Weather Toys: Building and Hacking Your Own 1-Wire Weather Station (ExtremeTech) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is an excellent primer to help you understand 1 wire devices and weather devices. I found that it helped motivate me in other directions such as bee hive monitoring in conjunction with the weather. The programs are good but it would be nice if they were available in alternate programming langauges such as C, C++, Visual Basic and a few others. I am not well versed in Java at this time so the alternate programming language would help greatly especially since I am in the process of doing remote wireless using the Rabbit microprocessor with ZigBee for the weather devices and the alternate languages would help the process. If you have a need to know about 1 wire and weather devices this book is highly recommended...

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Big Book of Windows Hacks Review

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(More customer reviews)§
Despite Microsoft's claims that their vaunted "focus groups" and client experience consultants have allowed them to offer us painless computing, you and the rest of the world know it isn't true. Waiting for Windows XP or Vista to boot up and shut down certainly are irritations in themselves worth a hack or two.
As you can imagine, this is a large book. That is not just the number of pages (650) but also the format -- of the fold-flat variety. This big book of hacks is easy to work with physically.
The editorial review on this page describes the contents well except that I would alter "contains more than 100 hacks" to "contains almost 200 hacks." Quite a difference.
The writing is clear and informed. I'm sure you have read many of Gralla's magazine contributions over the years. Be sure that the book is not all text. There are plenty of illustrations and even photos (for the hardware hacks) to guide you. The hacks themselves are directed at all versions of Windows, with the focus on XP and Vista.
Consider this book a compendium of all those tips you always rip out of your computer magazine subscriptions to save -- then lose track of. Here they are, all in one place, not easily lost given the size of this book!
§

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Ubuntu Linux For Dummies Review

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(More customer reviews)This provides a great beginning overview to Ubuntu Linux and had some very interesting history about it. Switching from Microsoft to Linux, this book carefully explained the similarities and differences. Because Ubuntu is very intuitive, some of the book's sections were simplistic, but thorough in the explanation. Overall, a very good starting point in learning the new OS.

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What has made Ubuntu the most popular Linux distribution in recent years? It's the emphasis on ease of installation and use. It gets even easier when paired with Ubuntu Linux For Dummies. This friendly reference shows you how to run Ubuntu directly from CD-ROM and install it on a PC as a personal workstation and network server. You'll find out how to download Ubuntu and start using it right away. You'll also discover how to:
Connect to a LAN via a wireless and Ethernet
Use OpenOffice.org and Mozilla Firefox drawing and editing
Tap into multimedia, graphics and other applications using Ubuntu
Create services for a home or small business network
Generate and manage web pages, print services, and more
Find helpful information about Ubuntu and Linux
Troubleshoot and fix problems

"Ubuntu" means "humanity toward others." Operating system guidebooks don't get any more humane than Ubuntu Linux For Dummies.

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Ubuntu for Non-Geeks: A Pain-Free, Get-Things-Done Guide Review

