HTML, XHTML, and CSS, Sixth Edition (Visual Quickstart Guide)

Amazon.com

It's important for anyone who creates Web sites--even those who rely on powerful editors like Dreamweaver or GoLive--to know HTML. The World Wide Web Consortium rewrote HTML as a subset of XML (dubbing it "XHTML 1.0") and the allowable code will eventually be stricter. Tags that are being phased out are labeled "deprecated"--current browsers can still handle them, but if you want your site to keep up with future browsers, not to mention conform to accessibility requirements, you will want to get on top of XHTML.

Of course, Elizabeth Castro manages to write books that not only speak to those who are already fluent in HTML, but are good for newbies too. She makes it a breeze to create sites that are visually stylish and technically sophisticated without the expense of buying an editor.

Among the topics covered in her new book, HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS: using the (relatively newer) structural tags (like doctype and div); correctly using older tags (like p and img) that have been modified in XHTML; writing XHTML so that formatting is done by the style sheets; writing those style sheets (cascading style sheets, a.k.a. "CSS"); creating a variety of layouts; and dealing with tables, frames, forms, multimedia, a bit of JavaScript (including mouseovers), WML (for mobile device displays), debugging, publishing, and publicizing your site.

As with all Visual QuickStart Guides, this one features clear and concise instructions side by side with well-captioned illustrations and screen shots that show both the source code and the resulting effect on the Web page. The index is extremely detailed, making this a great reference.

Also great for reference are the outstanding appendices. The first is an extensive list of tags and attributes, indicating which are deprecated and/or proprietary and on which page they are discussed. A similar appendix shows CSS properties and values; given the future of Web coding, this chart alone is worth the price of the book. Other handy charts cover intrinsic events, symbols and character Unicodes, and an expanded color chart that goes way beyond the virtually archaic Web-safe palette. All of which makes this a definite must-have for every Web designer's bookshelf. --Angelynn Grant

Book Description

Need to learn HTML fast? This best-selling reference's visual format and step-by-step, task-based instructions will have you up and running with HTML in no time. In this completely updated edition of our best-selling guide to HTML, Web expert and best-selling author Elizabeth Castro uses crystal-clear instructions and friendly prose to introduce you to all of today's HTML and XHTML essentials. You’ll learn how to design, structure, and format your Web site. You'll create and use images, links, styles, lists, tables, frames, and forms, and you'll add sound and movies to your site. Finally, you will test and debug your site, and publish it to the Web. Along the way, you'll find extensive coverage of CSS techniques, current browsers (Opera, Safari, Firefox), creating pages for the mobile Web, and more.

Visual QuickStart Guide--the quick and easy way to learn!

Easy visual approach uses pictures to guide you through HTML and show you what to do.
Concise steps and explanations get you up and running in no time.
Page for page, the best content and value around.
Companion Web site at www.cookwood.com/html offers examples, a lively question-and-answer area, updates, and more.

Customer Reviews:

This is the book to get on XHTML!!!.......2007-10-17

If you want to teach yourself & get up to speed quickly, this is the book to get. It is clear, easy to read, and has alot of step-by-step illustrations with both the code and the output side-by-side. The format and the illustrations really make this the easiest book from which to learn.

Internet Programming and Web Design.......2007-10-11

The book is very useful for those beginning their webpages. The end of the book contains a very useful list with all the tags in HTML and CSS described during the book. Excellent book in my opinion for beginners.

this book is easier for beginner.......2007-10-09

the book describes very clear in html and CSS,
it is good for beginner who want to learn web design.

One of the most productive book!.......2007-10-04

The sixth edition has continued to live up to its name. It is indeed a 'Visual Quickstart Guide.' Unlike other books, it presents clear and concise instructions, and no lengthy text. Everything is delivered in point forms. Useful tips are sprinkled over the text here and there as well.

It can also serve as a quick reference tool that is easy to look up to. The appendices consists of the following: some commonly used (X)HTML elements and attributes, CSS properties and values, and some javascipt events. It is definitely worth it to own a copy of it.

It is a beginner's book and it offers more than enough to get you a decent layout for your web pages. Ideal for any novice designer to wants get productive fast.

Great book - bad binding!.......2007-10-04

This updated edition is welcomed as it was written with standards in mind. Very well done.

The binding on this book is horrible. Most of the pages in my copy have come out of the binding!

Average customer rating:

Good reference
Excellent as a Second Volume and Definitive Reference
Definitive? Yeah, I'd agree with that.
slightly better than ok
excellent tutorial, not so much a definitive guide

CSS: The Definitive Guide
Eric Meyer
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596527330

Book Description

Simply put, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a way to separate a document's structure from its presentation. The benefits of this can be quite profound: CSS allows a much richer document appearance than HTML and also saves time -- you can create or change the appearance of an entire document in just one place; and its compact file size makes web pages load quickly.

