/web/log/flazx

Publisher: Artech House Publishers
Author: Patrick McDermott
ISBN: 1580530214
Release Date: 15 February 2001

eBook Description
Rarely do I get excited about books on workflow modeling. I have a few good books on the subject, all of which provide solid approaches and most of which are well written. This book stands out because it goes beyond merely “solid” or “well written” by giving one of the most comprehensive approaches to workflow modeling I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

First, like most books on the topic, none of the components of the approach are new. What makes the approach refreshing is the way the authors take standard techniques and tie them together into a coherent process. Second, this book can be used as a workbook during a workflow modeling project, and is well suited to this because of the numerous checklists and diagrams that will prove invaluable every step of the way. Finally, this is the first book of its kind that incorporates use cases, making it invaluable to project teams that have standardized on UML (Unified Modeling Language)or wish to integrate an object-oriented approach into a workflow modeling project. If you’re not familiar with use cases I strongly recommend Writing Effective Use Cases by Alistar Cockburn (the best book on the subject in my opinion); UML Distilled by Fowler and Scott is an excellent introduction to that subject if it’s new to you.

The approach is straightforward: frame the process and define its scope, understand the existing process (if there is one), design the “to-be” process and develop use case scenarios. I wish to offer one caveat at this point: if you are reengineering a process that is seriously broken you might consider skipping the “as-is” process. Understanding the existing process is useful if your goal is incremental improvement. Reengineering efforts usually radically transform existing processes, making efforts to understand them both moot and wasted.

Some of the highlights of this book include the authors’ clear definitions and way of decomposing complex systems into discrete steps and components. For example, they use a five tier view of processes that ensures you have a complete view of all issues and factors. The views are: (1) mission, strategy and goals (I personally extend goals further into Goal-Question-Metric), (2)business processes, (3) presentation, (4) application logic and (5) data. Note that the last three align nicely to a 3-tier client/server architecture. This observation clearly shows how coherent the authors’ approach is and how it can foster alignment of technology to business requirements.

I also like how the authors clarify the key issues in process design by pointing out six enablers that you need to account for during the analysis and design phase: (1)workflow, (2) technology, (3) human resources, (4) motivations and measurements, (5) policies and rules and (6) environmental constraints (facilities, external process capabilities, etc.). There is one minor point of disagreement I have between their workflow modeling technique and the one I use. The authors use swimlane diagrams (also called Rummler-Brache diagrams), while I use deployment diagrams. The difference? Swimlane diagrams do not capture phases or cycles. I always place workflows into the context of Entry Criteria-Task-Validation-Exit Criteria (ETVX), which is nearly identical to the TQM Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. I insist on ETVX because it allows me to spot missing validation points in an existing workflow, and ensures that I clearly define entry and exit criteria, as well as validation points in a “to-be” workflow. Of course I am stating personal preferences - following the authors’ approach verbatim will definitely result in a workflow design that is not only “bulletproof”, but will align information systems and business process almost perfectly.

This book is a gem. It’s readable, full of ideas and, with the incorporation of use cases into the approach, completely up-to-date with respect to IS/IT methodologies. If you want a fresh, modern approach to workflow design this book is the only one that will provide it.

Amazon.com

Workflow Modeling: Tools for Process Improvement and Application Development

Publisher: The MIT Press
Author: Kees vanHee
ISBN: 0262720469
Release Date: 01 March 2004

eBook Description
This book offers a comprehensive introduction to workflow management, the management of business processes with information technology. By defining, analyzing, and redesigning an organization?s resources and operations, workflow management systems ensure that the right information reaches the right person or computer application at the right time. The book provides a basic overview of workflow terminology and organization, as well as detailed coverage of workflow modeling with Petri nets. Because Petri nets make definitions easier to understand for nonexperts, they facilitate communication between designers and users. The book includes a chapter of case studies, review exercises, and a glossary. A special Web site developed by the authors, www.workflowcourse.com, features animation, interactive examples, lecture materials, exercises and solutions, relevant links, and other valuable resources for the classroom.

Amazon.com

Workflow Management : Models, Methods, and Systems (Cooperative Information Systems)

Publisher: Peachpit Press
Author: Adrian Mayo
ISBN: 0321374118
Release Date: 14 December 2005

eBook Description
Unix is no longer someone else’s OS. With Mac OS X built on top of it, Unix is becoming a household name, and more and more Mac users are ready to take it on. This book is for them!

Based on a popular series of Unix tips, this book promises to deliver what most other Unix guides fail to: comprehensive tutorials and instruction on specific Unix subjects, commands, and projects, not just a handy reference guide. Arranged into 101 mini tutorials in 11 key technology areas, this book provides all the tricks, techniques, and training that you need to understand how the system works and start using it immediately. You will quickly learn the basics to working with the Unix command line as well as work on specific tutorials/exercises, including: browsing and searching the directory file-system; viewing, searching, and processing file content; using text editors; shell scripting; cool commands; and more.

