Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment or Storage Area Networks for Dummies

Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment

Author: W Richard Stevens

"This is the definitive reference book for any serious or professional UNIX systems programmer. Rago has updated and extended the original Stevens classic while keeping true to the original."

—Andrew Josey, Director, Certification, The Open Group, and Chair of the POSIX 1003.1 Working Group

The same trusted content from the Second Edition, now in paperback!

For over a decade, serious C programmers have relied on one book for practical, in-depth knowledge of the programming interfaces that drive the UNIX and Linux kernels: W. Richard Stevens' Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment. Now, Stevens' colleague Stephen Rago has thoroughly updated this classic to reflect the latest technical advances and add support for today's leading UNIX and Linux platforms.

Rago carefully retains the spirit and approach that made this book a classic. Building on Stevens' work, he begins with basic topics such as files, directories, and processes, carefully laying the groundwork for understanding more advanced techniques, such as signal handling and terminal I/O.

Substantial new material includes chapters on threads and multithreaded programming, using the socket interface to drive interprocess communication (IPC), and extensive coverage of the interfaces added to the latest version of the POSIX.1 standard. Nearly all examples have been tested on four of today's most widely used UNIX/Linux platforms: FreeBSD 5.2.1; the Linux 2.4.22 kernel; Solaris 9; and Darwin 7.4.0, the FreeBSD/Mach hybrid underlying Apple's Mac OS X 10.3.

As in the first edition, you'll learn through example, including more than 10,000lines of downloadable, ANSI C source code. More than 400 system calls and functions are demonstrated with concise, complete programs that clearly illustrate their usage, arguments, and return values. To tie together what you've learned, the book presents several chapter-length case studies, each fully updated for contemporary environments.

Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment has helped a generation of programmers write code with exceptional power, performance, and reliability. Now updated for today's UNIX/Linux systems, this second edition will be even more indispensable.

Table of Contents:

Foreword.

Preface.

Preface to the First Edition.

1. UNIX System Overview.

Introduction.

UNIX Architecture.

Logging In.

Files and Directories.

Input and Output.

Programs and Processes.

Error Handling.

User Identification.

Signals.

Time Values.

System Calls and Library Functions.

Summary.

2. UNIX Standardization and Implementations.

Introduction.

UNIX Standardization.

UNIX System Implementations.

Relationship of Standards and Implementations.

Limits.

Options.

Feature Test Macros.

Primitive System Data Types.

Conflicts Between Standards.

Summary.

3. File I/O.

Introduction.

File Descriptors.

open Function.

creat Function.

closeFunction.

lseek Function.

read Function.

write Function.

I/O Efficiency.

File Sharing.

Atomic Operations.

dup and dup2 Functions.

sync, fsync, and fdatasync Functions.

fcntl Function.

ioctl Function.

/dev/fd.

Summary.

4. Files and Directories.

Introduction.

stat, fstat, and lstat Functions.

File Types.

Set-User-ID and Set-Group-ID.

File Access Per missions.

Ownership of New Files and Directories.

access Function.

umask Function.

chmodand fchmodFunctions.

Sticky Bit.

chown, fchown, and lchown Functions.

File Size.

File Truncation.

File Systems.

link, unlink, remove, and rename Functions.

Symbolic Links.

symlinkand readlink Functions.

File Times.

utime Function.

mkdirand rmdir Functions.

Reading Director ies.

chdir, fchdir, and getcwd Functions.

Device Special Files.

Summary of File Access Per mission Bits.

Summary.

5. Standard I/O Library.

Introduction.

Streams and FILE Objects.

Standard Input, Standard Output, and Standard Error.

Buffering.

Opening a Stream.

Reading and Writing a Stream.

Line-at-a-Time I/O.

Standard I/O Efficiency.

Binary I/O.

Positioning a Stream.

Formatted I/O.

Implementation Details.

Temporary Files.

Alternatives to Standard I/O.

Summary.

6. System Data Files and Information.

Introduction.

Password File.

Shadow Passwords.

Group File.

Supplementary Group Ids.

Implementation Differences.

Other Data Files.

Login Accounting.

System Identification.

Time and Date Routines.

Summary.

7. Process Environment.

Introduction.

main Function.

Process Termination.

Command-Line Arguments.

Environment List.

Memory Layout of a C Program.

Shared Libraries.

Memory Allocation.

Environment Variables.

setjmp and longjmp Functions.

getrlimit and setrlimit Functions.

Summary.

8. Process Control.

Introduction.

Process Identifiers.

fork Function.

vfork Function.

exit Functions.

waitand waitpid Functions.

waitid Function.

wait3and wait4Functions.

Race Conditions.

exec Functions.

Changing User IDs and Group IDs.

Interpreter Files.

system Function.

Process Accounting.

User Identification.

Process Times.

Summary.

9. Process Relationships.

Introduction.

Terminal Logins.

Network Logins.

Process Groups.

Sessions.

Controlling Terminal.

tcgetpgrp, tcsetpgrp, and tcgetsid Functions.

Job Control.

Shell Execution of Programs.

Orphaned Process Groups.

FreeBSD Implementation.

Summary.

10. Signals.

Introduction.

Signal Concepts.

signal Function.

Unreliable Signals.

Interrupted System Calls.

Reentrant Functions.

SIGCLD Semantics.

Reliable-Signal Terminology and Semantics.

killand raise Functions.

alarmand pause Functions.

Signal Sets.

sigprocmask Function.

sigpending Function.

sigaction Function.

sigsetjmp and siglongjmp Functions.

sigsuspend Function.

abort Function.

system Function.

sleep Function.

Job-Control Signals.

Additional Features.

Summary.

11. Threads.

Introduction.

Thread Concepts.

Thread Identification.

Thread Creation.

Thread Termination.

Thread Synchronization.

Summary.

12. Thread Control.

Introduction.

Thread Limits.

hread Attributes.

Synchronization Attributes.

Reentrancy.

Thread-Specific Data.

Cancel Options.

Threads and Signals.

Threads and fork.

Threads and I/O.

Summary.

13. Daemon Processes.

Introduction.

Daemon Characteristics.

Coding Rules.

Error Logging.

Single-Instance Daemons.

Daemon Conventions.

Client-Server Model.

Summary.

14. Advanced I/O.

Introduction.

Nonblocking I/O.

Record Locking.

STREAMS.

I/O Multiplexing.

2 poll Function.

Asynchronous I/O.

readv and writev Functions.

readn and written Functions.

Memory-Mapped I/O.

Summary.

15. Interprocess Communication.

Introduction.

Pipes.

popen and pclose Functions.

Coprocesses.

FIFOs.

XSI IPC.

Message Queues.

Semaphores.

Shared Memory.

Client-Server Properties.

Summary.

16. Network IPC: Sockets.

Introduction.

Socket Descriptors.

Addressing.

Connection Establishment.

Data Transfer.

Socket Options.

Out-of-Band Data.

Nonblocking and Asynchronous I/O.

Summary.

17 Advanced IPC.

Introduction.

STREAMS-Based Pipes.

Unique Connections.

Passing File Descriptors.

An Open Server, Version 1.

An Open Server, Version 2.

Summary.

18. Terminal I/O.

Introduction.

Overview.

Special Input Characters.

Getting and Setting Terminal Attributes.

Terminal Option Flags.

stty Command.

Baud Rate Functions.

Line Control Functions.

Terminal Identification.

Canonical Mode.

Noncanonical Mode.

Terminal Window Size.

termcap, terminfo, and curses.

Summary.

19. Pseudo Terminals.

Introduction.

Overview.

Opening Pseudo-Terminal Devices.

pty_fork Function.

pty Program.

Using the pty Program.

Advanced Features.

Summary.

20. A Database Library.

Introduction.

History.

The Library.

Implementation Overview.

Centralized or Decentralized?

Concurrency.

Building the Library.

Source Code.

Performance.

Summary.

21. Communicating with a Network Printer.

Introduction.

The Inter net Printing Protocol.

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

Printer Spooling.

Source Code.

Summary.

Appendix A. Function Prototypes.

Appendix B. Miscellaneous Source Code.

Our Header File.

Standard Error Routines.

Appendix C. Solutions to Selected Exercises.