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(More customer reviews)I have toyed occasionally with both Red Hat and Ubuntu over the years, but I definitely meet the definition of "non-geek." Installing these operating systems before always required some degree of struggle, and not uncommonly (especially with some earlier distros) I would simply fail. But that has changed. The current 8.04 version of Ubuntu partnered with this book is frankly outstanding.
First, a word about the operating system: this Ubuntu distro, code-named Hardy Heron, may well be the one that has finally made Linux as easy as Windows. I had always previously laughed at such claims from Linux enthusiasts, but this distro impresses me. It is the one that may at last enable me to defenestrate completely. And this guidebook is the perfect match, using normal language. One thing that it does very well is explaining what the few text commands that it uses actually do, instead of just instructing the reader to type it into the command line and leaving you wondering what exactly those "magic words" meant. There is a single short chapter about using the command line, but 99% of what the guidebook leads you through uses the GUI, so if the command line intimidates you never fear.
I installed Ubuntu 8.04 dual-boot with Windows XP on my laptop effortlessly. Not a single thing went awry. The new partitioning tool that is used during the installation is a great improvement over those in any of the (few) other Linux distros I've seen. The book follows step by step. My laptop is about 4 years old, so I am sure that a newer laptop may have hardware that is not as well supported and effortless. But on mine everything just worked, including my wireless internet.
Though they are enthusiastic, sometimes getting an understandable answer from the Linux community can be challenging. I had always struggled through installing Linux software before, especially if I needed to compile it myself. In fact, I can count my successful compilations on one hand. I never knew that GUI-based tools like Synaptic Package Manager or GNOME App Install were available to make it all so easy (assuming that a deb package is available, as there usually is) and again the book walks you through flawless examples. One example used for software installation is a program to automatically detect and load a driver for any ATI or NVIDIA graphics card- something which has historically been very difficult on Linux systems
My biggest criticism- and it wasn't enough to cost half a star or anything like that- is that the CD included with the book only has the i386 version of Ubuntu. If you want the 64-bit version you have to download it and burn the ISO to disc. (In fairness, the i386 version will load and run on a 64-bit machine, but only in 32-bit mode.) One of the reasons I bought this book was that I can't seem to pass the checksum when I downloaded the ISO, so now I am waiting for my disc from Canonical so that I can install Ubuntu on my desktop.
So, if you describe yourself as a "computer user" rather than a "computer geek," this is an outstanding book. If you know enough to know that Ubuntu exists then you almost certainly possess the minimal computer savvy required to use this book. I know that this review sort of morphed into a review of Ubuntu in addition to the book, but it is difficult to separate them. Suffice to say, the book walks you step-by-step through multiple examples of everything that you have to do. It also explains such details as what the differences are between the various file formats in which Open Office Word Processor can save documents. Almost all of such important minutiae are covered.
EDIT:
I wanted to respond to the 3-star review by Domestic Wolverine, which is the lowest rating that this book has gotten as of the time I am writing this. Mr Wolverine noted, correctly, that this book made certain assumptions about it's readers: It assumes, for example, that one knows what a computer is, knows (generally) how to use a mouse, and has at least encountered a GUI (windows with a lower-case w) in the past. This is an accurate description of the book. However, I do not feel that it is a valid CRITICISM of the book. It is, after all, titled "Ubuntu for Non-Geeks" rather than "Ubuntu for Hermits Who Have Lived in a Cave for the Past Three Decades." Mr Wolverine has, correctly, pointed out that this book might start at a level of discussion about a millimeter beyond the comprehension of someone who, essentially, doesn't know what a computer is. But I must point out that such people were not the targeted demographic. Such a book targeting hermits would be a very different work, and much larger, and be cluttered with a LOT of space devoted to material that 99% of westerners would just skip over. I laud Mr Wolverine for conceding that, other than this one deficiency, the book rates 5 stars. But I think that the book hit its intended target demographic perfectly.

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Essential Linux Device Drivers Review

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(More customer reviews)Like other reviews have stated, this first half of this book is a concise, useful introduction to certain Linux kernel concepts. But the title of the book leads the reader to expect that they could produce a Linux device driver using this book. That turns out not to be the case - no one could produce a driver with this book without the benefit of other reference material. In short, while the O'Reilly "Linux Device Drivers" text has it's shortcomings and is starting to become dated, it is still the only text with which the reader can use as a primary reference to create their own driver. It discusses implementation in detail, which this book does not.
This brings me to the second half of "Essential Linux Device Drivers", where specific device types are discussed. So little time is spent on each type that none are covered in enough detail to actually go off and start a driver of that type. You could be thinking that this book never claimed to enable you to write a PCI driver, for example, and that would be true. It just feels like a reduced scope with increased depth on the remainder would have made a much more useful book, rather than a bathroom reader.


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"Probably the most wide ranging and complete Linux device driver book I've read."--Alan Cox, Linux Guru and Key Kernel Developer"Very comprehensive and detailed, covering almost every single Linux device driver type."--Theodore Ts'o, First Linux Kernel Developer in North America and Chief Platform Strategist of the Linux FoundationThe Most Practical Guide to Writing Linux Device DriversLinux now offers an exceptionally robust environment for driver development: with today's kernels, what once required years of development time can be accomplished in days. In this practical, example-driven book, one of the world's most experienced Linux driver developers systematically demonstrates how to develop reliable Linux drivers for virtually any device. Essential Linux Device Drivers is for any programmer with a working knowledge of operating systems and C, including programmers who have never written drivers before. Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran focuses on the essentials, bringing together all the concepts and techniques you need, while avoiding topics that only matter in highly specialized situations. Venkateswaran begins by reviewing the Linux 2.6 kernel capabilities that are most relevant to driver developers. He introduces simple device classes; then turns to serial buses such as I2C and SPI; external buses such as PCMCIA, PCI, and USB; video, audio, block, network, and wireless device drivers; user-space drivers; and drivers for embedded Linux–one of today's fastest growing areas of Linux development. For each, Venkateswaran explains the technology, inspects relevant kernel source files, and walks through developing a complete example.• Addresses drivers discussed in no other book, including drivers for I2C, video, sound, PCMCIA, and different types of flash memory• Demystifies essential kernel services and facilities, including kernel threads and helper interfaces• Teaches polling, asynchronous notification, and I/O control• Introduces the Inter-Integrated Circuit Protocol for embedded Linux drivers• Covers multimedia device drivers using the Linux-Video subsystem and Linux-Audio framework• Shows how Linux implements support for wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Infrared, WiFi, and cellular networking• Describes the entire driver development lifecycle, through debugging and maintenance• Includes reference appendixes covering Linux assembly, BIOS calls, and Seq files

