Books about Programmers from Amazon.com

The Best Fully Integrated Study System Available--Written by the Lead Developers of Exam 310-065

With hundreds of practice questions and hands-on exercises, SCJP Sun Certified Programmer for Java 6 Study Guide covers what you need to know--and shows you how to prepare--for this challenging exam.

• 100% complete coverage of all official objectives for exam 310-065
• Exam Objective Highlights in every chapter point out certification objectives to ensure you're focused on passing the exam
• Exam Watch sections in every chapter highlight key exam topics covered
• Simulated exam questions match the format, tone, topics, and difficulty of the real exam

Covers all SCJP exam topics, including:

Declarations and Access Control · Object Orientation · Assignments · Operators · Flow Control, Exceptions, and Assertions · Strings, I/O, Formatting, and Parsing · Generics and Collections · Inner Classes · Threads · Development

CD-ROM includes:

• Complete MasterExam practice testing engine, featuring: Two full practice exams; Detailed answers with explanations; Score Report performance assessment tool
• Electronic book for studying on the go
• Bonus coverage of the SCJD exam included!

Bonus downloadable MasterExam practice test with free online registration.

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Price: $26.39 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Programming Interviews Exposed
2nd Edition

The pressure is on during the interview process but with the right preparation, you can walk away with your dream job. This classic book uncovers what interviews are really like at America's top software and computer companies and provides you with the tools to succeed in any situation. The authors take you step-by-step through new problems and complex brainteasers they were asked during recent technical interviews.

50 interview scenarios are presented along with in-depth analysis of the possible solutions. The problem-solving process is clearly illustrated so you'll be able to easily apply what you've learned during crunch time. You'll also find expert tips on what questions to ask, how to approach a problem, and how to recover if you become stuck. All of this will help you ace the interview and get the job you want.

What you will learn from this book

* Tips for effectively completing the job application
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Ways to prepare for the entire programming interview process
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How to find the kind of programming job that fits you best
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Strategies for choosing a solution and what your approach says about you
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How to improve your interviewing skills so that you can respond to any question or situation
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Techniques for solving knowledge-based problems, logic puzzles, and programming problems

Who this book is for

This book is for programmers and developers applying for jobs in the software industry or in IT departments of major corporations.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved..
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If I'm putting together a project, it's the authors of this book that I want. . . . And failing that I'd settle for people who've read their book." -- Ward Cunningham

Straight from the programming trenches, The Pragmatic Programmer cuts through the increasing specialization and technicalities of modern software development to examine the core process--taking a requirement and producing working, maintainable code that delights its users. It covers topics ranging from personal responsibility and career development to architectural techniques for keeping your code flexible and easy to adapt and reuse. Read this book, and you'll learn how to

• Fight software rot;
• Avoid the trap of duplicating knowledge;
• Write flexible, dynamic, and adaptable code;
• Avoid programming by coincidence;
• Bullet-proof your code with contracts, assertions, and exceptions;
• Capture real requirements;
• Test ruthlessly and effectively;
• Delight your users;
• Build teams of pragmatic programmers; and
• Make your developments more precise with automation.

Written as a series of self-contained sections and filled with entertaining anecdotes, thoughtful examples, and interesting analogies, The Pragmatic Programmer illustrates the best practices and major pitfalls of many different aspects of software development. Whether you're a new coder, an experienced programmer, or a manager responsible for software projects, use these lessons daily, and you'll quickly see improvements in personal productivity, accuracy, and job satisfaction. You'll learn skills and develop habits and attitudes that form the foundation for long-term success in your career. You'll become a Pragmatic Programmer. .
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Building on the revolutionary ASP.NET 2.0 release, ASP.NET 3.5 adds several key new developer features including AJAX, LINQ, and a new CSS designer in Visual Web Developer 2008. The dramatic reduction in code that developers realized from the more than 50 new server controls in ASP.NET 2.0 now allows developers the time to make their applications more interactive with AJAX, to work with data in their preferred language with LINQ, and to build visually attractive and consistent standards-based sites with CSS.

