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Authors: Michael Rymaszewski, Wagner James Au, Mark Wallace, Catherine Winters, Cory Ondrejka, Benjamin Batstone-Cunningham
ASIN : 047009608X
Sales Rank : 2102
Studio : Sybex
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780470096086
ISBN : 047009608X
Number Of Pages : 352
Publication Date : December 06, 2006
Publisher : Sybex
Manufacturer : Sybex
Availability : Usually ships in 24 hours
Label : Sybex
| Since "opening" in 2003, Second Life has become an explosive worldwide phenomenon, inhabited by over 5 million virtual residents by 2007. Hit the digital ground running with Second Life: The Official Guide, the ultimate travel reference to this exciting new "metaverse." Get all the information you'll need to create your avatar, navigate the landscape, and build your in-World business to produce real-world profits.
| Download Second Life character trading cards (.pdf) |  | | More images from Second Life (click for larger image) |  |  |  | Book DescriptionSecond Life: The Official Guide is the perfect book for anyone interested in Linden Labs fascinating Second Life metaverse. This book explores in detail every aspect of Second Lifes rich and multilayered virtual world, explains how it works, and offers a wealth of information and practical advice for all Second Life residents. The first part of the book, Getting a Second Life, acquaints potential and new players with the Second Life world. It describes the metaverses geography as well as its society, explaining the written and unwritten rules. The second part, Living a Second Life, deals with the practical and economic aspects of Second Life: creating and customizing an avatar, building objects, scripting, and making money. The third part of the book, Success in Second Life, discusses ways to enjoy Second Life more. This section includes profiles of successful Second Life residents, discusses fascinating in-world events, and examines how some are using Second Life for business, training, and other purposes. The book closes with a glossary as well as quick-reference and additional-resources appendices. The accompanying CD-ROM features special animations, character templates, and textures created by Linden Lab exclusively for this book. The disc also guides new users through installation and includes a code that grants a special object their first time entering the metaverse.
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December 21, 2007.
Excellent web services resource.
Rating: 5
This book is the definitive reference on REST and its principles. It explains in great detail the foundations of well designed web services, and provides excellent advice on how to model them, mixing a lot of theory and code (most of it written in Ruby). Essential reading for anyone working with the web.
December 15, 2007.
A lot of information. Maybe too much..
Rating: 4
There's a lot of material in this book - close to 400 dense pages of highly technical information. This and the ton of examples can't help but impress upon you that the authors are smart. Very smart.
The problem I have with this book is that maybe there's too much information. REST is supposed to simplify things, right? Up until this point I've read about REST in a couple of Rails book. I understand it (I think) and believe it's the wave of the future, especially after spending hours slogging through 800+ page Books on JEE Web Services, WS-Death-*s (good call DHH!) and SOAs. While this book clocks in with less pages, it's still a tough read at times. And sometimes it was easy to lose sight of the forest while meandering through the numerous and sometimes-scattered trees.
Maybe that's just how tech Books are; I don't know. I do know that most people are pressed for time and don't live and breath this stuff - which could explain the popularity of the "For Dummies" and "Head First" series.
Come to think of it, that's what I'd like to see: a "Head First RESTful Web Services" book. I think that would actually *help more people* to understand, and thus use, this technology.
December 15, 2007.
Back to Basics.
Rating: 5
I've been programming the web for more than 10 years and this book does an amazing job of bringing all of us back to basics. So many whiz bang technologies have been built on *top* of the web, all the while losing sight of what makes the HTTP protocol brilliantly successful.
Einstein once said: "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." This epitomizes the goals of HTTP and RESTful web service design. It's about time we had a book that cut through the muck of SOAP and SOA and showed us that all we needed was right here from the beginning.
December 09, 2007.
Great book on rare topic.
Rating: 5
RESTful web services are used so much today but rarely talked about (compared to SOAP, Corba, etc).
This book has great examples of truly RESTful applications including examples for Amazon's S3 service.
A lot of examples include code for many languages (Python, Ruby, PHP, etc). However, the author strongly favors Ruby which is fine. Ruby/Python are so easy to learn that even if you are a PHP programmer the book would be useful.
cbmeeks
December 04, 2007.
Essential Book For All Web 2.0 Developers.
Rating: 5
'RESTful Web Services' by Leonard Richardson is an absolute MUST BUY for all web 2.0 developers and/or web service developers out there in the world. With all the time that has passed since the internet was born to the masses in the early 90s, the web has become a bloated mess. While there have been improvements made, the basic nature of the net which is what makes it so unique and so powerful has become too confusing and that is hat makes this book so powerful. Stripping the confusion away, this book simplifies the web and in particular web services in general, tightening things up and showing how by making things simple makes things happy.
Building topics up bit by bit and taking things in baby steps, this book is an absolute gem that all web services developers need to go out and read TO-DAY. If you want to become a better web services and internet developer, you owe it to yourself to read this great piece of work.
