I've been a professional in the computer industry for 20 years and buy all kinds of technical books on a regular basis (although I'd don't believe I've bought a Que book before). Normally I end up getting poor value - two or three useful bits of information for an entire book. I think this is due to the fact that authors generally just rehash the manual and have little genuine insight into the technology they're writing about. This is most definitely not the case with Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel. I found the book packed with really useful practical information that I haven't seen elsewhere. For example, the sections in the book dealing with Hone Networking, Internet Connection Sharing and network Security are brilliant!!

Using the detailed information in this book I've been able to get my home network, cable modem and gateway router internet connection sharing set up working (securely) with no problems at all. Other books I've purchased tell you only in the vaguest of terms to "install network hubs and cabling" without providing the real details (probably because they've never done it themselves). Robert and Brian's book tell you EXACTLY what to do. For instance, how to wire-up an RJ-45 plug (which colour wires go into which holes - I've not seen this described anywhere else and without this information I'd have been completely stumped!). The book also saved me plenty of problems with its excellent coverage on security. In fact, I took the book into work and spoke to our network administrator about a couple of points in the book and he obviously found it an eye opener as he borrowed it for a day!

I very strongly recommend this book.

The book itself is an excellent well written resource and comes with a bonus CD where the authors lead you through a series of video presentations that show you how to get the most out of XP. It's like having your own personal XP tutors, but at a fraction of the cost. I can highly recommend this book and CD ROM combo to anyone who wants to cut to the chase and learn XP quickly and thoroughly.

These guys took a lot of time to get down to the tiniest details you will need to know to get started, and get you going (it covers fairly advanced topics as well.)

They don't only explain IIS, for example, they explain what a Web Server is, how it works, how it serves web pages to a browser, etc. So you're left we a larger knowledge about the tools you're using. Another good example, in terms of how deeply they cover topics, is the explanation they give about Windows 2000's design and architecture: almost 40 pages dedicated to it.

A massive 1506-pages book that will not end up next to your phone books like some other technical books do, and one that will help you with anything you will ever need to know about Windows 2000 Professional.

This is a wonderful book, not a typical novel in the sense that it does not open questions in the beginning and then answer them by the end. Instead, it is a linear narrative that ends on a cliff-hanger just begging for a sequel. O'Brian's writing is crisp and spare. The characters are fully-developed human beings, the action is exciting. The book is hard to put down, but the best thing is that there are eighteen more to follow.

I read the first book in the series, Master and Commander, and was disappointed. I enjoyed Post Captain more. Perhaps that was due to knowing what to expect and perhaps it is because Post Captain is better than its predecessor. However, it is not your typical naval action adventure. In fact, the first few chapters sounded a bit like Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's perspective. The fact is that O'Brian writes well enough to pull it off. Post Captain does pick up when war is declared and Aubrey goes back to sea.

One area of conflict that I found strangely missing in Master and Commander was that between Aubrey and Maturin. I had expected that Maturin would be critical of Aubrey taking the ship into actions that caused wounds Maturin would have to treat. There is a serious conflict between the two in Post Captain although it's not over Aubrey's naval actions. Since the series has 18 more novels one knows that the conflict will be resolved.

The main problem that Aubrey faces in the novel is not the French navy but his own indebtedness and the inability to obtain a suitable command. Paradoxically, Aubrey is safe from creditors while at sea. The problems that a person faced while in debt in 1800 are explained well and the reader has great empathy with Aubrey.

The naval activities in Post Captain seem similar to those in Hornblower and the Hotspur to the point that the climactic action appears to correspond to the same point in history. While O'Brian did not appear to value the Hornblower novels greatly it is obvious that he owes Forester a debt of gratitude for creating the genre. Without Forester it is doubtful that O'Brian would have been able to develop his own unique niche and this excellent novel would not have been published.

The book has an excellent introduction to ASP.NET for web services. It probably is worth just going over the first two chapters to get a flavor of web services. Word of caution, I downloaded the VB samples, and they were a bit buggy. If you are a C# developer, the code in the book was fine. The VB code was not...

"Come grow old with me / The best is yet to be..."

Browning's lines from "Rabbi Ben Ezra" apply nicely to O'Brian's great Aubrey/Maturin series (although I understand that the last couple of volumes in the series are not quite up to the standard). Partly because so few writers can create vital and interesting characters any more, O'Brian stands out with his correct Tory Naval captain (Jack Aubrey) and his British intelligence agent/scientist friend (Stephen Maturin), who show here that they can age gracefully.

But don't begin here. You have to have read the series in order to understand their tangled love and financial relationships and how the situation in THE COMMODORE came to be. If you have read the others through THE WINE DARK SEA, you are in for a real treat.

Aubrey and Maturin combat pro-Napoleonic forces at home and abroad. In the process, they deliver crippling blows to the West African slave trade and prevent a French landing in support of Irish independence.

Now that he has risen in the ranks, Aubrey must deal with issues raised by an incompetent spit-and-polish commander like Captain Thomas and by an otherwise talented sodomite in the person of Captain Duff whose officers rebel against favoritism shown to his catamites. Throughout the book, our heroes are uncertain of the welcome they will receive from their wives and families -- yet they are driven onward for King and Country.

I liked this book, and if I could I would give it 3.5 stars, but I didn't love it as some do. The second book is much better but you really must read the first book first. I recommend this to anyone, even women like myself.

The best part is an extended reference at the end of the book, and this time JScript is also covered.

I have a few comments about this book
1. The book should have been thinner, with some chapters on CD-ROM
2. You must be at intermediate level to use this book, else you could get lost easily. Beginners, don't yet touch this unless you know VBScript

In short, without a doubt, the best book ever written on ASP.