If you have been coding in another programming language and if it's OO as well, then you can pick up the python syntax from the tutorial that comes along with the release or tons of web sites can teach you the same. It's pretty straight forward. I have to say here that this book is very weak on the advanced concepts. There are'nt many interesting examples in "advanced topics". I c'd finish it off in a week's time. I think this book is a little too expensive for it's content. If they c'd slash the price then this book is recommended for it covers the basics pretty well.

For the last few months I was developing in Perl. But I found myself very frustrated with the syntax, and the Perl books on the market did a so-so job on explaining how everything worked.

And then I came across this book. I had read a review about in the Linux Journal. In 2 days I "inhaled" 200+ pages of this book, about 7 chapters. To begin with, this book is easy to understand, has numerous examples to go long with the text, and does an excellent job in progessing through Python.

The first 400 pages cover syntax, style, functions, classes, modules, etc. If you've ever programmed in another language (C, C++, Java, Perl), Mr. Chun compares Python to each of them in simularities and differences. You should be pick up on these quite easily. The last part of the book in more advanced topics, which I found quite enjoyable.

I don't program in Perl anymore. After reading this book, I wonder why I didn't look at Python first. Aside from a book on Tkinter, this is the only book that I keep on my desk. It's great for teaching and learning, but makes a great reference book also.

I started book reading Acknowledgements,Where i found name of
Guido Van Rossum,creator of Python in Technical Review Panel of this book.That itself establishes the credibility.

I recommend Python as the first object oriented program to learn,for that this book is defintely worth.Author explains everything in a very simple manner,including how the language modules itself are constructed.

Explaining data structured related to language is basic requirement for any programming book - This book does exceptionaly well in this .I personally liked the part - Extending Python.Also this book covers JPython - Java avatar of Python.

I feel that this book is writen so well that it could have been a true story. It tells the way of life with out the auther trying to show only one side. It can be a little crude in spots but I feel that it only makes it all the more real. If you have any intrest in indians or rodeo life, you should read this book.

I basically read "Winterkill" in one sitting. It's an excellent story about fathers and sons and the family history that both brings them together and also creates walls between them. Through the principal character, Danny Kachiah, Lesley weaves an absolutely engrossing story of a contemporary Native American family. In the process, he also tells something about the nation (in this case the Nez Perce of Eastern Oregon) and its history, and how this history weighs down on its descendents. The story is never anything but believable-the characters are very realistic, and Lesley's portrayal of life among the "reservation Indians" is brutally honest. Also, there is no climatic "redemption" or catharsis or any of the other cliched conclusions that can usually be found in similar "family drama" literature. This is what makes "Winterkill" so much like real life, as it deals with slow growth and the painful ups and downs that generally mark interpersonal relations. There's not much more I can really add here, except to say that this is the best piece of fiction I've read in a long time.

This book got me back into reading fiction for the first time in years. I asked a friend who reads a lot of different authors for something, and he said try this one. So I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I live in California, but am fond of the Pacific Northwest, and have done a lot of travelling there. Lesley has a fine ability to evoke what is special about the land and people of this area. The book has some interesting accounts of the ways of the tribes in the area, such as the Celilo, a fishing tribe whose prime fishing grounds are wiped out in one poignant scene by a newly constructed power dam.

The story follows Danny Kachiah, a Nez Perce who barely ekes out a living working the local Rodeo circuit as a bronco-rider. He is trying to re-assume the role of father after his divorced wife is killed in a car accident, leaving him with his estranged son, Jack. But it is Danny's relationship with his father, Red Shirt, that is central to this book.

Danny is haunted by the memory of his father, a tough, smart old Nez Perce, and by the remarkable stories his father has related to him over the years. Throughout the book, it is the memory of his father and of the cultural traditions of his tribe that Red Shirt has passed on to him through his stories and teachings, that guide his actions as he attempts to get his life back together, and especially, to re-establish his relationship with his son.

This book had some good aspects but I kept feeling it wasn't very deep.

