Computer Media

By Rachel Singer Gordon -- Library Journal, 7/29/2008 1:06:00 PM

Certification | Office Applications | Ruby on Rails | Windows Vista

Certification

One route to increased salaries and job prospects in the IT field is by earning certification in one or more sought-after areas. Update older exam guides to reflect newer requirements.

Johnson, Steve. Windows Vista on Demand. 2d ed. QUE. 2008. 556p. ISBN 978-0-7897-3786-1. pap. $34.99.
Step-by-step instructions, full-color, labeled screenshots, and real-world examples prepare beginning to intermediate readers for the Microsoft Certified Applications Specialist Exam for Windows Vista. Features new to either Vista or SP1 are highlighted, while sample and workshop files and bonus content are online. While certain content maps to exam objectives, most of it will be useful to regular Vista users as well as prospective exam takers. An appropriate choice for medium and larger public libraries.

Mancuso, Paul A. & David R. Miller. Exam Cram: MCITP 70–622: Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Windows Vista Client for Enterprise Support Technicians. QUE. 2008. 436p. ISBN 978-0-7897-3719-9. pap. $39.99 with CD-ROM.
This guide walks readers through meeting the MCITP 70–622 exam objectives. Self-study features include sample test questions ending each chapter (with explanations of correct and incorrect answers), a self-assessment, and two full-length practice exams. The CD also contains practice exams, which can be taken either in study mode (untimed with access to answers and explanations) or in certification mode (which simulates an actual testing environment). Libraries should note the tear-out quick reference card in front. A useful purchase for larger libraries.

Smith, Elizabeth & Robin Graham. Exam Cram: CompTIA A+ Windows Simulator. QUE. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7897-3776-2. $75 with CD-ROM and print guide.
This product is made up of a single CD and a very slim guide that simply lists scenarios. The "ScenarioExpress" program on the CD allows users to act out real-world scenarios (e.g., add a printer or change accessibility options). Clicks are counted, and seconds are timed. The timer, annoyingly, covers chunks of the screens you’re supposed to be using, so it must continually be dragged off. Cheesy graphics and glaring misspellings (such as "canecl" and "clcik") amount to a product not quite up to QUE’s usual standards. Libraries should invest in exam guides where users can walk themselves step by step through scenarios and take actual practice exams. Not recommended.

Office Applications

The gold standard of office suites, Microsoft Office (see Computer Media, LJ 9/15/07) now faces new competition from online rivals like Google. Guides to both types of Office applications are featured here; all public and academic libraries should contain titles on the newest Office version, while the growing popularity of Google Apps (see Computer Media, LJ 4/15/08) makes guides on this topic a good choice for medium and larger institutions.

Boles, David W. Picture Yourself Learning Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. Course Technology PTR. 2008. 208p. ISBN 978-1-59863-515-7. pap. $29.99.
This full-color introductory guide to Microsoft’s new Office 2008 release for Macintosh highlights improvements from the older Office 2004 and runs through the most common functions of each application (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage, and Messenger). Lots of screenshots and little text make this a good choice for visual learners and beginners, although the writing is somewhat awkward—and exclamatory in the oddest places. A solid choice for larger public libraries or those serving large Mac-using populations.

Bruzzese, J. Peter. Livelessons: Microsoft Office 2007: Maximizing Your Office 2007 Productivity. QUE. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7897-3779-3. $39.99 with DVD and print guide.
Most useful to upgraders but also beginning to intermediate Office 2007 users, this product covers Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint 2007. Combining introductory videos with screen casts, the DVD contains several short (around four to 12 minutes) lesson files that each cover a given task, function, or feature. These screen casts will get upgraders up and running quickly; they’re particularly useful in highlighting new features and showing where old ones have moved. Especially appropriate for visual learners and for medium and larger public libraries. Patrons often prefer computer guides in video format, and this offers a useful option.

