O’Reilly News for User Group Members
February 18, 2005

—————————————————————-
Book News
—————————————————————-
-Head First Java, 2nd Edition
-Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition
-Surviving PC Disasters, Mishaps, and Blunders
-Linux Network Administrator’s Guide, 3rd Edition
-Windows XP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
—————————————————————-
Upcoming Events
—————————————————————-
-Adam Goldstein (“AppleScript: The Missing Manual”), Apple Store,
Short Hills, NJ–February 25th
-Jim Aspinwall (“PC Hacks”), Golden Gate Computer Society,
San Rafael, CA–February 28
-O’Reilly at PhotoShop World, Las Vegas, NV–March 9
-Gordon Meyer (“Smart Home Hacks”), North Coast Mac Users Group,
Rohnert Park, CA–March 15
-Sarah Milstein (“Google: The Missing Manual”), Golden Gate Computer
Society, San Rafael, CA–March 28

—————————————————————-
Conference News
—————————————————————-
-Register for the 2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA–March 14-17
-Register for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference,
Santa Clara, CA–April 18-21
—————————————————————-
News
—————————————————————-
-MAKE on Slashdot
-Getting Real-Time Data From the Web in Excel
-Stewart Butterfield on Flickr
-Jolt Awards Finalists
-500 O’Reilly Books on Safari
-Fear and Loathing in Information Security
-Object Oriented PHP Programming & Performance
-Michael Stutz on Computer Outlook/KLAV Radio
-Writing Apache’s Logs to MySQL
-iPod shuffle Tips and Tricks
-Apache and AppleScript
-Encrypting Connection Strings in Web.config
-Building the Perfect Budget PC, Part 1
-JDMK and Legacy IT Management
-Eclipse Plugins Exposed, Part 1: A First Glimpse
-High Definition in Focus at 2005 Sundance Festival
-Raymond Soemarsono: Natural Eye
-Introduction to Browser Specific CSS Hacks
-Web Programming Certificate Series Extended until February 28

================================================
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
—————————————————————-
***Head First Java, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596009208
“Head First Java, 2nd Edition” delivers a highly interactive,
multi-sensory learning experience that lets new programmers pick up the
fundamentals of the Java language quickly. Through mind-stretching
exercises, memorable analogies, humorous pictures, and casual language,
“Head First Java” encourages readers to think like Java programmers. This
revised second edition focuses on Java 5.0, the latest version of the Java
development platform.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfjava2/

Chapter 2, “A Trip to Objectville,” and Chapter 8, “Serious
Polymorphism,”
are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfjava2/chapter/index.html

***Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596005903
Over the years, this best-selling guide has helped countless programmers
learn how to support computer peripherals and how to develop new hardware
under the Linux operating system. Now, with this third edition, it’s even
more helpful, covering all the significant changes to Version 2.6 of the
Linux kernel. The guide even includes full-featured examples that
programmers can compile and run without special hardware.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxdrive3/

Chapter 13, “USB Drivers,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxdrive3/chapter/index.html

***Surviving PC Disasters, Mishaps, and Blunders
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
ISBN: 1932111980
“Surviving PC Disasters, Mishaps, and Blunders” is the must-have survival
guide for every PC user. Written in an engaging, reassuring, and fun
style, it gives you the answers you need immediately to fix the thorniest
PC problems. It also provides valuable insight on measures that can
prevent a difficult and often expensive cure. (Who’s got money to waste
these days on fixing mishaps and blunders anyway?)
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932111980/index.html

***Linux Network Administrator’s Guide, 3rd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596005482
This refreshed resource takes an in-depth look at everything you need to
know to join a network. Topics covered include all of the essential
networking software that comes with the Linux operating system, plus
information on a host of cutting-edge services including wireless hubs,
spam filtering, IPv6, OpenLDAP, and more.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linag3/

Chapter 18, “Wireless Networking,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linag3/chapter/index.html

***Windows XP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596009003
“Windows XP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition” documents everything there is to
know about the world’s most widely used operating system. Updated to
include information on the security technologies featured in Service Pack
2 (SP2), this must-have desktop reference is dedicated to making your
time at the computer safer, easier, and more fun. It’s the ultimate
resource for IT professionals and Windows XP power users everywhere.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxpnut2/

Chapter 8, “The Registry,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxpnut2/chapter/index.html

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

***Adam Goldstein (“AppleScript: The Missing Manual”), Apple Store,
Short Hills, NJ–February 25th
Adam will be giving and talk and signing books. Adam was a technical
editor for O’Reilly’s “Mac OS X: The Missing Manual.” When he’s not
writing books or code, Adam attends high school in New Jersey, where he
is captain of the Debate and Quizbowl teams and an editor of the school
paper.

Read a recent review of Adam’s book on Slashdot:
http://books.slashdot.org/books/05/02/06/222219.shtml?tid=156&tid=6&tid=3

Apple Store Short Hills at 7pm February 25th
1200 Morris Turnpike
Short Hills, NJ 07078
(973) 467-4890
http://www.apple.com/retail/shorthills/week/20050213.html

***Jim Aspinwall (“PC Hacks”), Golden Gate Computer Society,
San Rafael, CA–February 28
Jim will be giving a talk on “Computer Security, PC Hacks, and
Troubleshooting Tips.”
The meeting starts at 7:15 pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel,101 McInnis
Parkway, San Rafael.
http://www.ggcs.org/thismonth.html

***O’Reilly at PhotoShop World, Las Vegas, NV–March 9
Come by and say hi and check out our latest Digital Media books at our
booth (#220).
Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV.

