No Code Required: Giving Users Tools to Transform the Web [Paperback]

Allen Cypher (Editor), Mira Dontcheva (Editor), Tessa Lau (Editor), Jeffrey Nichols (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2010 | ISBN-10: 012381541X | ISBN-13: 978-0123815415 | Edition: 1

Revolutionary tools are emerging from research labs that enable all computer users to customize and automate their use of the Web without learning how to program. No Code Required takes cutting edge material from academic and industry leaders - the people creating these tools -- and presents the research, development, application, and impact of a variety of new and emerging systems.

*The first book since Web 2.0 that covers the latest research, development, and systems emerging from HCI research labs on end user programming tools

*Featuring contributions from the creators of Adobe's Zoetrope and Intel's Mash Maker, discussing test results, implementation, feedback, and ways forward in this booming area

*Companion Web site features video demonstrations of each system (http://www.elsevierdirect.com/v2/companion.jsp?ISBN=9780123815415)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The web is becoming not only a venue for people to receive information but increasingly a place for them to create new forms of information and to share them. The transition in the role from being a passive consumer to an active consumer as well as contributor is made possible by exactly the kind of work described in this book." -- Dr. Margaret Burnett, Dept of Computer Science, Oregon State University

"No Code Required presents . the latest thinking, research, and efforts to empower the masses . and provide people everywhere with the tools and capabilities to make the Web do what they want." - Chris Beard, Chief Innovation Officer, Mozilla

From the Back Cover

Revolutionary tools are emerging from research labs that enable all computer users to customize and automate their use of the Web without learning how to program. No Code Required takes cutting edge material from academic and industry leaders - the people creating these tools -- and presents the research, development, application, and impact of a variety of new and emerging systems.

*The first book since Web 2.0 that covers the latest research, development, and systems emerging from HCI research labs on end user programming tools

*Featuring contributions from the creators of Adobe's Zoetrope and Intel's Mash Maker, discussing test results, implementation, feedback, and ways forward in this booming area

*Companion Web site features video demonstrations of each system

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 1 edition (April 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 012381541X
• ISBN-13: 978-0123815415
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,107,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Purely Academic November 8, 2010

By Reader Jon

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is simply a collection of essays. There's nothing wrong with that. However, my frustration is with the discrepancy between expectation and reality. Perhaps I expected too much? Maybe. I stumbled across this book, skimmed a few portions using "search inside", and read a few quick reviews. I got very excited as I thought I'd discovered some great new tools. At the same time, I wondered how in the world I'd never heard of these things when they appeared to be so useful! I was a little taken aback by the $40 price tag for a Kindle edition, but felt confident that the end result would be more than worth it.

I was extremely disappointed to discover that the vast majority of tools listed in this book are not available. This doesn't seem to correspond very well to the subtitle: "Giving Users Tools to Transform the Web". The majority of items listed are either unavailable or only available to people within select groups (MIT for example).

If you'd like to learn about some of the great tools that may some day be part of our daily computing, this may be the book for you. If you want to find tools that will help you today, I'd suggest you skip this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the Possibilities of the Web, Academically September 17, 2010

By Robert L. Stinnett VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

The web (and the internet in general) has changed so much in it's short time span. What once was a static means of delivering content electronically has now turned into a fully interactive, customizable, multi-platform information delivery vehicle. Today people don't just read about information online, they interact with it through various tools and resources. In this book you will get to read about some of the great projects underway at some online firms to help grow that interaction, as well as read some of the more theoretically "what if's" that could very well transform the web in the years to come.

This book is not your ordinary tech book. It's written on an academic level, but that shouldn't scare you away if you truly want to understand what is helping drive the online revolution. It's not a book you can finish reading in a week, but rather becuase of the depth of information you will want to read it in chunks and then come back and start on the next chunk. I found it to be a great way to relax in the evenings, or even over my lunch hour, by just reading a bit and then trying to imagine how what I just read could apply to my company's website, or my own online adventures.

This would be a great gift for that inquisitive teenager who is thinking about a career in computer science or starting their own online business. It's also a great book for those of us, like myself, who are always curious about what lies around the corner -- what will technology bring us next, and how can I be a part of that change?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More of a textbook than an instructional work September 15, 2010

By A. Moore VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This is not a book, more a collection of essays published over the last few years. It really has little practical application for the commercial web designer, but some interesting ideas.

It is, however, based on an idea which is technically correct, but has little use in the real world: If you had to be a systems programmer to use a computer in the 1940s up till the advent of the Microcomputer, then that makes every computer user a programmer. The tools have evolved, from assembly to languages like C and a command line to the GUI and now web apps - many levels of abstraction from the circuitry inside. Inadvertently, we are all programmers when we use our computers, or even a web browser.

Therefore, it is possible that, will enhanced tools, we can all actually program our computers, regardless of ability. It's a nice idea, but it doesn't hold water. Just because a user can upload their photo, attach a geolocation code, and have it show up on Google Maps, only for another user to take the data and use a mash-up tool to do something else, does not make the first user a programmer.

The age of the materials also shows itself up - who uses 'mash-ups' any more? It's as dated as references to home pages or the information superhighway. As a collection of theoretical essays by people entrenched firmly in research and academia, this book has merit. As a useful guide enabling web designers and programmers to offload work on the user, it has no value.