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Beginning Ajax with PHP; from novice to professional.

Babin, a programmer specializing in web-driven applications, shows PHP users how to incorporate Ajax into their web applications without getting bogged down in JavaScript syntax. Using practical examples and real-world applications, he explains how to use Ajax and PHP together, and gives instructions on updating pages using data retrieved from a MySQL database. He then shows how to create practical Ajax-driven features such as dynamic file upload and thumbnail-generation tools, culminating in the creation of an Ajax-based photo gallery. Other topics covered include web services, cross-browser issues, building spatially enabled web applications using the Google Maps API, and the document object model. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Beginning C; from novice to professional, 4th ed.

C is powerful and compact, but it is also simple enough for first-time programmers or those making a switch from an old standby. Practitioner and author Horton assumes that everyone has to start somewhere, so they might as well start with a solid background in the basics. He describes what C does well and what it does not, preparations of programming, such as understanding terms and architectures, making decision in programming, loops, arrays, applications with strings and text, pointers, program structure, advanced functions, essential input and output operations, data structuring, files, and supporting facilities. Horton also provides appendices on computer arithmetic. ASCII character code definitions, reserved words in C and formal specifications for input and output. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Beginning CSS web development; from novice to professional.

Aimed at beginning to intermediate web developers, this volume teaches the basics of using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to create standards-compliant designs. Coverage includes methods for controlling text, using images, and organizing data. Familiarity with (X)HTML markup is assumed on the part of the reader. Web developer Collison is also the author of CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Beginning Hibernate; from novice to professional.

This software product, which allows users to save normal Java objects into a relational database and retrieve them without having to use SQL code. The authors note that this is not a simple process, and that the product, once used in an application, is going to stay there forever. Their approach is to start with the basics and then work toward the smaller details that apply to your specific project, so they even cover integration methods. They begin with configuration, then immediately build a simple application to get readers' appetites going. They describe the persistence life cycle, mapping, mapping with annotations, creating mappings with the product's XML files, using the session feature, conducting searches and queries, making advanced queries, filtering the results of searches, and taking on advanced features. They even include directions for upgrading from the previous version, something that should become standard in such texts. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Beginning Visual Basic 2005 express edition; from novice to professional. (CD-ROM included)

Written for beginning and experienced programmers alike, this book/CD-ROM guide begins with a walk-through of the Visual Basic 2005 Express environment and proceeds through basics of the integrated development environment and the Visual basic language. Chapters cover working with variables, classes and object orientation, handling exceptions, code, and building Windows applications. Other subjects covered include files and streams, working with XML, database programming, the Internet and Visual Basic, and threading. The CD-ROM contains Microsoft's Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition. Wright has written many books on Microsoft development tools. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

BizTalk 2006 recipes; a problem-solution approach.

This reference presents BizTalk integration scenarios and solutions related to areas such as document schemas, document mapping, messaging, orchestration, and activity monitoring. The "recipes" are intended as hands-on exercises, introducing developers and administrators to the different BizTalk Server 2006 components. Recipes are organized by problem statements. Each problem is presented with a practical solution, followed by a discussion of alternatives and best practices. Readers should have BizTalk Server 2006, SQL Server 2005 or 2000, and Visual Studio 2005. The author works in enterprise application integration. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Building Flickr applications with PHP.

Open-source software is often of very high quality, but sometimes users must search in vain for a strong reference to guide them to and through the more advanced features. This handbook fills that gap between anticipation and production by giving those who wish to make the best use of Flickr's enormous photo cache (and of course their own favorite snaps). Practitioners and photography enthusiasts Kunkle and Morton keep the fact that readers may have had limited experience with open-source software, graphic design, photography and collaborative technology in mind as they describe the software and its attendants, discuss features, show how to install the works, including Apache, PHP and Phlickr, work with PHP and photos, organize photo sets, use semantic tags, get through Real Simple Syndication feeds and other syndication, and add collaborative features to websites with Flickr Groups. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Expert .NET 2.0 IL assembler.

