Product Description

This soup-to-nuts collection of recipes covers everything you need to know to perform your job as a Linux network administrator, whether you're new to the job or have years of experience. With Linux Networking Cookbook, you'll dive straight into the gnarly hands-on work of building and maintaining a computer network. Running a network doesn't mean you have all the answers. Networking is a complex subject with reams of reference material that's difficult to keep straight, much less remember. If you want a book that lays out the steps for specific tasks, that clearly explains the commands and configurations, and does not tax your patience with endless ramblings and meanderings into theory and obscure RFCs, this is the book for you. You will find recipes for: Building a gateway, firewall, and wireless access point on a Linux network Building a VoIP server with Asterisk Secure remote administration with SSH Building secure VPNs with OpenVPN, and a Linux PPTP VPN server Single sign-on with Samba for mixed Linux/Windows LANs Centralized network directory with OpenLDAP Network monitoring with Nagios or MRTG Getting acquainted with IPv6 Setting up hands-free networks installations of new systems Linux system administration via serial console And a lot more. Each recipe includes a clear, hands-on solution with tested code, plus a discussion on why it works. When you need to solve a network problem without delay, and don't have the time or patience to comb through reference books or the Web for answers, Linux Networking Cookbook gives you exactly what you need.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #178927 in Books
* Published on: 2007-11-26
* Format: Illustrated
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 638 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Carla Schroder is a self-taught Linux and Windows sysadmin, who discovered Red Hat 5.0 in 1997. She quickly found herself doing freelance consulting for small businesses and home users and integrating Linux and Windows on the LAN. She is the author of the "Linux Cookbook" (O'Reilly), and writes Linux how-tos for several computer publications including Enterprise Networking Planet and VoIP Planet.
Customer Reviews

A good task oriented book for people wanting to do Linux networking4
The Linux networking cookbook is very specifically orientated to Linux networking tasks. While this book would give useful ideas for other *NIX operating systems the real value is for Linux users.

The book is orientated for Fedora and Debian (Ubuntu) users as these are the basis of a number of the Linux distributions available. The book also shows how to compile required software from source.

The book is task orientated and each chapter relates to a specific task such as setting up a VPN. The range of tasks is very extensive and include Firewalling, wireless networking, VPN, VoIP servers, routing, SSH etc.

The required software is defined along with how to install it. The chapter then goes on to describe configuration and set up for the required purpose. The book is straightforward and describes the process in a simple way without requiring vast amounts of Linux interior expertise. This is not a novice book and it does require some knowledge of Linux however it is very good at describing how to perform most networking tasks for people who are not expert in networking.

I have been using Linux as my desktop for around 2-3 years and I found this book very useful. I recommend it for people who want to do something with networking in Linux and don't want to spend forever looking up howto's on the Internet.

Linux Networking Lovefest5
The 'Linux Networking Cookbook' is a wonderful addition for any admin or developer that is using exactly what the title of this book states: Linux Networking. With over 600 pages of content spread over 250-300 pages of helpful recipes, this is a welcome addition to a Linux admin's bookshelf.

Easy to recommend, hard to live without for this niche audience.

***** RECOMMENDED

Fantastic Resource for transition from MS to *Nix5
I have gone through the entire book and I feel ready to transition from the familiar MS world of Server 2003/8 to Linux. The tips and tricks contained in the book will enable me to do all the things I want to do with my servers and desktops.

Fantastic book.

Product Description

Make the Most of Today’s Smallest, Fastest Desktop Linux Distribution–Damn Small Linux!

Damn Small Linux (DSL) is a super-efficient platform for everything from custom desktops to professional servers. Now, DSL’s creator and lead developer have written the first definitive, practical guide to this remarkable system. The Official Damn Small Linux Book brings together everything you need to put DSL to work in just minutes. Simply learn a few essentials, boot the live CD-ROM, and master the rest...one step at a time, hands-on.



If you’re new to Linux, you can quickly discover how to use DSL to take your data on the road, safely running your programs and personal environment on nearly any computer. Easily adapt DSL to run on anything from an alternative device (Internet appliance, hand-held, diskless PC, or mini-ITX system) to an older PC that might otherwise be headed for landfill.



Use this book and CD-ROM package to

* Run DSL at blazing speed, from CD, USB pen drive, or directly from RAM
* Run DSL from your hard drive or in a virtual environment within Windows
* Add applications and create shareable extensions
* Customize and remaster DSL to create your own distribution
* Build a complete music and multimedia server
* Use Skype VoIP phone service in DSL
* Quickly set up an XAMPP Web server, complete with MySQL, PHP, and Perl, to host your personal Web pages

CD-ROM Includes

* Several versions of Damn Small Linux that let you run DSL directly from the CD, a Windows desktop, a pen drive, or your PC’s RAM.
* Software packages (MyDSL extensions) including everything you need to create an Edna music server, Skype® VoIP calling client, multimedia picture frame, and tiny XAMPP Web server.
* Tools for rebuilding and remastering Damn Small Linux.



Your Practical, Hands-On Guides to Getting Real Results with Free Software



Every book in this series encourages and challenges you to advance in the free software world. Boot the accompanying live DVD or CD and watch the Linux system, applications, and content described in the book come to life. When you finish, you’ll know how to use, customize, and rebuild that open source software. Start as a novice, by trying out examples...and finish as a professional!



System Requirements

* Processor: 486DX (recommended Pentium I) or higher
* Memory: 32MB RAM or more (can run entirely in memory in 128MB RAM)
* Disk space: No hard disk space required to run from CD-ROM or USB thumb drive; 50MB minimum for frugal hard disk installs; 200-300MB recommended minimum for traditional hard disk installs
* Graphics: SVGA-capable card with monitor capable of 800x600 resolution





Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #67472 in Books
* Published on: 2007-08-16
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 448 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Shingledecker’s IT career spans 35 years, beginning with hand-coding machine language programs targeted for Burroughs Corporation minicomputers. Later, he enjoyed using an assembler and then COBOL. Always having a passion for computers, he was an advocate for COMAL, and was an early hacker on MINIX and Coherent OS. In regards to Linux projects, Robert led the first large-scale deployment of Linux in the city of Garden Grove, California, where in 1994 he deployed Samba on DG/UX systems. He also designed a massively scalable Linux/AOLserver/Sybase e-commerce system. Robert then became CTO of several Linux-based dot-com companies. While building Linux-based, no install, live CD-ROM appliances, including firewalls, VPN, web, email, and database appliances, he became interested in Damn Small Linux. Soon, Robert joined John Andrews to help lead Damn Small Linux development. Now retired, Robert spends his time writing code and working on Damn Small Linux. He also enjoys traveling.



John Andrews is the creator of Damn Small Linux (DSL). As owner of a bead and jewelry store in 1996, John learned HTML and Perl to develop his own website. It eventually broadened to running websites for others on Linux servers. His interest in Linux encouraged him to switch to a Linux desktop full time. The appeal of fast and efficient applications led John to develop Damn Small Linux. After trying several mini-distributions, primarily for diagnostic and system recovery, John wanted to build a sub-50MB distribution that essentially had what he needed to accomplish a day’s work; the result was the Damn Small Linux distribution. John’s proficiencies include Perl, shell scripting, Lua, awk, *SQL, php, and some C programming languages.



Christopher Negus has been one of the world’s leading writers of Linux books for nearly a decade. His Red Hat Linux Bible series has sold more than one-quarter million copies worldwide. Chris also authored or coauthored the books Linux Bible (2005 through 2007 editions), Linux Toys, Linux Toys II, and Linux Troubleshooting Bible for Wiley Publishing. For Prentice Hall, Chris is the editor of the Negus Live Linux Series and author of that series’ flagship book, Live Linux CDs. Before becoming a full-time author, Chris Negus worked on UNIX operating system development teams at AT&T Bell Labs, UNIX System Labs, and Novell in the 1980s and 1990s. In particular, Chris worked in the areas of UNIX system administration and networking. When not working on computer books, Chris likes to spend time with his family: Sheree, Seth, and Caleb. Chris also enjoys playing soccer, singing opera (when nobody can hear him), and making things out of old computers.



Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction

Damn Small Linux (DSL) started as an exercise by John Andrews to fit an entire desktop computer system into a compressed 50MB image. Within a few years, DSL grew to one of the most popular Linux systems in the world (in the Top Ten, by some accounts) without growing beyond that 50MB target.

In a world where desktop systems are bloated with eye candy and many rarely used features, you may wonder what makes this little operating-system-that-could so popular? Well, it could be that people don't want to throw away a usable computer because the latest Windows system won't run. It could be that people are tired of waiting for common computer operations to complete while who-knows-what goes on in the background. Or maybe it's just a love for simplicity and elegance.

DSL sets out to include all the basic features you need in a modern desktop computer system—and then makes those features functional, fast, and efficient. As a result, DSL can run well on hardware that is smaller, older, or less powerful than what most of today's desktop systems demand.

Some wonderful offshoots of DSL development are that you can do the following with DSL:

*

Take it anywhere. It fits on a live CD, USB flash drive (also called a pen drive or a thumb drive), Zip drive, or a bootable business card CD that you can carry around with you.
*

Run it anywhere. All you need is a standard PC (with a minimal processor, small amount of RAM, and no required disk space) that you can reboot. Or, you can run a special version of DSL that's set up to run from a Windows desktop. If you like, you can even do a traditional hard drive install of DSL.
*

Add software. If you only need a couple more applications, a few clicks download, install, and save the applications you need.
*

Build projects. To make a computer into a music server, tiny web server, or digital media frame, DSL doesn't fill up your hard disk or RAM with software you don't need so you have more room for the music, web content, or digital images you want (see Part IV, "Making Damn Small Linux Projects," for these and other projects).
*

Run securely. By running DSL from a CD (or other read-only medium), you are assured that a secure operating system is only a reboot away. If you think that someone has compromised or intruded on your system, simply check that any data you save is not infected, reboot your DSL live CD, and you are running securely from a clean copy.

As the project grew, DSL also grew by adding an important developer. When Robert Shingledecker joined the Damn Small Linux development team, he implemented some of the key features of DSL previously mentioned. Robert's innovations brought about easy procedures for installing DSL to a USB flash drive and adding MyDSL extensions to a running DSL system.

Today, Damn Small Linux (http://www.damnsmalllinux.org) has a thriving community of supporters, active forums and mailing lists, and tons of interesting ways to use and customize it. This book provides you with an entry to all the possibilities of what Damn Small Linux can be for you.
As You Read This Book

To make the best use of the individual talents of the three authors of this book, we divided it up by chapters that play best to each of our strengths. As you read, you will notice that we often use the first person. Because the person describing a feature was often the person who developed the feature, first person seemed a good way to go.

If you find yourself wondering who "I" is in each chapter where it appears, we are providing that information here.

