O'reilly:  Erlang Programming by Francesco Cesarini and Simon Thompson =========================================================== If someone asked me to make a prediction about what will be the "next big thing" in the world of programming languages I would say: "Erlang, or some language like it". Erlang, in case you didn't know, is a functional programming language developed at the Swedish telecom company Ericsson, for use in telephony systems and other large-scale concurrent applications. As such, it was built with distribution and concurrency in mind, making it a very good match for any kind of programming task where things need to happen in parallel. If you think this sounds interesting I recommend picking up Erlang Programming by Simon Thompson and Francesco Cesarini. The book is written in a very hands-on style, guiding the reader step-by-step through the various aspects of Erlang. In this sense the book is very pedagogical---it shows that the authors have a lot of experience in teaching programming languages. This is also one of the book's major strengths; the reader is not only taught the Erlang language, but also how to reason about concurrent programming problems in general. I especially liked how concurrenct programming is introduced early in the book, which then seques nicely into discussions about concurrent programming patterns and the Erlang OTP framework in later chapters. Apart from being a good introduction to Erlang, the book is also quite exhaustive in its coverage of the language and associated tools, making it good reference material. While learning Erlang I often kept the book close to my computer, since it explains many topics in a more succinct and applicable manner than the official documentation. It's not sunshine and roses all the way though; at times I found the organization of the book to be somewhat puzzling. For example, the introductory chapter contains a detailed explanation of how Erlang handles multicore processors, which might have been better suited as an appendix. Another example is the choice to introduce dynamic software upgrade---a feature that will most likely be of little utility to beginners---before list comprehensions and anonymous functions, which are very useful in day-to-day Erlang programming. In all, I think the book could've benefited from a second run of editing. Small niggles aside, Erlang Programming is an excellent introduction to an exciting language that allows you to build very interesting programs. One thing does puzzle me though; why is there a kangaroo on the cover when the most appropriate cover animal would clearly be the octopus? Review by Christoffer Ekeroth Oreilly:
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 By Anton Bashmakov The book is really useful for people who just start to learn game development. Author does not go into great details in such stuff as graphics mathematical background but gives good enough overview on all basic parts which every game consist of. Reader going to implement small 2d and 3d projects learn how to use sound, implement simple gaming algorithms. Also author tries to answer the question if Java is good enough to implement serious commercial gaming projects. Long story short this book is all you need if you know java and want to learn how to develop games (both 2d and 3d) BOTTOM LINE Yes, I would recommend this to a friend --- 
By Anton Bashmakov
PROS
Easy to understand
Helpful examples
Well-written
CONS
<NONE>
Review
Really useful book, let understand DB structure in deep details and create high perfomance, reliable Data Bases. Will be usefull for both developers and DBA. Detailed description of such important topics like indexing and caching make it a perfect handbook for those who want to wring out the maximum performance.
The book requires good understanding of MySQL in whole and intended for expirienced users. But some chapters may be helpfull for beginers as well. Written in a good style the book abounds in tips and workarounds. Information presented based on huge expirience of the writers.
BOTTOM LINE
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
 I had general knowledge in PHP from modding and experimenting with Wordpress themes. HTML and CSS wasn't new to me - I work as a web designer, but I'm not perfect with javascript. SQL scared me. This new O'Reily book filled in my blanks - gave me facts and tips about PHP developing and more self confidence in playing around with MySQL in PHPmyAdmin. I'd say the things you need to be a great PHP web-developer are experience in HTML+CSS, a great idea, and this book :) -- Adrian von Gegerfeldt ---------- Apress: As a member of GTUG (Google Technical User Group), Stockholm, Sweden, headed by Peter Svensson, CEO of Hermit Village, and events normally being hosted by Markus Blomkvist, Ottoboni, Stockholm, Sweden, I had the opportunity to read and review this book, Beginning Android, by Mark L Murphy. This book is my first close encounter with programming using Android SDK, although I had some idea about the scope of possibilities with Android prior to that. The book is based on Android versions 1.0 SDK and 1.1 SDK, with an appendix relating to differences and changes with respect to Android 1.5 SDK. At the time of writing this review, NexusOne is available on the market, and the latest version of Android is 2.1 SDK. From my point of view, as a Java developer, I find the book quite good as an introduction to Android. It is easy to read and follow, it contains a lot of information, and it has a large number of chapters dealing with a wide range of different aspects of Android. As regards myself, however, I only skimmed those chapters which deal with details of creation of specific Swing-like functionality, like advanced scrolling lists. But, I know now where to find that information, in case I will need it. In conclusion, it is my opinion that the book is a good introduction to Android for the novice, and it is well written. I certainly also admire the author, as I also do admire the authors of other books on system development, and on any other subjects as well, for that matter, for all work that must have been carried out to gather the knowledge to assemble an appreciable amount of useful information. Of particular interest to me were the following parts: Part 1 - Core ConceptsAn interesting introduction to Android development, to obtain a general view. Part 2 - ActivitiesHere I read most carefully Chapter 4 to 7, relating to general application development, and Chapter 13, relating to the WebKit Browser. Part 3 - Data Stores, Network Services, and APIsAll Chapters here were highly interesting to me, covering: Working with Resources, Managing and Accessing Local Databases, Leveraging Java Libraries, and Communicating via the Internet. Part 4 - IntentsChapter 25, about Launching Activities and Sub-Activities attracted me here. Part 5 - Content Providers and ServicesMost interesting here where Chapter 29: Requesting and Requiring Permissions, Chapter 30: Creating a Service, and Chapter 32: Alerting Users via Notifications Part 6 - Other Android CapabilitiesHere, I liked to read, in particular, Chapters 33-37, relating to: Accessing Location-Based Services, Mapping with MapView and MapActivity, Handling Telephone Calls, Searching with SearchManager, and finally, Development Tools.
Täby, 2010-02-14 Runo Barrdahl, Chem. Eng., Lic. Techn.
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