Professional ASP.NET 3.5 helps the experienced programmer put these new technologies into action. Greatly expanded from the original best-selling Professional ASP.NET 2.0, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 covers all the key technologies retained from 2.0 in new depth alongside the hundreds of pages of coverage of the important new 3.5 features. Written by 3 of the most well-known and influential ASP.NET developers who were highly praised by ASP.NET creator Scott Guthrie for their ASP.NET 2.0 books, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 is the book you’ll learn the language from and turn to day after day as you write web applications. And as always, Professional ASP.NET 3.5 features language examples in the book and in the code download in both C# and VB!

Key new coverage for ASP.NET 3.5 includes:

• Thorough coverage of how to implement ASP.NET 3.5 AJAX and the ASP.NET AJAX Toolkit
• An introduction to LINQ and many LINQ examples throughout the book side-by-side with the related SQL example to show you the differences between the two
• Enhanced coverage of XML use in ASP.NET including the new XML Schema Designer Add-on, LINQ to XML, LINQ for XML examples, and XSLTC.exe, a command-line XSLT compiler
• A new chapter on CSS design for ASP.NET and the Visual Web Developer CSS design tools
• A new chapter on the ASP.NET lifecycle and architecture best-practices
• Increased coverage of ASP.NET with SQL Server 2005 and Oracle as the databases
• Coverage of enhancing your ASP.NET applications with Microsoft’s new Silverlight for stunning video and animation uses
• Coverage of Scott Hanselman’s famous productivity tool picks for developers to help make you a more productive ASP.NET developer
• Updated coverage of migrating applications for previous ASP.NET versions

Key coverage retained and improved from the ASP.NET 2.0 book:

• The idea of the server control and its pivotal role in ASP.NET development
• How to create templated ASP.NET pages using the master page feature
• Techniques for debugging and handling errors
• Ways to package and deploy ASP.NET applications
• How to retrieve, update, and delete data quickly and logically
• How to implement the cultures and regions features to localize your web site into multiple languages for different visitors
• An understanding of how to use and extend the provider model for accessing data stores, processes, and more
• How to keep track of your application's performance and health with monitoring tools

Who this book is for

This book is for experienced programmers and developers who are looking to make the transition to ASP.NET 3.5..
Price: $29.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to build rich and interactive web sites that run on the Microsoft platform. With the knowledge you gain from this book, you create a great foundation to build any type of web site, ranging from simple hobby-related web sites to sites you may be creating for commercial purposes.

Anyone new to web programming should be able to follow along because no prior background in web development is assumed. The book starts at the very beginning of web development by showing you how to obtain and install Visual Web Developer. The chapters that follow gradually introduce you to new technologies, building on top of the knowledge gained in the previous chapters.

Do you have a strong preference for Visual Basic over C# or the other way around? Or do you think both languages are equally cool? Or maybe you haven't made up your mind yet and want to learn both languages? Either way, you'll like this book because all code examples are presented in both languages!

Even if you're already familiar with previous versions of ASP.NET, with the 1.x versions in particular, you may gain a lot from this book. Although many concepts from ASP.NET 2.0 are brought forward into ASP.NET 3.5, you'll discover there's a host of new stuff to be found in this book, including an introduction to LINQ, the new CSS and JavaScript debugging tools, new ASP.NET controls, and integrated support for ASP.NET Ajax.

To build effective and attractive database-driven web sites, you need two things: a solid and fast framework to run your web pages on and a rich and extensive environment to create and program these web pages. With ASP.NET 3.5 and Visual Web Developer 2008 you get both. Together they form the platform to create dynamic and interactive web applications.

ASP.NET 3.5 builds on top of its popular predecessor ASP.NET 2.0. While maintaining backward compatibility with sites built using this older version, the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 in general and ASP.NET 3.5 in particular add a lot of new, compelling features to the mix.