Robert Shingledecker wrote the following chapters:

*

"Booting DSL" (Chapter 2)
*

"Configuring and Saving DSL Settings" (Chapter 4)
*

"Extending Applications with MyDSL" (Chapter 5)
*

"Installing DSL in Alternate Ways" (Chapter 8)
*

"Adding Applications and Creating Shareable Extensions" (Chapter 10)
*

"Setting Up a Full Remastering Environment" (Chapter 11)

John Andrews wrote these chapters:

*

"Using DSL Applications" (Chapter 3)
*

"Running a Native Pen Drive Install" (Chapter 6)
*

"Running DSL Embedded in Windows" (Chapter 7)
*

"Performing a Traditional Hard Drive Install" (Chapter 9)
*

"Running DSL on Alternate Hardware" (Chapter 12)
*

"Making an Edna Music Server in DSL" (Chapter 13)

Christopher Negus contributed most of the introductory material and appendices, as well as the following chapters:

*

"Overview of Damn Small Linux" (Chapter 1) and this introduction
*

"Using Skype VoIP Service in DSL" (Chapter 14)
*

"Running a Digital Media Frame in DSL" (Chapter 15)
*

"Setting Up an XAMPP Web Server in DSL" (Chapter 16)

The bottom line is that most of the chapters Robert and John wrote tell you about features they developed for DSL. Chapters that Chris wrote help to introduce the features Robert and John describe and add a few fun and interesting projects to the mix.

Product Description

What has made Ubuntu the most popular Linux distribution in recent years? It's the emphasis on ease of installation and use. It gets even easier when paired with Ubuntu Linux For Dummies. This friendly reference shows you how to run Ubuntu directly from CD-ROM and install it on a PC as a personal workstation and network server. You’ll find out how to download Ubuntu and start using it right away. You'll also discover how to:

* Connect to a LAN via a wireless and Ethernet
* Use OpenOffice.org and Mozilla Firefox drawing and editing
* Tap into multimedia, graphics and other applications using Ubuntu
* Create services for a home or small business network
* Generate and manage web pages, print services, and more
* Find helpful information about Ubuntu and Linux
* Troubleshoot and fix problems

"Ubuntu" means "humanity toward others." Operating system guidebooks don’t get any more humane than Ubuntu Linux For Dummies.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #141597 in Books
* Published on: 2007-04-30
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 384 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get acquainted with Ubuntu and

taste the freedom

Set up a workstation, connect to a wireless network, get online, and more

Ubuntu is about community — in this case, the Linux community, which is pretty friendly. So is this book, and it will have you up and running with Ubuntu in no time. You'll not only discover how to use the live version, but also how to install it permanently, use Ubuntu for daily work, and even play with multimedia.

* Try Ubuntu without permanently installing it
*

Connect to a network via dialup or broadband
*

Explore the GNOME® graphical desktop environment
*

Set up calendars and e-mail clients
*

Listen to MP3 and live Internet audio

About the Author
Paul G. Sery is a Computer Systems Engineer at Sandia National Laboratories and project leader for Linux thincomputing. Previously, he designed, implemented, and managed Sandia's computer and network systems.
Customer Reviews

Good book. Read on...5
I have long shelve of books on linux and unix. This is one decent book on ubuntu but it is what the title says: it is book for a very beginner and in this role it is very credible reading. You should not expect from it any "advanced" subjects, but it walks you trough first time ubuntu experience. It outlines and crisply describes basic things for first time users. It is not up to current version, but it is still very reliable.
If you are looking for more than merely basic guide see Ubuntu, Kubuntu 8.04 and Linux Training Library 2DVDs+CD as it comes with great PDF library on CD.
If you never touched Linux before you probably need the Linux/Unix course see Linux and UNIX for a beginner complete training suite, 4DVDs + 2CDs ed.2008

Outdated information useless - cd is corrupted1
The book is outdated. The latest version of Ubuntu (8) can not be learned using this book. I decided to switch to the version included with the book to prevent a total loss, but the CD files were corrupt and would not load. Book is useless. CD doesn't work. Save your money and don't buy.

Good beginning4
This provides a great beginning overview to Ubuntu Linux and had some very interesting history about it. Switching from Microsoft to Linux, this book carefully explained the similarities and differences. Because Ubuntu is very intuitive, some of the book's sections were simplistic, but thorough in the explanation. Overall, a very good starting point in learning the new OS.

Product Description

If you think Knoppix is just a Linux demo disk, think again. Klaus Knopper created an entire Linux distribution on a bootable CD (and now a DVD) so he could use his favorite open source tools on any computer. This book includes a collection of tips and techniques for using the enormous amount of software Knoppix offers-not just to work and play, but also to troubleshoot, repair, upgrade, and disinfect your system without having to install a thing.

Knoppix Hacks is just like the distribution it covers: a veritable Swiss Army knife packed full of tools. Scores of industrial-strength hacks-many of them new to this second edition-cover both the standard Knoppix CD and the feature-rich DVD "Maxi" distribution, which is included with this book. Discover how to use Knoppix to its full potential as your desktop, rescue CD, or as a launching point for your own live CD.

With Knoppix Hacks, you can:

* Investigate features of the KDE desktop and its Internet applications


* Save your settings and data between reboots with persistent storage


* Employ Knoppix as a system administration multitool to replace failed servers and more


* Use the CD/DVD as a rescue disc to repair filesystems or a system that won't boot


* Rescue Windows systems with Knoppix to back up files and settings, hack the registry, and more


* Explore other live CDs based on Knoppix that could augment your system


* Easily install the popular Debian GNU/Linux distribution with all of your hardware detected and configured


* Remaster Knoppix to include your favorite software and custom branding


Whether you're a new Linux user, power user, or system administer, this book helps you take advantage of Knoppix and customize it to your needs. You may just find ways to use Knoppix that you never considered.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #141792 in Books
* Published on: 2007-11-20
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 420 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Kyle Rankin is a system administrator for QuinStreet, Inc., the current president of the North Bay Linux Users Group, and the author of "Knoppix Hacks", "Knoppix Pocket Reference", and "Linux Multimedia Hacks" (all from O'Reilly). Kyle has been using Linux in one form or another since early 1998. In his free time, he either writes or does pretty much the same thing he does at work: works with Linux.
Customer Reviews

Great way to learn5
Needed to get a grip on Linux. This was recommended by a friend. This taught me what I needed to know to move around comfortably. This is a great guide.

Great Knoppix Resource5
Knoppix is an outstanding programming achievement, allowing users to boot Linux from CD/DVD without installation (WITHOUT installation?!?). Also contained in the Knoppix package is a whole slew of open source tools and other favorite goodies that any Linux programmer might want to use and learn from. Knoppix has so many tasties and fun stuff present that content wasn't the problem, instead navigating through all this had to offer was the only issue. With 'Knoppix Hacks: Tips and Tools for Using the Linux Live CD to Hack, Repair, and Enjoy Your PC' those days of navigating through Knoppix have come to an end. Jam packed with 120 tips and tricks of the trade, you will learn it all. From basic administration to desktop tweaks to file I/O work to playing with Windows, it's all here. If you are a Linux lover that wants to learn what Knoppix can do for you or you simply are a weekend computer warrior that wants to take it to the next level, this is a great guide, written in the classic spirit of past 'Hacks' books by O'Reilly.

***** RECOMMENDED

A Fantistic Resource5
Like all the O'Reilly hack books, Knoppix Hacks consists of a collection of recipes for carrying out a variety of tasks. The overwhelming majority of the recipes stand on their own, so you can use them without reading the rest of the book.

The Knoppix version 5.1.1 DVD is included with the book. Since Knoppix is a live-boot DVD, arguably the premier live-boot DVD, you don't have to modify your system's hard disk in order to try out most of the ideas in the book. This makes for a great environment for experimentation and learning. You have a sandbox in RAM where you can play with new concepts and commands without messing up your hard disk.

In this reviewer's opinion, Knoppix Hacks 2nd edition is one of the very best computer books available, and belongs in the library of every technically-inclined PC owner.

Full Disclosure: The publisher, O'Reilly, gives many books to Kernel-Panic Linux Users Group for review. I am a founding member of the group and am currently serving as its treasurer. The review copy of Knoppix Hacks went to another member, and I purchased my own copy. A more complete review and errata is available on my website.

Pros:

This book is well-organized, well-written, and has both depth and breadth. It is an excellent resource for learning Linux. Although many of the recipes cover advanced topics, they are relatively easy to follow in part because they start with the system in a known state -- booted from the included Knoppix DVD.

Knoppix Hacks covers everything from familiarizing you with the KDE desktop, to mastering your own customized Knoppix DVD. Two examples: Do you want to learn the basics of Linux system administration? Read Chapter 5, "Put Knoppix in Your Toolbox". Do you want to use free software for Windows system administration -- possibly saving hundreds of dollars? Read Chapter 7, "Rescue Windows".

There are a lot more pros I could list, but you get the idea.

I found a few cons, but they are very minor:

The included version of Knoppix is not suitable for really old PCs that lack DVD drives. But, the text explains how to download and burn your on copy of the Knoppix CD version.

On the copyright page, my copy shows a printing date of November 2007 and a copyright date of 2008 -- that seems odd.

The book contains a few terms and phrases that the editor probably should have changed. In the in forward they say some "forged new ground" instead of "broke new ground". They talk of "MD5sum" rather than "md5sum", the command, or "MD5 sum", the algorithm.

Product Description

This book is about writing software that makes the most effective use of the system you're running on -- code that interfaces directly with the kernel and core system libraries, including the shell, text editor, compiler, debugger, core utilities, and system daemons. The majority of both Unix and Linux code is still written at the system level, and Linux System Programming focuses on everything above the kernel, where applications such as Apache, bash, cp, vim, Emacs, gcc, gdb, glibc, ls, mv, and X exist. Written primarily for engineers looking to program (better) at the low level, this book is an ideal teaching tool for any programmer. Even with the trend toward high-level development, either through web software (such as PHP) or managed code (C#), someone still has to write the PHP interpreter and the C# virtual machine. Linux System Programming gives you an understanding of core internals that makes for better code, no matter where it appears in the stack. Debugging high-level code often requires you to understand the system calls and kernel behavior of your operating system, too. Key topics include: An overview of Linux, the kernel, the C library, and the C compiler Reading from and writing to files, along with other basic file I/O operations, including how the Linux kernel implements and manages file I/O Buffer size management, including the Standard I/O library Advanced I/O interfaces, memory mappings, and optimization techniques The family of system calls for basic process management Advanced process management, including real-time processes File and directories-creating, moving, copying, deleting, and managing them Memory management -- interfaces for allocating memory, managingthe memory you have, and optimizing your memory access Signals and their role on a Unix system, plus basic and advanced signal interfaces Time, sleeping, and clock management, starting with the basics and continuing through POSIX clocks and high resolution timers With Linux System Programming, you will be able to take an in-depth look at Linux from both a theoretical and an applied perspective as you cover a wide range of programming topics.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #168538 in Books
* Published on: 2007-09-18
* Format: Illustrated
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 388 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Robert Love has been a Linux user and hacker since the early days. He is active in, and passionate about, both the Linux kernel and GNOME desktop communities. His recent contributions to the Linux kernel include work on the kernel event layer and inotify. GNOME-related contributions include Beagle, GNOME Volume Manager, NetworkManager, and Project Utopia. Currently Robert works in the Open Source Program Office at Google.

As an author, Robert is responsible for Linux Kernel Development (SAMS), now in its second edition, and Linux System Programming (O'Reilly). He is also a coauthor of the fifth edition of O'Reilly's Linux in a Nutshell. He's a Contributing Editor for Linux Journal, has written numerous articles, and has been invited to speak around the world on Linux.

