[Firenze-pm] Fwd: User Group Newsletter - Issue 04-06

Stefano Rodighiero stefano.rodighiero at gmail.com
Wed Apr 5 14:47:46 PDT 2006


Ecco la newsletter O'Reilly di Aprile.

Date un'occhiata ai libri disponibili per la recensione, e fatemi
sapere se vi va di leggere e recensire qualcosa (in Italiano e in
Inglese: ma per l'Inglese ci si aiuta reciprocamente, nel caso).

I libri, nel caso di Nordest.pm, restavano al recensore (in ogni
caso, O'Reilly non ne chiede la restituzione): secondo me non
è un problema aderire a questa pratica, tanto più che con la
frequenza dei meeting (spero) dovrebbe rivelarsi agevole
farli circolare, se qualcuno desidera esaminare un volume
recensito da qualcun altro.

ciao,
S.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Stefano Rodighiero <stefano.rodighiero at gmail.com>
Date: Apr 5, 2006 11:40 PM
Subject: Fwd: User Group Newsletter - Issue 04-06
To: firenze-pm-request at pm.org


Ecco la newsletter O'Reilly di Aprile.

Date un'occhiata ai libri disponibili per la recensione, e fatemi
sapere se vi va di leggere e recensire qualcosa (in Italiano e in
Inglese: ma per l'Inglese ci si aiuta reciprocamente, nel caso).

I libri, nel caso di Nordest.pm, restavano al recensore (in ogni
caso, O'Reilly non ne chiede la restituzione): secondo me non
è un problema aderire a questa pratica, tanto più che con la
frequenza dei meeting (spero) dovrebbe rivelarsi agevole
farli circolare, se qualcuno desidera esaminare un volume
recensito da qualcun altro.

ciao,
S.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Josette Garcia <Josette at oreilly.co.uk>
Date: Apr 5, 2006 4:00 PM
Subject: User Group Newsletter - Issue 04-06
To: Josette Garcia <Josette at oreilly.co.uk>


O'Reilly UK User Group Programme
NEWSLETTER
Issue 04-06

Within a week, this newsletter will be available to be downloaded in
pdf format from the Delphi and C# Developers Group web site at
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0406.pdf>.  You are welcome to
create a link to it for your members' use. Previous newsletters are
available at -
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0306.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0206.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0106.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/1705.pdf>


Our aim is to have both formats available at the same time, but that
might take us a little longer.

================================================
HIGHLIGHTS
================================================

NEWS FROM O'REILLY AND BEYOND
-Tim O'Reilly Quizzes Bill Gates at MIX06
-O'Reilly Authors Get Jolted
-New Rough Cuts Title: Atlas
-Secure Your Linux Server
-Autofilled PHP Forms
-What Corporate Projects Should Learn from Open Source
-Digital Bookmark Mods
-Getting Started with Quartz Composer
-Using the MultiView and Wizard Controls in ASP.NET 2.0
-Directions in Windows Scripting
-Zero Configuration Networking: Using the Java APIs, Part 1
-What Is Java?
-The Internet of Things
-The Future of Telephony, Going Digital, and Open Formats
-Managing Digital Images: Applying Ratings and Keywords
-Inside Animusic's Astonishing Computer Music Videos
-Maker Faire, San Mateo Fairgrounds, San Mateo, CA--April 22-23

BOOK NEWS
- Books for review
- Coming soon
CONFERENCE NEWS
YOUR BOOK REVIEWS
YOUR NEWS


================================================
NEWS FROM O'REILLY AND BEYOND
================================================

---------------------
General News
---------------------
***Tim O'Reilly Quizzes Bill Gates at MIX06
Watch the screencast here:
<http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=173941>


***O'Reilly Authors Get Jolted
O'Reilly authors won three of four Jolt Product Excellence Awards.
The winners are:
*"Prefactoring," by Ken Pugh
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/prefactoring/>
*"The Art of Project Management," by Scott Berkun
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/artprojectmgmt/>
*"Producing Open Source Software," by Karl Fogel
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/producingoss/index.html>


***Latest Title Available on Rough Cuts: "Atlas"
"Atlas Rough Cuts" provides experienced web developers with an
exciting hands-on tour of Atlas--the new development environment that
uses both Ajax and ASP.NET. Beginning with an introduction to the
technologies behind it all, including JavaScript, XMLHttpRequest,
DHTML and related topics, author Christian Wenz shows readers how to
create Ajax-style applications with the Atlas framework, including
data binding and XML Web Services. The book imparts important
fundamental knowledge in a concise reference-like way, making the
concepts of this new framework accessible to developers of various
technical levels.
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/atlas/>