***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
December 19, 2007.
an excelent book for my situation.
Rating: 5
I don't have much formal programming training... much of what I've learned has been through self study. As a consequence, many times I'm not sure if I know something or not. Usually, I try to convince myself I know something but a tiny bit of doubt remains in the back of my head. This is the case for me with respect to object oriented programming. I thought I understood what object oriented programming was about, but I would only use it for certain parts of my programs (using perl, where things are not necessarily object oriented). Also, I would have trouble understanding large OO'd software packages. Reading this book really caused things to click in my mind and I realized what exactly object oriented was all about, how to use object orientation, how not to use it, etc.
Some of those who gave this book low ratings might reasons from their situation, but for me this book helped a lot. I'll agree that the concepts are abstract and difficult, but the authors set up different paths thru the book depending on the readers goals. I think a beginning programmer would get blown away by this book, while experts might know it all from good teachers or painful experience. For me however, this book gave me a bunch of "aha!" moments as the authors explain situations that make programming tricky and explain the solutions.
Also, the book is nice and solid w/ two bookmark ribbons (at least for the hardcover version). Very high quality and not so expensive compared to college textbooks.
December 11, 2007.
Good choice.
Rating: 4
Excellent explaining about the design patters even for those who are new to it.
The only problem is that the samples are in C++ wich should be expected because the book was printed in 1995.
December 30, 2007.
A classic.
Rating: 4
10 years ago this book revolutionize the way programmers see object oriented programming. At that time, it was essential to read it. In fact, I remember that employers were testing candidate knowledge on design patterns at job interviews. Today, I consider this book as a classic that I would recommand to read for everyone that has just learned object oriented programming but it is less essential than it used to be as design patterns knowledge has spread in the litterature and you could even learn about them just by working on existing code. That being said, this book is still very valuable even for people that already know about patterns. I am on my second reading after many years of using the design patterns and I am picking up new insights that has escaped my attention at the first reading.
December 12, 2007.
good and clear book, with minor disadvantage.
Rating: 4
clearly defines design patterns, how and when they should be used, and factors to consider when using them. a very useful book for any software development work. the only disadvantage with this book is that its examples of each design pattern are sometimes convoluted and confusing.
December 09, 2007.
Already Helpful.
Rating: 5
Not even having cracked into the actual patterns yet, this book has already helped me in the way I think about object-oriented design.
As I read I keep thinking back to past projects and thinking about the techniques being described and how much they would've helped me at the time.
Buy it now, don't hesitate.
December 16, 2007.
A must read.
Rating: 5
This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in Web Analytics. I've been a reader of Avinash's blog for some time now and was excited to finally get my hands on his book. A+
December 16, 2007.
Great Insights into Web Analytics.
Rating: 5
Web Analytics: An Hour A Day is a must read for marketing professionals, web analysts, online marketing managers and all those who wish to use key website insights to improve site visitor experience.
December 11, 2007.
Must-read for all Web Analysts.
Rating: 5
I'm a web metrics analyst in a top 20 e-commerce website in US. This book provides valuable knowledge and actionale insights in Web Analytics. The author has a significant experience as a web analytics practioner - it really differentiate this book from other web analytics books.
December 09, 2007.
Great collection of truths!.
Rating: 5
I have been reading about Aninash on several Web Analytics blogs for some time now and finally now I know why I was. He really knows how web analytics should be implemented and how it works. The book gives a lot of practical information, a must-read for anyone doing web analytics.
December 06, 2007.
ISG's Media & Analytics Team gives this book two thumbs way up!.
Rating: 5
We here at the ISG media & analytics team have been anxiously awaiting the publication of Avinash Kaushik's book, Web Analytics: An Hour A Day, since we first "met" Avinash at a webinar back in February. Avinash's passion for web analytics was evident throughout the webinar, and we've been subscribers to his blog, Occam's Razor, ever since.
Web analytics is an important part of what we do at ISG. Years of experience in online marketing has reinforced the idea that there's no point in having a website, microsite, or campaign page if you have no idea how it's performing. That's why Avinash's book is a must read for anyone involved in Internet marketing. His book is a great read for anyone from the director of media & analytics to senior analyst to summer intern. Whether you are involved in complex decision-making and web strategies or are looking at conversion rates to provide actionable insights, this book is great for people of all levels of experience, while providing a fresh look at web analytics.
The book is "a step-by-step guide to implementing a successful web analytics strategy." It is meant to be enjoyed over a span of eight months, but you can read it as quickly or slowly as you like. We here at ISG are sharing a couple of copies between us and are relishing each page as we read, so what follows is a summary of the book based on what we've read and reviewed so far.