CSS: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition, provides you with a comprehensive guide to CSS implementation, along with a thorough review of all aspects of CSS 2.1. Updated to cover Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft's vastly improved browser, this new edition includes content on positioning, lists and generated content, table layout, user interface, paged media, and more. Author Eric Meyer tackles the subject with passion, exploring in detail each individual CSS property and how it interacts with other properties. You'll not only learn how to avoid common mistakes in interpretation, you also will benefit from the depth and breadth of his experience and his clear and honest style. This is the complete sourcebook on CSS.

Customer Reviews:

Good reference.......2007-10-04

This book could be organized a little more intuitively, but all-in-all it has the stipulations and definitions you need from the CSS standards in a printed form. I would recommend the pocket guide as well.

Excellent as a Second Volume and Definitive Reference.......2007-09-03

I've managed development efforts for several years and, although I'm an advanced developer in ASP.Net and numerous server-side technologies, felt I was too much at the mercy of "the web guys" on my project teams when it came to making decisions on content design. So, a couple years ago I purchased Richard York's "Beginning CSS" (Wrox Press) and found it to be an excellent primer on CSS. Having designed my own style-sheets for the couple years since, I realized I still had some questions as to the finer points of CSS design techniques.

I purchased Eric Meyer's "CSS: The Definitive Guide" and consider it an excellent second volume on the subject. If you are brand new to the topic of CSS, I'd recommend one of this author's other more introductory titles before attempting to read this title. Both Meyer's and York's more introductory texts focus more on building block examples and levels of support offered by the various browsers. "CSS: The Definitive Guide" assumes this foundation is in place and, instead, focuses on the more advanced and, as the title says, definitive discussions of topics Meyer has found to represent points of confusion among content developers.

I have had great luck with numerous volumes in O'Reilly's line of "Topic: The Definitive Guide", and this book continues this string of good luck. While it is not the ideal introductory text on CSS, for reasons cited above, it represents a great second volume - or even first volume for the content developer who already understands the basic principles and does not need building block examples. Numerous sections, especially the very succinct discussions of the CSS Box Model, are by themselves worth the price of the book.

--Doug Hettinger

Definitive? Yeah, I'd agree with that........2007-08-08

In a way I'm glad this book contains everything you need to know about CSS.
But in a way I'm sad that everything you need to know about CSS seems to be growing at a phenomenal rate - along with just about everything else tech-related.
Sigh. Job security, I guess.
Anyway, this book, coupled with O'Reilly's "CSS Cookbook", should enable you to do anything you want to your website.
Color would've been nice (ditto for the "CSS Cookbook") but probably would have jacked the price up too high.

slightly better than ok.......2007-07-03

I purchased this book with the expectation of being able to implement CSS for a website. The book felt very much textbook-ish, focusing too much on the theory and not enough on practical implementation. I had hoped for more best practices and more on layouts. This book is a great CSS reference but if you're looking for one-stop-shopping for building a CSS web site, you might be better off with something else.

excellent tutorial, not so much a definitive guide.......2007-06-27

This is an excellent tutorial, and the discussion of the box model in Chapter 7 is alone worth the price of the book. If you think you understand CSS, but you don't understand the box model fully, then you don't really understand CSS. And Eric Meyer does a very good job of walking you slowly through that model. The chapters after chapter 7 fill in that model more completely with additional details that are also indispensable.

However, I think this book should have been called "CSS: A Complete Tutorial," rather than "CSS: The Definitive Guide." This is not laid out in a way that would make it ideal as a reference book.

Overall, this is a sort of book where you won't get an answer to your question without rereading a couple of pages first. Second, the index is quite poor. Basic concepts covered throughout the book don't make their way into the index. Third, while the appendix of CSS properties is useful, a glaring omission is the lack of a browser compatibility chart. Certainly creating such a chart would be difficult, but still necessary (I think) for calling something "The Definitive Guide." Browser compatibility is certainly subject to improve over time, but a baseline list of compatibility at the time of publication would be highly useful, considering that such resources on the web are virtually not to be found. After all, O'Reilly's "Javascript: The Definitive Guide" at least manages to list the standard that defines each portion of the language, whereas the appendix in this book doesn't even do that.

