Book Description
Ruby is an increasingly popular, fully object-oriented dynamic programming language, hailed by many practitioners as the finest and most useful language available today. When Ruby first burst onto the scene in the Western world, the Pragmatic Programmers were there with the definitive reference manual, Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide.
Now in its second edition, author Dave Thomas has expanded the famous Pickaxe book with over 200 pages of new content, covering all the improved language features of Ruby 1.8 and standard library modules. The Pickaxe contains four major sections:
- An acclaimed tutorial on using Ruby.
- The definitive reference to the language.
- Complete documentation on all built-in classes, modules, and methods
- Complete descriptions of all 98 standard libraries.
If you enjoyed the First Edition, you'll appreciate the expanded content, including enhanced coverage of installation, packaging, documenting Ruby source code, threading and synchronization, and enhancing Ruby's capabilities using C-language extensions. Programming for the World Wide Web is easy in Ruby, with new chapters on XML/RPC, SOAP, distributed Ruby, templating systems, and other web services. There's even a new chapter on unit testing.
This is the definitive reference manual for Ruby, including a description of all the standard library modules, a complete reference to all built-in classes and modules (including more than 250 significant changes since the First Edition). Coverage of other features has grown tremendously, including details on how to harness the sophisticated capabilities of irb, so you can dynamically examine and experiment with your running code. "Ruby is a wonderfully powerful and useful language, and whenever I'm working with it this book is at my side" --Martin Fowler, Chief Scientist, ThoughtWorks
Customer Reviews:
Well written, easy to follow, accurate. Great book!.......2007-10-17
I attended a Rails class with Dave Thomas and used this book as a bit of a "study-up" leading up to it. The book provides easy-to-understand explanations of Ruby methods and excellent examples. Thomas and company perfectly understand the audience of the book and can get anyone programming effective and elegant Ruby in a short period of time. This book remains an excellent reference I keep on my desk and use regularly, as well. It will become a key part of your programming library!
So far, So good!.......2007-10-17
For someone coming from a limited background in web development, but with a keen interest in Ruby (and Rails, the framework built for Ruby), this book has been fantastic.
The best thing I can say is that Ruby 'feels' somewhat intuitive. A vague statement, for sure, but until you take what is taught in the book, and venture out with your own ideas you will not know what I mean, nor will you grasp the language. This book does a great job of breaking the language down and encouraging the reader to experiment.
By and large, I am a fan of the Pragmatic Programmer books. They have never let me down.
This book is very big, weighing in at 830 pages. I'm not even half way through yet. There is certainly more information than I expected. If you are a complete beginner, like I was, I would suggest starting with Pine's "Learn to Program (Pragmatic Programmers)" from Pragmatic. It is a short, non-threatening book, teaching the basics of Ruby programming. Then move on to Programming Ruby (or, 'Pickaxe' as it is lovingly referred to).
Either way, this book should be on your short list.
A fantastic introduction to Ruby.......2007-10-16
I'm taking a class in Ruby Programming, and this is one of the required texts. It's comprehensive without being overly complicated, though it's a reference rather than a tutorial.
Good, but far from perfect........2007-08-27
This book is a great reference, but the tutorial is somewhat confusing. This has two main reasons:
1. Ruby itself is a somewhat confusing language. Really. Don't believe all the hype surrounding it. I'm not saying it isn't good, but it uses lots of concepts which aren't that common in other languages and the syntax is unnecessarily bizarre sometimes. Python has everything Ruby has, but it's *always* legible, clean and - let's face it - beautiful.
2. The top-down approach of the tutorial isn't efficient if you've never programmed before. I have a good deal of experience with other languages, so it was quite straightforward to me, but if that wasn't the case - and this book is also targeted at the newbie audience - I'd probably be lost sometimes.
That said, this is still THE book to get if you're interested in learning Ruby, at least until someone writes a better one.
Not for a Java programmer.......2007-07-26
Information is set in a haphazard manner. Cannot get a clear picture of how a Ruby program is structured.For ex: Chapter 4 is on "Containers, Blocks, and Iterators". Chapter 7 "Expressions" again has different information on Loops, Iterators, For ... In, Variable Scope, Loops, and Blocks etc.
Book Description
Hax and Mailuf offer a pragmatic approach to strategic management, offering practicing managers and business readers a disciplined process that facilitates the formulation and implementation of strategy.
Most comprehensive, integrated, explicit approach to strategy formulation; Proctor & Gamble used as a running case throughout the text. Other real world examples include NKK and Merck; global perspective, companies are drawn from all over the world.
Customer Reviews:
The Strategy Concept and Process.......2002-04-02
Need to know about the fundamental concept and process in Strategy? read this book, you will find a comprehensive description in "easy to understand" language, even that you're a beginner in Strategic Management. This book is a usefull guide for anyone, no matter you're a undergraduate, Graduate or Doctoral student. A state of the art of Strategic Management.
Learn To Develop a Strategic Plan and Capture the Essence.......2000-10-05
Basically, this book aims at making strategy concepts and techniques very clear to readers. In this book, strategy concepts were translated into well-considered formulations.
While reading book, you will see this property many times and it will help you better understand the abstract concepts. When you finished the book, you will be able to place your strategy theory on a strong base. No longer you will think that "Strategy Is a Staff Work." This book will give you the framework in which strategic plans are developed.
And lastly, you will find a lot of cases related to the theory in this invaluable book. I higly recommend..
very usefull in the field.......1999-04-06
Very exciting knowledge from the expert
A clear and compehensive methodology to make a strategy.......1998-08-03
The book present a clear and comprehensive methodology to make a strategy at three levels: corporate, business and functional. Include the Porter and BCG analysis. The method explain each step to make a complete analysis of the business before the formulation of the strategy. Each step is practical and adaptive to any kind of business.
