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"A tremendously useful field guide specifically written for developers down in the trenches...waiting for the killer solution..."

Book Description Web users are getting tired of the traditional web experience. They get frustrated losing their scroll position; they get annoyed waiting for refresh; they struggle to reorient themselves on every new page. And the list goes on. With asynchronous JavaScript and XML, known as "Ajax," you can give them a better experience. Once users have experienced an Ajax interface, they hate to go back. Ajax is new way of thinking that can result in a flowing and intuitive interaction with the user.

Ajax in Action helps you implement that thinking—it explains how to distribute the application between the client and the server (hint: use a "nested MVC" design) while retaining the integrity of the system. You will learn how to ensure your app is flexible and maintainable, and how good, structured design can help avoid problems like browser incompatibilities. Along the way it helps you unlearn many old coding habits. Above all, it opens your mind to the many advantages gained by placing much of the processing in the browser. If you are a web developer who has prior experience with web technologies, this book is for you.

What's Inside - Ajax principles
- Why Ajax design patterns matter
- How to avoid Ajax pitfalls
- Examples of Ajax in action: type-ahead suggest, live searching using XSL, and many more.
- Examples using Ajax frameworks: Prototype, Scriptaculous, x and Rico
- Ajax usability, security, and performance

Scalable Vector Graphics — or SVG — is the new XML-based graphics standard from the W3C that will enable Web documents to be smaller, faster and more interactive. J. David Eisenberg's insightful book takes you through the ins and outs of SVG, beginning with basics needed to create simple line drawings and then moving through more complicated features like filters, transformations, and integration with Java, Perl, and XSLT. SVG makes it possible for designers to escape the constant need to update graphics by hand or use custom code to generate bitmap images. While SVG was created with the Web in mind, the language has a variety of other uses. SVG makes it much easier to automate graphics generation, create charts and graphics based on a wide variety of data sources, or create images that users can zoom in on and explore. Whether you're a graphic designer looking for new tools, or a programmer creating and managing graphics, SVG Essentials provides you with a solid foundation.

JavaScript is a powerful, object-based scripting language; JavaScript programs can be embedded directly in HTML web pages. When combined with the Document Object Model (DOM) defined by a web browser, JavaScript allows you to create Dynamic HTML content and interactive client-side web applications. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide provides a thorough description of the core JavaScript language and both the legacy and standard DOMs implemented in web browsers. The book also contains detailed reference sections that cover the core JavaScript API, the legacy client-side API, and the W3C standard DOM API, documenting every JavaScript object, method, property, constructor, constant, function, and event handler in those APIs. This fourth edition of the bestselling JavaScript book has been carefully updated to cover JavaScript 1.5. The book also provides complete coverage of the W3C DOM standard (Level 1 and Level 2), while retaining material on the legacy Level 0 DOM for backward compatibility.

Pressured with tight deadlines, application developers do not have the luxury of keeping completely up-to-date with all of the latest innovations in software engineering. Once in a great while, a tremendous resource comes along that helps these professionals become more efficient. The first two editions of UML Distilled have been perennial best-sellers because of their concise, yet thorough, nature. This eagerly-anticipated third edition allows you to get acquainted with some of the best thinking about efficient object-oriented software design using the latest version of the industry-standard for modeling software: UML 2.0. The author has retained the book's convenient format that has made it an essential resource for anyone who designs software for a living. The book describes all the major UML 2.0 diagram types, what they are intended to do, and the basic notation involved in creating and deciphering them. A true treasure for the software engineering community.

Four top-notch authors present the first book containing a catalog of object-oriented design patterns. Readers will learn how to use design patterns in the object-oriented development process, how to solve specific design problems using patterns, and gain a common vocabulary for object-oriented design.

The old saying is wrong-winners do quit, and quitters do win.

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all.

And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

According to bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps. Either they fail to stick out the Dip-they get to the moment of truth and then give up-or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.

Whether you're a graphic designer, a sales rep, an athlete, or an aspiring CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you're in a Dip that's worthy of your time, effort, and talents. If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit-so you can be number one at something else.

Seth Godin doesn't claim to have all the answers. But he will teach you how to ask the right questions.

Comprehensive guide to designing Web-enabled databases with XML technology. An essential resource for all database designers/developers, XML application developers, system architects, and project technical leaders. Softcover.

XML is revolutionizing Web-site development by making difficult tasks easier — and many new tasks possible. Based on the latest W3C standards, this thorough tutorial-plus-reference takes you step by step through everything you need to know to put XML to work, from the fundamentals of the XML language to document construction and simple XML-based solutions for specialized markup problems. Numerous examples, specifications, and addresses for relevant Web sites leave no questions unanswered.

A companion to the Sybex study guide for Java 2, this volume reinforces the reader's knowledge and helps when preparing for the Java 2 programmer's exam. Provides sample questions, defines key terms and concepts, and reviews all of the fundamentals needed to pass the exam. Softcover.

Provides advanced topics and real-world code for experienced developers, a thoroughly revised coverage of multithreading, networking, JDBC API, remote objects, and fully updated and tested code for the Java 2 platform. Softcover. CD-ROM included.

Java Servlet Programming covers everything Java developers need to know to write effective servlets. It explains the servlet lifecycle, showing how to use servlets to maintain state information effortlessly. It also describes how to serve dynamic web content, including both HTML pages and multimedia data, and it explores more advanced topics like integrated session tracking, efficient database connectivity using JDBC, applet-servlet communicaton, interservlet communication, and internationalization. The second edition of this popular book has been completely updated to cover the new features of Version 2.2 of the Java Servlet API. It introduces chapters on servlet security and advanced communication, and also introduces several popular tools for easier integration of servlet technology with dynamic web pages. These tools include JavaServer Pages (JSP), Tea, XMLC, and the Element Construction Set. In addition to complete coverage of the 2.2 specification, we have also added bonus material on the new 2.3 specification.

The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is a saleable product from Rational/IBM.The RUP unifes the entire software development team and seeks to optimizethe productivity of each and every team member by putting the collectiveexperience derived from thousands of development projects and many industryleaders at the user's fingertips. It is a very popular product, and this bookrepresents the most thorough documentation for the latest version of theproduct (RUP v2003), which was released in May of 2003.

This book provides a number of specific metrics that apply to object-oriented software projects. The metrics are based on measurements and derived advice drawn from a number of actual projects that have successfully used object technology to deliver products. Covers both project completion metrics and design metrics — common, Smalltalk only, and C++ only. For programmers interested in object-oriented technology.