Book picks similar to
Usable Usability: Simple Steps for Making Stuff Better by Eric L. Reiss
ux
design
ux-design
non-fiction
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made
Jason Schreier - 2017
In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous.Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart. Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.
Learning GraphQL: Declarative Data Fetching for Modern Web Apps
Eve Porcello - 2018
With this practical guide, Alex Banks and Eve Porcello deliver a clear learning path for frontend web developers, backend engineers, and project and product managers looking to get started with GraphQL.You'll explore graph theory, the graph data structure, and GraphQL types before learning hands-on how to build a schema for a photo-sharing application. This book also introduces you to Apollo Client, a popular framework you can use to connect GraphQL to your user interface.Explore graph theory and review popular graph examples in use todayLearn how GraphQL applies database querying methods to the internetCreate a schema for a PhotoShare application that serves as a roadmap and a contract between the frontend and backend teamsUse JavaScript to build a fully functioning GraphQL service and Apollo to implement a clientLearn how to prepare GraphQL APIs and clients for production
Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach
Mark Richards - 2020
Until now. This practical guide provides the first comprehensive overview of software architecture's many aspects. You'll examine architectural characteristics, architectural patterns, component determination, diagramming and presenting architecture, evolutionary architecture, and many other topics.Authors Neal Ford and Mark Richards help you learn through examples in a variety of popular programming languages, such as Java, C#, JavaScript, and others. You'll focus on architecture principles with examples that apply across all technology stacks.
The Elements of Typographic Style
Robert Bringhurst - 1992
Combining practical, theoretical, and historical, this book is a must for graphic artists, editors, or anyone working with the printed page using digital or traditional methods.Having established itself as a standard in its field The Elements of Typographic Style is house manual at most American university presses, a standard university text, and a reference work in studios of designers around the world. It has been translated into italian and greek, and dutch.
Head First PMP
Jennifer Greene.PMP & Andrew Stellman, PMP - 2007
The second edition of this book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam using a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. You'll find a full-length sample exam included inside the book. More than just proof of passing a test, a PMP certification means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems. But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. Drawing on the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First PMP offers you a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. This book will help you:Learn PMP's underlying concepts to help you understand the PMBOK principles and pass the certification exam with flying colorsGet 100% coverage of the latest principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition, including two new processes: Collect Requirements and Identify StakeholdersMake use of a thorough and effective preparation guide with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategiesExplore the material through puzzles, games, problems, and exercises that make learning easy and entertainingHead First PMP puts project management principles into context to help you understand, remember, and apply them -- not just on the exam, but also on the job.
CSS: The Missing Manual
David Sawyer McFarland - 2006
You can tap into the real power of this tool with CSS: The Missing Manual. This second edition combines crystal-clear explanations, real-world examples, and dozens of step-by-step tutorials to show you how to design sites with CSS that work consistently across browsers. Witty and entertaining, this second edition gives you up-to-the-minute pro techniques. You'll learn how to: - Create HTML that's simpler, uses less code, is search-engine friendly, and works well with CSS- Style text by changing fonts, colors, font sizes, and adding borders- Turn simple HTML links into complex and attractive navigation bars -- complete with rollover effects- Create effective photo galleries and special effects, including drop shadows- Get up to speed on CSS 3 properties that work in the latest browser versions- Build complex layouts using CSS, including multi-column designs Style web pages for printing With CSS: The Missing Manual, Second Edition, you'll find all-new online tutorial pages, expanded CSS 3 coverage, and broad support for Firebox, Safari, and other major web browsers, including Internet Explorer 8. Learn how to use CSS effectively to build new websites, or refurbish old sites that are due for an upgrade.