Amazon.com
Programmers are craftspeople trained to use a certain set of tools (editors, object managers, version trackers) to generate a certain kind of product (programs) that will operate in some environment (operating systems on hardware assemblies). Like any other craft, computer programming has spawned a body of wisdom, most of which isn't taught at universities or in certification classes. Most programmers arrive at the so-called tricks of the trade over time, through independent experimentation. In The Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas codify many of the truths they've discovered during their respective careers as designers of software and writers of code.
Some of the authors' nuggets of pragmatism are concrete, and the path to their implementation is clear. They advise readers to learn one text editor, for example, and use it for everything. They also recommend the use of version-tracking software for even the smallest projects, and promote the merits of learning regular expression syntax and a text-manipulation language. Other (perhaps more valuable) advice is more light-hearted. In the debugging section, it is noted that, "if you see hoof prints think horses, not zebras." That is, suspect everything, but start looking for problems in the most obvious places. There are recommendations for making estimates of time and expense, and for integrating testing into the development process. You'll want a copy of The Pragmatic Programmer for two reasons: it displays your own accumulated wisdom more cleanly than you ever bothered to state it, and it introduces you to methods of work that you may not yet have considered. Working programmers will enjoy this book. --David Wall
Topics covered: A useful approach to software design and construction that allows for efficient, profitable development of high-quality products. Elements of the approach include specification development, customer relations, team management, design practices, development tools, and testing procedures. This approach is presented with the help of anecdotes and technical problems.
Book Description
If I'm putting together a project, it's the authors of this book that I want. . . . And failing that I'd settle for people who've read their book." -- Ward Cunningham
Straight from the programming trenches, The Pragmatic Programmer cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process--taking a requirement and producing working, maintainable code that delights its users. It covers topics ranging from personal responsibility and career development to architectural techniques for keeping your code flexible and easy to adapt and reuse. Read this book, and you'll learn how to
- Fight software rot;
- Avoid the trap of duplicating knowledge;
- Write flexible, dynamic, and adaptable code;
- Avoid programming by coincidence;
- Bullet-proof your code with contracts, assertions, and exceptions;
- Capture real requirements;
- Test ruthlessly and effectively;
- Delight your users;
- Build teams of pragmatic programmers; and
- Make your developments more precise with automation.
Written as a series of self-contained sections and filled with entertaining anecdotes, thoughtful examples, and interesting analogies, The Pragmatic Programmer illustrates the best practices and major pitfalls of many different aspects of software development. Whether you're a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, use these lessons daily, and you'll quickly see improvements in personal productivity, accuracy, and job satisfaction. You'll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You'll become a Pragmatic Programmer.
Customer Reviews:
Good principles, but they don't deep on them.......2007-08-14
It's undeniable that this book is full of good values, principles, and techniques that programmers should strive to follow in order to delivery good software. In spite of it, almost none of the topics covered by the authors go deep into the subject, what opens space, in my opinion, for future improvements.
It is far overrated.......2007-07-27
I have read the book mainly based on its high rate in the software development topics.
I agree with almost all the reviews ranging from 1 star to 5 stars.
Why I gave 1 star only is to bring down the overall rating. I have no personal contact with the authors and I don't think it is a bad book either, it is just shallow, as pointed out by many reviewers already.
If you are new to software development, it is fine for you to read it, you will learn something from the book, but I would say, Code Complete and Code Craft are far more interesting and systematic books than this one.
If you are a senior developer like me, please don't waste your time and money on this book, it is not for you. You probably could write some book like this if you are determined enough.
Sorry, authors, please forgive me. I am not attaching you at all, I just wanted to be fair.
Actually, I was kind of stupid since I didn't understand the book title very well, it already said there, in black and white, "From Journeyman to Master", what it means? It means if you are a junior developer, this book can shorten your learning curve to become a master.
Hope this review helps you make your decision.
Thanks
This book is a must for every serious programmer.......2007-04-04
This book is the best book that covers programming and how to work as a programmer that I have ever read. It is down-to-earth, funny and with lots of insights. The way it is structured, with very direct recommendations, make it an ideal book to use as a base for team consensus when it concerns the really important parts of software development. This book really shines.
Provides non-programmers with fascinating insights into professional tricks of the trade.......2007-04-01
I come to this book from a slightly odd perspective. Although I have some programming experience, it is very minor, and my current job is focused on strategy and project management rather than the nuts and bolts of coding. I bought the book hoping that it would give me a glimpse into the minds of the senior engineers I work with every day. This it did, quite successfully.
There are seventy numbered tips divided into rough categories. The challenge for me was to distinguish those that nearly all programmers would agree with ("always use source control") from those that may represent a preference of the author ("design with contracts"). An obvious way of doing this would be to review every tip with a programmer you respected. But if you plan to do this, try to buy the poor guy a beer afterwards. That's a lot of tips.
I also found very quickly that the subtitle of the book was no joke. These tips will help propel a programmer from "journeyman to master", but they are a stretch if, like me, you are a relative beginner. Nothing written here is conceptually outside the grasp of anyone who has done coding outside the classroom, but many of the implications and details escaped me until I talked them over with experienced professionals. It doesn't pretend to be a book for beginners, and by gum, it's not.
There is also a very heavy emphasis on testing and automation throughout the text. While much of the time this is obviously a good idea, it is focused on a certain type of programming whose core challenges are on the back end, and not user facing. Perhaps there is a method of testing that would catch the UI errors and usability problems that crop up so often when developing for the web, but if they were described I didn't catch them.
I would recommend this book to anyone working with programmers on a professional basis. It helps to understand some of their tools and processes, although not every engineer agrees with every tip presented. If you're learning how to program yourself though, I recommend you wait on this one till you're through a few more introductory texts.
A must for junior programmers, good reference for senior developers.......2007-03-21
This book is well written and contains valuable information about software development and practices.
It is highly recommended if you are starting in this field as this will set you up and get you going in the right direction.