The authors are quite specific when explaining for whom Managing Knowledge has been written: "This book is for those people who have read some of the academic literature on KM [Knowledge Management] and who (along with their bosses) are convinced that they need to go down this path....Our purpose is not to address the nature of knowledge. Rather, we want to help you get the right information to the right people so that they can take effective action....Everything we say in this book assumes that you are (or are going to be) leveraging Web-based technologies to move data, information, and knowledge." Their purposes could not be clearer.The book is divided into four sections:

Part One: Getting Started (Strategy and Profiling People)

Part Two: Organizing Around Information (Storyboarding Knowledge and Mapping the Knowledge Network)

Part Three: Knowledge Architecture (Hiring People, Mobilizing Content, and Building the Technical Architecture)

Part Four: The Ninety-Day Action Plan

This book provides both the structural design and the operations manual needed by any organization to achieve these objectives:

1.To evaluate the information it now has

2.To identify the information it needs...but does not (as yet) have

3.To formulate a Web-based system to manage knowledge more effectively

4.To set in place those best qualified to manage that system

5.To facilitate and encourage knowledge sharing throughout the organization

In Part Four, the authors wisely recommend that an organization choose a single business cycle that can be improved and begin the "Ninety-Day Action Plan" with a knowledge audit; next, begin building a core team and select an appropriate technology (or technologies); then during Day 61-Day 90, explain your team's efforts throughout the organization ("to communicate the benefits of a KM system and to sell the concept of the knowledge architecture") while constantly updating the content under management.

Given its stated purposes, I rate this book very highly. It is well-organized, well-written, and comprehensive in terms of material covered. Contrary to what some reviewers may suggest, I think it provides the knowledge needed to manage knowledge effectively. If your organization has the aforementioned five objectives and has not as yet achieved them, I suggest that its key executives read this book immediately and then launch a collaborative effort to implement the "Ninety-Day Action Plan." Why wait?

"Managing Knowledge - A Practical Web-Based Approach" is an easy to read and apply guidebook for a complicated process. The book breaks down the daunting task of getting the "right knowledge, to the right people at the right time" so you can get started in applying knowledge management. This practical guide to implementing knowledge management techniques can be used on one process or an entire organization. Though, the authors do recommend picking one process/cycle to begin the implementation process.
The authors are straight forward in explaining that the nature of their book is not to explain knowledge management. It is assumed that you have read other books on knowledge management prior to using this guide. I found the book was well written enough that you really just needed some basic understanding of knowledge management, along with the foresight and desire to improve the formation and flow of data, information and knowledge. The book's subtitle states "a practical web-based approach", yet many principals of this book can be used in non web- based applications. Before I finished the book, I was convinced that my organization should implement the needed changes for managing knowledge, and that my organization would benefit greatly from retooling its self for the information economy. The authors should have included a quick reference page for the numerous abbreviations that were used. Some of the abbreviations may have another meaning in other industries.

This was a pretty enjoyable book. Judged against other Star Trek novels it is not the best but is far from the worst. It won't really give you more than the movie does. I enjoyed it about as much as the movie but in different ways. Instead of being impressed by visual effects i was intrigued by the thoughts of the crew. Two blunders: on page 97 Data is described as "near breathless"--well Data doesn't breathe. And on page 157 describing B'Etor's attraction to Soran the author writes "...despite the fact that he was a puny human..." but he isn't he is El Aurian. But I can live with those mistakes.

Star Trek Klingon is a wonderful audio experience. It is narrated by Michael Dorn (Lt. Cmdr Worf) and Robert O'Reilly (Chancellor Gowron). The main character is a young Klingon named Pok. He is thrust into the center of Klingon politics, when on the day of his Rite of Ascension his father is murdered in his own home. Chancellor Gowron immediately takes young Pok under his wing and sets out for revenge. The entire plot and the way it plays out is very, very good. This tape is a wonderful way to spend an hour and a half on the highway. The book makes it even better, giving you the full details of the entire story. If you're a fan of Klingons and you've not picked this one up yet, you're wrong.

A novelized version of the CD:ROM game of the same name, this is an intimate insider's view of the Klingons, and of Gowron, their(previously confined to the role of two-dimensional Trickster only) leader. A wonderful tale of a male, adolescent initiation into society, with the story continuing forward, with action in the last third of the story to complete to tale. Sound confusing? Once you begin reading it you won't be able to put it down. Interesting presentation of a three-dimensional Gowron and "Reggie" interacting.