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Linux All-in-One For Dummies Review

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(More customer reviews)I really only have one complaint about this book. Other than that, it's excellect. The book is intended for the almost newbie. That is someone who knows how to turn the machine on, knows that a mouse is a plastic thing with buttons instead of a furry thing in the pantry, and so forth.
The book is divided into eight major subsections, or as the book says, 8 mini books. These are intended to be self standing so that if you want to set up an internet server you really only to read that particular book (but you may want to read a couple of others like the ones on administration and security).
Like a lot of Linux books, this one comes with a DVD disk, filled with lots of software (the DVD can hold a lot more data than a conventional CD). Or for $11 you can order a set of CD's that contain the Fedorea 3 Core distribution.
One point about the book I liked, he tells you how to make a partition to dual boot Windows and Linux. But he also comments that you might want to set up your experimental Linux system on a separate freestanding machine. This is clearly the way to go. I bought a computer at a thrift shop recently - 1 GHZ AMD Athlon - certainly not the hottest iron on the market, but it was only $75, including a 17" monitor. I've seen too many people screw up an installation and wipe out a hard drive to suggest that the newbie do a dual boot.
The problem I have with the book. He includes five flavors of Linux on the disk. In the first part of the book he goes a bit into the various distributions, but he never makes a solid recommendation. (There is a hint that this was the editors recommendation to get one book that would please the fans of any distribution.) If the newbie knows enough to say that he wants Debian or SUSE or Fedora, he probably doesn't need a For Dummies book. And the author does not say the advantages of the particular distributions, merely that they are here and here's how you install them.
By default the DVD loads Fedora, and that's fine. But in the installation section the author has to jump around a lot talking about the way the other distributions do things and it gets confusing. When you read the installation chapter, feel free to ignore what you aren't using.

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A complete guide and reference to five major Linux distributions
Linux continues to grow in popularity worldwide as a low-cost, reliable operating system for enterprise use. Nine minibooks in this guide cover everything administrators need to know about the five leading versions: Ubuntu, Fedora Core, OpenSUSE, Mint, and Mandriva. The companion DVD includes full Ubuntu installations and ISO images for the other four, saving hours of downloading time.
The open source Linux operating system is gaining market share around the world for both desktop and server use; this soup-to-nuts guide covers installation and everything else administrators need to know about Ubuntu, Fedora Core, OpenSUSE, Mint, and Mandriva
Nine self-contained minibooks cover Linux basics, desktops, networking, Internet, administration, security, Linux servers, programming, and scripting
Updated to cover the newest versions of the five top distributions, with complete installation instructions and a DVD including the full Ubuntu installations and ISO images for the others

Linux users and administrators will be able to install and sample five popular Linux flavors with the information in Linux All-in-One For Dummies.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Smart Home Automation with Linux (Expert's Voice in Linux) Review

