Mastering XML with CDROM [Paperback]

Ann Navarro (Author), Chuck White (Author), Linda Burman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mastering | Publication Date: January 2000

With its extra power and extensibility, XML is the next step in the evolution of HTML, destined to be the universal data format on the Web. Master the Web's next hot language with this complete and definitive guide, written by one of the few people who has actually developed full-scale XML-based applications. This is the first book on the market that uses real-world examples, explains the specifics of developing for Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers, and delivers a full explanation of the XSL specification.

Product Details

• Paperback: 882 pages
• Publisher: Sybex Inc (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0782122663
• ISBN-13: 978-0782122664
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,901,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Frustrating Reading, January 1, 2000

By 

Francis A. Adolf (Lindenwold, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering XML with CDROM (Paperback)

"let's forgo that concern for now", "if the code seems at all confusing to you", "you'll find a more structured explanation later"

I've rarely seen these comments in a "how to" book, but similar comments seem to show up consistently in this book.

"Show it now, explain it now" is a concept I like and I've seen in many other programming books.

Much explanation is given to XML, but few code examples are given. It is hard to retain the information given without the code to reinforce the learning.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Confusing & full of errors, February 17, 2000

By 

Tom Hay (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mastering XML with CDROM (Paperback)

I read a lot of technical books, and this was definitely the worst for a long time !

* The presentation jumps back and forth, often using concepts before they've been explained.

* Many explanations are opaque and confusing, while others are superficial and repetitive.

* The examples given are unhelpful (e.g. discussing the effects of stylesheets and templates without showing the document being processed).

* The code samples are full of misleading typos.

* The authors do not even follow their own rules for variable naming etc.

A waste of money.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lots of information, but very badly presented and edited, June 12, 2003

By 

Scott Powell "scott_powell" (Santa Monica, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mastering XML with CDROM (Paperback)

This book tries to cover a tremendous amount of territory:
* The history of document markup and XML.
* XML concepts and syntax.
* Document analysis and DTD and schema design.
* CSS
* XSL/XSLT
* An array of development tools
* A range of XML application servers
* IE channels
* RDF, P3P, WDDX, MathML, SMIL
* Case studies from D&B, Dell

That's an impressive and ambitious list.

Unfortunately, the authors are over reaching and have prepared a book that looks like it was rushed to market. It is full of typos, grammar mistakes and nonsensical examples. It is almost incoherent in some places. The coverage from chapter to chapter is extremely uneven: Chapter 22 provides 13 pages of coverage on XML and Java. If it only took 13 pages to teach it to you, you probably wouldn't need the book to learn it.

Even as a dedicated reader with eight years' experience in publishing and content management, I found these shortcomings extremely frustrating and confusing.

If you need a survey book that covers a lot of stuff about XML without really trying to teach you the language and how to work with it, this book might be okay. For example, a business manager who has heard about XML or is contributing to the decision to use the technology might get some mileage out of the Dell or D&B case study. A curious home user just trying to get their feet wet might also appreciate the book not giving too much technical detail.

But if you're in technology or really need to learn how to use XML, Mastering XML is not a good choice. Its shallow coverage of the language's fundamentals and the hardcore technology for using it will disappoint.

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