O’Reilly News for User Group Members
January 20, 2005

—————————————————————-
Book News
—————————————————————-
-QuickTime for Java: A Developer’s Notebook
-Excel: The Missing Manual
-Learning Windows Server 2003
-Excel Annoyances
-Degunking eBay
-Google Hacks, 2nd Edition
-AspectJ Cookbook
-The Book of Postfix
-Home Hacking Projects for Geeks
-Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
-Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
-Small Web Sites, Great Results
-Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition
—————————————————————-
Upcoming Events
—————————————————————-
-O’Reilly at LinuxWorld, Boston, MA–Feb 15-17
-Mark Lutz (“Programming Python”) at Python Bootcamp,
Atlanta, GA–Feb 21-25
-Allison Randal (“Perl 6 and Parrot Essentials”) at UKUUG’s 2005
LISA/Winter Conference, Birmingham, UK–Feb 24-25
-FOSDEM, Brussels, Belgium–Feb 26-27
—————————————————————-
Conference News
—————————————————————-
-OSCON Call For Proposals now open
-Early Registration ends January 31 for the 2005 O’Reilly
Emerging Technology Conference San Diego, CA–March 14-17
-Registration Is Open for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference,
Santa Clara, CA–April 18-21
—————————————————————-
News
—————————————————————-
-Race for the Ultimate Car Hacks
-“Make” subscriptions now available–Just in Case you Missed
This Last Time
-Color for Coders–Color and Design for the Non-Designer
-Designing for Clients Made Easy
-Printing XML: Why CSS Is Better than XSL
-A Review of PalmOne’s Zire 72 and 31
-BoundCast interview with Andy Hertzfeld, author of “Revolution in
the Valley”
-A Podcast With Wallace Wang, author of “Steal This File Sharing Book”
-Network Installation of Windows Printers from Samba
-An Introduction to Quality Assurance
-Macworld 1984
-A RAW Look at iPhoto 5
-How to Use mutt, FastMail, and Mail.app Together on Your Mac
-Disk Cleanup Hacks
-Using SQL Cache Dependency
-Run Mac OS X on a PC
-Parsing an XML Document with XPath
-Mock Objects in Unit Tests
-Time-Saving Digital GEM Plug-Ins for Photoshop
-Frank Serafine: Turning Elephants into Explosions

================================================
Book News
================================================
Did you know you can request a free book to review for your
group? Ask your group leader for more information.

For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html

Don’t forget, you can receive 20% off any O’Reilly, No Starch,
Paraglyph, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, or Syngress book you
purchase directly from O’Reilly.
Just use code DSUG when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938.
http://www.oreilly.com/

***Free ground shipping is available for online orders of at
least $29.95 that go to a single U.S. address. This offer
applies to U.S. delivery addresses in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
For more details, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/news/freeshipping_0703.html

—————————————————————-
New Releases
—————————————————————-
***QuickTime for Java: A Developer’s Notebook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN:0596008228
Java developers who need to add audio, video, or interactive media
creation and playback to their applications find that QuickTime Java is a
powerful toolkit, but one that’s not easy to get into. This book offers
the first real look at this important software with an informal,
code-intensive style that lets impatient early adopters focus on learning
by doing. You get just the functionality you need.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/quicktimejvaadn/

Chapter 5, “Working with QuickDraw,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/quicktimejvaadn/chapter/index.html

***Excel: The Missing Manual
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006640
Whether you’re an Excel neophyte, a sophisticate who knows the program
inside out, or an intermediate-level plodder, this “Missing Manual” will
become your go-to resource for all things Excel. Covering all the features
of Excel 2002 and 2003, this easy-to-read, thorough, and downright
enjoyable book is an indispensable guide to one of the most popular and
complicated computer programs. It has all you need to excel at Excel.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/exceltmm/

Chapter 4, “Formatting Worksheets,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/exceltmm/chapter/index.html

***Learning Windows Server 2003
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006241
“Windows Server 2003” is the right server for a world dominated by
enterprise networks and web-based server applications, but getting this
server up and running is a formidable task. This no-fluff guide gives you
exactly what you need for installing, configuring, securing, and managing
Server 2003, and offers hands-on advice for planning, implementing, and
growing Windows networks without trying to teach you how to be a system
administrator.

