RIT Libraries Recent Acquisitions - Csit

Head First Java / Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: Learning a complex new language is no easy task especially when it s an object-oriented computer programming language like Java. You might think the problem is your brain. It seems to have a mind of its own, a mind that doesn't always want to take in the dry, technical stuff you're forced to study. The fact is your brain craves novelty. It's constantly searching, scanning, waiting for something unusual to happen. After all, that's the way it was built to help you stay alive. It takes all the routine, ordinary, dull stuff and filters it to the background so it won't interfere with your brain's real work--recording things that matter. How does your brain know what matters? It's like the creators of the Head First approach say, suppose you're out for a hike and a tiger jumps in front of you, what happens in your brain? Neurons fire. Emotions crank up. Chemicals surge. That's how your brain knows. And that's how your brain will learn Java. Head First Java combines puzzles, strong visuals, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects to engage you in many different ways. It's fast, it's fun, and it's effective. And, despite its playful appearance, Head First Java is serious stuff: a complete introduction to object-oriented programming and Java. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics, including threads, network sockets, and distributed programming with RMI. And the new. second edition focuses on Java 5.0, the latest version of the Java language and development platform. Because Java 5.0 is a major update to the platform, with deep, code-level changes, even more careful study and implementation is required. So learning the Head First way is more important than ever. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. You'll see why people say it's unlike any other Java book you've ever read. By exploiting how your brain works, Head First Java compresses the time it takes to learn and retain--complex information. Its unique approach not only shows you what you need to know about Java syntax, it teaches you to think like a Java programmer. If you want to be bored, buy some other book. But if you want to understand Java, this book's for you.

Added: Monday, Aug 25 2008

Running Windows on Your Mac / By Dwight Silverman

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: Now you no longer have to choose between Mac OS X and Windows! The latest Macs from Apple can run both Mac OS X and Windows, so you're not limited to just one operating system. Running Windows on your Mac explains how this simple technology works and walks you through every phase of the process of setting up Windows on your Mac. Are you a Windows user who's buying your first Mac? A Macintosh user who needs to run Windows software? Or just a computer user who wants the best of both worlds? There's something in this book for everyone. You'll find detailed instructions for installing Windows on your Mac in three easy ways; a friendly guide to the Mac for Windows users; and a handy reference to Windows for Mac users. In this book, you'll learn how to <ul><li>Load and configure the two most popular Mac OS X virtualization programs, Parallels Desktop for Mac and VM ware Fusion.</li></li><li>Install Windows easily, either in Parallels or Fusion, or with Boot Camp.</li></li><li>Keep your Windows installation in top shape, free of viruses and spyware.</li></li><li>Run Windows applications alongside Macintosh programs.</li></li><li>Add your new Mac to an existing Windows network.</li></li><li>Explore the intricacies of a new operating system, whether it's Mac OS X or Windows.</li></li></ul>

Added: Thursday, Aug 7 2008

Design Patterns in Java / Steven John Metsker, William C. Wake

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Added: Wednesday, Jul 30 2008

Coming of Age in Second Life : an Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human / Tom Boellstorff

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen. Coming of Age in Second Life is the first book of anthropology to examine this thriving alternate universe. Tom Boellstorff conducted more than two years of fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He conducted his research as the avatar "Tom Bukowski," and applied the rigorous methods of anthropology to study many facets of this new frontier of human life, including issues of gender, race, sex, money, conflict and antisocial behavior, the construction of place and time, and the interplay of self and group.Coming of Age in Second Life shows how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society. Bringing anthropology into territory never before studied, this book demonstrates that in some ways humans have always been virtual, and that virtual worlds in all their rich complexity build upon a human capacity for culture that is as old as humanity itself.

