only comes bundled with the Derby database server. As a result, the book is useless. Emails to the publisher failed to resolve the problem.

Start looking for something else.......2005-04-21

The book has a good start. You get to install the necessary components and applications which went very easy. But at teaching yourself J2EE in 21 days this book fails. You get the big picture about J2EE and so on however you don't learn to implement it and program it yourself.
Everything is being approached by there Agency applicatoin which I lacked feeling with.
Allmost every chapter/day is being explained by a piece of there big Agent application which to me is a bad approach. Many times you see some code of about 2 pages but you can't code it yourself because it's not intended to deploy that code. It's just a part of there application with what they want to explain something.. in which they fail to me. Looking at someones unintersting and dry code intended to learn from it, made me allmost fell asleep some times.
I stopt reading it after day 6.
Maybe this book can be used as a reference book later on however if you want to learn programming J2EE applications with it, my advise is to look for something else.

Average customer rating:

Too Dry For Me
Excellent Book
I can't believe I a 21 Days book is this good!
The best ruby intro book for most (but not all) developers
Useful book marred by bad editing and egregious typos

Sams Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days
Mark Slagell
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide, Second Edition
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ASIN: 0672322528

Book Description

Ruby is a high-level, fully object-oriented programming (OOP) language. It is very powerful and relatively easy to learn, read, and maintain.

Sams Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days provides the best introduction to this language and addresses one of the key constraints it faces: "The paucity of quality English-language documentation is one of the few things holding Ruby back from widespread adoption," according to Dr. Curtis Clifton of Iowa State University's Department of Graduate Computer Science.

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Ruby is a high-level, fully object-oriented programming (OOP) language. It is very powerful and relatively easy to learn, read, and maintain. Sams Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days provides the best introduction to this language and addresses one of the key constraints it faces: ""The paucity of quality English-language documentation is one of the few things holding Ruby back from widespread adoption,"" according to Dr. Curtis Clifton of Iowa State University's Department of Graduate Computer Science.

Customer Reviews:

Too Dry For Me.......2007-08-23

This book was too dry for me. In fact, I didn't finish it. I like to open a book and look at the code examples before I buy it but, in this case, I bought it online. It seemed to me that the examples weren't very interesting and had a great deal of math in them. When I pick up a book of this type, if a lot of the examples include math examples, I don't purchase it. I am one of those people that is horrible in math and I usually don't get the examples.

Since I did not read through the entire book, I will give it 3 stars since I just don't know what is in it (besides math). I went with Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide, Second Edition version.

Again, don't take this to heart that one book is better than another. There might have been very valuable information that I missed but, when I want examples, I want real world examples that I can wrap my head around.

Excellent Book.......2007-03-31

This book makes it easy to understand difficult topics in Ruby. I loved the way the authors gradually built up from a simple example and illustrated the complicated concepts. Reminds me of my favorite Electronics teacher in college.

Beginners must read this book.

I can't believe I a 21 Days book is this good!.......2006-02-15

I have read other books from the 21 days series some time ago and was far from impressed. But since introduction books for Ruby are limited, I reluctantly decided to give this one a try. I am happy to say I have no regrets about reading it. I am actually surprised how much I learned from it. This book really serves well anyone who is not familar with Object Oriented programming. The author has presented the chapters in good order and provides clear explanations and example code. The only problem I have with the book is the high number of typos.

The best ruby intro book for most (but not all) developers.......2005-07-07

As of mid '05, this book is a little dated and is a couple of versions behind the current (1.8.2) release of ruby. Regardless, it still covers all of the necessary basics and in a very reader friendly order. The book is said to be written assuming no prior programming experience - however such a book as this is not really an introduction to programming. It does serve as a great introduction for just about anyone with some experience with just about any recent language - such as java, vb, vb.net or c#, and especially perl or python. The writing is clear and applies well towards learning. At times it may go a little too slow for the developer with experience behind them; however they should be able to read the entire book with its exercises in much less than a week with no problems; and be fairly productive in ruby at the end.

Like most beginners books, you'll want to follow up with a more thorough book like the Dave Thomas' pickaxe or The Ruby Way - but this is more than enough to get someone started. Just keep in mind that you are only going to learn the basics - if you have several years of practice behind you, especially if you understand the difference between a dynamic language like ruby and static ones like java and c# - then you will be better off skipping this one and going with the pickaxe book (search for Dave Thomas). Otherwise this is a great intro.