For more information, go to:
<http://www.oreilly.com/roughcuts/>

---------------------
Open Source
---------------------
***Secure Your Linux Server
Linux is a powerful and popular operating system kernel. That
popularity means you might be running it even if you're not a
dedicated Unix administrator or high-powered programmer. That doesn't
mean that rock-solid security is out of your reach, though. Aaron
Brazell shows how to make Red Hat 9 (and other Linux distributions)
much more secure in a few easy steps.
<http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2006/03/23/secure-your-server.html>


***Autofilled PHP Forms
PHP makes handling interactive web pages easy--but when you have large
forms to fill out, errors to handle, and lots of data to pass back and
forth, you can make your life easier by making PHP fill in all the
form values for you. Gavin Andresen shows how to make forms
autopopulate from PHP arrays.
<http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/php/2006/03/16/autofill-forms.html>


***What Corporate Projects Should Learn from Open Source
Many corporate projects fail to produce quality software, yet many
large-scale open source projects succeed, and under much more
difficult conditions: no budget, a geographically distributed team,
and a volunteer workforce, to name a few. So how do open source
project teams ensure success? Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene
introduce five basic principles in their new book, "Applied Software
Project Management," that will help any project succeed, open source
or proprietary. The authors detail these principles in this article.
<http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2006/02/27/what-corp-projects-learn-from-open-source.html>

---------------------
Mac
---------------------
***Digital Bookmark Mods
Matthew Russell shows you how to add better bookmarks to your audio
books, add slideshows to your music files, create enhanced podcasts,
and share your favorite mods with others--even if they're on protected
audio.
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/03/15/digital-bookmarks-mod.html>


***Getting Started with Quartz Composer
Apple's free developer tool collection contains many overlooked gems.
These aren't limited to programming-specific utilities. Take Quartz
Composer, for example. It's a free utility that can bring new life and
interest to your iMovie projects. In this article, you'll learn how to
use your own pictures to create simple, but flashy animation.
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/03/23/quartz-composer.html>

---------------------
Windows/.NET
---------------------
***Using the MultiView and Wizard Controls in ASP.NET 2.0
Need to collect data from Web pages? ASP.NET 2.0 makes it easy, with
the use of MultiView and Wizard controls. Wei-Meng Lee, author of
"ASP.NET 2.0: A Developer's Notebook" shows you how to take advantage
of them.
<http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2006/03/21/multiview-and-wizard-controls-in-aspnet-20.html>


***Directions in Windows Scripting
Administering Windows platforms using scripts can be a big
productivity booster or a headache. Mitch Tulloch, author of "Windows
Server Hacks," sits down with Don Jones, a Microsoft MVP and the
creator of ScriptingAnswers.com, for a no-holds barred interview about
the future of scripting.
<http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2006/03/14/directions-in-windows-scripting.html>


---------------------
Java
---------------------
***Zero Configuration Networking: Using the Java APIs, Part 1
Zeroconf, also known as Bonjour and previously known as Rendezvous,
offers a robust system for self-networking that has been adopted by
many applications. With a provided Java API, now it's easy to make
"Zeroconf applications hop platforms. In this excerpt from Zero
Configuration Networking: The Definitive Guide," Stuart Cheshire and
Daniel H. Steinberg show how to register a service with Zeroconf.
<http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/excerpt/bonjour_ch08/index.html>


***What Is Java
Everyone knows what Java is, right? Interpreted code, applets,
proprietary, and slow. Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. In its second
decade, it's time to re-evaluate Java: the language and the virtual
machine are going their own ways, its open source sub-community is
vibrant and independent, and developers are taking the best ideas from
other languages and frameworks and bringing them to Java. In this
article, ONJava editor Chris Adamson tries to reset old assumptions
about Java to fit modern realities.
<http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2006/03/08/what-is-java.html>

---------------------
Podcasts
---------------------
***The Internet of Things
This week, Bruce Sterling's Emerging Technology keynote on "The
Internet of Things" is the sole segment in our program. (DTF
03-20-2006: 30 minutes 13 seconds)
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/03/20/distributing-the-future.html>