That said, this book has revolutionized my own understanding of CSS, since I read it like a tutorial, and it seems I was badly in need of a tutorial. Consequently, for those who don't understand the true mechanics of CSS, I highly recommend buying and reading this book cover to cover. For those who are well-versed in the underlying mechanics and simply want a reference to the nitty-gritty details, however, this is probably not your answer.

Write Right!: A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style, 4th Edition

Average customer rating:

You don't need it.
Good reference
Something Most All of Us Could Use
A Good Review for Good Writing
Relief for Beginners

Write Right!: A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style, 4th Edition
Jan Venolia
Manufacturer: TEN SPEED PRESS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1580083285

Book Description

In this age of electronic correspondence and self-produced documents, we need a useful and reliable writing guide more than ever. WRITE RIGHT! covers the essentials of good writing in a concise and easy-to-follow format. The new edition of this classic handbook takes you through the entire writing process, from understanding the parts of speech to constructing a correct sentence to fine-tuning the mechanics. And with clever drawings and amusing quotations to illustrate its points, WRITE RIGHT! shows that language can be fun as well as an effective communication tool. Whether it's used to find a quick answer to a nagging question or to develop stronger writing skills, this handy reference is the ideal resource for writers of all levels.

Customer Reviews:

You don't need it........2007-06-21

Limited. Almost useless. Didn't even answer the question of "Who/Whom usage" very clearly. The author wants you to follow her preferences in order to write better. Hey...thanks, but no thanks. I'll write my own way. And you should too. Forget the book.

Good reference.......2007-03-26

I keep this book on my desk for easy reference. Many times people have questions that can be found here in a jiffy. The basics are usually what trip people up. The book contains proper usage of often times miss-used words. Like "further and farther", "lie and lay" as well as verb tense and agreement. I recommend it for anyone who wants to use good grammer.

Something Most All of Us Could Use.......2007-02-15

I have both, Write Right! and Rewrite Right! in my essential writer's bookshelf, and use both often.

I love Jan Venolia's approach, info and style, and Lord knows we can nearly all use some help now and then with those pesky sentence fragments, spellings, and all the other horrors we confront daily in our quest to be not only read, but understood and enjoyed.

I've used Jan's sane advice in crafting both my books.

A Good Review for Good Writing.......2005-08-05

This is a simple, direct, concise review of basic grammar, indispensible for anyone with a short memory and a strong desire to write right. I purchased several copies so that I could give each member on my staff a copy for their desk with the instructions to read it and use it. It will be helpful to improve anyone's writing abilities. The contents are well organized and the examples are very helpful. This book is so good I sometimes use it for bedtime reading when I am preparing to write a special article so that I can do better.

Relief for Beginners.......2002-10-07

I'm just beginning to teach a freshman writing course at a local college for the first time. Although I have a master's degree in English, I should confess that I've used grammar by "feel." That is to say, I didn't know the rules, but I have read a lot, and I just wrote by instinct. I'm not defending this approach, just explaining!

So now I'm faced with the necessity of teaching grammar to my freshmen students. Alas! After a couple of embarrassing and week lectures, I went to the bookstore to get help. I spent about four hours looking for grammar books I could stand to read myself, and that would help me learn enough to teach my students. Most of the books were very technical and overly-detailed for me, and surely for my students as well. However, I found this book, along with a couple of others that were truly a relief in their clarity, fun approach, and pared down lessons.

So, for anyone else who's just starting out studying grammar, I highly recommend this book. It's simple, relevant, understandable, and whimsical. It's not scary, too technical, and too much information. I don't think you'll be disappointed, unless you really WANT to learn every detail.

Book Description

The Web doesn't stand still, and neither does this guide: Completely updated to cover the new browsers, standards, and CSS, DHTML, and Ajax features that define the Web today, the one thing that hasn't changed in this edition is its task-based visual approach to the topic. In these pages, readers will find friendly, step-by-step instructions for using CSS, DHTML, and Ajax to add visually sophisticated, interactive elements to their Web sites. Using loads of tips and screen shots, veteran author Jason Cranford Teague covers a lot of ground--from basic and advanced dynamic techniques (for example, making objects appear and disappear) to creating effects for newer browsers, migrating from tables to CSS, and creating new DHTML scripts with embedded scroll areas, fixed menu bars, and more. Users new to CSS, DHTML, and Ajax will find this a quick, easy introduction to scripting, while more experienced programmers will be pleased to find practical, working examples throughout the book.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book .......2007-08-09

A great book for beginners as well as a good reference tool for programmers as well. I bought this book for my 14 year old son who used it to teach himself. He said it was well laid out and has used it quite often.

Good idea, bad execution.......2007-05-29

I looked through this book at a bookstore before buying and I was impressed with the idea of working through with visual examples about what could be done with different manipulations of code (something that is hard to quickly get on the web with many many clicks).

