[Nottingham] O'Reilly - User Group Newsletter issue 06-06

Thu May 25 21:55:35 BST 2006

All, here's the latest from Josette at O'Reilly UK - remember, all NLUG 
and NottPM members are entitled to large discounts on O'Reilly books and 
conferences - mail me for details. And all of you who still owe me book 
reviews... you know who you are!

Michael.

O'Reilly UK User Group Programme
NEWSLETTER
Issue 06-06

Within a week, this newsletter will be available to be downloaded in pdf 
format from the Delphi and C# Developers Group web site at 
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0606.pdf>.  You are welcome to create 
a link to it for your members' use. Previous newsletters are available at -
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0506.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0406.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0306.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0206.pdf>
<http://www.richplum.co.uk/oreilly/0106.pdf>

Our aim is to have both formats available at the same time, but that 
might take us a little longer.

================================================
HIGHLIGHTS
================================================

NEWS FROM O'REILLY AND BEYOND
-Scan, Open, & Print Money with dekePod
-For SARS Press 1, for Bird Flu Press 2...
-North America--June 26-28
-Creating a Dual-Boot Windows XP and Ubuntu Laptop
-Grabbing iTMS Preview Tracks the Geek Way
-Mac FTP: A Guided Tour
-Build a Web-Based Bug Tracking App
-Ensuring Application Compatibility in Vista
-Real-Time Java: An Introduction
-Configuration Management in Java EE Applications Using Subversion
-Summer Projects
-The Maker Faire
-Make Video Podcast: Andrew Filo's Rocket Belt

BOOK NEWS
- Books for review
- Coming soon
CONFERENCE NEWS
YOUR BOOK REVIEWS
YOUR NEWS

================================================
NEWS FROM O'REILLY AND BEYOND
================================================

---------------------
General News
---------------------

***Scan, Open, & Print Money with dekePod
Deke McClelland Digital imaging guru Deke McClelland just introduced the 
pilot for his new show "dekePod," a video podcast with a hip, visually 
compelling style. The pilot episode, "It's Your Money, Scan It!", shows 
viewers a workaround in Photoshop to scan and open money (under legal 
guidelines).
<http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2006/05/03/dekepod.html>

***For SARS Press 1, for Bird Flu Press 2...
One of the key things we can do during a pandemic is to move in-person 
congregations and meetings online, creating electronic surrogates for 
daily social activities such as classes, business meetings, and social 
outings. Brian McConnell examines how organizations can use the latest 
telecom technology to help keep society functioning and diminish the 
spread of disease if this kind of a disaster takes place.
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/etel/2006/05/02/for-sars-press-one.html>

---------------------
Open Source
---------------------

***Creating a Dual-Boot Windows XP and Ubuntu Laptop
Running a Windows-only laptop is hardly ideal for people who do 
considerable work in the Linux environment. When Cygwin and ssh aren't 
enough, consider at least dual-booting into the free software world. 
Kevin Farnham recently converted his new laptop into a half-Windows, 
half-Ubuntu GNU/Linux machine. Here's how.
<http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2006/05/08/dual-boot-laptop.html>

---------------------
Mac
---------------------
***Grabbing iTMS Preview Tracks the Geek Way
Ever tried to copy a preview track from the iTMS onto your iPod? Hint: 
you can't. iTunes won't add those 30-second free previews. Why would you 
want to? Some great audio and video are waiting for you to enjoy. Plus, 
there's the sheer thrill of geek accomplishment--the "oh, so that's how 
to do it" satisfaction.
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/05/09/previews.html>

***Mac FTP: A Guided Tour
(S)FTP has a valuable place in the hearts of web builders and 
developers, and is still one of the most practical methods of getting 
files from one place to another in a secure manner. In this article, 
Giles Turnbull surveys six FTP clients for the Mac platform and shows 
you the major characteristics of each.
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/04/13/ftp.html>

---------------------
Windows/.NET
---------------------
***Build a Web-Based Bug Tracking App
Having problems tracking bugs every time you create a new project? Jesse 
Liberty has the solution. Here, he shows you how to build a Web-based 
bug-tracking application using ASP.NET.
<http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2006/05/09/build-a-web-based-bug-tracking-app.html> 

***Ensuring Application Compatibility in Vista
What should you do if your enterprise has mission-critical 
line-of-business apps that simply must continue running properly once 
you've upgraded your desktops to Vista? Mitch Tulloch, author of Windows 
Server Hacks, offers insight and advice.
<http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2006/04/25/application-compatibility-in-vista.html> 