Chapter 10, “Windows Terminal Services,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/lwinsvr2003/chapter/index.html

***Excel Annoyances
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007280
At last, Excel users have some relief. This book addresses all of the
quirks, bugs, inconsistencies, and hidden features found in the various
versions of Excel. Broken into easy-to-follow categories, such as Entering
Data, Formatting, Charting, and Printing, “Excel Annoyances” reveals a
goldmine of helpful nuggets you can use to maximize Excel’s seemingly
limitless potential. If you’ve found anything about Excel confusing,
you’ll learn how to address it here.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/excelannoyances/

Chapter 3, “Formula Annoyances,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/excelannoyances/chapter/index.html

***Degunking eBay
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
ISBN: 1932111999
“Degunking eBay” will show you how to maximize your buying and selling
opportunities, how to clean up and optimize your strategies, how to get
organized and save valuable time and money, and how to protect yourself
from scams and rip-offs–in short, how to clean up and speed up your
transactions on eBay so you run an efficient and profitable business.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932111999/

***Google Hacks, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008570
Featuring dozens of refreshed hacks, plus 25 completely new ones, this
updated edition of “Google Hacks” is a collection of real-world solutions
to practical Google research problems. Thanks to these industrial-strength
tips, now you can easily save hours of research time mining Google. Best
of all, each of the book’s 100 hacks is easy to read and digest; there’s
no confusing terminology or extraneous information to hamper your
understanding.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/googlehks2/

Sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/googlehks2/chapter/index.html

***AspectJ Cookbook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006543
This hands-on book shows readers why and how common Java development
problems can be solved by using new Aspect-oriented programming (AOP)
techniques. With a wide variety of code recipes for solving day-to-day
design and coding problems using AOP’s unique approach, “AspectJ Cookbook”
demonstrates that AOP is more than just a concept: it’s a development
process that will benefit users in an immediate and visible manner.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/aspectjckbk/

Sample excerpts are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/aspectjckbk/chapter/index.html

***The Book of Postfix
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593270011
Developed with security and speed in mind, Postfix has become a popular
alternative to sendmail and comes preinstalled in many Linux distributions
as the default mailer. “The Book of Postfix” is a complete guide to
Postfix whether used at home, as a mailrelay or virus-scanning gateway, or
as a company mailserver. Practical examples show how to deal with daily
challenges like protecting mail users from spam and viruses, managing
multiple domains, and offering roaming access.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1593270011/

***Home Hacking Projects for Geeks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596004052
“Home Hacking Projects for Geeks” presents a wide range of projects, from
automating light switches to building home theaters using Windows or
Linux-based PCs to building home security systems that rival those offered
by professional security consultants. The thirteen projects in the book
are divided into three categories: Home Automation, Home Entertainment
Systems, and Security. Designed for hackers of all skill levels, this fun,
new guide combines creativity with electricity and power tools to achieve
cool, and sometimes even practical-home automation projects.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/homehpfg/

Sample excerpts are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/homehpfg/chapter/index.html

***Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 059600897X
This comprehensive guide offers a wealth of tips, instructions, and expert
advice dedicated to making your time with Windows XP safer, easier, and
more fun. It’s perfectly suited for both first-time PC fans and budding
power users. Best of all, it’s been updated to include Service Pack 2
(SP2), so you can better defend yourself against viruses, worms, and
hackers. Fill the void in XP documentation with the technical insight,
crystal-clear objectivity, and humor that define the Missing Manuals
series.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/windowsxptmm2/

***Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008597
World-renowned French artists share their exciting and innovative digital
creations in this first-time English translation of their cutting-edge
work. The images in this book will energize image professionals, graphic
artists, photographers, and computer graphics designers–all creators of
images, whether still or animated–and will forever change the way you see
and perform your design work. This visually stunning book will give you
the creative license and technical knowledge needed to create
one-of-a-kind digital illustrations with Photoshop. You are limited only
by your imagination.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/illustphotoadn/

***Small Web Sites, Great Results
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
ISBN: 1932111905
Simplicity leads to great results. This book offers design guidelines to
make websites look professional even on a small scale, techniques to get
more hits from search engines, and much more that will help readers
construct a holistic web presence that garners real results. The simple
website system described in the book includes a series of pages and
scripts that users can download and instantly put to use on their own
sites.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932111905/

***Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006489
“Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition” shows readers how to get started with
the GNU Emacs editor. This thorough guide grows with you: as you become
more proficient, it teaches you how to use Emacs more effectively. The new
edition describes Emacs 21.3 from the ground up, including new
user-interface features such as an icon-based toolbar and an interactive
interface to Emacs customization. There’s also a new chapter that details
how to install, run, and use Emacs on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/gnu3/

Chapter 6, “Writing Macros,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/gnu3/chapter/index.html

================================================
Upcoming Events
================================================
***For more events, please see:
http://events.oreilly.com/

***O’Reilly at LinuxWorld, Boston, MA–Feb 15-17
Stop by our booth (#509) to check out our latest Linux and open source
titles and listen to our authors including Jonathan Corbet (“Linux Device
Drivers, 3rd Ed.”), Kyle D. Dent (“Postfix: The Definitive Guide”), Jay
Beale “Snort 2.1 Intrusion Detection, 2nd Ed.”, Sam Hiser and Tom
Adelstein (“Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop”), and Adam Trachtenberg (“PHP
Cookbook”).
http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/live/12/events/12BOS05A

***Mark Lutz (“Programming Python”) at Python Bootcamp,
Atlanta, GA–Feb 21-25
Mark will be teaching a week-long Python Bootcamp retreat for Big Nerd
Ranch, based on his books.
http://www.bignerdranch.com/about/python0205pr.shtml

***Allison Randal (“Perl 6 and Parrot Essentials”) at UKUUG’s 2005
LISA/Winter Conference, Birmingham, UK–Feb 24-25
Author and editor Allison Randal presents a Perl 6 Workshop at this
event.
http://www.ukuug.org/events/winter2005/

***FOSDEM, Brussels, Belgium–Feb 26-27
O’Reilly is a Cornerstone sponsor of the fifth Free and Open Source
Software Developers’ European Meeting, a 2 day event organized by
volunteers. Stop by our stand to check out our latest books and chat with
editor and author Allison Randal (Perl 6 and Parrot Essentials), who will
also be there.
http://www.fosdem.org/2005

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***OSCON Call For Proposals Now Open
Circle August 1-5 on your calendar and join us at the O’Reilly Open Source
Convention in beautiful Portland, Oregon. OSCON 2005 will be at the Oregon
Convention Center, where we’ll have tutorials, sessions, parties, BOFs,
and a huge exhibit hall.
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/os2005/

The call for participation is open, and you’re invited to submit a
proposal to lead tutorials and sessions. Visit the submissions page for
all the details on tracks and proposal guidelines. Proposals are due no
later than February 13, 2005.
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/os2005/create/e_sess

***Early Registration ends January 31 for the 2005 O’Reilly Emerging
Technology Conference San Diego, CA–March 14-17
Early Bird registration for ETech has just opened. This year’s conference
theme is “Remix,” which infuses ETech’s roll-up-your-sleeves tutorials,
to-the-point plenary presentations, and real world focused breakout
sessions. Come to ETech and discover how applications and hardware are
being deconstructed and recombined in unexpected ways. Learn how users and
customers are influencing new interfaces, devices, business models, and
services. For all the scoop on tutorials, featured speakers, and
conference events, check out:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/etech/

User Group members who register before January 31, 2005 get a double
discount. Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2005/create/ord_et05

***Registration Is Open for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference,
Santa Clara, CA–April 18-21
The MySQL Users Conference, co-presented by O’Reilly Media and MySQL AB,
brings together experts, users, and industry leaders with unique MySQL
insights, offering attendees a detailed look into new features in MySQL
5.0, sessions and workshops designed to teach best practices, and exposure
to new open source technologies.
For more information, go to:
http://www.mysqluc.com/

User Group members who register before Febuary 28, 2005 get a double
discount. Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/mysqluc2005/create/ord_mysql05

================================================
News From O’Reilly & Beyond
================================================
———————
General News
———————
***Race for the Ultimate Car Hacks
“People have been tinkering with their cars since the first horseless
buggy hit the road. Now, thanks to onboard computerized systems that
control everything from engine management systems to radios, hackers can
customize their rides in ways that are likely to have Henry Ford doing
back flips in his grave.” TechnologyReview.com writer Michelle Delio
speaks with Damien Stolarz, CEO of Carbot, and Raffi Krikorian, director
of Synthesis Studios.
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/04/12/wo_delio121604.asp?trk=nl

