------------------------------------------------------------- Below is the July 2002 issue of the Prentice Hall PTR (PHPTR) PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING E-NEWSLETTER To unsubscribe, or to sign up for additional lists, stop by our mailroom: http://www.phptr.com/mail_lists/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------- PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ### PHPTR News TABLE OF CONTENTS: Featured PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Titles... * APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT USING VISUAL BASIC AND .NET by Robert J. Oberg, Peter Thorsteinson, and Dana L. Wyatt * .NET PROGRAMMING: A PRACTICAL GUIDE USING C# by Pradeep Tapadiya * WEB SERVICES EXPLAINED: SOLUTIONS AND APPLICATIONS FOR THE REAL WORLD by Joe Clabby * SMART CARDS: THE DEVELOPER'S TOOLKIT by Timothy M. Jurgensen and Scott B. Guthery * JUST ENOUGH SOFTWARE TEST AUTOMATION by Daniel J. Mosley and Bruce A. Posey * THE COMPLETE PYTHON TRAINING COURSE by Deitel, Deitel, Liperi, and Wiedermann * APPLIED STATISTICS FOR SOFTWARE MANAGERS by Katrina D. Maxwell * BUSINESS MODELS: A GUIDE FOR BUSINESS AND IT by Haim Kilov * VOICEXML: INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPING SPEECH APPLICATIONS by James A. Larson * NETSOURCING: RENTING BUSINESS APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES OVER A NETWORK by Thomas Kern, Mary Cecelia Lacity, and Leslie P. Willcocks PHPTR News & Reviews... * Software Quality Professional reviews THE HANDBOOK OF SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE * Java Pro reviews THINKING IN JAVA, Second Edition * Micro Mart reviews ADVANCED JAVASERVER PAGES * Linux Journal reviews CORE PYTHON PROGRAMMING * Microsoft Office and Visual Basic for Applications Developer reviews VISUAL BASIC OBJECT AND COMPONENT HANDBOOK Special Interests... * Browse our complete Software Engineering library Tradeshows... * Looking to see you soon Find a Bookstore... * Locate the best selection of PHPTR titles near you ------------------------------------------------------------------- PHPTR Featured PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING Titles ------------------------------------------------------------------- APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT USING VISUAL BASIC AND .NET by Robert J. Oberg, Peter Thorsteinson, and Dana L. Wyatt 862 pp., Paper, $44.99 ISBN: 0-13-093382-1 This book gives experienced developers unprecedented insight for building .NET enterprise applications with Visual Basic .NET. A running case study covers the entire process from creating a monolithic VB.NET console application to adding a Windows Forms interface, isolating functionality inside components, providing database access and security, and delivering functionality through ASP.NET and Web services. The book includes a self-contained language overview for new Visual Basic .NET users. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130933821.html *** .NET PROGRAMMING: A PRACTICAL GUIDE USING C# by Pradeep Tapadiya 488 pp., Paper, $44.99 ISBN: 0-13-066945-8 Pradeep Tapadiya, author of _COM+ Programming: A Practical Guide Using Visual C++ and ATL_, explains the .NET architecture and shows how to put its services to work in complex, enterprise-class applications. Rich with examples using the C# language, this book covers the Base Class Library, Remoting, ASP .NET Web Services, concurrency, security, enterprise services, dealing with legacy code, and more. It is for experienced programmers who want to learn .NET programming from a developer's perspective. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130669458.html *** WEB SERVICES EXPLAINED: SOLUTIONS AND APPLICATIONS FOR THE REAL WORLD by Joe Clabby 227 pp., Paper, $29.99 ISBN: 0-13-047963-2 Web services will transform the way software is created, sold, and delivered. In this book, top analyst Joe Clabby delivers strategic insights and recommendations you'd expect to find only in a $1,000 analyst report. Clabby clearly explains the technologies, current risks and limitations, opportunities for competitive advantage, and effects throughout the IT value chain. He offers specific techniques for assessing vendors, as well as detailed reviews of both leading platforms: Microsoft's .NET and Sun's J2EE. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130479632.html *** SMART CARDS: THE DEVELOPER'S TOOLKIT by Timothy M. Jurgensen and Scott B. Guthery 432 pp., Paper, $44.99 ISBN: 0-13-093730-4 Smart cards represent a breakthrough solution for maximizing application security. This book covers all you need to know to plan, design, develop, and deploy advanced multi-application smart card environments. Coverage includes smart card security features; international standards, specifications and command sets; new "post issuance programmable" cards; host software; readers; card management systems; and the latest trends and developments in the global smart card marketplace. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130937304.html *** JUST ENOUGH SOFTWARE TEST AUTOMATION by Daniel J. Mosley and Bruce A. Posey 281 pp., Paper, $44.99 ISBN: 0-13-008468-9 This book shows test developers and users how to design, implement, and manage software test automation. Learn how to implement a powerful data-driven testing framework; automate unit testing, integrate testing and system/regression testing; and facilitate manual testing with automated tools. This book is part of the Just Enough series from Yourdon Press. