================================================================
O'Reilly UG Program News--Just for User Group Leaders
July 22, 2004
================================================================
-Is there a Special Event You Want to Share?
-Wanted: Slashdot Reviewers
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Book Info
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***Review books are available 
Copies of our books are available for your members to review--
send me an email and please include the book's ISBN number on 
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Allow at least four weeks for shipping. 

***Please send copies of your book reviews
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***Discount information
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***Group purchases with better discounts are available
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***Is there a Special Event You Want to Share? 
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***Wanted: Slashdot Reviewers
We are looking for folks to submit reviews to Slashdot. We've got some 
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Here's a list of our upcoming books:
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================================================================
O'Reilly News for User Group Members
July 22, 2004
================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------
Book News
----------------------------------------------------------------
-Pragmatic Project Automation: How to Build, Deploy, and 
Monitor Java Apps
-The Book of Nero 6 Ultra Edition
-Enterprise JavaBeans, 4th Edition
-Learning PHP 5
-Java 1.5 Tiger: A Developer's Notebook
-Enterprise Service Bus
-GarageBand: The Missing Manual
-Mac OS X Panther Hacks
----------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Events
----------------------------------------------------------------
-O'Reilly Open Source Convention, Portland, OR--July 26-30
-Dan Gillmor ("We the Media") and Paul Graham ("Hackers & Painters"), 
Powell's Books, Portland, OR--July 28
-Tim O'Reilly Speaks at the Portland Area .NET User Group Meeting, 
Portland, OR--July 29
-Alex Martelli ("Python in a Nutshell"), Powell's Books, 
Portland, OR--July 29
-Niel M. Bornstein (".NET and XML"), Extreme Markup Languages 2004, 
Montreal, Canada--August 2-6
-O'Reilly at LinuxWorld, San Francisco, CA--August 2-5
-MERLOT International Conference, Costa Mesa, CA--August 3-6
-Steve Bass ("PC Annoyances"), 11th Annual Southwest Computer 
User Group Conference, San Diego, CA--August 6-8
-Wil Wheaton ("Just a Geek"), Powell's Technical Books, 
Portland, OR--August 6
----------------------------------------------------------------
Conference News
----------------------------------------------------------------
-O'Reilly Open Source Convention User Group Discount
----------------------------------------------------------------
News
----------------------------------------------------------------
-The Ideal Digital Photographer's Workflow, Part 5
-SafariU: Create, Customize, and Share Teaching Material
-The Great Linux Desktop Migration Contest
-Why PHP 5 Rocks!
-How to Fall in Love with Your iSight, Again
-12 Steps to Improving Your Mac's Performance
-Macworld Boston 2004: Brains Over Beauty
-Windows Server Hacks: Restoring Shadow Copies Using the Command Line
-Understanding WinFX in Longhorn
-Better, Faster, Lighter Programming in .NET and Java
-Cooking with Eclipse
-Writing Cross-Platform Mobile Applications Using Crossfire
----------------------------------------------------------------
News From Your Peers
----------------------------------------------------------------
-How to Write a Book Review by the Melbourne PHP User Group

================================================
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, or Syngress book you purchase directly
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For more details, go to:
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----------------------------------------------------------------
New Releases
----------------------------------------------------------------
***Pragmatic Project Automation: How to Build, Deploy, and Monitor Java
Apps
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 0974514039
Forget wizards, you need a slave--someone to do your repetitive, 
tedious
and boring tasks, without complaint and without pay, so you'll have 
more
time to design and write exciting code. Enlist your computer to 
automate
all of your Java project's repetitive tasks from individual builds and
testing through to product release and deployment. Enjoy pragmatic,
automatic, unattended software production that's reliable and accurate
every time.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0974514039/


***The Book of Nero 6 Ultra Edition
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593270437
The Nero Ultra 6 software makes it easier to burn a CD or DVD, but to 
use
it you first need to understand how it works, as well as things such as
whether to burn a multisession CD, what mode to use, how to burn music
files, and much more. The Book of Nero 6 Ultra Edition takes you step 
by
step through using Nero for these tasks, and many others, so you'll be
ready to burn in no time.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1593270437/