Amazon.com

Mac OS X Unix 101 Byte-Sized Projects

Publisher: O’Reilly
Author: Stephen Few
ISBN: 0596100167
Release Date: 01 January 2006

eBook Description
Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information at a glance. Although dashboards are potentially powerful, this potential is rarely realized. The greatest display technology in the world won’t solve this if you fail to use effective visual design. And if a dashboard fails to tell you precisely what you need to know in an instant, you’ll never use it, even if it’s filled with cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights. Don’t let your investment in dashboard technology go to waste.

This book will teach you the visual design skills you need to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly. Information Dashboard Design will explain how to:

[*]Avoid the thirteen mistakes common to dashboard design [*]Provide viewers with the information they need quickly and clearly [*]Apply what we now know about visual perception to the visual presentation of information [*]Minimize distractions, cliches, and unnecessary embellishments that create confusion [*]Organize business information to support meaning and usability [*]Create an aesthetically pleasing viewing experience [*]Maintain consistency of design to provide accurate interpretation [*]Optimize the power of dashboard technology by pairing it with visual effectiveness

Stephen Few has over 20 years of experience as an IT innovator, consultant, and educator. As Principal of the consultancy Perceptual Edge, Stephen focuses on data visualization for analyzing and communicating quantitative business information. He provides consulting and training services, speaks frequently at conferences, and teaches in the MBA program at the University of California in Berkeley. He is also the author of Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten. Visit his website at www.perceptualedge.com.

Amazon.com

Information Dashboard Design : The Effective Visual Communication of Data

Publisher: O’Reilly
Author: Ted Wallingford
ISBN: 0596101333
Release Date: 01 December 2005

eBook Description
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is gaining a lot of attention these days, as more companies and individuals switch from standard telephone service to phone service via the Internet. The reason is simple: A single network to carry voice and data is easier to scale, maintain, and administer. As an added bonus, it’s also cheaper, because VoIP is free of the endless government regulations and tariffs imposed upon phone companies.

VoIP is simply overflowing with hack potential, and VoIP Hacks is the practical guide from O’Reilly that presents these possibilities to you. It provides dozens of hands-on projects for building a VoIP network, showing you how to tweak and customize a multitude of exciting things to get the job done. Along the way, you’ll also learn which standards and practices work best for your particular environment. Among the quick and clever solutions showcased in the book are those for:

• gauging VoIP readiness on an enterprise network
• using SIP, H.323, and other signaling specifications
• providing low-layer security in a VoIP environment
• employing IP hardphones, analog telephone adapters, and softPBX servers
• dealing with and avoiding the most common VoIP deployment mistakes

In reality, VoIP Hacks contains only a small subset of VoIP knowledge-enough to serve as an introduction to the world of VoIP and teach you how to use it to save money, be more productive, or just impress your friends. If you love to tinker and optimize, this is the one technology, and the one book, you must investigate.

Amazon.com

VoIP Hacks : Tips & Tools for Internet Telephony (Hacks)

Publisher: O’Reilly
Author: Matt Welsh
ISBN: 0596007604
Release Date: 01 December 2005

eBook Description
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. –David Wall

Topics covered: KDE and Gnome windowing systems; Samba, file, and system management; shells; windowing systems and networking; installation on Alpha, PowerPC, Motorola 680×0, and Sparc boxes.

Amazon.com

Running Linux

Publisher: CMP Books
Author: Barry Kauler
ISBN: 087930474X
Release Date: 01 August 1997

eBook Description
Provides Windows programmers with details of and deep insights into the inner system functions of Microsoft Windows Essential for Win95 and other advanced Windows programmers Ideal for software developers who are moving applications from Windows 3.x t o Windows 95 Includes disk of example programs, source code, documentation, and utilities

In this book and disk set, Barry Kauler explains the exacting details of Windows programming at the system level. He dissects the fundamentals of hardware man agreement and explores the history and advanced architectural details of Windows, the PC processor family, and systems programming in Real and Protected modes. For everything from BIOS, direct hardware access, and virtual machines to real-time events and options for managing program transitions, Kauler gives the how-to information and example code advanced software developers need for the full range of Windows systems-level programming for Windows 3.1 to Windows 95. For programmers new to Windows, this book demystifies assembly language programming for Microsoft Windows. Kauler thoroughly examines the basic concepts of Windows, and reveals systems programming tips and tricks. He explains the architectures of the microprocessor hardware, and how these features affect programming; introduces object-oriented programming from a nuts-and-bolts perspective; demonstrates how to write complete object-oriented assembly language programs in as little as nine lines; shows how to interface C and assembly code; takes readers “inside” Windows to learn the architectural details that Microsoft never publicly documented; explains how to move between Real and Protected modes; illustrates the art of thinking from 16 bits to 32 bits and back again; and provides detailed, hard-to-find reference information. Plus, Kauler’s companion disk is a treasure trove of example programs, useful source code, further documentation, and powerful utilities.