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(More customer reviews)You can easily invest a lot of time and money into Home Automation (HA) projects only to find they don't work as anticipated. This book records the extensive experience of the author in HA and a hence could be a good investment to help you avoid or at least reduce frustration and improve your chances of successfully and enjoyably harnessing hardware and software to improve your quality of life. To gain the maximum benefit from this book, you need to be competent at installing hardware and wiring it up as well as doing web page development and scripting. Linux/Open Source Software is the main HA vehicle covered for a number of reasons- the inheritance from Unix of applications doing one thing and doing it well, the ability to use scripts to integrate key applications, and finally the ability to customise applications to your needs due to the ready availablity of source code. While there are plenty of illustrative snippets of code throughout the book, there are no complete examples provided, nor are copies of the source code provided from the publisher's site. You may find this acceptable given everyone's home automation solutions are unique, but I'm sure many would appreciate seeing how a HA solution is integrated. Then again, perhaps the author was concerned about the security risk to his HA implementation! To the author's credit, security concerns are regularly addressed throughout the book. Comprising just 7 chapters, with no appendices and an adequate index, this book still does a commendable job of covering the many aspects anyone planning HA needs to consider before investing in any hardware.
The first chapter jumps straight into how to use X10 hardware to control electrical appliances and lighting with plenty of practical information for those interested in setting up their home using this protocol. Other competing or complementary techniques, i.e. C-Bus, Ethernet and InfraRed are also briefly covered.
Chapter 2 looks at how to hack appliances such as game consoles, Linux powered WiFi Routers and NAS devices (with particular attention given to the Slug aka NSLU2, laptops, Arduino, Lego Mindstorms) and includes links to relevant hacking sites.
Media has chapter 3 dedicated to it; how to source your media, extract, store, distribute and control it.
Considerations on the best way to wire your home and locate servers and access points are covered in chapter 4, based on the more difficult two storey dwelling scenario. Irrespective of your dwelling construction, there are plenty of points raised in this chapter for consideration to help you implement a reliable, non-intrusive and reasonably secure HA solution.
Chapter 5 covers the various communications technologies that can be used to good effect for your HA implementation, with IP Telephony (Skype and Asterisk), email, voice, web access, and SMS all included. Techiques on how to process email, web and SMS based communications are covered, including suggestions on how to reduce the risk of security breaches.
I found chapter 6 on Data Sources particularly interesting, with the author covering ownership and the associated legal issues with personal use and how these become even more restrictive with family use and wider distribution. The chapter then goes on to look at how you can collect useful public data to assist your daily life, such as access to public transport time tables, traffic, weather, TV and Radio content and how you can use these with private data from calendars, webmail, Twitter and Facebook for personal automation.
Of particular interest for those skilled in coding, the final chapter covers how to integrate HA technologies with Minerva, showing in detail how to configure Minerva and its components to provide a secure HA solution that requires minimal maintenance by using device and application abstractions.
While there are no appendices, the book has an adequate index, but the real gems can best be found by reading through the book. Thanks to a reference in chapter 6, I finally found some Linux logging software for my weather station!

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Every amateur and professional Linux user in the world has the opportunity to remotely control their home and the gadgets in their home, and this book shows them how! A practical look by Steven Goodwin, the man behind the Minerva home automation suite. With large numbers of people now using Linux on netbooks in their homes, there is a huge audience for home automation using Linux.

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Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition: Covering 10.10 and 11.04 (6th Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)At the time I'm writing this there's one review below written by Mr. Stump who is spiteful because he wiped out his Windows file system.
So let me offer some advice:
This book mentions a program called Wubi that will allow you to install Ubuntu from within Windows (in MINUTES I might add) and won't wipe out your MBR or your files because you ignorantly hit "Format disk" without knowing exactly what it meant.
Now, I have tried to use Linux a few times in the past and the learning curve makes it difficult to operate. I'm incredibly proficient with PCs running Windows, but Linux has always been pretty difficult for me.
This book has helped clear up many of the things I didn't understand before. Currently I'm only in Chapter 11 but I've learned more about running Linux in the last four hours reading this book than I ever have before.
Give it a shot!
Don't be like Mr. Stump and wipe out your file system.
Maybe do a little research first. Learn what partitioning is. Maybe use another Linux disc called Parted Magic to resize and partition your drive properly using the right file system.
Maybe not blame a good book and give it one star for your own ignorant actions.
Okay I'm done.


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Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition presents advanced coverage of the popular Ubuntu distribution of Linux. Windows users, Mac users, and Linux enthusiasts have been increasingly turning to Ubuntu for a user-friendly and easy-to-use Linux distribution that remains useful to power users.This book provides detailed information on installing, using, and administering Ubuntu. You will learn how to set up a workstation or a server, details on Ubuntu's easy-to-use desktop and productivity software, and you will find topics of interest to both casual and serious developers.Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition includes a range of coverage: From the software you need everyday for productivity and enjoyment, to how to configure your Linux desktop to run smoothly, to advanced topics like systems administration and software development, and much more. Some books excel at helping beginners take baby steps. There is some beginning material in Ubuntu Unleashed 2011 Edition. However, this book is intended for anyone who wants to move beyond the basics of using Ubuntu into the realm of an intermediate or advanced user.Install and configure UbuntuGet all your system's devices and peripherals up and runningConfigure and customize your graphic user interfaceManage Linux services and usersSecure your machine and your network from intrudersConfigure a firewallShare files with Windows users using SambaGet productive with office toolsUse multimedia programsPlay gamesSet up and run various types of serversLearn the basics of several programming languagesLearn how to write a software application quicklyParticipate in Ubuntu QA testingTune your system for maximum performanceLearn to manage and compile the kernel and modulesUbuntu 10.10 on DVDDVD includes the full Ubuntu 10.10 distribution for Intel x86 computers as well as the complete OpenOffice.org office suite and hundreds of additional programs and utilities.Free Upgrade!Purchase this book anytime in 2011 and receive a free Ubuntu 11.04 Upgrade Kit by mail (U.S. or Canada only) after Ubuntu 11.04 is released.See inside back cover for details.Category: Operating Systems/LinuxCovers: Ubuntu 10.10User Level: Intermediate—Advanced