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130084689.html For more info on the series: http://vig.pearsoned.com/store/group/1,,store-562_contentid-5966,00.html *** THE COMPLETE PYTHON TRAINING COURSE by Deitel, Deitel, Liperi, and Wiedermann Box, $109.99 ISBN: 0-13-067374-9 Master Python programming from the fundamentals to sophisticated Web and enterrprise development with the leading corporate trainers at Deitel & Associates. This all-in-one training course packs nearly 15,000 lines of live program code in 281 programs and 13 hours of audio and hundreds of programming exercises into a fully interactive learning experience! This multimedia CD-ROM and book package also includes the 1,300-page Python guide _Python How to Program_ - in print and searchable electronic versions. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130673749.html *** APPLIED STATISTICS FOR SOFTWARE MANAGERS by Katrina D. Maxwell 352 pp., Paper, $54.99 ISBN: 0-13-041789-0 This is the first complete guide to using statistical techniques to solve specific software development and maintenance problems. You don't need a mathematical background; Katrina Maxwell presents an easy-to-follow methodology and detailed case studies that show you exactly how to assess productivity, time to market, development costs, maintenance cost drivers, and more. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130417890.html *** BUSINESS MODELS: A GUIDE FOR BUSINESS AND IT by Haim Kilov 254 pp., Paper, $44.99 ISBN: 0-13-062135-8 To build software that meets its business goals, IT and business professionals must work together closely to define specifications and build models that accurately describe them. In this book, Haim Kilov gives you the shared language you need to accomplish this. He illuminates every key concept underlying today's most important approaches to specifications and modeling, giving business professionals practical insight for decision-making and giving IT experts practical tools for assessing your work in its business context. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130621358.html *** VOICEXML: INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPING SPEECH APPLICATIONS by James A. Larson 336 pp., Paper, $34.99 ISBN: 0-13-009262-2 This book introduces the process of developing speech-enabled applications. With advice including how to phrase a prompt, how to specify grammar for recognizing the caller's response to a prompt, and what to do if the caller does not respond appropriately, this text answers fundamental speech user-interface questions. Jim Larson's book is well suited as a college textbook for students and a trade book for professionals developing speech applications. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130092622.html *** NETSOURCING: RENTING BUSINESS APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES OVER A NETWORK by Thomas Kern, Mary Cecelia Lacity, and Leslie P. Willcocks 368 pp., Cloth, $34 ISBN: 0-13-092355-9 In this book, leading outsourcing researchers share new findings on the key success factors associated with outsourcing - offering practical advice for every aspect of the decision and every phase of the project lifecycle. Discover how to minimize technical, contractual, operational, and managerial risk; identify the right applications to outsource; manage and secure outsourced infrastructure; and realistically assess the next generation of outsourcers and outsourced services. For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130923559.html ______________________________ PHPTR Featured Reviews ______________________________ Software Quality Professional reviews THE HANDBOOK OF SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE, Third Edition Edited by G. Gordon Schulmeyer and James I. McManus "...Chapter 17: Practical Applications of Software Quality Assurance to Commercial Software This excellent chapter begins with an overview of the growth of commercial SQA out of military projects and how that origin resulted in organizational and cultural issues seen today in commercial software development. A general framework for a commercial SQA program is provided, beginning with its vision, mission, and objectives. Following the identification of example initiatives to start with, the V-Model (although not labeled as such) is conscientiously chosen as an example of a product life cycle. Staffing and roles are discussed, then some helpful tips are given based on experiences. Following this is an extensive case study of a disguised software development company as it started up and improved upon an SQA program. The case study is extremely helpful, as it goes into just enough detail to allow the reader to compare the theoretical recommendations at the beginning of the chapter to what actually happened when those recommendations were implemented...." For the full review: http://www.asq.org/pub/sqp/past/vol4_issue1/resourcereviews.html#softwareqa For more info on the book: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130104701.html *** Java Pro reviews THINKING IN JAVA, Second Edition by Bruce Eckel "_Thinking in Java, Second Edition_ is clearly a work of passion and insight. Born on the Internet in a grass roots approach that parallels Java's own evolution, this is a book that belongs on every new Java programmer's shelf. The coverage is extensive and, with more than 1,000 pages, provides considerable value for a relatively small investment. Bruce Eckel's writing is fluid and leads the reader through a lucid path across the Java