A Software Engineer Learns HTML5, JavaScript and jQuery
Dane Cameron - 2013
Due to their monopoly position in web browsers, and the fact web browsers have spread from PCs to phones, tablets and TVs; their status will continue to grow and grow. Despite their success, many software engineers are apprehensive about JavaScript and HTML. This apprehensiveness is not completely unfounded; both JavaScript and HTML were rushed in their early years, and driven by commercial rather than engineering interests. As a result, many dubious features crept into these languages. Due to backwards compatibility concerns, most of these features still remain. In addition, many software engineers have used these languages without ever learning them. JavaScript and HTML have low barriers to entry, and this, along with their similarity to other languages, led many software engineers to conclude that there really was nothing much to learn. If you have not used JavaScript and HTML for a number of years, or if you are a programmer or software engineer using other languages, you may be surprised at what they now offer. Browser based web applications are now capable of matching or exceeding the sophistication and scale of traditional desktop applications. In order to create complex web applications however, it is essential to learn these languages. This book takes the point of view that once you have a strong grasp of the fundamentals, the details will take care of themselves. It will not present you with long lists of APIs, or intricate details of every attribute, these can be found in reference manuals. It will focus on the details of each language that are fundamental to understanding how they work. This book will guide you through the process of developing a web application using HTML5, Javascript, jQuery and CSS. It contains the following content: 1. An introduction to the HTML5 markup language, and how it differs from HTML4 and XHTML. 2. An introduction to JavaScript, including an in-depth look at its use of objects and functions, along with the design patterns that support the development of robust web applications. 3. An introduction to jQuery selection, traversal, manipulation and events. 4. An in-depth look at the Web storage and IndexedDB APIs for client side data storage. 5. A guide to implementing offline web applications with the Application Cache API. 6. An introduction to the ways JavaScript can interact with the users file-system using the FileReader API. 7. The use of Web Workers in a web application to execute algorithms on background threads. 8. An introduction to AJAX, and the jQuery API supporting AJAX. 9. An introduction to Server Sent Events and Web Sockets. All subjects are introduced in the context of a sample web application. This book is intended for anyone with at least a superficial knowledge of HTML and programming.
Head First Android Development
Jonathan Simon - 2011
Where to begin? Head First Android Development will help you get your first application up and running in no time with the Android SDK and Eclipse plug-in. You'll learn how to design for devices with a variety of different screen sizes and resolutions, along with mastering core programming and design principles that will make your app stand out.Whether you're a seasoned iPhone developer who wants to jump into the the Android Market, or someone with previous programming skills but no mobile apps in your resume, this book offers a complete learning experience for creating eye-catching, top-selling Android applications.You'll learn how to:Install the Android SDK and Eclipse plug-in and get started building appsAdd buttons, edit text fields, and build your own navigation options in the Android menuCustomize the look of your app with theming and adding image resourcesUse Android's content provider mechanism to add images and contact information to an app, and establish permissions for their useWork with the Android devices' camera, GPS, and accelerometerExperiment with different Android emulator configurations to simulate different devices with a variety of screen sizesOptimize, test, and distribute your application in the Android MarketWe think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts. Using the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory to craft a multi-sensory learning experience, Head First Android Development uses a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.
Hacking the Xbox: An Introduction to Reverse Engineering
Andrew Huang - 2003
The book progresses into a discussion of the Xbox security mechanisms and other advanced hacking topics, with an emphasis on educating the readers on the important subjects of computer security and reverse engineering. Hacking the Xbox includes numerous practical guides, such as where to get hacking gear, soldering techniques, debugging tips and an Xbox hardware reference guide.Hacking the Xbox also confronts the social and political issues facing today's hacker by looking forward and discussing the impact of today's legal challenges on legitimate reverse engineering activities. The book includes a chapter written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) about the rights and responsibilities of hackers, and concludes by discussing the latest trends and vulnerabilities in secure PC platforms.
Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change (The XP Series)
Kent Beck - 1999
If you are seriously interested in understanding how you and your team can start down the path of improvement with XP, you must read this book."-- Francesco Cirillo, Chief Executive Officer, XPLabs S.R.L. "The first edition of this book told us what XP was--it changed the way many of us think about software development. This second edition takes it farther and gives us a lot more of the 'why' of XP, the motivations and the principles behind the practices. This is great stuff. Armed with the 'what' and the 'why, ' we can now all set out to confidently work on the 'how' how to run our projects better, and how to get agile techniques adopted in our organizations."-- Dave Thomas, The Pragmatic Programmers LLC "This book is dynamite! It was revolutionary when it first appeared a few years ago, and this new edition is equally profound. For those who insist on cookbook checklists, there's an excellent chapter on 'primary practices, ' but I urge you to begin by truly contemplating the meaning of the opening sentence in the first chapter of Kent Beck's book: 'XP is about social change.' You should do whatever it takes to ensure that every IT professional and every IT manager--all the way up to the CIO--has a copy of Extreme Programming Explained on his or her desk."-- Ed Yourdon, author and consultant "XP is a powerful set of concepts for simplifying the process of software design, development, and testing. It is about minimalism and incrementalism, which are especially useful principles when tackling complex problems that require a balance of creativity and discipline."-- Michael A. Cusumano, Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of The Business of Software " Extreme Programming Explained is the work of a talented and passionate craftsman. Kent Beck has brought together a compelling collection of ideas about programming and management that deserves your full attention. My only beef is that our profession has gotten to a point where such common-sense ideas are labeled 'extreme.'..."-- Lou Mazzucchelli, Fellow, Cutter Business Technology Council "If your organization is ready for a change in the way it develops software, there's the slow incremental approach, fixing things one by one, or the fast track, jumping feet first into Extreme Programming. Do not be frightened by the name, it is not that extreme at all. It is mostly good old recipes and common sense, nicely integrated together, getting rid of all the fat that has accumulated over the years."-- Philippe Kruchten, UBC, Vancouver, British Columbia "Sometimes revolutionaries get left behind as the movement they started takes on a life of its own. In this book, Kent Beck shows that he remains ahead of the curve, leading XP to its next level. Incorporating five years of feedback, this book takes a fresh look at what it takes to develop better software in less time and for less money. There are no silver bullets here, just a set of practical principles that, when used wisely, can lead to dramatic improvements in software development productivity."-- Mary Poppendieck, author of Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit "Kent Beck has revised his classic book based on five more years of applying and teaching XP. He shows how the path to XP is both
Frontend Architecture for Design Systems: A Modern Blueprint for Scalable and Sustainable Websites
Micah Godbolt - 2015
This practical book takes experienced web developers through the new discipline of frontend architecture, including the latest tools, standards, and best practices that have elevated frontend web development to an entirely new level.Using real-world examples, case studies, and practical tips and tricks throughout, author Micah Godbolt introduces you to the four pillars of frontend architecture. He also provides compelling arguments for developers who want to embrace the mantle of frontend architect and fight to make it a first-class citizen in their next project.The four pillars include:Code: how to approach the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript of a design systemProcess: tools and processes for creating an efficient and error-proof workflowTesting: creating a stable foundation on which to build your siteDocumentation: tools for writing documentation while the work is in progress
Java Cookbook
Ian F. Darwin - 2001
Whether you're new to Java programming and need something to bridge the gap between theory-laden reference manuals and real-world programs or you're a seasoned Java programmer looking for a new perspective or a different problem-solving context, this book will help you make the most of your Java knowledge.
Packed with hundreds of tried-and-true Java recipes covering all of the major APIs from the 1.4 version of Java, this book also offers significant first-look recipes for the most important features of the new 1.5 version, which is in beta release. You get practical solutions to everyday problems, and each is followed by a detailed, ultimately useful explanation of how and why the technology works.
Java Cookbook, 2nd Edition includes code segments covering many specialized APIs--like those for working with Struts, Ant and other new popular Open Source tools. It also includes expanded Mac OS X Panther coverage and serves as a great launching point for Java developers who want to get started in areas outside of their specialization.