Useful book marred by bad editing and egregious typos.......2003-04-30

This book is marred by sloppy editing -- the devil is in the details. A casual reading turned up no less than five places where the meaning of illustrative materials or figures thwarted or contradicted the author's intent (and, in some cases, machine logic!) There is one diagram that was slapped onto the pasteboard and scanned to plate in an obvious hurry -- wiping out the top 8 pts of a 10 on 12 pts line of text. Aside from these pitfalls, the book has a chatty, conversational style guaranteed to drive advanced programmers from other disciplines (C, C++, Perl) up the wall. Since only advanced programmers can recognize the many errors, and only newbies will benefit from the chatty style, I can't really give this more than three stars, even though the author is obviously more proficient than SAMS' slapdash editing would indicate.

Average customer rating:

Solid Teaching Aid - but be prepared
I Definately did not like this book
Don't be put off by the title!
Good guide to IDE
GOOD BOOK FOR DELPHI BEGINNERS

Sams Teach Yourself Delphi 4 in 21 Days
Kent Reisdorph
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Delphi in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))
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Mastering Delphi 4 (Mastering)

ASIN: 0672312867

Amazon.com

This title brings the popular three-week tutorial format to aspiring Delphi 4 programmers, combining plenty of hands-on knowledge of the most essential features of Delphi 4, including its strong database capabilities. This book is a good choice for the beginner or intermediate programmer who wants to get a solid foundation in Delphi 4 development in a minimal amount of time.

The book begins with the basics of the Delphi programming environment and object-oriented Pascal. The author then explains the fundamentals of developing with the Visual Component Library (VCL) and discusses how to build basic user interfaces and menus using Delphi 4 design tools. This first section also includes excellent material on graphics and multimedia programming.

Further chapters examine the basics of building database programs, again using Delphi wizards. More advanced topics include building and using dynamic link-libraries (DLLs) and ActiveX components, plus creating Web-browser applications with Delphi's support for Internet controls.

Though this tutorial stresses the basics, there's quite a bit of material here on the finer points of programming using the built-in abilities of Delphi. There's also good attention to using the wizards and tools that help make Delphi a much more productive environment. --Richard Dragan

Book Description

Sams Teach Yourself Delphi 4 in 21 Days contains 750 pages of all new content. The tutorial information for programmers and developers will include complete coverage of Delphi 4's enhanced features with a client/server emphasis. Topics will include compatible component development, enterprise-wide integration, Internet enabling tools, Intranet development and beginning coverage of Borland's MIDAS architecture. No other tutorial offers this level of coverage. A Sams Teach Yourself book is the perfect introduction to an upper-level development tool such as Delphi. Note: This book and CD will be an all new edition - both book and CD content.

Customer Reviews:

Solid Teaching Aid - but be prepared.......2003-07-05

I purchased this book, without having any background in programming in any computer language, except a small amount of Basic & HTML, hoping for fast results. The truth is that although the book is comprehensive and user friendly, it relys heavily on a pre existing knowledge of the subject matter and is really NOT for the absolute beginner. My only other observation would be the constant "I'll cover that part later" aspect of the text, which is very frustrating, and makes the reader want to skip ahead to consolidate learning. I would certainly recommend this book, but only as an addition to the library of someone who knew a great deal about Delphi first, without which 21 days is optomistic at best!

I Definately did not like this book.......2001-11-24

After reading all the reviews this book had I was very surprise to see how terrible this book is. Make sure not to buy this book I was very very disapointed, it is supposed to be for an intrudoctory level, but this book is way below that, the only person who should by this book is someone who has never used a computer. This is very disapointing considerint other Sam publication. Botom Line DON BUY THIS BOOK

Don't be put off by the title!.......2001-10-04

An ideal book for anyone who wishes to begin learning Delphi (version 4, 5 or 6). I an experienced Visual Basic programmer and purchased Delphi 5 hoping to use the on-line documentation to learn Delphi but found it too advanced and not an ideal learning environment. (On-line help tends to be a great reference tool but it's always hard to learn from.) I then purchased the Delphi Developerýs Guide, which seems to be regarded as the best book on the subject. Although a superb book in its own right, its not aimed at beginners. I have now completed the Samýs Delphi 4 in 21 days, and let me say, itýs a terrific book for beginners, which teaches in a lesson format, which is actually surprisingly easy and fun to follow. Donýt be put off by the Version 4 title either, all the lessons work just fine in Delphi 5.

Good guide to IDE.......2001-07-27

I used this book as my introduction to Delphi and found it useful, but less than ideal.

The early chapters of the book gave a good introduction to the basics of Delphi programming, and in particular the many tricks which Delphi has to make programming easier.

If all you intend to do is produce a program to present databases in a particular way this book will probably meet your needs fine.