***Enterprise JavaBeans, 4th Edition
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 059600530X
"Enterprise JavaBeans, 4th Edition" includes everything that made 
previous
editions the single must-have book for EJB developers. Providing a 
solid
grasp of EJBs’ complexities; hundreds of clear, practical examples; 
and
adept coverage of EJBs' key concepts, this fourth edition also includes
everything you need to get up to speed quickly on the changes in EJB
version 2.1, including an architecture overview, design strategies, XML
deployment descriptors, and more. The book also includes a JBoss
implementation guide. 
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/entjbeans4/

A sample excerpt, "Workbook 8: Exercises for Chapter 11," is available
online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/entjbeans4/chapter/index.html


***Learning PHP 5
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596005601
"Learning PHP 5" is the ideal tutorial for graphic designers, bloggers,
and other web crafters who want a thorough but non-intimidating way to
understand the code that makes web sites dynamic. The book begins with 
an
introduction to the just-released PHP 5, then moves to more advanced
features: language basics, arrays and functions, web forms, connecting 
to
databases, and much more. Complete with exercises to make sure the 
lessons
stick, this book offers the ideal classroom experience to learning PHP 
5.

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnphp5/

Chapter 8, "Remembering Users with Cookies and Sessions,' is available
online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnphp5/chapter/index.html


***Java 1.5 Tiger: A Developer's Notebook
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596007388
Java 1.5, code-named "Tiger," promises to be the most significant new
version of Java since the language's introduction. But with so many
changes, where do you start? This no-nonsense, down-and-dirty guide is 
the
answer, providing complete coverage of generics, boxing and unboxing,
varargs, enums, annotations, formatting, the for/in loop, concurrency, 
and
more. Following the task-oriented format unique to this new series, 
this
book allows you to get straight to work with Tiger's new features.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnphp5/chapter/index.html

Chapter 3, "Enumerated Types," is available free online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/javaadn/chapter/index.html


***Enterprise Service Bus
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596006756
"Enterprise Service Bus" provides an architectural overview of the ESB,
showing how it can bring the task of integrating enterprise 
applications
and services built on J2EE, .NET, C/C++, and other legacy environments
into the reach of everyday IT professionals, using an event-driven
Service-Oriented Architecture. Through the study of real-world-use 
cases
drawn from several industries deploying ESB, this book coherently 
outlines
the benefits of moving toward this integration strategy, and it 
compares
and contrasts ESB to other integration architectures.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/esb/

Chapter 3, "Necessity Is the Mother of Invention," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/esb/chapter/index.html


***GarageBand: The Missing Manual
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596006950
Imagine how many thousands of musicians, though enormously talented,
remain undiscovered because they lack recording studios and backup 
bands.
For them, GarageBand may open doors--or just offer a lot of fun.
GarageBand can turn the inspiration of musical novices into
commercial-sounding demos, but you have to know how to take advantage 
of
all  that the program offers. This book provides that knowledge.
"GarageBand: The Missing Manual" is an authoritative, witty guide to
constructing your digital recordings. 
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/garageband/

Check out the GarageBand examples CD available for download:
http://www.missingmanuals.com/cds/#garageband


***Mac OS X Panther Hacks
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596007183
This book offers the perfect combination of tips, tricks, and tools to
help serious Mac users get the most from their machines. This newly
revised collection provides hands-on solutions in topics such as user
interface, accessories, wired and wireless networking, email, 
messaging,
and much more. Written for users who need to go beyond what's covered 
in
conventional manuals, "Mac OS X Panther Hacks" will bring your Mac to 
its
full potential.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0596007183/

Ten sample hacks are available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0596007183/chapter/index.html

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


***O'Reilly Open Source Convention, Portland, OR--July 26-30
Mark your calendar to join us for the sixth annual O'Reilly Open Source
Convention this summer. Fresh ideas are already sizzling on the OSCON
program barbie, including keynote addresses by two of 2003's most 
riveting
speakers, Robert Lefkowitz and Milton Ngan, as well as a trio of 
Dysons:
Esther, Freeman, and George. Bring the family along--Portland has
something for everyone.
Portland Marriott Downtown, Portland, OR
http://conferences.oreilly.com/oscon/


