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Book reviews for "Kaim-Caudle,_Peter_Robert" sorted by average review score:

Peter Norton's Guide to Windows 95/Nt 4 Programming With Mfc
Published in Paperback by Sams (1996)
Authors: Robert W. McGregor, Peter Norton, and Rob McGregor
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Pretty good book, but not very good organized.
The author explains everything pretty good, but there are two things that bother me: 1. The examples are too complex. He doesn't tell me HOW to actually create a button, he just gives me this example where he creates 20 different types of buttons. 2. The books' organisation is not very good. Some things that are mentioned in Chapter 3 should better be put in the appendix, sometimes the author just gives you too much. Before he even teaches you how to create a button, you already know how to make a print preview and how to capture the mouse.

Very well written, the only book to treat of palettes in MFC
I spent 2 hours in a technical bookstore looking for a book on MFC that discussed palette control. This was the only one that did and it even included an example. Even though there are two errors in the code which prevents the palette example to work correctly in 256 colors mode, the author still has the merit of being the only one to have the courage to explore that difficult subject.

Most difficult areas of Microsoft Foundation Classes are equally well explored. The whole book has an excellent educational progress structure which makes it easy to follow. The CD contains clear examples for each chapter.

In my opinion, a must have if you work with MFCs.


Phule Me Twice
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Ace Books (05 December, 2000)
Authors: Robert L. Asprin and Peter J. Heck
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Phule Me Twice...
If Robert Asprin really wrote much of this book, I would be very surprised. After the first two Phule books, I really looked forward to a new series filled with the humor and fun that were so typical of the Myth books. Unfortunately, the third book in the series took a turn away from the original...and Phule Me Twice falls even farther from the tree. The characters are very shallow, almost caricatures of their previous selves. What had been likeable and enjoyable characters have now become darker and more cynical...more serious even. In some series this may be for the best, but these books are supposed to be based on lighthearted humor. Even the relationship between Phule and Beeker has taken on the air of an old married couple more than the old friends they used to be. In a series that is driven by likeable characters and lighthearted comedy - where the misfits find a way to not only fit in, but flourish - Phule Me Twice has taken a sad deviation from the original, successful recipe. The Phule's Company series will never be "real" sci-fi, and perhaps that is what the author - or authors - will need to get back to. If you are looking for the classic "sci-fun" of the first two Phule's books...in my opinion you will have to look elsewhere. I still will look forward to the next installment though...just to be sure;)

Picks Up the Series - Promising!
Well, first of all, this book betters the series from the last one. An important point if you are planning on following along.

In the world of SF, this is the "screwball comedy" of the genre.

Cpt. Phule and the Omega bunch get a new assignment, something they can really sink their teeth into, they are working for the Zenobians now, those delightful little reptiles with an appreciation for anyone who "goes all out only for their friends".

Phule's been recognized by the State department and so he gets the assignment when the Zenobians specifically request his outfit. The fun starts because Phule's higher ups don't want him to succeed again, and plot a convincing method of bringing him down with a crash.

And previous elements of the series all conspire to deliver surprises for everyone.

A fun read, doesn't do the expected, and really begins to recapture the humor and characters of the first two books. In particular, the slowness of the previous book is gone and new recruits in that book are already proving their worth in this one.

If you want light SF reading that makes you smile, go for this book.

Finally!
The Phule series has had its series of problems. Phule's Company was an excellent book, "soft" SF, certainly, but very well done. Phule's Paradise was all set-up and very little pay-off, even though it was enjoyable to read. A Phule and His Money introduced many interesting ideas, but the authors seemed incapable of doing these ideas justice. But, with Phule Me Twice, we finally return to the unflawed greatness which hasn't been present since the original. This book brings in an interesting conflict by introducing the new CO and XO of Phule's company; two men who are far more conservative in their views of Legion policy. We see how Phule's Company could never possibly work as a regular Legion company; and we understand that its strength is its ability to forego the rigid policies and simply do what makes SENSE, instead of what the book says to do. The Phule series, particullary "Company" and "Twice" are books which are essentially about leadership--and for that reason alone I would highly recommend them.


