Book Reviews



By Heather La Bash

Franck Boston, Fotolia

Magento 1.3

Author Jamie Huskisson introduces experienced PHP developers to the feature-rich open source e-commerce web application Magento. Released in 2008, Magento has quickly gained popularity. Magento 1.3 teaches by example, offering practical tutorials to show readers how to expand and customize Magento modules and how to create custom modules from scratch.

Magento 1.3: PHP Developer's Guide

Jamie Huskisson

Packt Publishing, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-847197-42-9

US$ 39.99, UK£ 24.99

http://www.packtpub.com/magento-1-3-php-developers-guide

Beginning Java and Flex

Beginning Java and Flex provides developers the information they need to work with the new open source Adobe Flex Framework and gives Flex developers the resources to build apps with the most used Java framework. Written for novice developers, practical tutorials show how to develop expressive RIAs simply and quickly.

Beginning Java and Flex: Migrating Java, Spring, Hibernate and Maven Developers to Adobe Flex

Filippo di Pisa

Apress, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4302-2385-6

US$ 46.99, UK£ 36.99

http://www.apress.com/book/view/1430223855

Beginning Java Google App Engine

A strong introduction in creating applications with Google App Engine and Java brings developers of limited experience up to speed with information on "the runtime environment, front-end technologies like Google Web Toolkit, Adobe Flex, and the datastore behind App Engine." The text then moves to more advanced topics, such as integration with cloud platforms.

Beginning Java Google App Engine

Kyle Roche, Jeff Douglas

Apress, 2009

ISBN: 978-1430225539

US$ 44.99, UK£ 35.49

http://www.apress.com/book/view/143022553x

Professional Cairngorm

In Professional Cairngorm, Wischusen provides in-depth instruction on using the lightweight Flex framework Cairngorm to create rich Internet applications. Wischusen explains the various components of Cairngorm and what each is supposed to accomplish by examining a real-world, full-scale project that is carried through the entire length of the book.

Professional Cairngorm

Jeremy Wischusen

Wrox, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-470-49726-5

US$ 59.99, UK£ 39.99

http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/productCd-0470497262.html

Linux Bible

Negus suggests the Linux Bible 2010 is an "ideal introductory guide for getting comfortable with the building-block nature of Linux." Negus covers the basics of desktops, servers, and programming tools for Linux and more than 18 Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Knoppix, Gentoo, Slackware, Mandriva, and SLAX to help new Linux users transition from their old operating system.

Linux Bible 2010 Edition

Christopher Negus

Wiley, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-470-48505-7

US$ 59.99, UK£ 39.99

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470485051.html?cid=RSS_WILEY2_COMPUTING

Crafting Digital Media

This foundation course is for readers unfamiliar with the many open source media tools now available. James runs the gamut from photo manipulation, illustration, and animation to 3D modeling, publishing, and audio mixing. He shows how to integrate applications into a cohesive creative platform and share the results with Drupal Web 2.0 technology.

Crafting Digital Media: Audacity, Blender, Drupal, GIMP, Scribus, and Other Open Source Tools

Daniel James

Apress, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4302-1887-6

US$ 39.99, UK£ 31.49

http://www.apress.com/book/view/1430218878

Apprenticeship Patterns

The authors have compiled dozens of "behavior patterns" gleaned from years of research and numerous interviews that address the necessary soft skills and learning techniques that help programmers, administrators, and DBAs face everyday difficulties. Hoover and Oshineye cover topics such as best practices for learning new information, avoiding burn out, and finding personal fulfillment in software development.

Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman

David H. Hoover, Adewale Oshineye

O'Reilly, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-596-51838-7

US$ 29.99, UK£ 22.99

http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596518387

CSS Cookbook

Named Best Web Design Book of 2006, this updated edition of CSS Cookbook is sure to prove indispensable to web designers seeking to solve the real problems that come with using CSS. In addition to the basics, including the CSS rule structure, the author also covers layout and typography issues, configuration of lists, forms, and tables, and how to combine JavaScript with CSS to get more versatility into your design.

CSS Cookbook, Third Edition

Christopher Schmitt

O'Reilly, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-596-15593-3

US$ 49.99, UK£ 38.50

http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596155933/