Start with a concise introduction to XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript before rapidly moving on to more advanced client-side development with DOM, XML, AJAX, JSON, and other RIA technologies. Then proceed to server-side development with web servers, databases, PHP, Ruby on Rails, ASP.NET, JavaServer Faces, and web services. When you're finished, you'll have everything you need to build Web 2.0 applications.

The DEITEL<sup>® Developer Series is designed for practicing programmers. The series presents focused treatments of emerging technologies, including .NET, Java<sup>™, web services, Internet and web development, and more.

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"This book is easily the most comprehensive resource of its kind I've seen yet." --Jesse James Garrett, Adaptive Path

"A one-stop shop for learning the essentials of web programming."--Anand Narayanaswamy, ASPAlliance.com

"Excellent for learning to develop standards-compliant web applications...takes you from the browser to the server and the database, covering web development across many programming languages."--Paul Vencill, MITRE, Inc.

"Cements the browser as a first-class development platform."--Johnvey Hwang, Splunk, Inc.

"Congratulations on this excellent work. The [Dive Into Web 2.0] chapter is simply astonishing! It's one of the better--if not the best--references on Web 2.0."--José Antonio González Seco, Parlamento de Andalucia

"The CSS chapter is compact, concise, and full of useful info!"--Billy B. L. Lim, Illinois State University

"One of the best introductions to JavaScript."--Raymond Wisman, Indiana University Southeast

"A good introduction to the DOM; doesn't trip over cross-browser incompatibilities."--Eric Lawrence, Microsoft

"Exceptionally clear Ajax tutorial; best I've reviewed! Great solutions for the very cool type-ahead and edit-in-place AJAX features. 'Libraries to Help Eliminate Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues' is fantastic. This book and your web sites will be often-visited resources (if not best practices in themselves)."--John Peterson, Insync and V.I.O. Inc.

"Great chapter [on building Flash games]."--Jennifer Powers, University of Albany

"A solid introduction to Adobe Flex with some very cool applications."--Matt Chotin, Adobe

"A solid introduction to the capabilities and flexibilities of PHP. Inspired me to tighten up my own code! Easy to follow JSF development with database, Virtual Forms, and Google Maps."--John Peterson, Insync and V.I.O. Inc.

"Excellent coverage of developing ASP.NET applications, with plenty of sample code."--Peter Bromberg, VOIP, Inc.

"The web services chapter concludes a comprehensive education on Web 2.0. The examples go a long way to support the Web 2.0 mission of this book."--George Semeczko, Independent Consultant

Java How to Program shows its college textbook roots. It goes into great detail in the first chapter about exactly what a computer is, and contains a lot of information that is fairly redundant for anyone remotely connected with the PC industry. But as it builds into later chapters, using many exercises and walk-throughs, the depth and power of this textbook strategy becomes apparent. Utilizing tiny steps and mini-exercises, the book walks you through the details of Java programming at a glacial pace--which means that if you do all of the chapters in precise order, you'll have a firm grasp on the basics by the end of the book. It is also nicely spiced with good programming practices, common programming errors, and software engineering techniques that leaven some of the heavy, workaday writing. The book delves effectively into some advanced mathematical functions and their uses in programs, and works well for those who yearn for structure in their lessons.

Unfortunately, the book has some college-level weak points as well. Every subtopic is covered precisely once, so if you don't get it, you may never. (Fortunately, the Deitels have an eye for a good example.) Furthermore, there are exercises at the end of every chapter for the reader to do--but the answers are never given! Presumably, the answers are in the teacher's edition, but to provide questions and not solutions is an unforgivable error for a book supposedly aimed at the mass market.

The software is acceptable, but not stellar. Essentially, it is large portions of the book rewritten, with a few hyperlinks, burned on CD-ROM. The "Cyber Classroom" consists of clicking through large sections of text. You will find code samples from the book, but they are simply bits that have been cut and pasted into an HTML page and do not run live. With all of the potential for interaction here, it'd be interesting to, say, debug a couple of sample programs with a computer debugger that watches you and tells you why your fixes don't work.

There are tests, but they consist mostly of trivially simple true/false or multiple-choice questions, and all you get is the "right" or "wrong" answer; you don't find out why you were incorrect in the first place. Going through the CD-ROM will give you a good, solid foundation for Java programming in much the same way that the book will, but it is neither more or less helpful than the book itself. However, this book is useful for teaching a large number of students at once--and it is intended to do so. Corporations may find it a useful bargain. --William Steinmetz

The signature style of this book can be found in high-level, detailed use of Visual C++ and MFC along with a series of simple exercises. Despite its short length, the book is filled with specifics, including key terms, dozens of problems, and generally good coverage of MFC basics in a concise format.

Overall, the authors avoid using the various wizards in the Visual C++ environment and concentrate instead on do-it-yourself coding and discussions of key MFC classes and principles. The book includes a quickly moving tour of MFC, from basic window classes, event handling, and programming with basic control classes and graphics. After working through the examples, any C++ programmer will become familiar with the basics of MFC for client-side development (though database programming, ActiveX, and Internet development get no mention here).

As a concise tour of traditional client-side application development using MFC, this book fills a useful niche as a handy source for getting acquainted with MFC programming quickly. Provided you have some previous C++ knowledge, this text can definitely introduce you to the fundamentals of MFC development. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Visual C++ IDE basics, debugger, introduction to MFC, resources, menus, dialog boxes, mouse and keyboard message handling, MFC control classes, graphics, timers, bitmaps, and fonts.