Robert graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Mathematics and a B.S. in Computer Science. Hailing from South Florida, he currently calls Boston home.
Customer Reviews

The book truly is for all developers5
I have been programming C/C++ professionally since 1986 and was surprised at how much I've learned in the first few chapters.

One of the programs that I've been working on is an I/O intensive conversion from a legacy platform to Linux. The original code took about 8 minutes per gigabyte of data to process. I had worked and squeezed every trick I could think of and got the application down to 10 seconds per gigabyte. From what I learned in just the first few chapters, I was able to knock an additional 3% off the application performance.

When I finish the book, I fully intend on passing it over to one of our junior members so that they can benefit from it.

Not worth money1
If you expect the quality of the author's other books from this book, you'll be disappointed. It just lists system calls and their descriptions that you can find from man pages without any serious examples. It doesn't provide any insight or thorough coverage you can find from other books such as Steven's book (Advance Programmng in Unix environment).

From the book title, I expected the author's insight over interface between user space program and kernel but it just looks like that it copied man pages in some order. If you want to learn sysetm programming in Linux environment, look for other books, seriously.

Easy to read-Your first step into system programming5
Up-side
Its a very easily readable book.
Unlike other heavy weight books on system programming in this book code is very simple. All the codes are on one place no extra header files.
So if you are new to system-kernel programming, like my self, this is the book for you.
I did have problem reading kernel development books("Linux device driver" Linux kernel Programming). But after reading this book so many things are in perspective now. I cold do advance study in kernel development.

Down Side.
Some light/sweet projects could have made this book the best.
Some socket programming examples would be nice.

Product Description

It takes a book as versatile as its subject to cover Apache Tomcat, the popular open source Servlet and JSP container and high performance web server. Tomcat: The Definitive Guide is a valuable reference for administrators and webmasters, a useful guide for programmers who want to use Tomcat as their web application server during development or in production, and an excellent introduction for anyone interested in Tomcat.

Updated for the latest version of Tomcat, this new edition offers a complete guide to installing, configuring, maintaining and securing this servlet container. In fact, with such a wealth of new information, this is essentially a new book rather than a simple revision. You will find details for using Tomcat on all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, OS X, Solaris, and FreeBSD, along with specifics on Tomcat configuration files, and step-by-step advice for deploying and running web applications.

This book offers complete information for:

* Installation and startup procedures


* Configuring Tomcat-including realms, roles, users, servlet sessions, and JNDI resources including JDBC DataSources


* Deploying web applications-individual servlets and JSP pages, and web application archive files


* Tuning Tomcat to measure and improve performance


* Integrating Tomcat with Apache Web Server


* Securing Tomcat to keep online thugs at bay


* Tomcat configuration files-server.xml and web.xml, and more


* Debugging and Troubleshooting-diagnosing problems with Tomcat or a web application


* Compiling your own Tomcat, rather than using the pre-built release


* Running two or more Tomcat servlet containers in parallel


This book also offers an overview of the Tomcat open source project's community resources, including docs, mailing lists, and more. Community interest fueled a strong demand for a Tomcat guide from O'Reilly. The result clearly exceeds expectations.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #25627 in Books
* Published on: 2007-10-23
* Format: Illustrated
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 494 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Jason Brittain is a Senior Principal Software Engineer for Orbital Sciences Corporation, working at NASA's Ames Research Center on the Kepler Space Telescope mission (http://kepler.nasa.gov).

Jason is a co-author of Tomcat: The Definitive Guide, now in its second edition, and has written some web articles for O'Reilly's OnJava.com web site.

Before joining the team on the Kepler mission, Jason was a Senior Software Engineer at Symantec Corporation working on the Brightmail AntiSpam appliance product line's control center web application.

Jason's specialties include Java software development, Tomcat web application development and deployment, scalability and fault tolerance, and Apache Ant build systems, and Linux system administration. He has contributed to many Apache Jakarta projects, and has been an active open source software developer for several years.

Ian Darwin has worked in the computer industry for three decades: with Unix since 1980, Java since 1995, and OpenBSD since 1998. He wrote the freeware file(1) command used on Linux and BSD and is the author of "Checking C Programs" with "Lint and Java Cookbook", as well as over 70 articles, in addition to university and commercial course material on C and Unix. Besides programming and consulting, Ian teaches Unix, C, and Java for Learning Tree International, one of the world's largest technical training companies.
Customer Reviews

Sadly outdated3
As most O'Reilly books, this *was* an outstanding, readable, and indispensable guide for Tomcat development and administration. Unfortunately, it's sadly outdated: this book only covers version 4, while versions 5, 5.5, and 6 introduce many, many innovations and changes, and you don't want to waste time reading material that doesn't apply to the current versions. It is unfortunate that this book is still being for sale. This book has well deserved stars, but those starts are now obsolete. We all Tomcat lovers are looking forward for an updated edition.

Great Tomcat Reference4
'Tomcat: The Definitive Guide' is a great resource for all Tomcat programmers and administrators. Jam packed with 450 pages of material over 11 chapters, you will learn everything you need to know. Security, configuration, performance tuning, integration with Apache and building Tomcat from the source, this is a wonderful guide that should be on every Tomcat admin's desk.

**** RECOMMENDED

Any advanced computer collection strong in Java programming needs this.5
Jason Brittain and Ian F. Darwin's TOMCAT: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE, 2ND EDITION has been updated for the latest version of Tomcat and offers a complete guide to installing the servlet container, from basics of installation to using web applications, securing Tomcat from online intruders, troubleshooting and customizing the program. Any advanced computer collection strong in Java programming needs this.

Product Description

In this handy, compact guide, you’ll explore a ton of powerful Ubuntu Linux commands while you learn to use Ubuntu Linux as the experts do: from the command line. Try out more than 1,000 commands to find and get software, monitor system health and security, and access network resources. Then, apply the skills you learn from this book to use and administer desktops and servers running Ubuntu, Debian, and KNOPPIX or any other Linux distribution.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #6957 in Books
* Published on: 2007-11-28
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 360 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
Explore a ton of powerful Ubuntu Linux commands

This handy, compact guide teaches you to use Ubuntu Linux as the experts do: from the command line. Try out over 1000 commands to find and get software, monitor system health and security, and access network resources. Apply skills you learn from this book to use and administer desktops and servers running Ubuntu, Debian, and KNOPPIX or any other Linux distribution.

Expand your Linux expertise in these and other areas:

*

Using the shell
*

Finding online software
*

Working with files
*

Playing with music and images
*

Administering file systems
*

Backing up data
*

Checking and managing running processes
*

Accessing network resources
*

Handling remote system administration
*

Locking down security

About the Author
Christopher Negus is the author of the bestselling Fedora and Red Hat Linux Bibles, Linux Toys II, Linux Troubleshooting Bible, and Linux Bible 2008 Edition. He is a member of the Madison Linux Users Group. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Chris served for eight years on development teams for the Unix operating system at AT&T, where Unix was created and developed. He also worked with Novell on Unix development and Caldera.

Francois Caen hosts and manages business application infrastructures, through his company Turbosphere LLC. As an open-source advocate, he has lectured on OSS network management and Internet services, and served as president of the Tacoma Linux User Group. FranÇois is a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE).
Customer Reviews

awesome book5
best book for linux ppl who want to learn a lot more about whats behind the gui.

Over a Newbies head3
I like this book, but I think it's too much for a Linux Newbie to understand. If you plan on really getting into Linux and learing the ins and outs, then this book is for you. If your looking for a way to migrate away from windows and moving on to Linux, buy another book. There are plenty of good books out there dedicated to new users of Linux...this book isn't one of them

Ubuntu Linux Toolbox -- A short review5
This book is the most informative book I have read to date on system administration of Ubuntu Linux. I recommend it highly. Ubuntu Linux Toolbox: 1000+ Commands for Ubuntu and Debian Power Users

Product Description

“Probably the most wide ranging and complete Linux device driver book I’ve read.”

--Alan Cox, Linux Guru and Key Kernel Developer



“Very comprehensive and detailed, covering almost every single Linux device driver type.”

--Theodore Ts’o, First Linux Kernel Developer in North America and Chief Platform Strategist of the Linux Foundation



The Most Practical Guide to Writing Linux Device Drivers

Linux now offers an exceptionally robust environment for driver development: with today’s kernels, what once required years of development time can be accomplished in days. In this practical, example-driven book, one of the world’s most experienced Linux driver developers systematically demonstrates how to develop reliable Linux drivers for virtually any device. Essential Linux Device Drivers is for any programmer with a working knowledge of operating systems and C, including programmers who have never written drivers before. Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran focuses on the essentials, bringing together all the concepts and techniques you need, while avoiding topics that only matter in highly specialized situations. Venkateswaran begins by reviewing the Linux 2.6 kernel capabilities that are most relevant to driver developers. He introduces simple device classes; then turns to serial buses such as I2C and SPI; external buses such as PCMCIA, PCI, and USB; video, audio, block, network, and wireless device drivers; user-space drivers; and drivers for embedded Linux–one of today’s fastest growing areas of Linux development. For each, Venkateswaran explains the technology, inspects relevant kernel source files, and walks through developing a complete example.



• Addresses drivers discussed in no other book, including drivers for I2C, video, sound, PCMCIA, and different types of flash memory

• Demystifies essential kernel services and facilities, including kernel threads and helper interfaces

• Teaches polling, asynchronous notification, and I/O control

• Introduces the Inter-Integrated Circuit Protocol for embedded Linux drivers

• Covers multimedia device drivers using the Linux-Video subsystem and Linux-Audio framework

• Shows how Linux implements support for wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Infrared, WiFi, and cellular networking

• Describes the entire driver development lifecycle, through debugging and maintenance

• Includes reference appendixes covering Linux assembly, BIOS calls, and Seq files

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #5966 in Books
* Published on: 2008-04-06
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 744 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran has spent more than a decade working in IBM product development laboratories. He has ported Linux to devices ranging from wristwatches and music players to PDAs, VoIP phones, and even pacemaker programmers. He was a Contributing Editor and kernel columnist for Linux Magazine for more than two years.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Essential Linux Device Drivers

by Sreekrishnan Venkiteswaran
Preface

It was the late nineties and at IBM, we were putting the Linux kernel on a wrist watch. The target device was tiny, but the task was turning out to be tough. The Memory Technology Devices subsystem didn't exist in the kernel, which meant that before a filesystem could start life on the watch's flash memory, we had to develop the necessary storage driver from scratch. Interfacing the watch's touch screen with user applications was complicated since the kernel's input event driver interface hadn't been conceived yet. Getting X-Windows to run on the watch's LCD wasn't easy since it didn't work well with framebuffer drivers. Of what use is a water-proof Linux wrist watch if you can't stream stock quotes from your bath tub? Bluetooth integration with Linux was several years away, and months were spent porting a proprietary Bluetooth stack to Internet-enable the watch. Power management support was good enough only to squeeze a few hours of juice from the watch's battery, hence we had work cut out on that front too. Linux-Infrared was still unstable, so we had to coax the stack before we could use an Infrared keyboard for data entry. And we had to compile the compiler and cross-compile a compact application-set since there were no accepted distributions in the consumer electronics space.