***Dan Gillmor ("We the Media") and Paul Graham ("Hackers & Painters"), 
Powell's Books, Portland OR--July 28
Powell's hosts a special double-header with two authors in town for 
OSCON.
Powell's Technical Books, Portland, OR
http://www.powells.com/calendar.html


***Tim O'Reilly Speaks at the Portland Area .NET User Group Meeting
Portland, OR--July 29
"An Evening With Tim O'Reilly--Tim discusses what is on the 
O'Reilly Radar."
The meeting starts at 6:30pm
Portland Community College Auditorium,
Room 104, 1626 SE Water Ave., Portland, OR
http://www.padnug.org


***Alex Martelli ("Python in a Nutshell"), Powell's Books, 
Portland, OR--July 29
Alex stops in for an appearance at Portland's favorite bookstore.
Powell's Technical Books, Portland, OR
http://www.powells.com/calendar.html


***Niel M. Bornstein (".NET and XML"), Extreme Markup Languages 2004, 
Montreal, Canada--August 2-6
Niel presents a tutorial based on his book.
Hotel Europa, Montreal, Canada
http://www.mulberrytech.com/Extreme/Tutorial/Bornstein_tutorial.html


***O'Reilly at LinuxWorld, San Francisco, CA--August 2-5
Come by and say hello in the Exhibit Hall (I--Marsee--will be there on
Thursday, August 5th), and page through our latest publications, as 
well
as our classic references, at our booth (#873). Be sure to catch a 
panel
on The Future of Open Source with Tim O'Reilly on Tuesday, August 3.
Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA
http://www.linuxworldexpo.com/live/12/


***MERLOT International Conference, Costa Mesa, CA--August 3-6
We'll be exhibiting at this event for faculty members, digital library
providers and developers, authors of digital learning materials, and 
those
involved in administering and supporting instructional technology. Stop 
by
for a preview of our SafariU service.
Hilton Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa, CA
http://conference.merlot.org/


***Steve Bass ("PC Annoyances"), 11th Annual Southwest Computer User 
Group
Conference, San Diego, CA--August 6-8
If you'll be there on the evening of August 7, be sure to drop by the
Vendor Fair and say hello to Steve.
Hilton Hotel--Mission Valley, San Diego, CA
http://www.swugconf.org/


***Wil Wheaton ("Just a Geek"), Powell's Technical Books, Portland,
OR--August 6
Wil  heads north for an appearance and book signing.
33 NW Park Avenue Portland, OR
http://www.powells.com/calendar.html

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***O'Reilly Open Source Convention User Group Discount
User Group use code DSUG when you register, and you'll get 20% off the
conference price.

To register, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/os2004/create/ord_os04

O'Reilly Open Source Convention
Portland Marriott Downtown
Portland, OR
July 26-30, 2004
http://conferences.oreilly.com/oscon/

================================================
News From O'Reilly & Beyond
================================================
---------------------
General News
---------------------
***The Ideal Digital Photographer's Workflow, Part 5 
Ken Milburn, author of "Digital Photography: Expert Techniques," offers
the latest installment in his series on creating ideal (and least
destructive) workflows for digital photography. This week, he offers
step-by-step routines for performing the three stages of sharpening 
that
are almost always necessary: rescue, effect, and output. And he offers
advice on a few things you should do before you even start sharpening 
your
images.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/javascript/2004/07/20/digital_photography.html


***SafariU: Create, Customize, and Share Teaching Material
Looking for a way to truly customize your course textbook and offer
students exactly the material you choose to teach, while saving them a
good bit of money? Become a SafariU beta tester and check out the new
web-based publishing platform from O'Reilly that allows you to create
custom textbooks and online syllabi.
http://academic.oreilly.com/safariu-more.csp

---------------------
Open Source
---------------------
***The Great Linux Desktop Migration Contest
If you're considering, or you have already embarked upon, a Linux 
desktop
migration, here's your chance to help guide and inspire others and be
eligible to win an all-expense-paid  trip to Barcelona, Spain. Novell 
and
O'Reilly Media have joined forces to present this contest and are 
looking
for entries that describe the benefits realized from a desktop 
migration,
a phased migration plan, or the most practical tips for migrating to
Linux. The contest deadline is August 9.
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/linux/contest/