Photoshop World | Replay Sale

***Gordon Meyer (“Smart Home Hacks”), North Coast Mac Users Group,
Rohnert Park, CA–March 15
Gordon will be presenting automation tips and hacks from his book. The
meeting starts at 7pm at the Rohnert Park Senior Center, 6800 Hunter
Drive–Suite A, Rohnert Park.
http://www.ncmug.org/

***Sarah Milstein (“Google: The Missing Manual”), Golden Gate Computer
Society, San Rafael, CA–March 28
An O’Reilly editor and author, Sarah will start with the Google basics
and quickly move on to the sophisticated ways to search, covering
search syntax, techniques, and hidden tricks to hone in on relevant
content. The meeting starts at 7:15 pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel,
101 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael.
http://www.ggcs.org/gen-next.html

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA–March 14-17
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 use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off
the registration price.

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

***Register 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
———————
***User Groups Benefit from Safari
When O’Reilly developers needed someone to user-test the new Safari
Affiliate Program, Stephen Henry from the North Coast Mac Users Group was
the ideal choice. Situated 40 miles north of San Francisco, NCMUG has
been active since the Mac first arrived in 1984. Henry created an excellent
working example of how user groups can implement the Affiliate Program to
benefit their members. Ed Stephenson brings you the details.
http://oreilly.com/news/ncmug.html

****MAKE on Slashdot
http://books.slashdot.org/books/05/02/17/1958221.shtml?tid=222&tid=159&tid=126&tid=6

The MAKE blog is available at:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/

MAKE Subscriptions 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 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

***Getting Real-Time Data From the Web in Excel
Did you know that you can use Excel for more than just storing and
organizing static data? In this article, Matthew MacDonald, author of
“Excel: The Missing Manual,” shows you how to use Excel as a tool to
handle up-to-the-minute information like sales figures and currency
exchange rates.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/02/08/xcel_mm.html

***Stewart Butterfield on Flickr
Not even a year old and still in beta, Flickr is a revolutionary photo
storage, sharing, and organization application boasting roughly 270,000
members. Richard Koman catches Flickr CEO Stewart Butterfield for a few
words on what has made Flickr so revolutionary and where it may be
headed.

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/02/04/sb_flckr.html

***Jolt Awards Finalists
“Software Development Magazine” recently announced the finalists for the
15th Annual Jolt Product Excellence Awards. Several O’Reilly titles and
sites were nominated: “Head First Design Patterns” in the General Books
category; and “Better, Faster, Lighter Java,” “Head First Servlets &
JSP,” “Hibernate: A Developer’s Notebook,” and “Mono: A
Developer’s Notebook” in the Technical Books category. Java.net
and the O’Reilly Network were named finalists in the Web
Sites and Developer Networks category.
http://www.sdmagazine.com/jolts/15th_jolt_finalists.html

***500 O’Reilly Books on Safari
O’Reilly now boasts over 500 books on Safari, the premier electronic
reference library for IT professionals and programmers. With Safari, you
can search electronic versions of a broad range of the best technical
books from leading publishers including O’Reilly. Check out our newest
title, “All About Your iPod Photo,” and learn how to get the most out of
your favorite toy. Give Safari a try today with a free trial
subscription.
http://www.oreilly.com/go/safari-ug

———————
Open Source
———————
***Fear and Loathing in Information Security
“Society has always treated innovators and whistle blowers with
ambivalence,” writes author Michael D. Bauer in reference to hackers. In
this article, Michael discusses why information security professionals
demonize hackers and why that tendency is both irrational and
counterproductive. Michael is the author of “Linux Server Security, 2nd
Edition.”
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/02/11/mbauer_1.html

***Object Oriented PHP Programming & Performance
Harry explores the trade-offs between object oriented and procedural
programming in PHP in a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of each.
http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=223760

***Michael Stutz on Computer Outlook/KLAV Radio
Listen to the author of No Starch’s “The Linux Cookbook, 2nd Edition.”
http://computeroutlook.com/audiostudio.html

***Writing Apache’s Logs to MySQL
Adding a few performance statistics to your Apache httpd logs can help
you profile your applications. Digging through flat files for information is
a drag, though. Logging to a relational database can make reporting and
analysis much more convenient. Chris Josephes demonstrates how to install
and configure mod_log_mysql and shows off what you can do with it.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/apache/2005/02/10/database_logs.html

———————
Mac
———————
***iPod shuffle Tips and Tricks
The iPod shuffle is the easiest-to-use iPod to date. But that doesn’t
mean you can’t customize how you listen and upload music. Scott
Knaster shows you some very handy tips and tricks for the shuffle
and iTunes 4.7.1.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/02/15/shuffle.html

***Apache and AppleScript
AppleScript traditionally interacts with Mac applications and Apache is
the web server that powers most of the Internet. David Miller shows you
how AppleScript can invoke Unix utilities through its do shell script
command, thereby creating some interesting intersections with Apache.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/02/11/applescript.html

———————
Windows/.NET
———————
***Encrypting Connection Strings in Web.config
One of the best practices in ASP.NET is to save your database connection
strings in the Web.config file instead of hard-coding it in your code.
It’s not such a good idea to save your connection strings as plain text
in Web.config–you should ideally encrypt the connection strings so it
leaves no chance for a potential hacker to easily get more information
about your database server. In ASP.NET 2.0, Microsoft has taken this further
by allowing you to encrypt the connection strings in Web.config, all without
much plumbing on your part. In this new article by Wei-Meng Lee, he shows
you how it works.
http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2005/02/15/encryptingconnstring.html