Continuing the path of "less code" that was entered with the 2.0 version of the .NET Framework, ASP.NET 3.5 lets you accomplish more with even less code. New features like LINQ that are added to the .NET Framework allow you to access a database with little to no hand written code. The integration of Microsoft ASP.NET Ajax into the ASP.NET Framework and Visual Web Developer means you can now create fast responding and spiffy web interfaces simply by dragging a few controls onto your page and setting a few properties. This book gives you an in-depth look at both these technologies.

The support for cascading style sheets (CSS), the language to lay out and format web pages, has undergone a major overhaul in Visual Web Developer. The design time support, that shows you how a page will eventually look in the browser, has been vastly improved. Additionally, Visual Web Developer now ships with a lot of tools that make writing CSS a breeze.

However, drag-and-drop support and visual tools are not the only things you'll learn from this book. ASP.NET 3.5 and Visual Web Developer 2008 come with a great and extensive set of tools to help you program your web applications. These tools range from the new LINQ syntax that allows you to query data and databases in your web applications, to the vastly improved debugging capabilities that allow you to debug your application from client-side JavaScript all the way up into your server-side code, all with the same familiar user interface, commands, and actions.

Under the hood, ASP.NET 3.5 makes use of the same run-time as version 2.0. This ensures a great backward compatibility with that version, which means that ASP.NET 2.0 applications continue to run under the new framework. But don't be fooled by the fact that the run-time hasn't changed. Although the technical underpinnings needed to execute your web application haven't changed, the .NET 3.5 Framework and ASP.NET add a lot of new features, as you'll discover in this book.

Probably the best thing of Visual Web Developer 2008 is its price: it's available for free. Although the commercial versions of Visual Studio 2008 ship with Visual Web Developer, you can also download and install the free Express Edition. This makes Visual Web Developer 2008 and ASP.NET 3.5 probably the most attractive and compelling web development technologies available today.

This book teaches you how to create a feature-rich, data-driven, and interactive web site. Although this is quite a mouthful, you'll find that with Visual Web Developer 2008 this isn’t as hard as it seems. You'll see the entire process of building a web site, from installing Visual Web Developer 2008 in Chapter 1 all the way up to putting your web application on a live server in Chapter 18. The book is divided into 18 chapters, each dealing with a specific subject.

Chapter 1, “Getting Started With ASP.NET 3.5.” In this chapter you'll see how to obtain and install Visual Web Developer 2008. You'll get instructions for downloading and installing the free edition of Visual Web Developer 2008, called the Express Edition. You are also introduced to HTML, the language behind every web page. The chapter closes with an overview of the customization options that Visual Web Developer gives you.

Chapter 2, “Building an ASP.NET Web Site.” This chapter shows you how to create a new web site and how to add new elements like pages to it. Besides learning how to create a well-structured site, you also see how to use the numerous tools in Visual Web Developer to create HTML and ASP.NET pages.

Chapter 3, “Designing Your Web Pages.” Visual Web Developer comes with a host of tools that allow you to create well-designed and attractive web pages. In this chapter, you see how to make good use of these tools. Additionally, you learn about CSS, the language that is used to format web pages.

Chapter 4, “Working with ASP.NET Controls.” ASP.NET Server controls are one of the most important concepts in ASP.NET. They allow you to create complex and feature-rich web sites with very little code. This chapter introduces you to the large number of server controls that are available, explains what they are used for, and shows you how to use them.

Chapter 5, “Programming Your ASP.NET Web Pages.” Although the built-in CSS tools and the ASP.NET server controls can get you a long way in creating web pages, you are likely to use a programming language to enhance your pages. This chapter serves as an introduction to programming with a strong focus on programming web pages. Best of all: all the examples you see in this chapter (and the rest of the book) are in both Visual Basic and C#, so you can choose the language you like best.

