Books for/about - mysql

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: David Pogue

ISBN: 0596009410
List Price: $29.95
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Summary: GREAT MANUAL!
This manual is awesome for all your mac needs. It really has so much detail and anyone can use it to fix most problems on their mac. It has really been useful since I purchased it about a month ago. Has really helped with startup issues (not that Macs have very many). And for general use, it contains great details about how to use OS X and the programs that come with it! Would definitely recommend for all Mac users, especially beginners!

Summary: The Best Tiger Manual -- Stand up and applaud this book
After reading this book, I felt like I had to stand up or at least applaud. It was really a masterpiece: extremely comprehensive, easy to understand, expertly organized. The missing manual series by O'Reilly claims to be "The book that should have been in the box." This book is to computer manuals what iPods are to digital music. Powerful, yet easy to use

The book is designed for someone who has never used Tiger before and is not all that familiar with the Mac either. Unlike a dummies book, he doesn't talk down to you and respects the fact that you can learn things if shown how to use them.

This book doesn't just cover Tiger, but also covers the iLife application suite: iMovie, iDVD and iTunes. In fact, I really don't consider this just a Tiger manual. It's really a iMac User's Guide, covering pretty much every aspect of your new Macintosh. Have a problem with your Mac not working right? There's a great troubleshooting section at the end of the book.

The index and table of contents is well organized so you can focus on the sections you want to learn more about. For example, if you don't use classic applications (most people don't) then skip over the section. Finding out how to burn a music CD or setting up your email was very easy to find and understand. No aspect of Tiger was left unexplained. The book even explains how to use the voice recognition software..something I've never played with but always wanted to learn how to use

Personally, I thought the coverage of Mac to PC and PC to Mac networking was great, since so many people live in mixed computing environments.

The major complaint I think some people might have about this book is it's big. Over 800 pages can be a bit intimidating. I showed it to a customer and their response was: " I thought Macs were so easy to use?" Even though it is easy to understand and find the information you want, I wouldn't suggest it as the first manual to a new Mac user. I still think Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger: Peachpit Learning Series by Robin Williams is the best beginners book for Mac users. She really walks people through every step with bright colorful pictures.

The ideal user of this book is someone who understands the basics of Tiger and their Mac but says "I don't think I'm using my Mac to it's full potential." After reading this book, they'll have a complete arsenal to understand any aspect of their Mac.

Pros: The ideal book for Tiger users: complete, detailed, and easy to understand
Cons: Not designed for brand new users with no previous Mac experience, the amount of information may seem overwhelming

Summary: Good but not Great
I recommend this book for most intermediate users but if you really want to everything, there isn't information here.

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MySQL (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library)

Publisher: Sams
Authors: Paul DuBois

ISBN: 0672326736
List Price: $49.99
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Summary: Excellent reference book
This book is used at least once a day. Illustrations are clear, and examples concise. Covers all aspects of MySQL.

Only nag is that version 5.0 was obviously still evolving when this was written, so some of the new features such as triggers and views are not fleshed out well. But the author deals with that early on, and does give them some page time.

As with most open source programs, check the website -- there are some really nifty tools now available for MySQL that weren't available even a few months ago.

Worth the price -- don't wait for the fourth edition. If you do, you'll be missing out on what you can do with this amazing product.

Summary: Probably complete, but...
This book is full of interesting data - and is even probably complete. However when it comes to searching the information you need, this is a different story.

The biggest problem is the index. You need a refresh about the syntax of the command to dump/recover the database... don't look for "dump" or "recover" it's not in.
Even the simplest operations like "How do I extend the fields of my table?", there is neither "add" or "field" in the index (besides the FIELD() function).

Finally the information is hard to find within the chapters also. There are 13 head of chapters with non intuitive titles. The author had seemingly a hard time to manage all that information, and distributing it logically among chapters. Repetitions, omissions,... the book is not pleasant to search/follow/read.

I agree one must be glad to have a book about Mysql, this is why I gave 3 stars, but the book could be largely improved.

Summary: The most comprehensive reference to MySQL usage, administration, and programming currently available.
If someone approached me and asked `Mike, I want to learn MySQL ad I can only afford one book, which one would you recommend?', I would have to answer MySQL by Paul DuBois.