Bibliography.

Index.

New interesting textbook: Life After Trauma or Erotic Massage

Storage Area Networks for Dummies

Author: Alex Nikitin

In case you weren’t sure, a storage area network, or SAN, is a collection of computers and storage devices connected over a high-speed optical network and dedicated to the task of storing and protecting data. SANs solve many of the data storage and management problems that have long bedeviled enterprise networks, and they save companies who use them a bundle. Which is why SAN administration is one of the highest-paid jobs in IT today. Add storage area networking to your resume and your phone will ring off the hook with calls by head-hunters promising of six-figure salaries.

Bored with in your current IT job and looking for a change of pace—and bigger bucks? Then Storage Area Networks For Dummies is for you. Have you been tasked with designing, implementing, or troubleshooting your company’s SAN and need to play catch-up in a hurry? Look no further. In no time, this book gets you on track with the know-how and confidence you need to:

• Choose the right hardware for the job
• Design state-of-the-art SANs
• Implement a SAN and get it running like a well-oiled machine
• Configure, manage and troubleshoot SANs
• Seamlessly integrate two or more SANs
• Become a SAN sage and give your career a major boost

From the ABCs of SANs to making the most of advanced SAN features, Storage Area Networks For Dummies covers all the bases in plain English and with loads of real-life examples. Key topics covered include:

• What are SANs, how they work, and who needs them
• SAN protocols, components, and common problems
• Designing and building a SAN
• SANs and disaster recovery
• Networking SANs
• Understanding, choosing, and using SAN backup solutions
• Making the most of Point-in-Time technology
• Outsourcing SANs
• Managing and troubleshooting SANs

The solution to so many enterprise data storage problems, SANs equal heightened efficiency and productivity for organizations and greater prosperity for those who build and manage them. Let Storage Area Networks For Dummies help you get in on the ground floor of one of today’s hottest IT growth areas.

PhotoShop 7 for Dummies or Principles of Information Security Third Edition

PhotoShop 7 for Dummies

Author: Barbara Obermeier

Adobe Photoshop is arguably the most comprehensive and popular photo editor around. Here are a couple of reasons why: When you work in Photoshop, you're not drawing from scratch; you're editing photos. Secondly, the program keeps you interested with a depth of capabilities that few pieces of software can match. Unlike other computer programs that have caught on like wildfire over the years, Photoshop is both powerful and absorbing.

Just because Photoshop is a pleasure to use doesn't mean that it's easy to master. Directed toward making you comfortable and productive with the program, Photoshop 7 For Dummies points out the features you need to know and shows you exactly how to use them ­– no pain; all gain. You'll discover ways to

• Work with the program window

• Switch between Photoshop and other programs

• Change the number of pixels in an image

• Define colors using the Color Palette

• Get ride of red eye

• Blur the edges of a selected area

• Apply filter effects

Photoshop guru and author Deke McClelland reveals his own techniques for quick and creative image editing, along with specific tips that Photoshop veterans can use to take advantage of the software's new features. Plan to get the hang of

• Producing high quality scans

• Adding background textures, bevels, and text effects

• Harnessing Photoshop's layering features and professional pre-press capabilities

• Applying different types of gradients

• Making a Web Photo Gallery

• Placing your image intoPageMaker of InDesign

• Creating your own custom brush

Graphics abound in Photoshop 7 For Dummies, with 16 pages of glossy pictures to show off special issues related to color. You'll find commands for both PCs and Macs and lots of step-by-step instructions to guide your image-editing efforts for print or the Web – in no time!

Table of Contents:

	Introduction	1
Pt. I	What the ...? Aagh, Help Me!	7
Ch. 1	Meet Dr. Photo and Mr. Shop	9
Ch. 2	Canvassing the on-Screen Canvas	21
Ch. 3	Now the Fun Really Begins	41
Pt. II	The Care and Feeding of Pixels	67
Ch. 4	Sizing Up Your Image	69
Ch. 5	Auntie Em versus the Munchkins (Death Match)	87
Ch. 6	Save Before You Say Good Night	109
Ch. 7	Going to Hard Copy	127
Pt. III	Tiptoe through the Toolbox	147
Ch. 8	Paint Me Young, Beautiful, and Twisted	149
Ch. 9	Making a Mockery of Reality	175
Ch. 10	Cleaning Up Goobers	203
Ch. 11	Turning Back the Digital Clock	219
Pt. IV	Select Before You Correct	235
Ch. 12	The Great Pixel Roundup (Yee Ha)	237
Ch. 13	More Fun with Selections	277
Ch. 14	Coloring inside the Lines	291
Pt. V	So, You Say You're Serious about Image Editing	313
Ch. 15	Layers upon Layers upon Layers	315
Ch. 16	Digital Graffiti	343
Ch. 17	Forays into Filters	365
Ch. 18	Drawing Color from a Dreary Wasteland	383
Ch. 19	Taking a Peek at Web Graphics	403
Pt. VI	The Part of Tens	427
Ch. 20	Ten Tricky Techniques to Assign to Memory	429
Ch. 21	Ten Things to Do with Your Photoshop Masterpiece	439
	Index	449

Books about: Essential Statistics for Economics Business and Management or Telecommunications Optimization

Principles of Information Security, Third Edition

Author: Michael E Whitman

Explore the field of information security and assurance with this valuable resource that focuses on both the managerial and technical aspects of the discipline. Principles of Information Security, Third Edition builds on internationally recognized standards and bodies of knowledge to provide the knowledge and skills that information systems students need for their future roles as business decision-makers. Coverage includes key knowledge areas of the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), as well as risk management, cryptography, physical security, and more. The third edition has retained the real-world examples and scenarios that made previous editions so successful, but has updated the content to reflect technology's latest capabilities and trends. With this emphasis on currency and comprehensive coverage, readers can feel confident that they are using a standards-based, content-driven resource to prepare them for their work in the field.

The PIC Microcontroller or Agile Software Development Principles Patterns and Practices 1 e

The PIC Microcontroller: Your Personal Introductory Course

Author: John Morton

Assuming no prior knowledge of microcontrollers and introducing the PIC microcontroller's capabilities through simple projects, this book is ideal for electronics students, engineers and hobbyists. The step-by-step explanations and useful projects make it ideal for self-study, with an emphasis on hands-on learning from the start.

Booknews

Assuming no prior knowledge of microcontrollers, this book provides step-by-step instructions for simple projects introducing the PIC's capabilities. This new edition also covers the reprogrammable EEPROM PICs: P16C84/P16F84 as well as the P54 and P71 families. Chapters outline the basics, look at specific series, describe a PIC development environment, offer programming tips, and present 17 sample programs. Appendixes discuss specifications, pin layouts, quick references, troubleshooting, contact information, and further reading. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Table of Contents:

1	Introduction	1
2	Exploring the PIC5x series	20
3	The PIC12F50x series (8-pin PIC microcontrollers)	90
4	Intermediate operations using the PIC12F675	100
5	Advanced operations and the future	138
6	A PIC development environment	143
7	Sample programs	145
App. A	Specifications of some Flash PIC microcontrollers	189
App. B	Pin layouts of some Flash PIC microcontrollers	191
App. C	Instructions glossary	192
App. D	Number system conversion	195
App. E	Bit assignments of various file registers	196
App. F	If all else fails, read this	203
App. G	Contacts and further reading	204
App. H	PICKit 1 & BFMP info	205
App. I	Answers to the exercises	207
App. J	Some BASIC commands in assembly	222

Look this: Anything but Chardonnay or Jewish Cooking For All Seasons

Agile Software Development, Principles, Patterns, and Practices 1/e

Author: Robert Cecil Martin

Best selling author and world-renowned software development expert Robert C. Martin shows how to solve the most challenging problems facing software developers, project managers, and software project leaders today.

This comprehensive, pragmatic tutorial on Agile Development and eXtreme programming, written by one of the founding father of Agile Development:

• Teaches software developers and project managers how to get projects done on time, and on budget using the power of Agile Development.
• Uses real-world case studies to show how to of plan, test, refactor, and pair program using eXtreme programming.
• Contains a wealth of reusable C++ and Java code.
• Focuses on solving customer oriented systems problems using UML and Design Patterns.