My reservations relate to the presentation of information about the language itself. The explanation of the various features of classes seemed sketchy, and left me unsure of when I should use what sort of features. I had hoped that the chapter on "Advanced programming techniques" would help, but this focused on elements which "polish" a programme, but don't bridge the gap to a finished application of any real complexity.

I didn't bother finishing the last few chapters on matters such as producing components and DLLs as I felt I needed to learn more about classes, properties and datastreams before I would benefit.

GOOD BOOK FOR DELPHI BEGINNERS.......2001-02-09

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK. IF YOU ARE A PROGRAMMING BEGINNER, DON`T BUY IT. THERE ARE MANY BASIC PROGRAMMING SUBJECTS IN THIS BOOK THAT AREN`T EXPLAINED VERY WELL, GO AND FIND SOME BASIC PROGRAMMING BOOK FOR BEGINNERS.

IN THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU ARE A C++ BUILDER, VISUAL BASIC OR ANY OTHER PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE PROGRAMMER THAT WANTS TO LEARN DELPHI, THIS BOOK WILL REALLY HELP YOU GET THE BASICS OF THE BEST AND MOST POWERFULL DEVELOPMENT TOOL THAT IS DELPHI. IF THIS IS YOUR CASE, DON`T WASTE YOUR TIME AND CLICK THE ADD TO CART BUTTON RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!! BUY IT!!!!

THE END OF CHAPTERS EXCERCISES AND QUESTIONS REALLY HELP YOU TO GET THE KNOWLEDGE.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for starting professionals.......1998-06-18

I dont know why there is no body who has given any comment on this book. I started my professional programming career with this book. One of the greatest book to start with when you want to migrate from C approach to programming to Object Oriented approach to programming, clears concepts of objects in a jiffy.

I am desperately searching for a copy of this book or a later version based on VC++ 5.0

Book Description

The drag-and-drop power of Borland C++ Builder is yours to command with Teach Yourself Borland C++ Builder in 21 Days. In no time, you'll be able to rapidly build programs from reusable components. Using the methods taught in this book, you can increase your productivity and leverage your knowledge of C++ and Delpi to develop mainstream application. The proven, step-by-step techniques of the Teach Yourself series show you how to accomplish specific tasks with this powerful new programming interface. You'll also learn more advanced techniques and features of this new development tool, allowing you to easily make the switch from C++ to Borland C++ Builder application development.So stop programming C++ the old-fashioned way, and start tapping into the visual programming power of Borland C++ Builder!

Workshops, Q&A's, Do's and Don'ts reinforce the information found in each chapter
Provides coverage of Ebony development tools, the Ebony IDE, debugging, structured programming, program flow control, DLLs, branching, data manipulation, and pointers
CD-ROM includes a 60-day trial version of Borland C++Builder, a collection of Visual Component Library extras, and all of the examples in the book

Customer Reviews:

deleted.......2002-07-30

deleted

A very good way to start using C++Builder.......2002-02-05

Like most Teach Yourself books, this book is intended for the beginner-to-intermediate developer. I have to say, it fully delivers. It is not for the C++Builder wizard....

What I like most about the book is the obvious command of C++ the authors have. To get to read two C++ experts teach us how to use one of the best C++ tools out there is a real treat. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

kairodark (developer and reverse engineer).......2001-08-07

I've found the compiler documentation to be inadiquate, so I got this book to hopefully help out. It's well written and covers a lot of useful information, however this book is best suited for newbies. It is not at all suited for advanced programmers, but is more than adequate for those just beginning.

One of the best programming books I've ever read.......2001-04-09

I wish I could give this book ten stars, because I would - it's that good. The best part of the book is the level it's written at. Not too high, not too low - it's just right. The book is to the point - it doesn't mess around with flowery language or other nonsense. And it's so thorough - particularly the database stuff - that you never get lost. Well-written and loaded with valuable info, ever C++Builder developer ought to read this book.

Timeless.......2001-02-21

Isn't it amazing how great books stand the test of time? With the way technology is always changing, you might not expect computer books to last very long, but this one has real staying power.

I've read some of Henderson's other books and this one lives up to the tradition of excellence. He's a born writer and his gift for explaining the complex in terms anyone could understand is evident throughout this book.

What I like most about Henderson's work is that you get the impression that he put himself in your shoes for a bit and wrote the book from the perspective of what you'd want to know. Honestly, just about the time I'm ready to ask a question, he answers it!