I actually owe my involvement with MySQL and my current employment to this book. When I was taking an Oracle course in University I found a copy of the first edition of this book in a bookstore at a discount and picked it up in the hopes that since it referred to SQL on the cover it might help me with my studies. While the book did teach me a good deal about SQL, it also taught me about MySQL, an RDBMS I would use exclusively as soon as the Oracle course was over with.

At more than 1200 pages, this is certainly the most comprehensive book on MySQL available to date. This book covers everything from installing MySQL to query optimization to PHP programming, along with everything in between. The book also provides enough reference information that it serves as a nice substitute for the MySQL documentation when you do not have internet access.

Part one of this book deals with the basics. MySQL is described, and a basic SQL tutorial is provided. Later chapters describe choosing data types and performing the various tasks that are involved in using MySQL. By the time you complete part one, you should be able to access data, create tables, join tables, and optimize your queries. For a typical user these first 300 pages should be all you need to become an advanced user (not an administrator mind you).

Part two occupies the next 250 pages and is a nice introducion to programming and instructs you in the use of the C, Perl,
and PHP APIs. While not as extensive a programming introduction as you will find in a dedicated PHP, Perl, or C book, the subject of database programming with these languages is well covered, and you should be able to write a basic database application after reading part two.

In part three, Paul DuBois descibes the administration of a MySQL database. Of particular interest should be the chapters on
administration and security. Additional subjects include file maintenance, server configuration, and replication. As with part one, part three is comprehensive and should provide solutions for anything you may encounter when administering a MySQL database.

The reference information in the appendices is quite extensive, and covers everything from installation to function and syntax references. The information should be current to MySQL 5, and is an excellent resource when you do not have access to the online reference manual
with its current information.

This is without a doubt one of the finest resources available on MySQL. This was my first MySQL book and my old first edition is well worn and has served me very well. If you need a good MySQL book that can take you from being an absolute beginner to a seasoned DBA, this is the book for you.

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	PHP and MySQL Web Development (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library) Publisher: Sams Authors: Luke Welling Laura Thomson
ISBN: 0672326728 List Price: $49.99 Amazon Price: $31.49 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Peter Henrik Stæhr Albrekt So far it has been an efficient learning tool. This book is clearly written by authors who deal with teaching and learning strategies. Details are thoroughly explained and you are carefully lead from one step to the next. Summary: Good thorough intro to PHP and MySQL Well done, maybe 5 stars. Has all the intro and intermediate info you need. Includes some best practices and programming concepts which I didn't want, so perhaps tries to include too much. But I'm being too picky. This book has everything one needs to get going with this technology and is thoughtfully presented. definitely recommended. Summary: Love it! Highly recommended! I bought the first edition of this book several years ago and it has been my bible ever since. It makes everything amazingly easy to learn. I didn't even have to sit down and do a read-through. I just skimmed it to start out, sat down in front of the 'puter, and flipped through the book to figure out how to code each part of my first PHP-MySQL site. It was almost too easy. I have created about a dozen database driven sites since, and I always pull the book out for a quick refresher before I start coding. I wish there were books this great for learning all web technologies. Summary:

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Programming PHP

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Kevin Tatroe Rasmus Lerdorf Peter MacIntyre

ISBN: 0596006810
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Summary: Better - What you would expect from a 2nd edition
Spent an hour examining this 2nd edition. I've also spent some time reading the reviews of the 1st edition and you are right on the money, Nathan Torkington. Many of the reviews show that the reviwer did not take much time or care going thru the book. When you've got the kind of talent and writing experience shared by the two authors, you have got to be one doozy of a PHP person to find the kind of faults some reviewers report. O'Reiily does a great job of maintaining an ERRATA page for each of their books. You never made a typo, guys ? In general this is a nice cleanup of the book. Very good for starters & intermediates.
And thank you to David Wall, who says it all: "The authors use a Talmudic (JBC adds:For readers not familiar with the TALMUD, check out Wikipedia)style to explore PHP's capabilities and explain them to their readers, meaning that they like to present code and commentary in close formation, with each enhancing the other. Typically, they'll present a capability generically and show the relevant code. Then they'll dig into variations on the theme, calling attention to required code alterations as they go. This is a book about PHP itself, so practically no attention is paid to PHP Builder or other development tools. Regardless, this book will help you solve programming challenges with PHP, and enable you to write efficient, attractive code."