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Linux Networking Cookbook Review

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(More customer reviews)Linux networking cookbook is a book for both a seasoned and new Linux network administrator. It includes valuable time saving recipes, tools and related resources. The book is written in clear and concise style with tons of examples and working code.
Sure you can dig out all info presented here with the help of man pages, web, forums and chat rooms, but not in one handy guide. (remember time is an important factor in Enterprise computing).

Overall it is a great book that touches all important Linux networking aspects. This book is highly recommended to all RHCEs/ Geeks / MCESs / UNIX admin and small business owner who manges their own Linux boxes.

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This soup-to-nuts collection of recipes covers everything you need to know to perform your job as a Linux network administrator, whether you're new to the job or have years of experience. With Linux Networking Cookbook, you'll dive straight into the gnarly hands-on work of building and maintaining a computer network. Running a network doesn't mean you have all the answers. Networking is a complex subject with reams of reference material that's difficult to keep straight, much less remember. If you want a book that lays out the steps for specific tasks, that clearly explains the commands and configurations, and does not tax your patience with endless ramblings and meanderings into theory and obscure RFCs, this is the book for you. You will find recipes for:

Building a gateway, firewall, and wireless access point on a Linux network
Building a VoIP server with Asterisk
Secure remote administration with SSH
Building secure VPNs with OpenVPN, and a Linux PPTP VPN server
Single sign-on with Samba for mixed Linux/Windows LANs
Centralized network directory with OpenLDAP
Network monitoring with Nagios or MRTG
Getting acquainted with IPv6
Setting up hands-free networks installations of new systems
Linux system administration via serial console
And a lot more. Each recipe includes a clear, hands-on solution with tested code, plus a discussion on why it works. When you need to solve a network problem without delay, and don't have the time or patience to comb through reference books or the Web for answers, Linux Networking Cookbook gives you exactly what you need.

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Linux Unwired Review

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(More customer reviews)While Windows users have no problem using all the wireless gear out there, not everything is supported in Linux. Add to this the command line tools for dealing with wireless, and you have a recipe for confusion. "Linux Unwired" demystifies the Linux Wireless system, and provides guidance for purchasers to make sure that they buy the most supported equipment possible.
It should be noted early on that 802.11b is not the only thing covered in the book. The other variants (a and g) are there, in addition to IRDA (infrared), Bluetooth, and Data over Cellular. On the latter point, much of the content deals with US based providers, but it still provides a good backing on the subject for those of us outside the country.
802.11b is the main focus, taking up around half the book. It starts with a discussion of the chipsets behind the cards, and how the map to Linux support. Here is where the reader gets advice on which card to buy, or at least what to look out for when buying a card. One thing I found interesting was the WLAN driver loader, which is an inexpensive product that lets Linux load binary WLAN modules. Some cards are not supported enough in Linux to do things like WEP security, which is where this product comes in. Again, the book leads the reader around the situations when this is necessary and when it isn't.
In addition to WEP, other methods of authentication are covered such as 802.1x authentication and 802.11i, the successor to WEP. It's also a good example of the broad scope of the book and a focus on interoperability with existing systems, rather than assuming the reader is building everything from the ground up.
Access points take up two chapters, the first looking at how to use them with Linux. Before reading this book, I was under the impression that access points all used web browsers or telnet for configuration, but apparently some need Windows software. There are situations where people have developed software to emulate this functionality, and pointers are provided. The second of the two chapters is on building your own access point, which is a fascinating look at using micro-linux distributions and mini-x86 hardware to build access points with rich functionality (for those less adventurous or well funded, the same can be done with any old hardware). There is also a look at soldering on a serial port to a popular Linksys router to allow command line access to the underlying Linux OS.
Bluetooth and IRDA are less common uses of wireless that let computers speak to phones and PDAs. I was completely unaware of the level of support that existed in Linux until after I read these chapters. While the Bluetooth coverage was comprehensive, it went to a deeper level of detail than I thought necessary, such as a detailed breakdown of the Bluetooth stack of protocols. However, at the end, it is possible to use Bluetooth and IRDA to pull data from devices, and to connect to their resources (ie modems and databases) over the air.
I should also mention the chapter on GPS. It is fairly thin on its own, but as an addition to the 802.11b section (ie wardriving), it does well.
A couple of things stood out about this book. The first is that the target audience isn't necessarily Linux geeks, but Linux users. You don't have to be a Linux guru to get this stuff running, the level of detail is sufficient to get anyone who isn't scared of a command line up and running. The second is that the authors spent a lot of time testing various hardware. Many wireless cards and Linux distributions were tested in the early chapters. Where several options for software existed, they were all looked at (such as the source vs binary drivers mentioned above). This all adds to the book's value not only as a howto manual for wireless, but also as a guide for navigating through product and software selection.
"Linux Unwired" is perfect for anyone who wants to use wireless on Linux, be it connecting to an 802.11b network, or trying to use a cell phone to send a fax. Those looking to purchase equipment will want to go through the book first to make use of the product advice and compatibility testing.
More information is available from the O'Reilly website at http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lnxunwired/index.html which includes a sample of chapter 3, "Getting on the network"

