High Performance Delphi 3 Programming [Paperback]

Jim Mischel (Author), John Penman (Author), Terence Goggin (Author), Don Taylor (Author, Editor), Jon Shemitz (Author)

Book Description

Series: High Performance | Publication Date: July 1997

You've learned to program with Delphi 3, and now you're ready to move to another level. If you want to get serious about Delphi programming, this book was written just for you. Open it up and shift into second gear, where you'll explore input/output filtering, fractals, way-out-there database technology, and Windows arcana. Then pop it into high gear and slam the pedal to the metal, as you speed through Internet development secrets, dynamic user interface design, process monitoring, embedded components, and more. Powerful stuff, written by experts for those who wish to become experts - and all written with a light heart and more than a touch of wit (you'll even be learning techniques through the programming adventures of Ace Breakpoint, Non-Traditional Programmer).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ready to make the most out of Delphi 3, the latest version of Borland's rapid application development tool? High Performance Delphi 3 Programming has the information you need: it's packed with detailed instructions on how to push Delphi to the limit. The book shows how to build DLLs (dynamic-link libraries), implement drag and drop, work with the Delphi Winsock component, and much more. What's particularly impressive is that Don Taylor and his coauthors don't just offer a rapid-fire listing of techniques and leave you to worry about the details. Instead, they delve into the reasons you'd want to do this stuff, the pitfalls you'd likely encounter, and offer slick workarounds. The authors take a lighthearted tone that occasionally gets long-winded--they sometimes require you to read through dialogs between imaginary characters rather than simply jump to the topic of interest--but they offer enough good information to more than make up for that shortcoming.

Product Details

• Paperback: 635 pages
• Publisher: Coriolis Group (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576101797
• ISBN-13: 978-1576101797
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,814,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not recommended, May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: High Performance Delphi 3 Programming (Paperback)

If you're looking for an advanced book on Delphi look elsewhere. The book is long on words and short on value. You have to trawl for information - the last third of the book is almost entirely taken up with the story of "Ace Breakpoint" detective, which I didn't even find entertaining let alone enlightening. A large amount of the book's text is printed source code (unnecessary when you have it on CD; it just serves as filler). And while every chapter is on a different topic, many are, while Windows related, hardly Delphi specific ("3D Fractal Landscapes", "Drag and Drop the Windows Way" (ie. not the Delphi way) etc.). All this would have been forgiven if the titbits in this book were worthwhile Delphi tips. But although various developers have looked at it, nobody in our office has yet obtained anything useful out of this book. It just sits on a bookshelf now, gathering dust.

2.0 out of 5 stars The book has a very nice cover., November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: High Performance Delphi 3 Programming (Paperback)

You're not going to learn Delphi by reading this book so I wouldn't recommend it for novice programmers. Half the book is spent on internet related code like WinSock, FTP, and OLE. If you're not interested in these topics then you're left with very little else. It covers databases in only 24 pages which is incredibly scant. There is a great deal of filler in this book about Ace Breakpoint who runs a detective agency. It sounds like the author wishes he were writing about something else. Overall the book is far too narrative and reads like a cheap novel. The reader will probably find a few sections of interest and if you find the book at a book sale for around $10, then you might want to give it a try.

1.0 out of 5 stars This is little more than "Kick Ass Delphi" in a new cover., September 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: High Performance Delphi 3 Programming (Paperback)

I was VERY disappointed to find that "High Performance Delphi 3 Programming" is nothing more than "Kick Ass Delphi" with a new cover and title. A quick scan of the contents pages of both books showed only a couple of minor changes. Jeff Duntemann's Introduction is -Word for Word- the same with the exception of the date. I just paid for a book I already own! I actually researched this purchase to the extent I was able before buying it. NOWHERE does the Corolis Website ad/info about the book mention "Kick Ass Delphi". Had I been able to look at the book before purchase I would have immediately known it was the same book. With the realitively limited number of books on the topic of ADVANCED Delphi programming available it should be made very clear that this is nothing more than a retitled book. The worst thing about this is that "Kick Ass Delphi" wasn't even very good! I will be very hesitant to buy anything from Coriolis in the future.