Summary: nice book
Like many people I know, I have to use multiple programming languages, and php happens to be one of them. Programming PHP is a great book for PHP speakers and the excellent php function reference in appendix A is really adequate value for the book.

Take heart, you can do without the book, if you don't already own a copy, but owning a copy is also a great way to support the community, so go get on.

Summary: Lack of Examples
This book lacks examples. It describes a function in English words but rarely gives an example of how to invoke it. If you're trying to do File I/O this book is NOT for you.

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PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide (2nd Edition) (Visual Quickpro Guide)

Publisher: Peachpit Press
Authors: Larry Ullman

ISBN: 0321336577
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Summary: Larry Ullman may well be the most patient man on Earth
First off, I'm an outright dullard when it comes to coding. Let's be clear about that. But I'm smart enough to know a good thing when I find one. This book is just such a thing. Not just because of what's inside the book, which is excellent. And that it's well-written and easy enough for a simpleton such as myself to follow. But also because there is a companion web site to the book with a forum that the author moderates himself. The author doesn't know me from Adam (scout's honor), but he's spent the past three days walking me through a snag I encountered while installing MySQL and PHP on my computer. I am truly humbled by how generous the author has been with his time. And how well he explains things. These are all abundantly clear in the book. It's just surprising that he's so committed to making sure his readers understand the material he covers that he would also devote so much time to fielding questions from the book's forum. I've purchased many Visual Quickpro Books over the years; there isn't a finer one on its respective subject than this. In my opinion that is. And I'm just a dullard. Don't be one too. If you're new coding dynamic websites, buying this book would be a smart first step.

Summary: The best start to learn PHPand MYSQL
PHP and MYSQL for dynamic websites for Larry Ullman is another member of Visual Quick Pro Guide series that gives you a fast efficient way to learn. The book covers PHP 5 and MYSQL 4.1 for beginners, intermediate and advanced users.
The introduction of the book gives you a fast definition for some important terminology about dynamic websites, what is PHP, why use PHP, how it works and what is MYSQL.
The first chapter is an introduction to PHP language, the basic Syntax, sending data to browser, writing comments, variables, strings, numbers, constants and quotation marks.
The second chapter covers the programming with PHP such as creating forms and validating forms data. The next chapter covers dynamic websites.
Chapter 4 and 5 covers SQL and MYSQL. And using PHP with MYSQL is covered in chapter 7.
The following chapters covers different related issues such as web application developing, cookies, sessions, security, CMS example and ecommerce example.
The book is good start for beginner to learn web developing with PHP and SQL.

Summary: Excellent guide to using PHP and MySQL
This book has a ton of practical tips and examples for the real-world usage of PHP and MySQL. It is not the book to get for a basic introduction to the languages, or for an in-depth tour of esoteric constructions. Where it excels is its coverage of a broad range of issues relating to installation, layout and security of your website; database design, layout and manipulation; and lots of particular examples of PHP to solve intermediate-complexity problems. For one small example, every security cheat-sheet says you should strip_tags when processing most form inputs, but how many discuss the problem of making sure the data really came from your own form, not someone else's?

The examples are not just a grab-bag of esoterica, like the "<Stuff> Cookbook" series. They build up as solutions to problems which arise in the course of implementing the usual examples (shopping cart, CMS, etc.). The real "value-added" is that Ullman goes beyond the basics necessary to get a minimal example running. He then goes into the practical follow-on problems that most books never mention.

Minor quibbles:
(A) It uses two-column layout. This makes some of the code nearly unreadable, as the listing comes out almost vertical.
(B) There does not appear to be a companion website of the code.

I have a shelf of PHP and MySQL books, sorted from "shouldn't have bought" to "check first". This one goes directly into the check-first end! Considering the time and frustration saved, it's worth far more than the price.