Robert C. Martin is President of Object Mentor Inc. Martin and his team of software consultants use Object-Oriented Design, Patterns, UML, Agile Methodologies, and eXtreme Programming with worldwide clients. He is the author of the best-selling book Designing Object-Oriented C++ Applications Using the Booch Method (Prentice Hall, 1995), Chief Editor of, Pattern Languages of Program Design 3 (Addison Wesley, 1997), Editor of, More C++ Gems (Cambridge, 1999), and co-author of XP in Practice, with James Newkirk (Addison-Wesley, 2001). He was Editor in Chief of the C++ Report from 1996 to 1999. He is a featured speaker at international conferences and trade shows.

Discovering Computers 2008 or MCSA MCSE Self Paced Traning Kit Exam 70 350

Discovering Computers 2008: Complete

Author: Gary B Shelly

Discovering Computers 2008 delivers students an unparalleled learning experience by offering the most current and comprehensive information on computers and technology.

Table of Contents:

Introduction to Computers     2
A World of Computers     4
What is a Computer?     6
Data and Information     6
Information Processing Cycle     6
The Components of a Computer     7
Input Devices     7
Output Devices     8
System Unit     8
Storage Devices     8
Communication Devices     9
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Computers     9
Looking Ahead: Medical Implants Can Enhance Lifestyles     9
Ethics & Issues: What Should Be Done about Identity Theft?     10
Networks and the Internet     11
The Internet     12
Ethics & Issues: Who is Responsible for the Accuracy of Web Pages?     14
Computer Software     15
System Software     15
Application Software     16
Ethics & Issues: Do Computer Games Do More Harm than Good?     16
Installing and Running Programs     17
Software Development     18
Categories of Computers     18
Personal Computers     19
Desktop Computers     20
Mobile Computers and Mobile Devices     20
Notebook Computers     20
Mobile Devices     21
Game Consoles     22
Servers     23
Mainframes     23
Supercomputers     23
Embedded Computers     24
Elements of an Information System     25
Examples of Computer Usage     26
Home User     26
Ethics & Issues: Who Should Monitor Online Social Networks?     27
Small Office/Home User     28
Mobile User     29
Power User     29
Large Business User     30
Putting It All Together     31
Computer Applications in Society     32
Looking Ahead: Robots Perform Mundane, Dangerous Tasks     32
Education     32
Finance     32
Government     33
Ethics & Issues: Should the Government Be Able to Perform Surveillance on All Electronic Communications?     33
Health Care     34
Science     34
Publishing     35
Travel     36
Manufacturing     36
Chapter Summary     37
High-Tech Talk     38
Analog versus Digital: Making the Conversion     38
Companies on the Cutting Edge     39
Dell     39
Apple Computer     39
Technology Trailblazers     39
Bill Gates     39
Anne Mulcahy     39
Chapter Review     40
Key Terms     42
Checkpoint     43
Learn It Online     46
Learn How To     48
Web Research     50
Case Studies     51
Special Feature: Timeline 2008     52
The Internet and World Wide Web     66
The Internet     68
History of the Internet     69
Looking Ahead: Internet Speeds into the Future     70
How the Internet Works     70
Connecting to the Internet     70
Access Providers     71
How Data Travels the Internet     72
Internet Addresses     73
The World Wide Web     75
Browsing the Web     75
Web Addresses     76
Navigating Web Pages     77
Searching for Information on the Web     78
Looking Ahead: Facing Up to Search Technology     81
Types of Web Sites     82
Ethics & Issues: Should You Trust a Wiki for Academic Research?      84
Evaluating a Web Site     84
Multimedia on the Web     85
Ethics & Issues: Who Should Control the Content of Your CDs, DVDs, and Media Files?     87
Web Publishing     89
E-Commerce     91
Looking Ahead: Grocery Shopping with a Buddy     92
Other Internet Services     92
E-Mail     92
Ethics & Issues: E-mail: Irritant or Liberator?     94
FTP     96
Newsgroups and Message Boards     96
Mailing Lists     97
Chat Rooms     98
Instant Messaging     98
Internet Telephony     99
Netiquette     100
Chapter Summary     101
Ethics & Issues: Should Companies Be Able to Track Your Online Habits?     101
High-Tech Talk     102
A Computer's Internet Protocol (IP) Address     102
Companies on the Cutting Edge     103
Google     103
Yahoo!     103
Technology Trailblazers     103
Tim Berners-Lee     103
Meg Whitman     103
Chapter Review     104
Key Terms     106
Checkpoint     107
Learn It Online     110
Learn How To     112
Web Research     114
Case Studies     115
Special Feature: Making Use of the Web     116
Application Software     132
Application Software     134
The Role of System Software     135
Working with Application Software     136
Looking Ahead: Touch Drive Your Computer Screen     137
Business Software     138
Word Processing Software     138
Developing a Document     141
Ethics & Issues: How Should Schools Deal with Internet Plagiarism?     141
Spreadsheet Software     142
Database Software     145
Presentation Graphics Software     146
Note Taking Software     147
Personal Information Manager Software     148
PDA Business Software     148
Software Suite     148
Project Management Software     149
Accounting Software     149
Document Management Software     150
Enterprise Computing Software     150
Graphics and Multimedia Software     151
Computer-Aided Design     151
Desktop Publishing Software (for the Professional)      152
Paint/Image Editing Software (for the Professional)     152
Photo Editing Software (for the Professional)     152
Ethics & Issues: Altering Digital Photographs - Art or Fraud?     153
Video and Audio Editing Software (for the Professional)     153
Multimedia Authoring Software     154
Web Page Authoring Software     154
Software for Home, Personal, and Educational Use     155
Software Suite (for Personal Use)     156
Personal Finance Software     156
Legal Software     157
Tax Preparation Software     157
Desktop Publishing Software (for Personal Use)     158
Paint/Image Editing Software (for Personal Use)     158
Photo Editing Software     159
Clip Art/Image Gallery     159
Video and Audio Editing Software (for Personal Use)     159
Home Design/Landscaping Software     160
Reference and Educational Software     160
Entertainment Software     160
Application Software for Communications     161
Ethics & Issues: Should Companies Monitor Employees' E-Mail and Internet Traffic?     161
Popular Utility Programs     162
Web-Based Software      163
Application Service Providers     164
Learning Aids and Support Tools for Application Software     164
Looking Ahead: 3-D Scans May Reduce Surgeries     164
Web-Based Training     165
Ethics & Issues: Will Patents Endanger E-Learning?     166
Chapter Summary!     167
Ethics & Issues: Copying Software - A Computer Crime!     167
High-Tech Talk     168
Computer Viruses: Delivery, Infection, and Avoidance     168
Companies on the Cutting Edge     169
Adobe Systems     169
Microsoft     169
Technology Trailblazers     169
Dan Bricklin     169
Masayoshi Son     169
Chapter Review     170
Key Terms     172
Checkpoint     173
Learn It Online     176
Learn How To     178
Web Research     180
Case Studies     181
The Components of the System Unit     182
The System Unit     184
The Motherboard     186
Processor     187
The Control Unit     187
Ethics & Issues: Can Computers Think?     187
The Arithmetic Logic Unit      188
Machine Cycle     188
Registers     189
The System Clock     189
Looking Ahead: Hybrid Technology to Power Supercomputer     190
Dual-Core and Multi-Core Processors     190
Comparison of Personal Computer Processors     190
Buying a Personal Computer     192
Heat Sinks, Heat Pipes, and Liquid Cooling     193
Ethics & Issues: Discarded Computer Components: Whose Problem Is It?     193
Parallel Processing     194
Data Representation     194
Memory     197
Bytes and Addressable Memory     197
Memory Sizes     197
Types of Memory     197
RAM     198
