Professionl Linux Programming written by Neil Matthew and Richard Stones, Brad Clements, Christopher Browne et al.

Using open-source software, you can write robust applications without spending a dime on licensing fees. While Linux is great for developing applications, getting familiar with the various freely available tools and APIs can be daunting. "Professional Linux Programming" can help with an excellent tour of everything that you need to create data-aware Web applications on Linux in C. Filled with practical details and hands-on tips, this book will help you to take your existing C/C++ skills into the exciting new realm of open-source software and Linux.

Windows 2000 Active Directory Service written by Alistair G. Lowe-Norris

Windows 2000 Active Directory is a notably authoritative and engaging guide to the Microsoft Active Directory (AD) for any administrator or developer making the move to the new Windows and this powerful directory standard

Articulate and technically astute, the author comes across as a trusted advisor, providing an expert's view of designing the layout of your company's Active Directory schema. In realistic terms, he shows you how AD can coexist with Unix directories. The book not only provides a collection of screen shots (though there are hands-on tutorials for specific tasks) but also a nicely in-depth tour of what Internet directories are and what advantages Active Directory offers. Case studies on sample domains and organization units (OUs) for sample companies, including a model global corporation, will help you cope with the design of even the most complex directories. Hints for limiting "domains" and favoring the more flexible "organizational units" (OUs) will also help you think in Windows 2000 terms.

ActivePerl with ASP and ADO written by Tobias Martinsson

PerlScript is an emerging scripting language that lets UNIX programmers write easy code for powerful and hot new Microsoft technologies such as Active Server Pages (ASP). Like JavaScript or VBScript, PerlScript is a "lite" version of a full-fledged programming language. Both Perl and VBScript programmers will benefit from the move to PerlScript because it provides cost benefits, superior power, and speed. This book provides a no-filler tutorial on PerlScript with plenty of concise examples that focus on using Active Server Pages (ASP) objects, and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). It gives programmers the exact syntax for methods, properties, setting properties, database programming, collections, and data retrieval.

Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change written by Kent Beck

Kent Beck's eXtreme Programming eXplained provides an intriguing high-level overview of the author's Extreme Programming (XP) software development methodology. Written for IS managers, project leaders, or programmers, this guide provides a glimpse at the principles behind XP and its potential advantages for small- to mid-size software development teams.

Enterprise Application Integration written by David S. Linthicum

Getting very different computer systems from multiple vendors--whether on desktops, servers, or mainframes--to share data and processing power is one goal of Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). David Linthicum's Enterprise Application Integration tours the technologies needed to master EAI. For any IS manager or system architect who needs to see what EAI offers, this title will definitely fit the bill.

The text offers a wide-ranging perspective on the challenges facing EAI, as well as the strategies and technologies that can help it succeed. The author makes a compelling case for getting various "stovepipe" systems (like inventory and financial applications) to share information and processing power. (While data warehousing combines databases, EAI goes further and integrates everything--data, methods, and objects.) This text details strategies for effective EAI using a variety of middleware products (like message servers, CORBA, and COM).

Exceptional C++: 47 Engineering Puzzles, Programming Problems, and Exception-Safety Solutions written by Herb Sutter, Scott Meyers

Aimed at the experienced C++ programmer, Herb Sutter's Exceptional C++ tests the reader's knowledge of advanced C++ language features and idioms with several dozen programming puzzles and explanations. This book can definitely help raise your C++ class design skills to the next level.

Based on the author's Guru of the Week Web column, this book poses a series of challenging questions on the inner workings of C++, centering around generic programming with the Standard Template Library (STL), exception handling, memory management, and class design. Even if you think you know C++ well, most of these problems will teach you something more about the language and how to write more robust classes that are "exception safe" (meaning they don't throw any handled exceptions or leak resources). Don't think this is just "language lawyering," though. The author's explanations stress sound programming principles (favoring simplicity) and idioms (such as the Pimpl idiom for class design that promotes faster compile times and better maintainability, or using "smart" auto_ptrs with STL.) Judging from the range and depth of these examples, Sutter's command of the inner workings of C++ is impressive, and he does an excellent job of conveying this expertise without jargon or a lot of theory.

Understanding Active Directory Services written by Daniel J. Blum

Among the features included in the upcoming Windows 2000 Server, Active Directory is perhaps the most exciting. It has the potential to make distributed data structures far easier to implement under Windows, and it takes advantage of some neat technologies to manage versioning and synchronization. Understanding Active Directory Services explains what Active Directory is, what it can do, how it works, and what it means to software developers and systems administrators.