***The Future of Telephony, Going Digital, and Open Formats
Peter Cochrane looks at the future of telephony and handheld devices,
James Duncan Davidson talks about his switch from film to digital
photography, and Simon Phipps explains the importance of open formats
backed up by open source software. (DTF 03-13-2006: 26 minutes 30
seconds)
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/03/13/distributing-the-future.html>

---------------------
Digital Media
---------------------
***Managing Digital Images: Applying Ratings and Keywords
The explosion of digital imaging has left professional and serious
amateur photographers drowning in photographs, with little guidance on
how to store, sort and organize them. In this excerpt from "The DAM
Book," Peter Krogh shows you expert techniques for applying ratings
and keywords so you can begin to take control of your digital photo
library.
<http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2006/02/24/keywords-and-metadata.html>


***Inside Animusic's Astonishing Computer Music Videos Composer Wayne
Lytle's custom software transforms musical notes into jaw-dropping 3D
animations. The resulting DVDs have sold tens of thousands of copies.
Watch excerpts here and learn how Lytle turned his digital pipe dream
into a thriving business.
<http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2006/03/22/animusic-computer-music-videos.html>

---------------------
MAKE
---------------------
***Maker Faire, San Mateo Fairgrounds, San Mateo, CA--April 22-23
Join the creators of MAKE magazine, the MythBusters, and thousands of
tech DIY enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists,
science clubs, students, and authors at MAKE's first ever Maker Faire!

Meet all kinds of people who make amazing things in garages,
basements, and backyards for inspiration, know-how, and spirited
mischief-making. An incredible learning experience for the entire
family, students of all ages and their teachers are welcome.
<http://www.makerfaire.com/>


***Try a Sample Project from MAKE:
<http://makezine.com/samples/>




================================================
BOOK NEWS
================================================

Copies of our books are available for your members to review -- send
me an email with the delivery address together with the book you would
like to review. When the review is published, please send me a copy or
the url. I would also appreciate if you could send a copy to
www.amazon.co.uk <http://www.amazon.co.uk>