Ethics & Issues: Should Schools Supply Computers to All Students?     200
Cache     201
ROM     201
Flash Memory     202
CMOS     203
Memory Access Times     203
Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards     204
Flash Memory Cards, USB Flash Drives, PC Cards, and ExpressCards     205
Ports and Connectors     206
Serial Ports     207
Parallel Ports     208
USB Ports      208
FireWire Ports     209
Special Purpose Ports     209
Buses     211
Expansion Bus     212
Bays     212
Power Supply     213
Mobile Computers and Devices     213
Ethics & Issues: Should Notebook Computers Be Banned on Airplanes?     214
Putting It All Together     215
Looking Ahead: Healing Bodies with Nanotechnology     215
Keeping Your Computer Clean     216
Chapter Summary     217
High-Tech Talk     218
Random Access Memory (RAM); The Genius of Memory     218
Companies on the Cutting Edge     219
AMD     219
Intel     219
Technology Trailblazers     219
Jack Kilby     219
Gordon Moore     219
Chapter Review     220
Key Terms     222
Checkpoint     223
Learn It Online     226
Learn How To     228
Web Research     230
Case Studies     231
Input     232
What is Input?     234
What are Input Devices?     236
The Keyboard     236
Ethics & Issues: Keyboard Monitoring-Privacy Risk?     237
Keyboard Connections     238
Keyboard Ergonomics     238
Pointing Devices     239
Mouse     239
Mouse Types     239
Using a Mouse     240
Ethics & Issues: Are Employers Responsible for Medical Problems Related to Computer Use?     241
Other Pointing Devices     241
Trackball     241
Touchpad     241
Pointing Stick     242
Light Pen     242
Touch Screen     242
Pen Input     242
Controllers for Gaming and Media Players     244
Gamepads     244
Joysticks and Wheels     244
Light Guns     244
Dance Pads     244
Motion-Sensing Game Controllers     244
Touch Sensitive Pads     245
Voice Input     245
Audio Input     246
Input for PDAs, Smart Phones, and Tablet PCs     247
PDAs     247
Smart Phones     248
Tablet PCs     249
Ethics & Issues: Should Talking on a Cellular Phone While Driving Be Illegal?     249
Digital Cameras      250
Digital Camera Quality     252
Video Input     253
PC Video Cameras     253
Web Cams     254
Ethics & Issues: Should Cameras Be Able to Monitor Your Every Move?     254
Video Conferencing     254
Scanners and Reading Devices     255
Optical Scanners     255
Optical Readers     257
Bar Code Readers     258
Ethics & Issues: Scanner Errors at the Checkout Counter?     258
RFID Readers     259
Ethics & Issues: Will RFID Track Your Every Move?     259
Looking Ahead: Paying with Your Cellular Telephone     259
Magnetic Stripe Card Readers     260
MICR Readers     260
Data Collection Devices     261
Terminals     261
Point-of-Sale Terminals     261
Automated Teller Machines     262
Biometric Input     262
Putting It All Together     265
Input Devices for Physically Challenged Users     266
Chapter Summary     267
Looking Ahead: Paying with Your Cellular Telephone     259
High-Tech Talk     268
Biometrics: Personalized Security     268
Companies on the Cutting Edge     269
Logitech     269
Palm     269
Technology Trailblazers     269
Charles Walton     269
Douglas Englebart     269
Chapter Review     270
Key Terms     272
Checkpoint     273
Learn It Online     276
Learn How To     278
Web Research     280
Case Studies     281
Special Feature: Personal Mobile Devices     282
Output     282
What is Output?     300
Display Devices     302
Flat-Panel Displays     302
LCD Monitors and Screens     302
LCD Technology     304
Looking Ahead: Rollable Displays Lock and Role     304
LCD Quality     304
Graphics Chips, Ports, and LCD Monitors     305
Plasma Monitors     307
Televisions     307
CRT Monitors     308
Quality of a CRT Monitor     309
Graphics Chips and CRT Monitors     309
Printers     310
Producing Printed Output     311
Nonimpact Printers     312
Ink-Jet Printers      312
Ethics & Issues: Should Companies Prohibit Consumers from Refilling Ink Cartridges?     314
Photo Printers     314
Ethics & Issues: Who Is Responsible for Stopping Counterfeiting?     315
Laser Printers     315
Thermal Printers     317
Mobile Printers     317
Label and Postage Printers     318
Plotters and Large-Format Printers     318
Impact Printers     318
Speakers, Headphones, and Earphones     320
Ethics & Issues: Should Colleges Provide Free Access to Music for Students?     321
Other Output Devices     322
Fax Machines and Fax Modems     322
Multifunction Peripherals     323
Data Projectors     323
Looking Ahead: Ultra HDTV Puts Viewers in the Picture     324
Force-Feedback Joysticks, Wheels, and Gamepads     324
Putting It All Together     325
Output Devices for Physically Challenged Users     326
Ethics & Issues: Should Web Sites Be Held Accountable for Accessibility Levels for Physically Challenged People?     327
Chapter Summary     327
High-Tech Talk     328
Sound Cards: Bringing Your Computer to Life     328
Companies on the Cutting Edge      329
Hewlett-Packard     329
ViewSonic     329
Technology Trailblazers     329
Steve Jobs     329
Dorma Dubinsky     329
Chapter Review     330
Key Terms     332
Checkpoint     333
Learn It Online     336
Learn How To     338
Web Research     340
Case Studies     341
Special Feature: Digital Imaging and Video Technology     342
Storage     352
Storage     354
Magnetic Disks     357
Hard Disks     358
Looking Ahead: Heat Increases Disk Capacity     359
Floppy Disks     365
Optical Discs     366
Care of Optical Discs     368
Types of Optical Discs     368
CD-ROMs     369
Looking Ahead: Bookshelf Design Streamlines Entertainment Storage?     369
CD-Rs and CD-RWs     370
Ethics & Issues: Does Music and Movie Downloading Harm CD Sales?     371
DVD-ROMs     372
Ethics & Issues: Is the Blu-ray and HD DVD Competition Good for Consumers, BD-ROMs, and HD DVD-ROMs?     373
Recordable and Rewritable DVDs      373
Tape     374
PC Cards and Expresscards     374
Miniature Mobile Storage Media     375
Flash Memory Cards     376
USB Flash Drives     377
Smart Cards     378
Ethics & Issues: Should the World Become a Cashless Society?     378
Microfilm and Microfiche     379
Enterprise Storage     379
Putting It All Together     380
Chapter Summary     381
Ethics & Issues: Who Should Be Looking at Your Medical Records?     381
High-Tech Talk     382
Disk Formatting and File Systems     382
Companies on the Cutting Edge     383
Seagate Technology     383
SanDisk Corporation     383
Technology Trailblazers     383
Al Shugart     383
Mark Dean     383
Chapter Review     384
Key Terms     386
Checkpoint     387
Learn It Online     390
Learn How To     392
Web Research     394
Case Studies     395
Operating Systems and Utility Programs     396
System Software     398
Operating Systems      398
Operating System Functions     400
Starting a Computer     400
Providing a User Interface     402
Managing Programs     403
Managing Memory     405
Scheduling Jobs     406
Configuring Devices     407
Establishing an Internet Connection     409
Monitoring Performance     409
Ethics & Issues: What Should Be in an Operating System?     409
Providing File Management and Other Utilities     410
Controlling a Network     410
Administering Security     410
Ethics & Issues: Who Should Be Responsible for Notebook Computer Security?     411
Operating System Utility Programs     411
File Manager     412
Search Utility     412
Image Viewer     412
Personal Firewall     413
Uninstaller     413
Disk Scanner     414
Disk Defragmenter     414
Diagnostic Utility     414
Backup Utility     415
Screen Saver     415
Types of Operating Systems     415
Ethics & Issues: Does Windows Genuine Advantage Give an Advantage to Hackers?     416
Stand-Alone Operating Systems     416
Windows XP     417
Windows Vista     418
Mac OS X     420
Looking Ahead: Apple Marching to Its Own Tune     420
UNIX     420
Linux     421
Network Operating Systems     422
Windows Server 2003     422
UNIX     422
Linux     423
Solaris     423
Netware     423
Embedded Operating Systems     423
Windows CE     423
Windows Mobile     424
Palm OS     424
Blackberry     424
Embedded Linux     425
Symbian OS     425