Chapter 6, “Creating Consistent Looking Web Sites.” Consistency is important to give your web site an attractive and professional appeal. ASP.NET helps you create consistent-looking pages through the use of master pages, which allow you to define the global look and feel of a page. Skins and themes help you to centralize the looks of controls and other visual elements in your site. You also see how to create a base page that helps to centralize programming code that you need on all pages in your site.

Chapter 7, “Navigation.” To help your visitors find their way around your site, ASP.NET comes with a number of navigation controls. These controls are used to build the navigation structure of your site. They can be connected to your site's central site map that defines the pages in your web site. You also learn how to programmatically send users from one page to another.

Chapter 8, “User Controls.” User Controls are reusable page fragments that can be used in multiple web pages. As such, they are great for repeating content like menus, banners, and so on. In this chapter, you learn how to create and use User Controls and enhance them with some programmatic intelligence.

Chapter 9, “Validating User Input.” A large part of interactivity in your site is defined by the input of your users. This chapter shows you how to accept, validate, and process user input using ASP.NET server controls. Additionally, you see how to send e-mail from your ASP.NET web application and how to read from text files.

Chapter 10, “ASP.NET Ajax.” Microsoft ASP.NET Ajax allows you to create good looking, flicker free web pages that close the gap between traditional desktop applications and web applications. In this chapter you learn how to use the built-in Ajax features to enhance the presence of your web pages, resulting in a smoother interaction with the web site.

Chapter 11, “Introduction to Databases.” Understanding how to use databases is critical to building modern web sites, as most modern web sites require the use of a database. You'll learn the basics of SQL, the query language that allows you to access and alter data in a database. In addition, you are introduced to the database tools found in Visual Web Developer that help you create and manage your SQL Server databases.

Chapter 12, “Displaying and Updating Data.” Building on the knowledge you gained in the previous chapter, this chapter shows you how to use the ASP.NET data-bound and data source controls to create a rich interface that enables your users to interact with the data in the database that these controls target.

Chapter 13, “LINQ.” LINQ is Microsoft's new solution for accessing objects, databases, XML, and more. In this chapter you'll see how to use LINQ to SQL to access SQL Server databases. Instead of writing a lot of manual code, you create a bunch of LINQ objects that do the heavy work for you. This chapter shows you what LINQ is all about, how to use the visual LINQ designer built into Visual Web Developer, and how to w....
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Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 has improved and changed dramatically over previous versions of the product The capabilities of the platform have expanded greatly with the inclusion of an automated workflow engine, web content management capabilities, and a vast number of document management enhancements. However, the value of this tool to an enterprise will depend primarily on the ability of individuals in the organization to understand the features and capabilities of the platform and effectively map those to specific business requirements. This book is designed to mentor and coach business and technical leaders in an organization on the use of SharePoint to address critical information management problems. It gives detailed descriptions and illustrations of the product's functionality and also includes realistic usage scenarios to provide contextual relevance and a personalized learning experience to the reader.

The mission of this book is to provide extensive knowledge to information workers and site managers that will empower them to become SharePoint Application champions in the organization. This book should be the premiere handbook of any active or aspiring SharePoint expert.

To complete the exercises in this book, you should have a basic comfort level using Microsoft Office application to create content and a general understanding of how to interact with a web site through the browser. This book is intended as a starting point for any SharePoint 2007 user whether that user has never used SharePoint before or has some familiarity with a previous version and just wants to understand the differences with the new release.

Chapter 1: Getting Started with SharePoint Server: The first chapter of the book is targeted at users who have either never used SharePoint before or are already familiar with SharePoint Portal Server 2003 or Windows SharePoint Service v2 and are looking to gain an understanding of what has changed in SharePoint 2007. This chapter lays out the foundation for important terminology and concepts explored in the following chapters of the book.

