Customer Reviews

CGI/Perl (Web Warrior Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Of all the IT related books I've owned and used this has to be the second worst, and I've had a lot.

I own a rather extensive library of computer technology books, most are well weathered, dog eared, and marked up with highlighters and notes in the margins. I use them all the time - even the outdated ones.

But not this book. It is excrutiatingly tedious, and the other students in my class are constantly having problems with it that require them to depend upon the more advanced students to explain subject matter in a straight-forward and concise manner.

This book covers, in 348 pages, what most of the classic Perl books and books on CGI cover in about 4 or 5 chapters. This book doesn't even introduce 'here-doc' formats until page 276 - and then only briefly and coverage using that standard format for generating CGI with that method is virtually abandonded throughout the rest of the book.

The book begins using CGI.pm without even explaining what a Perl module is, and coverage and usage of other modules that have been around for years are virtually non-existent. DBI isn't even really part of this 'course', and it's the framework for using CGI in the first place.

This book follows the following format: Type this in exactly like this. Now do this. now do this. Gee! Aren't we learning? The one thing that I can say was written well are the end of the chapter questions. They really provide good coverage. It's simply "Programmed instruction", stiff, rigid, and with a complete lack of insightful gleanings.

This is a really BAD book (and I don't mean BAD as in BOSS or NEATO either), yet fortunately, I have other Perl books that I can turn to instead for learning the content covered in the course, and write my own code to generate the HTML output that my instructors assignments ask for.

Oh, did I mention the infinitesimally small text that dictates what to type? I'm not kidding when I say I have to use a magnifying glass.

Avoid this book like the plague!

Abhorrent!



.

I needed this book for a class I am taking on Interactive Web Design. Overall I found the book information sufficient for the class, though it's use of Perl rather than what I would consider a more robust language such as PHP as a let down. I am sure at the time of writing the choice of language was much more meaningful but that was nine years ago and it is time for an update.

As an online student my opinion is that this book is not good at all. I am taking the same course for the second time,and struggling again.
Perhaps this book would be fine in an "on campus" environment, but where there is no instructor to get help face to face, a better book is definitely needed. I just ordered "Perl Black Book" and "Perl Cookbook" which were recommended by an online tutor.
Hopefully they arrive quickly, and can help me get through the course this time around.

I am using this book for a class on server side programming. This book is not an in depth coverage of perl, its many modules, or even how to connect to a database. My college Baker uses this as an introduction, but before using this book we are required to take a class on introductory programming, then HTML/Xhtml/CSS, then a class on Unix/linux(which covers basic shell scripting) then another class on Dreamweaver and web design, then Javascript, once we have taken all of those we take this class as an introduction to server side scripting. We have to use this book to get used to writing and running scripts and working with a server, not so much to learn Perl, this class is required before we can take a class on PHP sever scripting. This book is meant to prepare us for learning PHP server scripting, most of the concepts in this book transfer directly.

The book is short and straight to the point, if you read it carefully you will do fine. If a college is using this book without properly preparing students it is the colleges fault. I also think many of the students in Comp Sci programs are not actually cut out for computer science. Computer Science concepts are very hard, and you have to love everything about computer science, actually be a real geek to excel. I own at least 200 books on all subjects of computer science, including 16 books on Perl alone. From my experience no one book covers all concepts in detail.

This book will show you how scripts work with html forms and process information on the server, that is all it is meant to do, if you want to know Perl in dept, then you may want the Perl by Example book, which I am reading along with this book. If you have no programming experience, then you may want to learn the basics of programming before attempting this book, it will not explain how to program.

Many people have a very hard time with programming classes, and other Computer Science, IT concepts. I love all of it and blast right through these books, my main goal is to master these concepts, I currently have a 4.0gpa and go entirely online, which is really hard since you have no one to directly ask questions. But I have been teaching my self for several years, I started while working on a boring degree in Accounting, which did no good for getting me a job, even though I graduated with a 4.0gpa.

If you are not obsessed with computer science concepts maybe you should consider a different field of study and work, many people start these programs and soon drop out that is why there is a shortage of people entering the field, there is absolutely nothing easy about it. I find it to be fascinating and my brain will not stop thinking and wanting to know more, to me all of it is fun to learn, no matter how hard or complicated.

I have used this book for teaching a Perl/CGI course at a post-secondary technical college. Course Technologies usually does a good job with their instructional material and this is no exception. I have also used other texts by Diane Zak, and they are all first rate. This is a great book for teaching server side scripting in a non-academic setting.

WARNING: This isn't a Perl book so don't expect to learn Perl, although this will certainly get you started. It isn't a CGI book. It isn't an architecture book. It's not a web design book. It doesn't cover database connectivity. It's special purpose is to get you up and running using Perl for server side scripting, and for this purpose it does an excellant job, and I have no problem giving it 5 stars for this special purpose.