I’m a big fan of online communities. I rely on them for a lot of advice and I like to give back as much as I receive. When Earner’s Forum started a while ago, I was one of the first members, but school was killing me and I had to scale back my investment in the community. Now, I see that Earner’s Forum and Webmaster Talk are merging. Not only that, but they have a huge contest going on right now that runs through May 13th. While it is a little late to get started, the prizes are definitely worth aiming for.

I’ve been posting like crazy on the forums for the past day, and I’m already up to 50 posts today. Of course, there are people on the forum with over 5000 posts as of today, and posts are worth 2 points each. I’m obviously not going to catch up like this. I’ll have to resort to other means, like writing articles and getting blog posts.

I highly recommend that you signup for the forum and post there. I’m sure you’ll find it enlightening, and I’ll try to help you if I find you there. If you do sign up, please do so through my referral link. I appreciate it :)

Trying to publish content to the web is easy enough, but can your server handle it? If not, server web hosting could be the best thing for you. When you outsource a web or Outlook Exchange server, you save valuable space on your own server. Plus, clients will appreciate the private label Exchange hosting that you’ll be able to provide when you outsource.

I was recently asked, by a representative of Packt publishing, to review the new book Managing eZ Publish Web Content Management Projects by Martin Bauer. The book claims to be a source of “strategies, best practices, and techniques for implementing eZ Publish open-source CMS projects to delight your clients.” In this review I’ll try to relate just how well the work succeeds in its stated goal.

My first look at any technical book always centers on the chapter listing. There, I’m usually able to tell what topics will be covered and get an idea of the extent to which each topic will be covered. The table of contents is available on the book’s product page at the Packt Publishing website.

As you can see, most of the normal project management topics are covered, and I’d have to say they are covered quite thoroughly. Even without the inclusion of the eZ Publish specific chapters, this could have been a very solid book on software project management. The inclusion of specific information about eZ Publish, however, pushes this book from merely average to pretty darn good. Targeting topics such as content modeling eZ Publish specific implementation details, the book reaches out to its target audience, project managers utilizing eZ Publish as their tool of choice.

In this review, I’d like to focus on the three things that I feel this book does best and the two things that it most fails at. I’ll start with the negative aspects.

First, the book has a serious problem with grammar and spelling errors. It was almost as if the copy editor only gave the book a single solitary glance rather than doing their job and examining the text in full. Spelling errors were rampant throughout the book both in the text and within illustrations. The grammar used was inconsistent much of the time, contributing to confusion at some points. The most odd thing was the “eZ Publish” itself was inconsistently spelled throughout the work. I’d think that if you were writing a book on a technical system that you would pay special attention to the spelling of that system at all times.

Second, some of the sections seemed to be lacking in details. For example, in Chapter 12 on training, the custom training contains no specifics on how to provide custom training or suggestions for performing end user training of custom features. Now, the author may have figured that custom solutions are so varied that nothing useful could be suggested, but there is no mention of this thought, and the lack of specifics was something I found rather disappointing.

In spite of these negative aspects, the book succeeds on many fronts. First, the work could serve as a great tool for any software project manager. Best practices and strategies are suggested throughout that are useful and time tested. The introduction of the Scrum methodology in the Open Project Management chapter is a great add and something that most modern PMs should know about.

Second, copious illustrations and screenshots are shown throughout the book. It has been shown that information is absorbed much better when shown visually to a learner. This book succeeds in highlighting important topics with visual aids that will help any project manager.

Finally, the discussion on risk management in this book is well thought out and explained. In my experience, risk management is one of the most important parts of any software project and I was happy to see that an entire chapter was devoted to the topic. Not only does this book cover risk management in general, it speaks out on the specific risks that a PM may face when implement an eZ Publish project.