Fast forward to the present: The baby penguin has grown into a healthy teenager. What took thousands of lines of code and a year in development back then, can be accomplished in a few days with the current kernels. But to become a versatile kernel engineer who can magically weave solutions, you need to understand the myriad features and facilities that Linux offers today.
About the Book

Among the various subsystems residing in the kernel source tree, the drivers/directory constitutes the single largest chunk and is several times bigger than the others. With new and diverse technologies arriving in popular form factors, the development of new device drivers in the kernel is accelerating steadily. The latest kernels support over 50 device driver families.

This book is about writing Linux device drivers. It covers the design and development of major device classes supported by the kernel, including those I missed during my Linux-on-Watch days. The discussion of each driver family starts by looking at the corresponding technology, moves on to develop a practical example, and ends by looking at relevant kernel source files. But before foraying into the world of device drivers, the book introduces you to the kernel and discusses the important features of 2.6 Linux, emphasizing those portions that are of special interest to device driver writers.
Audience

This book is intended for the intermediate-level programmer eager to tweak the kernel to enable new devices. You should have a working knowledge of operating system concepts. For example, you should know what a system call is, and why concurrency issues have to be factored in while writing kernel code. The book assumes that you have downloaded Linux on your system, poked through the kernel sources, and at least skimmed through some related documentation. And you should be pretty good in C.
Summary of Chapters

The first three chapters prepare you to digest the rest of the book. Each of the next fifteen chapters discusses drivers for a specific device family. The following chapter is a hold-all for driver classes not covered thus far. The penultimate chapter discusses device driver debugging. The last chapter gives some perspective on delivery and maintenance.

Chapter 1, "Introduction," starts our tryst with Linux. It hurries you through downloading the kernel sources, making trivial code changes, and building a bootable kernel image.

Chapter 2, "A Peek Inside the Kernel," takes a brisk peek into the innards of the Linux kernel and teaches you some must-know kernel concepts. It first takes you through the boot process and then describes kernel services particularly relevant to driver development such as kernel threads, timers, concurrency, and memory management.

Chapter 3, "Getting Started with Device Drivers," gets you started with the art of writing Linux device drivers. It looks at interrupt handling, the new Linux device model, and Linux assembly. In this chapter, you'll also learn to use kernel helper interfaces such as linked lists, work queues, completion functions, and notifier chains. These helper facilities simplify your code, weed out redundancies from the kernel, and help long-term maintenance.

Chapter 4, "Character Drivers," looks at the architecture of character device drivers. Several concepts introduced in this chapter such as polling, asynchronous notification, and I/O control, are relevant to subsequent chapters as well, since many device classes discussed in the rest of the book are 'super' character devices.

Chapter 5, "Serial Drivers," explains the kernel layer that handles serial devices. The serial layer consists of low-level drivers, the TTY layer, and line disciplines.

Chapter 6, "Input Drivers," discusses the kernel's input subsystem that is responsible for servicing devices such as keyboards, mice, and touch panels.

Chapter 7, "The Inter-Integrated Circuit Protocol," dissects drivers for devices such as EEPROMs that are connected to the system I2C bus or SMBus. The chapter also looks at other serial technologies such as the SPI bus and one-wire bus.

Chapter 8,"PCMCIA and Compact Flash," delves into the PCMCIA subsystem. It teaches you to write drivers for devices having a PCMCIA or Compact Flash form factor.

Chapter 9, "Peripheral Component Interconnect," looks at kernel support for PCI and its derivatives such as CardBus and PCI Express.

Chapter 10, "Universal Serial Bus," explores USB architecture and device drivers.

Chapter 11, "Video Drivers," explains the Linux video family.

Chapter 12, "Audio Drivers," describes the Linux audio family.

Chapter 13, "Block Drivers," covers drivers for devices such as IDE and SCSI. It also looks at filesystem drivers.

Chapter 14, "Network Interface Cards," is dedicated to network devices. You'll learn about kernel networking data structures and how to interface network drivers with protocol layers.

Chapter 15, "Linux Without Wires," looks at driving different wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Infrared, WiFi and cellular communication.

Chapter 16, "Memory Technology Devices," discusses flash memory enablement. This chapter first looks at flash-based protocols and chipsets primarily used on embedded devices. It ends by examining drivers for the Firmware Hub found on desktops and laptops.

Chapter 17, "Embedding Linux," steps into the world of embedded Linux. It takes you through the main firmware components of an embedded solution, such as bootloader, kernel, and device drivers. Given the soaring popularity of Linux in the embedded space, it's likely that you'll use the device driver skills that you acquire from this book, to enable embedded devices.

Chapter 18, "User Mode Drivers," looks at driving different types of devices from user space. Some device drivers, especially ones that are heavy on policy and light on performance requirements, are better off residing in user land. This chapter also explains how the new ultra-scalable process scheduler improves response times of user mode drivers.

Chapter 19, "More Devices and Drivers," takes a tour of a potpourri of driver families not covered thus far, such as Error Detection And Correction (EDAC), cpufreq, FireWire and ACPI.

Chapter 20, "Debugging Device Drivers,&...
Customer Reviews

A must for any Linux device driver developer today.5
The book covers in detail changes in the 2.6 kernel for driver developers including the various class es out there. It is an easy read and gives some good examples.

embedded device drivers5
This book combined with Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition, must be available in the library of all the emebedded system developers, based on Libux.
This book, give more information than linux device drivers, another iformations for the new developers, that are starting developing emebedded systems based on Linux.
So buy it.

The very BEST5
Without a doubt, this is the best driver book I've ever purchased. In the first few chapters the author walks you through boot, interrupts, builds, installs etc so that you can make the most of his outstanding knowledge of drivers and

Product Description

This book puts you in charge of the most flexible and adaptable graphical interface in the computer industry. The X Window System underlies graphical desktops on Linux and Unix systems, and supports advanced features of modern graphics cards. More people use the X Window System than ever before, but there are few books about X in print. X Power Tools fills that hole with the most practical and up-to-date information available. Written in O'Reilly's popular Power Tools format, X Power Tools offers dozens of standalone articles, thoroughly cross-referenced, on useful tools and techniques for using X. This unique inside look at X gives Unix/Linux system administrators, owners of self-administered systems, and power users a lot of useful ways to harness the power of this system effectively. This book: Offers a thorough grounding in X configuration and how the system works Provides the complete ins and outs of changing a desktop's behavior, such as fonts, keyboard settings, and remote security Includes articles on how to take advantage of X's "network transparency" -- its ability to display graphical applications on a remote machine Explores intriguing areas such as using multiple monitors, building kiosks, and accessibility Features discussions on X Window innovations and the future of the system X Power Tools covers configuration and use of X, focusing on Linux but also including notes on other operating systems such as Solaris and FreeBSD. Each article in the book gives you insight into X; the entire book gives you a real grasp on this system and what you can do with it.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #48447 in Books
* Published on: 2008-01-11
* Released on: 2008-01-11
* Format: Illustrated
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 270 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Chris Tyler is a programmer and Linux network administrator with a focus on the X Window System and LAMP. He has programmed in two dozen different languages over the past 20 years, and now teaches at Seneca College, Toronto.
Customer Reviews

Great Cookbook For Linux Admins5
'X Power Tools' is a book for Linux admins and developers who want to learn how to use Linux better than ever before. With 250+ pages of material spread over 15 chapters and close to 200 recipes, this is perfect for anyone looking to do more with the X Windows system.

Great book, great resource, easy recommendation

***** RECOMMENDED

Finally X explained5
Ever since making Linux my primary OS of choice, I have found it impossible to find a cogent explanation of the different pieces of software that result in the graphical desktop. There are X, session managers, window managers, compositing managers, and desktop environments. Happily, this book explains these pieces of software, their purpose and the way they interact, and does it in a way that is accesible to the intermediate *nix user while still providing a satisfying amount of technical detail. It also provides tools for managing the software and tweaking it to make it do what you want.

Useful and specific.5
The X Window System is the foundation of graphical desktops on both Linux and Unix systems and supports advanced features of modern graphics cards, so X Power Tools' articles on the topic are a top pick for any advanced computer library specializing in Unix. It offers an introduction to how the system works, considers useful utility programs and applications, covers software that work with X, and reviews the basics of building networks and systems with X. Any advanced Unix or Linux computer reference library will find it useful and specific.

Product Description

Frustrated by the overwhelming nature of Flash?

Want to get up to speed with the program fast so you can concentrate on your animation?

Need to solve problems quickly to get work done to time and to budget?

Then 'How to Cheat in Flash' is for you!

This book is different from the rest because it shows you, step by step, how to work from the problem to the solution when creating Flash animations, from the viewpoint of an animator who has been commissioned to create a job and is working to a deadline.

It is task orientated; every example shows real life commercial work. So, it's not so much a case of 'what does this filter/tool/option do?', as 'this is the task I've been set - how do I achieve it?' The solution may involve a variety of tools and techniques; it may take many steps to complete, or only a few. The free CD-Rom includes all the files you need to put your skills into practice as you read, and much more!

It's an accessible (conversational in style), practical book and CD package which also provides artistic inspiration, a goldmine of timesaving practical tips, tricks and step-by-step workthroughs. You will wonder how you survived without it.

* Successful, bestselling How to Cheat coverage now available for Flash
* Learn a myriad of tips and tricks based on real life working methods to help you work faster and more efficiently with Flash
* Work from the problem to the solution, gaining the best possible results from Flash
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #3184 in Books
* Published on: 2007-08-06
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 280 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
'A must read book from one of the true masters of the art of Flash design and animation.'
Eric Mueller, Sr. Software Eng., Advanced Technology Labs, Adobe Systems. --Eric Mueller, Sr. Software Eng., Advanced Technology Labs, Adobe Systems.

Review
If you have ever stared at a blank stage wondering how to make your ideas into reality, this is how it's done. I consider each example a best practice of how to use Flash CS Professional.
Justin Everett-Church, Sr. Product Manager Flash Player, Adobe Systems

Chris Georgenes' gorgeously designed book contains many short, practical tutorials that both Flash animators and web designers will want to thumb through to learn the tricks of the trade, so they can really impress their clients."
Stefan Gruenwedel, Sr. Editor, Developer Center, Adobe Systems

This is a not-to-be-missed chance to get secrets from one of the foremost authorities on Flash animation. His techniques for animating characters are essential for anyone dreaming of creating a cartoon or animated feature.
Craig Goodman, Executive Editor, Developer Center, Adobe Systems

This is a must-have Flash book. Whether you consider yourself more a Flash designer or developer, you'll want to run home and try out the concepts and techniques in this beautifully presented book.
Tim Statler, Flash developer, Adobe Systems

A valuable resource loaded with helpful tips and hints for Flash users at all skill levels. It is filled with practical how-to examples for artists and animators, presented in a clear step-by-step manner with illustrations documenting each step along the way.
Jim Ver Hague, Professor Emeritus, Computer Graphics Design, Rochester Institute of Technology

..a must have book if you are a Flash designer/animator.
flashculture.com

About the Author
Chris Georgenes is a full-time freelance artist, animator, and all-around designer for the web, CD-ROM, and television. His clients include Macromedia, LucasArts, Universal Records, Hasbro, Ogilvy, Yahoo! and AOL, to name a few. He maintains www.mudbubble.com as his online portfolio and www.keyframer.com as his Flash tutorial website. He is also a course author and instructor for sessions.edu.
Customer Reviews

aha moments5
This book is good all around, but has several of those aha nuggets that make it a very happy purchase.