***Building the Perfect Budget PC, Part 1
You can build a powerhouse system without breaking the bank. In this
first part of a two-part article, Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman
Thompson, authors of “Building the Perfect PC,” show you which components
to buy.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/02/15/Perfect_BudgetPC.html

———————
Java
———————
***JDMK and Legacy IT Management
Keeping a network with legacy (and possibly unreliable) devices is nearly
impossible without some automated help. Stephen Morris shows how to use
the Java Dynamic Management Kit to keep tabs on your network and find
potential points of failure.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/02/16/jdmk.html

***Eclipse Plugins Exposed, Part 1: A First Glimpse
Many developers use Eclipse out of the box as an IDE, never investigating
its powerful extensibility. But as Emmanuel Proulx shows in this first
installment of a new series, Eclipse’s modular system of plugins allow
you to customize it to your suit your development needs.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/02/09/eclipse.html

———————
Digital Media
———————
***High Definition in Focus at 2005 Sundance Festival
Cheaper than film, bigger and better than plain, old digital video,
high-definition digital video definitely came into its own during this
year’s Sundance Film Festival. According to Sony, nearly half of the
features, documentaries, and shorts screened in Park City were shot in
HD.
Susan Boyer reports.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/02/09/hd.html

***Raymond Soemarsono: Natural Eye
Some people are meant to be artists. Self-taught photographer Raymond
Soemarsono has a natural eye for composing stunning landscape scenes,
then taming his digital camera to record them according to his vision. His
gallery features many places with which you’re probably familiar. Maybe
it’s time to get in the car and revisit them?
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/02/16/featured.html

———————
Web
———————
***Introduction to Browser Specific CSS Hacks
CSS leaves your layout open to interpretation by browsers…or does it?
In this hands-on trouble-shooter, Trenton explains why and how different
browser-specific CSS hacks work–and provides code to help you regain
control over your layouts.
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/browser-specific-css-hacks

***Web Programming Certificate Series Extended until February 28
This six-course series from the O’Reilly Learning Lab teaches you the
skills needed for web programming, web administration, and web site
development. You’ll learn HTML, JavaScript, XML, SQL, Perl, and Unix.
Upon completion of the series, students receive a Certificate of Professional
Development from the University of Illinois Office of Continuing Education.
Sign up today and save 40% on all Web Programming Certificate courses.
Offer extended until February 28.
http://www.oreilly.com/redirector.csp?link=UAWeb&type=news

================================================
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
February 3, 2005

—————————————————————-
Book News
—————————————————————-
-AppleScript: The Missing Manual
-Creating Photomontages with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
-Internet Annoyances
-Google Hacking for Penetration Testers
-Home Networking Annoyances
-Linux Server Security, 2nd Edition
-Buffer Overflow Attacks
-Configuring NetScreen Firewalls
—————————————————————-
Upcoming Events
—————————————————————-
-Hadley Stern (“iPod & iTunes Hacks”), Boston Macintosh User Group,
Boston, MA–February 9
-Tim O’Reilly, EclipseCon, Burlingame, CA–February 28-March 3
-O’Reilly at PhotoShop World, Las Vegas, NV–March 9
—————————————————————-
Conference News
—————————————————————-
-OSCON Call For Proposals Now Open
-Register 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
—————————————————————-
-Hacking Google
-Get Your Hands Dirty!
-“Make” subscriptions now available
-Don’t Miss O’Reilly at LinuxWorld, Boston, MA–February 15-17
-Programming eBay Web Services with PHP 5 and Services_Ebay
-Freevo: Freedom For Your TV
-Michael Stutz On Using Linux For Everyday Activities
-Top Ten AppleScript Tips
-Output Like a Pro with iPhoto 5
-Fix Hot Spot Annoyances
-Working with Roaming User Profiles
-IRC Text to Speech with Java
-Internals of Java Class Loading
-Build Your Own PVR (for Free) with HackTV
-Featured Photographer–Ofer Halevi: The Art of Juxtaposition
-Learning Lab: Save 40% on Web Programming Certificate Courses
-A-Z Web Site Indexes Explained

================================================
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
—————————————————————-
***AppleScript: The Missing Manual
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008503
Macintosh’s ultimate scripting tool, AppleScript, has one major
shortcoming: it comes without a manual. This Missing Manual fills the
void. While its hands-on approach, with dozens of scripting examples,
certainly keeps novices from feeling intimidated, this book is also suited
for professionals from system administrators to musicians, ensuring that
anyone can learn how to control Mac applications in timesaving and
innovative ways.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/applescripttmm/index.html

Chapter 5, “Controlling Files,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/applescripttmm/chapter/index.html

***Creating Photomontages with Photoshop: A Designer’s Notebook
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008589
This collection of groundbreaking digital creations by well-known French
artists is a visual smorgasbord for digital imaging professionals, graphic
artists, photographers, and anyone involved in the creation of digital
images and animations. But it’s more than a full-color feast for the eyes:
reflecting the very best of French graphic design, it guides Photoshop
users through all aspects of the photomontage creation process, from
initial concept through step-by-step execution.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/photoshopadn/

***Internet Annoyances
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007353
Recognizing the universal nature of the Net, “Internet Annoyances” strives
to make using the internet as stress-free as possible for everyone. This
insightful guide effectively addresses and presents solutions for the many
glitches that still complicate the internet experience. You’ll learn how
to thwart would-be hackers, ensure greater security while surfing,
eliminate pop-up ads, maximize online services, conduct effective
searches, and much more.

