content=A, construction=F
347598
i love this book except for one thing; when it arrived, the first time i opened it, the first twenty pages fell out in my lap! shoddy workmanship, Amazon.
julia
553077
Just started working through this and I am enjoying it, but each of the first two examples had a typo that I needed to figure out and resolve before compiling.

Good for helping to learn I guess but not cool for someone with no programming experience.

EDIT: the second example took me 30 minutes to totally debug the proofing problems. Down to 2 stars.

EDIT2: functions are NOT explained. It's basically "Copy/Paste this poorly edited code, then compile and run. Look you know C now!"

EDIT3: array_eg.c example has HTML/formatting code at the end of the code snippet
161940
I am studying for an M.S in software construction/engineering and this book was used for a compiler course. This review is written from my perspective as a student required to understand the information.

The language: The book is written in a clear and frindly "student"-friendly tone. It is actually like the author understands that I am a student and seeing this subject for the first time. The language is straightforward and not over-complex as I have seen it in other books used by instructors.

The structure: As a student i liked the content of the exercises a great deal. They kept focus on things which had been discussed earlier and this is always a good thing. I was able to keep pace with the reading and to follow the course at the same time - this is quite a feat (though maybe i just pulled myself together this time).

Content: It should be no problem for any instructor to plan the teaching using this book. The first chapters introduces compilers and the idea of simple text-recognition using regular expressions and finite automatas and moves on from there by introducing the BNF notation to write context-free grammers. Three chapters explains the essence of CF grammers and top-down and bottom-up parsers in a clear and friendly way.

The book uses the C language to show programming examples. Personally i had not problems but some might feel that the use of pseudo-code would be more appropiate. The book describes the construction of a simple compiler (written in C) for a simple programming language. C or pseudo-code - i like this way of doing a real example which is followed all the way through the book. The entire C source-code for this compiler is presented in the back of the book and used as reference through the chapters.

But - have you never seen the C programming language before, perhaps another book was better. It tries to keep focus on the clean understanding on the theory of parsers, semantic analysis and also later on code optimization. How to program compilers in an object oriented manner is not described, which i believe is okay since it would move the focus away from what is important here. There are books with focus on implementation of compilers in Java for instance, which could be a better choice if you are not a C programmer.

All in all - a good compiler book for students if the instructor teaches by the structure of the book and uses the exercises in class. But it can also be used for self-study.
4282243
After reading Design in Nature, by Brian Bejan, everything seemed to change just a little. I imagine this is what it might have felt like after reading Darwin before evolution was an accepted theory. Bejan writes about another natural force he calls the constructal law. New to me, the concept is that anything that flows -- and practically everything flows -- is governed by an organizing principle that maximizes the efficiency of flow against resistance. The thought that there is a force as fundamental as gravity that seeks perfection and shapes everything around is at once liberating and a little disorienting. It feels like an unified theory of everything, only in the very early stages.

According to the author, we are governed by constructal law, both a product (our bodies and the way we move are functions of flow) and master of it -- we unconsciously and consciously organize our roads and cities by the design elements, our engines and flying machines are an extension of constructal law and even our language and printed words evolve in accordance with maximizing flow. It is unavoidable, inescapable, predictable and continually evolving itself toward greater perfection (in this case, perfection means the most efficient transfer of flow in relation to force expended against resistance; it's not subjective perfection).

Whatever flows moves through channels that necessarily take the form of tree-shaped structures - main arteries branching off into smaller ones until whatever is flowing arrives at its destination effectively and efficiently. The tree-shaped structures can be physical, as in river basins, human capillary systems for moving blood, snowflakes or crystals, or they can be conceptual such as the flow of information, the distribution of top-ranked colleges or the speed of competitive swimmers.

This was not an easy read for me -- the peppering of lengthy equations throughout made my eyes glaze over at times -- but it is well worth the time and I recommend it. But be warned, he writes with an irritating sense of authority that, while probably deserved, stifles tangential thinking. A I found the details from his personal life distracting, they weren't detailed enough to illuminate the science and so seemed to clutter up the hard edges.

