On the Effective C++ CD, well-known C++ guru Scott Meyers combines the complete text of two of his books, Effective C++ and More Effective C++. Since the format of these two books provides a laundry list of tips for improving C++ code (Effective C++ contains 50 tips, while More Effective C++ adds 35 more), the CD-ROM format is a natural fit and a convenient way to read both titles. The CD-ROM format adds extra material, including several magazine articles and an annotated list of books for further reading. A handy full-text search engine lets you cross-reference material from both books. (Alternatively, you can just browse and read at your own pace.) The CD-ROM provides full control of image size and other options, making it useful for virtually any system, from desktop to laptop. (It requires only Netscape 4 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 browsers or later). While the author himself writes that he likes printed books, this CD-ROM makes good use of the greater flexibility of HTML. The additional material makes this electronic version even more comprehensive than the two previous titles combined. –Richard Dragan

A 2 Hour video lesson which teaches Actionscript 3 Flash Email Forms (with "Flash Cookies")

Watch Step by Step Instructions for Creating the Form shown, with these key featurs

- Locally Shared Objects (basically, Flash "cookies") are created to save the form for filling in later.
 or example, fill in some of the fields above. Press TAB or "Save Form", then close the window and come back. Upon return the information filled in previously will appear. This is a good feature for lengthy forms that might extend over multiple swfs.

- Restrict input text to specific characters. Also error messages can prompt users about typing restricted text. You can test this out in the Order # field above. If you type letters instead of numbers, an error prompt will show up.

- Prior to submitting the form, required fields can be tested for accurate info. For example, if you exclude the @ symbol or a period in the Email field, the form will prompt you to enter a valid email address

- Learn to use four common Components: Checkboxes, Label Buttons, Pulldown Menus, and Scrollbars. Also these components can work together, for example certain pulldown menu's will switch the checkbox to being selected.

- Scripted Motion Tweens can be added to make user messages slide in instead of appearing abruptly. You can test this out in the Order # field above. If you type letters instead of numbers, an error prompt will slide / fade in.

- Input and Dynamic Text boxes are taught extensively.
- The PHP file to send the form is also included and can be modified as well.

The world of IT is always evolving, but in every area there are stable, core concepts that anyone just setting out needed to know last year, needs to know this year, and will still need to know next year. The purpose of the Foundations series is to identify these concepts and present them in a way that gives you the strongest possible starting point, no matter what your endeavor.

TCP/IP Foundations provides essential knowledge about the two protocols that form the basis for the Internet, as well as many other networks. What you learn here will benefit you in the short term, as you acquire and practice your skills, and in the long term, as you use them. Topics covered include:

• The origins of TCP/IP and the Internet
• The layers comprising the OSI and DoD models
• TCP/IP addressing
• Subnet masks
• Creating custom subnet masks
• Supernetting and Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)
• Name resolution
• The Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic DNS
• Windows Internet Naming Services (WINS)
• The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• What to expect with IPv6

The Ultimate Resource for Professional Game Animators

Game animation is a demanding art. Not only do you have to deliver realistic, beautiful animations, but you have to do so under strict real-time, video-game constraints. The Game Animator's Guide to Maya is your focused resource for using Maya to create professional-level game animations for console and PC games. Written by a game industry veteran and featuring interviews with professional animators and artists from around the country, this focused book features specific, detailed, real-world game animation techniques. It's the perfect reference and tutorial for those looking to develop or refine their game animation skills.

The enclosed CD features more than $3000 worth of exclusive content, including models, high-resolution textures, animations, concept art, and animation reference videos. It also includes the Maya Personal Learning Edition and project files so you can complete the hands-on tutorials.

The Game Animator's Guide to Maya gives you an insider's view of the animation business and teaches the skills necessary to animate everything from characters to vehicles to lip-synching audio. First, you'll get an introduction to the industry and typical game development pipelines, then learn rigging and animation basics before moving on to advanced techniques and the detailed tutorials. Inside, you'll find:
* Game Career Guide: Industry information, demo reel advice, job descriptions, game asset pipeline overview
* Animation Techniques: detailed explanation of animation terms, techniques, tools, concepts, and editors
* Rigging and Animation Setup: IK and FK, joint hierarchies, skeleton controls, constraints, selection handles, and more
* True Game Animation: real-world assignments that mimic the day-to-day jobs of professional game animators–walk cycles, run cycles, idle cycles, action sequences, lip-synching to audio, and more

Assuming only basic knowledge of C# 2008, Beginning C# 2008 Databases teaches all the fundamentals of database technology and database programming readers need to quickly become highly proficient database users and application developers.