Download Description

This book is focused on ""getting the concepts"" as well as teaching how to apply OOP concepts in the new version of Visual Basic. The reader is not expected to have any mastery of a given OOP language. In fact, the stress of having to learn the syntax of an OOP language, without first having a strong conceptual foundation about the OOP paradigm, often prevents the programmer from doing effective Object Oriented Programming at the language level. However, a beginner's knowledge of the Visual Basic language is a definite plus.

Customer Reviews:

not as good but it contains some good stuff.......2004-03-06

hello! you can purchase this book for 2 bucks from amazon used. This book is a little bit obsolete and the first time i started programming vb.net I threw it away thinking that was really bad. Yes, you get really confused on the first chapters as a beginner in vb.net when typing stuff that doesnt work.(the truth is that it was written for a vb.net beta version and some things changed.) Now, after I;ve become familiar with vb.net, i find this book pretty good in clarifying some parts that other books dont explain properly.

If you disregard some examples for databases and just look around the book you will have something to gain. I dont recommend this book to beginners but, I do recommend it to more advanced or intermediate vb.net developpers. Its level is not that hard, it contains easy examples and I think this book would be a waste of time for vb.net experts since they will already be familiar with the contents of this book.

Where's the 2nd Edition?.......2003-01-10

This book is not well written, it looks like the book was based on a Beta Version of Visual Studio .NET, and was never validated against the final release version of VB.NET.

I like creating the programming examples from the book, I find that helps me to learn the product better and faster, however, I could not get the programs to work correctly when entered from the book.

I stopped reading the book after the first chapter, because the information is incorrect.

huge improvements needed..........2002-12-19

this book attempts to teach the reader how to develop VB.net applications using object-oriented methodologies.
While it tries in meeting this objective, it falls short in a few areas.
First, the codes in the book seem to be different from what you get, even when you follow the authors' guidelines religiously. Some lines of code just appear almost from nowhere; some of those that are accounted for are mysteriously rearranged in the book.
The authors' coding styles are neither here nor there. They do not seem to be within easy grasp of the VB.net newby or at the league of the blackbelt category.
Secondly, there are several omissions and inadequate explanations in the text. The authors obviously know their jobs. But they have difficulty imparting that knowledge to their readers. 21 chapters in a book of 360 pages mean each chapter, including the code snippets and screenshots, occupy less than 18 pages. Not that I am a fan of fluff, but I believe that adequate explanations would require many more pages.
Thirdly, a few explanations are simply wrong. E.g. you don't save files with .visual basic extension, but with .vb; neither do you write:

Me.TextBox.AcceptReturn = True
Me.TextBox.MultiLine = True
.......

But you write:

With Me.TextBox
.AcceptReturn = True
.MultiLine = True
.......
End With

I gave it three stars because it gives the reader a bird's eye-view of what OOP looks like in VB.net. But that's how far this book can go. If you really want to learn OOP in better details, you will need to use additional resources--either one that is geared to the newbies, or one that is aimed at the gurus out there. This hermaphrodite of a book defies easy placement.

Help - I'm confused.......2002-06-21

After spending heaps of time sudyinh the UML - finally a book that brings OOP - UML and VB.NET together. I was wrong. After 1 chapter where the code doesn't match the examples in the book and where saving visual basic id actually .vb I am thouroughly lost and confused.

Not for beginners.......2002-04-25

This book claims to be for newbees to VB. All I can say is there isn't much ground work to build on. On page 10 it says "save the file as "SimpleMsg.visual basic" which is wrong but it took me a while to find out why the IDE wasn't formatting my text. In the first code for a form, two different variables are given the same name. Now maybe thats really a good idea but I found it pretty confusing. This book feels like it was written by someone who had forgotten what its like to be starting fresh with VB.

Teach Yourself More C++ in 21 Days (Sams Teach Yourself)

Average customer rating:

ANSI C++, focused on unique application
a great advanced C++ book
It really helped me learn more c++ in 21 days
Another unbeleivable book by Jesse Liberty!!!!

Teach Yourself More C++ in 21 Days (Sams Teach Yourself)
Jesse Liberty
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0672306573

Customer Reviews:

ANSI C++, focused on unique application.......2001-11-17

Although this book is billed as an advanced C++ book, in my opinion it only reaches the intermediate level. A more appropriate title should have been, "building a PIM." While this book examines a variety of subjects: sorting, B-Trees, indexing, disk I/O, it strays into "synonyms" (interesting feature) and specific requirements of the example program.

On the plus side, the author understands B-Trees and labors to explain them. This is the first author that actually mentions pages used within the b-tree, and this b-tree is presented in a real example, not just an example in memory.

