XML-RPC, a simple yet powerful system built on XML and HTTP, lets developers connect programs running on different computers with a minimum of fuss. Java programs can talk to Perl scripts, which can talk to ASP applications, and so on. With XML-RPC, developers can provide access to functionality without having to worry about the system on the other end, so it's easy to create web services.

XML-RPC takes web technology in a new direction, giving you a new way to create simple, but powerful, connections between different kinds of programs. After wasting more hours than I care to admit developing and documenting network formats used to exchange relatively simple kinds of information between programs, I was very happy to discover XML-RPC. It would have made all that work much easier.

Whether you integrate systems within a single network or provide services and information to the public as a whole, XML-RPC provides critical layers of abstraction that make it simple to connect different kinds of computing systems without needing to create new standards for every application. Because XML-RPC is built on commonly available HTTP and XML technologies, the costs of implementing it are low. Because XML-RPC focuses sharply on solving a particular kind of problem -- making procedure calls across a network -- it is very easy to learn and implement across a wide variety of systems.

Portable, powerful, and a breeze to use, Python is ideal for both standalone programs and scripting applications. With this hands-on book, you can master the fundamentals of the core Python language quickly and efficiently, whether you're new to programming or just new to Python. Once you finish, you will know enough about the language to use it in any application domain you choose.

Learning Python is based on material from author Mark Lutz's popular training courses, which he's taught over the past decade. Each chapter is a self-contained lesson that helps you thoroughly understand a key component of Python before you continue. Along with plenty of annotated examples, illustrations, and chapter summaries, every chapter also contains Brain Builder, a unique section with practical exercises and review quizzes that let you practice new skills and test your understanding as you go.

This book covers:

• Types and Operations -- Python's major built-in object types in depth: numbers, lists, dictionaries, and more
• Statements and Syntax -- the code you type to create and process objects in Python, along with Python's general syntax model
• Functions -- Python's basic procedural tool for structuring and reusing code
• Modules -- packages of statements, functions, and other tools organized into larger components
• Classes and OOP -- Python's optional object-oriented programming tool for structuring code for customization and reuse
• Exceptions and Tools -- exception handling model and statements, plus a look at development tools for writing larger programs

Learning Python gives you a deep and complete understanding of the language that will help you comprehend any application-level examples of Python that you later encounter. If you're ready to discover what Google and YouTube see in Python, this book is the best way to get started.

Beginning SQL Queries is your guide to mastering the lingua franca of the database industry: the SQL language. Good knowledge of SQL is crucial to anyone working with databases, because it is with SQL that you retrieve data, manipulate data, and generate business results. Knowing how to write good queries is the foundation for all work done in SQL, and it is a foundation that Clare lays well in her book.

• Does not bore with syntax!
• Helps you learn the underlying concepts involved in querying a database, and from there the syntax is easy
• Provides exceptionally clear examples and explanations
• Is academically sound while being practical and approachable

What you’ll learn

• Write simple queries to extract data from a single table.
• Understand relational algebra and calculus and why they are important.
• Combine data from many tables into one business result.
• Avoid pitfalls and traps such as Cartesian products and difficulties with null values.
• Summarize large amounts of data for reporting purposes.
• Apply set theory to the problems of manipulating data and generating reports.

Beginning C# is a book that offers a lot of guidance, in a format that readers find intuitive to follow. The exercise-based format of the Wrox Beginning series has a strong following by all levels of readers, and is one that works very well in the classroom or home. Written by a veteran programming instructor, this is the perfect mix of tutorial, and hands-on coding new programmers are looking for - written from their point of view.

Beginning C# is written for those readers with no prior programming experience who want a thorough, yet easy to understand, introduction to C# and Object Oriented Programming.

Cake is a rapid development framework for PHP that uses well-known design patterns and provides a structured framework that enables PHP users at all levels to rapidly develop robust web applications, without any loss of flexibility. It means you can code faster, your code is better, and it makes writing Web 2.0-style apps a snap.

This book builds on your knowledge as a PHP developer to provide a fast-paced, step-by-step tutorial in building CakePHP applications. The book is packed with example code and demo applications, so that you can see techniques in action.