In "Easier to Kill," Mrs. Wilson-Wesley seems to have her character slowing down for some reason. She us not that vibrant go-getter as she once was. I am starting to believe that Tamara Hayle is getting to be too old for the private detective business. The book had some eye stretching points, but for the most part, the ending was very disappointing. In the first two series, I couldn't put the books down! In fact, I read them both in a matter of days. But this, by far, has got to be Valerie's most uninspiring work to date. Either retire Tamara and let her raise her son or bring back the excitement that she had once before.

I was a little disappointed in the outcome of this book. Yet, I'm aware that mysteries are always with a suspect way from the lift, this one was way out there. The killer was even boring and didn't live up to the suspense of the book. I have read all of Ms. Wesley's Tamara Hayle's mysteries and this one was strictly for fans only. If you didn't read the others first you would not have an idea of other characters. I was also disappointed in Basil Dupre's absence from the novel. Yet I understand Tamara Hayle's love affair with Jake, which isn't going anywhere and should, however Basil gives her love life a spice to Tamara character until Jake sorts out his love for her. My advice to Ms. Wesley is to hurry up and revamp Tamara mysteries with more interest in her love life and also more exciting killers.

EASIER TO KILL, was another feather in the cap for Ms. Wesley. Mandy Magic, the subject of the stories, had more secrets than Samsonite had luggage. How she thought that none would show the light of day proved what a egotistical subject she would be. When her veneer did finally crack, it was Tamara to the rescue! I enjoyed every bit of the book, and have even started to pick out who is the killer was. However, all my choices were killed instead, and the true killer was someone I almost forgot was in the story! I'm now ready for THE DEVIL RIDING. Keep up the good work.

This book had the potential to be a 5 star book but alas it comes up short. The concepts that the authors attempt to relate are things that most people could use in their software development: static and behavioral object modeling, abstraction, components, packages, architecture, and frameworks. The problem is the Catalysis Approach. Unfortunately, many of the terms and diagrams used are similar in name but different in meaning from what is typically written in UML. I have numerous other books published by Addison Wesley on object modeling - Design Patterns and Refactoring to name a couple - and they tend to lean more toward the Rational or Unified Process. It is very difficult to take the information that the authors present in Catalysis and see how it relates to the work of the GOF without a lot of translating. This is not to say that there is not room for other processes or methodologies in the software community; however, the average engineer sitting at his desk is going to have a hard time mining the information in this book because of the presentation. Catalysis may be a very effictive process, but it should be examined to see if it can use UML in ways that most software developers are accostumed to seeing.

I am a hardware engineer by background, and my interests lie in modelling, protocols, concurrency etc, but from a hardware standpoint. For the past 6 months, I have been hunting for a good book on modelling from the software/database perspective. This is the best I've seen.

The authors demonstrate clear thinking and good wisdom about how we model a process or situation. Every chapter has a few pearls of wisdom, some of which took me several years to figure out on my own the hard way. For example, in chapter 2, the authors say that it is rarely possible to describe the behaviour of a system without some (possibly fictitious) notion of its internal state. Yes, it is true that the state is encapsulated and invisible to the user; nonetheless, the user must invent some picture of what's inside, just in order to have a vocabulary for further discourse.

I have read some other books on this subject, notably the one on UML modelling by Booch, Rumbaugh and Iverson. I was a little put off by these books. What I was looking for in these modelling books was some philosophy -- a discipline of viewing objects around us (as well as objects in the toy worlds we conjure as engineers). Instead these books spent an inordinate time on irrelevant mechanics -- do I draw a rectangle or an oval? do I adorn the arrow with an apple or a flower? etc. Notation is no doubt important, but first and foremost a book must teach you a clean way of thinking -- and that was precisely what I found missing until I chanced upon D'Souza and Wills' book.

It has been a while since I learnt so much from a "methodology" book. These folks have really worked through some basic problems and come up with a very cohesive solution. I've worked through RUP and, while it has lots of good advice, it lacks the clear foundation this one has. I've heard Platinum (now CA) was working on a CBD/Catalysis process guide and plan to get hold of it.