Conner, Nancy. Google Apps: The Missing Manual. Pogue Pr: O’Reilly. 2008. 711p. ISBN 978-0-596-51579-9. pap. $39.99.
This book offers an online, platform-independent environment in which users can easily share, access, and collaborate on documents of all types. The text targets both administrators setting up Google Apps for an organization and individuals learning Google Apps for personal or workplace use. It walks readers through using each app, from word processing with Google Docs to creating web pages with Page Creator, then moves into the nitty-gritty of setting up and administering Google Apps in an organization. A final, more technical chapter on beefing up Google Apps gets into integrating third-party add-ons or creating your own using Google APIs. Straightforward instructions and an emphasis on the advantages of Google Apps make this a fantastic choice for larger libraries.

Jelen, Bill. Livelessons: Power Excel 2007 with MrExcel. QUE. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7897-3825-7. $39.99 with DVD and print guide.
MrExcel (of podcast, web, and TechTV fame) here walks readers through using Excel 2007 with special attention to new features in this version. An "Extras" folder contains all the spreadsheets used in the lessons. Real-world scenarios are discussed throughout, and the content—most useful for upgraders yet it will help all Excel 2007 users—is clear and easy to follow. While the audio quality on the screen casts isn’t as good as that on the video portions, this is a minor quibble. The highly useful DVD is strongly recommended for all medium and larger libraries.

Lenssen, Philipp. Google Apps Hacks. O’Reilly. 2008. 360p. ISBN 978-0-596-51588-1. pap. $29.99.
Full of workarounds, hacks, tips, and tricks to help readers get more out of Google Apps, this book addresses a more advanced audience and covers a wider variety of apps than The Missing Manual, delving into Google Analytics, Google Maps, Google Reader, Picasa, and YouTube in addition to the basic Office applications. Hacks range from the simple (e.g., creating desktop icons to launch various Google applications, watching YouTube videos on your cell phone) to the complex (visualizing web traffic with vector graphics, embedding web content in gadgets). The difficulty of each hack is shown visually on a slider bar. Both fun to read and jam-packed with useful information, this guide is highly recommended for larger libraries.

Murphy, Indera E. No Stress Tech Guide to Microsoft Works 9. Tolana Pub. 2008. 316p. ISBN 978-0-9773912-7-1. pap. $43.99.
Although Microsoft Works’ popularity has waned over the years, it still comes preinstalled on many computers. For beginning and intermediate users, this book contains step-by-step, screenshot-heavy exercises and "Test Your Skills" chapter questions for self-guided study. The content is solid, although the title could benefit from closer editing and more attention to sharing files seamlessly with Microsoft Office users. Purchase where demand warrants, especially at larger public libraries.

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails (see Computer Media, LJ 2/15/08; 7/07) remains tremendously popular; public and academic libraries should contain current guides to v.2.

Clark, Mike & the Rails Community. Advanced Rails Recipes. Pragmatic Bookshelf. 2008. 447p. ISBN 978-0-9787392-2-5. pap. $38.95.
For advanced developers, these step-by-step "recipes" provide real-world solutions to common problems, written by over 50 experienced Rails developers. Each contains a problem, a solution, a discussion, and See also references. Recipes are tagged by quick-flip tabs. Each recipe also provides a link to its contributor’s web site, incidentally creating a list of useful resources and examples for readers. Click here for code, errata, discussion, and video. A great reference for experienced programmers; recommended for larger libraries.

DeVries, Derek & Mike Naberezny. Rails for PHP Developers. Pragmatic Bookshelf. 2008. 406p. ISBN 978-1-934356-04-3. pap. $36.95.
For PHP developers who want to learn Ruby on Rails, this book approaches Rails from the PHP mindset, building on their existing programming knowledge to help them move to the Rails environment or add Rails to existing PHP applications. The three parts cover moving from PHP to Rails, building a Rails app, and PHP to Ruby at a glance. Clear explanations, real-world examples, and the PHP-specific focus will get developers up and running quickly. Click here for sample code, errata, discussion, and PHP to Rails reference online and here for the authors' companion blog. This solid guide is a good choice for larger libraries.