Overall, I would rate this book very highly. It contains a copious amount of project management information and would be a good guide for any software PM. The eZ Publish specific information that is included in the work is interesting and often relates things that a beginner working with the system for the first time might overlook. If you’re part of the target audience, a project manager who is working with the eZ Publish system, then it would be well worth your time and money to pick this book up and read it.

Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of reading to further my understanding of more advanced programming concepts and outfit myself to be a productive member of the programming elite. So far, much of my time has gone into gaining a better understanding of object oriented design and the patterns that emerge from doing it right. I’ve read a few books on the topic so far, and I have to say that the best, by far, was O’Reilly’s Head First Design Patterns.

If you’re familiar with programming textbooks and in-depth analysis of computer science topics, then you probably already know that most books on the subject make you want to fall asleep after about half an hour of reading. This book, I am glad to say, is completely different. Head First Design Patterns makes great use of visuals and humor throughout the text, and this makes the work a lot more interesting than the average book on the topic.

In addition, the problems faced and solved within the book are things that you can relate to the real world. There are no “foo bar” examples that hinder your learning. Instead, you’re faced with interesting design choices from clients that include SimUDuck and Starbuzz Coffee. Sure, the examples may be contrived at times, but the point comes across very well.

Another great thing about the book is the exercises contained within. You’re expected to read this one with a pencil in hand, ready to jot notes at any moment. This approach really increased my learning while working through the examples. I particularly liked the crossword puzzles at the end of each chapter. For me, these made me challenge myself to read more intently so I wouldn’t miss something and have to come back to it.

Of course, there were a few things that probably could have been done better. I thought the order in which the patterns were covered was somewhat lacking. Personally, I would have put the Singleton or Factory pattern second in the book because they’re essential parts of a lot of real world designs. Also, I felt some of the patterns covered in the Appendix should have been treated better than being relegated to auxiliary pattern status. That, however, is subject to personal preference.

Also, if you don’t have a reasonable grasp of Java programming (or C#) than this book probably isn’t for you. You’ll be lost in the syntax and unable to see the concepts. It’ll be the whole “can’t see the forest for the trees” problem.

In sum, I’d have to whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in design patterns. It does a good job explaining them, and I’ve already started to implement some of the design patterns in a personal PHP framework that I’m developing. So, if you have a chance, go sit down and read the book in a Borders or Barnes & Nobles and then shell out the cash for it. This book is definitely worth it.

As a software developer, I consider it part of my duty to be constantly learning. It seems that I’m always reading something to attempt to improve my skills. My technical books cover a variety of things, but most concern new languages, practices, or software packages that I’m being exposed to or wish to gain a more advanced level of understanding of. I thought it would be fun to list the technical books on my bookshelf. I’ll be organizing them by fully read, half read, and not yet read (a surprisingly large category). In addition, I’ll try to provide a brief description of each book that I’ve read. Here goes:

