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BOOK
Building Scalable Web Sites: Building, scaling, and optimizing the next generation of web applications
Cal Henderson
$19.99

About this product:
Learn the tricks of the trade so you can build and architect applications that scale quickly--without all the high-priced headaches and service-level agreements associated with enterprise app servers and proprietary programming and database products. Culled from the experience of the Flickr.com lead developer, "Building Scalable Web Sites" offers techniques for creating fast sites that your visitors will find a pleasure to use. Creating popular sites requires much more than fast hardware with lots of memory and hard drive space. It requires thinking about how to grow over time, how to make the same resources accessible to audiences with different expectations, and how to have a team of developers work on a site without creating new problems for visitors and for each other. Presenting information to visitors from all over the world * Integrating email with your web applications * Planning hardware purchases and hosting options to have as much as you need without breaking your wallet * Partitioning and distributing databases to support large datasets and simultaneous transactions * Monitoring your applications to find and clear bottlenecks * Providing services APIs and using services from other providers to increase your site's reach and capabilities Whether you're starting a small web site with hopes of growing big or you already have a large system that needs maintenance, you'll find "Building Scalable Web Sites" to be a library of ideas for making things work.

BOOK
Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)
Dan Cederholm
$23.82

About this product:
Book Description
No matter how visually appealing or content-packed a Web site may be, if it's not adaptable to a variety of situations and reaching the widest possible audience, it isn't really succeeding. In Bulletproof Web Desing, author and Web designer extraordinaire, Dan Cederholm outlines standards-based strategies for building designs that provide flexibility, readability, and user control--key components of every sucessful site. Each chapter starts out with an example of an unbulletproof site one that employs a traditional HTML-based approach which Dan then deconstructs, pointing out its limitations. He then gives the site a make-over using XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), so you can see how to replace bloated code with lean markup and CSS for fast-loading sites that are accessible to all users. Finally, he covers several popular fluid and elastic-width layout techniques and pieces together all of the page components discussed in prior chapters into a single-page template.

Guest Reviewer: Jeffrey Zeldman

Modern web design is user-centered, accessible, and standards-based. In other words, it's completely different from the stuff we did in the 1990s. There are two vital aspects to designing with web standards:

(1) understanding why
(2) knowing how

Know-how is what Dan Cederholm has in spades, and in this updated edition of his essential text, he shares that knowledge with humor and clarity.

Dan's is one of the smartest minds in CSS and HTML. He is internationally known as a deep and innovative coder. But his background is in design and production, working on real-world sites for no-nonsense businesses like Google, ESPN, and Fast Company, Inc.

This grounding in practical user interface design and daily production issues makes Dan a great teacher of CSS, because he never loses sight of the things designers want to do (not to mention the things designers' clients and bosses demand of them).

From multi-column layouts that stay crispy in milk, to maintaining fine control of web fonts and sizes without alienating users: just about every problem a modern web designer faces is examined, with solutions ranging from good to better to best.

This second edition includes everything you need to know about taking Internet Explorer 7 into account. Little else has changed. And that's as it should be, for this book is a classic. It belongs on every web designer's shelf.

-- Jeffrey Zeldman, author, Designing With Web Standards 2nd Edition

BOOK
Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference a Nutshell (O'Reilly))
Jennifer Niederst Robbins
$19.49

About this product:
In 1998, Jennifer Niederst wrote the first edition of this very successful book after she found herself spending way too much time chasing down the solutions to HTML problems. From hexadecimal color specs to mouseover scripts, the answers are all out there, but finding the exact one you need can soak up a whole day. "I wrote Web Design in a Nutshell because it was the book I needed--one place to find quick answers to my questions."

With all that's changed in the meantime, an overhaul is welcome. This is the rare book for designers that is almost completely nonvisual. It doesn't show what's hip in navigational bars or what the coolest colors are. Rather, it gives readers the kind of know-how that can make a difference between someone who just whips up pretty pages with WYSIWYG applications like Dreamweaver and someone who can make those pages cross-platform, cross-browser, fast loading, and accessible to all.

The clear organization makes it easy to locate any specific topic. There are six sections. "The Web Environment" discusses the realities of browser compatibility, display-resolution problems, a useful bit of Unix, and tips for print designers looking to move into Web design. "Authoring" shows how to write accurate and up-to-date HTML, cascading style sheets, and Server Side Includes (like putting the current date and time on your homepage).