Lidin, a member of the Microsoft Phoenix team, offers a revision and extension of his previous book, Inside Microsoft .NET IL Assembler (2002). He explains how .NET 2.0 applications are built, how the runtime functions, and how to program in IL assembly language (ILAsm). He also explains how to build compilers and tools that generate ILAsm code and how to read and analyze the ILAsm code that the IL disassembler generates. Part I overviews ILAsm and common language runtime features, based on a simple sample program. Subsequent sections of the book discuss features of the runtime and corresponding ILAsm constructs, covering underlying structures, fundamental components, the execution engine, special components, and interoperation. The book is for .NET-oriented developers, and will prove especially useful to compiler developers who are targeting .NET. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Foundations of F#.

F# is a programming language that combines functional programming with the .NET platform. This guide to using F# covers installation, functional and imperative programming, object-oriented programming, annotating and quoting code, and the F# libraries. Also covered are user interfaces, data access, distributed applications, language- oriented programming, the F# tool suite and .NET programming tools, and compatibility and advanced interoperation. The book is of interest to .NET programmers. Pickering has been writing about F# since it began. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Managing humans; biting and humorous tales of a software engineering manager.

Using humorous stories about his experiences as a software engineering manager, Lopp presents tips for doing the job and issues relating to handling conflict, managing different personality types, innovation, decision making, saying no, managing products, and building a lasting engineering culture. He also covers interviewing candidates, meetings, and reorganizations. There is no bibliography. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Practical OCaml.

Smith, a programmer in the financial industry, introduces OCaml, a general purpose programming language used in industries ranging from microchip fabrication to financial analysis. He overviews the OCaml installation process and the interactive OCaml interpreter as a framework for exploring the language's syntax, semantics, and types. He also covers advanced features such as the documentation-generation tool, threading, and the Camlp4 preprocessor. Examples focus on OCaml-driven applications capable of performing complex log-file processing, web crawling, filtering spam, and broadcasting audio over a network using the Shoutcast protocol. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Pro LCS; live communications server administration.

After describing the different clients and topologies available for Live Communications Server 2005 SP1, this guide offers advice on deploying the standard edition server in medium-sized companies or the enterprise pool in large data centers. The authors also explain user configuration, the address book service, federation with users in another organization, public instant messaging connectivity, backup procedures, logging, archiving, troubleshooting, and telephony integration. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Pro Microsoft speech server 2007; developing speech enabled applications with .NET.

After installing the OCS 2007 speech server, this guide explains options for compiling grammar and prompts and using them in .NET applications that run over telephone wire. Separate chapters focus on the details of creating SALT, VoiceXML, voice response workflow, and unified messaging applications that respond to spoken input. Logging and reporting with the analytics and tuning studio new to OCS 2007 speech server is also covered. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Pro .NET 2.0 Windows forms and custom controls in VB 2005.

Intended for experienced developers, this dense guide explains how to build user interfaces and custom controls with the latest version of Windows Forms. MacDonald, who is a Microsoft MVP, walks through .NET controls, the Form class, drawing with GDI+, data binding, the WebBrowser control, validation events, document interfaces, multithreading, help systems, skinned forms, and animated buttons. An appendix explores the organization and logic of interface design for usability. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Pro Oracle collaboration suite 10g.

Watson, who has been using this suite from its first release, gives readers tools that makes a potentially gargantuan project no less big or comprehensive but easier to handle and understand. He covers the functionality behind the user interface, application server architecture and components, suite architecture, deployment and installation, management and control utilities, management of applications and identities as well as users, configuration of calendar and contents services, handling discussions and mail, mobile collaboration, real-time collaboration, search functions, voice mail and fax functions, workspaces, logging, monitoring, tuning, maintenance, backup and restore, fault tolerance and managing for high availability. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Pro WPF; Windows presentation foundation in .NET 3.0.

In this resource for professional Web developers, Microsoft MVP MacDonald offers in-depth coverage of all of the major features of the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Topics include (for example) layout panels, dependency properties, control templates, and custom elements. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the .NET platform, the C# language, and the Visual Studio development environment. Previous experience with Windows Forms is useful, but not necessary. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)