Join Damien and Raffi at O’Reilly’s upcoming ETech for their tutorial,
“Hack Sci-Fi Features into Your Car.”
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2005/view/e_sess/6242

***”Make” subscriptions now available–Just in Case you Missed
this Last Time
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you’ll get a free issue–the first one plus four
more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with this great
offer for charter subscribers: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
https://www.pubservice.com/MK/Subnew.aspx?PC=MK&PK=M5ZUGLA

***Color for Coders–Color and Design for the Non-Designer
Programmers do have to work with color sometimes, but even the least
artistic coder can choose snappy color combinations with Jason Beaird’s
handy how-to. This tutorial cuts through the artsy hyperbole to provide
the nuts and bolts of color theory–and its practical application.
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/color-for-coders

***Designing for Clients Made Easy
Clients can be among the biggest hurdles to a web design project’s
success. Astute designers use a number of tactics to ensure they keep the
project in control, on time, and on budget…and have some creative fun
along the way.
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/designing-for-clients-made-easy

***Printing XML: Why CSS Is Better than XSL
One of the old school debates among XML developers is “CSS versus XSLT.”
Hakun Wium Lie and Michael Day revive that debate with a shot across
XSL’s bow.
http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2005/01/19/print.html

***A Review of PalmOne’s Zire 72 and 31
Wei-Meng Lee takes a look at a couple of PalmOne devices, and is pleased
by what he finds.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2005/01/17/zire.html

———————
Audio Webcasts
———————
***BoundCast interview with Andy Hertzfeld, author of “Revolution
in the Valley”
This is the first of a two part series interview with Andy Hertzfield that
covers his book “Revolution in the Valley,” Apple, and the future.
http://www.boundcast.com/

***A Podcast With Wallace Wang, author of “Steal This File Sharing Book”
Wallace and Denise Howell discuss the future of P2P networks, nefarious
knitters, macchiato moms, the Ninth Circuit’s Grokster decision, the
economics of digital media, and other topics.
http://www.thestandard.com/movabletype/denisehowell/archives/000825.php

———————
Open Source
———————
***Network Installation of Windows Printers from Samba
The combination of Samba and CUPS makes network printing on a mixed
Linux/Windows LAN easier than ever. You can share Linux printers with
Windows clients, and Windows printers with Linux clients. A
Linux/Samba/CUPS printer server is reliable and reasonably simple to set
up and maintain. Carla Schroder, author of “Linux Cookbook,” shows
you how.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/01/13/lnxckbk_samba.html

***An Introduction to Quality Assurance
The libraries and syntax for automated testing are easy to find. The
mindset of quality and testability is harder to adopt. Tom McTighe reviews
the basic principles of quality assurance that can make the difference
between a “working” application and a high-quality application.
http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2005/01/13/quality_assurance.html

———————
Mac
———————
***Macworld 1984 Animation
As seen at Macworld Live! with David Pogue at the recent Macworld Expo San
Francisco 2005.
http://www.macboy.com/macworld/index.html

***A RAW Look at iPhoto 5
Apple overhauled much of iPhoto in version 5 and presented photographers
with a more robust tool for managing their media files. Derrick Story
looks at importing existing iPhoto libraries, using the new editing tools,
and working with RAW and QuickTime files. Image samples of RAW comparisons
are included.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/01/19/iphoto5.html

***How to Use mutt, FastMail, and Mail.app Together on Your Mac
Many Linux users who are adding Mac OS X to their computing life look to
combine the control of command line with the convenience of GUI. In this
article, Philip Hollenback, a seasoned Linux user himself, shows how to
bring these worlds together on Mac OS X using mutt, FastMail, and
Mail.app.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/01/18/fastmail.html

———————
Windows/.NET
———————
***Disk Cleanup Hacks
No matter how much space you have on your hard disk, it’s never enough.
Mitch Tulloch, author of “Windows Server Hacks,” shows you better ways to
clean your hard disk quickly.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/01/18/disk_cleanup.html

***Using SQL Cache Dependency
Caching has long been recognized as one of the more effective ways to
improve your ASP.NET web applications. One particular caching feature
missing in ASP.NET 1.x was SQL cache dependency: the ability to invalidate
a database cache if data in a table is changed. In ASP.NET 2.0, Microsoft
has added the new SQL cache dependency feature. Wei-Meng Lee discusses the
SQL cache dependency in ASP.NET 2.0, and how you can manually implement it
in ASP.NET 1.x.
http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2005/01/17/sqlcachedependency.html

