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<TITLE>Book Review: Web Development with Apache and Perl</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>Title: Web Development with Apache and Perl</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Author: Theo Peterson</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Publisher: Manning</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Published: 2002_05</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>ISBN: 1930110065</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Pages: 560</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>This text is similar to Lincoln Stein's "How to Set-Up and Maintain a Web Site". It is an introductory to intermediate level overview of web development utilizing Apache and Perl. It starts by assuming you've already settled on Apache and Perl, and lays the case to help you convince others. It then proceeds to tour the current offerings for working with persistence, security, session management, templating systems, content and performance management, and e-commerce.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>My initial impression was that the author was overplaying his hand. He has the habit of starting each chapter with a lot of open ended questions. More than he's able to answer in considerable depth. As I read on, my negative impression softened. These were after all the types of questions the book's readers will asking themselves. Peterson does a good job of covering the first 20% of the what's and how's which get your project 80% of the way there, even if the occassional opening question drops through the cracks never to be answered.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Peterson has done an admirable job presenting the current assortment of technologies, tools, and their uses in an approachable manner for readers either new to web development or returning after a hiatus. The advice is reasonable and the issues, examples, and code selections are good. The book could be read either as mile-high overview by managers to familiarize themselves with the technologies and how they fit together... or by budding web developers as a general roadmap with good pointers to avenues for continued research and reading.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>It is a sad truth in this industry, that as soon as something is printed, it is often already out-of-date. As a case in point, the section on e-commerce mentions Redhat's Credit Card Verification System (CCVS). A service which has already come to an untimely demise.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Still the book is timely, well written, and provides excellent coverage for people looking for an efficient start on web development with Perl and Apache. The lingering question is whether it'll still be timely a year from now. Perhaps Manning and Peterson will be willing to keep frequent updates in print.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>--</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>Garrett Goebel</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>IS Development Specialist</FONT>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>ScriptPro Direct: 913.403.5261</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>5828 Reeds Road Main: 913.384.1008</FONT>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=2>www.scriptpro.com garrett at scriptpro dot com</FONT>
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