Chapter 8, “Searching Annoyances,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/internetannoy/chapter/index.html

***Google Hacking for Penetration Testers
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1931836361
“Google Hacking for Penetration Testers” explores the explosive growth of
a technique known as “Google Hacking.” This simple tool can be bent by
hackers and those with malicious intent to find hidden information, break
into sites, and access supposedly secure information. Borrowing the
techniques pioneered by malicious “Google hackers,” this book aims to show
security practitioners how to properly protect clients from this often
overlooked and dangerous form of information leakage.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1931836361/index.html

***Home Networking Annoyances
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008082
Need a cure for the headaches associated with running a home network? This
book tackles all the common annoyances your network dishes up, whether
it’s wired or wireless, Mac or PC. With a friendly, off-the-cuff approach,
this book guides you safely through common home networking glitches,
including file sharing, printing, security, and more. Take a stand against
annoyances now: this book is your ticket to serenity.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/homenetannoy/

Chapter 4, “File-Sharing Annoyances,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/homenetannoy/chapter/index.html

***Linux Server Security, 2nd Edition
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006705
“Linux Server Security, 2nd Edition” expertly conveys to administrators
and developers the tricks of the trade that can help them avoid serious
security breaches. The book covers both background theory and practical,
step-by-step instructions for protecting a server that runs Linux. Geared
toward Linux users with little security expertise, the author explains
security concepts and techniques in clear language, beginning with the
fundamentals. Stay one step ahead of potential adversaries.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxss2/

Chapter 12, “System Log Management and Monitoring,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxss2/chapter/index.html

***Buffer Overflow Attacks
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1932266674
The SANS Institute maintains a list of the “Top 10 Software
Vulnerabilities.” Currently, over half of these vulnerabilities are
exploitable by buffer overflow attacks, which allow an attacker to run
arbitrary code on a victim’s machine. This is the first book specifically
aimed at detecting, exploiting, and preventing the most common and
dangerous attacks. It provides specific, real code examples on exploiting
buffer overflow attacks from a hacker’s perspective, and on defending
against these attacks for the software developer.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932266674/

***Configuring NetScreen Firewalls
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1932266399
“Configuring NetScreen Firewalls” delivers an in-depth look at the
NetScreen firewall product line. It covers all of the aspects of the
NetScreen product line from the SOHO devices to the Enterprise NetScreen
firewalls. Advanced troubleshooting techniques and the NetScreen Security
Manager are also covered.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932266399/index.html

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

***Hadley Stern (“iPod & iTunes Hacks”), Boston Macintosh User Group,
Boston, MA–February 9
Come join this O’Reilly author to find out all the cool things that you
can do with your iPod!
Boston Macintosh User Group
MIT Building E51
Room 315
Cambridge, MA
http://www.bmac.org/meetings.html

***Tim O’Reilly, EclipseCon, Burlingame, CA–February 28-March 3
Tim is a keynote speaker at this event.
http://www.eclipsecon.org/2005/index.htm

***O’Reilly at PhotoShop World, Las Vegas, NV–March 9
Come by and say hi and check out our latest Digital Media books at our
booth (#220).
Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas, NV

Photoshop World | Replay Sale

================================================
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

***2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA–March 14-17
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/

Hurry up before it sells out!

User Group members use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off
the registration price.

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

***Register 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
———————
***Hacking Google
With access to more than three million documents in over 30 languages,
Google is a researcher’s dream. But like any invaluable tool, knowing the
insider tricks of the trade is a must to save time and needless effort.
Tara Calishain and Rael Dornfest, authors of “Google Hacks, 2nd Edition,”
have set out to educate the masses to the ins and outs of Google. In
today’s excerpt, they offer the inside scoop on scattersearching,
cartography, Google on the go, Gmail-lite, and AdSense. With over 150
million Google searches conducted every day, why be just a number?
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/excerpt/ggl_hcks/index.html

***Get Your Hands Dirty!
Hackers of all stripes refuse to just take what they’re given. They’re
driven to remake it, and getting there is more than half the fun. Here at
O’Reilly, we’ve got the information you need to hack, remix, and master
technology at home and at work. In this letter for our Winter 2005
Catalog, Tim O’Reilly talks about how we’re celebrating the hacker
impulse.
http://tim.oreilly.com/articles/dirtyhands_0105.html

You’ll find all of Tim’s collected writings and speeches at:
http://tim.oreilly.com/

***”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 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

———————
Open Source
———————

***Don’t Miss 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”). We will have daily demonstrations on our new magazine “Make”
and SafariU (http://academic.oreilly.com/safariu-more.csp).