Stand-Alone Utility Programs     425
Antivirus Programs     425
Spyware Removers     427
Internet Filters     427
File Conversion     427
File Compression     427
Media Player     428
CD/DVD Burning     428
Personal Computer Maintenance     429
Looking Ahead: Online Operating Systems Proposed     429
Chapter Summary     429
High-Tech Talk     430
Lossy vs. Lossless Data Compression: Using Compression Algorithms to Reduce File Size     430
Companies on the Cutting Edge     431
Red Hat     431
Research In Motion (RIM)     431
Technology Trailblazers     431
Alan Kay     431
Linus Torvalds     431
Chapter Review     432
Key Terms     434
Checkpoint     435
Learn It Online     438
Learn How To     440
Web Research     442
Case Studies     443
Special Feature: Buyer's Guide 2008     444
Communications and Networks     458
Communications     460
Uses of Computer Communications     462
Internet, Web, E-Mail, Instant Messaging, Chat Rooms, Newsgroups, Internet Telephony, FTP, Web Folders, Video Conferencing, and Fax     462
Wireless Messaging Services     462
Ethics & Issues: Should Cell Phones Be Banned in the Workplace?     462
Ethics & Issues: High-Tech Cheating via Wireless Messaging Services     464
Public Internet Access Points     464
Cybercafes     465
Global Positioning System     465
Collaboration     467
Groupware     468
Voice Mail      468
Web Services     468
Networks     469
LANs, MANs, and WANs     470
Network Architectures     472
Network Topologies     474
Intranets     475
Network Communications Standards     476
Ethernet     476
Token Ring     476
TCP/IP     477
802.11 (Wi-Fi)     478
Bluetooth     478
UWB     478
IrDA     478
RFID     479
WiMax     479
WAP     480
Communications Software     480
Ethics & Issues: Should You Worry about Cellular Antenna Radiation?     480
Communications Over the Telephone Network     481
Dial-Up Lines     481
Dedicated Lines     482
ISDN Lines     482
DSL     482
FTTH and FTTB     483
T-Carrier Lines     483
ATM     483
Communications Devices     484
Dial-Up Modems     485
ISDN and DSL Modems     485
Cable Modems     485
Wireless Modems     486
Network Cards      486
Wireless Access Points     487
Routers     488
Connecting Networks     488
Home Networks     489
Wired Home Networks     489
Wireless Home Networks     490
Communications Channel     491
Looking Ahead: Telepresence Expands Face-to-Face Communications     492
Physical Transmission Media     492
Twisted-Pair Cable     493
Coaxial Cable     493
Fiber-Optic Cable     493
Wireless Transmission Media     494
Ethics & Issues: Is It Ethical to Steal Wireless Internet Service?     494
Infrared     494
Broadcast Radio     494
Cellular Radio     494
Microwaves     495
Communications Satellite     496
Looking Ahead: Fighting Fires, Staying Healthy with Satellites     496
Chapter Summary     497
High-Tech Talk     498
OSI Reference Model: The Driving Force Behind Network Communications     498
Companies on the Cutting Edge     499
Cisco Systems     499
Qualcomm     499
Technology Trailblazers     499
Robert Metcalfe      499
Patricia Russo     499
Chapter Review     500
Key Terms     502
Checkpoint     503
Learn It Online     506
Learn How To     508
Web Research     510
Case Studies     511
Database Management     512
Databases, Data and Information     514
Ethics & Issues: Are Portable Storage Devices a Threat to Business?     516
Data Integrity     516
Qualities of Valuable Information     516
The Hierarchy of Data     517
Characters     518
Fields     518
Records     519
Files     519
Ethics & Issues: Is a National Identification Card Necessary for the Security of the Nation?     519
Maintaining Data     520
Adding Records     520
Changing Records     521
Deleting Records     522
Validating Data     522
File Processing Versus Databases     524
File Processing Systems     524
The Database Approach     524
Ethics & Issues: Should States Share Criminal Database?     525
Database Management Systems     526
Data Dictionary     527
File Retrieval and Maintenance     528
Looking Ahead: Archive an Entire Lifetime     528
Data Security     530
Ethics & Issues: Would You Carry a Contacties Smart Card?     531
Backup and Recovery     531
Relational, Object-Oriented, and Multidimensional Databases     532
Relational Databases     533
Object-Oriented Databases     534
Multidimensional Databases     535
Web Databases     536
Ethics & Issues: Can the Government Be Trusted with Personal Data?     537
Database Administration     537
Database Design Guidelines     537
Role of the Database Anaylsts and Administrators     538
Role of the Employee as User     538
Chapter Summary     539
Looking Ahead: Preserving Electronic Files for Future Generations     539
High-Tech Talk     540
Ensure Consistency of Your Data with Normalization     540
Companies on the Cutting Edge     541
Oracle     541
Sybase     541
Technology Trailblazers     541
E. F. Codd     541
Larry Ellison     541
Chapter Review      542
Key Terms     544
Checkpoint     545
Learn It Online     548
Learn How To     550
Web Research     552
Case Studies     553
Computer Security Ethics, and Privacy     554
Computer Security Risks     556
Internet and Network Attacks     558
Computer Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses     558
Ethics & Issues: How Should Virus Authors Be Punished?     558
Safeguards against Computer Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses     560
Botnets     562
Denial of Service Attacks     562
Back Doors     562
Spoofing     563
Safeguards against Botnets, DoS Attacks, Back Doors, and IP Spoofing     563
Firewalls     563
Intrusion Detection Software     564
Honeypots     564
Unauthorized Access and Use     564
Safeguards against Unauthorized Access and Use     565
Identifying and Authenticating Users     565
Ethics & Issues: Should Schools Use Biometric Devices?     568
Looking Ahead: Three-Dimensional Facial Recognition Software - A Step Forward for Security     568
Hardware Theft and Vandalism      569
Safeguards against Hardware Theft and Vandalism     569
Software Theft     570
Safeguards against Software Theft     570
Information Theft     571
Safeguards against Irrformation Theft     572
Encryption     572
System Failure     574
Safeguards against System Failure     574
Backing Up - The Ultimate Safeguard     576
Wireless Security     576
Ethics and Society     578
Information Accuracy     579
Intellectual Property Rights     579
Ethics & Issues: Should It Be Illegal to Sell Programs That Copy Movies from DVDs?     580
Codes of Conduct     580
Information Privacy     580
Electronic Profiles     581
Cookies     582
Spyware and Adware     583
Ethics & Issues: Who Should Spyware Be Legal?     583
Spam     584
Ethics & Issues: Who Should Protect You from Identity Theft?     584
Phishing     584
Privacy Laws     585
Social Engineering     586
Employee Monitoring     586
Content Filtering     586
Computer Forensics      587
Looking Ahead: Computer Knowledge Assessment Using Brain Fingerprinting     587
Health Concerns of Computer Use     587
Computers and Health Risks     587
Ergonomics and Workplace Design     589
Computer Addiction     589
Green Computing     590
Chapter Summary     591
High-Tech Talk     592
The Key(s) to Making Encryption Work     592
Companies on the Cutting Edge     593
McAfee     593
Symantec     593
Technology Trailblazers     593
Donn Parker     593
Clifford Stoll     593
Chapter Review     594
Key Terms     596
Checkpoint     597
Learn It Online     600
Learn How To     602
Web Research     604
Case Studies     605
Special Feature: Computer Forensics     606
Information System Development     618
What is the System Development Cycle?     620
Phases in the System Development Cycle     620
Guidelines for System Development     621
Who Participates in the System Development Cycle?     622
Looking Ahead: Strong Employment Opportunities for System Analysts     623
Project Management     623
Feasibility Assessment     625
Documentation     625
Data and Information Gathering Techniques     625
Ethics & Issues: Do You Work Harder When Someone Is Watching?     626
What Initiates the System Development Cycle?     626