---------------------
Java
---------------------
***Real-Time Java: An Introduction
"Real-Time" Java doesn't mean "really fast," but it does mean "really 
predictable," and that's especially important in many fields where an 
unpredictable response time, usually caused by the Java Virtual 
Machine's garbage collector, can cost money or lives. Peter Mikhalenko 
looks at the Real-Time Specification for Java and Sun's first 
implementation of the spec.
<http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2006/05/10/real-time-java-introduction.html> 

***Configuration Management in Java EE Applications Using Subversion
Does your enterprise Java application need to store not only complex 
objects or documents but a history of changes to them? Many developers 
try to solve this problem with database wizardry, but it's probably a 
better option to hand the job over to a configuration management system 
that is built for the task. In this article, Swaminathan Radhakrishnan 
shows how you can implement requirements for change tracking by using a 
Subversion repository from your Java application, by way of the JavaSVN 
library.
<http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2006/05/03/j2ee-configuration-management-with-subversion.html> 

---------------------
Podcasts
---------------------
***Summer Projects
Are you looking for something fun or interesting to do this summer? This 
week, we begin with an interview with Julieanne Kost, whose pictures 
from airplanes are published in the book Window Seat. Then Google's 
Chris Dibona talks to us about the upcoming second Summer of Code. 
Finally, Dale Dougherty reads from his article in Make magazine on 
Natalie Jeremijenko and her robot dogs. (DTF 05-08-2006: 24 minutes 35 
seconds)
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/05/08/distributing-the-future.html> 

***The Maker Faire
Thousands of makers met up at the San Mateo Fairgrounds on April 22 and 
23 for the first-ever Maker Faire. We talk to Make magazine publisher 
Dale Dougherty about the Faire and hear from some of the attendees and 
exhibitors that made this event so successful. (DTF 05-01-2006: 19 
minutes 55 seconds)
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2006/05/01/distributing-the-future.html> 

***Make Video Podcast: Andrew Filo's Rocket Belt
<http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/05/make_podcast_andrew_filos_rock.html> 

For more Maker Faire coverage, go to:
<http://makezine.com/faire/>

================================================
BOOK NEWS
================================================

Copies of our books are available for your members to review -- send me 
an email with the delivery address together with the book you would like 
to review. When the review is published, please send me a copy or the 
url. I would also appreciate if you could send a copy to 
www.amazon.co.uk <http://www.amazon.co.uk>