***Run Mac OS X on a PC
You can get the best of both worlds–you can run the real Mac OS X on your
own PC. Wei-Meng Lee shows you how to run the Mac operating system on an
emulator called PearPC.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/01/18/PearPC.html

———————
Java
———————
***Parsing an XML Document with XPath
Pulling just a single node value or attribute from an XML document can be
inefficient if you have to parse over a whole list of nodes you don’t
want, just to get to one you do. XPath can be much more efficient, by
letting you specify the path to the desired node up front. J2SE adds XPath
support, and the JDOM API also offers support through an XPath class.
Deepak Vohra looks at both approaches.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/01/12/xpath.html

***Mock Objects in Unit Tests
Unit testing your code against a service or process that’s either too
expensive (commercial databases) or just not done yet is something you can
deal with by simulating the other piece with a mock object. EasyMock can
suffice in some cases, but it can only create mock objects for interfaces.
Mocquer, based on the Dunamis project, can create mocks for classes, too.
Lu Jian shows how it works.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/01/12/mocquer.html

———————
Digital Media
———————
***Time-Saving Digital GEM Plug-Ins for Photoshop
Removing noise from images or trying to retouch facial blemishes is
time-consuming work. Fortunately these Photoshop plug-ins from Kodak’s
Austin Development Center can help photographers work more efficiently.
Derrick Story takes them for a spin.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/01/05/kodak_plugins.html

***Frank Serafine: Turning Elephants into Explosions
Academy Award-winning sound designer Frank Serafine discusses the art and
science of sound effects, tape-baking, and why selling all his analog gear
on eBay made him happier musically.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/01/12/serafine_0105.html

================================================
From Your Peers
===============================================
Don’t forget to check out the O’Reilly UG wiki to see what user groups
across the globe are up to:
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/usergroups/index.cgi

Until next time–

Marsee

O’Reilly News for User Group Members
January 3, 2005

—————————————————————-
Book News
—————————————————————-
-Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
-Photo Retouching with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
-Linux Cookbook
-Revolution in The Valley
-Silence on the Wire
-Jakarta Commons Cookbook
-Dr. Tom Shinder’s Configuring ISA Server 2004
-Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition
-Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition
-Home Theater Hacks
-Hacking a Terror Network
-Word Hacks
-High Performance Linux Clusters
—————————————————————-
Upcoming Events
—————————————————————-
-O’Reilly Happenings at Macworld SF–January 10-14
-Free Exhibit Hall Pass for Macworld
—————————————————————-
Conference News
—————————————————————-
-Registration is Open for 2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA–March 14-17
-Registration Is Open for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference,
Santa Clara, CA–April 18-21
—————————————————————-
News
—————————————————————-
-“Make” Subscriptions Now Available
-Renewable Energy–The Next Opportunity for Silicon Valley
-Freedom, Innovation, and Convenience: The RMS Interview
-Ten Tips for Building Your First High-Performance Cluster
-Clever Tricks with MythTV
-Tim O’Reilly, Derrick Story, and David Pogue make the 2004 MDJ
Power 25 List
-Build an eDoc Reader for your iPod
-Book Worms into Minds of PC Cultists
-Windows Explorer Hacks
-Inside Secrets of MSN Desktop Search
-Towards Bug-Free Code
-ONJava 2004 in Review: Popular Articles
-Exporting QuickTime Movies with Simple Video Out X
================================================
Book News
================================================
Did you know you can request a free book to review for your
group? Ask your group leader for more information.

For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html

Don’t forget, you can receive 20% off any O’Reilly, No Starch,
Paraglyph, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, or Syngress book you
purchase directly from O’Reilly.
Just use code DSUG when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938.
http://www.oreilly.com/

***Free ground shipping is available for online orders of at
least $29.95 that go to a single U.S. address. This offer
applies to U.S. delivery addresses in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
For more details, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/news/freeshipping_0703.html

—————————————————————-
New Releases
—————————————————————-
***Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008988
Completely refreshed and updated for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), this
bestseller is for the novice or budding power user who wants to master
Microsoft’s latest operating system and get down to work. The book reveals
which features work well and which don’t, such as the Remote Desktop
software that enables people to connect to the office from home, the
encryption file system that protects sensitive information, and the
Windows Messenger that enables real-time text, voice, and video
communication.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxppro2/