Here is our schedule of events:

Click to access linuxworld_speaker_sched.pdf

***Programming eBay Web Services with PHP 5 and Services_Ebay
PHP 5 added several new features to the language, yet laundry lists and
high-level overviews don’t really show what they are or why you might use
them. Fortunately, Adam Trachtenberg writes for us. Here’s how to use the
new features of PHP 5 for writing web services clients.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/php/2005/01/27/ebay_webservices.html

***Freevo: Freedom For Your TV
PVRs may be the next big thing in home entertainment, but relying on a
closed box leaves you few options for customization. The Freevo project is
building a platform for developing television-aware applications, whether
recording, timeshifting, or general-purpose mayhem. Howard Wen explains
the Freevo project and interviews its developers.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/01/27/freevo.html

***Michael Stutz On Using Linux For Everyday Activities
Michael Stutz, author of “The Linux Cookbook, 2nd Edition” (No Starch)
discusses what inspired him to write this book, when he first started
using Linux, and other world views in this LinuxWorld interview.
http://www.linuxworld.com/story/47810.htm?DE=1

———————
Mac
———————
***Top Ten AppleScript Tips
AppleScript lets you control Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, FileMaker
Pro, and hundreds of other Mac programs with just a few lines of code. But
if you think of AppleScript as just a nerdy workflow-automation tool,
you’re missing out on a lot of power. Truth is, AppleScript has lots of
hidden tricks and timesavers built in–and they all come for free with
your Mac. Adam Goldstein, author of “AppleScript: The Missing Manual,” has
hand selected ten of the most useful tips for making AppleScript work for
you.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/02/01/applscrpt_mm.html

***Output Like a Pro with iPhoto 5
Earlier, Derrick Story discussed how iPhoto 5’s RAW capability lets you
input like a pro. But some of its new output features are quite
sophisticated. Here Derrick takes a look at how to create sophisticated
slideshows and QuickTime downloads using only iPhoto 5.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/02/01/iphoto.html

———————
Windows/.NET
———————
***Fix Hot Spot Annoyances
Using a Wi-Fi hot spot is a great way to stay connected when you’re away
from home or the office. But beware: you may be vulnerable to snoopers;
you may be unable to send email; and your connection may flake out.
Preston Gralla, author of “Internet Annoyances,” fixes all your hot spot
woes.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/02/01/hot_spot.html

***Working with Roaming User Profiles
If you have a highly mobile local user base and are constantly fielding
concerns about personalized settings and desktop customizations that don’t
seem to travel with your users, then roaming user profiles may make your
life a lot easier. In this article, Jonathan Hassell, author of “Learning
Windows Server 2003,” explains how roaming user profiles can save you time
and energy.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/02/01/rmng_usr.html

———————
Java
———————
***IRC Text to Speech with Java
Paul Mutton creates a multi-platform IRC bot that uses the FreeTTS Java
speech synthesizer library to convert IRC messages into audible speech.
Why would you want to use an IRC text-to-speech system? By reading out
messages as they arrive, you can keep working, diverting your attention to
IRC only when necessary. Paul is the author of “IRC Hacks.”
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/09/08/IRCinJava.html

***Internals of Java Class Loading
When are two classes not the same? When they’re loaded by different class
loaders. This is just one of many curious side effects of Java’s
class-loading system. Binildas Christudas shows how different class
loaders relate to one another and how (and why) to build your own custom
class loader.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/01/26/classloading.html

———————
Digital Media
———————
***Build Your Own PVR (for Free) with HackTV
HackTV is a developer app for Mac OS X that you can download for free. It
enables you to watch TV (or any video source) on your Mac. Better yet, it
enables you to download that content to your hard drive. Erica Sadun shows
you the ins and outs of HackTV.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/01/26/hacktv.html

***Featured Photographer–Ofer Halevi: The Art of Juxtaposition
Whether it’s a man standing beside a mannequin in Amsterdam, or a poster
of Rabin staring up at a passerby in Israel, Ofer Halevi has an eye for
recording the juxtaposition of people and their inanimate environment. In
this portfolio you can experience Ofer’s passion for detail, interaction,
and patterns.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/01/12/featured.html

———————
Web
———————
***Learning Lab: Save 40% on Web Programming Certificate Courses
This six-course series from the O’Reilly Learning Lab teaches you the
skills needed for web programming, web administration, and website
development. You’ll learn HTML, JavaScript, XML, SQL, Perl, and Unix. Upon
completion of the series, students receive a Certificate of Professional
Development from the University of Illinois Office of Continuing
Education. Sign up by February 22nd, and save 40% on all Web Programming
Certificate courses.
http://www.oreilly.com/redirector.csp?link=UAWeb&type=news

***A-Z Web Site Indexes Explained
A-Z Indexes are a far more accurate than search engines for searching the
content of a web site or intranet. For the value they can bring to a site,
A-Z indexes are worth the additional cost, but, if you decide to add an
index to your site, it’s important to find the right person to do the
job.
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/a-z-indexes

================================================
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 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