Chapter 2: Working with SharePoint Lists: This chapter introduces one of the core mechanisms for sharing and organizing content in a SharePoint site. You will review what lists are, how they are used, and then explore the various templates that exist in SharePoint.

Chapter 3: Working with SharePoint Libraries: After reviewing some of the fundamental concepts relating to lists, the chapter introduces the other major storage mechanism in SharePoint known as libraries. This chapter discusses some of the various templates that exist for libraries as well as brand-new concepts in 2007, such as slide libraries and wiki page libraries.

Chapter 4: Managing and Customizing Lists and Libraries: SharePoint templates for lists and libraries provide a great starting point for collaboration and information sharing. This chapter introduces how you can extend these base templates to address an organization’s specific requirements for a collaborative site or information management tool.

Chapter 5: Working with Workflow: Workflow is a new feature available in SharePoint Server 2007. This chapter discusses the templates that SharePoint provides for workflow, as well as demonstrates how to create a custom workflow solution using the SharePoint Designer.

Chapter 6: Working with Content Types: Most organizations have information and documents, which often utilize consistent templates, processes and policies each time they are created. Therefore, SharePoint 2007 has introduced the concept of a Content Type to allow an organization to package templates and information to ensure that reusable components are rolled out in the organization to enforce consistency and ease of use. This chapter demonstrates what content types are and explores how they can be used through some hands-on examples.

Chapter 7: Working with Web Parts: Web Parts are an important element in SharePoint because they display information in sites to users. A variety of Web Parts exist in SharePoint 2007 to address the many ways that teams want to present information. This chapter explores the various groups of Web Parts in SharePoint, including examples on how specific types of Web Parts can be configured and used to present information in a desired manner.

Chapter 8: Working with Sites and Workspaces: The fundamental components of any SharePoint environment are the sites and workspaces that it contains. These collaborative work areas contain all the components discussed in previous sections and represent how each of those items come together to provide an effective environment for collaboration, communication, and document management. In this section of the book, topics such as site templates, features, and look and feel are covered.

Chapter 9: User Management, Audiences, and Profiles: Effective management of users is of ultimate importance to any information system. The two primary tiers of effective user management include securing content and personalizing information on the portal. This chapter explains in simple terms how to effectively secure a SharePoint environment at the site level, the list or library level, and down to the unique content items stored on a SharePoint site. In addition, an introduction to personalization is presented to ensure that readers understand how to effectively target information to users in a portal.

Chapter 10: Working with Forms Services: InfoPath is the ideal companion to SharePoint for many business solutions. This chapter introduces readers to creating simple business applications using InfoPath and SharePoint including new features in 2007, such as template parts and browser based forms.

Chapter 11: Working with Excel Services: SharePoint addresses the need that many organizations face for better visibility and accessibility to data that is often stored in Excel spreadsheets or external business applications. This chapter demonstrates how to improve the overall decision making of an organization by providing access to important information by utilizing browser based worksheets, visual indicators of performance information, and building personalized interactive dashboards.

Chapter 12: Working with the Business Data Catalog: The Business Data Catalog is completely new to SharePoint in 2007 and offers a fantastic way to access information stored in other business applications through the SharePoint portal interface and elements. This chapter introduces the concept of the Business Data Catalog, explaining each of the key roles in detail and then focusing on usage scenarios from the perspective of the business analyst and end-user roles.

Chapter 13: Getting Started with Web Content Management: All the functionality previously available in Content Management Server 2002 has been incorporated into the SharePoint platform for 2007. This convergence of technology allows for the creation, review, and publishing of web content from a single environment. This chapter provides an overview of the web content management capabilities of the system including the use of publishing sites and features, the automatic provisioning of multilingual content through variations, and user-interface customization.

Chapter 14: Working with Search: An information system is useful to an organization only if stakeholders can easily access and locate the information it contains. This chapter discusses the search engine capabilities of the SharePoint platform including methods that improve the search experience through the use of custom search scopes, content sources, and best bets.