If you are, however, an experienced software developer you can quickly skim through it. There was very little new for me. My colleagues and I already follow many of the practices mentioned in the book. It is good to have it on a bookshelf as a reference anyway.
Book Description
TextMate is a powerful tool for programmers, web designers, and anyone else who regularly needs to work with text files on Mac OS X. TextMate focuses on pragmatic automation, which means it will save you time time that's always in short supply. See how your lowly text editor can become a hard working member of your staff.
TextMate is a full-featured text editor available for Mac OS X that can greatly enhance your text manipulation skills. TextMate is actually a thin shell over a personalized team of robot ninjas ready to do your bidding. Let's face it, who doesn't want their very own team of robot ninjas?
With TextMate you can do your normal work, but signal the ever-watchful ninjas as you go. At your command, they will launch into action, slicing through text, building repetitive structures of data in the blink of an eye, and much more. They will even post to your blog, handle your IRC conversations, and read your email.
Inside this book you will learn how to teleport instantly to the exact line of the file you need to be on, edit the data with the briefest incantations of power, and banish the end result to the land of your choosing. It's magic, as you can plainly see.
Leave the days of dull work behind. Learn your spells, gain access to your team of robot ninjas, and you too will be able to edit text so effortlessly that everyone watching over your shoulder will be forced to ask, "Wait, how did you do that?"
Customer Reviews:
Do you have the power?.......2007-09-24
Visuals:
The font size in the Pragmatic Programmers books is a little larger than say the O'Reilly books, which I personally like. Easy on the eyes. Screenshots are clearly printed.
Readability:
I found the reading style conversational and easy to follow. Of course, with this type of book which includes many keyboard short-cuts you really need to be at your computer and using them to commit them to memory. Even a reading of the book will give you insights into the power available at your finger tips with Textmate.
Practicality:
If you spend any amount of time in Textmate, this is really a no-brainer. This book will help you be more productive and get more out of your chosen text editing tool.
Audience:
The book does not list an intended target audience, but if you use Textmate at all I would say you have a bulls-eye right on you.
Overall:
If you use Textmate get this book.
Get a Mac, get TextMate, get this book........2007-08-05
"TextMate is actually a thin shell over a personalized team of robot ninjas ready to do your bidding."
The funny thing is, to people who have never used TextMate for more than a few minutes the above phrase sounds like an exaggeration. It's not. (As long as you can accept the analogy of "really awesome code running on a Mac" = "robot ninjas"...)
Anyway, this book targets a pretty specific market: 1) Humans, 2) who own Macs, 3) and use TextMate. I'm here to tell you that, if you're human you should have a Mac; and if you have a Mac you should buy TextMate; and if you have TextMate you should buy this book. So there, now it covers everyone.
As with all of the Pragmatic Programmer books, I found this book to be concise without missing anything important. You may be thinking, "200 pages about a text editor!? That's crazy talk!" But you would be wrong, my friend. The amount of functionality built into TextMate is incredible, but I didn't even know the half of it until I started reading this book!
I don't want to give away the ending, but:
Three of my favorite simple features I didn't know about until I read this book:
- Pressing [ESC] to complete the word you're typing.
- The built in TODO list functionality (so crucial!!)
- [Cmd-Enter] to add a new line below this one and go to the beginning of it.
Things I wouldn't have been able to do without TextMate and this book:
- Edit some of my Bundles to make TextMate work even more how *I* like
- Complete an after-hours Web Site project *way* under time and budget
Seriously. TextMate is the One True Editor for Mac (it makes me loath using any other editor on any platform) and this is a great book for learning how to *really* take hold of its power.
The Power of Textmate.......2007-05-28
This book is the perfect primer for what I have found to be one of the most indispensible Mac OS X applications - TextMate. If you are a software developer or web designer or anyone else that edits text on a frequent basis and you have not already discovered TextMate, stop right now and visit http://www.macromates.com.
The Pragmatic Programmers' book, TextMate Power Editing for the Mac is a thorough introduction to TextMate. Edward Gray II has written a very accessible book, that covers the product very well.
The first third of the book is devoted to the basics - things you do every day in your text editor. The second third of the book dives into the details of some really sweet features of TextMate that you'll find yourself using all the time: bundles, snippets, macros and UNIX shell commands.
TextMate ships with over thirty 'bundles'. Each bundle is a directory of related files that provide additional functionality to TextMate. Let's say you're working on an HTML file. The HTML bundle will help you with loads of things related to your document: validate the syntax of the document, open the document in the default browser, refresh the document in the current browser session, insert open/close tags for the current word, strip all HTML tags from the document - just to name a few. Each bundle provides functionality that applies not only to the syntax of the language you're currently working with, but repetitive tasks that would apply as well.
As I mentioned, a couple dozen bundles ship with TextMate and many more are available for free download from various websites. You can even create your own bundles to extend the product in ways that only you can imagine. Here are a few of the bundles that ship with TextMate: Blogging, CSS, HTML, Java, Markdown, Objective-C, Python, Rails, Ruby, SQL, Subversion, Text, Textile, Xcode and XML. Bundles provide you with lots of help editing files and performing related tasks.
Snippets are a smart completion mechanism that go way beyond the simple concept of 'finish this word'. For example, if you are editing a Ruby file and you type array_object.ea followed by the TAB key (where 'array_object' is an arbitrary Array object), the snippet feature will automatically fill in the skeleton of the 'each' iterator, including the opening and closing curly braces, the text '|e|' with the letter 'e' highlighted. You simply type the name of the variable you want to represent the next element (or simply leave it as it is), hit the TAB key again and the cursor will be placed between the closing '|' character and the closing '}' character, ready for you to type in an expression. Very cool. This same trick works for dozens of different scenarios in your Ruby code. And that's just the snippets that apply to Ruby code. There are snippets that apply to a large number of file types.
You've probably seen macros in other editors and TextMate's macro facility works as you might expect: you start recording a macro, perform some actions and save the macro. TextMate saves the macros as XML files, so it's a snap to edit a macro after recording if you need to tweak it a bit.
