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Summary: This book should be required reading.
Review: At first glance, you would never guess what pleasures lurk inside Database Backed Web Sites. Being a fairly non-technical type, I would have never picked up this book by looking at the pleasantly geeky cover and title. But after reading this book all the way through, I realized that it didn't matter that I will probably never need a database backed web site. Greenspun's book taught me that photographs on a web site *can* look better than they do in print--and that they don't have to take forever to download. He also taught me that simplicity works best when constructing a web site. Thanks god there's someone out there who doesn't believe viewers should have to slog through those insufferably cryptic "entry" and "exit" tunnels! And when was the last time you read a computer book that actually made you snicker with glee? What a wonderful book.
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Summary: <chuckle>
Review: Greenspun paints the whole of website creation with a writing style that allows the whole book to be an enjoyable cover to cover learning experience. I highly recommend this book to *anyone* wanting to understand what it takes to do modern websites the professional way. Unlike many computer books, this one has some lasting power beyond the mere technologies discussed. Two problems with the book are that it doesn't admit that Microsoft has a nice webserver scripting story, ASP, and that it doesn't boost the fine use of Java on the server side.
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Summary: Worth reading regardless
Review: My copy is dog-eared. You can get the book online; I still prefer dead trees in hand. You can read the table of contents and get a feel for the book. But what is best is Greenspun's attitude. I think his best comment is that the hard part is the design and the easy part is to "Write a couple of programs that parse the HTML forms and turn them into actual database transactions". (pg 172) And then he provides examples of doing just this. But as I said, Greenspun has an attitude that is very refreshing.
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Summary: Find this book and BUY it!
Review: Philip Greenspun is a rare find: a techie who knows how to communicate. He doesn't even limit himself to one media! While other books may take a schlolarly approach to building websites, Greenspun's story is told by someone who's rolled up his sleeves. As the reader, you get to view web-database design through Greenspun's eye for detail. All tech books should be this good.
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Summary: Excellent tech reference to database based web servers.
Review: There is seemingly an endless supply of books about 'The Web', so it's hard to get excited about any one in particular. Philip Greenspun's "Database Backed Web Sites: the thinking person's guide to web publishing", on the other hand, is very good. As opposed to being a compendium of HTML tags and pre-made home pages "so you can be online tonight!", the book's aim is to make the reader aware that there's more to the web than cute Java scripts and silly animated GIFs. The main idea is that a static web site resembles a coffee table book with pretty pictures: you look at it once or twice, then it's just taking space. Greenspun explains how to create web sites with databases behind them to manage the content, provide interactive discussion forums where the users provide a lot of the content, and help analyze the server logs to see what your users are doing while visiting your web site. Instead of the step-by-step approach, teaching is done by case studies, which I consider a preferrable approach, since it makes the reader think and forces understanding before something can be produced. There's plenty of light humor throughout the book, without getting too silly or distracting from the main purpose. And the book doesn't come with a CD. This is actually a good thing, since the author makes what would be on the CD available on the Internet via FTP servers. This has the advantage that the material can be updated over time. The book includes a light discussion of Internet connectivity options, as well as a somewhat detailed description of the web server software and operating systems in use. While not complete (VMS, for example, is not mentioned), it's impossible to be current while publishing a book. Even a monthly magazine is out of date before it hits the stand. In sum, definitely recommended reading.
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Summary: Short, concise, honest, like an O'Reilly book...
Review: This book begins with a big-picture view of how to go about setting up shop on the world wide web. It really covers everything, from the basic questions of "should I do it myself?" to "what OS/DB/Machine should I choose?" This is a must read for any serious techie (or seriously brave non-techie) about to begin a serious web development job. Ultimately, it comes out saying that: For any serious development, you must get a database-backed site. And it offers a good picture of the landscape of how to go about choosing between all the alternatives in this area. Finally, although it is very big-picture, there is enough code here to last a lifetime. All of this is done in a very tongue-and-cheek, self-deprecating way. An enjoyable read. Get this one.
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Summary: Find this book and BUY it!
Review: This book focuses on the goals of Web site design rather than the nuts and bolts. Although the book contains specific code fragments, it is not a coding book. Rather it is a chronicle of Greenspun's experiences in setting up more than 50 Web sites over the years. This chronicle contains many hard-won lessons that will help prevent the reader from making similar mistakes. Greenspun has an easy-to-read writing style and a wry sense of humor. (The book has no CD ROM attached to the inside back cover but a picture of a CD ROM with the international "No" symbol overprinted. All code an more is available from Greenspun's Web sites, as you would expect from a book about Web sites.) He also emphasizes esthetic choices and subscribes to a minimalist visual style, in the book and for Web sites, that enhance reading and make downloads as fast as possible.
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Summary: The only Web book worth buying
Review: Whenever I go into a bookstore and see the tremendous proliferation of books and magazines about the Web, I wonder whether this is all just some subtly ironic jest by the publishing industry. Why do we need books about the Web, when the same information can be found for free *on* the Web? Is this a sign of the failure of electronic publishing, or the naivety of Internet newbies? All that being said, go buy Greenspun's book. Why? Because it's not a Web guide or an HTML/CGI/Java reference (incredibly stupid things to publish in print. where are the hypertext links? where's the searchable index?), it's a *book* (and a good book, cleverly written and fun to read). Because only bits of it are currently on the Web, and you really don't want to wait for the rest of it. Because it's worth paying for, like so much of the stuff that Greenspun gives away for free. Greenspun is a good writer, as anyone who has read his online writing knows. He also has a very sensible (Web site) design philosophy, which is refreshing given all the dreck out there. His book is worth reading just for his flames against bad Web sites, with section headings like:
- Envisioning a Site That Won't Be Featured In suck.com
- Java and Shockwave -- the | 