Awesome book on flash animation.5
I had been looking for a book on cartoon animation with flash to help fill in the small knowledge gaps that I had to complete my animation. This book covered all of those gaps and more. There are tricks I didn't even know I needed, and now I know them. Thanks for such a great book.

The best choice for Flash animators5
The title of this book isn't misleading at all; author Chris Georgenes gives out an arsenal of tips/technics on how to make the most use of tools that are in front of us all the time while we author with Flash.
I got this book because I wanted to improve my animation skills. I've been doing flash websites and ocationally some advertising in Flash. This book is very easy to read, as it is very visual. With 270 pages this book contains a huge amount of graphics that will guide you through the precise steps on topics such as:

- Design Styles
- Masking
- Motion tips and tricks
- Character animation
- Working with sound & video
- Interactivty

And if that isn't enough for you, the bundled CD-ROM includes all the animations covered in the book in .fla format, so you can see for your self how a good animation is really done.
This is one of the few books I would recomend to all Flash users at all levels. And if you're into animation, this is certainly a must have.

Product Description

Master the power of Photoshop CS3 with
an internationally renowned photographer by your side.

Adobe's Photoshop CS3 comes with powerful new features with huge payoffs. But it can be overwhelming to learn, even for professional photographers, graphic designers, keen amateurs, and others who already have an initial grasp of Photoshop. Acclaimed photographer Martin Evening, who wrote the best-selling previous books, 'Adobe Photoshop for Photographers', makes it easy with this new, thoroughly updated edition.

* Illustrated throughout with before-and-after pictures - more than 750 professional, color illustrations!
* Practical techniques and real-life assignments
* Step-by-step tutorials
* Keyboard shortcut reference guide

Includes FREE DVD with:
* QuickTime movie tutorials for MAC and PC
* Searchable tips on tools, palettes layer styles, and shortcuts
* Includes images selected for you to experiment with to get you up to speed with everything in the book, including the new Photoshop CS3 features, fast!
* Updated Camera Guide to help you decide which will best suit your needs, plus bonus Digital Capture chapter in printable PDF format

Uncover quickly exactly what Adobe's CS3 now offers photographers. New tutorials focus on the key features introduced in CS3. You lose no time in finding out how to put your ideas to work with:

* Adobe's Camera Raw 4 plug-in that can now also process TIFFs and JPEGs
* New Align controls for combining HDR images; Photomerge; new Clone Stamp; Curves dialog that now incorporates Levels functionality; and improved controls for Brightness/Contrast to match raw image processing controls
* The latest on Black and White adjustment, which provides all the black and white conversion tools you need for optimum monochrome conversions
* A pro's scoop on choosing from among dozens of Photoshop's image adjustment methods to get the results you want
* Tips on Bridge 2.0 and Lightroom - when you should use each
* Top tactics for successful composite images, insider guidance on editing shadows and highlight adjustments, and lessons on how to preview and re-edit filter effects as many times as you want - without complex workarounds

Get the preeminent advice from one photographer to another as Martin completely updates you on the core aspects of working with Photoshop, digital workflow, and improving accessibility. Real-life examples, diagrams, illustrations, and step-by-step explanations ensure that you're up to speed with the next generation of digital photography in no time!

Foreword by Adobe Systems' key Director of Engineering, Digital Imaging, Marc Pawliger

* Over 750 professional, color images make this book stand above the rest
* New DVD! Searchable info explains tools, palettes & layer styles, also includes invaluable QuickTime movie tutorials
* Master the power of Photoshop CS3 under the instruction of an internationally recognised Photoshop expert & Adobe alpha tester
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #7199 in Books
* Published on: 2007-05-28
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 704 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
Reviews of the CS2 edition:

"One of the best and most comprehensive guides available...Each section includes examples with before and after images; we found some of the ideas really inspiring...If you are a photographer using CS2, this book is a must buy." - Which Digital Camera

"This one book excellently covers all aspects of Photoshop CS2 and presents them clearly from the photographer's point of view." - Advanced Photoshop

"Still very much the daddy of all Photoshop books...the quality of illustration and production are top rate...if this book is impressive then the accompanying CD-ROM is a delight." - British Journal of Photography

"Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers by Martin Evening is like the bible...it contains everything you would want to know about the creative use of Photoshop for a Macintosh or PC...a must-have guide." - Amateur Photographer

"The book is organized in a very clear and helpful color coding scheme...I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent volume. Evening covers a lot of ground and I want more from this expert and author... Highly recommended for anyone interested in real-world imaging processes and techniques." www.kickstartnews.com

"Clearly, this book will satisfy the most demanding Photoshop junkie... Martin Evening is a professional photographer who really understands his audience. It's amazingly comprehensive, and pitched to be suitable for all levels of users, from experienced pros to people with a more basic grasp of the software... There is an excellent mix of images that add relevance and credibility to the overall professional level of this book... This book could prove to be one of the most useful books you'll ever buy." - Digital Photographer

"Covering both Mac and PC, this is a great buy for the photographer who wants to get to grips with the latest features." - Digital Creative Arts

"The book does a great job of introducing all the features that are new to CS2. The --Which Digital Camera

Review
Reviews of CS3 edition:

"If you've been wondering what's new in Adobe Photoshop CS3, why not get your information from the best? ... Evening's Adobe Photoshop for Photographers titles have become classic reference sources, written to deal directly with the needs of photographers and filled with a wealth of practical advice, hints and tips to help you achieve professional results." Professional Photographer

"Investing in this 665-page book, diligent intermediates and advanced Photoshop users will feel reassured they've bought the definitive troubleshooting text." Photography Monthly (August 2007)

Reviews of the CS2 edition:

"One of the best and most comprehensive guides available...Each section includes examples with before and after images; we found some of the ideas really inspiring...If you are a photographer using CS2, this book is a must buy." - Which Digital Camera

"This one book excellently covers all aspects of Photoshop CS2 and presents them clearly from the photographer's point of view." - Advanced Photoshop

"Still very much the daddy of all Photoshop books...the quality of illustration and production are top rate...if this book is impressive then the accompanying CD-ROM is a delight." - British Journal of Photography

"Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Photographers by Martin Evening is like the bible...it contains everything you would want to know about the creative use of Photoshop for a Macintosh or PC...a must-have guide." - Amateur Photographer

"The book is organized in a very clear and helpful color coding scheme...I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent volume. Evening covers a lot of ground and I want more from this expert and author... Highly recommended for anyone interested in real-world imaging processes and techniques." www.kickstartnews.com

"Clearly, this book will satisfy the most demanding Photoshop junkie... Martin Evening is a professional photographer who really understands his audience. It's amazingly comprehensive, and pitched to be suitable for all levels of users, from experienced pros to people with a more basic grasp of the software... There is an excellent mix of images that add relevance and credibility to the overall professional level of this book... This book could prove to be one of the most useful books you'll ever buy." - Digital Photographer

"Covering both Mac and PC, this is a great buy for the photographer who wants to get to grips with the latest features." - Digital Creative Arts

"The book does a great job of introducing all the features that are new to CS2. The tips on colour correction and setting up Photoshop for photographic work are invaluable. Even the most hardened Photoshop pro will find useful insights and tips here. The section on colour workflow is particularly good and one of the most lucid insights into the confounding world of reproducing accurate colour... Martin Evening's book is probably the best Photoshop manual available. Well priced and thoroughly informative." - MacFormat

"Richly illustrated with photos and screen grabs, this is an invaluable guide for anyone serious about Photoshop at a very reasonable price." - What Digital Camera

"The best just got better... For those who have the first CS version of the book, the decision to upgrade will depend on how much emphasis you place on the new features, however for others who are contemplating which book to buy, look no further - this book has it all... a must buy for every aspiring digital photographer and Photoshop user." - Timeless Digital Imaging

"Martin Evening has produced an indispensable guide to all of the new features and tricks... This is an easy to follow and well written guide." - Computer Arts

"...like the best software manual that you might expect with expensive computer programs, but actually rarely receive... (it is) beautifully illustrated. Evening's book - with its tutorial CD - manages that rare achievement, of hand-holding the fast-learning novice and old pro alike through some pretty involved procedures." - Stills Audio Motion

"Martin Evening leads you by the hand through the multiple technologies now made available by Photoshop CS3...one needs clarity when describing the ways of working with Photoshop and clarity and an organized approach is what Evening provides..." -- The Picture Professional, Quarterly Magazine of the American Society of Picture Professionals, third issue 2007

"If you only want one Photoshop book, this is a good candidate." -Photo Techniques


"PSA members will find this book a big help in learning Photoshop's latest release because it is written for photographers by a photographer."

"If you plan to buy just one book on Photoshop, I recommend Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers."
-PSA Journal (Aug. 2007)

From the Back Cover
Master the power of Photoshop CS3 with
an internationally renowned photographer by your side.

Get the preeminent advice from one photographer to another as Martin completely updates you on the core aspects of working with Photoshop, digital workflow, and improving accessibility. Real-life examples, diagrams, illustrations, and step-by-step explanations ensure that you're up to speed with the next generation of digital photography in no time!

Adobe's Photoshop CS3 comes with powerful new features with huge payoffs. But it can be overwhelming to learn, even for professional photographers, graphic designers, keen amateurs, and others who already have an initial grasp of Photoshop. Acclaimed photographer Martin Evening, who wrote the best-selling previous books, 'Adobe Photoshop for Photographers', makes it easy with this new, thoroughly updated edition.

* Illustrated throughout with before-and-after pictures - more than 750 professional, color illustrations!
* Practical techniques and real-life assignments

Product Description

Create, correct, and control with layers,
the most powerful tool in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

Imagine yourself in total control of every adjustment to your photos. You've seen the illustrations in glossy magazines, the fine art reproductions in museum catalogs, the award-winning pictures of professional photographers. To produce this kind of magic, understanding how to use layers for your entire breadth of image correction is key.

Discover the best ways to showcase your talent with the full power of layers from best-selling author/digital image specialist Richard Lynch. Learn what layers can do for you as an integral part of organizing image development, creating and storing image versions with nondestructive editing, and promoting a positive workflow.

Timeless, not version specific, this book will help you take layers to a new level to increase your efficiency and produce better end results, whatever release of the software you use. Step-by-step instructions and practical examples illustrate how to.

Don't make your work harder than it needs to be when you can use layers to control any adjustment using multiple forms of blending concurrently - transparency, clipping, opacity/fill, masking, modes, channel targeting, Blend If, and styles.

Author Richard Lynch is a photographer, designer, editor, web developer, and author of the popular "Hidden Powers" series on Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. He also writes for PCPhoto, Popular Photography, Digital Photographer, and Digital Photography Techniques.