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Linux Smart Homes For Dummies Review

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(More customer reviews)This book helps you to define and set up a complete home automation system. It is obviously based on the Linux operating system, and presumes that you have at least some idea about getting a Linus distribution, getting it installed and have a few development tools. The applications he discusses fit into several different categories: Entertainment, X10 controller, Weather, and of course in today's world - security.
There is a CD included with the book. It does not contain a Linux distribution, but instead several shareware programs that the home automater should find useful. These applications are all designed around Linux of course. If you should choose to automate your house using that other operating system, you don't want to use this book but instead 'Smart Homes For Dummies.'
Setting up a home system like this one is just about the ultimate in geek-dom, and very educational. Have Fun!

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Palm webOS Review

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(More customer reviews)It is a good book, but the errata is just too much. You can't even get the first few lines of code to work because they won't fix the file names. Basically, WebOS made an engine change in their file naming schema after the book was published. Therefore the entire book uses naming conventions that won't work. I've spent hours trying to find all the instances of incorrect file name reference to no avail.
Wait for another book to come out or until they fix this one.

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A Note from the Author and from O'Reilly Media about what this book does--and doesn't--do: Palm webOS is a brand new platform and represents a very different type of operating system where the web runtime is used as the basis for the UI and Application model. Palm and O'Reilly felt that it was important to have a book available to help developers get a basic understanding of the new Palm platform at the time that the SDK was released; this timing played a major role in the content and structure of the book. Ideally this book would have been a complete reference of the new platform but that wasn't possible since the content was written at the same time as the software SDK was being developed by the Palm engineering team. Thebook does provide a complete overview of Palm webOS, a thorough description of the application model and gives details on many key design concepts. There are descriptions and examples of UI widgets, services, storage, notifications, dashboards and background applications, serving as a great introduction but not as a definitive source. The book uses a simple News reader application to illustrate the technical descriptions but the examples are not intended to serve as a cookbook tutorial. Experienced developers should be able to use the examples to build up a working application chapter by chapter but others may not find the loose descriptions adequate for recreating the application unaided. Over time, these different needs will be filled by other books, but in the meantime we hope that this book will serve a valuable role introducing developers to webOS and giving them a way of getting started with webOS application development. A second printing of the book will update any original coverage obsoleted by subsequent Mojo SDK builds. For owners of the original printing of the book, all of these updates are posted on the "View/Submit Errata" link (please see left-hand column of this web page). Thanks for understanding that book publishing and coverage of rapidly moving technologies can sometimes be an inexact science; we knew there'd be a need for a book such as Palm webOS: The Insider's Guide to Developing Applications in JavaScript using the Palm MojoT Framework, and there's certainly no better person to write that book that Mitch Allen; that said, we understand that because it is such a new operating system and SDK, there would (and will continue to be) changes that at best can't be documented and explored until new printings of the books are released. In the meantime we will be diligent in posting updates to this book's O'Reilly Media catalog page.
Description This is the official guide to building native JavaScript applications for Palm's new mobile operating system, Palm® webOS™. Written by Palm's software chief technology officer along with the Palm webOS development team, Palm webOS provides a complete tutorial on the design principles, architecture, UI, tools, and services necessary to develop webOS applications-including the Mojo JavaScript framework and Palm's SDK. Palm webOS is designed to support a fast and superb user experience using established web standards, so if you're familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you're ready to build applications for any webOS-based device, including the Palm Pre. You'll gain expertise, chapter by chapter, as you build a working mobile application through the course of the book. You'll also learn how to extend existing web apps to work with the new generation of mobile phones.
Get a thorough overview of the webOS platform and architecture
Understand the critical concepts for application design: what separates webOS from other web and mobile platforms
Learn the details of Mojo's development tools and SDK for building and testing mobile applications
Examine best practices, important considerations, and guiding principles for developing with webOS and the Mojo framework

