XML for Dummies (Paperback)

~ (Author), Norbert Mikula (Author), Ramesh Chandak (Author), Ed Tittle (Author) "If you take a close look at the use of XML in today's business world, you soon recognize that pinning down a single, definitive use..." (more)
Key Phrases: bookstore schema, document element node, complex type definition, Internet Explorer, Fiction Hardback, The Da Vinci Code (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Welcome to the brave new world of XML (also known as eXtensible Markup Language), the next generation in creating interactive, cutting-edge Web pages. If you've ever tried to build complex Web pages that integrate multiple sources of data, you know just how limiting HTML can be. Although XML may be a little intimidating at first, you'll find yourself quickly up to speed with XML For Dummies, a plain-speaking, easy-to-understand reference book for all things XML. XML For Dummies takes you through a basic overview of XML -- its capabilities, syntax, and technologies -- before moving into useable information and step-by-step methods for designing, building, and using XML's extensible features. XML's special "dialects" support advanced tools for using push technology, building dynamic interfaces, and managing or transmitting data across the Web. And freeware and trial software versions of XML software packages, tips for finding online XML resources, a cross-linked glossary, code examples from the book, and other cool features are included on the bonus CD-ROM that comes with this indispensable guidebook.

From the Publisher

An ideal beginner's guide to XML! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: Hungry Minds Inc; Bk&CD Rom edition (April 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076450360X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764503603
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,344,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #52 in

  Books > Computers & Internet > Databases > XML & Databases

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing can be learned from this book, July 25, 2000

By	Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: XML for Dummies (Paperback)

I'm usually not harsh about books, but this has got to be one of the worst computer books I've read. Admittedly XML is a complex topic to discuss, but another book "XML: A Primer" by St. Laurent does a much better job at showing the reader how XML works and is constructed. This book, in contrast, fails to show the poor reader what exactly XML is about -- and can do, and how one goes about developing actual XML applications. I mean, there are the code samples and explanations and everything, but after reading it I could not remember a single thing about XML. (I had to buy "XML: A Primer" to start all over again.) It's the rare kind of bad books that leave you unable to describe what you've just read.

The book won't do as a primer, nor will it do as a reference. I suggest that you find a copy and read it first before deciding whether to buy it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Find another book on XML, June 12, 2001

By	John S. Cleveland (Ruckersville, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: XML for Dummies (Paperback)

If you have any experience (even if it's only a tiny amount) with web development or programming find another book on XML. I bought this book not knowing anything about XML but knowing HTML and basic Javascript, VBScript, etc. I just wanted to understand what all the fuss was about concerning XML. I read the first 75 pages of this book before I even understood what XML was (that's about a fifth of the book). It took me many pages to understand that XML was designed for storing data (the same way a database is used) but you use other technologies/languages to present that XML data to a user on a web browser (for example, by using CSS, XSL, etc). Basically I had a lot of questions about XML and this book answered very few of them. The author repeats much of the information over and over but never goes into any depth on a particular subject. The first 125 pages could have been condensed to about 30. There are plenty of books out there on XML--some of those books have to be better than this one. It's a little cheaper possibly than some other books, but you get what you pay for.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Below average for IDG, July 26, 2000

By	Steve Sanderson (Long Island NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: XML for Dummies (Paperback)

Maybe it's a problem with XML itself, because the book is a little thin. In practice XML works with other markup languages, XSL (extensible style sheets) and XSLT (extensible style sheet transformations), as well as a couple of other components. This book only covers XML so maybe the content itself isn't enough to sustain a single book.

The book's a decent read but doesn't delve too deeply into the code. I know this is a primer book, but still it could have used additional info on how to implement XML in web pages.

I would read another primer than this one and then move on to an O'Reilly book on XML (when one comes out).