Customer Reviews

Cgi Programming Unleashed

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

 

 

When I finished reading this book I realized there wasn't much to learn about CGI. In fact, the first thing I did with my computer after reading was learning Perl with the accompanying HTML documents.
You will also be able to learn Perl with the examples in the book, but some of them are not too useful.
Anyway, I had to buy it to realize about these facts (or, at least, what I think are facts), so I am not disappointed at all.

PS: The book tries to teach you a lot of things you will probably not be interested in.

It gives good overview of CGI and many examples. It explains basic operation of CGI in the beginning, then illustrates numerous application afterwards. However, the author seems to have a strong favor for Perl. There are very few C, C++, and Java examples available. After reading, C/C++ programmer will feel like to study ISAPI or NSAPI that can replace CGI. The source code provided in this book is written for UNIX based web server NOT for Windows NT (IIS) Web server. Overall, it is designed for novice and intermediate level reader.

I was very happy to find the extra book mounted on the CD, Perl 5 in 21 days, but the actual book itself would describe general concepts without actually giving enough concrete examples of how to do it. This book is definitely intended for those who are already fairly experienced with programming in Perl. Also, the author could stand to be a little less dry and his code should be more readable (indentation and white space).

With the book stores full of CGI books that only concentrate on Perl and CGI, this is a welcomed change. C/C++, shell scripts, and others are convered here as well. An excellent book. Interesting reading with many programs/scripts provided on the sample CD that comes with this book. Definitely a must for any web developer

I can sum it up in one word, [stinks]
The first 1/3 of the book is information
you should already know before you buy this book.

I am impressed with the poise and genius of the author. He obviously understands computers more than the next person. And to have attended highschool while writing such a book takes great organization and time management skills. Needless to say this author is a role model. To have his intelligence at such a young age! I wish I was that gifted.