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Price: $20.76 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Anyone who develops software for a living needs a proven way to produce it better, faster, and cheaper The Productive Programmer offers critical timesaving and productivity tools that you can adopt right away, no matter what platform you use. Master developer Neal Ford not only offers advice on the mechanics of productivity-how to work smarter, spurn interruptions, get the most out your computer, and avoid repetition-he also details valuable practices that will help you elude common traps, improve your code, and become more valuable to your team. You'll learn to: Write the test before you write the code Manage the lifecycle of your objects fastidiously Build only what you need now, not what you might need later Apply ancient philosophies to software development Question authority, rather than blindly adhere to standards Make hard things easier and impossible things possible through meta-programming Be sure all code within a method is at the same level of abstraction Pick the right editor and assemble the best tools for the job

This isn't theory, but the fruits of Ford's real-world experience as an Application Architect at the global IT consultancy ThoughtWorks. Whether you're a beginner or a pro with years of experience, you'll improve your work and your career with the simple and straightforward principles in The Productive Programmer..
Price: $21.98 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Visual Basic Orcas Programmer's Reference is a language tutorial and a reference guide to the upcoming Orcas release of Visual Basic. The tutorial provides basic material suitable for beginners but also includes in-depth content for more advanced developers.

The second part of the book is a reference that quickly allows programmers to locate information for specific language features. The entries in these appendices allow the reader to quickly review the details of important programming, objects, properties, methods, and events.

Visual Basic Orcas Programmer's Reference will be fully revised (30%) to cover the latest features of the Orcas release, including:

• Changes to variable declaration and initialization
• XLinq support for XML data types; query comprehensions for using SQL-like syntax to extract data from arrays and other data structures
• Extension methods for adding new features to existing classes
• Nested subroutines and functions
• Anonymous subroutines and functions ("lambda expressions")
• Nullable types
• Relaxed delegates
• Dynamic interfaces
• Dynamic identifiers

The author expects about 100 new pages of new examples covering these features; he will also extensively revise and retest all code to ensure compliance with the Orcas release..
Price: $21.18 [Notify me when price goes down.]

If you’re a .NET or Microsoft Office developer, this book will give you the tools and the techniques you need to build great solutions for the SharePoint platform. It offers practical insights that will help you take advantage of this powerful new integrated suite of server-based collaboration software tools along with specific examples that show you how to implement your own custom solutions. You’ll then be able to apply this information to create collaborative web-based applications that enhance user productivity and deliver rich user experiences.

You’ll start by building a strong foundation based on a thorough understanding of the technologies that come with the SharePoint platform, while also drilling into specific implementation areas. Next, you’ll dive into seven key SharePoint development areas: the base collaboration platform, portal and composite application frameworks, enterprise search, ECM, business process automation and workflow, electronic forms, and business intelligence.

This book is for ASP.NET developers who want to add collaboration support to their existing applications, Windows/Office client developers who want to move their solutions from the desktop to the web, and experienced SharePoint version 2.0 developers who want to take advantage of the new capabilities available in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

You will learn all about Windows SharePoint Services and MOSS 2007, including the following:

• Ways to enhance collaboration using calendars, tasks, issues, and email alerts

• Techniques for developing applications with integrated RSS, blogs and Wikis

• How to build, configure, and manage portal solutions

• Strategies for using enterprise search, XML, and XSLT

• Methods for improving enterprise content management and business intelligence

• Ways to take advantage of built-in support for regulatory compliance and web publishing

• How to create custom workflows and integrate them into your solutions

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Price: $24.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This resource provides the tools you need to leverage Access 2007’s built-in functionality and VBA in order to build more dynamic applications. The author team explores all aspects of VBA programming for Access, describes the latest innovations, and explains how to take advantage of key new objects, enhanced macros, and the Office Ribbon. Plus, you’ll find several commonly used techniques and sample code to help you get started, as well as expert tips to make your code easier to maintain..
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