Latest books available for review -
	*	Building Scalable Web Sites <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/web2apps>
	This comprehensive guide covers the design of software and hardware 
systems for web applications. Using scores of examples and leading-edge 
tips, it details proven methods for scaling web applications to millions 
of users. Topics include application architecture, development 
practices, technologies, Unicode, and general infrastructure work. Ideal 
for anyone ready to realize the cost and performance benefits available 
to web applications today.
	*	Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0, Fifth Edition 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/entjbeans5>
	This fifth edition, written by Bill Burke and Richard Monson-Haefel. 
has been updated to capture the very latest need-to-know Java 
technologies in the same award-winning fashion that drove the success of 
the previous four editions. Its easy-to-follow style and hundreds of 
practical examples help you simplify the complex world of EJB - without 
the costly trial and error.
	*	Enterprise SOA <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/enterprisesa/>
	Based on extensive research with experts from the German software 
company SAP, this definitive book is ideal for architects, developers, 
and other IT professionals who want to understand the technology and 
business relevance of enterprise SOA in a detailed way--especially those 
who want to move on the technology now, rather than in the next year or two.
	*	HTML and XHTML Pocket Reference, Third Edition 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/htmlpr3>
	You're ready to make the move to much cleaner standards-compliant web 
design, but how do you keep all those HTML tags and CSS values straight? 
This handy pocket guide offers alphabetical listings of every element 
and attribute in the HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0 Recommendations. It's an 
indispensable reference for anyone working with web standards.
	*	iMovie 6 & iDVD: The Missing Manual 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/imovie06tmm>
	iMovie 6 is all about the ease of moviemaking, but if you really want 
to learn its capabilities, Apple documentation won't make the cut. The 
new edition of this Missing Manual is the ideal third-party authority 
that covers all of these changes through an objective lens, from 
choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto 
DVDs or posting it online.
	*	IPv6 Essentials, Second Edition <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ipv6ess2>
	IPv6 Essentials, Second Edition provides a succinct, in-depth tour of 
all the new features and functions in IPv6. It guides you through 
everything you need to know to get started, including how to configure 
IPv6 on hosts and routers and which applications currently support IPv6. 
Aimed at system and network administrators, engineers, network 
designers, and IT managers, this book will help you understand, plan 
for, design, and integrate IPv6 into your current IPv4 infrastructure.
	*	Java I/O, Second Edition <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/javaio2>
	All of Java's Input/Output (I/O) facilities are based on streams, which 
provide simple ways to read and write data of different types. Java I/O, 
2nd Edition tells you all you need to know about the four main 
categories of streams and uncovers less-known features to help make your 
I/O operations more efficient. You'll also learn how to control number 
formatting, use characters aside from the standard ASCII character set, 
and get a head start on writing truly multilingual software.
	*	Learning SQL on SQL Server 2005 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnsqlsvr05>
	If you're new to databases, or need a SQL refresher, this step-by-step 
introduction has everything you need to generate, manipulate, and 
retrieve data using Microsoft's SQL Server 2005. Every topic, concept, 
and idea in the book comes with examples of code and output, along with 
exercises to help you gain proficiency. Plenty of texts explain database 
theory. This book lets you apply the theory as you learn SQL.
	*	Learning UML 2.0 <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnuml2>
	Engaging and accessible, this book shows you how to use UML to craft 
and communicate your project's design. Russ Miles and Kim Hamilton have 
written a pragmatic introduction to UML based on hard earned practice, 
not theory. Regardless of the software process or methodology you use, 
this book is the one source you need to get up and running with UML 2.0.
	*	MAKE: Technology on Your Time Volume 06 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/makemag06v6/>
	If you like to tweak, disassemble, recreate, and invent cool new uses 
for technology, you'll love MAKE, our quarterly publication for the 
inquisitive do-it-yourselfer.  Every issue is packed with projects to 
help you make the most of all the technology in your life. Everything 
from home entertainment systems, to laptops, to a host of PDAs is fair 
game. If there's a way to hack it, tweak it, bend it, or remix it, you 
will find out about it in MAKE.  The May 2006 Volume 06 issue focuses on 
Robots! Build a pair of electronic insects, LED throwies, a 
rodent-powered nightlight, a floating tower structure, a bug sucker, and 
that is only the beginning.
	*	Perl Hacks <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlhks/>
	Perl Hacks taps into the collective wisdom of the world's most creative 
Perl gurus, so you can learn from their experiences. It's the perfect 
book for experienced developers looking for time-saving practical tips 
or dabblers who are simply curious about Perl's many
	cool capabilities. Topics include user interaction, data munging, 
working with modules, object hacks, and debugging.
	*	Programming Excel with VBA and .NET 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/progexcel>
	Programming Excel isn't about adding new features as much as it's about 
combining existing features to solve particular problems. With Visual 
Basic for Applications (VBA), you can transform Excel into a 
task-specific piece of software that will quickly and precisely serve 
your needs. This single-source reference and how-to guide will teach you 
to use the complete range of Excel programming tasks to solve problems. 
Developers looking forward to .NET development will also find discussion 
of how the Excel object model works with .NET tools, including Visual 
Studio Tools for Office (VSTO).
	*	Programming PHP <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/progphp2>
	As the industry standard book on PHP, all of the essentials are covered 
in a clear and concise manner. Language syntax and programming 
techniques are coupled with numerous examples that illustrate both 
correct usage and common idioms. With style tips and practical 
programming advice, this book will help you become not just a PHP 
programmer, but a good PHP programmer. Programming PHP, Second Edition 
covers everything you need to know to create effective web applications 
with PHP.
	*	Statistics Hacks <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/statisticshks>
Want to calculate the probability that an event will happen? Be able to 
spot fake data? Prove beyond doubt whether one thing causes another? Or 
learn to be a better gambler? You can do that and much more with 75 
practical and fun hacks packed into Statistics Hacks. These cool tips, 
tricks, and mind-boggling solutions from the world of statistics, 
measurement, and research methods will not only amaze and entertain you, 
but will give you an advantage in several real-world 
situations-including business.
****Coming Soon
	*	Active Directory Cookbook, Second Edition 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/activedckbk2>
	*	DNS and BIND, Fifth Edition <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/dns5>
	*	Computer Security Basics, Second Edit 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/csb2>
	*	Digital Photography: The Missing Manual 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/digphototmm>
	*	From Java to Ruby <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0976694093>
	*	Interface Oriented Design  <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0976694050>
	*	Just Right Software Planning & Estimation 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0977616622>
	*	Learning PHP and MySQL <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/learnphpmysql>
	*	MCSE Core Required Exams in a Nutshell, Third Edition 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mcsecoreian>
	*	No Fluff, Just Stuff Anthology 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0977616665>
	*	Pragmatic Unit Testing in C# with NUnit, Second Edition 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0977616673>
	*	Pragmatic Version Control, Second Edition 
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0977616657>
	*	Rails Recipes <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/0977616606>
	*	Ubuntu Hacks <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ubuntuhks/>
	*	Unicode Explained <http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/unicode>