What surprises me is that some concepts, like Refinement, just seemed so natural once I got it. It's like "Oh, of course. That's exactly how it should be." And I wish I was using a language like Eiffel to carry Catalysis models directly into implementation.

To the writer of the April 14 posting, did you actually read Ch 6 (Refinement) or Ch 9 (Frameworks)? The key concepts, though they could be better highlighted, should have clicked for you if you have some experience with object modeling. fyi - I have used some of the concepts published by DSouza and Wills in the past.

I was a bit disappointed that the case study section does not make good use of the component-modeling concepts described earlier e.g. connectors.

After seeing the overviews at the catalysis.org site, I am really looking forward to seeing "Catalysis Distilled" or equivalent!

I enjoy seeing Dr. Pulaski, who is almost never used. However, this book is mostly a waste. It is a slightly more escalated version of the first "Double Helix" novel. I am not sure it was necessary at all. All the storyline plot development could have been handled in a short story or novella. Also, the time frame for the Bajorian occupation is wrong. Kira remembers things that she simply cannot, such as free Bajor (we learn in the TV series that Bajor was under occupation for 80 years), ext.

A mysterious villain known as The General has been releasing his biological agents across the Alpha Quadrant and testing his creations to see if they are the perfect killing machines. In the first book he released a plague that targeted subjects of mixed inheritance (parents of two different species) on a backwater Federation colony troubled with racial tensions. This time he has released a plague targeting two races: Cardassians and Bajorans on the backwater Cardassian space station Terek Nor, later known as Deep Space Nine.

The book shines a light on life on the space station when it was still occupied by Cardassians. We get to see the ruthless yet pragmatic Gul Dukat in charge as he tries to save his station, his career, and his very life. Quark and a newly arrived Rom and young Nog provide comic relief. While Kira, still in the Bajoran Resistance, has her second encounter with Odo.

The book even goes one step further by explaining the departure of Dr. Katherine Pulaski, who filled in for Dr. Crusher on the Enterprise-D for over a year. So we get to see the goodbye that was never shown as she leaves the ship to lead a small team (herself, Nurse Ogawa, two interns) on a dangerous unofficial mission to help her ex-husband, a brilliant and courageous Bajoran doctor, fight the plague. Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher also have memorable cameos that further the plot.

Nitpicks: 1) an Amazon reviewer pointed out that Kira got her facts about the Cardassian Occupation wrong, acting like she was born free when in fact her world had been occupied for over 80 years. 2) the Kira-Odo storyline seemed boring. 3) once again the ending was rushed.

The love-it-or-hate-it medical thriller aspect of the first book is toned down this time and turns into a more general DS9-style "station in peril" story. Although the first hints that a conspiracy is at work does finally appear. Overall, I really liked the book. Thought it was much better than the first one. The look at Terek Nor and Dr. Pulaski alone makes it worth reading.

Double Helix: Vectors follows Dr. Kate Pulaski as she leaves the Enterprise, replaced by returning Beverly Crusher, at the end of TNG's second season, to Terok Nor (soon to become Deep Space 9) where a mysterious plague is killing both the Bajoran slaves & their Cardassian overseers. With the help of her Bajoran ex-husband, a dedicated Cardassian doctor, and a few Starfleet medical personnel, she works to find a cure, despite Gul Dukat's concern to protect his position. Kira Nerys, at this time a Bajoran freedom fighter, and Odo also take part. Quark, Rom, & Nog provide a little comic relief, & Picard & Crusher appear briefly. Again, the science is not too difficult for someone with little background to follow. This novel does borrow from the previous one to a small extent, but it can stand alone. Red Sector, next in the series, would appear to feature Ambassador Spock and Dr. McCoy. I enjoyed this book very much.

This is the second Tamara Hayle mystery that Ive read and I can't wait for the third. However, I must admit that this one was a bit more difficult to follow than her first novel. I agree with the other reader who said that Tamara seemed to stumble upon the answer to this mystery, rather than relying on her detective skills to solve it. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and cannot wait to see what becomes of Tamara's relationship with Basil!

