Charles F. Goldfarb's XML Handbook (4th Edition) (Paperback)

by Charles F. Goldfarb (Author), Paul Prescod (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the past year, there has been dramatic evolution in XML-related standards, specifications, techniques, and products. Now, Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod have updated their definitive, best-selling XML guidebook to reflect the very latest innovations. Accessible enough for non-technical managers, thorough and accurate enough for technical professionals, Charles F. Goldfarb's XML Handbook, Fourth Edition delivers practical insight for decision-making and implementation, real-world case studies, in-depth explanations of XML technologies, and more than 175 hand-picked XML software and trialware packages -- now on two CD-ROMs! Charles F. Goldfarb's XML Handbook, Fourth Edition contains extensive new coverage of the latest XML standards and specifications, including XML Web Services, XML Query, XSL, Xpath, Xlink, Xpointer, Topic Maps, and even the just-finalized XML Schema Structures and Datatypes specifications. Goldfarb and leading XML developer Paul Prescod show how XML is simplifying supply chain integration, portal and "digital dashboard" development, trading exchanges, enterprise-class Web site management, and many other applications. They present several new enterprise case studies, and review state-of-the-art XML solutions, from Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Sun, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Adobe, and many others.

From the Back Cover

• The proven XML resource: applications, products, technologies, and tutorials!
• Revised and enlarged-latest standards and trends: schemas, datatypes, XSL, voice, wireless
• Two CD-ROMs: 175 genuinely free software packages, including the IBM alphaWorks suite
• Web services: SOAP, WSDL, UDDI

FREE Trial Version TurboXML IDE & Schema Editor

FREE NeoCore XMS Native XML Database—Personal Edition

100,000 copies in print

ADOBE FrameMaker + SGML-FREE TRYOUT

The proven resource for the Semantic Web and Web Services—100,000 copies in six languages!

Developers, managers, consultants, and VCs rely on its technical accuracy, accessible writing style, and broad and deep coverage.

Learn XML

Start by learning what XML is, why it came to be, how it differs from HTML, and the handful of vital concepts that you must understand to apply XML quickly and successfully—in your business and in your code.

Use XML

Experience XML through illustrated discussions of tools and applications: Web services, B2B, B2C, EDI, exchanges, e-commerce, integration, portals, content management, databases, conversion, syndication, telephony, wireless, customization, publication, presentation.

Master XML

Master the details from friendly, in-depth presentations: XML, schemas, DTDs, datatypes, XSLT, XSL-FO, XLink, XPath, XPointer, XSDL, namespaces, topic maps, RDF, SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, VoiceXML.

"This book is an excellent starting point where you can learn and experiment with XML. As the inventor of SGML, Dr. Charles F. Goldfarb is one of the most respected authorities on structured information." —From the Foreword by Jean Paoli,
Microsoft XML architect and co-editor of the W3C XML specification

2 CD-ROMs: 175 no-time-limit FREE packages

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1216 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR; 4th edition (December 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130651982
• ISBN-13: 978-0130651983
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,622,676 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full-spectrum Applications of XML, July 3, 2002

By	Xiaofan LIN (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

In this book you can find almost any applications of XML, including the latest development of Web services and VoiceXML.

It's especially for students who want to look for a project/thesis topic on XML or CTOs who wish to understand the business various scenarios where XML can be applied.

Admittedly, with 69 chapters in about 1100 pages, this book cannot have too much depth. Don't expect to use it as a daily programming reference book. It's more like a jump board that can set you in a specific direction of the XML world --- Then you should consult a more detailed book on that specific topic. It also introduces the various business software around XML.

Besides, this book is very entertaining.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More for managers than programmers, June 28, 2002

By	T. Rourke "T J Rourke" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book does have a wide array of topics, but no depth. There is a lot of history, which is to be expected from a guy who invented something like SGML. It's a big and heavy book with little practical material. Mostly academic, historical, and weak on details. Many chapters were not written by the authors listed on the front, but by vendors, and some of their material looks like marketing BS.

In a few places it mentions specific tools, but most of it is hand-waving, "this stuff can do everything in the world" sort of material. The tutorials are very sketchy, and the chapters on how to do DTDs and schemas are incomplete. The basic information about XML itself isn't even covered until you've plowed through 760 pages. A lot of theory and almost no practice - and the practice there is, is so basic and incomplete that it's not worth the effort to read.

The two CD's contain mostly 30-day trial shovelware you could download off the web for free - not the "175 genuinely free software packages" touted on the front cover. A lot of those "175 packages" are in fact just W3C specifications. It's the kind of book you want on your shelf if you want others to think you're technical. If you don't know anything about XML and need some technical knowledge, go ahead and get it. If you are a programmer or anyone looking for details on things like schemas, DTDs and syntax, look elsewhere.

A more useful, more concise and much cheaper alternative would be CodeNotes for XML, by Gregory Brill.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unique resource, with issues, January 12, 2004

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Charles F. Goldfarb's XML Handbook (5th Edition) (Charles F. Goldfarb Definitive XML Series) (Paperback)

The fifth edition of the XML Handbook is an interesting beast all in
itself. It's huge. The size of no other 'handbook' I have ever read,
weighing in at 1200 pages. My guess is that this book has grown from
edition to edition and has become the beast we see now. Starting with
the negative:

* The organization of the book needs work. The chapters are in an
almost random order. For example, the chapter that describes XML at an
introductory level is number 51, which is almost at the back of the
book.

* The organization of each chapter needs to be normalized into a format
that would ensure that each possesses valuable information. This book
is somewhat similar to the classic Design Patterns book in that it
covers a wide variety of topics. Having a chapter format that readers
can follow will make it easier to use the book as a reference work.

* The graphics are inconsistent at best. Some are horrible in quality.
Others are too large. I wouldn't have bought the book if I were
flipping through it at the store. The quality of the graphics, which
seem to be largely borrowed company graphics, is too inconsistent.

* The chapters are very short. There are 69 chapters in a 1200 page
book. You do the math. The chapter on XSL:FO, for example, is six pages
long. Barely enough text to introduce the topic, let alone explain it.

* The book is not self-referential. For example, the topic of vector
versus bitmap graphics is covered twice. And the chapter on acronyms
simply lists their definitions without pointing the reader back into
the book for more information about where those acronyms are explained
in more detail. My guess is that this is an outgrowth of the organic
development of the book.

All that being said, I am still giving the book a good rating because I
believe that it is a unique resource in the XML world. It's chapters
cover a variety of topics so sweeping that it provides a high level
overview of the entire map of XML development. Chapter 66, which
provides an overview of all of the different MLs is very good. Other
chapters, such as the RDF chapter (36) are also a very good
introduction. The breadth of the coverage is what makes this book
unique. All of the drill-down technology specifics are covered better
in other books.

Is it worth buying? Tough to say. I think for someone tasked with a
high-level understanding of XML it is a valuable resource because it
provides an excellent tree-top perspective of the XML landscape. For
someone who is thick in the implementation of XML standards, it's
probably not worth it.

What the book really needs is a thorough development editing pass to
reorganize the book, normalize the chapters, remove redundant content,
and to fix the problems with the illustrations and the text.