The ability to fire off UNIX shell commands from within TextMate gives you another powerful tool to use while editing files. You can fire off one-liner shell commands by simply pressing the ^R key on a line containing a shell command. You can also use shell commands to act on all or part of the current document.
For the advanced TextMate user, the tail end of the book shows you how to create your own language syntax for use in TextMate, including how to describe the grammar of the language in terms TextMate will understand. So, if you program in some far out funky language that TextMate doesn't support out of the box, you can add the language grammar to TextMate and program away!
Overall, I found this book extremely useful and easy to read. TextMate ships with an excellent help system that will answer many of your questions. The TextMate Power Editing for the Mac book will take you beyond the built-in help and give you an in-depth guide for this great Mac application.
Become A TextMate Power User Today!.......2007-05-25
For anyone that tells you that you can't so solid code and script development on a Mac, they haven't been introduced to the application TextMate. There are several good options for doing power editing on the Macintosh and TextMate is one of those POWER options.
'TextMate: Power Editing for the Mac' by James Gray is a perfect companion manual for all TextMate users that want to lift the hood off of this power app and get to the nuts and bolts. If you develop on a Macintosh on a daily basis for work or fun and want to learn more about what you can do to make your life easier, pick up this book and you won't be disappointed. Written well and coming in at ~200 pages, there are 12 chapters which will teach you goodies in TextMate like how to create and use Macros, using Find & Replace to quickly edit text, and much, much more!!
The Mac is a great tool for developing code and TextMate is a great app for writing it, make yourself a more efficient coder today!!
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Great book on a fantastic product.......2007-05-13
Books on editors are tricky things... I'm (still) a big fan and user of vi, but textmate is my tool of choice for more project level work for its capabilties. This book has brought me closer to to the keyboard level of productivity that vi allows for with its two modes.
Book Description
Rails is large, powerful, and new. How do you use it effectively? How do you harness the power? And, most important, how do you get high quality, real-world applications written?
From the latest Ajax effects to time-saving automation tips for your development process, Rails Recipes will show you how the experts have already solved the problems you have.
- Use generators to automate repetitive coding tasks.
- Create sophisticated role-based authentication schemes.
- Add live search and live preview to your site.
- Run tests when anyone checks code in.
- How to create tagged data the right way.
- and many, many more...
Owning Rails Recipes is like having the best Rails programmers sitting next to you while you code.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Rails book for those that learn by example.......2007-05-14
As someone who learns best by example and seeing how it's done, this book was great for me to get familiar with Rails. I have lots of experience with other object-oriented languages and have used many development frameworks. I don't need a tutorial on general object technologies, but I wanted to learn and understand the Rails framework. I don't have any real reason to get to know Rails other than general interest, but with this book I've been able to be productive in working on hobby projects much quicker than without it.
Reading this book is like having access to multiple, experienced Rails developers (including some of those contributing to the core Rails product) that have developed and deployed commercial software on this new, upcoming platform. I hope to have an opportunity to develop product in this technology and know that by owning this product I'm more prepared than ever. Highly recommended.
When you just need a solution!.......2007-04-11
Look no further .... I would also recommend trying Advanced Rails Recipe which comes out in August '07....
Use it nearly everyday........2007-02-22
This is one of the best books I have come across for really giving me insight into how easy it is to do some things using Ruby on Rails that seemed massively complicated to do in other web frameworks and languages (Java, etc.) I guess the downside is that it is really hard to keep a book like this up to date, so I am expecting a sequel to come out at some point!
70+ Rails Tidbits In One Book!!.......2007-01-30
'Rails Recipes' by Chad Fowler is a wonderful book filled with 70 recipes which will automatically improve your Rails skillset and no doubt get you programming faster and better than ever before!!
Pragmatic is never going to win any awards for layout of their books, but the content within more than makes up for the drab interior. I can't list out all 70 tidbits here but I will give the breakdown of chapters:
User Interface Recipes (13)
Database Recipes (17)
Controller Recipes (10)
Testing Recipes (4)
Big-Picture Recipes (22)
Email Recipes (4)
If you use Ruby on Rails and want to be able to accomplish common tasks without rewriting code that already exists, you owe it to yourself to pick up this book and improve your efficiency the moment you turn the front cover over. Wonderful book, great size, solid writing make this an EASY recommendation.
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Great Book.......2006-12-08
There are tons of useful recipes in this book. It is a must purchase if you are new or intermediate to rails.
Amazon.com
As a textbook suitable for the classroom or self-study, Michael Scott's Programming Language Pragmatics provides a worthy tour of the theory and practice of how programming languages are run on today's computers. Clearly organized and filled with a wide-ranging perspective on over 40 different languages, this book will be appreciated for its depth and breadth of coverage on an essential topic in computer science.
With references to dozens of programming languages, from Ada to Turing and everything in between (including C, C++, Java, and Perl), this book is a truly in-depth guide to how code is compiled (or interpreted) and executed on computer hardware. Early chapters tend to be slightly more theoretical (with coverage of regular expressions and context-free grammars) and will be most valuable to the computer science student, but much of this book is accessible to anyone seeking to widen their knowledge (especially since recent standards surrounding XML make use of some of the same vocabulary presented here).
The book has a comprehensive discussion of compilation and linking, as well as how data types are implemented in memory. Sections on functional and logical programming (illustrated with Scheme and Prolog, which are often used in AI research) can expand your understanding of how programming languages work. Final sections on the advantages--and complexities--of concurrent processing, plus a nice treatment of code optimization techniques, round out the text here. Each chapter provides numerous exercises, so you can try out the ideas on your own.