* Leverage layer power to correct and enhance color, fix problems in composition, repair damage or flaws, and isolate image areas for changes, adjustments and experimental concepts

* Incorporate layers in a workflow that extracts the maximum from your camera, exploits the potential in every image and helps you organize your perceptions and ideas according to your unique vision

* Recombine layers to form new images in a nondestructive process that preserves both the original image and intermediate layers for further editing - or tomorrow's inspirations

* Dip into the accompanying CD with a robust library and presets of practice images. Create your own set of favorite composition techniques
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #171774 in Books
* Published on: 2007-07-30
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 288 pages


Editorial Reviews

Review
Praise for author's previous books:

Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 4

Review 1:
'As a "collectionner" of the best Photoshop books on the market I must recommend this excellent book from Richard Lynch to all the digital photographers among us.Other reviewers explained the content of the book in detail so I won't do the same,I can only agree their comments!
This book is not for beginners, but if you want to understand how "digital photography" sees the real world and how a camera or a scanner tranlate all what you see in the digital format then this book is for you.
Lynch is a real PRO and takes the patience to explain ALL the hidden secrets behind this tremendous Adobe's software.
This is a cheap investment for YEARS believe me; you'll learn on your own pace the multiple facets of "seeing images" like a photographer and by following the exercises and explanations of the 11 chapters (take your time to re-read from time to time and practice,practice...)you NEVER take photos the same way you did before!
The greatest bonus is the companion cd with all the hidden tools(above 100 and the images used in the book).
Richard Lynch has given us an enormous homework to do but it's worth more than any training course that costs you a hundred of bucks!
Terrific,awesome,well explained,I can't find words enough to recommend this book.'

Review 2:
'the book is full of invaluable advice. Workflow, separations, masking... The combination of Elements 4 with the book and tools covers all my expectations for a dedicated amateur. And yes, I like shooting raw, taking advantage of 16 bits,black and white... and I have still much too learn from the book!'

Review 3:
'It's an advanced book that does provide you with information about hidden features, undocumented capabilities, and things you never thought of doing with Photoshop Elements 4. As the program itself is based on Photoshop CS, there are lots of things to reveal, and Lynch does a good job of presenting them in a clear and concise way.'

Praise for Hidden Power of PS Elements 3:

Review 1: 'This book provides great information on digital color reproduction and alteration.The book has many good examples for teaching techniques for digital photographic enhancement using Elements 3. The plug-ins are great! Well worth the $$ Best book I,ve found on digital imagery and Elements 3.'

Review 2: 'I wish I could give more stars to this book....The book is written almost like a text book. I found the lessons to be deep, but the text to be very well written and very concise. Mr. Lynch writes to teach and not to show how much he knows (although this is quite evident by reading the book). The book is not just how to use the tools supplied in Photoshop Elements 3, but is about obtaining a deep understanding of the makeup of an image and how to manipulate the image with the knowledge.

Extremely impressive. At this price, it really is a gift from Richard Lynch!
Customer Reviews

Mixed Feelings3
I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the author's approach, his web site, and, for the most part, his explanations. I may have learned the basics of layering, though some techniques that I use are done via a cookbook approach without any understanding of the actions I am taking.

I was greatly disappointed in his treatment of Masking, the technique that takes layering to a new level. I knew nothing about it before I purchased the book and, if that is possible, know less now. Chapter 4, Masking, is a complete disaster. He abandoned his patient approach and plowed into the subject, leaving me bewildered and lost. I'm sure he feels differently, but his ability to sense the confusion of the neophyte abandoned him at that point. Masking comes up often enough after that to make the book increasingly frustrating, like hearing a conversation in which you miss every fourth word.

Had I learned even a bit about masking, and more about why certain layering actions are taken, I would have given the book five stars. As it stands, I'm still looking for the layering book that puts it all together.

Better than average4
This book is more complete than the average Photoshop book. (I currently have 6 books in my personal library on various Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom topics.) The approach that is taken with this book provides more funadmentals than usual - the "why's" of what is presented rather than the usual cookbook, "follow along" style that is typically used in these type books. While the book does provide some of the underlying fundamentals, I took off one star from my rating because more improvements in describing the "whys" could be made to make it even more useful. But overall, this is better than most, and I would recommend it for both beginning and intermediate users of Photoshop programs (from Elements to CS3 versions).

Good but flawed4
I added this volume to my rapidly growing photoshop library in order to learn more about layers, which is indeed a very powerful and most useful weapon in the photoshop arsenal.

And there is a lot of very useful information in here, which I reckon is both the blessing and the curse of this book. After reading this book, you will definitely understand layers. However, there is a lot of text and, as a reviewer before me pointed out, not that many pictures, which to my mind, is not a very good combination. The text can be a bit hard to follow without any prior understanding of photoshop I should imagine. I was certainly glad, that I had already purchased and read other books before this one.

I'm not a big fan of the Scott Kelby approach to photography or photo editing. I think he oversimplifies the learning process in a way that makes you learn some of the hows but none of the whys. This book takes the exact opposite of Kelby's approach and loads everything you could possibly want to know about photoshop layers in your lap. This does make the book a bit heavy. You need to concentrate while using this book and you probably need to go over some of the things a couple of times.

So in conclusion I'll say, that this book is very good and very thorough, but does need an effort to go through. I wouldn't recommend it to a complete novice either, but once you get into photoshop I think it is defintely worth acquiring.

Product Description

RenderMan has long been associated with top-end film production and is an essential tool for creating many of the effects and images in recent animated films (such as Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and The Incredibles). RenderMan is widely available and, with the demand for higher quality images, is now used by computer-based artists at all levels of the graphics industry.

Intended to provide a straightforward and easy introduction to the basic techniques involved, this book provides an excellent grounding, enabling readers to confidently move to more advanced texts. This second edition includes a new chapter on global illumination, and, with plenty of illustrations and hands-on examples, Ian Stephenson: gives an overview of RenderMan, explains how scenes are described, illustrates (among other things) how to create surfaces; colour; lighting; shadows; and depth of field, using RIB and the C API, introduces the techniques involved in creating shaders, applying textures and using global illumination.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #276539 in Books
* Published on: 2007-06-26
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 268 pages

Customer Reviews

basic graphics operations4
Stephenson's book is a deliberately light introduction to what Renderman can do. The software is considered one of the most sophisticated graphics packages available. It has been worked on for over 20 years. But this book eshews the high end functionality. It goes over the basic rendering operations that any graphics package should have.

So long as you have used graphics elsewhere, then the book will be an easy read. No new concepts here. Just how to create various primitives and the like. With some simple shading. The maths is mostly that of matrix manipulations.

Product Description

In the tradition of Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Sam Harris's recent bestseller, The End of Faith, Christopher Hitchens makes the ultimate case
against religion. With a close and erudite reading of the major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish, a cause of dangerous sexual repression, and a distortion of our origins in the cosmos. With eloquent clarity, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and
reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry
of the double helix.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #627 in Books
* Published on: 2007-05-01
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 307 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Hitchens, one of our great political pugilists, delivers the best of the recent rash of atheist manifestos. The same contrarian spirit that makes him delightful reading as a political commentator, even (or especially) when he's completely wrong, makes him an entertaining huckster prosecutor once he has God placed in the dock. And can he turn a phrase!: "monotheistic religion is a plagiarism of a plagiarism of a hearsay of a hearsay, of an illusion of an illusion, extending all the way back to a fabrication of a few nonevents." Hitchens's one-liners bear the marks of considerable sparring practice with believers. Yet few believers will recognize themselves as Hitchens associates all of them for all time with the worst of history's theocratic and inquisitional moments. All the same, this is salutary reading as a means of culling believers' weaker arguments: that faith offers comfort (false comfort is none at all), or has provided a historical hedge against fascism (it mostly hasn't), or that "Eastern" religions are better (nope). The book's real strength is Hitchens's on-the-ground glimpses of religion's worst face in various war zones and isolated despotic regimes. But its weakness is its almost fanatical insistence that religion poisons "everything," which tips over into barely disguised misanthropy. (May 30)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post
Reviewed by Stephen Prothero

A century and a half ago Pope Pius IX published the Syllabus of Errors, a rhetorical tour de force against the high crimes and misdemeanors of the modern world. God Is Not Great, by the British journalist and professional provocateur Christopher Hitchens, is the atheists' equivalent: an unrelenting enumeration of religion's sins and wickedness, written with much of the rhetorical pomp and all of the imperial condescension of a Vatican encyclical.

Hitchens, who once described Mother Teresa as "a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud," is notorious for making mincemeat out of sacred cows, but in this book it is the sacred itself that is skewered. Religion, Hitchens writes, is "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." Channeling the anti-supernatural spirits of other acolytes of the "new atheism," Hitchens argues that religion is "man-made" and murderous, originating in fear and sustained by brute force. Like Richard Dawkins, he denounces the religious education of young people as child abuse. Like Sam Harris, he fires away at the Koran as well as the Bible. And like Daniel Dennett, he views faith as wish-fulfillment.

Historian George Marsden once described fundamentalism as evangelicalism that is mad about something. If so, these evangelistic atheists have something in common with their fundamentalist foes, and Hitchens is the maddest of the lot. Protestant theologian John Calvin was "a sadist and torturer and killer," Hitchens writes, and the Bible "contain[s] a warrant for trafficking in humans, for ethnic cleansing, for slavery, for bride-price, and for indiscriminate massacre."

As should be obvious to any reasonable person -- unlike Hitchens I do not exclude believers from this category -- horrors and good deeds are performed by believers and non-believers alike. But in Hitchens's Manichaean world, religion does little good and secularism hardly any evil. Indeed, Hitchens arrives at the conclusion that the secular murderousness of Stalin's purges wasn't really secular at all, since, as he quotes George Orwell, "a totalitarian state is in effect a theocracy." And in North Korea today, what has gone awry is not communism but Confucianism.

Hitchens is not so forgiving when it comes to religion's transgressions. He aims his poison pen at the Dalai Lama, St. Francis and Gandhi. Among religious leaders only the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. comes off well. But in the gospel according to Hitchens whatever good King did accrues to his humanism rather than his Christianity. In fact, King was not actually a Christian at all, argues Hitchens, since he rejected the sadism that characterizes the teachings of Jesus. "No supernatural force was required to make the case against racism" in postwar America, writes Hitchens. But he's wrong. It was the prophetic faith of black believers that gave them the strength to stand up to the indignities of fire hoses and police dogs. As for those white liberals inspired by Paine, Mencken and Hitchens's other secular heroes, well, they stood down.

Hitchens says a lot of true things in this wrongheaded book. He is right that you can be moral without being religious. He is right to track contemporary sexism and sexual repression to ancient religious beliefs. And his attack on "intelligent design" is not only convincing but comical, coursing as it does through the crude architecture of the appendix and our inconvenient "urinogenital arrangements."

What Hitchens gets wrong is religion itself.

Hitchens claims that some of his best friends are believers. If so, he doesn't know much about his best friends. He writes about religious people the way northern racists used to talk about "Negroes" -- with feigned knowing and a sneer. God Is Not Great assumes a childish definition of religion and then criticizes religious people for believing such foolery. But it is Hitchens who is the naïf. To read this oddly innocent book as gospel is to believe that ordinary Catholics are proud of the Inquisition, that ordinary Hindus view masturbation as an offense against Krishna, and that ordinary Jews cheer when a renegade Orthodox rebbe sucks the blood off a freshly circumcised penis. It is to believe that faith is always blind and rituals always empty -- that there is no difference between taking communion and drinking the Kool-Aid (a beverage Hitchens feels compelled to mention no fewer than three times).

If this is religion, then by all means we should have less of it. But the only people who believe that religion is about believing blindly in a God who blesses and curses on demand and sees science and reason as spawns of Satan are unlettered fundamentalists and their atheistic doppelgangers. Hitchens describes the religious mind as "literal and limited" and the atheistic mind as "ironic and inquiring." Readers with any sense of irony -- and here I do not exclude believers -- will be surprised to see how little inquiring Hitchens has done and how limited and literal is his own ill-prepared reduction of religion.