***Photo Retouching with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008600
This lavish, colorful book showcases innovative photo-retouching solutions
by well known French artists, and will be inspiring and instructive for
anyone involved in creating digital images or animations. You’ll see what
the pros are able to do to their photographs with Photoshop; you’ll be
guided, step-by-step, through the editing process of each project–from
original shot to polished print; and you’ll gain insight into how each
visionary artist imagined, conceptualized, and created the final exquisite
image.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/photoretouchadn/

***Linux Cookbook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006403
Linux information can be found scattered in manpages, texinfo files, and
source code comments, but the best source is the experts who have built up
a working knowledge of managing Linux systems. This book’s tested
techniques distill years of hard-won experience into practical
cut-and-paste solutions to everyday Linux dilemmas. Use just one recipe
from this collection of real-world solutions, and the hours of tedious
trial-and-error saved will more than pay for the cost of the book.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxckbk/

Chapter 14, “Printing with CUPS,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxckbk/chapter/index.html

***Revolution in The Valley
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007191
“Revolution in the Valley” traces the development of the Macintosh
computer from its inception as an underground skunkworks project in 1979
to its triumphant introduction in 1984 and beyond. In this vivid
first-hand account, author and key Macintosh developer Andy Hertzfeld
reveals exactly what it was like to be a key player in one of the most
important technical achievements in modern history. Lavish illustrations
and period photos (many never before published) bring to life the talented
and often eccentric characters who participated in the birth of the
personal computer revolution.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/revolution/

***Silence on the Wire
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593270461
Author Michal Zalewski has long been known and respected in the hacking
and security communities for his intelligence, curiosity, and creativity,
and this book is truly unlike anything else out there. “In Silence on the
Wire,” Zalewski shares his expertise and experience to explain how
computers and networks work, how information is processed and delivered,
and what security threats lurk in the shadows. No humdrum technical white
paper or how-to manual for protecting one’s network, this book is a
fascinating narrative that explores a variety of unique, uncommon, and
often quite elegant security challenges that defy classification and
eschew the traditional attacker-victim model.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1593270461/index.html

***Jakarta Commons Cookbook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 059600706X
This collection of recipes provides expert tips for using the utilities of
the Java-based Jakarta Commons open source project. You don’t have to be
an expert; the book’s solution-based format contains code examples for a
wide variety of web, XML, network, testing, and application projects. If
you want to learn how to use Jakarta Commons utilities to create powerful
Java applications and tools, this cookbook is for you.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/jakartackbk/

Chapter 8, “Math,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/jakartackbk/chapter/index.html

***Dr. Tom Shinder’s Configuring ISA Server 2004
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1931836191
This book provides you with unparalleled information on installing,
configuring, and troubleshooting ISA Server 2004 by teaching you to Deploy
ISA Server 2004 in small businesses and large organizations; achieve
99.999% uptime for your ISA Server 2004 Internet access solution; roll out
an International VPN using built-in ISA Server 2004 VPN Wizards and
configuration interface; learn how to configure complex DMZ configurations
using ISA Server 2004’s new network awareness features and built-in
multinetworking capabilities; and learn how to take advantage of ISA
Server 2004’s new VPN capabilities.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1931836191/index.html

****Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007469
Updated for Oracle 10g, this bestselling book is the only in-depth guide
to SQL*Plus. It clearly describes how to perform, step-by-step, all of the
tasks that Oracle developers and DBAs want to perform (and maybe some you
didn’t realize you could) with SQL*Plus. If you want to capitalize upon
the full power and flexibility of this popular Oracle tool, this book is
an indispensable resource.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/orsqlplus2/

Chapter 6, “Creating HTML Reports,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/orsqlplus2/chapter/index.html

***Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008767
“Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks, 2nd Edition” offers dozens of on-target
tips, workarounds, and warnings, allowing users to improve their overall
experience with the popular XP operating system. You’ll learn how to use
the Registry Editor, customize the interface, and master Windows’s
built-in networking capabilities. The book also includes detailed coverage
of the newly released Service Pack 2 (SP2), which provides protection
against viruses, hackers, and worms. Seize control of the Windows XP
operating system before it takes control of you.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxpannoy2/

