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O’Reilly Releases Windows Developer Power Tools
Turbocharge Windows Development With 170+ Free Tools
Sebastopol, CA—Early power tools were built with steel casings, copper windings, and plenty of ball bearings, with an end result so solid that the tools were almost too heavy to lift. In spite of the tools’ unwieldiness, tradesmen were quick to implement them, recognizing from the start that the boost in productivity these tools delivered would ensure a competitive edge in the marketplace. Although the power tools used in Windows software development are typically not unwieldy, they have something else in common with those first handheld tools: they’ve been snapped up eagerly by users who’ve seen in them the same promise of increased productivity, efficiency, and competitive edge.”The software industry is a very competitive place, so it’s critical for developers to find some edge over competition,” says Jim Holmes, coauthor with James Avery of the newly released Windows Developer Power Tools (O’Reilly, US $59.99). The book is an encyclopedic guide to more than 170 free and open source programming tools, components, and frameworks contributed by 60 top Windows developers. It follows a unique task-oriented organization, presenting topics in the same order in which developers working on a project are likely to encounter them. More than simply listing the tools, “Windows Developer Power Tools” helps developers choose the right ones for solving both common and uncommon problems they face each day.
“This book helps folks learn where they can speed up their development, solve tough problems, and boost the quality of their code,” Holmes continues. “There is a wealth of tools that can save them a lot of effort, particularly in areas they might not have thought about before.”
Among the free and open source tools, utilities, and widgets available today, developers can find everything from complete frameworks that provide applications straight out of the box to tiny gadgets that do only small tasks, but do them very well. Avery and Holmes list other reasons why free and open source tools are so appealing: the large support networks existing for many of them; the creative passion behind the tools that isn’t typically found in commercial software; no required number of licenses to purchase; and finally, the just-plain-coolness of the tools.
“You can delve into the source code and see how industry leaders like Charlie Poole, Ward Cunningham, or Ron Jeffries write their code,” note Holmes and Avery. “That’s an amazing resource to help you expand your knowledge and improve your own code.”
The book was written primarily for .NET developers, but anyone who writes software for the Windows platform—Java, Ruby, PHP, and other developers—will find useful tools to help them in the tasks they do every day. The book includes forewords by Mike Gunderloy and Scott Hanselman, operators of the two most popular tools sites for Microsoft developers.
About the Authors
James Avery has been programming with Microsoft technologies for the last seven years and working with .NET since the second beta release. He is currently working as a consultant in the Cincinnati area building enterprise-level .NET applications. Avery has worked on a number of books, most recently “ASP.NET Setup and Configuration Pocket Reference” for Microsoft Press. He’s also written articles for MSDN magazine, ASPToday, and is a frequent blogger. Avery has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP, ASPInsider, and is an MCSD.NET.
Jim Holmes, a Microsoft MVP, has nearly 25 years experience in the IT industry, including network management, systems analysis, and software development in Perl, Java, C++, and .NET. He’s the founder of the Dayton .NET Developers Group and co-founder of the Dayton-Cincinnati Code Camp. He’s a frequent blogger and writes a weekly column for VisualStudioHacks.com.
Background and Market Information:
del.icio.us/oreillymedia/powertools
Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527549/
Windows Developer Power Tools
James Avery and Jim Holmes
ISBN: 0-596-52754-3, 1263 pages, $59.99 US, $77.99 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
www.oreilly.com
O’Reilly Releases Java and XML, Third Edition
New Edition Gives Java Developers a Practical Approach to Using XML
Sebastopol, CA—With each new edition of Java and XML (O’Reilly, US $49.99), it becomes apparent that neither Java nor XML are technologies to stand still. “A lot has changed—again!” says Brett McLaughlin, coauthor of the new third edition of the book, with Justin Edelson.
“The second edition, released in 2001, was really about the wealth of new APIs that had become available for working with XML from Java,” recalls McLaughlin. “Instead of just SAX and DOM, there were now APIs to work with databases, objects, registries in LDAP, and even APIs to making working with other APIs easier. Now things have shifted in the Java and XML world once again, and the focus is on ease of use. While any good Java programmer still should have a command of SAX and DOM, using XML has become even easier, and terms like Ajax and data binding should be part of any competent Java programmer’s vocabulary.