Ethics & Issues: How Should Employees Combat Poor E-Mail Writing Skills?     627
Cyber Coast Cafe - A Case Study     628
Planning Phase     629
Planning at Cyber Coast Cafe     629
Analysis Phase     630
The Preliminary Investigation     630
Preliminary Investigation at Cyber Coast Cafe     631
Detailed Analysis     631
Process Modeling     632
Object Modeling     635
The System Proposal     635
Ethics & Issues: Is Outsourcing as Good as In-House Development?     637
Detailed Analysis at Cyber Coast Cafe     638
Design Phase     639
Acquiring Necessary Hardware and Software     639
Identifying Technical Specifications     639
Soliciting Vendor Proposals     639
Testing and Evaluating Vendor Proposals      640
Making a Decision     640
Hardware Acquisition at Cyber Coast Cafe     641
Detailed Design     641
Prototyping     642
Case Tools     642
Quality Review Techniques     643
Detailed Design at Cyber Coast Cafe     643
Implementation Phase     643
Develop Programs     643
Install and Test the New System     644
Looking Ahead: Training Delivery Becomes Flexible     644
Train Users     644
Convert to the New System     644
Implementation at Cyber Coast Cafe     645
Ethics & Issues: What Type of System Conversion Is Best?     645
Operation, Support, and Security Phase     646
Developing a Computer Security Plan     646
Operation, Support, and Security at Cyber Coast Cafe     647
Chapter Summary     647
High-Tech Talk     648
Benchmarking: Testing Performance through Calculations     648
Companies on the Cutting Edge     649
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)     649
Zebra Technologies     649
Technology Trailblazers     649
Ed Yourdon     649
Tom DeMarco      649
Chapter Review     650
Key Terms     652
Checkpoint     653
Learn It Online     656
Learn How To     658
Web Research     660
Case Studies     661
Programming Languages and ProgramDevelopment     662
Computer Programs and Programming Languages     664
Low-Level Languages     665
Procedural Languages     666
COBOL     668
C     668
Object-Oriented Programming Languages and Program Development Tools     669
Java     669
C++     670
C#     670
Visual studio     670
Delphi     672
PowerBuilder     673
Visual Programming Languages     673
Other Programming Languages     674
RPG     674
4GLs     674
Classic Programming Languages     675
Looking Ahead: The Future of Programming Languages     675
Other Program Development Tools     676
Application Generators     676
Macros     676
Ethics & Issues: Should All Students Be Required to Learn Computer Programming?     677
Web Page Development     678
HTML     678
Scripts, Applets, Servlets, and ActiveX Controls     679
Scripting Languages     680
Dynamic HTML     682
XHTML, XML, and WML     682
Ajax     683
Ruby on Rails     683
Web Page Authoring Software     683
Ethics & Issues: Should A Web Developer Know HTML?     683
Multimedia Program Development     684
The Program Development Cycle     685
What Initiates the Program Development Cycle?     685
Looking Ahead: Software Factories Provide Low-Cost Alternatives     686
Analyze Requirements     686
Design Solution     687
Structured Design     687
Object-Oriented Design     688
Control Structures     688
Design Tools     690
Validate Design     693
Implement Design     693
Extreme Programming     694
Test Solution     695
Ethics & Issues: Who Is Responsible for Bugs?     695
Ethics & Issues: Is Beta Testing Out of Hand?     696
Document Solution     696
Chapter Summary     697
High-Tech Talk      698
Structuring Data for the Web Using XML     698
Companies on the Cutting Edge     699
Electronic Arts     699
Sun Microsystems     699
Technology Trailblazers     699
Grace Hopper     699
James Gosling     699
Chapter Review     700
Key Terms     702
Checkpoint     703
Learn It Online     706
Learn How To     708
Web Research     710
Case Studies     711
Enterprise Computing     712
What is Enterprise Computing?     714
Organizational Structure of an Enterprise     716
Levels of Users in the Enterprise     717
Looking Ahead: The CEO of the Future     718
How Managers Use Information     718
Information Systems in the Enterprise     720
Information Systems within Functional Units     720
General Purpose Information Systems     725
Integrated Information Systems     730
Ethics & Issues: Should Companies Be Forced to Tell You What Information They Store about You?     730
Enterprise-Wide Technologies and Methodologies     733
Portals      733
Data Warehouses     734
Communications     734
Extranets     735
Web Services     735
Document Management Systems     736
Workflow     736
Virtual Private Network     736
E-Commerce     737
E-Retailing     737
Ethics & Issues: Would You Trust an Online Medical Diagnosis?     739
Finance     738
Travel     739
Entertainment and Media     739
Ethics & Issues: Who You Trust an Online Medical Diagnosis?     739
Health     739
Other Business Services     740
Enterprise Hardware     741
Raid     741
Network Attached Storage and Storage Area Networks     742
Enterprise Storage Systems     743
Ethics & Issues: How much Data Should Companies Be Required to Keep?     743
Blade Servers     744
Thin Clients     744
High-Availability Systems     745
Scalability     745
Utility and Grid Computing     745
Interoperability     746
Backup Procedures     746
Looking Ahead: Internet Systems Provide Backup Solutions      746
Disaster Recovery Plan     747
Chapter Summary     749
High-Tech Talk     750
Neural Networks: Learning from Experience     750
Companies on the Cutting Edge     751
EMC     751
IBM     751
Technology Trailbuzers     751
John Chambers     751
Jim Clark     751
Chapter Review     752
Key Terms     754
Checkpoint     755
Learn It Online     758
Learn How To     760
Web Research     762
Case Studies     763
Special Feature: Enterprise Order Processing: A Case Study     764
Computer Careers and Certification     774
The Computer Industry     776
Ethics & Issues: Outsourcing Computer Jobs - A Threat to American Workers?     777
Careers in the Computer Industry     778
General Business and Government Organizations and Their IT Departments     778
Looking Ahead: Tomorrow's Jobs in Information Technology     779
Computer Equipment Field     782
Ethics & Issues: Should Work Visas Be Issued to Foreign IT Workers?     782
Computer Software Field      782
Computer Service and Repair Field     783
Computer Sales     783
Computer Education and Training Field     784
IT Consulting     784
Preparing for a Career in the Computer Industry     785
Attending a Trade School     785
Attending a College or University     786
Ethics & Issues: Should Ethical Computer Hacking Be Illegal?     787
Searching for Computer-Related Jobs     787
Planning for Career Development     789
Professional Organizations     789
Looking Ahead: Women Connect Professionally Online     789
Professional Growth and Continuing Education     790
Computer Publications and Web Sites     791
Certification     792
Certification Benefits     792
Choosing a Certification     794
Preparing for Certification     794
Certification Examinations     795
A Guide to Certification     796
Ethics & Issues: Should Lifetime Certification Be Granted for Computer Professionals?     796
Application Software Certifications     796
Operating System Certifications     797
Programmer/Developer Certifications     797
Hardware Certifications      798
Networking Certifications     798
Computer Forensics Certifications     799
Security Certifications     799
Internet Certifications     800
Database System Certifications     800
Chapter Summary     801
High-Tech Talk     802
Companies on the Cutting Edge     803
Monster     803
ZDNet     803
Technology Trailblazers     803
Steve Ballmer     803
Steve Wozniak     803
Chapter Review     804
Key Terms     806
Checkpoint     807
Learn It Online     810
Learn How To     812
Web Research     814
Case Studies     815
Special Feature: Digital Entertainment     816
Coding Schemes and Number Systems     APP 1
Quiz Yourself Answers     APP 5
Computer Acronyms     APP 13
Glossary/Index     IND 1
Photo Credits     IND 37