Latest books available for review -

        *       Ajax Hacks  <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ajaxhks>
        Want to build next-generation web applications today? This
book can show you how. A smart collection of 80 insider tips and
tricks, Ajax Hacks covers the finer points of Asynchronous JavaScript
and XML, or Ajax as it's known. Learn leading-edge web development
tasks like how to display Weather.com data, scrape stock quotes, fetch
postal codes and much, much more.
        *       The Art of SQL <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/artofsql>
        Enterprises throughout the world are confronted with exploding
volumes of data, and many IT departments are looking for quick
solutions. This insightful book demonstrates that since SQL code may
run for 5 to 10 years, and run on different hardware, it must be fast
and sound from the start. Expert Stephane Faroult offers SQL best
practices and relational theory that force you to focus on strategy
rather than specifics.
        *       Best of Ruby Quiz
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0976694077> (Pragmatic Bookshelf)
        Sharpen your Ruby programming skills with twenty-five
challenging problems from Ruby Quiz. Whether you have faithfully
followed the weekly online Ruby Quiz challenges or are just looking
for some practical tests of your Ruby skills, this book delivers. Read
the problems, work out a solution, and compare your solution with
others. Read about the interesting issues of each problem. Writing
code and reading code are still the only ways to truly gain skill with
a programming language, and within these pages you can do both quickly
and easily.
        *       Don't Get Burned on eBay
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/dgbebay>
        Don't Get Burned on eBay offers relevant lessons based on
real-life stories posted on eBay's Answer Center. With sharp, witty
rhetoric, veteran eBay user Shauna Wright (co-founder of the popular
web site WhoWouldBuyThat.com <http://www.whowouldbuythat.com>), shows
eBay veterans and newcomers alike how to avoid those nasty scenarios,
and how to pull themselves out of the muck if they've already fallen
in.
        *       Fixing Windows XP Annoyances
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/windowsxpannoy>
        Inspired by author David Karp's Windows XP Annoyances for
Geeks, this all-new tome pulls together tips, tricks, insider
workarounds, and fixes for PC novices and pros, in a handy, accessible
Q&A format that lets you find the solutions in a flash . Fixing
Windows XP Annoyances will not only increase your productivity but
lower your blood pressure.
        *       Flash 8: The Missing Manual
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/flash8tmm>
        Macromedia's Flash 8 is the world's premier program for adding
animation to websites. But Flash isn't intuitive. And it doesn't come
with a manual. This hands-on guide to today's hottest web design tool
is aimed at nondevelopers, and it teaches you how to translate your
ideas into great web content. Whether you want to learn the basics or
unleash the program's true power, Flash 8: The Missing Manual is the
ideal instructor.
        *       Flash 8: Projects for Learning Animation and
Interactivity <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/flashprojects>
        This book teaches Flash design rather than simply Flash
itself. With a standalone series of walkthroughs and tutorials for
Flash beginners coming from a graphics field, Flash is covered in the
context of real-world projects. Rather than learn a Flash tool for the
sake of it, you learn which areas of Flash are important, and which
are less used, simply by seeing how typical content is actually
created. And rather than a text-heavy approach, this graphically rich
book leads you through hands-on examples by illustration.
        *       Google: The Missing Manual
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/googletmm2>
        Sure, you know how to "Google it" when you're searching for
something on the Web. But did you know how much more you could achieve
by clicking beyond the "Google Search" button? Our fully updated and
expanded edition to Google: The Missing Manual covers everything you
need to know to become a Google guru--including all the new, cool, and
often overlooked features that make Google the world's best search
engine.
        *       Head Rush Ajax <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/headra>
        Asynchronous programming lets you turn you own websites into
smooth, slick, responsive applications that make your users feel like
they're back on the information superhighway, not stuck on a dial-up
backroad. With Head Rush Ajax, in no time you'll be writing JavaScript
code that fires off asynchronous requests to web servers...and having
fun doing it. Head Rush Ajax takes you beyond basic web development
with DHTML and JavaScript and explains how asynchronous data requests
and more powerful event models can be used in the Ajax methodology.
        *       Intermediate Perl
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/intermediateperl/index.html>
        Perl programmers need a clear roadmap for improving their
skills. Intermediate Perl teaches a working knowledge of Perl's
objects, references, and modules -- all of which makes the language so
versatile and effective. Written by the authors of the bestselling
Llama book, Learning Perl, this guide offers a gentle but thorough
introduction to intermediate programming in Perl. Topics include
packages and namespaces, references and scoping, manipulating complex
data structures, writing and using modules, package implementation,
and using CPAN.
        *       iPhoto 6: The Missing Manual
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/iphotomm>
        Along with its host of new features, iPhoto 6 can handle as
many as 250,000 images. It's incredible, and Apple makes it sound so
easy. But you can still get lost, especially if you're new to iPhoto.
Not to worry. The latest edition of this popular book gives you plenty
of undocumented tips & tricks for taking advantage of the new sion and
every feature packed into it.
        *       iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ipodtmm4>
        An iPod is many things to many people, but it can be much more
than most people realize. That's where this new edition comes in. Like
the iPod itself, this book is a long-running bestseller with a wealth
of useful information for any iPod user. This edition features the new
Video iPod, iTunes 6, ways to use an iPod as an external drive or
personal organizer, and much more.
        *       MySQL Stored Procedure Programming
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mysqlspp>
        MySQL Stored Procedure Programming covers a lot of ground. The
book starts with a thorough introduction to stored procedures
programming and functions, covering the fundamentals of data types,
operators, and using SQL in stored procedures. You'll learn how to
build and maintain stored programs -- covering transactions, stored
functions, and triggers -- and how to call and use MySQL-based stored
procedures in a variety of languages, including PHP, Perl, Python,
.NET, and Java. This book, destined to be the bible of stored
procedure development, is a resource that no real MySQL programmer can
afford to do without.
        *       Photoshop CS2 RAW <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/photoshopraw>
        The RAW file format is the uncompressed data file captured by
a digital camera's electronic sensor. Because RAW files remain
virtually untouched by in-camera processing, working with them brings
greater flexibility and control to the editing process-if you know how
to use them. Adobe Photoshop CS2 has emerged as the best way to edit
RAW images, and Photoshop CS2 RAW is dedicated to working with RAW in
Photoshop. This comprehensive guide explores the entire RAW process,
focusing extensively on Photoshop editing techniques targeted to
professionals and photo hobbyists alike.
        *       Practices of an Agile Developer
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/097451408X> (Pragmatic Bookshelf)
        These are the proven, effective agile practices that will make
you a better developer. You'll learn pragmatic ways of approaching the
development process and your personal coding techniques. You'll learn
about your own attitudes, issues with working on a team, and how to
best manage your learning, all in an iterative, incremental, agile
style. You'll see how to apply each practice, and what benefits you
can expect. Bottom line: this book will make you a better developer.
        *       UML 2.0 Pocket Reference <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/uml2pr>
        Globe-trotting travelers have long resorted to handy,
pocket-size dictionaries as an aid to communicating across the
language barrier. Dan Pilone's UML 2.0 Pocket Reference is just such
an aid for on-the-go developers who need to converse in the Unified
Modeling Language (UML). Use this book to decipher the many UML
diagrams you'll encounter on the path to delivering a modern software
system.
        *       XAML in a Nutshell <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/xamlian>
        The Windows Vista operating system will support applications
that employ graphics now used by computer games--clear, stunning, and
active. The cornerstone for building these user interfaces is XAML,
the XML-based markup language that works with Windows Presentation
Foundation, Vista's new graphics subsystem. This book teaches you
everything necessary to design the new generation of user interfaces
and .NET applications, with plenty of examples to get you started.
****Coming Soon
        *       Programming PHP <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/progphp2>
        *       Linux Annoyances for Geeks
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxannoygks>
        *       Flash 8 Cookbook <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/flash8ckbk>
        *       SQL Pocket Guide <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/sqlpg2>
        *       JUNOS Cookbook <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/junosckbk>
        *       Learning UML 2.0 <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnuml2>
        *       Learning SQL on SQL Server 2005
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnsqlsvr05>
        *       Programming Excel with VBA and .NET
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/progexcel>
        *       Enterprise Services Architecture
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/enterprisesa>
================================================
Conference News
================================================
***Where 2.0 Early Registration is Open
The Where 2.0 Conference brings together the people, projects, and
issues leading the charge into the location-based technology frontier.
Join the developers, innovators, and business people behind the new
era of geospatial technology as they come together--because everything
 happens somewhere, and it's all happening here.