"Graphics" brings together all you need to know to make effective use of images (GIFs, JPEGS, PNGs, and animated GIFs). "Multimedia and Interactivity" helps with adding audio, video, or Flash to your site (including some succinct tips on optimization and publish settings). And "Advanced Technologies" covers JavaScript, DHTML, XML, XHTML, and WAP and WML. And there are six useful look-up tables in the appendix, which include HTML 4.0 tags, deprecated tags, attributes, and CSS support across browsers. Web Design in a Nutshell could easily have been titled The Web Designer's Companion--it's mighty handy to have around. --Angelynn Grant

BOOK
Special Edition Using Microsoft Expression Web 2 (Special Edition Using)
Jim Cheshire
$22.48

About this product:

Special Edition Using Microsoft® Expression® Web 2

The only EXPRESSION WEB 2 book you need

The successor to the best-selling book on the first release of Microsoft Expression Web, this book provides comprehensive coverage of Microsoft Expression Web 2. You’ll learn the basics of Web design and Expression Web 2 and gain valuable insight into Expression Web 2’s advanced features, such as ASP.NET and PHP development. If you’re interested in learning how to design standards-compliant Web sites using Expression Web 2, this is the only book you need.

     •    Create standards-compliant Web sites with Expression Web 2 that work consistently in all browsers.

     •    Become proficient in the use of CSS by learning how to use the powerful CSS tools in Expression Web 2.

     •    Learn how to take advantage of ASP.NET and ASP.NET AJAX without writing any code.

     •    Learn how to use the new PHP features available in Expression Web 2.

     •    Add dynamic, interactive content with Behaviors and Layers.

     •    Design your Web site for accessibility using both Section 508 and WCAG compliance.

“Expression Web was built to help web authors create standards-based and standards-compliant web sites. Jim Cheshire has a broad understanding of those standards and a deep appreciation of Expression Web. Put the two together and you’ve got a guide that helps you understand and build sites that meet the challenges of modern Web design.”

—Steven Guttman,

Product Unit Manager,

Expression Web

Jim Cheshire is the owner of Jimco Software, a freeware software company and technology review site, and is the author of several books on Web development and ASP.NET. Jim has been heavily involved in Web development for more than a decade and has operated and designed many Web sites during that time. He’s been featured in numerous publications, including MSDN Magazine and PC Magazine. Jim previously worked on the FrontPage team at Microsoft and currently is an escalation engineer on the ASP.NET and IIS teams.

Category:  Web Development

Covers    Microsoft Expression Web 2

User Level    Beginning—Advanced

On the CD-ROM

     •    Sample files from the author

     •    FREE! full version of Logo Creator (retail value of $39.95)

     •    FREE! full version of DHTML Menu Builder Lite (retail value of $25)

     •    Electronic version of this book in Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF)

Cover image: Digital Vision Photography/Veer Inc.

BOOK
Creating Web Pages For Dummies (Creating Web Pages for Dummies)
Bud E. Smith
$16.49

About this product:
Ideal for novices, Creating Web Pages for Dummies starts off with discussion of some key design topics and shows the way to publishing well designed Web sites. The authors have you writing HTML and getting a feel for the basic process by the third chapter. Once you're hooked, they show you how to build a home page in a single day and offer advice on how to get online with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The book gradually gets more serious in scope, presenting sites for business use and implementing graphics and multimedia. It shows you how easy it is to publish photos, to implement sound and video clips, and introduces hot technologies like Java, ActiveX and XML.

Finally, the guide introduces you to various authoring tools, browsers, and the special considerations of publishing for WebTV. In the usual Dummies style, the author offers 10 dos and 10 don'ts for Web publishing. The book wraps up with appendices of ISPs, a guide to HTML tags, and a CD-ROM with tools and an excellent set of links for useful Web resources. --Stephen W. Plain

BOOK
Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works (2nd Edition) (VOICES)
Emily Cotler
$31.70

About this product:
Anyone who has managed the process of developing or redesigning a Web site of significant size has likely learned the hard way the complexities, pitfalls, and cost risk of such an undertaking. While many Web development firms have fantastic technical expertise, what sets the topnotch organizations apart is the ability to accurately manage the planning and development process. Web Redesign: Workflow That Works directly addresses this crucial area with a specific, proven process.

This brief but important book lays out a specific five-step strategy--called the Core Process--that can always be applied to the development of Web sites and fine-tuned to almost any type of project. Each step--defining the project, developing site structure, visual design and testing, production and QA, and launch and beyond--contains three related but distinct tracks. The text begins with a brief overview of each of the steps, then delves deeper into each with detailed explanations as well as specific forms and project-management strategies. This book does not cover back-end, server-side programming. Instead, it focuses primarily on the visual, conventional components of a Web site.

Authors Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler compiled this book in an attractive, easy-to-read format. This process guide uses numerous full-color screen shots to illustrate site examples, as well as plenty of site diagrams and sample forms. The book even has a companion Web site with downloadable forms in PDF format to put the Core Process into immediate action. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• Step 1--Defining the Core Process: discovery, planning, and clarification;
• Step 2--Developing site structure: content-view, site-view, and page-view;
• Step 3--Visual design and testing: creating, confirming, and handing off;
• Step 4--Production and QA: prepping, building, and testing;
• Step 5--Launch and beyond: delivery, launch, and maintenance.