In using this guide, I have though become frequently exasperated by the execution because of confusing examples, what I believe to be mistakes in the code examples in the text, etc...

Comprehensive guide for Server side developers.......2007-05-21

I was looking for a book to get better acquainted with CSS and Ajax. I picked up "Visual Quick start Guide. CSS, DHTML & Ajax." From Peachpit Press. The book is a quick read and it efficiently provides a quick start guide as promised. I particularly liked the example based introductions for all topics covered. Also, I enjoyed the brief introduction the book provides on Web 2.0 and the way the authors define it.
After going through it once you will probably keep it as a quick reference guide, although it is never too hard to find information on web technologies on the web. Overall I could recommend the book if you are not a client side developer and are in need of a brief and comprehensive look at CSS and DHTML. I cannot imagine client side developers being too impressed with the book though.

A good interrelated reference.......2007-04-11

The book does a good job of relating CSS to DHTML and AJAX. The examples are clear and, although simple, clearly demonstrate the interaffects of the 3 web design elements. I had to subtract a star for the inconsistencies between the book code and the downloadable code. They were serious enough to make book code fail. But, if you already understand CSS, are well-acquainted with HTML and can at least read Javascript, then this book will help you leap to DHTML and AJAX.

Just Another Reference.......2007-04-08

I guess I'm spoiled after reading the Visual QuickStart guides by Larry Ullman on PHP and MySQL. In those you actually learn how to use the software by building or programming projects representing real world applications of the concepts being learned. That's the way you learn any skill -- by doing. Along the way, you also learn many valuable insights into why you're doing what you're doing. (It's also a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and frustration -- all an important part of learning!)

CSS, DHTML, & Ajax doesn't live up to that expectation. It's just another reference book, like countless other reference books on these subjects, and in this case, the number of such reference books is huge. If you like the style with lots of screenshots and don't already have a reference book on the subject, it might be worth buying. As one reviewer said, however, screenshots of code that reproduce what's already in the text just take up space that could be used for additional information. (They're very useful when you're actually building projects as a part of your learning.) Also, it's not as well organized and indexed as other reference books, such as those by Wrox. I can't imagine why Peachpit bothered to publish this one.

Just keep in mind that you won't learn to do CSS, DHTML, & Ajax in this book. You only learn skills by doing. Instead, you will read about them. That's a very different thing.

Pro Tools LE 7 Ignite!: The Visual Guide for New Users (Pro Tools Le 7 Ignite!: The Visual Guide for New Users)

Average customer rating:

Neccesary.
Excellent reference for ProTools LE
Pro Tools Ignite 7
Great Resource for the Novice and Amatuer

Pro Tools LE 7 Ignite!: The Visual Guide for New Users (Pro Tools Le 7 Ignite!: The Visual Guide for New Users)
Andrew Hagerman
Manufacturer: Thomson Course Technology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1592006019

Book Description

Get ready to explore the world of computer music creation with Pro Tools LE 7! Even if you've never created music on your computer, this book will give you the skills you need to record and mix with confidence. Steps are presented with easy-to-follow clarity and are accompanied by screen shots that make it easy to dive into the features of this amazing digital audio workstation. Begin with the basic techniques of recording, editing and mixing MIDI and digital audio. Then, get ready to harness the power of Pro Tools as you explore software effects, virtual instruments and mixes that you can automate and edit with some of the best tools in the business. Ignite your music with the power of Pro Tools LE 7! Get step-by-step coverage on: assembling a track * setting up, recording and editing audio and MIDI * recording options, including QuickPunch and loop recording * basic mixing, including creating fader groups and using effects * tweaking automation * more advanced tips and tricks, such as Beat Detective and the TCE trim tool * new features in Pro Tools LE 7.

Customer Reviews:

Neccesary........2007-06-08

It's a quick start guide that is much needed if you are new to Pro-Tools.

Excellent reference for ProTools LE.......2007-01-17

Great written reference for less experienced users of ProTools LE. Descriptions and notated pictures help navigate the program extremely well. A terrific tool!

Pro Tools Ignite 7.......2007-01-03

This is my favorite of the books I have seen for Pro Tools LE styled rig. There are a couple others and this one is easier to use. Quite straightforward. Every text seems to have its unique ways to show the reader some cool shortcuts and this one is no different. That point is neither here nor there really. Besides, if you just want the shortcuts I think Digidesign still prints a laminated sheet out for the consumer.

