Sure, you can use Flash MX 2004 without being a master programmer, but as any Flash developer worth his or her salt will tell you, you're not tapping all of its power unless you're taking advantage of its scripting language "ActionScript 2.0" which offers a more robust programming model and better object-oriented programming support than ever before. Here to take the fear factor out of learning it are Flash veterans and best-selling authors Derek Franklin and Jobe Makar, who demonstrate that scripting is an instinctual process you already know by translating real-life activities into ActionScript scripts. In these pages, you'll find methodologies and techniques for building over 40 real-life Flash ActionScript projects, including sample games, --- applications, Web sites, and more. New in this edition are coverage of ActionScript 2.0, Web services, Components, Printing, Video, and more.

Because they're so complicated, many books on relational databases are either burdensomely academic (Database Management Systems is the classic example of this mode--it's superb, but one practically needs a professor to help you decode it) or so practical-minded as to be overly simple. Designing Relational Database Systems has struck an attractive balance between the two extremes by providing enough theory to enable you to design your databases intelligently, while keeping in mind real-world business practices and the practical limitations of actual database management systems.

Forget the common cold for a moment. Instead, consider the rise of "false data syndrome," a deceptive method of identification derived from numbers rather than more recognizable human traits. Simson Garfinkel couples this idea with concepts like "data shadow" and "datasphere" in Database Nation, offering a decidedly unappealing scenario of how we have overlooked privacy with the advent of advanced technology.
According to Garfinkel, "technology is not privacy neutral." It leaves us with only two choices: 1) allow our personal data to rest in the public domain or 2) become hermits (no credit cards, no midnight video jaunts--you get the point).

As the most popular database management program on the market, Microsoft Access didn't need much improvement. But with the release of Access 2003, Microsoft managed to further enhance the way people organize, access, and share information. In this new version, Access is more capable than ever, thanks to additional features like automatic error checking, automatic property updating, and the expanded ability to import, export, and work with Extensible Markup Language (XML) data files. The number of features it offers is truly impressive--and potentially daunting.

To the outside world, a "supercomputer" appears to be a single system. In fact, it's a cluster of computers that share a local area network and have the ability to work together on a single problem as a team. Many businesses used to consider supercomputing beyond the reach of their budgets, but new Linux applications have made high-performance clusters more affordable than ever. These days, the promise of low-cost supercomputing is one of the main reasons many businesses choose Linux over other operating systems.

The Linux Network Administrator's Guide, Third Edition dispenses all the practical advice you need to join a network. Along with some hardware considerations, this highly acclaimed guide takes an in-depth look at all of the essential networking software that comes with the operating system--including basic infrastructure (TCP/IP, wireless networking, firewalling) and the most popular services on Linux systems.

In Linux Unwired, you'll learn the basics of wireless computing, from the reasons why you'd want to go wireless in the first place, to setting up your wireless network or accessing wireless data services on the road. The book provides a complete introduction to all the wireless technologies supported by Linux. You'll learn how to install and configure a variety of wireless technologies to fit different scenarios, including an office or home network and for use on the road. You'll also learn how to get Wi-Fi running on a laptop, how to use Linux to create your own access point, and how to deal with cellular networks, Bluetooth, and Infrared.

The only study guide written by the lead developers and assessors of the architect exam.
The first officially authorized study guide for the challenging Sun Certified Enterprise Architect for Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition exams. Java platform experts Cade and Roberts provide expert guidance and background for designing effective J2EETM technology architectures — as well as comprehensive preparation for every exam element: multiple-choice exam, assignment, and essay.

In order to establish and then maintain a successful presence on the Web, designing a creative site is only half the battle. What good is an intricate Web infrastructure if you're unable to measure its effectiveness? That's why every business is desperate for feedback on their site's visitors: Who are they? Why do they visit? What information or service is most valuable to them?

The annoyance factor for individual users whose email is crammed with pitches for pornography, absurd moneymaking schemes, and dubious health products is fierce. But for organizations, the cost of spam in lost productivity and burned bandwidth is astronomical. While society is grappling with a solution to the burgeoning crisis of spam proliferation, the pressure is on system administrators to find a solution to this massive problem in-house. And fast.

Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition documents everything there is to know about the world's most widely used operating system. Updated to include information on Service Pack 2 (SP2), this compact guide is the ultimate resource for IT professionals and Windows XP power users everywhere. Written in O'Reilly's time-tested in a Nutshell format, Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition cuts through the hype and delivers practical details in a no-nonsense manner.

The web services architecture provides a new way to think about and implement application-to-application integration and interoperability that makes the development platform irrelevant. Two applications, regardless of operating system, programming language, or any other technical implementation detail, communicate using XML messages over open Internet protocols such as HTTP or SMTP. The Simple Open Access Protocol (SOAP) is a specification that details how to encode that information and has become the messaging protocol of choice for Web services.

For system administrators, ensuring that all Windows servers are performing optimally is a tall order. The larger the enterprise, the greater the chance for irritating, time-consuming configuration problems. Sometimes, you can determine the root cause of the problem yourself-but that's only if you're lucky.
With Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM), the diagnosis is done for you. MOM monitors server operations and automatically notifies you of problems by sending an immediate alert to your console, email address, or pager. To help you better understand how MOM works, O'Reilly presents Essential Microsoft Operations Manager.

Intrusion detection is not for the faint at heart. But, if you are a network administrator chances are you're under increasing pressure to ensure that mission-critical systems are safe--in fact impenetrable--from malicious code, buffer overflows, stealth port scans, SMB probes, OS fingerprinting attempts, CGI attacks, and other network intruders. Designing a reliable way to detect intruders before they get in is a vital but daunting challenge. Because of this, a plethora of complex, sophisticated, and pricy software solutions are now available. In terms of raw power and features, SNORT, the most commonly used Open Source Intrusion Detection System, (IDS) has begun to eclipse many expensive proprietary IDSes.

Postfix is a Mail Transfer Agent (MTA): software that mail servers use to route email. Postfix is highly respected by experts for its secure design and tremendous reliability. And new users like it because it's so simple to configure. In fact, Postfix has been adopted as the default MTA on Mac OS X. It is also compatible with sendmail, so that existing scripts and programs continue to work seamlessly after it is installed. Postfix was written by well-known security expert Wietse Venema, who reviewed this book intensively during its entire development.