Customer Reviews

Internet Explorer 5 Developer's Guide

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

 

 

This book offers a very comprehensive treatment of the abilities of the Internet Explorer browser and the power of the latest technical standards of the World Wide Web Consortium. The text and accompanying CD are full of vivid examples of underlying principles. Many examples can be applied directly in real-world situation.

Be prepared for some important frustrations. The author, after whetting the appetite with a fine bit of code, continually refers the reader to a "Quick Reference" for complete code properties. This reference does not exist in the book or CD. He refers to important subject matter in "Chapter 24" which also does not exist - nor does that subject matter appear in any other part of the book. Some subsidiary material is included on the CD in Adobe PDF format. To present Dynamic HTML and scripting in this flat and passive way is like showing a person how to swim using a picture of water and a diagram of strokes.

These problems reflect lack of attention on the part of the publisher, not the author, whose enthusiasm and range of knowledge are admirable.

Another sign of improper attention on the part of the publisher is the large number of broken scripts. For instance, in Chapter 5, Listings 5-14, 5-15, 5-17 and 5-19, do not work. Troubleshooting found the problems involved improper use of quotes and misplaced or unbalanced braces. These are minor errors in the typesetter's art but showstoppers in the scripter's world. A book of this sort needs to be subjected to rigorous technical editing.

This book is worth the investment in time and money for anyone serious about using the latest standards and techniques in the Internet/Intranet environments.

Sloppiness is commonplace in computer books these days in part due to the haste with which this material is being published, but when a 21-chapter book refers the reader to chapter 24 for further details concerning an important subject (see page 617), it crosses the line.

Here is for a guide to IE5 that does not assume that I am a programmer or a moron. Some readers may enjoy being referred to as "Dummys". I am not one. I found the author's exploration of object models extensive and intelligible. I've just started trying to learn scripting and so far, this book has been immensely helpful. As I've mentioned, I felt that the content was very accessible, but what really stands out about this book is the author's voice which is logical and encouraging and occasionally even funny. I give it full marks

At the time of this review (7/26/99), there are not many Beginner programming guides for IE5. The book is filled with typing Errors....But..But...With that stated, I feel like he has done a good job of showing that IE5 is made up of different technologies that work together. I believe that this book would help a person who is confused about what the different Object Models are and how to use them. Easy to read type-face! Have fun!

It looked good browsing through the table of contents. When reading, I found many typos, errors and a very confused organization. This book is for a beginner who will quickly advance beyond the contents of the book. The good point, it is for a beginner. The coverage of XML/XSL left much to be desired. It mainly consisted of hand waving and no depth. I guess it is a lead-in for his next book on XML (not yet published). I will not even give it a second look based on this one.

Internet Explorer 5 Developer's Guide/ In reviewing this book, I think it is does a good job of explaining the object model, and how to script. It isn't really for advanced programmers ,I think it is more for "advancing"programmers and everyone who wants to learn more about object programming. The author does a good job of explaining some complex concepts in a concise manor.

M Keeley Page Graphics/Chicago Il.