Christopher Hitchens is a brilliant man, and there is no living journalist I more enjoy reading. But I have never encountered a book whose author is so fundamentally unacquainted with its subject. In the end, this maddeningly dogmatic book does little more than illustrate one of Hitchens's pet themes -- the ability of dogma to put reason to sleep.

Copyright 2007, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

From AudioFile
The author propounds his belief that all religion is not only wrong-headed but dangerous. One doubts the flamboyant journalist will sway those convinced that metaphysical certainty depends on faith, not proof, and that the higher powers are fundamentally good. Others will find his points familiar (if not self-evident), his knowledge wide, his writing graceful, and his sarcasm apt. Like partisans of any description, he ignores inconvenient facts and overstates his case. As narrator, he contributes a pleasantly moderated voice and a listener-friendly British accent. At times, he sounds a bit tired, at other times rushed, but, all in all, he reads well enough, with the added benefit of knowing where the laugh lines are. Y.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Customer Reviews

Book Is Not Good1
I wanted to like this book, but it's boring, boring, boring. Mr. Hitchens' arguments about God are not persuasive, although they do make him come across as a major jerk. If anything could make me return to religion, it would be this book.

One of my new favorites4
I read a lot of athiest non-fiction. From Dawkins to Harris, at the least, I have skimmed through the book or in the case of Dawkins and Hitchens read it from front to back, enjoying every page. There's some overlap of course, it's not hard to make a case that 1)there is no god, 2) therefore the bible is a fairytale, 3)all religion is myth, etc.

But this book has something new to say and from the viewpoint of a concerned observer, read it for the information on Mother Teresa alone. Wowza, I really had no idea about her!

Disappointing, but not unexpected.2
I am an Atheist in the very simple formulation that I have no belief. I simply do not believe, in anything. I was looking forward to reading Hitchens new book with some anticipation. A man of no small debator and written skills, he has a wonderfully devious mind especially in regards to literature and its various criticisms and defenses. However, I found that "god is not GREAT" to simply be a rehash of ideas with absolutely nothing new put forth on in the debate. As a wordsmith Hitchins excells, but when nothing new is offered I yawn. Better to read Eller's "Natural Atheism" which at least puts forth a handful of unique ideas that cage belief and religion in terms of pure logic and reason into ever diminishingly small irrational actions and ideas (at least once you get past the first few chapters). I cannot give this a single star because there are passages, paragraphs, and sentences of incredible intelligence and humor, but they do not negate the tedium of simply another 'atheistic rant' that does nothing to further the argument.

Product Description

Plot Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him, as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?" Personal Details Collection Status In Collection Index 10 Read It Yes Links Amazon US Product Details LoC Classification PS3601.L335F59 2003 Dewey 813/.6
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1274 in Books
* Published on: 2003-09
* Released on: 2003-09-23
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 198 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.

Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley

From Publishers Weekly
"At the time of his death, Eddie was an old man with a barrel chest and a torso as squat as a soup can," writes Albom, author of the bestselling phenomenon Tuesdays with Morrie, in a brief first novel that is going to make a huge impact on many hearts and minds. Wearing a work shirt with a patch on the chest that reads "Eddie" over "Maintenance," limping around with a cane thanks to an old war injury, Eddie was the kind of guy everybody, including Eddie himself, tended to write off as one of life's minor characters, a gruff bit of background color. He spent most of his life maintaining the rides at Ruby Pier, a seaside amusement park, greasing tracks and tightening bolts and listening for strange sounds, "keeping them safe." The children who visited the pier were drawn to Eddie "like cold hands to a fire." Yet Eddie believed that he lived a "nothing" life-gone nowhere he "wasn't shipped to with a rifle," doing work that "required no more brains than washing a dish." On his 83rd birthday, however, Eddie dies trying to save a little girl. He wakes up in heaven, where a succession of five people are waiting to show him the true meaning and value of his life. One by one, these mostly unexpected characters remind him that we all live in a vast web of interconnection with other lives; that all our stories overlap; that acts of sacrifice seemingly small or fruitless do affect others; and that loyalty and love matter to a degree we can never fathom. Simply told, sentimental and profoundly true, this is a contemporary American fable that will be cherished by a vast readership. Bringing into the spotlight the anonymous Eddies of the world, the men and women who get lost in our cultural obsession with fame and fortune, this slim tale, like Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, reminds us of what really matters here on earth, of what our lives are given to us for.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
"I'm especially proud to have an audio version of this book, since it harkens back to the way my first stories came to me--not by the written page, but by other people's voices." That's Mitch Albom himself in his introduction. This writer's commitment to the aural tradition is clearly demonstrated in the sophistication with which his book is presented. Erik Singer's virtuoso performance is set off with musical interludes and background noises that are diverting but never distracting. The teaching parable is built around an 83-year-old war vet turned maintenance man who dies trying to save the life of a little girl. This is at the Ruby Point Amusement Park. "All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time..." B.H.C. 2004 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Customer Reviews

The Five People You Meet in Heaven5
Another great book by Mitch Albom! Thought provoking! Which five people from my past will be waiting for me? We all need to do more sacrifice! Loved it!

Worth Thinking About4
I appreciated this story a lot more after re-reading it. It does, at first, seem as sappy as many reviewers have said, but on a second look, the author does convey some strong ideas well. Behind every person that we brush past--sometimes without noticing--is a story. The main character, Eddie, of course, is the kind of gruff, broken old man that nobody notices, but we see he was once a war hero who ended up trapped in a dead end because of his duty to country and family.
Along those lines, I thought the two most impressive of Eddie's "five people," were the Blue Man and Ruby, primarily because he didn't know either one of them. The Blue Man's story is a tragic one--reduced to being a freak and basically losing his human dignity. Ruby reminds Eddie that the run-down amusement park in which he wastes his life was once a somebody's grand dream.
The choice of a broken-down amusent park, which seemed pretty bizarre as a setting, I guess was a good choice. Both the workers and customers would be the kind of people you don't stop to give a second thought.
While I appreciate the story more, I still find the ending a bit cheesy and tacked on. Albom has made a good case that we're all interconnected in many ways we don't realize, why ruin that good observation by giving Eddie's life some overarching purpose that, basically, sounds more like an amusement park safety commercial? Likewise, he goes a little bit overboard with the interconnections--like Ruby's grandson's key?
Anyway, worth reading and thinking about at least parts of this story.

Wonderful5
I knew this would be good, and it was great. If you have extra time, read it.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1224152 in Books
* Published on: 2003-12
* Format: Large Print
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 2
* Binding: Hardcover
* 1000 pages
Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The reference literature for Islam has long consisted of either a densely academic, multivolume encyclopedia or several, often specialized, single-volume works with brief definitions. Happily, there is now a reference work falling between these two extremes. The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World is a scholarly work "about Islamic cultures, religion, history, politics, and the like as well as the people who have identified with Islam over the past fourteen centuries."

A team of international scholars is responsible for the 515 entries, which are arranged alphabetically and range from 200 to 5,000 words in length. Many include some sort of illustration and end with helpful see also references and excellent supplemental bibliographies. A useful index completes the set. Coverage includes the religious dimensions of Islam as well as the development of the tradition in various parts of the world (e.g., Africa, South Asia, U.S.). Cultural issues of importance to the history of Islam (e.g., architecture, calligraphy, language) are also treated. Entries such as Political organization and Political thought demonstrate the historical completeness for which the encyclopedia strives, tracing developments from the life of the Prophet to the present day. Even topics of contemporary interest include a historical perspective. The entry for Jihad describes the many meanings of the term, including its contemporary association with violence, and how the concept has developed historically. The treatment of secularization in the Muslim world includes a comparison to historical events in the West, thereby helping the reader to understand that it cannot be understood solely from a Western perspective. Finally, the biographical entries include important figures from the religious, cultural, and political history of the Muslim world.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (1995) is close in spirit and size (four volumes) to this new work, but its coverage includes far less of historical figures and events. The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World, on the other hand, "seeks to contextualize contemporary Islam within the longer history of Islam." As such, it can easily serve as a standard reference source with its scholarly, yet accessible, content. Highly recommend for academic and large public libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Simple and to the point, Commercial Real Estate Investing presents 12 easy-to-follow steps that anyone can use to build a life of financial independence. Full of real-world examples, insider tips, and tried-and-true advice from one of the most published real estate authors in America, this comprehensive resource covers everything you need to know about profiting in commercial real estate—including financing, valuation, due diligence, leverage, equity, using other people’s money, and much more. Packed with fresh ideas, proven techniques, and effective strategies for solving problems during negotiations and making a profit even if you sell for less than you paid, Commercial Real Estate Investing gives you all the tools you need to start amassing your fortune today.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #269450 in Books
* Published on: 2004-10-19
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 288 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
Earn BIG profits in commercial real estate

If you’re tired of get-rich-quick real estate concepts that sound good but don’t really work, then it’s time to get expert advice on commercial real estate investing from one of the most published real estate authors in America. This straightforward guide gives all real estate investors a shortcut to what does work and why. You’ll find all the essential tips and insider knowledge it takes to get started in commercial real estate. Simple and to the point, this book presents 12 easy-to-follow steps that anyone can use to build a life of financial independence.

Full of real-world examples, insider tips, and tried-and-true advice based on the author’s 40 years of hands-on experience, this comprehensive resource covers all the major aspects of investing in commercial real estate. You’ll learn everything you need to know about financing, valuation, due diligence, leverage, equity, using other people’s money, and much more. Packed with fresh ideas, proven techniques, and effective strategies for profitable investing, Commercial Real Estate Investing gives you all the tools you need to start amassing your fortune today.

Inside you’ll find:

* 7 dynamics of commercial real estate
* 4 greatest real estate myths
* How to make big profits even if you sell for less than you paid
* 6 primary factors that govern real estate values
* 9 critical steps to building an effective comfort zone
* 8 most important elements of due diligence
* 4 levels of property management
* 8 steps to solving problems during negotiations
* 3 magical factors of high positive leverage
* 6 elements necessary for maximum financing
* 9 steps to becoming a real estate "insider"
* 10 ways to convert contacts into profit centers
* 6 powerful negotiation tactics
* Dozens of examples, checklists, and more

About the Author
JACK CUMMINGS is owner of Cummings Realty, Inc., a real estate brokerage firm specializing in commercial and investment real estate. He is a widely published author and lecturer on the topic of real estate investing, 1031 exchanges, financing, and hotel development on an international scale.
Customer Reviews

Great reference book5
Cant tell you the amount of times I have referred to this book in my dealings. Invaluable information in there!

Commercial Real Estate 1013
Good introduction for a novice. Not a must if you have any business background.

This Book Will Make you Money !!!5
This is a great book on the practical side of "What to Do" and "How to Do It" to make money in commercial real estate.

A lot of books give you a lot of technical definitions and rules, but this book shows you the steps to follow to make things happen in your career.

I keep my under-lined and highlighted copy on my desk for constant review.

Great book, Buy it and make money!

