Rating: 
Summary: Hands on guide for new Dynamic Application Developer
Review: 'To know how to do something is to enjoy it", this was said by the Nobel laureate Pearl Buck. This line I found in the introduction pages of the book before going through the book. This really impressed me as I also have same thoughts about learning, hence moved ahead and enjoyed reading through these pages. The author has written the book in a very interactive way and the best thing is that he is himself a developer, hence has hands on experience of developing the Applications and also is aware of the pitfalls one falls into. So at every point he even advises about such problems. The book is truly a very easy learning path for the beginners. If you have thorough knowledge of Dreamweaver and have worked on earlier version i.e. Dreamweaver MX and are new to Databases, then this is a perfect book. All new and complicated topics related to Dynamic Applications, Database management etc has been taken in a very systematic and easy to understand way. The topics are explained in point form step by step and then the related exercise is given, so that the reader does them and keep learning about them. The book has everything that a beginner would need for developing Dynamic Application, starting from choosing the right tool, to understanding the backend processes involved in the Database-Driven Applications etc. The book also helps you in planning your Application development and explains the Security issue your application would need. All the major technical issues like Building Database for Dynamic Applications and Web Applications, has been very well explained and in a very interactive way. You can begin the actual hands-on process of using Dreamweaver MX 2004, Access, and ASP.NET to build an intranet and, later, SQL Server and ColdFusion to build an organizational Web site. Author has also included all of the code and other information necessary to build the book's demo applications. Conclusively I strongly think this book is a great starting point for web developers who may have been a bit hesitant to move into dynamic database-driven sites. Written for at least moderately experienced developers, the book doesn't waste time with too much 'catch up' information and definitions. This book is going to be an excellent resource that I envision being referenced again and again. Categorically I find the last chapter, which will help you in building your online catalog so that you are engaged in E Commerce. All difficult topics are explained in an easy way.
Rating: 
Summary: Do yourself a favour - Skip this one!
Review: Absolutely deplorable... this book will waste your time, money and brainpower. I am currently only about half way through the book and I have decided to abandon it entirely out of frustration. Not only will you find extremely poor writing, you will be lead through examples that are inconsistent, difficult to understand and ultimately disfunctional. In other words, the examples will fail, and leave you blinking at your screen wondering why. If you have Dreamweaver experience, you will more than likely be able to go back through some of the failed exercises and do some troubleshooting of your own to make the applications work. If you are coming at this topic with little experience (which is what the book advertises to be targeted for) then expect a very bumpy ride. This author offers no examples of troubleshooting your code, and uses verbage in his writting that seemingly is intended to confuse you and through you off. I haven't yet found a good reference for this topic because I am just now looking for another after throwing this book in the trash.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Review: Absolutely deplorable... this book will waste your time, money and brainpower. I am currently only about half way through the book and I have decided to abandon it entirely out of frustration. Not only will you find extremely poor writing, you will be lead through examples that are inconsistent, difficult to understand and ultimately disfunctional. In other words, the examples will fail, and leave you blinking at your screen wondering why. If you have Dreamweaver experience, you will more than likely be able to go back through some of the failed exercises and do some troubleshooting of your own to make the applications work. If you are coming at this topic with little experience (which is what the book advertises to be targeted for) then expect a very bumpy ride. This author offers no examples of troubleshooting your code, and uses verbage in his writting that seemingly is intended to confuse you and through you off. I haven't yet found a good reference for this topic because I am just now looking for another after throwing this book in the trash.
Rating: 
Summary: Room for Improvement
Review: Based on the language and presentation of this book, it is meant primarily as a step-by-step guide for technically astute beginners. I think it does a reasonable job of teaching someone how to develop a database-driven website using Dreamweaver and either ASP.NET or ColdFusion, but at the same time there is room for improvement. I think it could present some of the basic concepts more clearly, such as the explanation of static pages vs. dynamic pages and database design and it doesn't give a good overview of the project before it has you start building databases and pages. The examples it uses, however, are practical and easily translatable into real world situations. While the book isn't meant to teach good Web design, I think it might lead some people into a few bad habits. For example, the first tutorial creates a template and then creates new pages based on that template. That's a good thing. However, it then has the reader attach a style sheet to some of those pages while using font tag markup on others. It should have attached the style sheet to the template page and then used those styles throughout. Aside from typos, I was especially bothered by some technical inaccuracies I believe the book contains. Explanations of how a dynamic page is processed, when the World Wide Web became available to the "surfers of the world" (not 1989!), and some details about ColdFusion and PHP appear to be factually incorrect. New Riders usually puts out some wonderful books, so my expectations were pretty high for this one and I came away a bit disappointed. If you're an experienced Web developer, this book probably isn't for you. However, if you know how to create static Web sites and want to learn how to make them dynamic, you would probably do okay with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Right on target for starting dynamic development!
Review: For helping users of DreamweaverMX to start developing dynamic web sites, this book is right on target. It is a good read that eases you into the waters of developing database driven web sites. The way it is written is very easy to follow and understand, and its follow-along nature encourages a hands-on approach, which is really the best way to learn dynamic development. For any current Dreamweaver MX user wanting help getting their head around developing dynamic sites, I'd highly recommend this book. You can dive into the more language specific books later, but to get started, this is a very good choice!
Rating:
Summary: Right on target for starting dynamic development!
Review: For helping users of DreamweaverMX to start developing dynamic web sites, this book is right on target. It is a good read that eases you into the waters of developing database driven web sites. The way it is written is very easy to follow and understand, and its follow-along nature encourages a hands-on approach, which is really the best way to learn dynamic development. For any current Dreamweaver MX user wanting help getting their head around developing dynamic sites, I'd highly recommend this book. You can dive into the more language specific books later, but to get started, this is a very good choice!