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	Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, 2nd Edition Publisher: O'Reilly Media Authors: Hugh E. Williams David Lane
ISBN: 0596005431 List Price: $44.95 Amazon Price: $28.32 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 2 Reviews: Summary: Disappointingly poor index I'm new to PHP and MySQL, but a programmer for over 3 decades. I'm customizing some PHP code, using code examples for ideas. When I (a) see something I want to understand better or (b) want to find the PHP analog for basic functions, I naturally turn to the index to try to find the information I need. However, I found the index very disappointing because of what it doesn't have. For example, simple and basic keywords are not in the index: "comment", "logical operator", "and", "or", etc. I'm going to have order a different book as a PHP reference. Summary: The best starting point to php and mysql I bought this book with the hope I could learn just enought to get me started with web application development. I only had little programming experience at that time, I I didn't even have any experience with databases. Well. This book was the perfect introduction to web applications. From security to authentication, from php basics to multi-table join sql queries, this book got me into this world, and I appreciate it so much because I am working now in web development, thanks to what I learned from here. Altough this book is not for the absolute beginner, it teaches you just what you need to know to get you started, and even more. It lacks some subjects, like caching, or some advanced php 5 language constructs. Its focus is in real world development, without too much emphasis in application design or php/mysql internals. It teaches you just what you really need to know, and it teaches you that extremely well. You will learn php, from its basic syntax and usage, to object oriented programming basics. Then the book takes you to mysql, with a great introduction to sql, and how to use mysql from php. The following chapters deal with typical database concepts you must grasp, like concurrency issues and even performance tunning. It doesn't get too deep in php as a language, rather it focuses on php and mysql interaction, with an eye towards constructing a real world web application (which finally gets its parts joined in the final chapter). Things I dislike are its use of templating systems over many chapters. That was not a subject I was interested in. Althought a serious php developer can't simply ignore this topic, it is not crucial in understanding the fundamentals, and it, in turn, adds a source of difficulty to the examples from chapter 7 on. Other thing I didn't like was the development of a complete application that I didn't have time to study, altough fortunately I managed to ignore it as much as I can, without losing too much. In summary, I love this book, it is not perfect, but it's just what I needed and I give it 5 stars because it is a really well written and focused book. Summary: Excellent Introduction Book & Reference This book is an excellent introduction to PHP, MySQL, and the interaction of the two. It has a few chapters introducing PHP, then a few introducing MySQL, and then walks through the steps necessary to build a functioning dynamic website. They also include an elaborate and detailed case study of a Winestore application the author's developed. Whenever somebody tells me they are interested in PHP and web programming, this is the book I tell them to get. Many friends have borrowed my copy since I got it. Summary:

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SQL Cookbook (Cookbooks (O'Reilly))

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Anthony Molinaro

ISBN: 0596009763
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Summary: "COOKING WITH SQL"
Are you an SQL novice, journeyman, expert or a non-SQL programmer? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Anthony Molinaro, has done an outstanding job of writing a practical book that gives you the reader, a glimpse of what can be done using SQL outside of what is considered the typical SQL problem domain..

Molinaro, begins by introducing very simple queries. Then, the author introduces recipes for sorting query results. Next, he introduces recipes for combining data from multiple tables. The author then introduces recipes for inserting, updating, and deleting data, respectively. He continues by introducing recipes for getting at your database metadata. Then, the author introduces recipes for manipulating strings. Next, he introduces recipes for common number crunching. He also deals with data arithmetic. The author continues by showing you recipes for some of the most common date operations you will encounter in a typical work day. Then, he introduces recipes for identifying values in ranges, and for creating ranges of values. Next, the author introduces recipes that are crucial for everyday development and yet sometimes slip through the cracks. He also introduces queries typically used in warehousing or generating complex reports. The author continues by introducing you to hierarchical recipes. Finally, the author focuses on vendor-specific solutions.

In this most excellent cookbook, you will find a collection of common SQL problems and their solutions that you'll find helpful in your day-to-day work. More importantly, this cookbook will help you take your SQL skills to the next level.

Summary: Excellent desktop resource book!
This book review was submitted by a Roanoke Valley SQL Server Users Group member as part of the Book Review Program.

Reviewed by: Harold Buckner
This is a great book to have available at your fingertips. The table of contents is structured quite nicely and allows you to find what you need very quickly. The book covers a number of topics for solving everyday problems. It will also help you come up with ideas on how to go about handling particular queries by describing the problems and then listing possible solutions. And in these solutions you can find techniques on how to expand on them to resolve other issues.