Apache: The Definitive Guide (Nutshell Handbook)
Published in Paperback by O'Reilly & Associates (1997)
Authors: Ben Laurie, Peter Laurie, Robert J. Denn, and Peterr Laurie
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Very basic, generalized. Not much there.
If you've used Apache without even reading about any detailed configurations, you'd still not see anything new in this book. I can see this book being a little useful for beginners, but even then, it's not really getting into very detailed information about the configurations and whatnot for module installs/additions. I can see someone new still getting frustrated with this book if they run into a problem.

I picked it up, well, because I buy every O'Reilly book that comes out (seriously) and thought I might be able to find something interesting, useful or that I wasn't aware of or forgot... maybe even a little tip about efficiency, compiling options or just anything of interest.

This is no more useful than the README and INSTALL files that come with Apache's source code. I'm not sure I want to even give this two stars come to think of it. I just don't see the point to this book. A let down coming from O'Reilly.

Something of a Lemon
An unwelcome reminder that not everything that comes from O'Reilly is top notch.

This book seems to have been written half heartedly. The explanations of many of the directives in the configuration file seem to be repetitions of online manual contents with the authors not taking the time to provide really useful insights or clarify difficult concepts.

The attitude of the book seems to be: "This is what we did to get Apache running on BSD and Windows. If it helps you, great, if not, tough !"

I also have a doubt about the technical credibility of the authors. Their advice seems glib and dubious at times.

I have run Apache on Windows before without consulting documentation and I expected to learn something useful from this book. Not in the 1st three chapters.

Not a great tutorial. Not a very good reference manual.

One of the few books I would lend to someone and probably not worry about it being returned.

Good introduction and reference to Apache
This book serves as a good introduction to the Apache server, detailing in the first chapter what Apache is and how it works with UNIX/Linux, etc. Further chapters explain setting up Apache, working with such topics as CGI, Authentication, Redirection, Proxy Servers, Server-Side Includes, Security and Writing Apache Modules.

Most chapters also have specific reference information for each topic included. The tutorial approach makes it easier for sys admins and programmers to learn how to install and maintain an Apache server. The examples of the butterhlies company make the concepts a little easier to follow. I acquired this book to familiarize myself with Apache and after reading this book I have a better understanding of it. The book is geared more towards Unix/Linux than Windows however.

This book is a nice training and reference source.


Wrath of the Prophets (Star Trek. Deep Space Nine, No 20)
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Pocket Books (1997)
Authors: Peter David, Robert Greenberger, and Michael Friedman
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Good, but not great......
I am a BIG fan of Deep Space Nine, so I obviously love to read Deep Space Nine books. But this one, well, wasn't so good. The plot is OK, and the characters are OK, but it just didn't do it for me. The Ro/Kira thing was good, but I didn't think it was right that Ro and Kira took on a whole criminal ring and won. Plus, I didn't think that Sisko would ever let Quark pilot the Defiant, so that was pretty dumb, and why would Sisko leave Deep Space Nine without a crew???? It just doesn't make sense. I'm not a fan of Friedman, and I don't know who the other two people are, but I just hope that the two of you break off relations with Friedman, and write a new Deep Space Nine book.

A good idea gone bad
Originally Michelle Forbes was to go from Star Trek Next Generation to the Deep Space Nine show when she quit, Kira Nerys was created. So this book is sort of tongue in cheek. Unfortunately the blending of so many writers convolutes not the plot but the tone of the novel. Though it's not apparent who wrote what to avoid particular criticisms all of these writers, while versed in Star Trek have different styles.
So this book fails.