Developing Applications with Visual Basic and UML written by Paul R., Jr. Reed, Francesco Balena, Grady Booch

Written for those with just a little Visual Basic experience, Developing Applications with Visual Basic and UML provides a comprehensive guide to bringing VB up to date with coverage of component-based multitiered development using software engineering techniques and UML modeling tools. This book achieves an excellent mix of accessibility, theory, and practice for enterprise VB development.

Running Linux written by Matt Welsh, Matthias Kalle Dalheimer, Lar Kaufman, Matthew Welsh

Earlier editions of O'Reilly's Running Linux served as central guides on installing, configuring, and using the OS. The third edition of this guide covers the kernel through version 2.2.1 and will prove especially useful to those with high technical aptitudes and a well-tested willingness to experiment with their computing environments.

The explanation of how to rebuild the kernel--a particularly daunting task for many--deserves special praise, as do the sections on configuring network links and servers. Users will find that the informative, prose-heavy style packs maximum information into this book's pages. For example, the purpose of a Linux element is described and then the reader is shown various ways of using it, complete with explicit statements of what you type and what you get in response. Back this book up with a good command reference (Linux in a Nutshell is solid), and you'll be well on your way to Linux mastery.

Windows 200 Registry Little Black Book written by Nathan Wallace

"Windows 2000 Registry Little Black Book" is a reference for any problem or change needed for NT that requires manipulating the Registry. Nathan Wallace covers the new technologies that were released with Windows NT: Active Desktop, Personal Fax, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, OnNow, Windows Scripting Host, NTBackup, FAT32, Enhanced NTFS, Encrypted Filesystem, Internet Printing, Active Directories, and more.

Visual Basic 6 Win32 API Tutorial written by Jason Bock

Throughout the Visual Basic 6 Win32 API Tutorial, the author's exceptionally clear prose style--and distinctively personal touch--helps bring the reader along. This excellent book assumes only a basic knowledge of Visual Basic and absolutely no C/C++ experience. It puts the benefits of Win32 C API programming into the hands of almost every Visual Basic developer. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com Editor

Professional Visual Basic 6 Web Programming written by Jerry Ablan, Tom Barnaby, Pierre Boutquin, Matt Brown, Charles Caison, Mark Harrison, Jeffrey Hasan, Matthew Reynolds, Dmitriy Sloshberg, Michael Lane Thomas, Thearon Willis, Tim Waters, Paul Wilton

Is Visual Basic really ready to tackle serious Web development? The answer is "yes," according to the authors of "Professional Visual Basic 6 Web Programming." "Microsoft [has] worked hard at finding ways of applying Visual Basic skills gained in traditional application development to the Internet," they observe. But instead of a kludge, their tour of the strengths of VB's Web features shows that VB has a number of appealing features and strengths, whether through its WebClasses, business objects, and/or DHTML support. Besides a guide to leading-edge APIs and technologies, this book offers several excellent case studies, which demonstrate the power of VB for today's Internet.

Object Oriented Perl written by Damian Conway, Randal L. Schwartz

Most programmers know that Perl is a great language for "ad hoc solutions that are quick, cryptic, and unstructured. But Perl can also be a great language for developing large and complex applications" argues expert author Damian Conway. His new book, "Object Oriented Perl," is simply a tour de force guide to Perl development using objects. Filled with tips for design and better performance, this book is all you need to harness the new object-oriented capabilities of today's Perl.

Simply Scheme : Introducing Computer Science written by Brian Harvey, Matthew Wright

For anyone learning the Scheme programming language, the second edition of "Simply Scheme: Introducing Computer Science" provides a very digestible textbook-style introductory tutorial to this powerful and elegant language. In the words of the authors, "Simply Scheme" is designed to be a prequel to another book, "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs." This latter title has been a staple of introductory computer science courses for years, but it assumes a certain background.

Debugging Applications written by John Robbins

Run, do not walk, to buy this book. It's the most comprehensive and well-written book about debugging Win32 apps there is.

Javascript Bible, 3rd Edition written by Danny Goodman, Brendan Eich

Danny Goodman has repeatedly proven himself an excellent teacher of programming languages, and this latest edition of "JavaScript Bible" reinforces his reputation. If you're familiar with HTML and want to endow your pages with the kind of animation and interactivity that JavaScript can provide, this book is the best you can buy. Goodman covers the JavaScript 1.2 language comprehensively and focuses on developing documents that fully exploit the capabilities of Netscape Navigator 4.x.

HTML: The Definitive Guide written by Chuck Musciano, Bill Kennedy, Mike Loukides

In the most recent edition of this acclaimed HTML guide, Musciano and Kennedy look closely at every aspect of HTML and show how to use it wisely to create top-quality Web pages. The book is up to date, covering HTML 4, Netscape Navigator 4, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4, and the various extensions of each. "HTML: The Definitive Guide" is aimed at beginners as well as those who have more practice in Web page creation. The authors assume at least a basic knowledge of computers, including how to use a word processor or text editor and how to deal with files.