The author Anthony Molinaro, included a chapter on Metadata Queries that would be great for the beginner DBA wanting to find information about the database schema as well as other chapters on String manipulation, working with numbers, dates, warehousing and hierarchical queries. The author includes solutions for various platforms that I thought were nice to see how the different platforms handled the solutions. I also thought the author did a great job expanding the solution to help you understand what was happening.

Great job Anthony and I hope to see more structured like this one.

Harold Buckner

Summary: Love this cookbook
This is definitely a fantastic book. As a web developer in Kansas City, I have great need for providing my clients with great programming. This book is an integral part of my library.

My favorite topics in here are:
- Retrieving Records Section-really like searching for patterns
- Working with ranges..used this one with a client.
- Reporting (Great need for online businesses)

Thanks Anthony - Great book review from me!

Sean Morelli
RPG Designs, LLC - Kansas City Web Design firm

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Beginning PHP and MySQL 5: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition

Publisher: Apress
Authors: W. Jason Gilmore

ISBN: 1590595521
List Price: $44.99
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Summary: Great bit of technical writing. Very useful
I think everyone knows that computer language books usually lean towards one of two extremes; either 1) the author cuts-and-pastes his doctoral thesis into Adobe, leaving everyone more confused than if they hadn't read the book at all, or 2) the book is apparently geared towards six-year-olds and the elderly, leaving you with 3 useful pages out of 800. (Also the books that somehow do both by covering basic variables on page 3, and polymorphing classes on page 5).

This book really does a good job of finding the middle ground. The content is extremely useful and it's well organized. The transitions between sections have a gentle slope, so you can read the book front-to-back, or pick out specific chapters without feeling lost (This will definitely be a reference book for me.) It's also written with personality, making it (I'm embarrassed to admit) decent late-night reading for the technically obsessed.

When I was researching the book for myself, I noticed some people commented that this book was too advanced to be called a beginner book. I agree with that, but only if you don't have any previous experience with programming in general. If this is your first time writing code, you should look for a general programming book first (but THEN get this one), but if you have any kind of programming experience, this book is a no-brainer!

Summary: Not a good beginning book
I really don't get the high praise for this book; other than the fact that most of the reviewers have programming experience already. I really think that book is way overated and, despite the claims of the title, is not suited for the beginner or the novice.

This book includes example code snipets about the use of individual functions, but does not have larger projects or exercices demonstrating how to bring things together.

Once I realized this, I thought, "well at least I can use it as a reference." And it does succeed at this to some extent. However, even in this capacity it seems a little shollow. Further, one gets the impression that it is basically a rewording of the existing documentation that is already available with PHP and MySQL.

To give just one example of all the above... Chapter 2 talks about configuration options in the php.ini file - PHP basics aren't even covered until Chapter3. Anyhow, let me open randomly to one of the excepts from the book and compare it to the .ini file:
-----------
register_long_arrays(On, Off)
Scope: PHP_INI_SYSTEM; Default value: off
This directive determines whether to continue registering the various input arrays (ENVIRONMENT, GET, POST, COOKIE, SYSTEM) using the deprecated syntax, such as HTTP_*_VARS. Disabling this directive is recommended for performance reasons.

-----------
And a cut and paste from the .ini:

Whether or not to register the old-style input arrays, HTTP_GET_VARS and friends. If you're not using them, it's recommended to turn them off,for performance reasons.
register_long_arrays = On

-----------

Again, at this pointt in the book (Chap2) a beginner/novice is still coming to grips with PHP basics (Chap3), let alone Arrays (Chap 5). Even after which, this is cryptic at best. How is this remotely geared towards either the 'beginner' or the 'novice'?! I could go on and on with examples from all parts of the book.

The sections on MySQL and the integration between it and PHP is thick, but lite. I consider this book mainly a rehash of the vendor documentation and lacking in real tutorials that are often crutial for novices to learn new skills. And, again, i think that the the book is completely mistitled.

Normally, I really like the Apress books; however, in this case I am benefiting much more from Wrox and Sams.

I might have given it a 3... but so many others scored it to high - even those who remarked on some of the same things.

-My 2 cents

Summary: Great!
Jason wrote this book with the idea in mind of the real developer. By covering subjects such as security and alternative methods where it is needed and recommended, true applications can be developed using PHP and MySQL.

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