Book picks similar to
Windows 7 For Dummies by Andy Rathbone


non-fiction
reference
for-dummies
computers

High Performance Browser Networking


Ilya Grigorik - 2013
    By understanding what the browser can and cannot do, you’ll be able to make better design decisions and deliver faster web applications to your users.Author Ilya Grigorik—a developer advocate and web performance engineer at Google—starts with the building blocks of TCP and UDP, and then dives into newer technologies such as HTTP 2.0, WebSockets, and WebRTC. This book explains the benefits of these technologies and helps you determine which ones to use for your next application.- Learn how TCP affects the performance of HTTP- Understand why mobile networks are slower than wired networks- Use best practices to address performance bottlenecks in HTTP- Discover how HTTP 2.0 (based on SPDY) will improve networking- Learn how to use Server Sent Events (SSE) for push updates, and WebSockets for XMPP chat- Explore WebRTC for browser-to-browser applications such as P2P video chat- Examine the architecture of a simple app that uses HTTP 2.0, SSE, WebSockets, and WebRTC

Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think


Viktor Mayer-Schönberger - 2013
    “Big data” refers to our burgeoning ability to crunch vast collections of information, analyze it instantly, and draw sometimes profoundly surprising conclusions from it. This emerging science can translate myriad phenomena—from the price of airline tickets to the text of millions of books—into searchable form, and uses our increasing computing power to unearth epiphanies that we never could have seen before. A revolution on par with the Internet or perhaps even the printing press, big data will change the way we think about business, health, politics, education, and innovation in the years to come. It also poses fresh threats, from the inevitable end of privacy as we know it to the prospect of being penalized for things we haven’t even done yet, based on big data’s ability to predict our future behavior.In this brilliantly clear, often surprising work, two leading experts explain what big data is, how it will change our lives, and what we can do to protect ourselves from its hazards. Big Data is the first big book about the next big thing.www.big-data-book.com

Pragmatic Version Control Using Git


Travis Swicegood - 2008
    High-profile projects such as the Linux Kernel, Mozilla, Gnome, and Ruby on Rails are now using Distributed Version Control Systems (DVCS) instead of the old stand-bys of CVS or Subversion.Git is a modern, fast, DVCS. But understanding how it fits into your development can be a daunting task without an introduction to the new concepts. Whether you're just starting out as a professional programmer or are an old hand, this book will get you started using Git in this new distributed world. Whether you're making the switch from a traditional centralized version control system or are a new programmer just getting started, this book prepares you to start using Git in your everyday programming.Pragmatic Version Control Using Git starts with an overview of version control systems, and shows how being distributed enables you to work more efficiently in our increasingly mobile society. It then progresses through the basics necessary to get started using Git.You'll get a thorough overview of how to take advantage of Git. By the time you finish this book you'll have a firm grounding in how to use Git, both by yourself and as part of a team.Learn how to use how to use Git to protect all the pieces of your project Work collaboratively in a distributed environment Learn how to use Git's cheap branches to streamline your development Install and administer a Git server to share your repository

Managing the Testing Process: Practical Tools and Techniques for Managing Hardware and Software Testing


Rex Black - 1999
    The preeminent expert in his field, Mr.Black draws upon years of experience as president of both theInternational and American Software Testing Qualifications boardsto offer this extensive resource of all the standards, methods, andtools you'll need.The book covers core testing concepts and thoroughly examinesthe best test management practices and tools of leading hardwareand software vendors. Step-by-step guidelines and real-worldscenarios help you follow all necessary processes and avoidmistakes.Producing high-quality computer hardware and software requirescareful, professional testing; Managing the Testing Process, Third Edition explains how to achieve that by following adisciplined set of carefully managed and monitored practices andprocessesThe book covers all standards, methods, and tools you need forprojects large and smallPresents the business case for testing products and reviews theauthor's latest test assessmentsTopics include agile testing methods, risk-based testing, IEEEstandards, ISTQB certification, distributed and outsourced testing, and moreOver 100 pages of new material and case studies have been addedto this new editionIf you're responsible for managing testing in the real world, Managing the Testing Process, Third Edition is the valuablereference and guide you need.

The Timeless Way of Building


Christopher W. Alexander - 1978
    It is thousands of years old, and the same today as it has always been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way. It is not possible to make great buildings, or great towns, beautiful places, places where you feel yourself, places where you feel alive, except by following this way. And, as you will see, this way will lead anyone who looks for it to buildings which are themselves as ancient in their form as the trees and hills, and as our faces are.”The Timeless Way of Building is the introductory volume to Alexander’s other works, A Pattern Language and The Oregon Experiment, in the Center for Environmental Structure series.

Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns


Kent Beck - 1996
    This author presents a set of patterns that organize all the informal experience successful Smalltalk programmers have learned the hard way. When programmers understand these patterns, they can write much more effective code. The concept of Smalltalk patterns is introduced, and the book explains why they work. Next, the book introduces proven patterns for working with methods, messages, state, collections, classes and formatting. Finally, the book walks through a development example utilizing patterns. For programmers, project managers, teachers and students -- both new and experienced. This book presents a set of patterns that organize all the informal experience of successful Smalltalk programmers. This book will help you understand these patterns, and empower you to write more effective code.

JavaScript: The Good Parts


Douglas Crockford - 2008
    This authoritative book scrapes away these bad features to reveal a subset of JavaScript that's more reliable, readable, and maintainable than the language as a whole--a subset you can use to create truly extensible and efficient code.Considered the JavaScript expert by many people in the development community, author Douglas Crockford identifies the abundance of good ideas that make JavaScript an outstanding object-oriented programming language-ideas such as functions, loose typing, dynamic objects, and an expressive object literal notation. Unfortunately, these good ideas are mixed in with bad and downright awful ideas, like a programming model based on global variables.When Java applets failed, JavaScript became the language of the Web by default, making its popularity almost completely independent of its qualities as a programming language. In JavaScript: The Good Parts, Crockford finally digs through the steaming pile of good intentions and blunders to give you a detailed look at all the genuinely elegant parts of JavaScript, including:SyntaxObjectsFunctionsInheritanceArraysRegular expressionsMethodsStyleBeautiful featuresThe real beauty? As you move ahead with the subset of JavaScript that this book presents, you'll also sidestep the need to unlearn all the bad parts. Of course, if you want to find out more about the bad parts and how to use them badly, simply consult any other JavaScript book.With JavaScript: The Good Parts, you'll discover a beautiful, elegant, lightweight and highly expressive language that lets you create effective code, whether you're managing object libraries or just trying to get Ajax to run fast. If you develop sites or applications for the Web, this book is an absolute must.

Algorithms


Robert Sedgewick - 1983
    This book surveys the most important computer algorithms currently in use and provides a full treatment of data structures and algorithms for sorting, searching, graph processing, and string processing -- including fifty algorithms every programmer should know. In this edition, new Java implementations are written in an accessible modular programming style, where all of the code is exposed to the reader and ready to use.The algorithms in this book represent a body of knowledge developed over the last 50 years that has become indispensable, not just for professional programmers and computer science students but for any student with interests in science, mathematics, and engineering, not to mention students who use computation in the liberal arts.The companion web site, algs4.cs.princeton.edu contains An online synopsis Full Java implementations Test data Exercises and answers Dynamic visualizations Lecture slides Programming assignments with checklists Links to related material The MOOC related to this book is accessible via the "Online Course" link at algs4.cs.princeton.edu. The course offers more than 100 video lecture segments that are integrated with the text, extensive online assessments, and the large-scale discussion forums that have proven so valuable. Offered each fall and spring, this course regularly attracts tens of thousands of registrants.Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne are developing a modern approach to disseminating knowledge that fully embraces technology, enabling people all around the world to discover new ways of learning and teaching. By integrating their textbook, online content, and MOOC, all at the state of the art, they have built a unique resource that greatly expands the breadth and depth of the educational experience.

Pro Git


Scott Chacon - 2009
    It took the open source world by storm since its inception in 2005, and is used by small development shops and giants like Google, Red Hat, and IBM, and of course many open source projects.A book by Git experts to turn you into a Git expert. Introduces the world of distributed version control Shows how to build a Git development workflow.

APIs: A Strategy Guide


Daniel Jacobson - 2011
    Salesforce.com (more than 50%) and Twitter (more than 75% fall into this category. Ebay gets more than 8 billion API calls a month. Facebook and Google, have dozens of APIs that enable both free services and e-commerce, get more than 5 billion API calls each day. Other companies like NetFlix have expanded their service of streaming movies over the the web to dozens of devices using API. At peak times, more than 20 percent of all traffic is accounted for by Netflix through its APIs. Companies like Sears and E-Trade are opening up their catalogs and other services to allow developers and entrepreneurs to create new marketing experiences. Making an API work to create a new channel is not just a matter of technology. An API must be considered in terms of business strategy, marketing, and operations as well as the technical aspects of programming. This book, written by Greg Brail, CTO of Apigee, and Brian Mulloy, VP of Products, captures the knowledge of all these areas gained by Apigee, the leading company in supporting the rollout of high traffic APIs.

