| Average Rating: |
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| Sales Rank: | 1339795 (lower is better) |
| Price Used: | $1.89 |
| Shipping: | Free Shipping on most orders over $25* |
| Availability: | |
| Label: | Que |
| UPC: | 029236724733 |
| Pages: | 1440 |
| Binding: | Hardcover |
| Publication Date: | 2000-11-20 |
| Published By: | Que |
| ASIN: | 0789724731 |
| Category: | Book |
The book gives you an in-depth tour of XHTML (the XML-based version of HTML) from top to bottom so that you will know what Web content to build on the server. Early chapters go over what's special about XHTML with a full element reference. (Generally speaking, XHTML resembles HTML fairly closely but follows some new conventions.) Using plenty of screen shots, all the basics of Web content designed with XHTML are effectively covered, including how to use image maps, frames, cascading style sheets, and JavaScript. Some particularly good sections lay out the differences between today's browsers (including the different object models and support for DHTML on Netscape and Microsoft browser platforms).
Despite the title of this book (obviously designed to catch the eye of Java readers), it also covers server-side development using CGI (in C), Microsoft ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP. Its cross-language perspective makes this a good choice for anyone evaluating options for server-side development. It also will help readers who are transitioning between technologies. For instance, three short chapters on Allaire ColdFusion will help anyone understand this powerful programming tool quickly.
The book closes with programming done with Java, from client-side applets with AWT and Swing, to server-side development using servlets and JSPs. Final sections show how to combine Java and XML (fulfilling the promise of the title.)
With a wide-ranging tour of at a least a dozen key Web standards and technologies, this text accomplishes a lot more than its title suggests. Written with a clear and patient style and bolstered by plenty of screen shots for the beginner, it'll prove to be a useful resource for almost anyone who does server-side Web development and wants to get a handle on the quickly moving standards surrounding XML, XHTML, and today's newer browsers. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered:
That gamble paid in spades. This book will provide a computer-familiar reader an idea of the plumbing behind modern Web sites. The text describes many varieties of Web-building tools, and includes clear explanations, examples, and code. I especially enjoyed learning from the book's dozens of figures. These typically show the results of executing example code, with the captions giving excellent summaries of points made in the text. For example, rather than writing "Here is a sample of Netscape Dynamic HTML layers," the caption on p. 684 says "Netscape Dynamic HTML layers can be used to show context-sensitive information on your Web pages."
I could not find any faults with this book, although Web development is not my specialty. If you are looking for a book to make you an expert in any one or two of the subjects covered (i.e., JavaScript, Dynamic HTML, even XHMTL), you will not be satisfied. The authors recognize this point and direct focused readers to more comprehensive sources. If you are looking for a guide to what makes Web surfing and serving work at a technical level, I strongly recommend this book. Keep in mind that rapidly evolving Web processes can make books like this less relevant as time passes. If you believe this particular edition is becoming obsolete, be confident that the authors' next edition will be just as educational.
Note: I congratulate the editors and four authors for creating a "cohesive" 1400 page book. I was pleased to see each chapter explicitly bearing the individual author's name, and glad to see seamless references to work in chapters by different co-authors. Bravo Que.
I gave up.
I expect when I purchase a book, that most if not all (no one is perfect) the examples will work. I also believe that expensive and expansive books like this one should come with a CD that not only fully reflects the code in the book; but also contains a HTML version of the book as well to facilitate searching.
My comments only reflect upon the Java XML chapter 42. I have been reluctant to use the book any further. I hope the next edition rectifies the present short-comings.
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