The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group XML for Dummies - for the bookshelf Major Keary |
The use of XML is spreading rapidly and has, since its introduction, undergone changes and spawned many applications. This edition of XML for Dummies brings readers up to date with the latest specifications and many interesting applications — including Zope, an open source tool for writing one's own XML applications.
If you want to get an handle on XML and what it can be used for, Wiley's latest (4th) edition of XML for Dummies is recommended. It won't make you an expert, but it will dissolve any mystery that XML may have held for you, and will serve as a platform for further reading. The book has been written for XML novices and those who want to be brought up to speed with the latest specifications. Readers are assumed to be familiar with their operating system, know how to use a text editor, and have basic knowledge of web technology (at the very least, know the difference between a web browser and a web server).
The authors do a god job of introducing and explaining XML and its related applications. was surprised by the depth of coverage in an introductory text: the mysteries of schemas, DTDs, XML forms, and the XML Path Language are explained in clear language. If you are an ordinary users who wants to understand XML and what it does, this book will lay a solid foundation — and for many readers will be all they need. Of course, it is unrealistic to expect a complete reference in less than 400 pages but, if you want to build your XML skills, more advanced texts will be comprehensible if you have read through XML for Dummies first. The book is supported by a companion web site.
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Lucinda Dykes and Ed Tittel: XML for Dummies 4/e ISBN 0-7645-8845-1 Published by Wiley, 366 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the Jan / Feb 2006 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne
PC User Group, Australia