WHERE EVIL SLEEPS wasn't as fast-paced as the last two Tamara Hayle mysteries, but it still had a good storyline that was filled with interesting characters and enough action and mystery to keep me reading. It had it's moments of filler space, still, keep reading. A good third novel in this series. Mrs. Wilson-Weseley, keep the ball rolling!

I think this book is EXCELLENT! At the end of each chapter I couldn't stop reading. The characters were well described and the emotions were well thought out. This is the second Tamara Hayle mystery I read and I can't wait to read the others. I would also like to compliment the illustrator because the cover is what caught my attention to buy the book. I can easily say that this book is Something Special.

This is the authoritative reference manual to UML, written by the creators of UML. The reference is complete (at least as far as I can tell).

A CD-ROM is included with the book. This CD-ROM has the complete book as a PDF file, with extensive cross references (as links). I usually hate to read lengthy material on the computer screen and I usually prefer a (paper) book, but the PDF file on the CD-ROM is really great. The cross references makes the PDF file easier to use than the book. (The "standard" document on UML from OMG is also included on the CD-ROM).

The book is written in a formal and boring style. Another thing that makes the book less enjoyable to read is the layout of the text. The lines are too long, and the spacing between the lines is inadequate.

The main part of the book is the alphabetically ordered reference. Before the reference part, the book has a short (85 pages) overview/introduction to UML. When I read the paper book I could not understand who would benefit from this text: the text is too harsh for the novice, but lacks all the details an advanced user would be looking for. However, on the cross referenced CD-ROM this text turned out to be a valuable part.

The book is a very unbiased reference. This is also a weak side of the book. You will not get any advice about good practices, or useful ways to apply UML for different design organizations.

This is silly. Some folks think that the Reference manual stinks and the User Guide is their silver bullet. Others feel exactly the opposite.

The fact is that these books are pretty good. Each book has it's place. I have all three, and all are useful depending on the situation. All have errors and yes the writing can be dry. Get over it. They are still good -- not perfect, but the best i've seen yet.

I think you complainers are looking for the proverbial silver bullet and upset at not finding it, propose to judge on what you don't understand. These aren't they; instead these three books are three lead slugs that complement the rest of my tool-ordinance for some significant firepower.

Ted Rallis

I was expecting a dry through explanation of notation. This book is not that at all. This was by design though.

The book attempts to cover all of the important topics. To get there, it takes an unusual approach. There are a few introduction chapters as might be expected. Part 2 of the book has one chapter per view. In each chapter, the view is covered both notation-wise and discussion-wise.

Part 3 was the biggest surprise for me. It is an "encyclopedia of terms." This section is worthwhile even if you are an OO person who doesn't care about diagramming with UML. It gives a definition for each term and frequently the Semantics, Notation and Discussion associated with it.

However, this book is a rough read. I opened the book randomly and found the following as an example: "Branch: An element in a state machine in which a single trigger leads to more than one possible outcome, each with its own guard condition." After reading it a second time carefully along with looking up what a "guard condition" was, I understood. The point though is that the definitions are rigorous, but hard to digest on a quick read.

The book is worth buying for your reference library for the encyclopedia section alone. I will personally be using it when I have a situation to model and know the term but not the UML syntax. The encyclopedia will lead me to the syntax.

I used this book to prepare for the AP exam along with the Litvin book, and the diffrences were trmendous. While both books gave a review, the Litvin book went the extra step by adding test taking tips in each section. It also included an explanation of the answer, something this book didn't do. Both texts contain practice exams for both the A and AB level exams. The exams in this book were easy compared to the Litvin book, and they didn't give explanations to the free-response questions, just the answers. I'm glad I used the Litvin book too because this book would have sunk me on the AP test

This book was excellent in preparation for the AP Computer Science test. I found that because the author of this book was on the board that created the questions, a lot of the questions on the AP test were worded in a very similar fashion. Helped a lot! Would recommend to those who have taken the course. By the I got a 4 on the AP test. :)

The book was concise and very good at pointing out details that appeared on the AP test. The practice tests are useful if you look back in the book to learn why you got certain problems wrong.