JavaScript Application Cookbook written by Jerry Bradenbaugh, Richard Koman

Seasoned Java coders will find that the JavaScript Application Cookbook was compiled just for them. Written in the same vein as the old-style programmer "toolbox" titles, "JavaScript Application Cookbook" sheds the usual tutorial presentation and simply introduces a series of JavaScript applications you can use on your own sites. The cookbook begins with recipes such as a client-side search engine application that facilitates complex database searching to maximize local processing.

Beginning Web Development With Visual Interdev 6.0 written by Andrew Mumford, Mike Cai

Written for those with minimal programming experience, Beginning Web Development with Visual InterDev 6 puts serious Web programming within the reach of any newcomer using an effective tutorial demonstrating the tools and technologies needed to use Microsoft Visual InterDev effectively on the Windows platform.

The best thing about this book has to be its common-sense approach to essential APIs and tools needed for Web development today, centering on Visual InterDev. It contains what you need to know about HTML (and DHTML), ASPs, VBScript and JavaScript, as well as database programming with ADO.

The title excels at showing off the features of Visual InterDev (and other tools) with hands-on exercises. There are dozens of screen shots here for installing and configuring not only VI but also SQL Server, Personal Web Server (PWS), and MTS. This book also has a good sense of the choices Web designers must make between universal access (and pure HTML) versus other features (like cascading style sheets, DHTML, and client-side script) that will add functionality while restricting browser access.

Professional Visual Interdev6 Programming written by Ian Blackburn

If you'd said a couple of years ago that someone would develop a WYSIWIG-based Web programming environment for the Internet, people would have thought you were crazy. But lo and behold, Microsoft's Visual InterDev arrives on the scene with its Windows-style interface and advanced scripting features--and stuns HTML coders the world over. Success, of course, comes at a price. This is by no means an easy language to master, and that's where "Professional Visual InterDev 6 Programming" comes in. It starts with the easy stuff, opening with a comprehensive tour of the interface before exploring areas such as debugging and integrating databases with Web sites.

Dynamic Html : The Definitive Reference written by Danny Goodman

Danny Goodman felt that he couldn't trust any of the documentation on Dynamic HTML (DHTML) that he read (too many contradictions), so he wrote "Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference" for working with his own clients. After testing tags and techniques on multiple releases of the main browsers, Goodman came up with very practical information-- some of which you may not find in any other resource. Goodman assumes a solid foundation, if not expertise, in basic HTML and an understanding of what DHTML is all about.

Javascript : The Definitive Guide written by David Flanagan

In typical O'Reilly & Associates fashion, "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" documents every nuance of the JavaScript 1.1 language specification. It may appear dry on the surface (many pages have the spare style of Unix online documentation), but this is the book you'll pull off your shelf when you want to know which method returns the primitive value of an object.

Red Hat Linux (v 5.2) Unleashed written by David Pitts, Bill Ball, David Horvath

The darling of the open-source movement, Linux offers up a tinkerer's dream: the ability to configure, manipulate, and (potentially) improve absolutely everything about the operating system. "Red Hat Linux Unleashed" recognizes the central desire of Linux adopters--control over just about everything (including the source code). The book contains plenty of step-by-step instructions to accompany the Red Hat installation CD-ROM.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary written by Eric S. Raymond

Eric Raymond, hacker extraordinaire, writer, and one of the founders of the Open Source Initiative, returns to print with the publication of "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," a collection of essays extolling the programming strengths and business advantages of collectively created, peer-reviewed software.

Red Hat Linux 6 Unleashed written by David Pitts, Bill Ball

"Red Hat Linux 6 Unleashed" ships with its eponymous operating system on CD-ROM. Based on that fact alone, you're ahead of the game in terms of cost when you buy this book. Way ahead, in fact, considering that this book contains some of the best printed documentation of the Red Hat distribution around. The team of authors covers installation, configuration, networking (including Internet connectivity and the Domain Name Service), system administration, and applications.

Maximum Linux Security : A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Linux Server and Workstation

Linux machines serve scores of purposes on networks, but their very integration with networked environments means they're constantly exposed to attack. "Maximum Linux Security: A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Linux Server and Network" provides a comprehensive picture of Linux's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to protecting your systems from bad guys. The author offers explicit advice (e.g., replace sendmail with Qmail) and general recommendations (e.g., be on the lookout for unused services and disable them). In case you're wondering which Anonymous this is, it's the same person who wrote the very highly regarded "Maximum Security."