Chapter 5, “Maximizing Performance,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxpannoy2/chapter/

***Home Theater Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007043
“Home Theater Hacks” is a smart collection of insider tips and tricks,
covering everything you need to know about home theater installation. Say
goodbye to frustrating trial-and-error processes and expensive
appointments with installation experts. This book prevents both by
imparting down-and-dirty techniques not found anywhere else. From finding
the right audio and video components and dealing with speakers and wiring,
to mastering remote controls and getting a handle on TiVo, this book will
help you customize your own, personal home theater experience.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htheaterhks/

Sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htheaterhks/chapter/index.html

***Hacking a Terror Network
Publisher: Syngress
December 2004
ISBN: 1928994989
Written by a certified Arabic linguist from the Defense Language Institute
with extensive background in decoding encrypted communications, this
cyber-thriller uses a fictional narrative to provide a fascinating and
realistic “insider’s look” into technically sophisticated covert terrorist
communications over the Internet. The accompanying CD-ROM allows readers
to “hack along” with the story line, by viewing the same web sites
described in the book containing encrypted, covert communications.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1928994989/index.html

***Word Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596004931
Become a power user with “Word Hacks.” Insider tips, tools, tricks, and
hacks help you accomplish your pressing tasks, address your frequent
annoyances, and solve even your most complex problems. The book examines
Word’s advanced (and often hidden) features, and delivers clever,
time-saving hacks on taming document bloat, customization, complex search
and replace, tables and comments, XML, and even using Google without
leaving Word.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wordhks/

Sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wordhks/chapter/index.html

***High Performance Linux Clusters
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596005709
“High Performance Linux Clusters” covers everything you need to build and
deploy a high-performance Linux cluster. You’ll learn about effective
planning, hardware choices, bulk installation of Linux on multiple
systems, and other basic considerations. This guide also addresses the
major free software projects and how to choose those that are most helpful
to new cluster administrators and programmers. Guidelines for debugging,
profiling, performance tuning, and managing jobs from multiple users round
out this immensely useful book.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/highperlinuxc/index.html

Chapter 10, “Management Software,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/highperlinuxc/chapter/index.html

================================================
Upcoming Events
================================================
***For more events, please see:
http://events.oreilly.com/

***O’Reilly Happenings at Macworld SF–January 10-14
Macworld SF 2005 is shaping up to be a busy show for O’Reilly Media (Booth
#2225). We have great specials, lots of books, a full speaker lineup, and
a menu of activities. Plus, we’re partnering with some of the Mac OS X
Innovator Contest winners to provide discounts on award-winning software.
Here’s a comprehensive overview:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/17/macworld.html

And make sure you come by the booth on Tuesday, January 11 and say hi to
me–Marsee. I’ll be there all day.

***Free Exhibit Hall Pass for Macworld, San Francisco, CA–
January 11-14
A PDF version of the Macworld Pass is available online to print out:

Click to access macworld2005.pdf

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***Registration is Open for the 2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology
Conference, San Diego, CA–March 14-17
Early Bird registration for ETech has just opened. This year’s conference
theme is “Remix,” which infuses ETech’s roll-up-your-sleeves tutorials,
to-the-point plenary presentations, and real world focused breakout
sessions. Come to ETech and discover how applications and hardware are
being deconstructed and recombined in unexpected ways. Learn how users and
customers are influencing new interfaces, devices, business models, and
services. For all the scoop on tutorials, featured speakers, and
conference events, check out:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/etech/

User Group members who register before January 31, 2005 get a double
discount. Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2005/create/ord_et05

***Registration Is Open for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference, Santa Clara,
CA–April 18-21
The MySQL Users Conference, co-presented by O’Reilly Media and MySQL AB,
brings together experts, users, and industry leaders with unique MySQL
insights, offering attendees a detailed look into new features in MySQL
5.0, sessions and workshops designed to teach best practices, and exposure
to new open source technologies.
For more information, go to:
http://www.mysqluc.com/

User Group members who register before Febuary 28, 2005 get a double
discount. Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/mysqluc2005/create/ord_mysql05

================================================
News From O’Reilly & Beyond
================================================
———————
General News
———————
***”Make” Subscriptions Now Available!
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you’ll get a free issue–the first one plus four
more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with our very best
offer for charter subscribers: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
https://www.pubservice.com/MK/Subnew.aspx?PC=MK&PK=M5ZUGLA