Fully Read

• Code Complete - 2nd. Edition - This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who considers themselves a serious software developer. Steve McConnell reviews best practices and principles in this book in a way that is easy to understand the first time through. My favorite chapters concerned object oriented techniques like encapsulation, abstraction, and inheritance hierarchies, but your opinion my differ.
• Introducing Maya 6: 3D for Beginners - This is a decent book that I’ve read all the way through. It doesn’t assume any prior knowledge of 3D content creation and walks you step-by-step through the process of modeling with polygons, NURBS, and subdivisions. I found it was lacking mostly in texturing information. This book is outdated now (since Maya is all the way up to version 8.5) but it still provides useful information for a cheap price if you’re just going to be using Maya Personal Learning Edition anyways.
• Pro Drupal Development - I had to learn the Drupal CMS for the job that I currently possess, and my employer was generous enough to send me this book to guide me along the way. Before reading it, I had no idea how to manipulate Drupal. Now, I can make the CMS dance at my fingertips (ok, slight exaggeration, but I did learn a lot.) If you’re going to be doing development with Drupal, I can’t recommend this book enough.
• Don’t Make Me Think - This is a classic that belongs on every software developer’s book shelf. In this work, Steve Krug examines user behavior and what you should do to enhance the user experience at every interface level. It’s not so much a book about code as it is about the general behavior of software and its interaction with its users. You need to read it if you haven’t.
• Money for Content and Your Clicks for Free - It’s been a while since I picked this book up, and it’s not really a must-read by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you’re having trouble generating ideas about how to make money with your web site, the work may be worth picking up. It has information on blogging, podcasting, and running membership sites. It also covers the basics of advertising and online revenue generation.
• The Elements of User Experience - Excellent book and a must-read for every web designer out there. You need to be aware of the principles taught in this work. It’s very similar to Steve Krug’s book except that it focuses exclusively on the web. You’ll instinctively know when you need to rework designs if you read this book, plain and simple.
• How to Start a Home-Based Web Design Business - I picked this book up on a whim because I am really interested in someday owning my own web development company. I thought this would be a good place to pick up some information that would help me prepare for the future. I can’t say I was disappointed, (I did read it cover to cover) but there were some things that the author didn’t cover in as much detail as I would have liked. For example, his section on finding jobs and clients was a little vague for me. I would have preferred a little more detail and instruction. I’d say you can probably find all the information contained in this book on various web development and design forums and websites. As such, I can’t really recommend this work.
• The Weblog Handbook - I’m pretty sure I picked this one up in an airport bookstore because I thought it would make an interesting read. I wasn’t disappointed with the material, and the author did a great job of explaining blogging in terms that a non-technically savvy individual could understand. It was a little too basic for me, but I wasn’t really expecting a tough read. Good gift for your significant other or assorted loved ones to better understand why you write on a web site for all the world to see.
• Beginning CSS - Cascading Style Sheets for Web Design - When I first started getting involved with web development and design, the arena was on the verge of a new day. Out went the font and color tags and in came CSS. I have used CSS for all my web development since the beginning, and this book is a big reason why. It is how I learned and I’ve used it as a reference several times since I initially put it down. This book is great for all beginners to web development and design. In addition, you people still using tables, but this book now.
• Beginning PHP5, Apache, MySQL Web Development - This was the first programming book I ever picked up. I’m glad I did. It led to a wonderful transformation in my life and now I get paid to do something I would be doing anyways. It’s fun and all it takes is a little brainpower. Because of this book, I’m a pretty good PHP programmer and I have worked to build my skills ever since. If you’re a beginning PHP developer, this will be the only book you need for a while. I guarantee it.

