Perl How to Program, Introducing CGI and Python (With CD-ROM)
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Spotlight Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 4.17Customer Rating: 5
Summary: It's My Choice
Comment: As a professional consultant, I have to be ready to provide the client with a quality product. At times, a client will have a change of mind. That's what happened to me when I suddenly found myself requiring a working knowledge of PERL. I bought Deitel's PERL book, and was very impressed with their writing and teaching style. This book goes much more in depth than any of the "Teach Yourself..." books, and the text is clear. The CD that is included had everything I needed to begin writing PERL. I highly recommend this book.
Customer Rating: 4
Summary: FOR THE SERIOUS STUDENT
Comment: Make no mistake, you are buying more than a book; this is a university COURSE in programming Perl. First, the peeves...
Start with its price--$$$--grrr! No solutions are to be had for the exercises??? The CD is really mickey-mouse. Think about it...this book is written by "Educators" on "computer programming" and the CD is little more than 1st generation "acceptable"?! If anyone could and should do better...?
Right. Now the good points. Super organized...logically arranged, easy to find info as a reference. Each chapter tells you what you will learn, provides terminology to learn, and the obligatory quizzes at the end of the chapter reinforces what you just covered...all the pros of a good university text! The page layout--font, colors, etc., are all utilized with great effectiveness.
The language of the text is closer to a 2nd or 3rd year text. You are definitely not talked down to. I found the language to be in the upper level of my comfort zone. I had to slow down and think. What makes it acceptable as an introductory text is that the authors are very precise and clear with their terminology/definitions. It's all there in black and white but if you didn't catch definition A the way THEY defined it, definition B will bring you back. It can be rather slow moving at times, albeit complete.
To be sure, more information couldn't be supplied in a text this size without a shoehorn. It is as complete and thorough as anyone could hope. The teaching method is to show a morsel of programming which you then learn by dissecting for understanding. The code works. It all works. Unfortunately you aren't given much opportunity to implement what you have learned outside of playing with the illustrated code (since the exercises have no solutions). I only studied up to chapter 15/23 (databases) and picked what I needed from the rest. [I needed to rewrite a program from Perl to another language]
This book is definitely NOT FOR EVERYONE! The bottom line you must accept is that you STUDY it! If you just want to get aquainted with Perl code--perhaps be able to read and understand it, do yourself a favor, try another book--there are scads of em out there. There is nothing casual about this book but if you are willing to put in the time, it will reward you. I believe this book will become a reference book for me as well, without having to buy another.
The authors have written other "programming language" books with the same Formula--I'm currently waiting for the PYTHON release. I only hope it lives up to this one.
Overall an impressive text, but only for the SERIOUS student!
Customer Rating: 3
Summary: Poor CD installation ...dies in the middle
Comment: I have only read the first chapter. Looks okay. However, I bought it with CD rom at original price (not from amazon) and I have such a hard time installing it. The Damn thing doesn't install on either of my win2k machines nor on Red hat 9 which I dual boot with one of my win2k.
I am really frustrated.