There, howver, is one forseeable problem with the Ignite series. The obvious issue that Digidesign moves its software versions so rapidly that you may easily buy a guide that will only be current for 4-6 months. I think there has been a Ignite 6.7 an Ignite 6.9 and now the Ignite 7.0.

...But hey, you gotta pick up the knowledge somehow and sometime. Plus the 7 Series is the way to go if you want to use the current "MIDI Track" configuration. A whole lot has changed since the days of "Pro Tools 6.-"

This is a good book at an affordable price.

Great Resource for the Novice and Amatuer.......2006-07-14

I am brand new to the DAW (digital audio workstation) world. Pro Tools is my introduction into this complex and demanding source for recording audio. I always read the manuals that come with the product I buy to orient my self with it's functions and features. With Pro Tools the manual came in a whopping 700+ pages that was a useful but challenging read. I bought three user guides before I tried Andrew Lee Hagerman's Pro Tools LE 7 Ignite!. After completing the guide I feel more comfortable about navigating through the multiple features of Pro Tools. It was really helpful to have his downloaded sessions while traversing through the steps in the guide. Another great feature of his downloaded sessions were the finished sessions to compare your work with. While his guide does not include every possible property of Pro Tools he does offer a comprehensive introduction. The only area he admittedly omitted was the area of setting up your hardware for optimum efficiency. However, if you are looking to learn how to get through the basic steps to get a solid recording out of Pro Tools then this is a powerful guide to cope with the steep learning curve.

Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics

Average customer rating:

Great instructional book for HTML
I Upgraded to This Edition - It is Excellent
An excellent addition to any serious college-level computer library.
Highly, highly recommended
Very good coverage of topic.

Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics
Jennifer Niederst Robbins
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596527527

Book Description

Everything you need to know to create professional web sites is right here. Learning Web Design starts from the beginning -- defining how the Web and web pages work -- and builds from there. By the end of the book, you'll have the skills to create multi-column CSS layouts with optimized graphic files, and you'll know how to get your pages up on the Web.

This thoroughly revised edition teaches you how to build web sites according to modern design practices and professional standards. Learning Web Design explains:

How to create a simple (X)HTML page, how to add links and images
Everything you need to know about web standards -- (X)HTML, DTDs, and more
Cascading Style Sheets -- formatting text, colors and backgrounds, using the box model, page layout, and more
All about web graphics, and how to make them lean and mean through optimization
The site development process, from start to finish
Getting your pages on the Web -- hosting, domain names, and FTP

The book includes exercises to help you to learn various techniques, and short quizzes to make sure you're up to speed with key concepts. If you're interested in web design, Learning Web Design is the place to start.

Customer Reviews:

Great instructional book for HTML.......2007-10-18

This book is a great beginner book for those hardly familiar with HTML web design. I'm using it as a textbook for a college course and find the material to be easy to follow and very descriptive. Even if this isn't required reading, it's a great book to get you started in the right direction of not only understanding what it takes to design a site, but also what it takes to update and maintain one.

I Upgraded to This Edition - It is Excellent.......2007-09-12

Learning Web Design, 3rd Edition is pleasure to read, it is really well written. It begins with how to start, how the Web works, and the nature of Web design and she makes it interesting.

The second part of the book is on HTML markup and standards based structure. Here you learn how to start with your content, to give it a logical structure, to add your text, links, images, to use tables and forms, and to understand today's and tomorrow's standards.

The third part of Learning Web Design is about CSS for presentation. You learn how you can develop your own unique and beautiful web sites, and how to change them easily just by modifying your CSS styles.

Creating Web graphics and optimizing them for the Web fills the fourth part of the book, and the shorter fifth part is about the site development process and getting your pages on the web.

There are exercises throughout the book that you can do to test and solidify your learning. There is a Web support page with material you can use for some of the exercises.

When you are done with your studies, or even before that, this book is a good reference where you can easily find the information you need for most of the tasks you want to do or problems you may have.

Jennifer Robins writes reading this book "feels like sitting in my classroom." It must be a very nice classroom.

I used the second edition of this book for working on our NVMUG site and converting it to standards base CSS. This third edition of Learning Web Design is almost totally new and so much improved that I have ordered a copy for myself.

An excellent addition to any serious college-level computer library........2007-09-06

Jennifer Niederst Robbins' LEARNING WEB DESIGN, 3RD EDITION is subtitled 'A Beginner's Guide to XTML, Style Sheets, and Web Graphics', and herein lies its power. Chapters covering these professional ideas tell everything needed to know how Web pages work and builds a foundation of knowledge, adding applications savvy and advanced topics on top. The book's been completely revised to show how to blend modern design practices into web site design and includes exercises and quizzes, also making it a top classroom assignment pick. An excellent addition to any serious college-level computer library.