Students will benefit from the practical examples here, drawn from a wide range of languages. If you are a self-taught developer, the very approachable tutorial can give you perspective on the formal definitions of many computer languages, which can help you master new ones more effectively. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: A survey of today's programming languages, compilation vs. interpretation, the compilation process, regular expression and context-free grammars, scanners and parsers, names, scopes and bindings, scope rules, overloading, semantic analysis, introduction to computer architecture, representing data, instruction sets, 680x0 and MIPs architectures, control flow and expression evaluation, iteration and recursion, data types, type checking, records, arrays, strings, sets, pointers, lists, file I/O, subroutines, calling sequences and parameter passing, exception handling, coroutines, compile back-end processing, code generation, linking, object-oriented programming basics, encapsulation and inheritance, late binding, multiple inheritance, functional and logical languages, Scheme and Prolog, programming with concurrency, shared memory and message passing, and code optimization techniques.
Book Description
Thoroughly updated to reflect the most current developments in language design and implementation, the second edition
*Addresses key developments in programming language design:
+ Finalized C99 standard
+ Java 5
+ C# 2.0
+ Java concurrency package (JSR 166) and comparable mechanisms in C#
+ Java and C# generics
*Introduces and discusses scripting languages throughout the book and in an entire new chapter that covers:
+ Application domains: shell languages, text processing and report generation, mathematics and statistics, glue languages and general purpose scripting, extension languages, scripting the World Wide Web
+ Design concepts: names and scopes, string and pattern manipulation, high level data types, object orientation
+ Major languages: Perl, PHP, Tcl/Tk, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, XLST
*Updates many sections and topics:
+ iterators
+ exceptions
+ polymorphism
+ templates/generics
+ scope rules and declaration ordering
+ separate compilation
+ garbage collection
+ threads and synchronization
New pedagogical features
Design & Implementation boxes
+ Highlight the interplay between language design and language implementation
Test Your Understanding review questions
+ Help students assess their understanding of key points of a section
In More Depth CD supplements
+ Present more advanced or peripheral material for students who would like to extend their knowledge
Explorations
+ Provide students with additional exercises that are open-ended, research-type activities
New reference features
+ Over 900 numbered and titled examples help the student to quickly cross-reference and access content for initial study and later review.
+ Indices (in the printed text) for both the Design and Implementation boxes and the numbered examples.
+ CD search engine for both the printed text and the supplemental sections.
+ Live links on the CD to Web-based language tutorials, reference manuals, and compilers and interpreters.
On the CD
+ In More Depth sections and sub-sections that are introduced in the book and presented on the CD
+ In More Depth Exercises and Explorations for students wanting additional challenges
+ Links to Web-based language reference manuals and tutorials
+ Links to Web-based compilers and interpreters
+ Text files containing the code fragments featured as examples in the book
+ Search engine to search both the main text and the CD-only content
CD System Requirements
PDF Viewer
The CD material includes PDF documents that you can read with a PDF viewer such as Adobe, Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Recent versions of Adobe Reader for some platforms are included on the CD.
HTML Browser
The navigation framework on this CD is delivered in HTML and JavaScript. It is recommended that you install the latest version of your favorite HTML browser to view this CD. The content has been verified under Windows XP with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.5; under Mac OS X (Panther) with the following browsers: Internet Explorer 5.2, Firefox 1.0.6, Safari 1.3; and under Mandriva Linux 2006 with the following browsers: Firefox 1.0.6, Konqueror 3.4.2, Mozilla 1.7.11.
The content is designed to be viewed in a browser window that is at least 720 pixels wide. You may find the content does not display well if your display is not set to at least 1024x768 pixel resolution.
Operating System
This CD can be used under any operating system that includes an HTML browser and a PDF viewer. This includes Windows, Mac OS, and most Linux and Unix systems.
Instructor support
+ Password-protected site for adopters who request the password from a sales representative
+ Solutions to most exercises
+ Figures from the book in several formats
+ Lecture slides prepared by other instructors
New Coverage:
* Addresses the most recent developments in programming language design, including C99, C#, and Java 5.
* Introduces and discusses scripting languages throughout the book as well as in an entire new chapter.
* Includes a comprehensive chapter on concurrency, with coverage of the new Java concurrency package (JSR 166) and the comparable mechanisms in C#.
* Updates many sections and topics, including iterators, exceptions, polymorphism, templates/generics, scope rules and declaration ordering, separate compilation, garbage collection, and threads and synchronization.
New Pedagogical Features:
* Highlights the interaction and tradeoffs inherent in language design and language implementation decisions with over 100 "Design and Implementation" call-out boxes.
* Adds end-of-chapter "Exploration" exercisesopen-ended, research-type activities.
* Provides review questions after sections for quick self-assessment.
* Includes over 800 numbered examples to help the reader quickly cross-reference and access content.
Customer Reviews:
Very Good Book.......2007-07-20
Overall, "Programming Language Pragmatics" (PLP) is a very good book. According to the Preface:
"It aims, quite simply, to be the most comprehensive and accurate languages text available, in a style that is engaging and accessible to the typical undergraduate....
At its core, PLP is a book about how programming languages work. Rather than enumerate the details of many different languages, it focuses on concepts that underlie all the languages the student is likely to encounter, illustrating those concepts with a variety of concrete examples, and exploring the tradeoffs that explain why different languages were designed in different ways."
I'm not knowledgeable enough to pass judgment on "the most comprehensive and accurate" part. But, I'm pretty happy about the book meeting the rest of those goals. I read through the book on my own and have only a few significant gripes:
- Chapters 2 (Programming Language Syntax) and 4 (Semantic Analysis) are tough to get through. They're basically trying to teach enough about Alphabets, Languages, Regular Expressions, Context-Free Grammars, Finite Automata and Push-Down Automata for the reader to understand what the rest of the book is based on. I've read Cohen's Introduction to Computer Theory, which is dedicated solely to this material and I still had some trouble. With an instructor in a class to walk through the things, it should be doable. But, for a person reading the book on his own, ugh.