Amazon.com

Windows Assembly Language & Systems Programming: 16- And 32-Bit Low-Level Programming for the PC and Windows

Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Author: John D. McGregor
ISBN: 0201325640
Release Date: 30 March 2001

eBook Description
Testing software is a very important and challenging activity. This is a book for people who test software during its development. Our focus is on object-oriented and component-based software, but you can apply many of the techniques discussed in this book regardless of the development paradigm. We assume our reader is familiar with testing procedural software–that is, software written in the procedural paradigm using languages such as C, Ada, Fortran, or COBOL. We also assume our reader is familiar and somewhat experienced in developing software using object-oriented and component-based technologies. Our focus is on describing what to test in object-oriented development efforts as well as on describing techniques for how to test object-oriented software, and how testing software built with these newer technologies differs from testing procedural software.

What is software testing? To us, testing is the evaluation of the work products created during a software development effort. This is more general than just checking part or all of a software system to see if it meets its specifications. Testing software is a difficult process, in general, and sufficient resources are seldom available for testing. From our standpoint, testing is done throughout a development effort and is not just an activity tacked on at the end of a development phase to see how well the developers did. We see testing as part of the process that puts quality into a software system. As a result, we address the testing of all development products (models) even before any code is written.

We do not necessarily believe that you will apply everything we describe in this book. There are seldom enough resources available to a development effort to do all the levels and kinds of testing we would like. We hope you will find a number of approaches and techniques that will prove useful to and affordable for your project.

In this book we describe a set of testing techniques. All of the techniques we describe have been applied in practice. Many of these techniques have been used in a wide variety of industries and on projects of vastly different sizes. In Chapter 3, we will consider the impact of some of these variables on the types of testing that are routinely performed.

To describe these techniques, we rely in many cases on one or more examples to illustrate their application. We hope from these examples and from our explanations that you can apply the same techniques to your project software in a straightforward manner. The complete code for these examples, test code, and other resources can be obtained via a link off this Web site.

In order to make this book as useful as possible, we will provide two major organizational threads. The physical layout of the book will follow the usual sequence of events as they happen on a project. Model testing will be addressed earlier than component or code testing, for example. We will also include a set of questions that a tester might ask when he or she is faced with specific testing tasks on a project. This testing FAQ will be tied into the main body of the text with citations.

We have included alternative techniques and ways of adapting techniques for varying the amount of testing. Testing life-critical or mission-critical software requires more effort than testing an arcade game. The summary sections of each chapter should make these choices clear.

Amazon.com

Practical Guide to Testing Object-Oriented Software

Publisher: Novell Press
Author: Keyton Weissinger
ISBN: 1565928431
Release Date: 06 July 2000

eBook Description
The second edition of ASP in a Nutshell gives developers of Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) a quick reference guide for looking up object usage on a dime. This guide is geared toward working ASP programmers who need to get their answers quickly, without wading through long examples.

The book is organized into three parts: an introduction to ASP, a language reference, and appendices. This edition has been updated for IIS 5.0 and ASP 3.0–respectively the latest flavors of Microsoft’s flagship Web server and scripting engines. The ASP introduction is very brief, but it adequately explains the basic concepts behind ASP and server-side scripting.

The heart of the title is the language reference that covers the intrinsic ASP objects, plus ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.6, Collaboration Data Objects, file access, and more. Each section is tagged with staggered page markers that usually make it unnecessary to resort to the book’s index to find a topic.

While there are no full-blown code examples, the small code fragments that are included for most objects are valuable in illustrating usage. Throughout, the information is accurate and to the point, which is exactly what busy programmers really need in a desktop reference. –Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

Amazon.com

ASP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Publisher: O’Reilly
Author: Roger Grimes
ISBN: 156592682X
Release Date: 30 August 2001

eBook Description
Defending Microsoft Windows against viruses requires careful attention to emerging technical alerts and diligence in installing manufacturers’ latest patches and upgrades. You’ll do a better job of keeping Windows secure if you have a body of background knowledge about security weaknesses in Windows and familiarity with good security practices. That, for the most part, is what Malicious Mobile Code is about. Roger Grimes shares facts, tells stories, and reveals technical details that will make you realize how serious a threat is posed by malicious mobile code (a catch-all term Grimes uses to describe viruses, Trojans, and the like). Further, his exposition will likely motivate you to take the precautions he recommends.

Some of Grimes’s advice is by now obvious (don’t run executable files that arrive attached to e-mail messages), but a lot of it will be news to Windows users and even system administrators. For example, he goes into considerable detail on how BackOrifice works, with particular attention to how black-hat hackers use it to build networks of compromised machines that they can use in further attacks. He’s liberal with defensive advice, as well, describing how to adjust the settings of your browser, instant messaging client, and other software to stave off attacks. There’s much discussion of Registry manipulation, too. More coverage of risks specific to Windows 2000 (and Windows XP, which isn’t covered here at all) would make this book better, but since many attacks are generic to 32-bit Windows environments, Grimes’s work remains current. –David Wall

Topics covered: Viruses, Trojans, worms, and other nasties–particularly those that can be distributed with e-mail messages, Web pages, or instant messaging tools–that can disable Microsoft Windows, or turn control of it over to unauthorized hackers. Coverage is explanatory, in a “know your enemy” sort of way, and includes lots of defensive strategies.

Amazon.com

Malicious Mobile Code: Virus Protection for Windows (O’Reilly Computer Security)