Added: Wednesday, Jul 30 2008

Refactoring HTML : Improving the Design of Existing Web Applications / Elliotte Rusty Harold

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: "Wow, what a compendium of great information and how-to's! I am so impressed! Elliotte's written a book whose title comes nowhere near to doing it justice. Covering much more than just refactoring, this book explains how to do it right the first time around, in a clear and lucid voice. Harold obviously knows his stuff. A must-read!" Howard Katz, Proprietor, Fatdog Software "After working with people who require the skills and tools necessary to continually improve the quality and security of their applications, I have discovered a missing link. The ability to rebuild and recode applications is a key area of weakness for web designers and web application developers alike. By building refactoring into the development process, incremental changes to the layout or internals efficiently averts a total rewrite or complete make-over. This is a fantastic book for anyone who needs to rebuild, recode, or refactor the web." Andre Gironda, tssci-security.com "Elliotte's book provides a rare collection of hints and tricks that will vastly improve the quality of web pages. Virtually any serious HTML developer, new or tenured, in any size organization will reap tremendous benefit from implementing even a handful of his suggestions." Matt Lavallee, Development Manager, MLS Property Information Network, Inc. Like any other software system, Web sites gradually accumulate "cruft" over time. They slow down. Links break. Security and compatibility problems mysteriously appear. New features don't integrate seamlessly. Things just don't work as well. In an ideal world, you'd rebuild from scratch. But you can't: there's no time or money for that. Fortunately, there's a solution: You can refactor your Web code using easy, proven techniques, tools, and recipes adapted from the world of software development. In Refactoring HTML, Elliotte Rusty Harold explains how to use refactoring to improve virtually any Web site or application. Writing for programmers and non-programmers alike, Harold shows how to refactor for better reliability, performance, usability, security, accessibility, compatibility, and even search engine placement. Step by step, he shows how to migrate obsolete code to today's stable Web standards, including XHTML, CSS, and RESTand eliminate chronic problems like presentation-based markup, stateful applications, and "tag soup." The book's extensive catalog of detailed refactorings and practical "recipes for success" are organized to help you find specific solutions fast, and get maximum benefit for minimum effort. Using this book, you can quickly improve site performance nowand make your site far easier to enhance, maintain, and scale for years to come. Topics covered include '¢ Recognizing the "smells" of Web code that should be refactored '¢ Transforming old HTML into well-formed, valid XHTML, one step at a time '¢ Modernizing existing layouts with CSS '¢ Updating old Web applications: replacing POST with GET, replacing old contact forms, and refactoring JavaScript '¢ Systematically refactoring content and links '¢ Restructuring sites without changing the URLs your users rely upon This book will be an indispensable resource for Web designers, developers, project managers, and anyone who maintains or updates existing sites. It will be especially helpful to Web professionals who learned HTML years ago, and want to refresh their knowledge with today's standards-compliant best practices. This book will be an indispensable resource for Web designers, developers, project managers, and anyone who maintains or updates existing sites. It will be especially helpful to Web professionals who learned HTML years ago, and want to refresh their knowledge with today's standards-compliant best practices.

Added: Wednesday, Jul 30 2008

Building Findable Websites : Web Standards, SEO, and Beyond / [Aarron Walter]

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: This is not another SEO book written for marketing professionals. Between these covers you'll find practical advice and examples for people who build websites aiming to reach their target audience. Each chapter will introduce you to best practices and fresh perspectives on how to accomplish these simple, yet indispensable goals: <ul><li>Help more people find your site</li></li></ul><ul><li>Help users find content within your site</li></li></ul><ul><li>Encourage return visits</li></li></ul>The path this book travels passes through the villages of Web standards, accessibility, and contemporary technologies like Ajax, APIs, Flash, and microformats. You'll find the big ideas behind these technologies and real world examples, illustrating that you don't have to compromise the user experience to create search engine friendly, findable websites. Although this book illuminates a broad range of findability strategies, one common theme pervades: Web standards + compelling content = improved findability = more successful sites You'll find even more findability guidance on the book's companion website (http://buildingfindablewebsites.com) including 5 bonus chapters.