Learn to master the secrets of the Zend Framework with this new book from php|architect's popular Nanobook series! Written by Zend DevZone editor and well-known PHP expert Cal Evans, php|architect's Guide to Programming with Zend Framework helps you understand the Zend Framework through a detailed roadmap into its features and functionality. This book covers much of the primary functionality offered by the Zend Framework, and works well both as a thorough introduction to its use and as a reference for higher-level tasks. The table of contents includes: - Getting started - The Model - The Controller - The View - Data access - Web services - Authorizations - Exceptions and error management - Rich Internet Applications - Hacking the framework: secret classes and advanced functionality - Framework internals - Tips & tricks - The new Zend_Layout classes With a rich, example-driven style and the trademark no-fluff approach to professional content, php|architect's Guide to Programming with the Zend Framework belongs in your book collection!

Learn all the command lines for all Linux shells in this one-stop guide

There's a lot to be said for going back to basics. Not only does this Bible give you a quick refresher on the structure of open-source Linux software, it also shows you how to bypass the hefty graphical user interface on Linux systems and start interacting the fast and efficient way—with command lines and automated scripts. You'll learn how to manage files on the filesystem, start and stop programs, use databases, even do Web programming—without a GUI—with this one-stop resource.

• Understand the Linux desktop and various command-line parameters
• Learn filesystem navigation, file handling, and the basics of bash shell commands
• Write shell scripts to automate routine functions and reports
• Harness nesting loops and structured commands
• Monitor programs, master file permissions, and make queries
• Run scripts in background mode and schedule jobs
• Use sed, gawk, and regular expressions
• Explore all alternate shells, including ash, tcsh, ksh, korn, and zsh

The Essential Guide to CSS and HTML Web Design is a special book—it will tell you all you need to know to design great web sites that are standards compliant, usable, and look great, but not overwhelm you with waffle, theory, and obscure details. It is designed to be invaluable to you, whatever stage you are at in your career, with a mixture of practical tutorials and reference material—beginners will quickly pick up the basics, while more experienced web designers and developers will keep returning to the book again and again to recap on techniques they maybe haven't used for a while, or look up properties, attributes and other details. It is destined to become a close friend, adopting a permanent place on your desk. It starts off by giving a brief introduction to the internet, and the broad area of web design, before diving straight in to HTML and CSS basics, reusing code, other best practices. It then focuses on all the most important areas of a successful web site—typography, images, navigation, tables, layouts, forms and feedback (including ready made PHP scripts for you to use,) and browser quirks, hacks and bugs. The book is completely up-to-date, covering support of the newest standards in all the latest browsers, including IE 7 and Firefox 2. The last chapter of the book provides several case studies for you to dissect and learn from, including all the most popular web site archetypes—a blog, a store front, a corporate home page, and an online gallery. Then the book is rounded off with several detailed reference appendices covering CSS, HTML, Color references, entities, and more, meaning that any details you need to look up are close at hand.

• This book will teach you everything you need to know to create professional CSS and HTML web sites
• Up to date &emdash; covering support of the newest standards in all the latest browsers, including IE 7 and Firefox 2
• Includes practical real world tutorials, essential reference sections, and case studies.

What you'll learn

• The basics of HTML and CSS web design
• How to implement effective layouts, tables, images, navigation, forms and typography on web sites
• How to deal with cross browser issues, including quirks, bugs, and hacks on IE 7 (and older versions,) Firefox, Safari, Opera, and all other major browsers.
• How to make sure your sites are both usable and accessible
• How to implement several different styles of web front-end, through several complete case studies, including a blog, a store front, and an online gallery
• Detailed References are also provided so you don't need to learn every little detail of CSS and HTML

his is a solutions book for styling HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.1 with CSS 2.1. It contains more than 350 design patterns you can put to use right away. Each design pattern is modular and customizable, and you can combine patterns to create an unlimited number of designs.

Each design pattern has been thoroughly tested and proven to work in all major web browsers including Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 6, Firefox 2, Opera 9, and Safari 2. All the content in this book is usable and practical. You won’t waste time reading about things that don’t work! With this book, you will no longer have to use hacks, tricks, endless testing, and constant tweaking in multiple browsers to get something to work.

Using a design pattern is as easy as copying and pasting it into your code and tweaking a few values. This book shows you which values you can modify and how they affect the result so you can create the exact style and layout you want—without worrying whether it will work.