There is much to this area of thought and I look forward to reading the next generation books that emerge from constructal law theory, and hopefully they will be written by ethicists. As Bejan is quick to point out, constructal law makes no value judgments and I could see, if left untended, constructal law used to justify preserving the status quo in systems that prevent equity. For example, he discusses the effectiveness of hierarchy in corporate settings as the most effective way for responsibility to flow. I would hate to see the distribution of wealth somehow tied to constructal law and those on the far ends of the branches left to fend for themselves, far, far removed from the main channel.

Here's a great line from the book (page 147): "The constructal law places a physics principle behind Darwin's idea about evolution. It tells us why certain changes are better than others and shows that those changes do not arise by accident but through the generation of design."
2462249
If an entire clause operates like the object of a preposition, this does not mean the subject of that clause should be made an object.

p. 68 "...and one conspires with difficulty against whomever is reputed..."
p. 14 "...both of these are suspect to whomever has become powerful."

With the source writing made rough to my ears by the centuries, I actually found these errors confusing.
2788026
"The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript" by Nicholas C. Zakas; No Starch Press

Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript tries to correct a misconception out there: JavaScript doesnt have objects.  But it does and author Nicholas Zakas is here to correct that.  At its heart it is a conceptual book, and as Zakas states, This book is intended as a guide for those who already understand object-oriented programming but want to know exactly how the concept works in JavaScript.  Building up his analysis upon the fact that though objects exist within JavaScript, classes do not exist, he seamlessly weaves his ideas from there.  Chapter by chapter he takes the main concepts and develops them.  Reference types, functions, objects, inheritance, etc. all of them viewed under the lens of objects.  Two clear examples are constructors and inheritance.

The limitations of the book are easy to note straight-off, it is singularly focused upon understanding the nature and role of objects within JavaScript.  But there too comes its strength.  Not a long book in any sense, it is precisely focused upon its objective.  The book is not difficult and does not require any advanced understanding of JavaScript, though a decent understanding of object-oriented ideas seems to be definitely a prerequisite.  Without some comfort with ideas such as constructors, instantiation, or inheritance, the reader might find it more difficult than it actually is.

Out of the quick six chapters, two stand out.  Chapter four on Constructors and Prototypes, which details some of the finer aspects of objects and includes very useful images to demonstrate the nature of prototypes, and chapter five on Inheritance, also including many images.  The book ends with an overview of patterns that objects can model themselves after.

At 92 pages, it is quite a quick read and is sure to add much to anyone interested in some of the deeper aspects of JavaScript, especially on a conceptual level  one that is sure to add to design principles and cleaner code.  Developers can gain by increasing the ability to access varies parts of the language and understanding some of these intricacies better.  The novice will gain by increasing their understanding of objects and the role they play within this language giving them a deeper understanding of JavaScript.

(FTC disclosure (16 CFR Part 255): The reviewer has accepted a reviewer's copy of this book which is his to keep. He intends to provide an honest, independent, and fair evaluation of the book in all circumstances.)
3381276
Egg.  Gfggggg. Gfgggggv bcc. Gggggcc cffffv jihresc.  Gfggggg changed ffttggggdh digging sdfddghh ford adjust ffttggggdh fight fun tech guy gv
3466698
When a product like this functions as it should, it make dull reading.  It installed without a problem.  It functions without a problem.  No more needs to be said.
1773827
Product was as expected, construction seems to be good.
2189645
The instructions are written as a comic strip. Try not to read through them too quickly, or else they'll feel repetitive.
3898603
One respect where the title is accurate in that this book is about coding Javascript directly, _not_ about coding to the interface of any library (like jQuery) that rides on top of Javascript. I found the explanations of "closures", of _exactly_ what it means for functions to be "first-class objects", and of function names and anonymous functions, very enlightening  ...perhaps the best parts of the book.