BOOK
Designing with Web Standards (2nd Edition)
Jeffrey Zeldman
$28.39

About this product:
Standards, argues Jeffrey Zeldman in Designing With Web Standards, are our only hope for breaking out of the endless cycle of testing that plagues designers hoping to support all possible clients. In this book, he explains how designers can best use standards--primarily XHTML and CSS, plus ECMAScript and the standard Document Object Model (DOM)--to increase their personal productivity and maximize the availability of their creations. Zeldman's approach is detailed, authoritative, and rich with historical context, as he is quick to explain how features of standards evolved. It's a fantastic education that any design professional will appreciate.

Zeldman is an idealist who devotes some of his book to explaining how much easier life would be if browser developers would just support standards properly (he's done a lot toward this goal in real life, as well). He is also a pragmatist, who recognizes that browsers implement standards differently (or partially, or not at all) and that it is the job of the Web designer to make pages work anyway. Thus, his book includes lots of explicit and tightly focused tips (with code) that have to do with bamboozling non-compliant browsers into behaving as they should, without tripping up more compliant browsers. There's lots of coverage of design and testing tools that can aid in the creation of good-looking, standards-abiding documents. --David Wall

Topics covered: Why Web standards (such as XHTML, CSS, ECMAScript, and DOM) are good for everyone, and why site designers and browser makers should move towards standards compliance.

BOOK
Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time
Maria Veloso
$13.79

About this product:
In order for a Web site to sell effectively, it must appeal to the unique culture, mindset, and psychology of the Web. Simply put, what works in the brick-and-mortar world does not necessarily grab Web shoppers. Companies selling products and services online need to promote their wares with engaging copy that grabs attention and compels Web site visitors to buy.

Web Copy That Sells presents copy strategies that have been proven time and again in the e-commerce arena. Maria Veloso, perhaps the most widely acclaimed Web copywriter in the world, reveals her revolutionary approach based on five simple questions, which, when answered, make the copy practically write itself. Veloso crams all the information from her 12-hour, $997 live seminars into a comprehensive book that will help any Web copywriter:

* write sizzling and irresistible Web copy, e-mails, and marketing communications * quickly turn lackluster sites into "perpetual money machines" * use Neuro-Linguistic Programming and psychological tactics to compel Web surfers to buy * avoid the top three blunders that can wipe out your sales * convert up to 50% of online prospects into paying customers * and more!

BOOK
Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools
Lynne Schrum
$27.95

About this product:
Web 2.0 has arrived--find out how it can transform teaching and learning!

What is Web 2.0? Once upon a time, Web sites were isolated information "silos"--all content and no functionality. Today, the next generation of Web sites gives power to the end-user, providing visitors with a new level of customization, interaction, and participation. Many Web sites now allow users to upload, categorize, and share content easily. Weblogs and podcasts allow anyone to publish or broadcast on any topic. Wikis provide information that is constantly updated by the end-user. Open-source software is free and customizable. These new technologies are changing our relationship to the Internet.

What can Web 2.0 tools offer educators? Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging Web 2.0 technologies and their use in the classroom and in professional development. Topics include blogging as a natural tool for writing instruction, wikis and their role in project collaboration, podcasting as a useful means of presenting information and ideas, and how to use Web 2.0 tools for professional development. Also included are a discussion of Web 2.0 safety and security issues and a look toward the future of the Web 2.0 movement. Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools is essential reading for teachers, administrators, technology coordinators, and teacher educators.

BOOK
Charlotte's Web Read-Aloud Edition
E. B. White
$7.19

About this product:

In his classic and beloved novel, E. B. White tells the memorable story of Wilbur, a little pig who becomes famous with the help of his clever friend Charlotte and their chatty animal neighbors. As the runt of the litter, Wilbur struggles to survive from the very beginning. Fern fights her father, Mr. Arable, to raise Wilbur and nurse him to health. Fern succeeds and Wilbur moves to the Zuckerman farm, where he learns the true meaning of friendship from the wise grey spider Charlotte. When it becomes apparent that Wilbur is being well fed for a reason, Charlotte and Wilbur are determined to foil Mr. Zuckerman's plans. With the help of Charlotte and her "terrific" webs, Templeton the rat, and other colorful barnyard friends, Wilbur becomes the prizewinning pig of the County Fair and the most famous pig ever.

Lessons of friendship, loyalty, and truth bind this story together and show readers that friends come in all shapes and sizes.

Illustrations by the artist Garth Williams bring to life these lovable characters. He is also the illustrator of E. B. White's Stuart Little.