New interesting textbook: Manufacturing Strategy or Productivity Inequality and the Digital Economy

MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Traning Kit Exam 70-350: Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004

Author: Stan Reimer

Ace your preparation for MCP Exam 70-350-and expand your knowledge of Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA) 2004, Microsoft's advanced application layer firewall, virtual private network (VPN), and Web cache solution. Designed to help maximize your performance on the exam, this TRAINING KIT packs the resources that exam candidates want most-including in-depth, self-paced training; rigorous, objective-by-objective review; exam tips from expert, exam-certified authors; and a robust testing suite. It also provides real-world scenarios, case study examples, and troubleshooting labs for the skills and expertise you can apply to the job.

Magic Lantern Guides or Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4

Magic Lantern Guides: Pentax K20d

Author: Peter K Burian

Go far beyond the manufacturer's instruction book and take full advantage of all of the Pentax K20D's features, such as its 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor, shake reduction technology, and improved PRIME image processor. Enjoy your camera more and get professional results with the practical information, tips, and techniques in this complete guide. Expand your system with smart advice about choosing and using accessories, flash units, and lenses.

Look this: Down Range or The Rough Riders

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4

Author: Joel Scott

Customer relationship management, or CRM, is certainly a hot topic in business today. If you have a small or medium-sized business, chances are you’re already aware of all it can do for you. But with so many options and so much to think about, how do you get a CRM system in place with a minimum of hassle? Well, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 For Dummies is a great place to start!

Written by veteran CRM experts Joel Scott and David Lee, this friendly guide will have you understanding and using Microsoft’s CRM solution in a jiffy. Whether you’re considering a CRM system for the first time or you’ve decided to switch from another system to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, this book will make it easy to:

• Maintain and manage all your customer information
  
• Personalize Microsoft CRM to work for your business
  
• Set up CRM to support sales, marketing, and customer service
  
• Use the Outlook client
  
• Manage territories and business units
  
• Create and manage activities
  
• Generate quotes and invoices
  
• Implement and manage a marketing campaign
  
• Work with contracts, and much more
  

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 For Dummies is packed with information on the latest version, It will help you get a unified view of your customer information and interactions through integrated sales, marketing, and customer service features. And that, as every business owner knows, is important to improving your bottom line!

Jump Point or Flash Cartoon Animation

Jump Point: How Network Culture is Revolutionizing Business

Author: Tom Hayes

Take the leap into a new era of viral business-and tap into a billion-plus consumer base

In Jump Point, Silicon Valley veteran Tom Hayes crafts a visionary, exhilarating, and often startling look at our fast-approaching business future. Welcome to the world of “pandemic economics;” a nonstop global economy characterized by network nation states, billion-selling products, and trillion-dollar markets.

Jump Point illustrates how the next economy will arrive at an inflection point just 1000 days away. Managers and organizations that survive the “jump” will find themselves in a strange new landscape of unfamiliar players and unforgiving power laws. From shape-shifting consumers, to competitive jihads, to the wealth-evaporating forces of runaway “mudflation,” Hayes takes you on an eye-opening ride to the world of the jump point and beyond.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     ix
The Jump     1
the Paradox of Rapid Change     3
A Brave New Network     29
the Next Market Spaces     49
The Five Discontinuities     69
The Attention Wars     71
The Permanent Now     91
The Augurs of Amplitude     105
Mashup Culture     119
Trust Is the New Money     139
The Next Curve     159
The Bubble Generation     163
Jump Point to Growth     187
Future-Perfect-Tense     211
Notes     237
Index     251

Book about: Dim Sum or Pizza

Flash Cartoon Animation: Learn From the Pros

Author: Glen Kirkpatrick

You want to make an animated film. You've got the idea. You've got Macromedia Flash. But where do you start?
What's the best way to script your cartoon, how do you start animating with Flash, what do you really need to know in order to get your ideas out there to make you famous?
Who better to ask than two seasoned professionals, who've not only worked for Disney, but also run the hugely successful cult website - funnyazhell.
Kevin Peaty and Glenn Kirkpatrick draw on their rich studio experience and their knowledge of Flash to show you the best way to create great Flash cartoons that look as good as traditional animated films.
This book follows the professional process, taking a creative idea from storyboard stage, through layout to publishing, via a detailed look at animation techniques, that will give you the kind of insight normally only gained from years spent in the industry.
In depth and detailed, the book follows the production of a cartoon from inception to final output - looking at all the decisions and skills that have contributed to its appeal.
The book covers Flash versions 4 and 5 as well as MX.
Whether you're completely new to Flash, or are making your first steps into the world of Flash cartooning, this book will let you work alongside the professionals to make your own animated masterpiece.
With this book on your desktop, all you need is an idea!

The Complete Idiots Guide to Microsoft Windows Vista or Visual Basic 2008 For Dummies

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microsoft Windows Vista

Author: Paul McFedries

Just when you mastered Microsoft® Windows XP®, a new operating system comes along-Vista.The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Microsoft® Windows Vista® shows you how to tackle various procedures, such as recovering files, using new tab features, employing firewalls, deciphering icons, and so much more. With simple explanations, step-by-step instructions, and helpful examples, readers will no longer have to sacrifice their sanity to get work done in Windows.
* Author is recognized for his success in teaching basic skills to newcomers, and is a widely recognized expert author on Windows-based operating systems

Books about: Diabetes Cookbook or Night Light

Visual Basic 2008 For Dummies

Author: Bill Sempf

Visual Basic is a favorite programming language, so if you’re new to programming, it’s a great place to start. Visual Basic 2008 For Dummies is the fun and easy way to begin creating applications right away while you get the hang of using the Visual Studio environment. Soon you’ll be building all sorts of useful stuff with VB 2008!

This step-by-step guide walks you through a logical series of tasks that build your skills as you get comfortable with .Net terminology, theory, tools, and design principles. You’ll learn how to build an application in four different architectural styles, and you’ll find out how to make your programs validate input and output, make decisions, and protect themselves from security threats. Discover how to:

• Install the Visual Studio environment

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• Use Web forms, Windows forms, and Web services

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• Work with strings and “if-then” statements

• Iterate with counted and nested loops

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• Access data with VB.NET

• Work with the file system using VB

You’ll also find great tips for working with the VB user interface, using VB.NET in C# programming, troubleshooting your VB programs, taking your programming to the next level, and more! Once you get your hands on Visual Basic 2008 For Dummies, you’ll be programming like a genius in no time!

Masters of Doom or Essentials of Nursing Informatics

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

Author: David Kushner

Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to produce the most notoriously successful game franchises in history—Doom and Quake— until the games they made tore them apart. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry—a powerful and compassionate account of what it's like to be young, driven, and wildly creative.

Entertainment Weekly

David Kushner's meticulously researched new book explains how these dark, damaged geeks became a potent and provocative cultural force in the 1990s.

[T]he truth is that any rabid fans of Doom and Quake -- and those intrigued by the astonishing influence those games had on popular culture -- are likely to devour this book in one sitting. Although no profound lessons are to be learned from Masters of Doom, it does tell a fascinating story. — Carmela Ciuraru

USA Today

Kushner draws on many sources, including interviews with the two principals and dozens of other supporting characters, in addition to hundreds of printed sources, all of which are exhaustively catalogued in the appendix. Kushner's mesmerizing tale of the Two Johns moves at a rapid clip, tracing the pair from their suburban childhoods to their auspicious meeting in Shreveport, La., in 1990, and describing the twists and turns of fate that led them to team up in creating the most powerful video games of their generation. — Steve Power

The New York Times

The book's most interesting passages deal with Carmack, a Spock-like character who ends sentences by saying ''mmm'' and seems to view emotions as a strange and foolish waste of time. In the computer world, Carmack is viewed as a deity, a programmer who so impressed Bill Gates that Gates used Doom to show off Windows 95's skill as a gaming platform; he dressed up as one of the game's characters for a promotional video and ran around in a trench coat, shotgun by his side. Even if you can't tell parallax scrolling from texture mapping and are unclear what, exactly, is so impressive about Binary Space Partitioning, Kushner's portrait of Carmack is lustrous and gripping.— Seth Mnookin

The Los Angeles Times

[T]he truth is that any rabid fans of Doom and Quake -- and those intrigued by the astonishing influence those games had on popular culture -- are likely to devour this book in one sitting. Although no profound lessons are to be learned from Masters of Doom, it does tell a fascinating story. — Carmela Ciuraru

The New Yorker

The rise of the information age looked like a revolution partly because it created an élite from the previously unheralded ranks of programmers and gamers. Shawn Fanning, who spent part of his childhood in the welfare system and part in a foster home before inventing the file-sharing software Napster as a Northeastern University undergraduate, is the unlikely hero of Joseph Menn's All The Rave: The Rise and Fall of Shawn Fanning's Napster. Menn's Fanning, bright and soft-spoken, displays admirable loyalty to those who supported him early on, and sometimes too much loyalty -- his uncle John, a surrogate father who gave him his first computer, managed to grab a seventy-per-cent stake in the company and foiled any possible settlement with the record industry.

