Nice book. But where is the beef? If you have Mindy Martins book you're all set and this one doesn't offer much news. Actually, it includes a chapter about the Digital Dashboard Resource Kit 2.x which is now obsolete after the release of SharePoint Portal Server.

If you are looking for detailed examples or sample programs this isn't the book for you... Go with Mindy's book

Scott Jamison, Alex Gomez, and George Wesolowski effectively collaborate to present a convenient and comprehensive tutorial and reference book for a programmer-based overview of Microsoft's Exchange 2000 software with Developing Applications With Exchange 2000: Programmer's Reference. The authors definitive address the issues of WebDAV HTTP 1.1 protocol; creating custom Web forms and Outlook Web Access; Outlook Object Model (OOM) and the digital dashboard; accessing Web Store with ADO 2.5; accessing Web Store with ExIFS; ExOLEDB; making remote calls using DCOM; using XML to set Access Control Lists; exchange store events; using CDO 1.21 and CDO 3.0 for messaging, calendars, contacts, workflow, and exchanging management; XML and Exchange 2000. Also included is a convenient summary comparing and contrasting the APIs and object models, as well as development scenarios highlighting recommended usage. Developing Applications With Exchange 2000 is a very highly recommended core reference title for Exchange 2000 users.

The book's description on the back cover doesn't even match the content nor does the CD-ROM. It looks and reads like a thrown together blob of stuff ... can someone tell me where to find the durn spreadsheet widget .. its mentioned on the back cover but not in the index, the table of contents nor on the CD-ROM....

I don't recommend purchase lightly. I've been wearing out its pages for two weeks now, with occasional bouts of furrowed brows and impatient snorting. I've come, though, to a conclusion in which I'm confident: if you're a Tcl user, you should invest in *Tcl/Tk Tools*.

Why? Because you'll use it, and use it well. Almost everyone involved in Tcl has questions (so how do I really compile a Tcl script? How much does it take to do drag-and-drop and tool tips? Are the RDBMS extensions current with vendor features? ...) answered here. Simplify your life by putting these 650+ pages on your shelf.

What is *Tcl/Tk Tools*? It's a collection of descriptions of different popular extensions to Tcl and Tk. While lead author Harrison gives the impression they're written by "the extension authors themselves", there are a few exceptions to this pattern. The book is not written as a tutorial or introduction to Tcl, sagely pointing to John Ousterhout and Brent Welch's books for that role (although I've been thinking of experimenting with putting *Tcl/Tk Tools* in the hands of novices, to see what would happen. I suspect they'd survive in good shape).

*Tcl/Tk Tools* isn't exhaustive. It doesn't include several of my favorite extensions, including Scotty, NeoWebScript, stooop, tclMsql, the PlusPatches, ... It doesn't matter. If you care about only *one* of the extensions described here, you'll do well to have your own copy.

Harrison and his co-authors do a good job of hitting the target of telling "Here's the philosophy behind this package, and here are some examples of how to use it effectively" that he lays out in the Preface. While it's easy to move from one chapter to another, it's not at the expense of the authors and their personalities. D. Richard Hipp's thoughtful precision and De Clarke's care in engineering effective solutions come through, as do the assurance and lucidity those in the Tcl community expect of Don Libes. Less successful is the forward look that Harrison intended, toward "the plans the extension authors had for future enhancements and extensions." I assume this was in part a casualty of the realities of the publishing cycle; certainly many of the chapters appear to have been finished before the appearance a year ago of 7.6's betas.

Two unglamorous aspects of the book multiply its value: the index is sound (that's saying a lot for me; I have high standards in indexing), and Harrison's Chapter 17 on what he calls "Configuration Management" lays out much valuable wisdom that newcomers need to learn. Reading the latter is painful: it has all the important, tedious subjects ("Combining Extensions ...", command-line munging, ...) one wants--but without mention of Win* or loadable libraries! These frailties are inevitable when broadcasting on dead trees, of course. What's disappointing is that *Tcl/Tk Tools* doesn't go farther in joining the Internet Age: although a two-page Appendix lauds news:comp.lang.tcl and lists the FAQs and nine URLs (some of which have already moved, of course), and individual authors take it on themselves to provide appropriate references,
* it's not apparent that there is any page where Harrison and/or O'Reilly maintain errata, updates, new examples, funny animal GIFs, or any of the other resources readers might be expected to exploit--I couldn't find one at the URL the Preface gave, nor elsewhere at www.ora.com;
* some authors supply no e-mail addresses;
* some authors give references ("look in the archives") that will be inscrutable for those not already in the know; and
* there is wide variation in the quality of information authors give about extension prospects, bug lists (a particular sore point with me), mailing lists, and so on.
Understand, please, that I'm not labeling these moral faults; as on every project, the good engineering comes in deciding where to make the cuts, and what definite values to deliver. I personally look forward to seeing books that build a more dynamic relationship with online sources, and am simply noting that *Tcl/Tk Tools* doesn't achieve that standard.