Sparks fly when Kira meets Ro
This book, which is a plot based around the first meeting of Kira and Ro Laren, is really good. I enjoyed their interactions a lot - they tease each other, act deliberately irritating, and say sarcastic things to each other, just like I'd imagine they would. But, eventually they realize they are more alike than different, which is as it should be. The plot was interesting - a plague caused by replicators, which is actually kind of a twist on the first season episode "Babel". I enjoyed the nice balance of action and character development. There weren't many problems, just two glaring ones - why were Kira and Ro hiking around Bajor on foot? Don't they have hovercars or something? The only explanation I can think of is that they wanted to be really, REALLY incognito. The other was that Sisko took only Quark as his crew on the Defiant. Surely the warship needs more than one person and one Ferengi to run it! And taking that fancy ship with its cloaking device into Orion space? That's just inviting them to steal it. They really should've taken a runabout! However, the writing quality was good, and it was a fun adventure to read. I recommend this novel to any DS9 or Ro Laren fan.


Bethany's Sin
Published in Paperback by Pocket Books (1991)
Authors: Robert R. McCammon and Sally Peters
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Yick!
This is a complete take-off on Thomas Tryon's great
"Harvest Home."
Now, I read and really appreciate Robert McCammon but this book...save your time and get "Harvest Home."
Jude

tried hard - but generally forgettable
My second Mccammon book after the wonders of Boy's Life and i knew not to expect much from this early attempt at a horror novel It starts ok-ish but ends up as some James bond story that is just beyond belief. The characters are tame and I just couldnt care how it was going to end. He tried hard to make it creepy but really over did it making everything appear scary and therefore taking away the surprise element. what got me was how he tried to introduce a quaint Englishness into the dialect by saying 'by God' all the time. But this is Middle America Robert ?

These are no Wonder Women
After reading the reviews posted here, I approached Bethany's Sin with a degree of caution as it wasn't that highly rated. But having enjoyed almost every other Robert McCammon book I've read, I didn't think it could be all bad. I'm happy to say that I found this book most enjoyable. Bethany's Sin is a small Pennsylvania town where the main character Evan, his wife Kay, and his daughter Laurie move. It's soon apparent that life in this town is not as quaint and peaceful as it first appeared. Kay begins having horrific and violent nightmares after meeting the towns mayor and primary antagonist, Kathryn Drago. It's up to Evan to unravel the dark secrets of the town before its too late to save himself and his family from the horrors of the coming "killing month". Sin is fairly quick read and has an interesting slant on the legend of the Amazon women and their hostile relationship with men. Some of the descriptions of this are downright brutal. It's a good horror story with some very creepy moments. Well worth reading in my opinion.


Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet on a Shoestring Series)
Published in Paperback by Lonely Planet (1997)
Authors: Chris Taylor, Peter Turner, Joe Cummings, Brendan Delahunty, Paul Greenway, James Lyon, Jens Peters, Robert Storey, David Willett, and Tony Wheeler
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Worst travel guide I ever used!
We recently traveled through Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia and found this guidebook practically useless and certainly frustrating--definitely not worth its weight. We have used other LPs in the past and found them to be at least adequate but this one doesn't even rate that well. It lacked many important details--such as the time/distances between many points, availability of various transportation options and routes, decent maps--the list goes on and on. Even though prices change often and currencies fluctuate, even a vague idea of prices (is it $10 or $100??) would have been quite useful to help us plan better. Although we ran into many people all 'armed' with the LP, they all had the same complaints.

Lonely Planet-Southeast Asia
This book is an adequate guide but it needs improvement in several areas. I used this book during Janurary and February of 2000 when I traveled through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. Last year I used the Lonley Planet-India and found it was much better than Southeast Asia. Here are the weaknesses. 1. The numbers of the locations on the maps should be used in the text describing the location. This would grealy improve you ability to plan your day or route. 2. Maps should be improved. I would be willing to spend a few dollars more for better maps. 3. Hotel, restaurant, etc. names are not printed in bold type. This makes it more difficult to use. 4. It would be very helpful to grade the sites with a priority to reduce the time one spends reading fine print and get on with seeing the country. When I return to this part of the world next winter I will try to find additional books to correct these weaknesses.