- All of Section III: Alternative Programming Models, seems to depart from the format of the rest of the book (as noted in the Preface) where the author talks about the concepts and then how the different languages implement them. Instead, he focuses on the languages themselves and almost seems to be trying to cram a primer into his text. Since the section seems to be a special case, it wouldn't be so bad except that the languages covered are a bit out of the mainstream and so that degree of depth gets pretty unreadable at times. Again, with a professor around, things would be better.
- At a more pedagogical level, the author has a tendency to merely explain what his example Figures are doing in general terms. The problem is that a lot of the code/pseudocode involves fairly advanced structures in several languages (many of which most people won't have run across). It would have made things a lot easier if he had walked his way through each of those Figures line-by-line and explained what each line did. Once again, this wouldn't be that much of a problem in a normal teaching environment since a professor could do it.
Other than those three things, this is a very good and readable book. I rate it at four stars out of five.
Excellent coverage of language concepts.......2007-05-04
This is among my favorite computer science books. I read the first edition straight through from cover to cover, even though I had some prior knowledge of the subject. I have since purchased the second edition, which exceeds the high standards set by the first edition. Scott's book would have made the programming languages course I took as an undergraduate much more enlightening, had it existed at the time.
Great book........2006-11-10
As a software engineer, I tend to be picky about my books, but this one is very in depth and a good read. You will learn a lot about different programming languages, and why certain languages are better than others for solving different types of prroblems.
Probably the best book in the "Survey of Programming Languages" genre.......2006-02-24
Every good programmer should know more than one programming language, that much is almost a consensus. But more than that, every programmer should educate himself about programming languages in general, what they mean and how they work. It's important to know at least the major programming paradigms, because they form the "mental model" of computation that is available to a programmer in a language from that paradigm.
And then it's always illustrative to know about the differences in many common languages, to see where different decisions have been made and what are the consequences. To know that certain legacy languages (e.g. C, Fortran) have features that were not designed because they were the "best" option (for some definition of best), but because the design was constrained by what technology was currently available.
This knowledge is not only required of compiler writers. It should be required of every good programmer. Compiler writers, of course, must know this, and probably in more detail. But Scott's book is a good resource about programming languages, in a level of detail that I believe adequate for all programmers.
There are two main kinds of books on programming languages: they are "survey" and "implementation".
Survey books show how things work in a lot of languages, comparing them along the way. Often the comparison gets down to small details that can affect the meaning, or semantics, of similar programs written in these languages. These books contain one individual chapter for every major topic, and inside such a chapter all languages are compared in relation to the topic. For example, one such chapter covers "subroutines" and then compare a host of different languages on how they implement subroutines.
Implementation books are different: they show how to implement many language features, usually by presenting code for interpreters and compilers. The reader doesn't learn that Ada permits nested subroutines, but instead how nested subroutines really work and how to implement them in a language, for example. A very good book of this kind is "Essentials of Programming Languages" by Friedman, Wand & Haynes.
I normally prefer the implementation books. I'm not really interested if Standard Pascal permits functions to be passed as parameters or not; if I do need to write a Standard Pascal compiler I'll look for a reference manual. I much prefer to know how to implement functions as parameters, and be done with it. Comparing minutiae about extant programming languages can sometimes be very enlightening, and sometimes be mostly dull.
Scott's book, however, really shines because it mixes feature descriptions and implementation details in the presentation. It does the usual routine of comparing a lot of different languages, most of the time the more popular ones like C++ and Java, but it then shows how the implementations differ because of differences in features. The book strikes a good balance between "language design" and "implementation" approaches, although it is clearly slanted towards design, and so more of a traditional "survey" book.
It wins over other survey books by including implementation information about almost every topic, and by the clear writing and style. Also, most survey books concentrate on mainstream imperative languages (nowadays C++, Java, C#) and leave other paradigms to chapters at the end. Scott's book is a bit better in this respect: the presentation often includes Common Lisp, Scheme and Standard ML in the comparisons. There are separate chapters about functional and logic programming too, but considerations about functional programming are spread in the whole book. This is important because paradigms change, and a good programmer must be able to adapt.
It's a good reference for language implementors and good education for most programmers. I look forward to the next editions.
Outstanding introduction to programming languages and their compilers.......2006-02-07
Over the years the Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools (2nd Edition) (also knwon as the dragon book) has become the de facto standard for introducing compilers and related topics at universities. This is very unfortunate because "Programming Language Pragmatics" is in a completely different league and should be the one used instead. It gives the student (or the self taught) a complete and through overview of parsing, grammar, automata theory and other key language constructs. What really differentiates this book from others (and most notably the (in)famous "Dragon Book") is that it does so in a easy to understand manner and with lots of well written examples.
Many people find compiler and language theory to be dark magic, and it would be wrong not to acknowledge that these subjects are considerably harder than say creating a web page in PHP or writing a small Java/C# program. But much of the confusion also stems from the long history of porly written books which all have lacked explaining key areas or assumed that the readers just know some obscure CS topics beforehand. This book does not travel down that road, it is well written, contains both simple and advanced examples and is simply a delightful read.
Average customer rating:
- 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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Similar Items:
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Ajax on Rails
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Ruby Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))
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Agile Web Development with Rails, 2nd Edition
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Rails Recipes (Pragmatic Programmers)
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Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide, Second Edition
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:
- Modeling data with the ActiveRecord library
- Setting up views with ActionView and RHTML templates
- Building your application's logic into ActionController
- Testing and debugging your Rails application
- Building responsive web applications using JavaScript and Ajax
- Ensuring that your application is security and performs well
- Deploying your application with Mongrel and Apache
- Using Capistrano to automate deployment
- Using the many Rails plugins
- Working with graphics
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Book Description
Want to be a better developer? This books collects the personal habits, ideas, and approaches of successful agile software developers and presents them in a series of short, easy-to-digest tips. This isn't academic fluff; follow these ideas and you'll show yourself, your teammates, and your managers real results. These are the proven and effective agile practices that will make
you a better developer.