O’Reilly News for User Group Members
November 23, 2004

—————————————————————-
Book News
—————————————————————-
-Treo Fan Book
-PowerBook Fan Book
-iBook Fan Book
-Xbox Fan Book
-Securing Windows Server 2003
-The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks
-Oracle Utilities Pocket Reference
-Programmer’s Ultimate Security DeskRef
-Unit Test Frameworks
-Inside the Spam Cartel
-PC Hacks
-Degunking Your Email, Spam, and Viruses
-Gaming Hacks
-Smart Home Hacks
-Head First Design Patterns
-Knoppix Hacks
-Windows to Linux Migration Toolkit
—————————————————————-
Upcoming Events
—————————————————————-
-Wil Wheaton (“Just a Geek”), Barnes & Noble,
Huntington Beach, CA–November 30
-Nathan Torkington (“Perl Cookbook”), Open Source
Developers’ Conference, Melbourne, Australia–December 1-3
-Gordon Meyer (“Smart Home Hacks”), DigitalGuru,
Sunnyvale, CA–December 15
—————————————————————-
Conference News
—————————————————————-
-Registration is Open for O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA– March 14-17, 2005
—————————————————————-
News
—————————————————————-
-O’Reilly author Wil Wheaton Just Added as a Speaker at Macworld
San Francisco
-Interesting Work for Interesting People
-Hacks for Smart Homes
-“Spam Kings” Author Shares Insights, Spam-Prevention Tips
-Open Source Licenses Are Not All the Same
-make: The Evolution and Alternatives
-The Youngest “Learning Python” Fan
-Write a Webserver in 100 Lines of Code or Less
-iPod Photo: Breakthrough Device or Work in Progress?
-Building Simple Lists Using Strings in VBA
-Skins and Themes
-Extending Struts
-Take the ONJava.com Survey
-Creating iPod Tattoos
-Could Ringtones Be More Annoying?!
—————————————————————-
From Your Peers
—————————————————————-
-First Annual New York Technical Community Holiday Party, NY, NY–
December 15
-London Perl Workshop, London, UK–December 11
================================================
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
—————————————————————-
***Treo Fan Book
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008163
Owners of the Treo smartphone from palmOne will master their revolutionary
little do-all device in no time flat with the new “Treo Fan Book.” This
unbeatable reference guide contains all the information people need–and
want–to know about the combined mobile phone/Palm-powered
organizer/wireless email, text messaging, and web-browsing tool/digital
camera.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/treofb/index.html

***PowerBook Fan Book
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008171
This is the perfect guide for mastering all the features and taking
advantage of the advanced capabilities of Apple’s most desirable laptop.
The “PowerBook Fan Book” takes readers through the process of getting
familiar with their new machine and OS X Panther, learning handy tricks
and using high-end features, and finding out about little-known but
gotta-have accessories for their sleek and speedy new PowerBook.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerbkfb/index.html

***iBook Fan Book
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008619
Anyone who owns an ultra-thin iBook can count on the “iBook Fan Book” to
give them everything they need to make the stylish little white wonder
work–and play–just as hard as they do. The book covers: getting familiar
with Mac OS X Panther; organizing a digital lifestyle; using advanced features;
enjoying iBook at home, at the office, and on the go; minimizing time and
stress; and maximizing fun and productivity.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ibkfanbk/index.html

***Xbox Fan Book
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008848
With cool 3D graphics, mind-boggling animation, and
devastatingly real audio, Microsoft’s Xbox is the most powerful and
popular gaming machine ever created. And now, the half-million (and
growing) gamers who own one have a reliable, all-purpose reference book
to guide them to the ultimate video game triumph: the top score! The “Xbox
Fan Book” covers using the console, enhancing the multimedia experience,
online play, recommended games like Halo, and accessories such as the
Xbox DVD Playback Kit.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/xboxfanbk/index.html

***Securing Windows Server 2003
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006853
If you use Windows 2003 Server at a small- to medium-sized organization,
or if you use Microsoft’s Small Business Server, this thorough yet concise
tutorial offers the hands-on advice you need to secure your network. The
book focuses on ways to plan and implement a secure operating environment,
using real-world examples to show you how various security concepts relate
to your own system. Read it cover to cover to create and implement a
security plan, or use individual chapters as standalone lessons.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/securews/

Chapter 4, “File System Security,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/securews/chapter/index.html

***The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks
Publisher: SitePoint
ISBN: 0957921888
Make your site easier to maintain and faster to load with Cascading Style
Sheets. This book answers the 101 most common CSS questions about
everything from styling text to using CSS for layout. Plus, you’ll learn
how to use CSS to create accessible and standards-compliant web sites. All
solutions and effects are cross-browser compatible and easy to customize.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0957921888/

***Oracle Utilities Pocket Reference
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596008996
“Oracle Utilities Pocket Reference” is a quick-reference guide to the
multitude of Oracle utilities that database administrators use every day.
Packed with information in an easy-to-read format, this compact resource
supplies the syntax and options for whatever utility a DBA needs to
perform a given task. Some of the utilities documented include:
SQL*Loader, for loading data; expdp and exp for exporting data to another
database; oradebug for use in troubleshooting; and loadjava and dropjava
for loading and unloading Java programs.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/oracleutilpr/

A sample excerpt, “expdp,” is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/oracleutilpr/

***Programmer’s Ultimate Security DeskRef
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1932266720
“The Programmer’s Ultimate Security DeskRef” is the only complete desk
reference covering multiple languages and their inherent security issues.
It will serve as the programming encyclopedia for almost every major
language in use. While there are many books starting to address the broad
subject of security best practices within the software development
lifecycle, none has yet to address the overarching technical problems of
incorrect function usage. Most books fail to draw the line from covering
best practices security principles to actual code implementation. This
book bridges that gap and covers the most popular programming languages
such as Java, Perl, C++, C#, and Visual Basic.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932266720/

***Unit Test Frameworks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596006896
This is the only book to explore unit testing as a language-independent,
standalone development methodology. It covers the theory and methodology
of unit test frameworks, offers instruction in unit test development,
provides useful code examples in both Java and C++, and details the most
commonly used frameworks from the XUnit family, including JUnit for Java,
CppUnit for C++, and NUnit for .NET. It also includes the complete source
code for CppUnit for C++ and NUnit for .NET.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/unitest/

Chapter 3, “The xUnit Family of Unit Test Frameworks,” is available
online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/unitest/chapter/index.html