Good and Bad, but worth its weight
I travelled through Thailand, Philippines and Hong Kong using this book. I initially bought this book with weight in mind. I did not want to carry three more LPs along with the other country books (LP Taiwan, Japan). Although much of the information needed to survive was written in the book, it certainly did lack the detailed maps and background information needed to have a care-free journey. SOmetime it certainly was a struggle , especially in Thailand. The Thailand Section prices were extremely outdated. Even in the height on the "asian economic flu", I had to triple the prices listed. The Hong Kong section was adequate, but HK is an efficient and easily travelled city. Of the three, I found the Philippine section the best, but some of the hotel quality ratings are out dated. Please do not stay at the Hotel Mercedes in Cebu!


.NET Architecture and Programming Using Visual C++
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall Computer Books (18 March, 2002)
Authors: Peter Thorsteinson and Robert J. Oberg
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I hope there's better
I agree 100% with dc man2002 review. As an experienced/professional VC++ developer, I found this book completely useless as a reference to VC++ .Net. The book claims to cover UI development in VC++ .Net, but I don't think the acronym MFC was mentioned once in the book. I was looking more for something that would cover the new aspects of VC++ with a smooth transistion from 6.0 to .Net. I found myself starting to skip pages, then chapters, trying to find something to make the connection. I started to wonder if the author had ever written a VC++ 6.0 application. After reading a section about UI development that said something to the effect "You'd be better off doing this in C#", I was almost positive he hadn't. This book would be accurately titled ".Net Managed C++ Extensions."

Awful, Pushes C# and Managed extensions
If you want to move from Visual C++ 6.0 to the newest version 7.0 or .NET, this book will either A) make you learn 600+ pages of managed extensions and C# that you don't need, thus you'll end up cursing Microsoft for making life so difficult for everybody; or B) will discourage you from using VC .NET altogether. Why not simply devote a tiny chapter to demonstrating how to do basic things familiar from VC 6.0 in unmanaged code and without C# ? The reader is lead to believe that Visual Studio .NET is unusable without these two.

For example, the authors claim that it is impossible to develop graphical interface in VC++ .NET and one has to design these features in C# and then optionally port them to C++. This is gross misinformation! One can do everything that was possible in VC 6.0 and much more without a single line of managed code or C#. Most importantly this new version of Visual C++ is standard compliant and supports all the newest additions to the language, including STL. MFC and everything else are expanded and improved etc. One doesn't need managed code or C# to use all these features. Granted, managed extensions might be helpful in internet programming, but again, they are not indispensible, contrary to what the authors will tell you.
I should admit though that the book was written about beta version of the Visual Studio .NET; the title is somewhat misleading however: the book is about .NET extension of Visual C++, not about Visual C++ .NET as one might think. Bottom line: this book makes you learn two new languages: managed C++ and C#, which you can do without.

Wonderful book
This book is proposed for the experienced C++ programmers. The book is very practical, with many examples, and includes a case study that is used to as a realistic demonstration that continues through many of the chapters. this book is intended for experienced C++ developers and provides all the practical insight they need to build Windows and Web Systems for Microsoft's .NET Platform using VC++. With this you can Leverage your Visual C++ skills in advanced .NET development! This book ".NET Architecture and Programming Using Visual C++" gives an innovative dimension of realistic approach to building Windows and Web system with the power of Visual C++.