“This third edition of Java and XML reflects that change in usage: while the depth in the core XML APIs remains, an increased focus is laid on usability,” McLaughlin adds. “We detail not only how you can do something, but some of the tried and true, ‘best’ ways to do those things.”
The book is written for intermediate to advanced Java developers who need to use XML, including developers involved in the new peer-to-peer movement, messaging, or web services, or those involved with developing software for electronic commerce.
“The ideal reader is someone who wants to get up and running quickly with any of the technologies discussed in the book but is also willing to potentially go back and dig a little deeper,” says Edelson. “Java sometimes suffers from affording developers too many choices, and this book can be a guide through the wide variety of XML libraries. Readers will be able to look at just about any application involving XML processing and determine the most effective processing technique to use.”
Says Edelson, “Web content syndication, primarily in terms of RSS, has exploded in the past few years; if you have any sort of serious web presence, an RSS feed is pretty much required. This was something that was touched on in the second edition, but warranted a whole chapter in the third. In addition to RSS, StAX has become much more important as it’s included with the standard Java runtime, starting with the recently released Java 6.”
Brett McLaughlin has worked in computers since the Logo days. (Remember the little triangle?) In recent years, he’s become one of the most well known authors and programmers in the Java and XML communities. He’s worked for Nextel Communications, implementing complex enterprise systems; at Lutris Technologies, actually writing application servers; and most recently at O’Reilly Media, Inc., where he continues to write and edit books that matter. His list to date includes Head Rush Ajax, Java 5.0 Tiger: A Developer’s Notebook, and Java and XML.
Justin Edelson has been a software developer for over ten years, specializing in web development for media and entertainment companies. He has contributed extensively to high-profile web sites and applications for brands such as MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Spike TV, Nickelodeon, and MSN. Recently he has been instrumental to MTV Networks’ wide-ranging suite of mobile products, which includes messaging, ringtones, wallpapers, games, and mobile video channels, in partnership with all major U.S. carriers.
Background and Market Information:
del.icio.us/oreillymedia/java&xml
Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: oreilly.com/catalog/9780596101497/
Java and XML, Third Edition
Brett D. McLaughlin and Justin Edelson
ISBN: 0-596-10149-X, 465 pages, $49.99 US, $64.99 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
O’Reilly Releases MySQL Cookbook, Second Edition
Timesaving Recipes for Database Developers and DBAs
At first take, MySQL lacks the glamour surrounding sexy Web 2.0 technologies. It is, after all, a database. But in fact, it serves as the backbone for much of what we see and use online, and as such—though lacking in sexiness—makes up for it in sturdiness, power, and flexibility. This explains why it’s giving the two top deployed databases a run for their money, holding its own with millions of active MySQL installations, and tens of thousands of downloads per day.
Both experienced MySQL users and those dealing with their first installation have one thing in common: they face everyday programming dilemmas and data manipulation challenges that slow them down. These database developers and DBAs will find the answers they need in the new, second edition of MySQL Cookbook (O’Reilly, US $49.99) by Paul Dubois. “The book doesn’t attempt to develop full-fledged, complex applications,” says Dubois. “Instead, it assists you in developing applications yourself by helping you get past problems that have you stumped.”
The book provides a wealth of recipes including how to access data from multiple tables at the same time, find matches or mismatches between rows in two tables, store images into MySQL and retrieve them for display in web pages, and much more. “Readers won’t just find code, though,” notes Dubois. “They’ll get the explanations of how and why the code works so they can adapt the techniques to other similar situations.”
Highlights:
“Many people sense how powerful a tool MySQL is, but don’t have a lot of training to draw on when faced with common database-related tasks,” says Dubois. “This book provides the how-to that will enable them to solve problems and exploit MySQL more fully.”
Paul Dubois was one of the first contributors to the online MySQL Reference Manual, the documentation project that supported administrators and developers in the opening years of MySQL in the late 1990s. He’s written several books on MySQL, including the first edition of MySQL Cookbook.
Background and Market Information:
del.icio.us/oreillymedia/mysqlcookbook
Additional Resources:
For more information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and cover graphic, see: oreilly.com/catalog/mysqlckbk2/
MySQL Cookbook, Second Edition
Paul Dubois
ISBN: 0-596-52708-x, 948 pages, $49.99 US, $64.99 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