This book will help you improve five areas of your career:
- The Development Process
- What to Do While Coding
- Developer Attitudes
- Project and Team Management
- Iterative and Incremental Learning
These practices provide guidelines that will help you succeed in delivering and meeting your user's expectations, even if the domain is unfamiliar. You'll be able to keep normal project pressure from turning into disastrous stress while writing code, and see how to effectively coordinate mentors, team leads, and developers in harmony.
You can learn all this stuff the hard way, but this book can save you time and pain. Read it, and you'll be a better developer.
Customer Reviews:
Good Principals to Code By.. .......2007-10-15
I really like this book as an introduction to agile methodologies and a discussion of good software development principals. The text was very accessible and made for an easy quick read. The author used devils and angels on our shoulder to explain good software practices and shun us away from the bad. Much as in real life we often have a devil and angel talking to use when making tough decisions. The book even explains what it should feel like when you are following an agile methodology and warns of potential obstacles. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to further develop their knowledge of software engineering principals or just become a better software developer.
Excellent Book for every developer.......2007-09-17
This book is a great introduction to the Agile Development process. This is one of those books that should be read by any developer.
Excellent book.......2007-08-25
You may think you already know about fast development, but you are not if you haven't read this book. It's written for faster reading, you don't need more that two hours reading on one week to finish it. Greats tips for you daily development.
Read it and improve your development skill.
Every manager should read this..........2007-08-16
The devil is infact in the details, nowhere is this more true than in the software develpment profession. Many times the devils we face are the beating of the corporate drum. The customer wants what it wants and yesterday. This desire to have it now exactly the way I want it has lead to a ton of mis-conceptions in the software industry.
Practices of an Agile Developer is a wonderful collection of these that gives you the ammunition needed to help work around and improve these situation on your team. I found several of them to feel all to close to home, the kind of "Been there done that, still have the scars" feeling.
I really liked the way that after telling you what the pit fall is they tell you how it should work, and what it feels like when you are doing it right. It gives you a built in litmus test to tell if you are still on track to improve. I have read this book several times and every time I find something else to add to my toolbox.
I highly recommend this book to anyoone that works in a corporate environment where the managers don't always understand software development. It also does a great job of introducing Agile development practices in a simple easy way to understand.
Excellent Book.......2007-07-31
I really liked this book. Easy to read, to the point, and nice examples from real world experiences. This should be on the bookshelf of every agile shop.
Average customer rating:
- Why are we here?
- Still best of its kind?
- One of the best book on communication
- A great bridge between psychology and mathematic
- A surprising great, readable, and useful academic work
|
Pragmatics of Human Communication: A Study of Interactional Patterns, Pathologies, and Paradoxes
Paul Watzlawick
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
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Similar Items:
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Change: Principles of Problem Formation and Problem Resolution
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The Language of Change: Elements of Therapeutic Communication
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The Situation Is Hopeless, but Not Serious (The Pursuit of Unhappiness)
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Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Collected Essays in Anthropology, Psychiatry, Evolution, and Epistemology
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Tactics Of Change: DOING THERAPY BRIEFLY (The Jossey-Bass Social and Behavioral Science Series)
ASIN: 0393010090 |
Customer Reviews:
Why are we here?.......2006-12-04
The last chapter of this book, which I read over 30 years ago, and still remember to this day, is a true stunner, especially the last sentence. The truth therein is timeless. When I finished it, I remained seated and awestruck for a long time, contemplating a cosmic truth which has never left me to this very day. The specific memory is carved in stone, so to speak.
Ever heard of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig? Well, POHC goes even further - towards a mathematical truth about our very existence. This book is far more than its title suggests. Quite simply it is the second most important book I've EVER read... and Pirsig's is not the first, either.
If you have the intelligence to absorb it, this book will probably change the very foundation of what you call "me"... it will fundamentally challenge your mind. Read it if you have confidence in your OWN intellect.
BTW - for a reference point, I was the only student in my class at Western Michigan University who apparently understood the implications of this book. It was a 400 level Communications course with 28 students, and the course was "built" around the book.
Still best of its kind?.......2006-10-31
That human relationships are something mysterious and intriguing is hardly a question. But whether an account of them that is limited by scientific standards can do justice to their complexity and nature is quite another. However, I'm convinced that in this case the subject not only survives the operation - the methodology and presentation don't kill their subject or explain it away - but benefits from it to a rather surprising extent. That is, it achieves the difficult task of being both accurate and rigourous on the one hand and sheading light on the parts of us that have to do with us being human on the other - the thoughts and feelings in our behaviour. This is not only in stark contrast to the behaviorist paradigm dominant at the time this work was written, but marks an equally important departure from the intrapsychic focus of psychoanalysis. Thus the introduction of models based on cybernetic principles, systems theory, game theory, mathematics etc allowed for a completely new dimension in human relations to appear.
The new approaches that made it possible and which found so excellent synthesis in "Pragmatics.." are to a considerable extent traceable back to the works of Gregory Bateson. Indeed, it wasn't untill reading his "Steps to the Ecology of Mind" that I came to realize this. However, the relative lack of originality is compensated by the degree of integration and condensation achieved in "Pragmatics" - perhaps higher than any other single writing in "the Palo Alto framework" before or after has (intended) - which naturally exceeds that of "Steps..." - which is a collection of Bateson's articles dating from 1930s to 1970s. So above anything else, the two make an excellent complementary reading.
One of the best book on communication.......2005-04-22
A very intresting book. After I have got this book, I acquired all the other books by the author and found that this book is probably his best one. A must read for those who are interested in knowing the interactions between communication and paradoxical psychotherapy.
A great bridge between psychology and mathematic.......2004-08-03
I bought the book wanting to know something more about the world of communication and was delighted to find references to my youth interests: logics and mathematic and to my more recent one: spirituality. What was of a particular interest, even if it might be considered a bit partial, was the importance the authors put on paradoxes both as the root for patology and cure. In this latter respect references are given to zen sayings and their relationships to actual therapeuthical episodes.