Highly, highly recommended.......2007-09-02

I was very impressed with this book, as it provides an excellent introduction to a standards-based approach for creating web sites. Developers or designers who are new to writing HTML, or individuals who are simply looking for a refresher book should look no further. The author takes the reader through the whole process of creating a web site: from HTML, to adding style elements, to basic graphics considerations, to more advanced topics. This is a very well thought out, thorough book.

Frankly, I was surprised at the depth of material included in this book. In addition to an excellent CSS reference, the author goes into more advanced topics, including the CSS box model, what exactly is Unicode, and even how to create web graphics. The addition of this extra material will satisfy advanced readers, but also give beginning HTML coders something to work up towards. In other words, once you cover the basic material of this book, there's still more material for you to learn.

If I had my way, I'd make this book required reading for all web developers. This is a great addition to any web developer's library. Even those who already have a lot of experience with creating web sites--you might learn something.

Very good coverage of topic. .......2007-08-31

As a web developer, I like to keep a copy of an html and style sheet reference handy. This book does a very good job at that, so it has become my new reference.

The Sound Blaster Live! Book: A Complete Guide to the World's Most Popular Sound Card

Average customer rating:

Informative and Interesting
A complete and through guide
Let's hope the Audigy version come out soon!

The Sound Blaster Live! Book: A Complete Guide to the World's Most Popular Sound Card
Lars Ahlzen , and Clarence Song
Manufacturer: No Starch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Creative Labs USB SoundBlaster Live! 24-Bit External Sound Card

ASIN: 1886411735

Book Description

Learn how to configure hardware (including speakers, digital accessories, and peripherals); watch DVDs in surround sound; play games in 3D; record and organize digital audio and MP3s; and use sequencers, MIDI, and SoundFonts to compose music. Plentiful illustrations walk you through general and PC audio concepts and the CD-ROM gets you started with the book's music and audio examples, sample sound clips, SoundFonts, and audio software.

Customer Reviews:

Informative and Interesting.......2003-06-13

For non-audiophiles this book answers a lot of questions and clears up a few mysteries about the Live!, multi-speaker setups, surround sound, Dolby Digital and DTS, and PC sound in general. Very will written, enjoyable to read. Even though we are now in the "Audigy era", Creative's retirement of their Live! 5.1 line in lieu of a slightly inferior budget Live! 5.1 card is rather premature and clearly business driven (ie, push the Audigy series), since I am convinced that a Live! 5.1 system meets and exceeds the needs of many (possibly most) PC users, gamers, and movie watchers, and will continue to do so for several years. Its a great card with a lot of power left in it and this book really does it justice. True Audigy-brandishing audiophiles will probably find nothing new here, although they might still find it interesting to read

A complete and through guide.......2003-06-10

The collaborative effort of website developer Lars Ahlzen and software engineer Clarence Song, The Sound Blaster Live! Book is a complete and through guide to the single most popular computer sound card on the current market. Individual chapters deftly address how to physically connect the Sound Blaster Live! hardware and peripherals, configuring the sound card to play games, creating a music library, connecting MIDI instruments, and much, much more. An accompanying CD-ROM contains music and audio files, sample sound clips, SoundFonts, and useful freeware ans shareware in this succinct and useful guide which is especially recommended for anyone with a keen interest in quality computer audio.

Let's hope the Audigy version come out soon!.......2003-05-18

Although some information has become obsolete at the time of printing, much of the audio-engineering technology and concepts still applies.

The book is by as far I have seen, the best reading material for the uninitiated in exploiting the use of sound cards. It also serves as a good external reference for developers as well, as there seems to be a lack of them in this area.

Like Strict Evaluation pointed out, the book is "encyclopaedic". A topic such as EAX itself is worth writing the whole book about. The authors deserves credit for covering so much breadth and depth.

Book Description

Technology trainer and Web site designer James Pence clearly presents the Cascading Style Sheet essentials for programmers and Web designers, including structuring content for cross-browser presentation, building designs using selectors and declarations, and XML integration.

Customer Reviews:

Frustrating!.......2004-07-16

I swear the author of this book goes out of his way to make its readers feel incompetent. While full of useful information, this book is also just as full of typos and inconsistancies.

Do you want to know how frustrating it is to try and re-create a page using the code given to you in a book, have the page come out looking nothing like the example in said book, then finding out the reason for the discrepency is because the author actually coded their example differently? Well there's plenty of opportunities in this book!

I now have to learn inline CSS which I believe might have been covered to some extent in this book. I can't remember. That's how badly I want to forget this book! I'm sticking with CSS for Dummies!