================================================
Conference News
================================================

***OSCON, July 24-28--Portland,OR
OSCON, the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, is still where open source 
rubber meets the road. OSCON happens July 24-28, 2006 in open source 
hotspot Portland, Oregon, and registration has just opened. Hundreds of 
sessions and tutorials. Thousands of open source mavericks, brainiacs, 
hackers, activists, scientists, and their admirers, some in 
business-casual disguise. Read all about it.
<http://conferences.oreilly.com/oscon/>

User Group members who register before June 5, 2006 get a double 
discount. Use code "os06dsug" when you register, and receive 15% off the 
early registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
<http://conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/46/register.html>

***Register for the Where 2.0 Conference, June 13-14--San Jose, CA
The Where 2.0 Conference brings together the people, projects, and 
issues leading the charge into the location-based technology frontier. 
Join the developers, innovators, and business people behind the new era 
of geospatial technology as they come together--because everything 
happens somewhere, and it's all happening here at Where 2.0.
<http://conferences.oreilly.com/where/>

Use code "whr06dsug" when you register, and receive 15% off the 
registration price.

To register for the conference, go to:
<http://conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/47/register.html>

***EuroOSCON banner
EuroOSCON will take place in Brussels on September 18-21
Put Up an O'Reilly EuroOSCON Banner, Get a Free Book and much more!
We're looking for user groups to display our conference banner on their 
web sites. If you send me the link to your group's site with our 
O'Reilly 2006 O'Reilly European Open Source Convention banner, I will 
send you the O'Reilly book of your choice. Also your group will be 
entered in a draw where the winner will get 10 O'Reilly books of their 
choice, and the runner up a free subscription to Make Magazine. The draw 
will be made at the end of the conference.

EuroOSCON Banners:
<http://ug.oreilly.com/banners/eurooscon/>"

====================================================
YOUR EVENTS
====================================================

***The London Perl Mongers' JavaScript night - 
<http://london.pm.org/ljs-200605/>
25 May, London
Now that Javascript rules the web (2.0) and AJAX isn't just for cleaning 
the loo, we've decided it's about time to have a whole evening dedicated 
to the little language that could, hence ...

The first ever London Javascript evening!

Presenting on the night (so far) are ...
	Simon Willison: Javascript taste testing
	Paul Hammond: Javascript idioms

... along with a set of lightning talks that are so exciting they are 
still in closed beta!

====================================================
O'REILLY WILL BE THERE!
====================================================

Guadec 2006 - <http://guadec.org/GUADEC2006>
June 24-30th, Vilanova i la Geltru, Catalonia, Spain
The 7th annual GNOME User and Developer European Conference (GUADEC) 
will bring developers, GNOME Foundation leaders, individuals, businesses 
and governments, as well as Free Software and Open Source software users 
together in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Catalonia - Spain).

WebTech 2006 - <http://wtconferences.com/2006/index.php>
June 30th - July 1st - Sofia, Bulgaria
The conference will focus on new technologies in web programming, open 
source and everything that stands for IT (Internet Technologies). During 
the two days event visitors will be acquainted with many aspects of 
these technologies and will be introduced to the future plans for 
development. Main themes are going to be programming languages as PHP, 
Perl, Python, the .Net technology and many more which you will be able 
to see in the schedule section

================================================
YOUR BOOK REVIEWS
================================================

*** Nordest Perl Mongers reviewed -
"Understanding the Linux Kernel" (3rd edition) - 
<http://www.streppone.it/cosimo/work/books/UnderstandingLinuxKernel.html>
English summary - 
<http://www.streppone.it/cosimo/work/books/UnderstandingLinuxKernel.html.en> 

***SNUG reviewed -
Practical Development Environments - 
<http://snug.se/forums/121/ShowPost.aspx>

All the best
Josette