landscape, unfolding clever metaphors that clarify the language in friendly, approachable prose. Whether you're a novice or expert Java developer, there's something for you in this book. For the full review: http://www.fawcette.com/Archives/premier/mgznarch/javapro/2001/05may01/br010 5/br0105.asp For more info on the book: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130273635.html *** Micro Mart reviews ADVANCED JAVASERVER PAGES by David M. Geary "...One of the main benefits of this book is that the examples and exercises are of actual use in development. The test code and applications that are used as exercises are designed to be re-usable and can be added to and adjusted as you gain more knowledge. The book makes a great reference book, however some of the chapters are heavy going. Because of the nature of this programming environment there is very little that can be done to spice up the language. There are very few pictures and a lot of pages of just pure unbroken text and code. If you are looking to get into programming then these are not really the books for you, as they assume previous knowledge. However for the seasoned programmers this is a great reference book for those looking to develop in Java." For more info: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130307041.html *** Linux Journal reviews CORE PYTHON PROGRAMMING by Wesley J. Chun "Finally, a book good enough to be both a textbook and a reference on the Python language now exists. Part of Prentice Hall's PTR Core Series, this book works well as a first Python textbook for computer science students, while also being thumbable for work-a-day use by Python programmers. ... The order of topics in Part I really simplifies learning Python, especially if this is your first computer language. If you've ever had a programming class before and used a text that has exercises where you were forced to write code that did some silly language-specific action, you'll be pleased to know that this is not that kind of book. Plentiful, practical examples are used as each topic develops; the exercises are a lot more about exercising your creativity rather than some didactic language feature. Consider this one of the 'fun' computer language books. ... Because of the excellent depth presented in the introductory topics, the material is also of value to practicing Python programmers. For instance, most language books have tables and lists about features that are broadly discussed in the text. This book goes much further. These three simple concepts explain all of the possible interactions of data types in the language, doing more to help understanding than dozens of pages of prose. And, there are other examples of this kind of thought-provoking mastery of Python. A flowchart explains how Python does numerical coercion and is much easier to follow than any table or list. The best explanation ever achieved of how Python does slicing of sequence objects is shown using cartoons of soccer players...." For the full review: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=4564 For more info on the book: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130260363.html *** Microsoft Office and Visual Basic for Applications Developer reviews VISUAL BASIC OBJECT AND COMPONENT HANDBOOK by Peter Vogel "My first reaction when asked to review this book was "Great, another book on COM with Visual Basic." There is certainly a glut of Visual Basic COM books on the market. Many rehash the legacy of OLE and COM. Others take readers on a painstaking and unnecessary ride through the internals of Windows and COM. But when I heard the author was Peter Vogel, I knew I had to read it; I've always enjoyed reading his work. And _Visual Basic Object and Component Handbook_ wasn't a disappointment. Complete and accurate, this is a great reference to have as you develop VB COM solutions. During a recent project, I constantly pulled it off the shelf and used its index to look up various issues I was encountering. To me, that is a clear sign of its value. ... I recommend this book to anyone trying to learn objects and components. I also recommend it as a reference for experienced developers, because it provides insights on subjects not adequately covered elsewhere." For the full review: Microsoft Office and Visual Basic for Applications Developer, March 2001 For more info on the book: http://www.phptr.com/ptrbooks/ptr_0130230731.html ______________________________ Special Interests ______________________________ Browse our complete library of books on Software Engineering and Programming at http://www.phptr.com/specintr/software/softeng.html -------------------------------------------------- Tradeshows -------------------------------------------------- Stop by our booth at these other upcoming tradeshows to meet our authors and get some great deals on our books: NIWeek Austin Convention Center Austin, TX August 14-16 IBM Data Management Technical Conference Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, CA September 9-13 Sun Network 2002 Moscone Center San Francisco, CA September 18-20 HP World Los Angeles Convention Center Los Angeles, CA September 23-27 Check our website for info on these and future tradeshows: http://www.phptr.com/whatsnew/trade.html -------------------------------------------------- Find a Bookstore -------------------------------------------------- Prentice Hall PTR partners with leading booksellers around the world to bring you the widest selection of our key titles. 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