Great once you know the basics.......2004-05-10

Use this book once you have Pence's basic HTML book down. It will provide many new tools to spruce up your exist web programming.

great textbook but needs to professional editing.......2004-04-18

It is a great hands on textbook. The author did a great job conveying concepts. Easy to understand especially talking about codes. However a lot of typing error and project data or instructional errors. Misspelled in a lot of places. Information inconsistency. Requires professional editing services. I think the author should continue to write these book. Pence is a good writer but need to make sure information, data or examples are consistent. It hinders the student when trying to do the projects.

Earnest & Thoughtful, but Repitious and Full of Typos.......2004-03-31

This book covers basic CSS. It succeeds in offering a very gentle and fairly comprehensive overview of CSS1 features, with some CSS2. However, his constant warning about the lack of robust support for CSS in browsers is somewhat dated and tiring. The book is also full of annoying typos that at times prevent examples from working--a missing period here, a misplaced semi-colon there. Perhaps to make the chapters (called "Modules" here) independent, there is quite a bit of repetition of the same ideas in many chapters. The gradual introduction of CSS syntax and techniques also seems to incourage the author to use examples that mix CSS and traditional html in ways that are not good CSS practice, just apparantely oversimplified examples to make simple points about transitioning from HTML to specific CSS features. That distinction could be lost on a lot beginners who don't get a more solid understanding of how to use CSS to build more complete and consistent pages and websites. I therefore wish the author would have included more comprehensive examples, rather than lots of smaller out-of-context and disconnected ones. This book is not terrible. I just think you could probably do better now. I would give it 2 1/2 stars if I could.

Very good book for CSS Beginners.......2004-02-26

This book teaches what it claims to teach. It teaches CSS 1 for everyday tasks you would perform. It also teaches you how to create entire layouts using CSS. I strongly recommend this book to those who have just learned HTML and want to go ahead. This book also gives overview of very basics of CSS 2.

The book is well structured and includes hints, tips and other similar helpful stuff along the way.

Book Description

With a streamlined interface, the amazing DigiBase file management utility, enhanced MIDI functionality, and much more, the recently released Pro Tools 6 proves what you probably already knew: That Digidesign's Pro Tools software sets the standard for recording and editing digital audio. Here to make sense of it all--and to get you recording, editing, mixing, and processing effects quickly and efficiently--is the popular Visual QuickStart Guide on the topic, completely updated to cover all of Pro Tools 6.0's powerful new features. Through task-based, step-by-step instructions peppered with plenty of visual aids, this volume shows you how to make multitrack audio recordings with Pro Tools 6. Along the way you'll learn about the basics of automation, MIDI sequencing, and file management in Pro Tools as well as how to set up and use several mid-level Digidesign hardware systems. Beginning users will find all they need to begin creating audio masterworks, and pros will discover a valuable quick reference to their tool of choice.

Customer Reviews:

Pro Tools Book.......2005-10-05

This book gives you everything you need to know about pro tools. It is very thorough and almost makes me not need to take the class I'm taking!!! Also very easy to understand and placed in small enough sections to comprehend. Very good!

not much more than a basic ProTools manual........2004-12-25

If you do not want to waste your time printing out the .pdf files of the ProTools manual, this book may be for you. It gives you the how-to's, but without much extra in the way of tips and real world applications of the various tools, which is what I am looking for. For me, this was a waste of money and I still need a decent book on home recording. YMMV.

Disappointed.......2004-09-10

Very basic, nothing much more than the users manual with a few tips thrown in. Instructions tell you how to do things, but not why. Settings are not explained. Some sections are repeated twice (how to create a new track for example) Well organized, but not helpful at all. No hookup diagrams for TDM systems. I returned it for a refund.

Outstanding Pro Tools 6 Primer and Reference!!.......2004-08-04

This book exceeds expectation. It is comprehensive, well-organized and very easy to read; and the multitude of visual examples make it ultra-quick to use. I picked it up to learn the new features in Pro Tools 6, but it has become my primary reference on Pro Tools software. This is the place to start if you are new to Pro Tools. It includes extensive diagrams for setting up a Digi 002 (RACK), MBox, Digi 001 studio. If you're an experienced (TDM) user (like me), it's a great reference manual to have on hand, as almost all software features are the same in LE and TDM. and it's much easier to read than the manual...It also features very useful discussions of audio fundamentals, including mic types, mic placement, using effects (EQ, Dynamic, spatial, etc.) and covers fundamentals of recording, editing, and mixing....a great buy!

