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Review: Foundations of Ajax
By Ryan Asleson & Nathaniel T. Schutta
296 pp., Oct 2005, Apress, Inc.
As a open source technology consultant for non-profit and community media organizations, my job is to keep on top of emerging "Web 2.0" and other social media technologies, and then clearly communicate to my clients any potential value these technologies might offer them. So when a buzz started happening around a "new" technology called Ajax a little more than a year ago, naturally I was intrigued.
Ajax (short for Asynchronous Javascript And Xml) isn't really a specific technology as much as it is a novel way of combining already existing technologies that allow developers to extend the user's browser with lightweight mini-applications. This is particularly useful when the goal is to enhance web page responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes. This approach allows users to make changes to interactive web pages without the entire web page needing to reload each time a change is made.
Because of the nature of my work, I found the opening chapter, "Introducing Ajax," very useful for walking me through a brief history of web applications and describing various approaches to building dynamic web pages. The remaining seven chapters provide techniques for communicating back to the server, useful Ajax examples, a toolbox and testing your JavaScript. The appendix covers cross-browser JavaScript and introduces Ajax frameworks.
In all, I found this book quite useful in that it provided me with a much deeper understanding of the advantages (and drawbacks) to using Ajax. A major plus would have been a chapter on incorporating Ajax techniques into some of the more advanced open source content management systems, such as Mambo/Joomla or Drupal. Even so, I think Foundations of Ajax is a worthy introduction to this innovative approach to web app development.
~ Review by David Myers, Open Media Center, www.openmediacenter.org.
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(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Building Websites with Mambo: A step by step tutorial.
By Hagen Graf
Publish Date: August 2005
Illustrated. 252 pages. Packt Publishing. $39.99.
Review by David J. Myers
Mambo is an incredibly powerful and versatile open source web content management system (CMS). It comes straight "out of the box" with lots of goodies to get you started, like content syndication (RSS), ad management, online help, language packs, news manager, a WYSIWYG content editor and so on. But if a feature you want is missing--like a shopping cart, for instance--chances are you can get it by downloading one of the many freely-available extensions.
In recent years Mambo has gained widespread popularity across the globe. That's because Mambo (and its close cousin, Joomla) comes equipped with capabilities that equal or exceed those found in many proprietary content management systems, some costing as much as a small ransom. For this reason, among many others, Hagen Graf's "Building Websites with Mambo: A step by step tutorial" is a welcome addition to my expanding library of open source technology books.
My five-year stint as development manager for two separate proprietary CMS projects gave me a bit of a leg up when I began evaluating open source CMS packages earlier this year. Even so, I must admit my surprise to discover such a wide variety of free CMS applications, ranging in quality from dismal to near-excellent. After countless (often frustrating) hours of testing, Mambo emerged as the clear winner for the kind of general purpose CMS I sought. Not only did Mambo seem to consistently work "as advertised" (unlike so many others), it appeared to enjoy the most prolific base of developers, testers and users.
"Brilliant," I mused. "Now to march down to Powell's Technical Bookstore (Portland, Oregon's "temple of the geeks"), pick up a Mambo manual, and make myself a 'Mambo Master.'" Right. Blank stares greeted me as I queried Powell's employees as to which Mambo CMS book they could honestly recommend. One of them kindly consulted the store's database to discover that, indeed, a Mambo Open Source (MOS) guide did exist. And you'll read it in German, thank you. "Wunderbar," I moaned. Even though I'd lived in Germany for three years, the rigors of youthful sloth prevented me from learning German well enough to actually read it. Yet another little regret to add to my growing pile of psychic afflictions.
I quickly discovered that, although countless guides explain the workings of general-purpose free/open source software (FOSS), such as Linux, more specialized software--blogs, wikis, other CMS applications and so on--often required devotees to scrounge around the Internet for help. Yet curling up with a good software manual is sometimes just what the "doctor prescribes" in order to reach the next level of expertise with a particular technology. For precisely this reason I was overjoyed to discover the availability of Hagen Graf's book. Written in English, no less!
"Building Websites with Mambo" bills itself as "a fast paced tutorial" for developing a Mambo-equipped website, and it certainly is that. Written for "web developers, designers, webmasters, content editors and marketing professionals," "Building Websites with Mambo" covers a lot of turf with an easy-to-read, useful and pragmatic narrative. At times I wished for more detailed help with some of the administration functions. (I found Netshine Software's "Mambo Tutorial - Quick Start Guide," available as a downloadable PDF, a more useful guide for managing sections, categories and content items, for instance.) Overall, Graf's tutorial helped me with much I previously had only hazy familiarity with. For instance I found the segments covering mass mail, news feeds, polls and contact categories alone worth the book's asking price.
Overall I highly recommend "Building Websites with Mambo: A step by step tutorial." Particularly if you're a web designer/developer who has yet to experience the joy of equipping a website with a full-featured content management system, and turning static "brochureware" into a dynamic infohub. These days no business or organization has any excuse for failing to deploy a dynamic, content-rich website. Especially with such a powerful CMS like Mambo/Joomla freely available to all. And now folks who read in English have "Building Websites with Mambo" available as an excellent resource to help us get the most from Mambo Open Source.
David J. Myers directs Open Media Center, a grassroots media activist organization in Portland, Oregon. Dave earns a living running EvolvNet Consulting, an open source software consultancy also located in Portland.