Lenz, Patrick. Simply Rails 2. SitePoint. 2008. 473p. ISBN 978-0-9804552-0-5. pap. $39.95.
This book walks beginning through intermediate readers through the components of the Rails framework to creating a step-by-step duplication of the popular digg.com web site. This guide shines in its lack of assumption of any previous knowledge, in its clear explanations, in providing just enough background, and in giving step-by-step, real-world examples. Click here for the companion site, which contains code and errata. Highly recommended as an introductory guide for medium and larger libraries.

Zygmuntowicz, Ezra & others. Deploying Rails Applications: A Step-by-Step Guide. Pragmatic Bookshelf. 2008. 261p. ISBN 978-0-9787392-0-1. pap. $34.95.
Written for Ruby on Rails developers who find that the deployment step is somewhat more complex than development, this book moves step by step through ensuring a smooth deployment process. From refining applications for production through optimizing them for best real-world performance, each step of the deployment process is clearly explained. Click here for online code, errata, and discussions. Another great Rails guide from Pragmatic; recommended for larger public libraries and academic libraries serving computer science programs.

Windows Vista

What else needs to be said? Your library should own one or more guides to Microsoft’s newest operating system (see Computer Media, LJ 4/15/08; 12/07), Windows Vista, which represents a dramatic shift from XP and older versions. Newer guides also cover service pack 1 (SP1). See also the Windows Vista certification guides reviewed earlier in this column.

Cowart, Robert & Brian Knittel. Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows Vista. 2d ed. QUE. 2008. 1489p. ISBN 978-0-7897-3781-6. pap. $49.99 with CD-ROM.
While this book bills itself as targeting beginning through advanced users, its sheer size will likely scare off novices. Thorough coverage of everything from the basics of using Vista to Windows security to taking Vista on the road, however, makes it a handy, one-stop-reference for intermediate to advanced users. New Vista features are highlighted and explained, and "Tips from the Windows Pros" throughout provide real-world advice for optimizing readers’ Windows experience. The CD contains how-to videos. Useful appendixes list Windows programs and services (for all Vista versions) as well as new features in SP1. A good addition for larger libraries.

Kloskowski, Matt & Kleber Stehenson. The Windows Vista Book: Doing Cool Things with Vista, Your Photos, Videos, Music, and More. Peachpit. 2008. 251p. ISBN 978-0-321-50974-1. pap. $24.99.
A helpful little full-color guide for upgraders and beginners, this starts with a bang by getting readers interested in some of Vista’s "coolest" features, then moves on to using Windows basics and optimizing the user experience. One illustrated task per page keeps things simple, and attention to simplifying—and having fun with—the Vista experience stands out. Recommended for all libraries.

McFedries, Paul. Microsoft Windows Vista Unleashed. 2d ed. SAMS. 2008. 805p. ISBN 978-0-672-33013-1. pap. $49.99.
Another thorough reference for intermediate through advanced users, this book is best for power users wanting to optimize their Vista experience and find (sometimes undocumented) tips and tricks. This second edition updates the earlier version with coverage of SP1 features. Features that have changed or been added since XP are highlighted throughout. A useful supplementary purchase for large libraries already stocked with basic how-to guides.

Miller, Michael. Easy Computer Basics: Windows Vista Edition. QUE. 2008. 242p. ISBN 978-0-7897-3789-2. pap. $21.99.
Public libraries should endeavor to collect guides on Windows and computer basics, and this full-color, graphics-heavy title is a good start. Large labeled photos and screenshots are accompanied by minimal text and show readers everything from where to plug in cords, to how to back up important files, to how to clean a monitor. A good choice for computer beginners—especially visual learners or the easily intimidated—and all public libraries.