In this major revision, you'll find succinct pieces of code that can be easily incorporated into other programs. Focusing on what's useful or tricky--or what's useful and tricky--Java Cookbook, 2nd Edition is the most practical Java programming book on the market.
Cloud Native Infrastructure: Patterns for Scalable Infrastructure and Applications in a Dynamic Environment
Justin Garrison - 2017
This practical guide shows you how to design and maintain infrastructure capable of managing the full lifecycle of these implementations.Engineers Justin Garrison (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and Kris Nova (Dies, Inc.) reveal hard-earned lessons on architecting infrastructure for massive scale and best in class monitoring, alerting, and troubleshooting. The authors focus on Cloud Native Computing Foundation projects and explain where each is crucial to managing modern applications.Understand the fundamentals of cloud native application design, and how it differs from traditional application designLearn how cloud native infrastructure is different from traditional infrastructureManage application lifecycles running on cloud native infrastructure, using Kubernetes for application deployment, scaling, and upgradesMonitor cloud native infrastructure and applications, using fluentd for logging and prometheus + graphana for visualizing dataDebug running applications and learn how to trace a distributed application and dig deep into a running system with OpenTracing
TCP/IP Network Administration
Craig Hunt - 1992
The book starts with the fundamentals -- what protocols do and how they work, how addresses and routing are used to move data through the network, how to set up your network connection -- and then covers, in detail, everything you need to know to exchange information via the Internet.Included are discussions on advanced routing protocols (RIPv2, OSPF, and BGP) and the gated software package that implements them, a tutorial on configuring important network services -- including DNS, Apache, sendmail, Samba, PPP, and DHCP -- as well as expanded chapters on troubleshooting and security. TCP/IP Network Administration is also a command and syntax reference for important packages such as gated, pppd, named, dhcpd, and sendmail.With coverage that includes Linux, Solaris, BSD, and System V TCP/IP implementations, the third edition contains:Overview of TCP/IP Delivering the data Network services Getting startedM Basic configuration Configuring the interface Configuring routing Configuring DNS Configuring network servers Configuring sendmail Configuring Apache Network security Troubleshooting Appendices include dip, ppd, and chat reference, a gated reference, a dhcpd reference, and a sendmail reference This new edition includes ways of configuring Samba to provide file and print sharing on networks that integrate Unix and Windows, and a new chapter is dedicated to the important task of configuring the Apache web server. Coverage of network security now includes details on OpenSSH, stunnel, gpg, iptables, and the access control mechanism in xinetd. Plus, the book offers updated information about DNS, including details on BIND 8 and BIND 9, the role of classless IP addressing and network prefixes, and the changing role of registrars.Without a doubt, TCP/IP Network Administration, 3rd Edition is a must-have for all network administrators and anyone who deals with a network that transmits data over the Internet.
High Performance Spark: Best Practices for Scaling and Optimizing Apache Spark
Holden Karau - 2017
But if you haven't seen the performance improvements you expected, or still don't feel confident enough to use Spark in production, this practical book is for you. Authors Holden Karau and Rachel Warren demonstrate performance optimizations to help your Spark queries run faster and handle larger data sizes, while using fewer resources.Ideal for software engineers, data engineers, developers, and system administrators working with large-scale data applications, this book describes techniques that can reduce data infrastructure costs and developer hours. Not only will you gain a more comprehensive understanding of Spark, you'll also learn how to make it sing.With this book, you'll explore:How Spark SQL's new interfaces improve performance over SQL's RDD data structureThe choice between data joins in Core Spark and Spark SQLTechniques for getting the most out of standard RDD transformationsHow to work around performance issues in Spark's key/value pair paradigmWriting high-performance Spark code without Scala or the JVMHow to test for functionality and performance when applying suggested improvementsUsing Spark MLlib and Spark ML machine learning librariesSpark's Streaming components and external community packages