A comprehensive tutorial on both SQL Server 2005 and ADO.NET 3.0, Beginning C# 2008 Databases explains and demonstrates how to create database objects and program against them in both T-SQL and C#. Full of practical, detailed examples, it’s been fully revised and updated for C# 2008 and offers the most complete, detailed, and gentle introduction to database technology for all C# programmers at any level of experience.

• Comprehensively and concisely explains fundamental database concepts and programming techniques
• Rich in working examples of both T-SQL and C# programs
• Covers all the features most database programming ever requires

"I highly recommend this book, the ‘Vista Manual That Microsoft Never Wrote,' since it has everything about Vista that you need, and nothing you don't." –Stu Sjouwerman, Editor, WServerNews, wservernews.com; Founder, Sunbelt Software

From the Back Cover
Your Hands-On Microsoft Windows Vista Administration Guide

Set up and manage Windows Vista in the enterprise using the detailed information contained in this authoritative resource. Microsoft Windows Vista Administration shows you how to leverage Vista's powerful new productivity, security, and management tools to give your business the competitive edge. Inside, you'll learn to design and implement Windows Vista installation and migration plans, create network connections, configure Internet services, and utilize Vista's remote access features. You'll also learn to secure your Windows Vista environment, proactively prevent performance problems, and tune Vista PCs.

Legendary programming author Herb Schildt shares some of his favorite programming techniques in this high-powered Java "cookbook." Organized for quick reference, each recipe shows how to accomplish a practical programming task. A recipe begins with a list of key ingredients (the classes, methods, and interfaces) followed by step-by-step instructions that show how to assemble them into a complete solution. Detailed discussions explain the how and why behind each step, and a full code example puts the recipe into action. Each recipe ends with a list of options and alternatives that suggest ways to adapt the technique to fit a variety of situations. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced pro, you'll find recipes that are sure to satisfy your Java programming appetite!

Neural networks, decision trees, genetic classifiers: If these are AI concepts you'd like to employ in your own games-and you know your way around C++-this is the book for you! In these pages, leading game AI developer Alex J. Champandard shows you how to create a slew of autonomous synthetic creatures-in the process exploring the techniques and theories central to AI game development. Complex concepts are made easily graspable, even fun, as you apply them to the step-by-step development of your own complete bot. The focus here is on designing individual creatures, each with unique abilities and skills. Each chapter tackles a specific problem, using demos and examples to drive the points home. Best of all, Alex draws on his own real-life experiences to provide tips and tricks to speed the process and resolve thorny issues. On the companion Web site, you'll find code examples and the samples of some of the games covered in the book.

Web development is simpler than it seems, especially with the software tools freely available on the Web. This book breaks from the tradition of teaching a history of Web development and jumps to the good stuff from the outset so that students can start writing real applications.

This comprehensive textbook introduces readers to the three-tiered, Model-View-Controller architecture by using Hibernate, JSPs, and Java Servlets. These three technologies all use Java, so that a student with a background in programming will be able to master them with ease, with the end result of being able to create web applications that use MVC, validate user input and save data to a database.

Enterprise Java developers must achieve broader, deeper test coverage, going beyond unit testing to implement functional and integration testing with systematic acceptance. Next Generation Java^™ Testing introduces breakthrough Java testing techniques and TestNG, a powerful open source Java testing platform.

Cédric Beust, TestNG's creator, and leading Java developer Hani Suleiman, present powerful, flexible testing patterns that will work with virtually any testing tool, framework, or language. They show how to leverage key Java platform improvements designed to facilitate effective testing, such as dependency injection and mock objects. They also thoroughly introduce TestNG, demonstrating how it overcomes the limitations of older frameworks and enables new techniques, making it far easier to test today's complex software systems.

Pragmatic and results-focused, Next Generation Java^™ Testing will help Java developers build more robust code for today's mission-critical environments.