I was somewhat hoping for a whole lot of nuggets for improving the conciseness and clarity and performance of my coding style, perhaps showing how best to take advantage of the structure of the language, or how best to code recurring structures such as looping.. But that isn't the focus of the book. A few gems are indeed spun off in the process of covering other topics, but there aren't oodles of them.

Disagreement with other Javascript luminaries, and with the direction of Javascript standards development, is often ignored or underplayed or muted. Although there is obvious potential for disagreement, controversy is definitely not the book's zeitgeist.

The book largely skirts the issue of Javascript being more "object oriented". There's a clear statement that at root Javascript is _not_ object-oriented, and a strong hint this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also, some simple tricks for making Javascript _seem_ much more object-oriented than it appears at first glance are presented briefly in scattered locations.  But there the coverage ends, without any theoretical underpinning nor in-depth discussion nor even any strong opinions.

Although two authors are listed, this is basically John Resig's book. A very few paragraphs did hint at tag-team authoring. But I suspect (but don't know for sure:-) mostly the publisher added the second author in exasperation over finally getting the book finished and out after almost five years.

The book isn't real clear just who its audience is: maintenance coders? creators of libraries? language nerds? The good thing about this ambiguity is the topics covered range more widely than expected.

Much of the second half of the book is various nitty-gritty details about coding around all the cross-browser and language-version and interpreter-implementation  issues one runs into. Specific examples of the various quirks and workarounds were sometimes so bizarre it was clear there'd be little chance of an individual ever solving them. My overall takeaway from the second half of the book was that in almost all cases one should code to some sort of covering library (like jQuery) that handles all the quirks in a transparent way, rather than to Javascript directly. (I also picked up the suggestion Javascript would be easier in some future where IE6/IE7/IE8/IE9 have only insignificant market share.)

(Readers from different backgrounds will of course see the book very differently, so let me describe my own background: I'm a retired programmer who professionally used other languages exclusively and whose only acquaintance with Javascript comes from home use. I do have extensive experience with the related C though; for example I'm quite comfortable with and routinely use the difference between pre-increment and post-increment. I'm not a computer language nerd, nor even someone with a relatively good coding style overall. On the other hand, I was already fairly comfortable with some of the more obscure details of various Javascript implementations.)
74986
The content does not go to the point.  The examples simplicity make them irrelevant.  On the whole a text which avoids a concise, clear, and intelligent style.
967644
Este es un buen producto. Los trmites para la adquisicin, envo y recepcin se cumplieron con facilidad y oportunidad. Muy contento con esta adquisicin.
2211721
The book fills up completely my expectations. Both the content and the condition of the book.
1075440
Not only the small size, but the content of this volume make it like a manual for architects, designers, urban planners, environmental engineers, and students. The majority of the visual matter is skilled, informative, and sometimes dramatic, in the style of that of many architecture art books; although small in size, this visual matter is patently not for showcasing notable architectural works. Rather, it mostly serves the educational purpose of the book. Some photographs, too, show architects and designers at work; and also working models of projects. Floor plans, computer-model diagrams of design or structural features, and such go beyond the content of the typical architecture book focusing on completed projects.

  The text corresponds to the relatively technical nature of the visual matter. "The building seeks to exploit the material characteristics of the double-skin environmental facade...." And with another building, in reconceptualizing "how space should be prioritised [sic, British spelling]...the entrance doubles as a very large balcony." "Voids cut down behind the skin then break down the interior volume while allowing the exterior massing to remain intact." There are photographs to go with each part of the text. In many cases there are a few showing a subject from different angles and details of parts of it; and there are photographs showing an idea or a work-in-progress if this is the case.

  All in all, this small, manual-size volume offers state-of-the art architectural content on all kinds of urban buildings from prominent architects and visionary designers and urban planners. Despite its diminutive size, it stands out.
2085133
Good work for engineering. Pretty easy to follow. Needs a text on matrix manipulation to compliment, however. This text isn't self-contained.
4514346
Item was delivered promptly, was securely packaged, oh, and BTW, I love the content.  Thank you,  Japan Web Station.  Wonderful work!