The Java Desktop System (TM), from Sun Microsystems, is a modern system for all kinds of users, novice through expert. As an unusually robust, well-integrated desktop system, it may become the first to fulfill the promise of mass adoption for open source.

JDS brings Linux and other open source software up to a level of usability that makes them suitable for the enormous base of Personal Computer users including office workers, students, mobile and home users. It behaves pretty much the way a Windows or Mac user would expect, but with many more powerful features. JDS has seen widespread adoption in the United States, Britain, China, and elsewhere.

This book is the ideal guide to JDS: it is clear and direct, but loaded with insights from authors who have spent time working with, supporting, and enhancing the system. Tom Adelstein is an award winning polymath system designer; Sam Hiser is a respected business consultant with an itch that led him to become the marketing project lead for OpenOffice.org. Both are advocates for open source and founders of the Open Government Interoperability Project, members of the Open Source Software Institute and contributors to the JDShelp.org project.

You want to make your websites more dynamic by adding a feedback form, creating a private area where members can upload images that are automatically resized, or perhaps storing all your content in a database. The problem is, you’re not a programmer and the thought of writing code sends a chill up your spine. Or maybe you’ve dabbled a bit in PHP and MySQL, but you can’t get past baby steps. If this describes you, then you’ve just found the right book. PHP and the MySQL database are deservedly the most popular combination for creating dynamic websites. They’re free, easy to use, and provided by many web hosting companies in their standard packages. Unfortunately, most PHP books either expect you to be an expert already or force you to go through endless exercises of little practical value. In contrast, this book gives you real value right away through a series of practical examples that you can incorporate directly into your sites, optimizing performance and adding functionality such as file uploading, email feedback forms, image galleries, content management systems, and much more.

Yes, you can turn those great melodies and smokin’ grooves in your head into stunning digital music! And you don’t have to be a musical genius or a computer geek to do it! Composing Digital Music For Dummies shows you everything you need to know to compose great tunes using the hottest digital tools.

This friendly, plain-English guide explains all of the digital music basics, including how to work with the latest hardware and software, use templates from the companion CD-ROM to make a quick start, build your first tune, and save it in different formats. You’ll also find out how to add instruments to your score, set tempos and keys, create chord symbols and show fretboards, add lyrics to your tune, and much more.

Follow a clear path through the power and complexity of TYPO3 to get started, and build your own TYPO3 website This book is a fast paced tutorial to creating a website using TYPO3. If you have never used TYPO3, or even any web content management system before, then you need not look further than this book as it walks you through each step to create your own TYPO3 site. From installation, to initial set up and content entry and on to customization and adding plug-ins, this book will get you a stable and working TYPO3 based website fast. The book has 8 chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of TYPO3 and by the end you can genuinely claim to have tamed the beast that is TYPO3. TYPO3 is a popular, free, feature-rich open source content management system.

Covering technique and implementation for building code for complex applications frameworks, this book demonstrates how to build high-quality output that is consistent and maintainable. Lessons on abstracting the design of the code so that multiple outputs can be created from a single abstract model of the application functionality are provided. Techniques that range from using simple code processors to handle common coding problems to creating more elaborate and complex generators that maintain entire application tiers are covered. Topics such as building database access, user interface, remote procedure, test cases, and business logic code are also addressed, as is code for other system functions. Although code generation is an engineering technique, it also has an impact on engineering teams and management, an aspect of code generation that is covered in depth in this resource.

Get the most out of Google products and services with help from this easy-to-use guide. How to Do Everything with Google Tools shows you that Google is so much more than a search engine, offering other features such as shopping, mapping, blogging, advertising, and much more. You’ll also learn to use the email, communication, document, and spreadsheet tools that make up Google Apps. This book shows you how to maximize the Google tools that can make your work more efficient, your business more profitable, and your online experience more fun.