The example program is a personal informational manager (PIM) called ROBIN. And the author introduces topics while building the program, in an attempt to give the reader a real-life application for the code written from the exercises. This PIM application is implemented in a command-line environment.

The author focuses on ANSI standard C++, and the code can be used on a variety of platforms. This book provides a lot of usable source and examples, but unfortunately few programmers will need to implement their own indexed flat files.

Interesting read. The author also lightly touches on design concepts, and offers some advice.

What is NOT covered: GUI, STL, advanced polymorphism, MFC collection classes, or Microsoft specific technology.

a great advanced C++ book.......2001-09-07

This book broadens the reader's C++ point of view. By carefully follow examples in the book, you will gain a lot confidence in the C++ world!

It really helped me learn more c++ in 21 days.......1999-07-10

This book is the best c++ book that i've ever seen. The author must be a genius. All C++ books in this world are rubbish except 'Teach yourself more c++ in 21 days'.

Another unbeleivable book by Jesse Liberty!!!!.......1998-12-23

I cant beleive that this book isn't still in print!!!! Only 3 weks to learn EVEN MORE C++!!@!! And the best part is it has so many errorrs that you REALLY HAVE TO LEARN IT YOURSELF! FIND THIS BOOK AND TEACH YOURSELF A LESSON!!!!!

Sams Teach Yourself ATL Programming in 21 Days (Teach Yourself -- Hours)

Average customer rating:

ATL Programming in 21 Days
Not enough fundamentals early on...
Superb Learning Tool
An essential reference for aspiring ATL programmers.

Sams Teach Yourself ATL Programming in 21 Days (Teach Yourself -- Hours)
Kenn Scribner
Manufacturer: Sams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

Developer's Workshop to COM and ATL 3.0
ATL Developer's Guide
ATL Internals (The Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)
Beginning Atl Com Programming (Beginning)

ASIN: 0672318679

Book Description

Sams Teach Yourself ATL Programming in 21 Days quickly empowers you to create your own small, fast COM components quickly and easily using the Active Template Library. Written by a professional developer who applies ATL in his everyday development, the book provides guidance and direction, leading you through a progression of topics that begin with the basic building blocks of COM programming, and ending with in-depth discussions of the more commonly used features of the Active Template Library. Topics include creating your first ATL COM object, understanding the ATL architecture, using the ATL app wizard, working with ATL helper classes, handling ATL errors, using C++ templates, using multithreading, creating ATL applications, automation with ATL, combining ATL and OLE dB for database access, and using ATL with MTS (transactions).

Download Description

Customer Reviews:

ATL Programming in 21 Days.......2000-11-09

Very good good book. It's really tech you the basic block of the ATL programming and the background that you need to move from Regular Visual c++ applications to ATL. The writer is going step by step How ever this book it not for Visual c++ beginners or if you are looking to become an expert in ATL. I was more interested in the DB and IIS aspects using ATL but it only give you the general idea.

Not enough fundamentals early on..........2000-11-01

I have recently started learning ATL (having read Inside COM by Dale Rogerson and some of Don Box). Teach Yourself ATL was my first ATL book. Bad Move...

His overall approach is, in my opinion, inappropriate. After having read 8 chapters I found myself thinking what do I know? I understand how to use the Wizards, but I still have no idea how the IUknown interface is implemented, or how objects are instantiated. In my opinion the only way to COM/ATL success is to understand what the Wizards are doing. Sure they're great in incredibly speeding up the COM development time but if you don't understand what their doing, your hardly any better off.

Kenn gives you the concepts well enough but concept after concept after concept eventually becomes meaningless unless you can see the dirty detail in action. The book is not a write-off but as a beginners text it didn't suit me.

Personally I found Tom Armstrongs "ATL Developers guide" much better. Instead of developing clients in MFC with all the extra messy details, he used bare-bones console apps which allow you to focus purely on COM/ATL. He talks about what ATL is doing and how the basics of COM is implemented. ATL at this level is dirty, messy stuff but its fundamental.

Superb Learning Tool.......2000-06-09

This book provides a tight, insightful introduction to ATL programming for the windows programmer moving to COM via ATL. Its also extremely useful as a reference tool.

A won't regret purchase and addition to the programmer's bookshelf.

An essential reference for aspiring ATL programmers........2000-05-05

Kenn Scribner's Teach Yourself Atl Programming In 21 Days provides would-be programmers with the fundamentals of using the Active Template Library system for programming. From using its many features to applying them to real-world business solutions, this provides a chapter-by-chapter study program of lessons which can be either followed methodically or browsed for maximum impact.

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