Neither a tutorial nor a reference for beginners.......2004-07-27

Another reviewer said this was a reference book, and in fact, the back cover declares, "Works like a reference book--you look up what you need and then get straight to work.". If you are already familiar with Pro Tools, that may be true. But if you are new to PT, it's not very helpful in that manner, as the how-tos are not detailed enough, they require prior knowledge.

For example, the reviewer mentioned adding a click track. Well, step 2 is "Create a mono Auxilary input and insert the click plug-in." If you're reading this and don't already know what that means, you're out of luck, as not only is no further information about that step included here, but it does not tell you what page to go to to find that information. A beginner would need, at least, "(see page x)" for this kind of reference book to be useful. And no, using the index doesn't solve the problem, either. There is no entry for "create" or "mono" (in this context); none of the half dozen entries under "Auxillary input" will take you to a page that specifically tells you how to create one. There is an entry for "inserts, plug-ins as" but it is 4 pages long so you'll have to further browse to learn the actual process. And that process includes another insufficiently explained step which may send you searching still further.

Okay, so maybe now you're thinking, it may not be a great reference for beginniers, but maybe a beginner should go page-by-page so that s/he has the necessary background for understanding the instructions as they're presented. Well, the click track instructions are on page 155; the instructions about inserting a plug-in are on page 321. So that's not going to work, either.

This book may be useful for someone who already has some comfort with PT and wants something to point him or her in the right direction in figuring out how to accomplish a specific task. As that does not describe me, someone else will have to review it from that perspective. But the book is marketed to beginners (based on the cover phrases like "QuickStart," "Teach yourself Pro Tools...You'll be up and running in no time!"). And from that perspective, I don't think it does the job.

Style Meister: The Quick-Reference Custom Style Guide

Average customer rating:

An style guide you didn't know you needed until you read it.
Indispensable for writers, authors, and editors

Style Meister: The Quick-Reference Custom Style Guide
Lana R. Castle
Manufacturer: Castle Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Editing | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0966292618

Customer Reviews:

An style guide you didn't know you needed until you read it........1999-07-31

Whether you write for your living, live for your writing, or "merely" have to communicate in writing as a necessary part of your occupation, once you have read "Style Meister" it is likely to become a permanent part of your reference collection. Much of its charm lies in the upfront admission that English has many "right" rules that contradict each other. However, it points out that to clearly communicate, your writing should be consistent. If you are writing as a member of a team, or within an organization, it is very important that you are all on the same page. "Style Meister" offers you simple procedures to help promote that consistency. Ms. Castle labored for some time in a service bureau which typeset a multitude of projects for many clients, many of whom employed different styles. Therefore, she developed an extremely convenient system of charts to keep track of these variations. They are just as helpful for making style decisions once and having them to refer to any time in the future. The writing is clear, concise, and "no nonsense." When I have a question about style, I consult "Style Meister" and discover what the alternatives might be from which to choose. The only part of the book I found less useful was that which discusses computer programs. The information there is helpful in describing techniques, but the programs discussed are fairly dated. I would guess that Ms. Castle is a Mac person, because the PC references are the most behind the present. In short, I consider this to be an excellent book and well worth the cost and the shelf space.

Indispensable for writers, authors, and editors.......1998-10-31

If you are a writer, author, or editor, you know that consistency of document styles is not only important for a professional appearance, but often essential to proper understanding. To help you create stylistically consistent documents, you probably have several style guides on your shelf -- Strunk and White, Associated Press, Chicago, the Microsoft Manual of Style, or any number of others. In some situations you use one, in other situations you find the advice of another more appropriate.

Style Meister puts an end to that annoyance and confusion by giving you all the tools and advice you need to build your own style guides, customized to the needs of your organization, your audience(s), or your market. Style Meister itself is not an authoritative style guide in the vein of Strunk and White or Associated Press. Instead, Style Meister helps you choose and manage styles that best fit the purpose of your documents. No matter whether you write fiction, edit non-fiction, or work for a bureau with hundreds of clients and hundreds of different styles, this book walks you through all the steps necessary to become your own authority on the best styles for your documents.

The narrative sections provide excellent advice on choosing appropriate usage for hundreds if not thousands of style points. These sections compare recommendations from a variety of sources, and note variations for formal, informal, and other usages. The quick reference sections provide hands-on forms for everything from selecting punctuation styles to tracking style items in your current documents that must be searched for and replaced.

In summary, I have rarely seen a more useful book for anyone who writes or edits for a living. With Style Meister, you can throw out all your so-called "authoritative" style guides and create your own personal style authority, customized specifically for your needs. Goodbye, Strunk and White! Goodbye, Associated Press! Hello, Style Meister!

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