This book brings back the many forgotten works of William Wurster. It balances the architect's story and illustrations well. I recommend this book to architecture enthusiasts who want to reach beyond mainstream architecture.

situation normal is a fine example or what can be done in architecture with a tool that is becoming somewhat of a lost art, the pencil. the authors use the pencil exclusively in their design process, and Situation Normal is a fine resource for architectral students and architects, whom it is very important to, to understand the power of the pencil. the pamphlet is by no means wordy, but it does contain a strong body of designs and projects by the author, that demonstrate how the pencil can holds its own in a profession where the pen and especially the computer have become the norm.

David Muench is a Master photographer of the remnant natural landscape of this country. There are many who have imitated his approach and failed to see the way he does. Thus it is disappointing to see a book fail to live up to his usually high standards. The production of the book was sufficiently low to make me wonder if it was rushed to press.

I'm not as critical as the gentleman in the last review. The only thing I notice about this outstanding portfolio is the striking beauty of the photos contained therein. It was truly wonderful to see David Muenchs' black and white photos. His color portfolio, however, is worth the price of the book alone. How he manages to capture these images on film is quite beyond me.

I was also thrilled to see the work of David's son, Marc. It is easy to feel his love of the outdoors by looking at his photos.

This book is a MUST-HAVE for every landscape/wilderness photographer!

The Swing classes eliminate Java's biggest weakness: its relatively primitive user interface
toolkit. Swing provides many new components and containers that allow you to build sophisticated
user interfaces, far beyond what was possible with AWT. The old components have been greatly
improved, and there are many new components, like trees, tables, and even text editors. It also
adds several completely new features to Java's user interface capabilities: drag-and-drop, undo,
and the ability to develop your own "look and feel," or the ability to choose between several
standard looks. Written for the experienced Java developer, Java Swing provides an in-depth guide to
getting the most out of Sun's Swing/JFC user interface classes. Mixing
real-world code examples and expert advice on advanced features, this book shows how to make use of this powerful
library effectively within your own projects.

As a general Swing reference, this book is very good; where it excels is at covering the numerous
important aspects of Swing theory and application. I was initially disappointed by the lack
of coverage of layout managers, however the rest of the content has been extremely useful
in helping me understand the key aspects of Swing GUI development.

Java Swing gives you in-depth coverage of everything you need to know to take full advantage of Swing,
providing detailed descriptions of every class and interface in the key Swing packages. It shows you how
to use all of the new components. Whether you're a serious Java Swing Developer or just trying to figure
out what Java can do you will find this book as an indispensable guide.

Java Swing is the definitive reference for the Graphical User Interface (GUI) Swing package that has been included in the standard distribution of the Java SDK since Java 1.2. The book is really more of a tomb, weighing in at 1200 pages, and yet none of it seems irrelevant or overly explained. If anything, one would have to complain that maybe there are details missing, but given the length of the book as is, maybe it's better that some of the details were left out.

Publishers O'Reilly have obviously assembled a group of talented Java GUI designers to write this book, because the commentary is rife with real advice and coherent, practical explanations. The book does take some assumed knowledge for granted, such as basic programming skills, knowledge of Object-Oriented programming practices, and UML-style class and object relationship graphs, but I wouldn't say that this book excludes the beginner programmer in the least. Instead, it walks the fine line of being a useful book for both beginner and expert coders quite well, better than other O'Reilly publications that I've read in the past that I felt were overly explanatory.

The book starts off with a little history on the Swing package, where it came from and what its relationship to the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT) is, but then almost immediately launches into the format that it uses for the next 900 pages of the book, which is to devote an entire chapter to every major section of swing. Topics covered include: buttons, scrollbar-like components, combo-boxes, containers of every shape and size, dialogs, borders, menus, tables, trees, undo facilities, text (about 220 pages on the major text components alone,) and drag and drop. Each of these sections serves as a useful reference for when you're developing your own GUI applications. The explanations are generally more details and much deeper than those offered in the Javadoc HTML pages provided with the SDK distribution. I've personally used the book on a couple of projects that I've been working on at work, and found that the background given has been incredibly useful, not just for solving problems but for generating ideas for how things could be better. The topic separation is such that you can usually just read the chapter that deals with what you are currently doing, and not have to jump around the book looking for better explanations of the same idea. There is very little overlap in this book, which I consider to be a good thing in a reference book. The final four chapters deal with advanced topics, and a genuinely insightful and useful.