***Why PHP 5 Rocks! 
Adam Trachtenberg provides a quick tour around PHP 5, highlighting 
seven
of his favorite new features. These features (including better support 
for
OOP, bundled SQLite, iterators, and more cool stuff) will allow your 
PHP 5
code to be more concise, more elegant, and more flexible than ever. 
Adam
is the author of the upcoming "Upgrading to PHP 5."
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/php/2004/07/15/UpgradePHP5.html

---------------------
Mac
---------------------
***How to Fall in Love with Your iSight, Again 
Snaggy and Nitrozac are back to show you how to fall in love with your
iSight, again, and provide a few chuckles along the way. Consider them
your personal tech-therapists, willing to help bring you and your 
gorgeous
hardware back together, with advice on apps and add-ons that will 
enhance
your iSight relationship. If you like the way S and N weave humor and 
tech
talk, check out their book, "The Best of The Joy of Tech."
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/07/20/iSightLove.html


***12 Steps to Improving Your Mac's Performance 
Keeping your Mac happy and performing as it did the day you brought it
home takes a bit of degunking. Joli Ballew offers 12 steps to improving
your Mac's performance that will have it humming along in no time. For
more in-depth details on why the Mac slowdown occurs and what you can 
do
about it, check out Joli's new book, "Degunking Your Mac."
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/07/16/DegunkYourMac.html


***Macworld Boston 2004: Brains Over Beauty 
In the late 1700s, Boston culture facilitated debate by some of the
greatest American minds. Now in 2004, it's once again the home for the 
Mac
elite on the East Coast. Derrick Story photographs and comments on the
character of this year's Macworld Boston.

http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2004/07/14/macworld.html

---------------------
Windows
---------------------
***Windows Server Hacks: Restoring Shadow Copies Using the Command Line
Shadow copies is a new feature of Windows Server 2003 that 
automatically
creates point-in-time copies or snapshots of files in shared folders.
Mitch Tulloch, author of "Windows Server Hacks," shows you the easiest 
way
to restore them.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/07/20/shadow_copies.html


***Understanding WinFX in Longhorn
Longhorn is still in pre-beta, but it's time to get ready for 
developing
apps for it. Wei-Meng Lee, author of "Windows XP Unwired," gives a 
rundown
about the APIs that developers will use to write the next generation of
Windows applications.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2004/07/13/winfx.html

---------------------
Java
---------------------
***Better, Faster, Lighter Programming in .NET and Java 
In "Better, Faster, Lighter Java," authors Bruce Tate and Justin 
Gehtland
lay out five basic principles to combat the "bloat" that has built up 
over
time in modern Java programming. In this article, Justin shows how
programmers developing .NET apps can apply the same principles, and 
along
the way, cultivate still more ideas that make programming simpler and 
fun
again.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2004/07/14/BFLJava.html


***Cooking with Eclipse
In these sample recipes from O'Reilly's "Eclipse Cookbook" learn how to
create a custom perspective in Eclipse, and how to speed up the JDT
Editor.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/excerpt/eclipseckbk_chap1/index.html

---------------------
.NET
---------------------
*** Writing Cross-Platform Mobile Applications Using Crossfire
If you are a Microsoft developer familiar with the .NET Framework, you
generally have two options if you want to write mobile applications. 
For
mobile handsets, you can develop mobile web applications using the 
ASP.NET
Mobile controls. For standalone applications, you can use the .NET 
Compact
Framework. However, using the .NET Compact Framework you can only 
target
Pocket PC devices. And that essentially means that you are out of luck
when it comes to developing for competing devices such as Palm and 
Symbian
Smartphones. In this article, Wei-Meng Lee introduces you to a new open
source project known as Crossfire that promises to close the gap.
http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2004/07/12/crossfire.html


================================================
News From Your Peers
================================================
***How to Write a Book Review by the Melbourne PHP User Group
http://melbourne.ug.php.net/content/view/63/59/

Thanks to Chris Burgess for sharing this. You can find this URL along
with other tips and tricks on the O'Reilly UG wiki:
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/usergroups/lpt?HomePage
 
Until next time--

Marsee