***Inside the Spam Cartel
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1932266860
“Inside the Spam Cartel” is a methodical, technically explicit expose of
the inner workings of the spam economy. The book offers you a view inside
this dark underworld, the sophistication and sheer size of which will
shock you. You’ll meet the characters that control the flow of money as
well as the hackers and programmers committed to keeping the enterprise up
and running. You may disagree with their objectives, but you’ll marvel at
their ingenuity and resourcefullness in defeating spam filters, avoiding
identification, and staying one step ahead of the law.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1932266860/

***PC Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007485
“PC Hacks” shows you how to enhance performance and prevent problems with
your PC. You’ll learn about hacking the system board, BIOS, peripherals,
and operating system, and overclocking CPU and video cards, tweaking RAM
timing, and selecting the best performing components. This step-by-step,
hack-by-hack guide covers both Windows and Linux, and includes advice on
reusing an old PC to offload work from newer systems, as well as ways to
prevent security problems.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pchks/

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

***Degunking Your Email, Spam, and Viruses
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
ISBN: 193211193X
“Degunking Your Email, Spam, and Viruses” outlines Paraglyph’s unique
12-step Degunking program, written in everyday language for all computer
users, that will teach you all the tried-and-true techniques to keep your
computer clutter-free and running well. The “Degunking with Time
Limitations” chart shows how you can improve your computer’s performance
and keep your email better organized, whether you have ten minutes or a
few hours. The book also provides information and links to free utilities
and programs that will help you get rid of viruses, manage your email
better, and protect your computer.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/193211193X/

***Gaming Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007140
It doesn’t take long for an avid or just wickedly clever gamer to be
chafed by the limitations of videogame software and hardware. If you want
to go far beyond the obvious, there’s a tremendous amount of free fun you
can have by following the creative exploits of the gaming gurus. “Gaming
Hacks” is the indispensable guide to cool things gamers can do to create,
modify, and hack videogame hardware and software.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/gaminghks/

Five sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/gaminghks/chapter/index.html

***Smart Home Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007221
“Smart Home Hacks” covers a litany of stand-alone and integrated smart
home solutions designed to enhance safety, comfort, and convenience in new
and existing homes. Learn how to equip your home with motion detectors for
added security, install computer-controlled lights for optimum
convenience, mount an in-home web cam or two purely for entertainment, and
much more. No matter what your technical level may be, this book will help
you achieve the automated home of your dreams.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/smarthomehks/

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

***Head First Design Patterns
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007124
In the manner of O’Reilly’s popular new Head First Series, “Head First
Design Patterns” is visually rich and designed for the way your brain
works. Applying teaching techniques developed in response to the latest
research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, the book
will load patterns into your brain in a way that sticks. You’ll be able to
put what you’ve learned to work immediately, and you’ll find that you’re
better at solving software design problems. Become fluent in the language
of Design Patterns by putting your head first.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/hfdesignpat/

***Knoppix Hacks
Publisher: O’Reilly
ISBN: 0596007876
“Knoppix Hacks” is an invaluable collection of 100 industrial-strength
hacks for new Linux users, power users, and system administrators who are
using or considering the Knoppix Live CD, which is included with the book.
These tips and tools show how to use the live CD to troubleshoot, repair,
upgrade, disinfect, and generally be productive without Windows, and
without the difficulty of installing Linux itself.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/knoppixhks/

Five sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/knoppixhks/chapter/index.html

***Windows to Linux Migration Toolkit
Publisher: Syngress
ISBN: 1931836396
“Windows to Linux Migration Toolkit” is a unique book that offers a
complete solution for migrating from Windows to Linux. It provides
migration process planning, automated migration scripts,
anti-virus/anti-spam solutions, and specific migration and deployment.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1931836396/

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

***Wil Wheaton (“Just a Geek”), Barnes & Noble,
Huntington Beach, CA–November 30
Don’t miss Wil reading from his autobiography. He will be there from
7:00pm-8:30pm.

Wil Wheaton’s Blog:
http://www.wilwheaton.net/

***Nathan Torkington (“Perl Cookbook”), Open Source Developers’
Conference, Melbourne, Australia–December 1-3
Nat gives a keynote presentation on open source trends at this grass roots
style event.
http://www.osdc.com.au/index.html

***Gordon Meyer (“Smart Home Hacks”), DigitalGuru, Sunnyvale, CA–
December 15
Gordon makes an appearance at the DigitalGuru Computer Bookshop starting
at 12:30 p.m. DigitalGuru will be offering a 40% discount on Gordon’s book
that day. (If you can’t wait til December 15, be sure to stop by DigitalGuru
between November 29 and December 10 to take advantage of a
special sale: 40% off ALL O’Reilly books, as well as books by our publishing
partners.) DigitalGuru is located at 546-3 Lawrence Expressway in
Sunnyvale, CA.
http://www.digitalguru.com/index.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***Registration is Open for 2005 O’Reilly Emerging Technology Conference,
San Diego, CA–March 14-17, 2005
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 Bird” price.

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

================================================
News From O’Reilly & Beyond
================================================
———————
General News
———————
***O’Reilly author Wil Wheaton at Macworld
Actor, comedian, blogger, and self-described geek Wil Wheaton will deliver
a special feature presentation at Macworld San Francisco. Wheaton will
discuss his personal story, as well as the joys of web design, HTML, and
blogging on Thursday, January 13, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. This
ever-popular actor-turned-writer will also attend a book signing after
his presentation.