The book is divided into four parts:
Part I: Foundation
Part II: Trinity Approach
Part III: Implementing Your Web Analytics Plan
Part IV: Advanced Web Analytics "Data in your DNA"
Part I gives a brief history of web analytics, which makes this book perfect for someone just starting out in the field. Avinash takes the time to describe all the metrics that can be analyzed, how they are derived, and how they are useful for web analytics. He focuses not only on the "what" but on the "why" and proposes a new framework called the Integrated Trinity Platform. Part I (19 pages in total) is chock full of information that will give you the background you need for starting your web analytics study or, if you are experienced in the field, propose a new way to think about the role your job plays in your company.
There's also a bonus CD with 5+ hours of podcasts for your listening pleasure, a 45-minute video presentation, PowerPoint presentations, and other useful web analytics resources. And at the end of the book, Avinash directs the reader to two companion websites so that they may continue on their web analytics journey.
The best part about this book is that it is written by someone who is so passionate about web analytics that he is voluntarily receiving no profit from his book: 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Smile Train and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).
December 22, 2007.
Very complete.
Rating: 5
This is a great book for those who work in software development. It covers a lot of ground (from design to loop, from debugging to naming variables) and it's very easy to read.
December 10, 2007.
One of my Great Library collections.
Rating: 5
I cannot tell more comments as almost all have been covered in other reviewers'. But, truly, purchasing this book will not waste your money at all! Very good coverage on how to do good software construction, from very beginning. It is really from practical perspective, not from academic perspective (which sometimes unrealistic when it goes to real implementation).
Now I can see which ones are good software developers and which ones are not :-)
December 06, 2007.
Most Important Book for Developers out ther.
Rating: 5
This is by far the most important book for anyone who writes code. After reading this book you'll feel like the best programmer around. I used to think I wrote good code until I read this book. It has really showed me how to write great code. If you have never read this book you absolutely have to.
When I first bought the book I started in the chapters about variable names and comments and eventually went back and read the earlier chapters. If the first few chapters turn you off to the book try hopping around at first and come back to those chapters.
December 29, 2007.
Excelent Insight.
Rating: 5
Code complete is an excellent insight into the mind of an experienced developer and what a successful software project must have. Certainly required reading for anyone running large to small software projects.
December 18, 2007.
oogity awesome.
Rating: 5
fantastic book. good for anyone who programs. even people who suck at it will take this book and love it. unless you are really stupid. but i doubt that. i bet you are very smart.
December 18, 2007.
Not worth the money.
Rating: 2
I have to agree with "Electivore". The Guide does have some good info on how to set the sliders for your avatar appearance, and some good information on interesting places and people in Second Life. But it falls down badly in telling you how to create objects, animations, and scripts, some of the most important features of SL. The object creation information is far too basic...doesn't even cover how to cut prims (to make, for example, a partial torus, or half a cylinder). The CD included with the book does include a freeware animation application which is quite useful, but you have to teach yourself how to use it...the book barely mentions it. The scripting chapter left me totally baffled, as it jumped in at a level far above my thirty-year-old knowledge of programming.
Much of the book's content is already available either within SL, or in the tutorials, or in the Second Life forums or knowledgebase
I'd only been playing SL for three weeks before getting this book, but I had already learned almost everything contained in it. I love Second Life, but sadly, I can't recommend the "Official Guide".
December 03, 2007.
Largely useless fluff, very little useful information.
Rating: 1
This is a very poor introductory book. The single fact that it has no index is enough to rate it only one star. You cannot look up anything readily. Much of the book is fluff: useless, even if sometimes interesting, information on the background of SL and its workings and its denizens. But it is very poor at explaining how to DO things in SL. Almost every time you want information on the specifics of how to do something (move, look around, build, buy, etc.) instead of telling you, it tells you to check the KnowledgeBase of SL itself. Two things wrong with this: you already have to have an SL account to do so, and the URLs given don't work. Further, terms and jargon are used before they are explained. This book is good example of why people who are close to a technical project should not be the authors of manuals for beginners. As "the official guide" to SL, this ought to be an embarasment to to those who wrote it and those who run SL.
December 27, 2007.
A very good guide to start on Second Life.
Rating: 5
For me its a very good guide to start on Second Life, because its show all the begining things to noobs and show more than these. Is not only a tourist guide, there are things like what type of bussines the people do on second life and all the things the residents do to make Second Life a very nice place to stay.
December 14, 2007.
Excellent for the beginner.
Rating: 4
The book is well laid out and gives you what you need to get started in this really wild world called Second Life! From tips on how to tweak your avatar to the dreaded script language, for someone just starting out this is what you need. The only reason I didn't give it a five is it could have gone a lot deeper, but then again there really is no way they could have covered it all!
December 08, 2007.
Good for the new user.
Rating: 4
Wish I would have had this when I started SL about a year and a half ago. A pretty good overview of what to do and how to get started. For someone who's been in SL for awhile, though, it doesn't really go into enough depth. It does provide information on where to go for more information, though.
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