Special Edition Using Macromedia Flash 5 (with CD-ROM)
Published in Paperback by Que (17 May, 2001)
Authors: Darrel Plant, Robert Cleveland, and Peter Sylvester
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Can't use this book
I was in the section on tweening (which I've never done before), and I followed the author's instructions exactly, step by step. And, much to my dismay, the animation didn't work. I looked up the same subject in the Flash documentation and found that the author had failed to mention that I had to make a symbol out of the object to be tweened. IT WILL NOT WORK OTHERWISE! A simple but NECESSARY step was left out of this book's explanation. This book was expensive, too. What good is it if the book is well-written but leaves out critical information?
I'd recommend instead the best book that I've found on this subject which was "Foundation Flash 5" by by Sham Bhangal, et al.

basics book
I found this book very disapointing for many reasons. It seems 200 pages short and does not cover anything special. it is 500 pages of wordy instruction. Peach Pits flash 5 easy quick start and pro guides are much smaller and have so much more material covered. The que special edition books usually have really inovative projects. I am sorry to say that this one is just not up to par

Excellent for those needing an ActionScript Reference Guide
Unlike some other reviewers, I was very satisfied with the quality of this book, but I bought it specifically for the sections (Chapters 14-30, literally half the book) written by Darrel Plant, which focuses on ActionScript.

I've been a fan of Darrel's since his "Lingo Programmer's Reference", possibly the best reference book on programming in Director ever written (and happily soon to be updated in a new title, "Lingo Line By Line"), and my advice to anyone wanting to move from Lingo to ActionScript (or simply to learn how to program in Flash) is to buy this book. As usual, one chapter alone ("Understanding the FSCommand System") saved me hours of work and frustration, clearly explaining how to communicate between different movies or between the movie and browser environments.

They're are probably better Flash overview and animation guides for the beginner. But this is the best ActionScript reference available today.


Boston Then and Now: 59 Boston Sites Photographed in the Past and Present
Published in Paperback by Dover Pubns (1983)
Authors: Peter Vanderwarker and Robert Campbell
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Far out of date!
Unfortunately, being published in 1983, "Boston, Then and Now" should be titled "Boston, Then and THEN". It has been almost 20 years since the "now" photos were taken and Boston has changed greatly in that period. I would love to see a reissue of this book with updated photos. Right now, it makes little sense to purchase a book so out of date.

Yes, Virginia, there really was a Boston before the Big Dig
I'm not so certain that a book like this should be judged solely on its age. If anything, it now serves the same purpose as the original round of pictures did when it was first published.

This is a very different Boston from the modern one, you see -- Boston of 1980-82 was a crime-ridden, economically crunched failure of a city that had suffered the indignity of its historical places being ripped out for poorly-thought-out highway projects. A chronically depressed waterfront had been converted first to parking lots, then to high-rise apartment and office space; an architecturally conservative but rich city had disappeared under haphazardly built skyscrapers and prematurely decaying public works. And yet it still provides a view of places that in some ways haven't changed at all over the years, like Park Street, or places like Boylston St. near the Common that have changed profoundly yet are still very recognizable.

It's not as good a book as its successor, Cityscapes of Boston, as it has a tendency to avoid some things that were too weird (the Borders bookstore on School and Washington where I used to work -- used to be the Five Cent Savings Bank) or too blighted, and shots of some notorious Boston events like the Great Molasses Flood are missing, but it's still a very interesting book. I do hope Vanderwarker and Campbell have a third book in the works to cover Boston during and after the Big Dig, but get this one and Cityscapes together anyway before your next walk around Boston.


Marketing Strategies for the New Economy
Published in Hardcover by John Wiley & Sons (15 March, 2001)
Authors: Lars Tvede, Peter Ohnemus, and Robert Montgomery
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Esoteric, not much new
Lots of anecdotal information attempting to tie in the so-called 'New Economy' with historical trends. It doesn't quite convince. A lot of theory, as if meant for an academic audience. I don't see a lot of real world application here. I doubt the authors have experience running a successful real-world business.

Good overview of successful high tech business models
I am a seasoned marketing VP for a high tech company. While I would in no way characterize this as a comprehensive marketing manual for high tech marketers, I did find it very useful from one perspective: it provides a simple overview of what it takes for a company to succeed in the technology space including a very succinct and readable overview of many different value-generating business models. It then relates these business models to appropriate marketing tactics. I gleaned some "nuggets" that will help my company become a more successful enterprise. For this reason alone, the book was well worth the price. It is just over 200 pages and can be read in one sitting.


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