SQL Tuning author Dan Tow outlines a timesaving method he's developed for finding the optimum execution plan--rapidly and systematically--regardless of the complexity of the SQL or the database platform being used. You'll learn how to understand and control SQL execution plans and how to diagram SQL queries to deduce the best execution plan for a query. Key chapters in the book includes exercises to reinforce the concepts you've learned. SQL Tuning concludes by addressing special concerns and unique solutions to "unsolvable" problems.more...

Step-by-Step Instructions Show You How to Supercharge Your Linux System

Wondering if it's possible to work more efficiently in the X Window System, or squeeze more oomph from your existing hardware? Or perhaps you're searching for a way to improve your web browser's performance, or want to know how to choose the best mail server for your needs. If you've mastered the basics and are itching to go beyond, Linux Power Tools can take you there. Spanning a broad range of topics (from ALSA to zombies), Linux Power Tools covers the top five Linux distributions (Debian, Mandrake, Red Hat, Slackwar more...

More often than not, developers will stop a large project in the middle of the build stage to rethink and recode the software design so it's cleaner and more efficient. Known as "refactoring," this process eats up valuable time and money. To help offset refactoring, this book presents a new process called "prefactoring," the premise of which states that you're better off considering the best possible design patterns before you even begin your project.

Prefactoring, in essence, is the art of applying the insights gleaned from previous experience (whether yours or someone else's) when develo more...

The Internet is now a household term in many countries. With otherwise serious people beginning to joyride along the Information Superhighway, computer networking seems to be moving toward the status of TV sets and microwave ovens. The Internet has unusually high media coverage, and social science majors are descending on Usenet newsgroups, online virtual reality environments, and the Web to conduct research on the new "Internet Culture."more...

This book is unique. There’s nothing like it. It is the first of its kind. It’s important that you understand why, so please read on.

For a long time I thought it was impossible to write an introductory Java programming book that could be understood by people with no programming experience. It would be like a fish writing about water. No one has better knowledge of the subject matter, but it takes more than that to introduce a topic to a newcomer. Fish are intimately accustomed to water, and they can’t relate to us land mammals, who need to have everything explained and broken down. A fish more...

The Linux kernel is one of the most important and far-reaching open-source projects. That is why Novell Press is excited to bring you the second edition of Linux Kernel Development, Robert Love's widely acclaimed insider's look at the Linux kernel. This authoritative, practical guide helps developers better understand the Linux kernel through updated coverage of all the major subsystems as well as new features associated with the Linux 2.6 kernel. You'll be able to take an in-depth look at Linux kernel from both a theoretical and an applied perspective as you cover a wide range of topics, inc more...

You don't have to know everything about a car to drive one, and you don't need to know everything about Ruby to start programming with it. Written for both experienced and new programmers alike, Learning Ruby is a just-get-in-and-drive book -- a hands-on tutorial that offers lots of Ruby programs and lets you know how and why they work, just enough to get you rolling down the road.

Interest in Ruby stems from the popularity of Rails, the web development framework that's attracting new devotees and refugees from Java and PHP. But there are plenty of other uses for this versatile language. T more...

This powerful new edition provides developers with a comprehensive guide to the rapidly evolving XML space. Serious users of XML will find topics on just about everything they need, from fundamental syntax rules, to details of DTD and XML Schema creation, to XSLT transformations, to APIs used for processing XML documents. Simply put, this is the only reference of its kind among XML books.more...

No matter how flexible and convenient digital information has become, we haven't done away with the need to see information in print. Extensible Style Language-Formatting Objects, or XSL-FO, is a set of tools developers and web designers use to describe page printouts of their XML (including XHTML) documents. If you need to produce high quality printed material from your XML documents, then XSL-FO provides the bridge.

XSL-FO is one of the few books to go beyond a basic introduction to the technology. While many books touch on XSL-FO in their treatment of XSLT, this book offers in-d more...

Shell scripting skills never go out of style. It's the shell that unlocks the real potential of Unix. Shell scripting is essential for Unix users and system administrators-a way to quickly harness and customize the full power of any Unix system. With shell scripts, you can combine the fundamental Unix text and file processing commands to crunch data and automate repetitive tasks. But beneath this simple promise lies a treacherous ocean of variations in Unix commands and standards. Classic Shell Scripting is written to help you reliably navigate these tricky waters.

Writing shell scri more...