Wil Wheaton’s Blog entry:
http://www.wilwheaton.net/mt/archives/001739.php

Macworld press release:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20041109005168&newsLang=en

***Interesting Work for Interesting People
O’Reilly Media is looking for a web designer; an Office, .NET; and Windows
programming editor; a national account manager; product managers; a
systems analyst; and software engineers; among others. For a complete list
of open positions, visit:
http://jobs.oreilly.com/

***Hacks for Smart Homes
Implementing home automation may be easier and less expensive than you
ever imagined. By using your computer, your home can become much smarter.
Gordon Meyer, author of “Smart Home Hacks,” covers the basics of
automating your home with MisterHouse, an open source home automation
application for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Move a step beyond automatic
lights to a home that actually responds to stimuli.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2004/11/11/smrthome_hks1.html

***”Spam Kings” Author Shares Insights, Spam-Prevention Tips
In this interview with TechSoup, Brian McWilliams talks about the most
effective way to fight spam, anti-spam legislation, why spammers spam, the
types of scam people most often fall for, and much more.
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articlepage.cfm?ArticleId=566

———————
Open Source
———————
***Open Source Licenses Are Not All the Same
As open source and the Internet continue to grow in popularity, more and
more users and developers come into contact with open source code. Though
the various licenses increase user rights somehow, they all do it in
different ways and with different goals. Steve Fishman categorizes several
popular licenses and explains their implications.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2004/11/18/licenses.html

***make: The Evolution and Alternatives
After 13 years of the O’Reilly classic, “Managing Projects with make, 2nd
Edition,” coauthor Andy Oram looks back and summarizes the evolution of
make. With the recent release of “Managing Projects with GNU make, 3rd
Edition,” author Robert Mecklenburg offers an adapted excerpt comparing
Ant, IDEs, and make for managing the build process.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2004/11/18/gnumake_3e.html

***The Youngest “Learning Python” Fan
How old do you have to be to appreciate O’Reilly’s books? Not very. Tim
Pietzcker shows us how much his 17-month-old son likes “Learning Python,”
and other readers chime in with similar experiences (including Chicago
Perl Monger Andy Lester). The appeal of O’Reilly animals proves to be
cross-generational in our latest “Letters.”
http://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/letters/2004/python_1104.html

———————
Mac
———————
***Write a Webserver in 100 Lines of Code or Less
REAL Software programmer and tester Jonathan Johnson shows you the power
and simplicity of developing with REALbasic by walking you through the
building of a working webserver. After this tutorial, you’ll not only have
a pratical knowledge or REALbasic, but you’ll have a cool little server
too.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/11/19/realbasic.html

***iPod Photo: Breakthrough Device or Work in Progress?
After spending three years as the most popular digital music player, the
iPod has evolved. No longer just music to your ears, the new color iPod
photo boasts plenty of eye candy with storage for as many as 25,000
photos. Is it really everything you ever wanted? Hadley Stern, author of
“iPod & iTunes Hacks,” takes an in-depth look with his review.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/11/16/ipod_photo.html

———————
Windows/.NET
———————
***Building Simple Lists Using Strings in VBA
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), the language used for scripting
Microsoft Word, isn’t really known for its string-processing abilities.
But sometimes, string hacking is a quick and convenient way to solve a
problem, and the string functions VBA does provide are often up to the
task. In this article, Andrew Savikas, author of “Word Hacks,” shows you
how to use strings for simple lists.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/11/16/wdhks_2.html

***Skins and Themes
In his previous column, Jesse Liberty showed you how to use web forms
security to create a personalized site. Here, he builds on that work to
introduce the concepts of skins and themes, which allow users to configure
the look and feel of your site.
http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2004/11/15/libertyonwhidbey.html

———————
Java
———————
***Extending Struts
With so many web application frameworks available, there’s little point
reinventing the wheel, especially when Struts offers remarkable
extensibility. Sunil Patil introduces the three basic means of extending
Struts to achieve custom web application behavior.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/11/10/ExtendingStruts.html

***Take the ONJava.com Survey
We’re asking ONJava.com readers to participate in an online survey. You’ll
help shape our online editorial direction and influence which book titles
we pursue. And you’ll have a chance to win some of our most popular Java
books.
http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB223X7HZ42HJ

———————
Digital Media
———————
***Creating iPod Tattoos
One of the benefits of the Apple-HP iPod partnership is HP’s clever idea
to let iPod owners customize their devices using “tattoos.” You can
download predesigned ones from the HP site, or create your own with an
inkjet printer. Tony Williams shows you how.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/11/17/ipod_tattoos.html

***Could Ringtones Be More Annoying?!
People absolutely love annoying ringtones, and the annoying effect they
have on everybody else around them. This is really good news for those in
the audio business.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/11/10/drescher_bbq04_ringtone.html

================================================
From Your Peers
================================================
***First Annual New York Technical Community Holiday Party,
NY, NY–December 15
Network with hundreds of New York’s top IT professionals in a private SoHo
lounge space, where you’ll have a chance to connect with the industry’s
top vendors and experts. Join authors and fellow IT pros for
presentations, giveaways, open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and a unique
networking opportunity in Manhattan.
Admission is free, RSVP required.
http://nyphp.org/nytchp.php

***London Perl Workshop, London, UK–December 11
This event is intended to allow Perl beginners to learn from long-standing
members of the community, while also giving the experts a chance to make
easy tasks seem trivial, and hard tasks seem easy.
Imperial College
http://london.pm.org/lpw/

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