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(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
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Foundations of Ajax (Foundations) by Ryan Asleson
davydog, May 23, 2006
Review: Foundations of AjaxBy Ryan Asleson & Nathaniel T. Schutta
296 pp., Oct 2005, Apress, Inc.
As a open source technology consultant for non-profit and community media organizations, my job is to keep on top of emerging "Web 2.0" and other social media technologies, and then clearly communicate to my clients any potential value these technologies might offer them. So when a buzz started happening around a "new" technology called Ajax a little more than a year ago, naturally I was intrigued.
Ajax (short for Asynchronous Javascript And Xml) isn't really a specific technology as much as it is a novel way of combining already existing technologies that allow developers to extend the user's browser with lightweight mini-applications. This is particularly useful when the goal is to enhance web page responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes. This approach allows users to make changes to interactive web pages without the entire web page needing to reload each time a change is made.
Because of the nature of my work, I found the opening chapter, "Introducing Ajax," very useful for walking me through a brief history of web applications and describing various approaches to building dynamic web pages. The remaining seven chapters provide techniques for communicating back to the server, useful Ajax examples, a toolbox and testing your JavaScript. The appendix covers cross-browser JavaScript and introduces Ajax frameworks.
In all, I found this book quite useful in that it provided me with a much deeper understanding of the advantages (and drawbacks) to using Ajax. A major plus would have been a chapter on incorporating Ajax techniques into some of the more advanced open source content management systems, such as Mambo/Joomla or Drupal. Even so, I think Foundations of Ajax is a worthy introduction to this innovative approach to web app development.
~ Review by David Myers, Open Media Center, www.openmediacenter.org.
(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Building Websites with Mambo by Hagen Graf
davydog, May 23, 2006
Building Websites with Mambo: A step by step tutorial.By Hagen Graf
Publish Date: August 2005
Illustrated. 252 pages. Packt Publishing. $39.99.
Review by David J. Myers
Mambo is an incredibly powerful and versatile open source web content management system (CMS). It comes straight "out of the box" with lots of goodies to get you started, like content syndication (RSS), ad management, online help, language packs, news manager, a WYSIWYG content editor and so on. But if a feature you want is missing--like a shopping cart, for instance--chances are you can get it by downloading one of the many freely-available extensions.
In recent years Mambo has gained widespread popularity across the globe. That's because Mambo (and its close cousin, Joomla) comes equipped with capabilities that equal or exceed those found in many proprietary content management systems, some costing as much as a small ransom. For this reason, among many others, Hagen Graf's "Building Websites with Mambo: A step by step tutorial" is a welcome addition to my expanding library of open source technology books.
My five-year stint as development manager for two separate proprietary CMS projects gave me a bit of a leg up when I began evaluating open source CMS packages earlier this year. Even so, I must admit my surprise to discover such a wide variety of free CMS applications, ranging in quality from dismal to near-excellent. After countless (often frustrating) hours of testing, Mambo emerged as the clear winner for the kind of general purpose CMS I sought. Not only did Mambo seem to consistently work "as advertised" (unlike so many others), it appeared to enjoy the most prolific base of developers, testers and users.
"Brilliant," I mused. "Now to march down to Powell's Technical Bookstore (Portland, Oregon's "temple of the geeks"), pick up a Mambo manual, and make myself a 'Mambo Master.'" Right. Blank stares greeted me as I queried Powell's employees as to which Mambo CMS book they could honestly recommend. One of them kindly consulted the store's database to discover that, indeed, a Mambo Open Source (MOS) guide did exist. And you'll read it in German, thank you. "Wunderbar," I moaned. Even though I'd lived in Germany for three years, the rigors of youthful sloth prevented me from learning German well enough to actually read it. Yet another little regret to add to my growing pile of psychic afflictions.
I quickly discovered that, although countless guides explain the workings of general-purpose free/open source software (FOSS), such as Linux, more specialized software--blogs, wikis, other CMS applications and so on--often required devotees to scrounge around the Internet for help. Yet curling up with a good software manual is sometimes just what the "doctor prescribes" in order to reach the next level of expertise with a particular technology. For precisely this reason I was overjoyed to discover the availability of Hagen Graf's book. Written in English, no less!
"Building Websites with Mambo" bills itself as "a fast paced tutorial" for developing a Mambo-equipped website, and it certainly is that. Written for "web developers, designers, webmasters, content editors and marketing professionals," "Building Websites with Mambo" covers a lot of turf with an easy-to-read, useful and pragmatic narrative. At times I wished for more detailed help with some of the administration functions. (I found Netshine Software's "Mambo Tutorial - Quick Start Guide," available as a downloadable PDF, a more useful guide for managing sections, categories and content items, for instance.) Overall, Graf's tutorial helped me with much I previously had only hazy familiarity with. For instance I found the segments covering mass mail, news feeds, polls and contact categories alone worth the book's asking price.
Overall I highly recommend "Building Websites with Mambo: A step by step tutorial." Particularly if you're a web designer/developer who has yet to experience the joy of equipping a website with a full-featured content management system, and turning static "brochureware" into a dynamic infohub. These days no business or organization has any excuse for failing to deploy a dynamic, content-rich website. Especially with such a powerful CMS like Mambo/Joomla freely available to all. And now folks who read in English have "Building Websites with Mambo" available as an excellent resource to help us get the most from Mambo Open Source.
David J. Myers directs Open Media Center, a grassroots media activist organization in Portland, Oregon. Dave earns a living running EvolvNet Consulting, an open source software consultancy also located in Portland.
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)