CompTIA A+ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Exams 220-701 & 220-702


Mike Meyers - 2010
    Written by the leading authority on CompTIA A+ certification and training, this expert guide covers CompTIA A+ exams 220-701 and 220-702. You'll find learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter, exam tips, practice exam questions, in-depth explanations, and more than 1,000 photographs and illustrations. Designed to help you pass the CompTIA A+ exams with ease, this definitive volume also serves as an essential on-the-job IT reference. Covers all exam objectives, including how to: Work with CPUs, RAM, motherboards, power supplies, and other PC components Install, partition, and format hard drives Install, upgrade, and troubleshoot WIndows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista Troubleshoot PCs and implement security measures Install video and multimedia cards Work with portable PCs, PDAs, smartphones, and wireless technologies Manage printers and connect to networks and the Internet Understand safety and environmental issues Establish good communication skills and adhere to privacy policiesThe CD-ROM features: Practice exams for 701 & 702 600+ chapter review questions New video introduction to CompTIA A+ One-hour video training segment Mike's favorite PC tools and utilities Searchable e-bookMike Meyers, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, MCP, is the industry's leading authority on CompTIA A+ certification and training. He is the president and founder of Total Seminars, LLC, a major provider of PC and network repair seminars for thousands of organizations throughout the world, and a member of CompTIA.

The Game Maker's Apprentice: Game Development for Beginners


Jacob Habgood - 2006
    This book covers a range of genres, including action, adventure, and puzzle games complete with professional quality sound effects and visuals. It discusses game design theory and features practical examples of how this can be applied to making games that are more fun to play. Game Maker allows games to be created using a simple drag-and-drop interface, so you don't need to have any prior coding experience. It includes an optional programming language for adding advanced features to your games, when you feel ready to do so. You can obtain more information by visiting book.gamemaker.nl. The authors include the creator of the Game Maker tool and a former professional game programmer, so you'll glean understanding from their expertise. The book also includes a DVD containing Game Maker software and all of the game projects that are created in the book—plus a host of professional-quality graphics and sound effects that you can use in your own games.

Seven Databases in Seven Weeks: A Guide to Modern Databases and the NoSQL Movement


Eric Redmond - 2012
    As a modern application developer you need to understand the emerging field of data management, both RDBMS and NoSQL. Seven Databases in Seven Weeks takes you on a tour of some of the hottest open source databases today. In the tradition of Bruce A. Tate's Seven Languages in Seven Weeks, this book goes beyond your basic tutorial to explore the essential concepts at the core each technology. Redis, Neo4J, CouchDB, MongoDB, HBase, Riak and Postgres. With each database, you'll tackle a real-world data problem that highlights the concepts and features that make it shine. You'll explore the five data models employed by these databases-relational, key/value, columnar, document and graph-and which kinds of problems are best suited to each. You'll learn how MongoDB and CouchDB are strikingly different, and discover the Dynamo heritage at the heart of Riak. Make your applications faster with Redis and more connected with Neo4J. Use MapReduce to solve Big Data problems. Build clusters of servers using scalable services like Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). Discover the CAP theorem and its implications for your distributed data. Understand the tradeoffs between consistency and availability, and when you can use them to your advantage. Use multiple databases in concert to create a platform that's more than the sum of its parts, or find one that meets all your needs at once.Seven Databases in Seven Weeks will take you on a deep dive into each of the databases, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to choose the ones that fit your needs.What You Need: To get the most of of this book you'll have to follow along, and that means you'll need a *nix shell (Mac OSX or Linux preferred, Windows users will need Cygwin), and Java 6 (or greater) and Ruby 1.8.7 (or greater). Each chapter will list the downloads required for that database.

Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking


Christopher Hadnagy - 2010
    Mitnick claims that this socialengineering tactic was the single-most effective method in hisarsenal. This indispensable book examines a variety of maneuversthat are aimed at deceiving unsuspecting victims, while it alsoaddresses ways to prevent social engineering threats.Examines social engineering, the science of influencing atarget to perform a desired task or divulge informationArms you with invaluable information about the many methods oftrickery that hackers use in order to gather information with theintent of executing identity theft, fraud, or gaining computersystem accessReveals vital steps for preventing social engineeringthreatsSocial Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking does itspart to prepare you against nefarious hackers--now you can doyour part by putting to good use the critical information withinits pages.

The Art of Readable Code


Dustin Boswell - 2010
    Over the past five years, authors Dustin Boswell and Trevor Foucher have analyzed hundreds of examples of "bad code" (much of it their own) to determine why they’re bad and how they could be improved. Their conclusion? You need to write code that minimizes the time it would take someone else to understand it—even if that someone else is you.This book focuses on basic principles and practical techniques you can apply every time you write code. Using easy-to-digest code examples from different languages, each chapter dives into a different aspect of coding, and demonstrates how you can make your code easy to understand.Simplify naming, commenting, and formatting with tips that apply to every line of codeRefine your program’s loops, logic, and variables to reduce complexity and confusionAttack problems at the function level, such as reorganizing blocks of code to do one task at a timeWrite effective test code that is thorough and concise—as well as readable"Being aware of how the code you create affects those who look at it later is an important part of developing software. The authors did a great job in taking you through the different aspects of this challenge, explaining the details with instructive examples." —Michael Hunger, passionate Software Developer