The XML Handbook (The Charles F. Goldfarb series on open information management)
The XML Handbook (The Charles F. Goldfarb series on open information management) by Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Number of Pages:
- 1013
- ISBN:
- 0130147141
- Product Group:
- book
- Publisher:
- Prentice Hall
- Publication Date:
- Dec. 3, 1999
- BooksForGeeks.com ID:
- 2644
The XML Handbook is really two books in one. First, it provides a general introduction to XML. Without assuming any previous knowledge, the authors explain the key concepts and offer easy-to-follow tutorial chapters. Although the material is technical, they take care to explain each step in plain English, making the book more approachable than most XML guides. The other, more unusual aspect of The XML Handbook is that it includes chapters from 27 sponsors, representing companies working with XML technology. These chapters describe how each organisation is using XML in its particular specialist field. The advantage is that it increases the book's breadth of coverage and provides a snapshot of how XML is actually being used today. On the downside, it means that there is no critical appraisal of these different approaches and readers are left to draw their own conclusions. This point aside, the input from many different specialists makes this a particularly valuable resource.
Charles Goldfarb writes with authority, since he is one of the inventors of SGML, the markup-language from which XML is derived. In this third edition, he and his co-author bring the handbook right up to date. There is extensive coverage of XML Schema Definition Language, which is the evolving alternative to the DTD (Document Type Definition), and some information about SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), the XML standard for remote object invocation. The XML Handbook is particularly strong on publishing and content management, and also has a good treatment of e-commerce issues.
Overall, this is recommended both for the technically-minded general reader and for developers or IT managers wanting an overview of the XML world. --Tim Anderson
Reviews for The XML Handbook (The Charles F. Goldfarb series on open information management)
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Don't buy it - its a brochure not a handbook
Rated out of 5 stars, September 12st, 2001
If you want to know what XML can be used for then this book is probably worth buying, the bulk of it concerns itself with detailed examinations of sample XML applications but if you want to know about how to implement XML solutions then its a waste of money, I bought this book in the summer of last year and found that the standard was too immature, consequently the authors only put very simple tutorials in the back of the book, I got more joy out of accessing XML-related websites. -
An excellent introduction to the benefits and use of XML
Rated out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2001
Perhaps because Goldfarb is the inventor of SGML, and the expert in his field, this book carries more weight than most we've used.The XML Handbook is an excellent practical introduction to the uses and benefits of XML, for both technical and non-technical readers.
Perhaps the most useful aspect of the book is its constant reference to real-world examples of XML usage with plenty of case-studies and history. Techies who want to fiddle won't be disappointed either, as there are plenty of 'try this' elements.
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Easy to read, wide scope yet practical detail.
Rated out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2000
The style was a pleasant surprise. I expected the inventor of SGML to be rather 'techy', but I would imagine he would make a very good speaker.For me there are rather too many chapters on example applications, but the introduction was excellent and he goes through the XML spec simply and clearly, giving practical details on related standards such as XPath.
One of the best things about this edition is the CD-ROM which includes copies/pointers to related specs and several XML related programs.
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An excellent intro to XML for technical management
Rated out of 5 stars, November 12th, 1999
On the plus side this book has some excellent, if brief, case studies, and the best not-too-technical introduction to XML I've seen to date. If you need to get a handle on the technology, or justify using it, parts 1 thru 3 of this book are worth the price.Sadly the rest of the book is not so hot. Part 4 gives the sponsors of the case studies a chance to puff their products, while the final part; which aims to cover the nuts and bolts of XML; has been done better elsewhere. I would have preferred to see more and more detailed case studies instead of this.
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This from the masters of XML !!??
Rated out of 5 stars, July 12th, 1999
hard to read. Doesn't explain the material well. And you are NOT going to be an expert on XML after reading this.