John Romero, one of the minds behind the popular combat video games Doom and Quake, was also shaped by an early experience with a father figure: when he was eleven, his stepfather discovered him at a pizza parlor playing video games and smashed his face into the machine. According to David Kushner's Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, Romero first exorcised his demons in comic books that featured a boy being punished in gruesome ways by his father, then put the same themes to use in the games he created with his partner, John Carmack. After Doom's success, Romero and Carmack's relationship degenerated into a vicious feud -- or, in gamer terms, a "deathmatch." Romero lost but walked away with a tidy fortune and found love with a Playboy model-cum-gamer who used her salary from Romero's new company to get breast implants. (Kate Taylor)

Publishers Weekly

Long before Grand Theft Auto swept the video gaming world, whiz kids John Romero and John Carmack were shaking things up with their influential-and sometimes controversial-video game creations. The two post-adolescents meet at a small Louisiana tech company in the mid-1980s and begin honing their gaming skills. Carmack is the obsessive and antisocial genius with the programming chops; Romero the goofy and idea-inspired gamer. They and their company, id, innovate both technologically and financially, finding ways to give a PC game "side-scrolling," which allows players to feel like action is happening beyond the screen, and deciding to release games as shareware, giving some levels away gratis and enticing gamers to pay for the rest. All-nighters filled with pizza, slavish work and scatological humor eventually add up to a cultural sea change, where the games obsess the players almost as much as they obsess their creators. Fortunately, journalist Kushner glosses over Carmack and Romero's fame, preferring to describe the particulars of video game creation. There are the high-tech improvements-e.g., "diminished lighting" and "texture-mapping"-and pop cultural challenges, as when the two create an update of the Nazi-themed shooter Castle Wolfenstein. The author gives his subjects much leeway on the violence question, and his thoroughness results in some superfluous details. But if the narration is sometimes dry, the story rarely is; readers can almost feel Carmack and Romero's thrill as they create, particularly when they're working on their magnum opus, Doom. After finishing the book, readers may come away feeling like they've just played a round of Doom themselves, as, squinting and light-headed, they attempt to re-enter the world. (May 13) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Mentioned only briefly in Van Burnham's Supercade: A Visual History of the Video Game Age, 1971-1984 and Steven Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games, John Carmack and John Romero, originators of the world-famous video games Doom and Quake, garner an entire work here. Freelance journalist Kushner tells the story of two creative geniuses whose meteoric rise to fame and fortune in the 1990s resulted in enormous personal tensions that eventually drove them apart. In the wake of their success and subsequent corruption, they left a blueprint for the video games of today whose violence at once seduces and enrages us. Carmack and Romero introduced into video games the concept of "first-person shooters," which, years later, prompted a number of multimillion-dollar lawsuits over the influence that games like Doom had on the teenage gunslingers in the Columbine and Paducah tragedies; those suits were eventually thrown out. This is an especially fascinating read for longtime gamers who grew up in the 1980s initially enraptured by Asteroids and continued as devout players during the incredible evolution of realism in action-based video games. It will also intrigue followers of popular culture in general. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.-Joe J. Accardi, Harper Coll. Lib., Palatine, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-John Romero and John Carmack started programming games as teens. After they met, they became the first to make a video game on the PC that scrolled smoothly. In their 20s, they went on to create the hugely popular and controversial video games Doom, Wolfenstein 3-D, and Quake. But the passions that drove them to stay up late night after night, living on pizza and Cokes, drove them apart, causing Romero to leave to form his own company. The book traces their successes and failures, giving some insight into what it means to be a video-game designer, and is liberally sprinkled with humor, much of it from the twisted minds of the programmer/gamers themselves. Readers may not find the individuals likable, but they will be fascinated by watching what happens to them. While much of the story takes place in the '90s, the book continues on into the 21st century, where Carmack's Quake 3 is still heavily played and Romero's Daikatana has become one of the most hyped failures in video-game history. The company the young men founded, id Software, continues to be a force in gaming. Both video-game players and budding venture capitalists will find something entertaining and educational here.-Paul Brink, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Were John Carmack and John Romero the Lennon and McCartney of PC gaming? Spin magazine contributing editor Kushner answers yes in his detailed re-creation of the genre's transition from basement to big time. Creators of the notorious games Doom and Quake, "the Two Johns" achieved fortune by transforming a previously marginalized subculture. During their archetypically 1980s dysfunctional adolescence, computer games were considered a fad for seedy arcades, yet the duo simultaneously discovered a hacker underground exploding in fanzines and university labs. When volatile game addict Romero met coolly monastic programmer Carmack at a low-end Louisiana software startup, he saw the potential in his new friend's ideas, specifically when Carmack divined how to duplicate Nintendo's "scroll" on then-limited PCs. As in any scruffy underdog tale, readers will initially root for the Two Johns, although their tendency to betray backers and associates is an unsettling portent. By 1992, their team of unorthodox programmers had settled in Texas, and their company, id Software, rapidly established itself with violent "first-person shooters" like Wolfenstein 3-D. Then Doom became a full-fledged phenomenon, creating a blustering "deathmatch" culture. Predictably, id's outsized success fractured the company into two entities, as Romero focused on pure design and a rock-star lifestyle while Carmack assigned importance to innovative programming. Kushner bolsters this narrative with a resume of rapid technological transformations over the past ten years, explaining why "porting" the games for different hardware became increasingly lucrative as shareware-style distribution became less so. He writes perceptivelyabout these twists of commerce and technology, yet the book becomes rather repetitive in its portraits of all-night hacks, deathmatch sessions, frenzied game releases, and programmers' increasingly petty conflicts. (Perhaps inadvertently, the author suggests a pathetic insularity as characteristic of many in the gaming world, who seemingly forsake community involvement and political awareness for their beloved PCs.) Many may well skim the final third in pursuit of the dirt on the Two Johns' eventual falling-out. Laudable coverage of an undeniably important, unsettling cultural transition.

What People Are Saying

Douglas Rushkoff
Masters of Doom tells the compelling story of the decade-long showdown between gaming's own real-life dynamic duo, played high above the corridors of Doom in the meta-game of industry and innovation. With the narrative passion of a true aficionado, Kushner reminds us that the Internet was not created to manage stock portfolios but to serve as the ultimate networked entertainment platform. It's all just a game.

Mark Leyner
To my taste, the greatest American myth of cosmogenesis features the maladjusted, antisocial, genius teenage boy who, in the insular laboratory of his own bedroom, invents the universe from scratch. Masters of Doom is a particularly inspired rendition. Dave Kushner chronicles the saga of video game virtuosi Carmack and Romero with terrific brio. This is a page-turning, mythopoeic cyber-soap opera about two glamorous geek geniuses - and it should be read while scarfing down pepperoni pizza and swilling Diet Coke, with Queens of the Stone Age cranked up all the way.

Po Bronson
Masters of Doom is an excellent archetypal tale of hard work and genius being corrupted by fame too young and fortune too fast. I rooted for these guys, was inspired by them, then was disturbed by them, and was fascinated from beginning to end.

Bruce Sterling
Are you brainy? Gifted? Deeply alienated? Ever wanted to be a multimillionaire who transformed a major industry? Then Masters of Doom is the book for you!

Steven Johnson
Like Hackers, David Kushner's Masters of Doom paints a fascinating portrait of visionary coders transforming a previously marginal hobby into a kind of 21st-century art form -- and enraging an entire generation of parents along the way. Kushner tells the story with intelligence and a great sense of pacing. Masters of Doom is as riveting as the games themselves.

New interesting book: Self Healing with Guided Imagery or Questions Answers on Death and Dying

Essentials of Nursing Informatics

Author: Virginia K Saba

Learn how computers and technology affect the nurse’s role in caring for the patient. Now fully updated and enhanced, the fourth edition includes new coverage of PDAs, the impact of HIPAA guidelines, patient safety issues, privacy issues, optimal use of decision support tools, and much more

Virginia K Saba, EdD, RN, FAAN, FACMIDistinguished Scholar, Adjunct, Nursing Informatics CenterSchool of Nursing & Health StudiesGeorgetown UniversityWashington, DCProfessor [Adjunct] and Advisor, Educational Technologies and Distant LearningResearch Department, Graduate School of NursingUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesBethesda, MDInformatics,Educational Technologies, &  Home Health System Consultant

Kathleen A. McCormick PhD RN FAAN,FACMICorporate Vice President, Senior Scientist at SAIC, Falls Church, VA