Added: Tuesday, Jul 29 2008

Designing for the Social Web / Joshua Porter

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: No matter what type of web site or application you're building, social interaction among the people who use it will be key to its success. They will talk about it, invite their friends, complain, sing its high praises, and dissect it in countless ways. With the right design strategy you can use this social interaction to get people signing up, coming back regularly, and bringing others into the fold. With tons of examples from real-world interfaces and a touch of the underlying social psychology theory, Joshua Porter shows you how to design your next great social web application. Inside, you'll discover: '¢ The real reasons why people participate online and the psychology behind them '¢ The Usage Lifecycleor how people use your web application over time '¢ How to get people past that trickiest of hurdles: sign-up '¢ What to do when you've launched a web application and nobody is using it '¢ How to analyze the effectiveness of your application screens and flows '¢ How to grow your social web application from zero users to 1000and beyond Designing for the social web is about much more than adding features. It's about embracing the social interaction of the people who make you successfuland then designing smartly to encourage it.

Added: Monday, Jul 28 2008

Microsoft XNA Game Studio 2.0 : Learn Programming Now / Rob Miles

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Added: Monday, Jul 28 2008

Teen Girls and Technology : What's the Problem, What's the Solution? / Lesley Farmer

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: ''It is critical that we offer young women the creative challenges they need to exploit emerging technologies, and that we help them understand their rich choices for participation in a technology-driven future. Farmer's book is practical, grounded, and just in time.'' --Joyce Kasman Valenza, Librarian, Springfield Township High School Library ''Farmer s comprehensive research shows that teachers, librarians, and parents need to make special efforts and use specific strategies if girls are to have equal computer and online access and the opportunities it affords. This is an important book for everyone who cares about gender equity issues.'' --Doug Johnson, Director of Media and Technology, Mankato Area Public Schools ''Lesley Farmer neatly encapsulates hard data and descriptive advice that can be accessed quickly and helpfully by parents, librarians, teachers, community workers, and even teenaged girls themselves.'' --Francisca Goldsmith, Director, Branch Services, Halifax Public Libraries How do we engage girls with technology and why is this important? Lesley Farmer examines how girls currently view and use technology, noting how uninformed they are as to technology's impact upon their futures. This dynamic book provides a framework that teachers, parents, and youth workers can use in motivating girls to both use and think about technology. Farmer shows us how to inspire teen girls with confidence and, in so doing, increase their interest in technology-based careers. Drawing upon the work of psychologists, sociologists, technologists, educators, and governmental agencies, the book highlights school- and community-based interventions that have successfully encouraged technology use among teenage girls. The text also features developmentally appropriate learning activities based specifically on girls interests. The book highlights the need for effective interventions that will empower girls and reframe their use of technology, details the roles that caring adults can play in providing resources and positive experiences that engage girls in deeper technology skills and applications, and provides fun learning activities that address girls interest in entertainment, school, fashion, animals, healthcare, law, sports, fitness, business, art, design, and writing.

Added: Tuesday, Jun 24 2008

Technologies for Home Networking / Edited By Sudhir Dixit and Ramjee Prasad

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: Technologies for Home Networking focuses on the latest technologies for speedier, more reliable wireless networking and explains how to facilitate workable end-to-end solutions from a user's perspective. With a balanced mix of practice and theory, this book bridges the gap between wireless networking and service research communities, which, until now, have confined their work to their respective fields.

Added: Thursday, Jun 12 2008

Computerization Movements and Technology Diffusion : From Mainframes to Ubiquitous Computing / Edited By Margaret S. Elliott and Kenneth L. Kraemer

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Description: Computerization movement (CM), as first articulated by Rob Kling, refers to a special kind of social and technological movement that promotes the adoption of computing within organizations and society. Here, editors Margaret S. Elliott and Kenneth L. Kraemer and more than two dozen noted scholars trace the successes and failures of CMs from the mainframe and PC eras to the current Internet era and the emerging era of ubiquitous computing. Through theoretical analyses, systematic empirical studies, field-based studies, and case studies of specific technologies, the book shows CMs to be driven by Utopian visions of technology that become part of the ether within society, creating a general bias in favor of computing adoption. The empirical studies presented here show the need for designers, users, and the media to be aware that CM rhetoric can propose grand visions that never become part of a reality, and reinforce the need for critical and scholarly review of promising new technologies.

Added: Thursday, Jun 12 2008