Now for the minor complaints: This book is truly focused on Swing, but sometimes I felt that the focus was just a little too narrow. Mainly my issues come from the authors deciding that AWT is a separate topic from Swing. Thus, any discussions of GUI programming elements that fall under the canvas of AWT are ignored. This is unfortunate, since real-life GUI applications have no choice but to use AWT elements. What's even more unfortunate is that Swing, being built on top of AWT, relies heavily on its architecture. JComponent, the root class of 95% of Swing component, is itself derived from Container and Component, the root classes of AWT. Browsing the O'Reilly catalogue, I failed to notice a book devoted to AWT, though I think it used to exist but has since been discontinued. This leaves me wondering where a GUI programmer should go to get the details needed to do the job. The most obvious omission in my eyes - apart from a discussion of Component and Container - is the failure to properly outline the common LayoutManagers available in Swing. Layout management is a crucial task for GUI programmers, and yet the only mention of them are the new LayoutManagers introduced by Swing. These new managers, however, by no means replace the old AWT managers that are the bread and butter of GUI programming.

My other minor complaint is that the book is cumbersome. This makes it a chore to use, though I fully admit that this is a very minor problem. However, I would have preferred that the publishers ship the book as a two-book set and charged a bit more for it.

Negatives aside, this book is a must-have for Java Swing programmers. The book isn't perfect, but I haven't come across a better reference for the topic.

Pavel Vorobiev and I are currently finishing up an 'advanced' Swing book consisting mainly of examples ("Swing", Manning publications). We have referenced the Swing source code nonstop. Apart from this, we feel that Java Swing is the best Swing reference money can buy. This book is not an API docs dump. It is a high quality reference book for GUI developers who are prepared to do their job professionaly, not blindly. If you are looking for a hand-holding tutorial this book is not for you (for this I would suggest Up to Speed With Swing).

Java Swing is very well organized and full of original explanation. I encourage potential readers to disregard other comments claiming that this book is API repetitive or doesn't explain enough. No book can cover every possible situation that can arise in the creation of a GUI, and no book will fully explain all of the inner workings of each Swing component and UI delegate. Swing is a very complex and extensive library with some very interesting and powerful mechanisms working behind the scenes. Without a doubt, Java Swing is the most informative and rich reference available. I recommend it highly.

Matthew Robinson
"Swing", Manning publications
Swing "Tips and Tricks", The Swing Connection

Could this book be anymore poorly written?! It is basically a collection of the author's passionate opinions. There are no facts or even decent arguements for their views. Throughout the entire book they tell you what they believe and that they are right, no doubt about it. It is so sad that they wasted so much time and energy writing this horrible book. The saddest part is that it has potentially good information in it, but the authors' writing styles ruin it.
While reading the book I kept asking myself. "Hmm, are these guys really horrible authors or is this what happens to your brain when you start eating a raw diet?"
Please, don't waste your money!!!

I have been gradually transitioning to a raw-foods diet (I have been vegetarian for a little over two years), so I have been reading a ton of books on the subject. It's a good thing that this was not the first one I read. It's a shame that the authors, while being highly motivated and passionate about a raw-food diet, have chosen to advocate the subject in such an in-your-face, absolutist manner. It's really a turn-off. They have taken stances that are easily supported by documented facts, but instead of supporting them with facts, they choose to make raw-foodism sound like a religion. It's not a religion, it's just a way of eating. I'm sure their approach is a turn-on for some people, so perhaps it's good that a book like this exists for those people who need to hear the message this way.

That said, I'd avoid this book until you've read some more sane and well documented books like Dr. Norman Walker's "Enzyme Nutrition," which is the most scientific and documented of all the literature on the subject. Other good books are Ann Wigmore's wheatgrass book and some of her other books; any of the books by Steve Myerowitz; and the "How I Conquered Cancer Naturally" book. I have also heard that two books called "The Raw Life" and "Blatant Raw-Foodist Propaganda" are good. The Natural Hygiene literature is generally very good as well. Take advantage of all the raw food related web sites out there.

Sorry to diverge from the review, but after getting off coffee, soda, aspartame, refined sugar, and other obvious evils, I have been increasing the raw food in my diet gradually to the point where my diet is 80-95% raw most days. The results have been incredible. I feel amazing (everyone always says that, but it's true) and the pounds are just falling off. I don't feel deprived at all, and eating takes on a new meaning when you can feel the food nourishing your body in a way that cooked food never did. You owe it to yourself to try this, especially if you are infirm or overweight in any way. Take it one step at a time. No need to switch 100% your first day.

The Raw Food Diet. It's a very controversial diet. Why? David Wolfe, Stephen Arlin, and the other Nature's First Law guys.

God's diet shouldn't be controversial. I agree with what the authors are saying, but they say it in a way that makes you dislike them. Drilling the message into your head like a drill sergeant that "Cooked Food is Poison" might do it for some, but not for me. To me, these guys approach raw foodism as if it's a cult following. Kind of like, "Hey, jump on OUR bandwagon and live right. Everyone else is living wrong." They poke fun at every single diet on the planet, even vegans, who don't even eat animal products.

The abrasive way they deliver their message is unique, but it didn't do it for me. Give me scientific data, not catch phrases and slogans. Give me SOME science at all, not what is 'believed' to be the truth. Do raw foods energize? No doubt they do. Is everyone who eats processed, devitalized foods poisoning themselves? Yes, they are. But are the ones who eat wholesome nutritious foods, mostly vegan, poisoning themselves? No. Poison is a harsh word. Raw foodists can "poison" themselves even worse by overeating on sweet fruit, nuts, seeds, and aggravating a vata condition with the dieuretic action of the sweet fruits. This isn't mentioned in this rah-rah book.