Product Description

In this new edition, updated with all the latest information and trends, noted author and speaker Danielle Kennedy, puts her proven arsenal of techniques and strategies at your fingertips. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned agent, you'll quickly develop a clearer understanding of the importance of self-awareness, discipline, and attitude. Kennedy's "Business Plan" is simple and easy to initiate and activate. She shows you how to improve your sales performance more than you ever thought possible by making yourself a better provider of service-not by focusing on money. With full coverage of marketing, creative problem-solving, negotiation, and more, this book features everything you need to succeed in today's ever-changing market such as: all new niche marketing concepts for the electronic age, how to use the Internet to create more intimacy with hot prospects, and never-before-revealed secrets on how to eliminate the unworthy competition at every listing presentation.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #494983 in Books
* Published on: 2004-01
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 320 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
Blueprint for adapting to the changing marketplace and surviving in the 21st century selling environment. Step-by-step guide to doubling your income and increasing the quality of your life. Promotes rediscovery of two qualities crucial to performance selling: self-discipline and human warmth. Provides common-sense answers to questions aimed at examining and building internal strengths. Presents latest external sales skills. Includes up-to-date information on related environmental matters.
Customer Reviews

Generally solid material, but not what you expect4
When you purchase a book that boldly pronounces: "DOUBLE YOUR INCOME IN REAL ESTATE" you probably think it's about doubling your income, right? Not exactly, at least, not with this book. Danielle Kennedy gets us started lethargically and only begins to get into some of the "meat and potatoes" the last half of the book.

We begin with a lengthy chapter about tapping into your goals, desires, and will power, followed by another tedious chapter about your life and money, followed by still another chapter on the history of homeownership. By the fourth chapter, readers clamoring to double their incomes are asked to wait a while longer while Ms. Kennedy primarily addresses brokers and owners for another sixty pages. Finally, by chapter five, nearly halfway through the text, we begin to hear what the title told us we would.

To Ms. Kennedy's credit, most of what she has to say is valuable and worthwhile. If you can buckle down and actually get through the 120 pages of preliminary info, you will have a nice idea about your goals, your money, your health, and the history of real estate. After that, her techniques, while generally of the tried-and-true book of tricks, are nonetheless important. She does a nice job of explaining them consisely and offering some new ideas.

Ms. Kennedy also has a lot to say about diet and exercise, as well as how to motivate fellow salespeople. Some of this comes off as "motherly" and even a bit soft-sounding. It leaves you wondering if she truly has both feet set in the real world, or rather prefers to live in an idealized pseudo-reality. It would be nice if Ms. Kennedy's "model office" existed anywhere in real life.

The sad part is, the author has abandoned real estate sales for (perhaps?) the more lucrative area of writing books and speaking publically. I personally do not like to read books from individuals who abandoned their sales careers, but this should not deter you from picking up her book. To her credit, she does not come off as some kind of get-rich-quick guru and her advice is sound and generally timeless.

For a great back to basics book with a catchy (but not necessarily 100% accurate) title, consider this as a worthwhile read.

Food For Thought3
A well written and practical book for the real estate practioner. Kennedy in her usual style approaches her subject material in a straight forward and common sense manner. Her advice and insight clearly stems from her years of experience as a realtor in the trenches. I rate this book as a must read for anyone wanting to enhance or increase their income with real estate sales while seeking to obtain a more balanced lifestyle. J.L. Wall, Knoxville, Tennessee

Product Description

* A complete course, from brain biology to abnormal psychology
* Hundreds of questions and many review tests
* Key concepts and terms defined and explained


Master key concepts. Answer challenging questions. Prepare for exams. Learn at your own pace.

What are the two basic psychological dimensions of emotions? How do you define abnormal behavior? Is extrasensory perception real? What is Viktor Frankl known for? With Psychology: A Self-Teaching Guide, you'll discover the answers to these questions and many more.

Frank Bruno explains all the major psychological theories and terms in this book, covering perception, motivation, thinking, personality, sensation, intelligence, research methods, and much more. He presents the foundations of psychology and the biology of behavior; explores how children develop into adults and the psychological factors that make us individuals; and examines various mental disorders and the types of therapy used to treat them. The step-by-step, Q&A format of Psychology makes it fully accessible, providing an easily understood, comprehensive overview of the topic.

Like the other popular Self-Teaching Guides, Psychology allows you to build gradually on what you have learned-at your own pace. Questions and self-tests reinforce the information in each chapter and allow you to skip ahead or focus on specific areas of concern. Packed with useful, up-to-date information, this clear, concise volume is a valuable learning tool and reference source for anyone who seeks a greater understanding of human behavior.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #368939 in Books
* Published on: 2002-08-02
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 304 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

* A complete course, from brain biology to abnormal psychology
* Hundreds of questions and many review tests
* Key concepts and terms defined and explained

Master key concepts. Answer challenging questions. Prepare for exams. Learn at your own pace.

What are the two basic psychological dimensions of emotions? How do you define abnormal behavior? Is extrasensory perception real? What is Viktor Frankl known for? With Psychology: A Self-Teaching Guide, you’ll discover the answers to these questions and many more.

Frank Bruno explains all the major psychological theories and terms in this book, covering perception, motivation, thinking, personality, sensation, intelligence, research methods, and much more. He presents the foundations of psychology and the biology of behavior; explores how children develop into adults and the psychological factors that make us individuals; and examines various mental disorders and the types of therapy used to treat them. The step-by-step, Q&A format of Psychology makes it fully accessible, providing an easily understood, comprehensive overview of the topic.

Like the other popular Self-Teaching Guides, Psychology allows you to build gradually on what you have learned–at your own pace. Questions and self-tests reinforce the information in each chapter and allow you to skip ahead or focus on specific areas of concern. Packed with useful, up-to-date information, this clear, concise volume is a valuable learning tool and reference source for anyone who seeks a greater understanding of human behavior.

About the Author
FRANK J. BRUNO, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at San Bernardino Valley College in San Bernardino, California. He has taught at the college for more than thirty years and has also worked on a part-time basis as a psychotherapist and author. Dr. Bruno has written more than fifteen books, including several Wiley psychology textbooks, and a series of self-help titles called Life's Little Keys.

Product Description

A lot of what is marketed to the public as psychology is actually quite unscientific. Attempting to counteract the tide of misinformation about what psychology really is, this book is a concise guide for anyone seeking to understand the true scientific nature of psychology. Self-help books; television specials; and articles in the popular press all serve to obscure the true intellectual and scientific premises on which the field of psychology is based. The serious work of the great psychological thinkers and schools of psychological thought is lost to the average person. High school and college students as well as the interested lay reader will want to consult this work to understand what is good in the popular presentation of psychology and what is unworthy of serious attention. A unique and especially helful feature ofPopular Psychology: An Encyclopedia is the Guide to Related Topics. Major topic sections list the individual entries pertinent to that idea. For example, major sections include Biological Bases of Behavior; Drugs and Chemicals; Popular "Gurus" and Movements; Pseudoscience; Psychological Theories and Ideas; Treatments. There are 121 entries covering such subjects as: acupuncture; alien abduction; aromatherapy; birth order; brainwashing; chemical imbalance; drpressants; Down's Syndrome; emotional intelligence; facilitated communication; Howard Gardner; gingko biloba; insanity defense; intelligence; kava; learning disability; Dr. Phil; mood disorders; Mozart Effect; nervous breakdown; parenting styles; post-traumatic stress disorder; psychiatry; seasonal affective disorder; sleep and dreaming; Tourette Syndrome. Ideas and persons familiar to the general reader or to the high school and college student are discussed in an engaging yet knowledgeable style. A general bibliography as well as further reading following each entry and a complete index make this accessible and informative work a useful addition to any library.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1041344 in Books
* Published on: 2005-01-30
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 296 pages


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
The 120 or so entries in this volume cover a wide range of topics, including, for example, Alien abduction, Birth order, Insanity defense, Mad cow disease, Multiple personality disorder, Parenting styles, and Satanic ritual abuse. Also represented are individuals such as Carl Jung and Dr. Phil. The goal is "to try to counteract the tide of misleading information about the field of psychology with a concise guide to some things that the well-informed student of psychology and the interested general public ought to know."

The length of each entry varies from just a few lines to nine or more pages (for Memory) and there are a few black-and-white illustrations scattered throughout. Nearly all entries include a limited "Further Reading" list, generally offering both supporting and critical sources. Following the A-Z entries is an annotated bibliography that includes Web sites.

The book cover states readers will "want to consult this work to understand what is good in the popular presentation of psychology and what is unworthy of serious attention." That may well be too expansive a goal as some topics that could have been valuable for both students and lay readers appear to be missing. Two specific contemporary topics that have apparently not been included are transpersonal psychology and tissue memory. Another curiously missing topic is counseling. In the entry Psychiatry, there is a relatively straightforward discussion of the difference in practice between psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. There is, however, no mention of counseling psychologists, though this discipline is licensed by most of the individual states and is also certified nationally in the U.S.

Popular Psychology is easy to read, easy to browse, and would be of value in public and undergraduate libraries that have limited information on this topic. It would also be appropriate in high-school libraries, where it could be used as a basic reference for class-based study. Scottie Wallace
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“Cordon's surprising encyclopedia explains the accuracies and fallacies of contemporary popular psychology when compared to the discipline practiced by professional psychologists. Cordon attempts to "counteract the tide of misinformation about the field" and "provide a concise guide to what the well-informed student" should know about psychology....[a]ddresses controversial topics forthrightly, clearly describing proponents' viewpoints and the scientific challenges each issue faces....Recommended. General readers; undergraduates.”–Choice

“[T]his is a very good little book, well worthy of our recommendation... this is the sort of book that all public libraries should consider stocking.”–Reference Reviews

“After explaining psychology and pseudoscience, the author deftly covers a wide variety of topics including acupuncture, alien abductions, emotional intelligences, Sigmund Freud, and satanic ritual abuses in an encyclopedic format....Because psychology and self-hlep books are popular in today's society, this book will serve as a good introduction to many topics. Psychology classes would be able to use this volume for quick answers and a guide to further study. Recommended.”–Library Media Connection

“This encyclopedia is for high school and college students and general readers. Major themes include the biological basis of behavior, drugs and chemicals, popular movements, pseudoscience, psychological theories and ideas, and treatments.”–SciTech Book News

“Popular Psychology is easy to read, easy to browse, and would be of value in public and undergraduate libraries that have limited information on this topic. It would also be appropriate in high-school libraries, where it could be used as a basic reference for class-based study.”–Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

“Luis Cordon's reference is actually an encyclopedia, providing a basic guide for high school to college students who want to understand the foundations of serious psychology.”–MBR Bookwatch/Donovan's Bookshelf

“[P]rovides a concise guide for anyone seeking to understand the true scientific nature of psychology....Self help books, "experts" on daytime television, and articles in the popular press all serve to obscure the true intellectual and scientific premises on which true psychology is based. This book attempts to counteract the tide of misinformation.”–Library Media Connection

About the Author
LUIS A. CORDON is Associate Professor and Chairperson, Psychology, Eastern Connecticut University, Willimantic. He has published in the Journal of Research and Development in Education and the Journal of Educational Psychology.
Customer Reviews

Providing a basic guide for high school to college students5
Luis Cordon's reference is actually an encyclopedia, providing a basic guide for high school to college students who want to understand the foundations of serious psychology. There are over a hundred entries from acupuncture and alien abduction to brainwashing, chemical imbalance and more. Topics range from mood disorders to stress disorders, seasonal disorders and pop trends which aren't really true psychology.