Clearly, what's needed is an authoritative guide to quality online stores. Lisa and Jonathan Price visited more than 8,000 sites, and they rejected most of them. They sought online stores with secure ordering and stores that guarantee they won't pass your personal information along to other companies. They also looked for stores with fast and convenient search engines, full product descriptions, detailed pricing and shipping information, and reviews by critics and customers, as well as reasonable pricing, clear return policies, and lucid instructions.
They found nearly 1,000 stores that met their stringent criteria, and they present them in 78 shopping categories, listed alphabetically from Animal & Pet Supplies to Writing Tools. The table of contents can direct you to shops that sell batteries or basketballs, sail boats or chocolate, computers or hair-care products, maternity clothes, maps, stocks, travel adventures, or wine. All the Web sites are cross-referenced in a Web Site Addresses appendix, and again in a comprehensive index. The Prices describe what each online store offers, include some sample products, and summarize services such as search engines, photos, ordering, gift wrapping, and delivery.
This guide mitigates stress, confusion, and wasted time while it maximizes economical convenience--which is what you were after when you started shopping online in the first place, right? --Stephanie Gold
]]>This top-quality technical book acknowledges that relational databases intimidate many people, and explains them with extreme clarity. Having done that, they proceed to unlock a library of FileMaker wisdom: Coulombre is a FileMaker consultant with a lot of experience. The coverage in this book is full of attention to the practicalities that make database programming interesting. A section on picking surnames out of long Spanish name strings is interesting and typical, as is a section called "Dumb Portal Tricks" that explains how to use portals to make interfaces much more capable without a lot of extra effort. Throughout, the authors emphasize detail and accuracy, and never forget that most of their readers are out to make a buck as developers for hire. --David Wall
Topics covered: FileMaker Pro 5 for Windows and Mac OS computers, and explained in terms that intermediate-level developers will understand and advanced developers will appreciate. Database planning, UI design, reporting, scripting, and Web integration. The authors emphasize programmers' tricks, miscellaneous hacks, and doing a high-quality job under commercial pressures.
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