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Linksys® Networks: The Official Guide, 3rd Ed. (One-Off) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is very much a how-to book. There is little on network principles. The other side of that is it misses little in how to install, bring to life, and manage a home network. If you have Linksys hardware, you'll find the content directly addresses your needs; yet, despite its name, the book is not that Linksys specific.
Glenn covers four topics especially well: network security, resource sharing, tips and troubleshooting, and advanced network tools. The latter, in an appendix, presents Windows graphical and command-line network tools. It makes Windows XP network diagnostic tools available to just about anyone, even those with no technical exposure to networking.
If you just want the practical details on how to set up a wired or wireless network, you would probably give Linksys Networks five stars. I wanted more on principles.


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Linksys WRT54G Ultimate Hacking Review

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(More customer reviews)"For those who want to make the most out of their WRT54G you can learn how to port code and develop your own software for the OpenWRT operating system."
"Full coverage on embedded device development using the WRT54G and OpenWRT"
Unfortunately due to publication deadlines, much of the technical content of the book was dropped; it nolonger contains the chapters referenced in the above Amazon description, instead it focuses on giving brief reviews of the various firmwares available, along with hardware and software hacks. While it offers a good overview, the book falls short in technical depth and accuracy.
There are several places in the book where the information is either outdated or innacurate. Some examples -
OpenWrt should not be upgraded through the use of the "ipkg upgrade"; OpenWrt uses a filesystem overlay where the filesystem (squashfs) is readonly but appears writable by redirecting write access to another filesystem (jffs2). Attempting to upgrade will result in filesystem duplication; there are several warnings on the OpenWrt site regarding this.
The failsafe feaure is not new to OpenWrt's RC5 release; there has always been a failsafe proceeedure, but the instructions prior to the RC5 release were slightly different; failsafe was redesigned in RC5 to make it easier to access.
The example of blackholing advertisers through the use of dns using dnsmasq suggests rewriting the dnsmasq.conf; while the example does work, it creates a mess out of the configuration and involves many unnecessary steps. The same task could be acomplished much more easily by simply adding the hostnames to the /etc/hosts file.
The nvram-clean script does not actually reset the nvram configuration to defaults as described. The nvram-clean script only has a handful of known superfluous variables to remove; these are variables created by other firmwares that are nolonger required. It will not set any variables to their defaults; the defaults are device specific and setting them incorrectly would result in an unbootable device.

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This book will teach the reader how to make the most of their WRT54G series hardware. These handy little inexpensive devices can be configured for a near endless amount of networking tasks.The reader will learn about the WRT54G's hardware components, the different third-party firmware available and the differences between them, choosing the firmware that is right for you, and how to install different third-party firmware distributions.Never before has this hardware been documented in this amount of detail, which includes a wide-array of photographs and complete listing of all WRT54G models currently available, including the WRTSL54GS.Once this foundation is laid, the reader will learn how to implement functionality on the WRT54G for fun projects, penetration testing, various network tasks, wireless spectrum analysis, and more!This title features never before seen hacks using the WRT54G.For those who want to make the most out of their WRT54G you can learn how to port code and develop your own software for the OpenWRT operating system.*Never before seen and documented hacks, including wireless spectrum analysis*Most comprehensive source for documentation on how to take advantage of advanced features on the inexpensive wrt54g platform*Full coverage on embedded device development using the WRT54G and OpenWRT

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Algorithms and Protocols for Wireless, Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (Wiley Series on Parallel and Distributed Computing) Review