Where 2.0 Conference, June 13-14, 2006
Fairmont Hotel, San Jose,  CA
<http://conferences.oreilly.com/where/>

User Group members who register before April 24, 2006 get a double
discount. Use code "whr06dsug" when you register, and receive 15% off
the early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
<http://conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/47/register.html>


***MySQL Users Conference
Join us at the 2006 edition of the MySQL Users Conference, the largest
gathering of MySQL developers, users, and DBAs. It's the only event
where you'll be able to join the core MySQL development team and over
1000 users, open source innovators, and technology partners under one
roof.

MySQL Users Conference, April 24-27, 2006
Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA
<http://www.mysqluc.com/>

User Group members who register before March 6, 2006 get a double
discount. Use code "mys06dusg" when you register, and receive 15% off
the early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
<http://www.mysqluc.com/pub/w/45/register.html>


====================================================
O'REILLY WILL BE THERE!
====================================================

UKUUG/Apple Technical Briefing 2006. <http://www.ukuug.org/events/apple06>
Apple and the UK Unix Users' Group are happy to announce another
Technical Briefing "OS X on Intel", from 1:30pm on Thursday April 20th
in Central London.

SANE 2006 - <http://www.sane.nl/sane2006/>
15 / 05 / 2006 at 09:00 Aula Congresscentre, Delft, The Netherlands
The SANE 2006 conference offers 3 days of training, followed by a
2-day conference program filled with the latest developments in system
administration, network engineering, security and open source
software, and practical approaches to the puzzles and problems you
wrestle with.


Xtech - <http://xtech06.usefulinc.com/>
16 / 05 / 2006 at 09:00 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
XTech 2006 is the premier European conference for developers,
information designers and managers working with web and
standards-based technologies. XTech brings together the worlds of web
development, open source, semantic web and web standards.
The theme for 2006, "Building Web 2.0", recognises the key place of
standards-based and open technology in enabling the next generation of
web applications. Practitioners and leaders from all disciplines are
invited to participate in presenting and discussing the technology and
design issues behind the changing web.

================================================
YOUR BOOK REVIEWS
================================================

***Jug Trento  reviewed -
                Applied Software Project Management
<http://www.jugtrento.org/trewiki/index.php/recensioni/libri/AppliedSoftPrjMng>
Java Enterprise in a Nutshell 3e
        <http://www.jugtrento.org/trewiki/index.php/recensioni/libri/EJBNutshell>

***SNUG reviewed -
Pragmatic Unit Testing in C# with NUnit
<http://cs.snug.se/forums/105/ShowPost.aspx>





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