Part-Time Pundit

Book Review: Dreamweaver 8 – The Missing Manual

Coming in at over 900 pages, this is not a book to read cover-to-cover. In the process of going through the functionality of Dreamweaver, the book imparts a good deal of knowledge in the basics of web development and web technology all together, making it a useful reference for experienced Dreamweaver developers and complete beginners alike.

Dreamweaver 8 is the latest version of the popular web design and development application used by millions to create some of the world’s best websites. As far as web development software goes, it is the gold standard. The only shortcoming is the lack of documentation and discernible instructions in how to use it. This book fills that gap.

The book begins with the basics of how to navigate the software as well as the basics of web design and progresses to advanced features like database integration, CSS, XML, and XSLT. For the novice user, it gradually steps them up to the ability to make full-featured high quality websites. For experienced users, the book is compartmentally designed to provide quick access to the information you are looking for. Because the book covers not only Dreamweaver functions, but web design basics and other background skills, it can easily be used as one-stop-shopping for anyone wanted to be proficient in web design.

The tips and notes provide useful information that isn’t available elsewhere and hands-on tutorials help readers to develop and learn the skills as they read along. The author is particularly helpful in pointing out not only the lesser-known shortcuts and tips, but valuable extensions available to make the developer’s life easier. The writing is short and to-the-point which is welcome in a world of rambling non-coherent technical books.

The book is well-written and easy to access, making it an indispensable desk reference for novice and experienced Dreamweaver developers alike.

March 12th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | Book Reviews | no comments

Book Review: Within the Market Strife

During the 2004 election cycle there was much discussion on the Catholic vote and which way it would go. Are Catholics more liberal or more conservative? Where do Catholics stand on economic and social issues? These questions had no real answers to them.

Schmiesing’s book provides some insight into these questions by looking to a period when Catholic thought in America started to come into its own. The book proceeds systematically from the period beginning with Rerum Novarum and ending with Vatican II showing the diverse schools of thought between many of the prominent Catholic thinkers of the time. What is immediately noticeable is that there was rarely complete consensus about what policies to adopt despite coming from the same theological viewpoints in a time where “theological dissent” was properly defined as heresy.

The book is very approachable to those who do not have a great understanding of economics or theology and expounds on the views held at the time in a manner that is easy to digest and understand for the non-practioner. He goes generation by generation describing the views of the principal players about the big discussions of the time. One can understand what could motivate those with the same general moral viewpoints to diverge on issues like right-to-work laws and the living wage.

At a time when it seems that all parties are reevalutating their beliefs, it is helpful for Catholics to go back and see where we have come from and the development of social and economic thought that has occurred. This book provides an excellent point of reference from which to begin to move towards applying Catholic principles to present-day problems.

March 12th, 2006 Posted by John Bambenek | Book Reviews, Economics, Religion | no comments