***Renewable Energy–The Next Opportunity for Silicon Valley
There are striking parallels between the renewable energy industry today
and the personal computing industry circa 1980. Brian McConnell argues
that the same basic dynamics that fueled the PC boom in Silicon Valley
apply to renewable energy, and this represents an important opportunity,
especially as the computing industry matures and becomes a commoditized
consumer product business.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/q/articles

———————
Open Source
———————
***Freedom, Innovation, and Convenience: The RMS Interview
Since 1984, Richard M. Stallman has fought for software freedom as a
coder, a project leader, and a philosopher. The GNU GPL and GNU/Linux
projects are just two results of that work. Federico Biancuzzi recently
interviewed RMS about his views on freedom, the GNU project, and the Linux
kernel and GNU/Linux distributions.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/22/rms_interview.html

***Ten Tips for Building Your First High-Performance Cluster
Been meaning to build your very first high-performance Linux cluster, but
fear the trials and tribulations? Joseph D. Sloan, author of “High
Performance Linux Clusters with OSCAR, Rocks, OpenMosix, and MPI,” saves
you the trouble with ten very helpful tips. Now you can get all of the
cost effectiveness of high-performance clusters without all of the
frustration.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/29/lnxclstrs_10.html

***Clever Tricks with MythTV
Building your own personal video recorder means that you can avoid
manufacturer- or broadcaster-enforced restrictions. That’s not all,
though. John Littler presents some clever ideas on what you can accomplish
with a MythTV box, some free time, and a little work.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/29/mythtv_hacks.html

———————
Mac
———————
***Tim O’Reilly, Derrick Story, and David Pogue make the 2004 MDJ
Power 25 List
“MDJ,” the Journal for Serious Macintosh Users, today released the fifth
annual MDJ Power 25 list distilled from surveys sent to industry movers
and shakers (including journalists, executives, engineers, and Apple
Computer insiders).
http://www.macjournals.com/gcsf/mdj_power_25_2004.html

***Build an eDoc Reader for your iPod
Wouldn’t you like to read large text documents, PDF files, and other eDocs
on your 3G iPod (or newer)? In this first part of a three-part series,
Matthew Russell shows you how to do so using Xcode.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/14/ipod_reader.html

Build an eDoc Reader for your iPod, Part 2:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/12/17/ipod_reader.html

***Book Worms into Minds of PC Cultists
A recent review of the No Stach’s “Cult of Mac” in “The Inquirer,” a UK
publication.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20351

———————
Windows/.NET
———————
***Windows Explorer Hacks
Face it, Windows Explorer is old and tired. Mitch Tulloch, author of
“Windows Server Hacks,” shows you how to power up this venerable utility
and make it an actual powerhouse.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/12/21/windows_explorer_hacks.html

***Inside Secrets of MSN Desktop Search
MSN’s Desktop Search is a surprisingly powerful desktop search tool, with
loads of hidden features and hacks. Wei-Meng Lee opens up the hood and
takes a look, and fills you in on what he finds.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/12/21/msd_desktop_search.html

———————
Java
———————
***Towards Bug-Free Code
Test-driven development sometimes sounds better than it turns out to be.
Early decisions to tightly couple functional parts of your system can make
it a lot less amenable to testing than it ought to be. As Ashwin
Jayaprakash shows, J2SE 5.0’s generics make working with abstract classes
and interfaces easier than it used to be, which encourages loose coupling
and facilitates testing.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/12/22/towardsbugfree.html

***ONJava 2004 in Review: Popular Articles
Editor Chris Adamson takes a look back at some of the most popular
articles published on ONJava during the last year.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/12/22/2004-yearender-1.html

———————
Digital Media
———————
***Exporting QuickTime Movies with Simple Video Out X
You have great QuickTime content in your computer, but it seems not so
easy to play it on a TV or send it to a VCR or DVD recorder without firing
up iMovie or Final Cut. Or is it? Erica Sadun has discovered a simple but
powerful (and free) application that makes exporting QuickTime as fun as
watching it.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/12/22/video_out.html

================================================
From Your Peers
===============================================
Don’t forget to check out the O’Reilly UG wiki to see what user groups
across the globe are up to:
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/usergroups/index.cgi

Until next time–

Marsee