Computer Book Reviews
How the MAC Works by John Rizzo and K. Daniel Clark
Que, September 2000.Trade Paperback, 244 pages.
ISBN: 0789724286
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
This is a great introduction to the inner workings
of the Macintosh for anyone who owns
a Mac. The book provides diagrams and
illustrations with labels and instruction to
teach Mac users more about their system.
Coverage includes the Mac OS, memory,
disk storage, USB, keyboards, SCSI,
expansion slots, networking, printers,
displays and many other hardware and
software components. Each section provides
visually pleasing color drawings, easy-to-follow
descriptions and instruction, plus
diagrams which explain each concept or
hardware piece to the user. For example,
the section on USB (Universal Serial Bus)
contains illustrated diagrams with
captions that show how the USB connects
to the Mac, how each connection works
and what it does. The section also explains
what happens when you plug in a new USB
device.
This very informative reference provides colorful pictures, a clear layout and well-written explanations which will help make Mac users feel more confident and better understand the system they rely on for their word processing, spreadsheets, web surfing, gaming and many other uses. The reference will also be especially valuable when it comes times to upgrade and the user would like to have more to help him through the process than just the confusing technical manual or worksheet that comes with the new software or hardware add-on.
SAMS Teach Yourself Allaire ColdFusion by Charles Mohnike
SAMS, August 2000.Trade Paperback, 782 pages.
ISBN: 0672317966
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
ColdFusion is a powerful Web database and
development tool that has become a popular
choice for web developers. This reference
helps introduce webmasters to ColdFusion
and web database concepts. Aimed at
beginners, the book begins with basic
ColdFusion topics and covers database design,
web forms, SQL queries and
simple ColdFusion applications.
More advanced ColdFusion programming concepts
covered include updating databases,
cookies, handling email with ColdFusion,
client and session management, working with files,
verity searches, e-commerce applications and
debugging.
In addition to instruction and sample code, the
book also provides summaries, Q&A,
exercises and
short quizzes to test the reader's grasp of
each concept.
The appendix in the book provides a
comprehensive 150+ page
reference of ColdFusion tags.
Webmasters looking to develop a ColdFusion database for their websites will find this reference provides a solid introduction to ColdFusion and helps them learn the skills needed to provide a database that can be accessed and updated on the Web. Although this book is targeted at beginners, readers should already be familiar with HTML, and any previous experience with databases would also be helpful.
Special Edition Using XML by Lee Anne Phillips
Que, January 2000.Trade Paperback, 880 pages.
ISBN: 0789719967
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
XML, a powerful web publishing tool, has
become a major Internet buzzword and
looks to be a development
tool that is here to stay.
It has been put to use by many large
computer companies, including
Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and Sun Microsystems,
and it has been incorporated into
many Open Source projects. This
reference provides thorough
coverage of XML, from a basic introduction to
more advanced subjects. Some of the many
XML concepts covered include:
DTDs, namespaces, XML schemas,
SAX, cascading style sheets, Microsoft
XML tools, COM, XHTML, XSL, RDF
and integrating XML with other technologies
including Java and ActiveX. The reference
also covers security issues and the future of
XML. The appendix provides reference sections,
including a XML and XHTML technical
reference and character sets, a
CSS quick reference and a glossary. The
accompanying CD-Rom includes additional
references, code samples, freeware,
shareware and demoware.
This book is not for beginners; users should have previous experience with web programming. However, the reference does provide an introduction and overview of XML and XML fundamentals. Using XML is a very valuable XML reference which contains detailed instruction and comprehensive reference sections, as well as introductions and explanations of new uses of XML and XML applications.
Return to the October 2000 issue of The IWJ.
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