Rating: 
Summary: Not very well proofread...
Review: I am a bit undecided about the book.... It does teach you some things, but at the same time you spend a lot of time trying to figure out whether your results are correct or not. Its like the author wrote some of the book with the idea of a certain exercise resulting in 2 web pages(search page, and then result page), and then later he just shortcuts and has you make 1 web page(search and result on same page). Then he never cleans up the chapter that was talking about there being 2 pages. So you end up completing the exercise and your results do not match up with the out of exercise explanations. So very confusing. Also, references are made that you can contact a internet website to gather snippets/examples, and this information on the website is VERY incomplete... I kinda understand that stuff is offered as a service, but if you are going to offer it, then follow up on the offer... Worst case of this was for a snippets page to cut and paste text into your web pages(some of these are a paragraph in size, not that huge a deal, but still could be considered needless typing). You go to the snippets page and are greeted with a "this is where the snippets will go" greeting.. It reminded me of when I was a kid and had to type in word for word a program from a magazine to see pretty lights and music.... This book does give some decent information, it just takes a good deal of time to figure out if you are doing things correctly... Once you figure out you are doing things correctly you can go back and figure out what is being taught and how it affects the page(s) you created....
Rating:
Summary: Took The Fear Out Of ASP.NET
Review: I am a Web developer working primarily in ColdFusion and am looking at developing some applications on the ASP.NET platform as well. I need a book that provided me with the fundamentals of .NET fast, and what I found in this book was perfect. The book shows how to build each piece of the larger application using both the ColdFusion and ASP.NET platforms. Because I already understand CF, I was able to leverage that knowledge to better undestand what is required in ASp.NET to accomplish the same task. And boy and I'm glad this book covers both platforms. For you CF developers expecting to make an easy transition to ASP.NET...it's a whole new world out there! Anyway, the pros of the book are that it is easy to read and the author writes in a helpful tone. The cons of the book are that each chapter leaves you having to complete the project using the skills you learned in the chapter. I guess it's necessary to keep the book from being something no one could carry, let alone read. The only other con is that it left out JSP and PHP, but most of the topics are portable to those platforms. The book was great and will stay on my bookshelf for future reference.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Hands-On Introduction to Creating Web Applications
Review: I found this book to be an excellent hands-on introduction to creating database-driven intranet/Web applications using Dreamweaver MX 2004, ASP.NET or ColdFusion, and Microsoft Access or SQL Server. Though intended primarily for beginning web-application developers, intermediate developers should find it a solid refresher ... and learn some new, useful tips/techniques along the way. Pros As we've come to expect from New Riders, this book is very nicely produced. It has a great feel and look to it: Not too hefty (432 pages), sits comfortably fully open on a desk (perfect for reading the hands-on procedures at your computer), nicely laid out with enough white space to please the eyes, loaded with useful sidebar tips, logically organized, well indexed. The writing is clear, concise, and trust-inspiring. The hands-on procedures are structured in incremental, easy-to-follow steps with plenty of screenshots to keep you on track. The author, Sean Nicholson, is a seasoned network administrator and developer with experience in front- and back-end Web-site creation and maintenance. His stated goal is to help the reader 'build the skills you need to ... make yourself more marketable.' And he succeeds admirably. By performing the hands-on procedures in the book, you will create two substantial applications from scratch that you can use as templates for your real-world projects: An intranet application using Access, ASP.NET or ColdFusion, and Dreamweaver MX 2004; and a Web application using SQL Server, ASP.NET or ColdFusion, and Dreamweaver MX 2004. Cons Just one: Although the book mentions other dynamic application platforms (ASP, PHP, JSP) and database management systems (MySQL, DB2, Oracle, PostgreSQL), it doesn't actually use any of them in its hands-on procedures. So, if you intend to steer clear of ASP.NET/ColdFusion and Access/SQL Server, this probably isn't the book for you. Rick Scott
Rating:
Summary: Building A Bridge Across The Great Divide
Review: If you've chosen Dreamweaver MX 2004 for developing your web sites but need to get across the "great divide" from static to dynamic sites, Sean Nicholson's book will guide you skillfully across in the shortest possible time and distance. To keep things in perspective, learning how to develop dynamic web sites involves application server (ColdFusion, ASP, etc.) and database technologies (Access, SQL Server, etc.) in addition to your present use of web server technologies (XHTML, CSS, etc.). Learning how to do so quickly while addressing real world issues like database security, application and server choices, and related concerns is no small undertaking. The journey, without the assistance of a skillful guide, can take months or years, mostly because most books on this topic are either too light or heavy on the topic. As an entrepreneur seeking the fastest and most skillful route across these technologies, I estimate this book will save me several months on the learning curve. Essentially, Sean guides you through increasingly complex exercises that demonstrate and point the way to how you can build your own dynamic sites using the same skills and knowledge. I give the book high praise for both its business savvy in providing an overview in Part I and the comprehensive, industrial strength exercises in Parts II/III. However, in order to spare you months on the learning curve and to keep you moving forward, the author has had to assume a certain level of skill on your part, including the ability to troubleshoot problems with your code. In the world of dynamic sites, even the smallest piece of wrong code can stop you in your tracks until you resolve the error. And while I have found the exercises to be comprehensive and virtually error free, keep in mind that to show every dialogue box or key stroke would require a volume 3x its present size. Ready for the adventure of crossing over to dynamic sites? Buy the book, roll up your sleeves, and start the journey!
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