The quality of production is high, higher even than the elevated expectations I have of O'Reilly. Typos, mistakes in word choice, and code errors seem to sum to around zero to five per chapter. Screen shots are judicious and illuminating, rather than gratuitously space-filling. The CD-ROM (with binaries for indeterminate but predictable releases of Solaris and Linux) does the little I asked of it.

Summary: whether you're a full-time Tcl-er or a greenhorn, you'll profit from having *Tcl/Tk Tools* at hand. Whenever you're in a pinch, there's a fair chance the Index and/or Table of Contents will quickly lead you to a useful datum. During more contemplative moments, you'll want to read the chapters in a connected fashion, and the accuracy and insight of the authors will make you glad that you do.

This was the first book I read on Tcl/TK (a mistake), but it was nonetheless helpful. I do refer it often. I particularly found the introduction to Expect useful.

What a disappointment this book was. A subject so rich and so poorly presented. It was an empty account of history. For a layman hard to group into one of the greatest accomplishments of the United States. Too many loose ends, stories start and in the middle another subject is injected, a couple pages later you find the conclusion. The conditions of the city and the people from 1945 to 1948 not researched enough to give an understanding what really happen in the years before the Blockade. The currency reform was the final straw, but not the whole picture. The Kommandatura meetings the author refers to with the 4 powers don't shine any light on the subject. Also he never took the time to question the population of the city, the feelings, the hardships and how we accomplished our daily lives under conditions beyond imagination. Ruth Andreas-Friedrich was the only person to express some opinions, but she was not the mainstream of the 2 1/2 million people that lived in the city. She left Berlin in the middle of the Airlift for "Freedom", we had freedom in Berlin because of the support of the free world. I'm a born Berliner and lived through every phase. I worked for USGroupCC, Omgus and Special Troops in Onkel Toms Huette, also attended the performance of Bob Hope in the Titania Palast, what lasted over 4 hours, well past midnight. Have several excellent books on the subject to remind my children what was my life experience, but this one was written without understanding the whole picture, the sacrifices the men made to save a city and keep the iron curtain from descending all over Europe.

Michael Haydock provides a significant addition to the history of the cold war. This book is a seamless review of the role Berlin played during the critical years that ran from the end of World War II until the fall of the Berlin Wall. Haydock mirrors Berlin against the larger global events of the period. The central focus of the manuscript is, simply, how a city the size of Philadelphia survived complete destruction by the Soviet Army and rose again from the ashes in search of self determination.

With Berlin as the backdrop, the author uses three themes in weaving the story. The first theme outlines the strategic decision making which contrasts the leadership of the Allies and the Soviet Union during the Berlin crisis. A stark difference emerges immediately. The democratically elected leaders of the Allies set the strategy. For example, President Truman said, "we stay," and turned the formation of policy over to his appropriate cabinet members. General Marshall, Secretary of State and James Forrestal, Secretary of Defense, set broad policy which protected the strategic interest of the United States and delegated operational decisions to command officers in the field. Generals Clay, LeMay, Tunner, and their staffs made the tactical decisions while keeping Washington briefed. The author goes to great lengths to show how those in the field made the big decisions with minimal interference from the highest level.

Decision making by the Soviet Union was the opposite. Haydock uses extensive documentation from a variety of sources to illustrate Soviet decision making as a highly rigid, centralized system that required all matters to be cleared with Moscow - that is, with Stalin. Such tightly controlled decision making begged for delay as every action went back to Moscow for a reaction.

The second theme is operational or tactical. Haydock goes to great lengths to describe the birth, growth, and triumph of the Berlin Airlift. As the Soviets closed the surface routes to Berlin, a hasty effort to supply the city by air was made by the area commanders. The question, "can it be done?" was not addressed; however, the question, "how can we do it?" was a constant for the next six months. One could classify the beginning air supply effort as long on optimism and short on reality. On Saturday, July 26, 1948, a collection of C-47s made thirty-four flights into Templehof with 80 tons of food and medicine. The Berlin Airlift had commenced.

Manpower and material began to flow to the operational bases in West Germany. General Tunner arrived to provide leadership. The C-54s began to arrive from bases all over the world. The "bicycle chain" was applied to the corridors which kept a steady stream of aircraft moving toward the landing fields in Berlin and back to the supply airfields. January, 1949, was a critical month. The weather was bad and the City was down to twelve days of food and coal. On Easter Sunday, 1949, flying at one minute intervals, 1,398 flights, lifted 12,941 tons into Berlin in a twenty-four hour period. The Soviets lifted the blockade on May 12, 1949, but air operations continued until September. One could argue that the Airlift was the greatest humanitarian effort the world has seen, demonstrating good leadership, diplomatic steadiness, and peaceful use of airpower can advance the strategic interests of a nation.