All in all, not a very good intro to raw foodism. This diet is not a cult. It's a healthy way of life, but you must know how to do it properly. For this, I recommend "Conscious Eating" by Gabriel Cousens.

One question that isn't answered is why -- if the Feds wanted David Koresh so much, and if they wanted to "protect the children" as they have claimed ad nauseum -- they didn't arrest Koresh when he was in Waco relatively alone, as he traveled there quite often (and without a lot of people with him).

Doesn't make any sense to me . . . If I was going to stop someone that was allegedly as depraved and as dangerous as he is now made out to be, then I would wait for him to leave the "compound." The Sheriff of Waco, among many others, have said that Koresh had traveled into town quite frequently (and no, he didn't surround himself with human shields). He would have been easy to arrest without fanfare.

The Feds instead chose to bring in a whole "battalion" of folks and create a big media event.

Personally, I wouldn't trust what this guy says in the book.

It took a lot of courage for Marc Breault to write this book and to tell the truth about the cult leader David Koresh. I met David Koresh on two occasions and I thought that he was a sociopath with all the charisma of Homer Simpson. Marc details in his book how no female between the ages of 11 to 68 was safe from Koresh's unwanted sexual attentions.Also how the members of the cult became so brainwashed by Koresh that they allowed him to sleep with their wives and father children from mothers as young as 14. Marc was not kicked out of the cult-he left willingly after he discovered that Koresh was a paedophile who was having sex with young girls and robbing them of their childhood and innocence. Thee was no way that Koresh was coming out of that compound alive. He knew fully well what they do to child molesters in prison and instead he set fire to the compound and thereby murdered 86 of his devoted followers including young babies. Marc details all of this in his book and he should be congratulated for having the courage to speak out against the Evil One Koresh.
John Baranyai
Email: ...

I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Breault and his courage from stepping out and telling the truth. His book is honest as well as compassionate, and, unlike Koresh, he shows true love and regard for those trapped in Koresh's dictatorship. Although it is not politically correct for anyone to accept responsibility today for their own actions but rather blame anyone else, especially the government, Mr. Breault places the blame for the mass suicide right where it belongs; David Koresh and his followers.

It's one of the worst things I've ever read or seen. I used to be a fan of Top Cow trade paperbacks but this thing is unforgiveably bad. Try some other comics like Sin City, you'd be better off.

i have ta give this one the five star rating, simply cause the witchblade and darkness comics are the greatest comics to ever exist, well, ok, maybe not the greatest, but they're sure as hell my favorite. GO CHECK EM OUT! IF YA DONT LUV IT, uh......um......well.....thats ur opinion.

Its quiet good book for novices. Using this book we can learn how to create plug-ins and other things like how to install plug-ins, uses etc.,.

I tried to get into the Darkness for some odd reason. Some of the stories have potential and the art is good. But then it gets to wrapped up in being sexually gratitous. I mean c'mon a character who will die if he sleeps with a woman? I enjoy comic books, like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and I adored the X-men in the eighties and Batman. But a lot of comics have gone down the drain, they rely more on drawing pinup girls then working on a solid, fun, entertaining story. Damn shame... Top Cow is guilty of this, and it's a shame.

Garth Ennis has really made his name in the comic book business with the Preacher series. This book will enjoy lively sales simply because of the success of that series. Comic fans will follow a favourite creator around like sharks after paddlers. Just be grateful that you read the Preacher books first. This book starts off with a huge crutch. In my opinion the publishers, Top Cow Press, are trying to sell a product rather than a comic. They want to sell video games, action figures, serious and expensive statuettes, oh yeah, and a few comic books. So they hire a hot popular talent and pay him to write a book about their product. This is what has really happened. Ennis seems to be straining under a huge piece of editorial control. There's little he can do with this tale of The Darkness. Maybe you'll enjoy the tale of Jackie Estacada, the Mob hitman with the heart of gold who eventually discovers his supernatural power. Mybe you'll realise that what you're reading is essentially a really bad story. This is all just my opinion. You might love it. I can't tell you what to buy, or where to spend your money. All I can say is "I told you so".

This book is course written and owned by SkillBuilders, Inc. Legal actions are pending, one publisher involved in the theft has already paid damages and we anticipate additional judgements/settlements against those who illegally use our copyrighted material.

Aside from that, the material in the book offered here was written in 1999 and earlier. Obviously there have been quite a few changes and updates since that time. Our active courses at SkillBuilders are all up to date. They would be a much better choice.

Although the book is very informative about threads, 2 days is not enough to understand all the concepts of multithreading. There weren't as many application or applet examples as I would have liked to see on the disk. The book does go through a few examples which let me rate this one a 3 star.