This is more than a cookbook. It systematically covers every usable feature of CSS and combines these features with HTML to create reusable patterns. Each pattern has an intuitive name to make it easy to find, remember, and talk about. Accessibility and best practices are carefully engineered into each design pattern, example, and source code.

You can read straight through the book, use it as a reference, and use it to find solutions. You’ll love how the book’s consistent layout makes it a joy to use.

Clean code that works - now. This is the seeming contradiction that lies behind much of the pain of programming. Test-driven development replies to this contradiction with a paradox-test the program before you write it.

A new idea? Not at all. Since the dawn of computing, programmers have been specifying the inputs and outputs before programming precisely. Test-driven development takes this age-old idea, mixes it with modern languages and programming environments, and cooks up a tasty stew guaranteed to satisfy your appetite for clean code that works-now.

Developers face complex programming challenges every day, yet they are not always readily prepared to determine the best solution. More often than not, such difficult projects generate a great deal of stress and bad code. To garner the strength and courage needed to surmount seemingly Herculean tasks, programmers should look to test-driven development (TDD), a proven set of techniques that encourage simple designs and test suites that inspire confidence.

By driving development with automated tests and then eliminating duplication, any developer can write reliable, bug-free code no matter what its level of complexity. Moreover, TDD encourages programmers to learn quickly, communicate more clearly, and seek out constructive feedback.

Readers will learn to:

• Solve complicated tasks, beginning with the simple and proceeding to the more complex.

• Write automated tests before coding.

• Grow a design organically by refactoring to add design decisions one at a time.

• Create tests for more complicated logic, including reflection and exceptions.

• Use patterns to decide what tests to write.

• Create tests using xUnit, the architecture at the heart of many programmer-oriented testing tools.

This book follows two TDD projects from start to finish, illustrating techniques programmers can use to easily and dramatically increase the quality of their work. The examples are followed by references to the featured TDD patterns and refactorings. With its emphasis on agile methods and fast development strategies, Test-Driven Development is sure to inspire readers to embrace these under-utilized but powerful techniques.

Zend's new PHP 5 Certification Exam represent an excellent tool for professional PHP developers who want to distinguish themselves in their field. php|architect's Zend PHP 5 Certification Study Guide, edited and produced by the publishers of php|architect magazine, provides the most comprehensive and thorough preparation tool for developers who wish to take the exam. This book provides complete coverage of every topic that is part of the exam, including: ? PHP Basics ? Functions ? Arrays ? Strings and Patterns ? Web Programming ? Object Oriented Programming ? Database Programming ? Object-oriented Design ? XML and Web Services ? Security ? Streams and Network Programming ? Differences Between PHP 4 and 5 Written by PHP professionals and Zend Certified PHP 5 Engineers Davey Shafik and Ben Ramsey, and reviewed by core PHP developer Derick Rethans, this is the perfect book for every prospective Zend Certified PHP Engineer candidate!

With PHP breaking new ground in the enterprise arena, the establishment of a ratified certification was, some might say, inevitable. However, for me, it couldn’t come soon enough—and I was ecstatic when Zend launched their PHP 4 Certification. With more than 1,500 certified engineers to date, there is no doubt that their endeavour has been a success.

Now, with the introduction of the long-awaited PHP 5 certification, Zend has once again raised the bar for PHP developers everywhere. This examination is much broader, and requires much more than just theoretical knowledge—in order to pass the test, candidates need real-world knowledge in addition to a solid theoretical background.

The effect of the PHP 5 certification, for me, is even more profound than that of the original certification, and I believe that it will become the gold standard for those looking to hire PHP-centric Web Developers. I think that it is apt to consider Zend’s work a job well done, and to applaud those who invest the time and effort needed to become Zend Certified Engineers.

CVS (Concurrent Versions System) is a tool that enables you to track changes to a set of files over time. CVS is commonly used in software development to allow multiple developers to coordinate changes, track versions, and permit simultaneous development of different versions of the same code.

This book is not just for software developers. It is for anyone who produces things that change. CVS can manage versions of anything that can be stored in files, so it is useful for programmers, system administrators, software architects, writers, graphic artists, and user-interface (UI) specialists. Outside the computing field, it can be used by authors, poets, managers, architects, engineers, accountants, and people running their everyday lives.