The third theme weaves human interest stories into the larger mosaic of the Airlift. Into every day of this monumental effort, Haydock finds a story that brings this huge operation down to the human level. For example, Lieutenant Gail Halverson's dropping little parachutes containing chocolate candy to the chldren of Berlin - and going down in history as the "Candy Bomber." Or Ruth Andreas-Friedrich describing the Soviet sacking of the city and the associated fear as the survivors hovered in the bombed out buildings.

City Under Siege is a well documented, clearly written description of one of the great events of the century. Highly recommended reading for those interested in history, foreign policy, humanitarian efforts, and especially for those who participated.

this is one book i regret reading with its contrived tale of a shipwrecked sailor in a harem and the stories of the inmates and little or no characterisation. i strongly suggest giviing this book a go by.

Illustrated by six different artists: three black and white illustrators who do okay, one crayon scrawl quality color chapter, one okay colored chapter, and one colored chapter that's cleanly drawn but seems amateurish (art school student - some skill but no flavor). George Herbert's book is an 1890s era (or so) Victorian Erotica peice; which means explicit sex was it's only real interest. The ladies recount their "first times" and "first loves" - and five are Eurpoean dolls. Indeed, it's a selection of women from around the world, not a moorish Harem in itself. And they come across as ordinary women with unusual tales to tell. My main interest was the quality of artwork, and the lower quality of some of it (the colored versions were even amateurish in places) left me wondering if the second edition would be decent - and is probably why I've never seen a repeat of the concept. Besides the limited scope of the subject matter. Rather than grossly graphic, the sex is often staid and somewhat more classically illustrated.

I had high hopes for this book, but was a little disappointed. I bought conspiracy x, expecting great stuff, and it met with my expectations. Cryptozoolgy didn't. First, it's set up with information divided into two parts: the gamers information, and the GM's information. the result is that you have to look in two different areas for information on different "supernatural creatures". Most of the regular freaks of nature are covered--Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, etc. I was pleased to see a few others like the Mokole. The writing is a lot more pendantic than I'd like--but that may be a direct result from being written in character, where teh character is old, stuffy, and bombastically long-winded. If your game will run into a supernatural creature, it might be worth checking this beek out. If not, I wouldn't bother.

THANKS FOR TELLING LIES ABOUT ME IN COURT AND MAKING ME REALIZE THAT LAWYERS AND JUDGES ARE NOT HONEST PEOPLE. INTEGRITY CAN'T BE BOUGHT SHARMAN, NO MATTER HOW MANY OF YOUR BOOKS SELL, OR HOW MANY WROTTEN CLIENTS YOU REPRESENT.

what kind of fact

Washington's feelngs notwithstanding to state that his love for Sally Faifax was the cause of the affair resulting in the death of Jumonville is ridiculous. If one is not a bit of a history buff he might find it to be a good read. However, it is littered with errors stated as fact. I doubt not that Mr. Killian did copious research but he took a much to liberal license with the facts. Sure, Washington had many faults, but he deserves better treatment than given in this work! M. W. Askew (mwaskew@msn.com)

Unenlightened drivel. An excellent example of the thinking and attitudes of anti-gay fundamentalists.

A British-born Australian immigrant publishes his results about gay immigration to Australia. Gay immigration is a very urgent issue and I'm glad the matter is being documented. But this book left me so sad and dissatisfied. On the one hand, activists globally can learn from Austalia's example. This book starts with a decent chapter on the history of gay Australian immigration. This was also a longitudinal study: something you rarely find in sexual orientation-related research. However, the book is very sloppily-written. It reads like a scrapbook or diary. So many of his discussions are internal and unimportant. There's no way an American scholar could get tenure with a book like this. Usually, I praise gay male authors that remember to include lesbians in their research. But the lesbians involved in the study get scant mention and thus become negligible. Like studies of gay Asians in white-dominated countries throughout the world, this text is filled with cute, young Asian guys having no choice but to partner with size-, age-, and looks-challenged white mates. This book will kinda rub the younger non-Eurocentric gay men of color the wrong way. You would think that binational gay couples have risked thick and thin to be together. In this book, the Australian officials encourage gay couples to cheat on their applications and all kinds of pairs that have no intention of staying together apply for couple status. Most every respondent said the immigration controversy is affecting their health negatively. Further, the author says things about his long-term partner that no spouse should say about another in print. There's no bigamy allowed in Australia for straight citizens, yet the author is not fazed in the least to apply for immigration status for his Thai extra lover. Worse, he gets mad when he finds that his Thai lover is cheating but never criticizes himself for cheating on his first lover with the Thai national. Bottom line: America is so far away from enacting gay immigration (which is a shame) and this book will do NOTHING to help that goal happen, as poor and tragic as this work is.