A problem stemming for the emphasis put on the interrelated cause of neurosis is that individuals tend to be quite neglected: so giving the feeling that people having no stable relationships with other people must be either totally healty or... incurable.
Already bought two other books from the same author.
A surprising great, readable, and useful academic work.......2004-03-01
This book has the trappings of a typical academic, scholarly work, with ten zillion references and each chapter broken down into sections (1.1, 1.2, etc.) discussing a specific topic in each section. By section 1.2 (not far into the book!), I was becoming put off, because the author launched into a discussing of "the mathematical concept of functions." As I "sat through" this explanation, I was wondering "why the hell am I reading about mathematical function in a book titled the Pragmatics of Communication." Still, I stuck with it, and later in the book, the author tied everything together. I stuck with it because the book is so readable, and the points the author makes are so eye-opening, that I truly enjoyed reading it. I suspect you will, to, regardless of the level of your interest in academic or scholarly works! One thing about a great book - you get an appetite for more! Unfortunately, based on other reviewers comments, other Watzlawick works do not rise to the level shown here, so if you have to chose one, chose this one!
Book Description
This book covers the theory behind version control and how it can help developers become more efficient, work better as a team, and keep on top of software complexity. Version control, done well, is your "undo" button for the project: nothing is final, and mistakes are easily rolled back.
This book describes Subversion 1.3, the latest and hottest open source version control system, using a recipe-based approach that will get you up and running quickly and correctly. Learn how to use Subversion the right way-the pragmatic way.
With this book, you can:
- Keep all project assets safe--not just source code--and never run the risk of losing a great idea
- Know how to undo bad decisions--even directories and symlinks are versioned
- Learn how to share code safely, and work in parallel for maximum efficiency
- Install Subversion and organize, administer and backup your repository
- Share code over a network with Apache, svnserve, or ssh
- Create and manage releases, code branches, merges and bug fixes
- Manage 3rd party code safely
- Use all the latest Subversion 1.3 features including locking and path-based security, and much more!
Now there's no excuse not to use professional-grade version control.
Customer Reviews:
Nice book, covers in some way a wide range of questions about Version Control and Subversion.......2007-03-19
This book is very nice on its propouse. Covers a lot of questions about Version Control and Subversion. Actually nice and objective explanations on the uses and the greater resources that this tool offer us.
The thing that really is missing here, for me, would be examples of "pragmatic" setup of diversified envirioments, I mean, a good evirioment for Web App developing is completely forgotten here. And so for other applications too, such as the development of this self Book. They mentioned as greate note that they used Version Control on this book, actually moved to Subversion, but no topics on Subversioning a Book development.
So, I just think they could expend another hundred pages and go deepier on pratical examples of more sorted applications that Version Controling with Subversion can have.
Concise, but unnecessary.......2007-02-18
There's nothing in this book that you can't look up in the svn documentation. However, it is a good introduction and makes the learning curve a little less steep for beginners.
Beginners Start Here.......2006-12-16
This relatively short book is remarkably easy to read. It lays out a bit of background, gets your started with examples and guides you with a few best practrices. I read the book and worked through most of the examples in about three sittings. I got my first app under subversion the next day.
An excellent introduction to VC and Subversion that also goes deep.......2006-09-05
I've been using CVS for the past few years and have been mostly happy. However, there have been some discussions among developers at my company about moving to Subversion. I was unclear on the differences between CVS and Subversion so I took some time to read Pragmatic Version Control: Using Subversion (The Pragmatic Starter Kit Series)(2nd Edition).
The book begins with some very useful introductory material describing version control in general. I realized while reading that, although I'm a long-time user of CVS, there were some aspects of version control that I was never very clear on. I appreciated these foundational chapters. I also appreciated Mason's sensitivity to the many readers who might have experience with CVS. He frequently points out differences and similarities and explains Subversion functionality in a way CVS users can understand.
After getting the reader up to speed on version control in general, the book moves progressively deeper into the administration and use of Subversion. There is also information on migrating from CVS to Subversion, third party tools, and IDE integration. (I'm in an IBM shop and am looking forward to trying out the Subclipse plugin to integrate Subversion into IBM's Rational Application Developer.) This book will give you everything you need to get up and running quickly. But, it will also give you much more. If you're interested in exploring every nook and cranny of Subversion, you won't be disappointed.
In the end, I discovered that the Subversion project was started by a team of developers with significant CVS experience. They felt that CVS was an aging platform and wanted to build a new, high-performance, version control system that would also fix of all CVS's shortcomings. After reading this book, I can say that I'm hoping to make the move to Subversion soon. The book was very informative and well written. Recommended.
Check out the table of contents and sample chapters on the Pragmatic Publisher website.
not a good introduction..........2006-07-07
i have the first edition of this book, and have found it difficult to learn subversion from it. it's hard to find simple how-to steps for basic tasks, and most of the time i wind up having to look on the internet to find the information. i've had to annotate the book quite a lot, writing simple examples in the margins to make up for the lack of them in the text. for instance, the section on ignoring certain files is only one page long, and doesn't mention anything about ignoring entire directories, or what to do if the directory is already in the repository. things you can eventually figure out on your own, but which are the whole point of buying a book - to do all that work for you, and save you from having to search on the internet!
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- Speak English Like an American (Book & Audio CD set)
- Speak in a Week!: See, Hear, Say & Learn Spanish: 4 week Set (Speak in a Week)
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- Teach Yourself Russian Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself . . . Complete Courses)
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- Financial Decision Making : A CPA/Attorney's Perspective
- The Jews and Modern Capitalism
- The Winemaker's Daughter
Ruby for Rails: Ruby Techniques for Rails Developers
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Agile Web Development with Rails: A Pragmatic Guide (Pragmatic Programmers)
Ship it! A Practical Guide to Successful Software Projects