Half Read

• The Principles of Beautiful Web Design - Around the same time I started learning Drupal development, this book that I had ordered a while ago showed up. I’ve only gotten to read it about half way through, but it’s really good so far, I’d say. I appreciate the approach the book takes more than anything. At heart, I’m a developer who can’t really design, so this book will hopefully change that. I”m going to be designing a web site from scratch in the near future, so maybe this book from SitePoint will help.
• Building Online Communities with Drupal, phpBB, and WordPress - This is another book provided by my employer to help me get up to speed on Drupal. Frankly, if you’re dealing with a 5.x build of Drupal, you should go with the Pro Drupal Development book listed earlier. However, if you really would like to know a bunch of stuff about three different open-source software platforms, I’d have to recommend this book to you.
• Beginning .NET Game Programming in C# - I picked this book up on a whim one day because I was interested in creating games and thought the easiest language for implementation would be Microsoft’s C#. I haven’t gotten the chance to work through all the code in the book, but I’ve read a lot of it. It’s chock full of tutorials that really demonstrate the things that you’ll probably want to do if you’re programming a game. In the first chapter it’s already throwing out ways in which you can optimize your game code. I’d say it is a decent resource if you’re interested in doing exactly what the title says.
• Beginning Game Programming - This is a good introduction to game programming as a whole. It covers a lot of the basics like drawing sprites on a screen, rendering a 3D mesh, using DirectX interfaces, and so on. I’d have to say the best part of this book is the exercises that are at the end of each chapter. I find this really helps me as I’m learning a new language or technology. I can’t say it’s something you absolutely must pick up, but it is worth a read.
• Introduction to Game Development - I own this book because it is the textbook for my Computer Game Development class at Rose-Hulman. It is nowhere near half read because it is just plain huge. This is a standard sized technical college textbook chock full of information. If there is something you need to know the basics of how to do in game development, this book probably has information on it. I really recommend it as a good book because of the writing style and how knowledgeable the authors seem. All this, and it’s relatively cheap for a textbook. Pick it up if you’re interested in not only in programming games, but how to design and market them as well.
• Blog Design Solutions - This book is decent. It has information on WordPress, Expression Engine, Movable Type, and TextPattern. I’ve never used anything other that WordPress for my blogs, and that is why this book is in the half-read section. The WordPress portion of the work is well-written and well-thought out, but I felt it was too basic for anyone having messed around with template tags after reading the WordPress codex. Pick it up if you’re going to be using all four CMS platforms, but leave it on the shelf otherwise.
• Adobe Photoshop CS2: one-on-one - This book was a real eye opener for me as far as the power of Photoshop goes. I’ve always used it for the creation of web graphics and optimizing images for the web. Little did I realize that my visual optimizations were nowhere near the quality they could have been. After reading the first half of this book, I was suffering from a tad bit of information overload so I put it down. I haven’t picked it up since because I found I don’t use Adobe Photoshop that much compared to other tools and technologies.
• The PHP Anthology: Object Oriented PHP Solutions - Volume 1 - I picked this book up because I wanted to become more well-versed in my understanding of PHP’s object model. About halfway into the book, however, I realized that I was just relearning all the same stuff that I had gotten from my fundamentals of software development class where the tool used was JAVA. It’s a good book for someone who has only ever done PHP before, but if you’ve worked in a stronger typed object-oriented language, I’d say leave this one on the shelf.
• Professional PHP Programming - This book was another addition to my bookshelf in an attempt to upgrade my PHP skills. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay enough attention to detail and did not notice that this book was somewhat dated by the time I bought it. The best sections have to be the ones that deal with writing secure code, but other than that, the information and best practices portrayed in this work can be found elsewhere.
• Software Engineering for Game Developers - The format of this book is great. The authors examine, in depth, a real game development project from start to finish and you’re invited to code along with them. However, the main focus of this work is definitely on engineering. How do you go about the process of game development? It’s definitely a good read when combined with the Introduction to Game Development mentioned earlier.

Not Read

• Professional AJAX - I haven’t gotten the time to go through this one yet. One of the reasons is that most javascript libraries out there right now support some kind of AJAX calls within the framework. That means you don’t have to write your own AJAX code, and so I haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet. I do still mean to read this book, though, if only because of the quality of writing I’ve experienced in previous books by WROX publishing.
• Game Art for Teens - I honestly cannot tell you why I bought this book. I was probably in the book store and wanted to buy something and this caught my eye. I have not had a chance to look it through even once since I bought it though.
• DHTML and CSS for the World Wide Web - This is another book that’s fallen victim to the fact that javascript libraries make this stuff so easy that doing it yourself is almost pointless. Sure, I can write something that changes the margins on an item, creating the illusion of movement. Alternatively, I can just tell script.aculo.us to create a sweet new effect.
• Adobe Illustrator Classroom in a Book - I want to learn this software package so bad, but my creative eye and overall design skills leave so much to be desired at this point that I just can’t bear looking at my own creations. So, this book sits sadly on the shelf, waiting for the day when I give in and test my mettle.
• Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 with C# - This book is one that I bought recently and am going to work through as soon as I can. Unfortunately, going to school and working 35-40 hours a week doesn’t allow much time for learning. This will eventually get down, I just haven’t gotten a chance yet.