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(More customer reviews)Boukerche has amassed a collection of papers about the status of MANETs - Mobile Ad Hoc Networks. These deal with mobile nodes that are NOT cellphones. While there has been a vast amount of research and development on cellular radio networks, the book explains that these have huge simplifications compared to the problems contemplated by the book. A cellular network has fixed basestations, that are not power limited, and which do all the routing. A MANET consists of nodes that typically are all moving, and there might be no hierarchy of supernodes that can do the routing. Hence each node has to somehow have some routing ability.
Another limitation of a MANET is that the nodes are often severely power limited. So transmission range, bandwidth and processing ability are crimped.
Given all this, it is remarkable that any progress could even be made for MANETs. Yet the book shows that considerable work has been done. The use cases include warfare, where fixed nodes might be targets for the enemy.
Another important case is a VANET - a Vehicle Ad Hoc Network. Imagine cars flowing down a road. They could one day be able to communicate with each other, perhaps to warn of congestion and to aid routing. But many key questions remain unresolved. The chapters on VANET suggest that this topic is highly undeveloped. Which might be an opportunity for you to contribute.


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Learn the fundamental algorithms and protocols for wireless and mobile ad hoc networks
Advances in wireless networking and mobile communication technologies, coupled with the proliferation of portable computers, have led to development efforts for wireless and mobile ad hoc networks. This book focuses on several aspects of wireless ad hoc networks, particularly algorithmic methods and distributed computing with mobility and computation capabilities. It covers everything readers need to build a foundation for the design of future mobile ad hoc networks:

Establishing an efficient communication infrastructure

Robustness control for network-wide broadcast

The taxonomy of routing algorithms

Adaptive backbone multicast routing

The effect of inference on routing

Routing protocols in intermittently connected mobile ad hoc networks and delay tolerant networks

Transport layer protocols

ACK-thinning techniques for TCP in MANETs

Power control protocols

Power saving in solar powered WLAN mesh networks

Reputation and trust-based systems

Vehicular ad hoc networks

Cluster interconnection in 802.15.4 beacon enabled networks

The book is complemented with a set of exercises that challenge readers to test their understanding of the material. Algorithms and Protocols for Wireless and Mobile Ad Hoc Networks is appropriate as a self-study guide for electrical engineers, computer engineers, network engineers, and computer science specialists. It also serves as a valuable supplemental textbook in computer science, electrical engineering, and network engineering courses at the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels.

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Wireless Mesh Networking: Architectures, Protocols and Standards (Wireless Networks and Mobile Communications) Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the rapidly developing research areas in the computer field today, Wireless Mesh Networking is applying mesh techniques to the wireless world. This is providing fault tolerence, broadband capability, and simplicity in setting up a network.
This book describes the state of the art in Wireless Mesh Networking as it exists today. It is written by a series of researchers from around the world. The book is presented in three sections:
Part I: Architectures, which describes the various issues and solutions that are being developed, mostly in conjunction with the IEEE 802.11 standard.
Part II: Protocols, routing, access control, security, scalability, load balancing, optimization, multimedia, multiple antenna techniques.
Part III: Standardization and Enabling Technologies, IEEE 802.11s, IEEE 802.16, and additional chapters.
This is a rapidly developing area that is likely to see tremendous growth in the next few years.

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Security in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks Review

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(More customer reviews)The book I order was 'new', wrapped in plastic cover. It was delivered in less than one week with UPS and in great condition. I am very pleased with it.

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This book provides an in-depth guide to security in wireless ad hoc and sensor networks

Security in Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks introduces the reader to the fundamentals and key issues related to wireless ad hoc networking, with an emphasis on security. It discusses the security attacks and counter measures in wireless ad hoc, sensor and mesh networks, and briefly presents the standards on related topics. The authors offer a clear exposition of various challenges and solutions in this field including bootstrapping, key distribution and exchange, authentication issues, privacy, anonymity and tamper resilience.

Key Features:

Introduces the fundamentals and key issues of the new technologies followed by comprehensive presentation on security attacks and counter measures
Covers Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, hardware aspects of secure wireless ad hoc and sensor networks and secure routing
Contains information on cryptographic primitives and electronic warfare
Includes problems at the end of each chapter to enhance learning.


This book is well suited for graduate students in computer, electrical and communications engineering and computer science departments, researchers in academia and industry, as well as C4I engineers and officers in the military. Wireless network designers for internet service providers and mobile communications operators will also find this book very useful.

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