[vox] [fwd] Newsletter from O'Reilly UG Program, March 31

Thu Mar 31 22:23:07 PST 2005

----- Forwarded message from Marsee Henon -----

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O'Reilly News for User Group Members
March 31, 2005
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Book News
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-Firefox Hacks 
-iPhoto 5: The Missing Manual
-Python Cookbook, 2E
-Silence on the Wire
-Windows Server Cookbook
-Degunking Your PC
-Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition
-Access 2003 Personal Trainer
-SharePoint User's Guide
-Apache Security
-MAKE Subscriptions Available
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Upcoming Events
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-MAKE Editor Phillip Torrone on Science Friday--April 1
-Greg Kroah-Hartman, ("Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Ed"), 
  PDXLUG, Portland, OR--April 14
-Greg Kroah-Hartman at Powell's Tech Books--April 16
-Bonnie Biafore ("QuickBooks: The Missing Manual" & "Online Investing
  Hacks"), Kansas City Investor Fair--April 29-30
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Conference News
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-Register for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference, 
  Santa Clara, CA--April 18-21
-Where 2.0 Conference
-OSCON Is Coming
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News
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-Tax Time: A Year-End Checklist of Accounting Tasks
-Opting in to Privacy Problems
-SafariU Revolutionizes the Textbook
-Automating Windows (DNS) with Perl
-make for Nonprogrammers
-Closed Source PHP
-Movies Made Easy in iPhoto 5
-Exploring the Mac OS X Firewall
-Owen Linzmeyer ("Apple Confidential 2.0") on MacRadio 
-Five More Annoying PC Annoyances
-Microsoft, Blogging, and Transparency
-Miguel de Icaza Explains How to "Get" Mono
-Flexible Event Delivery with Executors
-Java Component Development: A Conceptual Framework
-HDTV on Your Mac
-Resurrect Your Old PC for Music--with Linux
-Ajax: New for 2005
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Book News
================================================
Did you know you can request a free book to review for your
group? Ask your group leader for more information.

For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
http://ug.oreilly.com/bookreviews.html

Don't forget, you can receive 20% off any O'Reilly, No Starch, 
Paraglyph, Pragmatic Bookshelf, SitePoint, or Syngress book you 
purchase directly from O'Reilly.

Just use code DSUG when ordering online or by phone 800-998-9938.
http://www.oreilly.com/

***Free ground shipping is available for online orders of at 
least $29.95 that go to a single U.S. address. This offer 
applies to U.S. delivery addresses in the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
For more details, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/news/freeshipping_0703.html

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New Releases
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***Firefox Hacks
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596009283
This highly focused book offers all the valuable tips and tools you need
to maximize the effectiveness of this hot web browser. It's all covered,
including how to customize its deployment, appearance, features, and
functionality. You'll even learn how to install, use, and alter extensions
and plug-ins. Aimed at clever people who may or may not be savvy with
basic programming tasks, this convenient resource describes 100 techniques
for 100 strategies that effectively exploit Firefox.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/firefoxhks/

Sample Hack 69, "Make New Tags and Widgets with XBL," is available online
(along with five others):
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/firefoxhks/chapter/index.html

***iPhoto 5: The Missing Manual
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596100345
Updated to cover Apple's newest release, "iPhoto 5: The Missing Manual"
comes fully loaded--and in full color--so you can exercise all the power,
flexibility, and creativity of the stunning new iPhoto 5. This witty and
authoritative guide starts out with a crash course on digital photography
and then explores every aspect of iPhoto 5, from camera-meets-Mac basics
to sharing your digital photography with the world.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/iphoto5tmm/

***Python Cookbook, 2E
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596007973
Like its predecessor, the new edition offers a collection of solutions to
problems that Python programmers face every day. Updated for Python 2.4,
it now includes over 200 recipes that range from simple tasks, such as
working with dictionaries and list comprehensions, to complex tasks, such
as monitoring a network and building a templating system.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pythoncook2/

***Silence on the Wire 
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1593270461
Author Michal Zalewski is respected in the hacking and security
communities for his intelligence, curiosity and creativity, and this book
is truly unlike anything else. "Silence on the Wire" is no humdrum white
paper or how-to manual for protecting one's network. Rather, this
narrative explores a variety of unique, uncommon and often elegant
security challenges that defy classification and eschew the traditional
attacker-victim model. 
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1593270461/index.html

***Windows Server Cookbook
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596006330
Written for all levels of users, this practical reference guide offers
hundreds of useful tasks for managing Windows 2000 and Windows Server
2003. The concise, on-the-job solutions to common problems are certain to
save you many hours of time searching through Microsoft documentation.
Each recipe also includes a detailed discussion that explains how and why
it works. Topics discussed include files, event logs, security, DHCP, DNS,
backup/restore, and more.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/windowsvrckbk/ 

Chapter 6, "Processes," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/windowsvrckbk/chapter/index.html

***Degunking Your PC
Publisher: Paraglyph Press
ISBN: 1933097035
Do your programs seem sluggish or refuse to run properly? Are you tripping
over a viper's nest of cords and cables at every turn? Do you have printer
drivers installed that date back to the Eisenhower administration? Is it
impossible to vacuum under your desk? Still using dial up? If so you have
PC gunk! "Degunking Your PC" will show you the way to get out of the rat's
maze of cables and old plug-and-play devices and onto the road of perfect
PC organization. Joli Ballew, the author of the bestselling "Degunking
Windows" will show you simple, fast and effective ways to manage your PC
hardware.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/1933097035/index.html

***Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596007736
"Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition" covers all the extensive changes in Java
5.0. This classic remake has undergone a complete editorial makeover in
order to more closely meet the needs of the modern Java programmer.
Included among the improvements are more discussion on tools and
frameworks and new code examples to illustrate the working of APIs. And,
as in previous editions, the fifth edition is chock-full of poignant tips,
techniques, examples, and practical advice.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/javanut5/

***Access 2003 Personal Trainer
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596009372
Written in a non-technical and engaging style, this book lets people of
any technical level learn exactly what they need to know at their own
pace. The book starts with Access fundamentals and then moves up to
tables, fields, queries, forms, reports, and advanced topics, like linking
information from an external source. Included are detailed diagrams,
dozens of task-oriented lessons, and a fully interactive training
simulation CD.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/accesspt/

***SharePoint User's Guide
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596009089
This straightforward guide shows SharePoint users how to create and use
web sites for sharing and collaboration. Learn to use the document and
picture libraries for adding and editing content, add discussion boards
and surveys, receive alerts when documents and information have been added
or changed, and enhance security. Designed to help you find answers
quickly, the book shows how to make the most of SharePoint for
productivity and collaboration.
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/sharepoint/

Chapter 1, "Working with Sites and Workspaces," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/sharepoint/chapter/index.html

***Apache Security
Publisher: O'Reilly
ISBN: 0596007248
This all-purpose guide for locking down Apache arms readers with all the
information they need to securely deploy applications. Administrators and
programmers alike will benefit from a concise introduction to the theory
of securing Apache, plus a wealth of practical advice and real-life
examples. Topics covered include installation, server sharing, logging and
monitoring, web applications, PHP and SSL/TLS, and more. 
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/apachesc/

Chapter 2, "Installation and Configuration," is available online:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/apachesc/chapter/index.html

***MAKE Subscriptions Available
The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you'll get a free issue--the first one plus four
more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with this great
offer for charter subscribers: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at:
https://www.pubservice.com/MK/Subnew.aspx?PC=MK&PK=M5ZUGLA

The MAKE blog is available at:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/

================================================
Upcoming Events
================================================
***For more events, please see:
http://events.oreilly.com/

***MAKE Editor Phillip Torrone on Science Friday--April 1
Philip will be talking about DIY technology on NPR's "Science Friday" with
Ira Flatow. Visit the Science Friday site and look for your local NPR
station and broadcast times. Feel free to call in and ask questions from 2
to 4 p.m. Eastern at 1-800-989-8255.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/

***Greg Kroah-Hartman, ("Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Ed"), 
  PDXLUG, Portland, OR--April 14
Join O'Reilly author Greg for a Linux chat at 7pm.
Fireside Coffee Lodge
1223 SE Powell Blvd, 
Portland, OR 97202 
http://www.pdxlug.org/

***Greg Kroah-Hartman at Powell's Tech Books--April 16
Greg will also be at Powell's Technical Books beginning at 1:00pm 
April 16.
Powell's Technical Books
33 NW Park Avenue,
Portland, OR 97209
http://www.powells.com/calendar.html#489

***Bonnie Biafore ("QuickBooks: The Missing Manual" & "Online Investing
  Hacks"), Kansas City Investor Fair--April 29-30
Bonnie is a featured speaker at the NAIC Kansas City Investor Fair. She'll
be signing books there on both days, so be sure to stop by and say hello.
Doubletree Hotel, Overland Park, KS
http://www.better-investing.org/chapter/kansas/events/4875

================================================
Conference News
================================================
***Register for the 2005 MySQL Users Conference, 
  Santa Clara, CA--April 18-21
The MySQL Users Conference, co-presented by O'Reilly Media and MySQL AB,
brings together experts, users, and industry leaders with unique MySQL
insights, offering attendees a detailed look into new features in MySQL
5.0, sessions and workshops designed to teach best practices, and exposure
to new open source technologies.
For more information, go to:
http://www.mysqluc.com/

Use code DSUG when you register, and receive 20% off the registration
price.

To register for the conference, go to:
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/mysqluc2005/create/ord_mysql05

***Where 2.0 Conference
Join us at the first O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference June 29-30 in San
Francisco. Explore the emerging consumer and enterprise ecosystems around
location-aware technologies--like GPS, RFID, WLAN, cellular networks, and
networked sensors--that enable an ever-growing array of capabilities from
local search and mapping to enterprise integration and commercial
applications. Registration opens in April.
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/where/ 

To receive up-to-date conference news and information, sign up for the
conference newsletter on oreilly.com.

***OSCON Is Coming
Join us at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention in beautiful Portland from
August 1-5. OSCON 2005 will be at the Oregon Convention Center, where
we'll have tutorials, sessions, parties, BOFs, and a huge exhibit hall.
The Call for Proposals is closed, but registration and hotel information
will be available soon.
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/os2005/

To get the latest details as soon as we have them, sign up for the OSCON
newsletter on oreilly.com.

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News From O'Reilly & Beyond
================================================
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General News
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***Tax Time: A Year-End Checklist of Accounting Tasks
Whether you handle your company's accounting yourself or hand off the
major accounting tasks to an accountant, Bonnie Biafore provides a
checklist of eight accounting tasks you'll want to complete shortly after
the end of your fiscal year. Bonnie is the author of "QuickBooks 2005: 
The Missing Manual."
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/03/28/quickbooks.html

***Opting in to Privacy Problems
Brian McWilliams looks at yet another way internet users may be putting
their privacy at risk. With list brokers now cutting deals with e-commerce
sites and internet marketing firms for data that includes home addresses,
phone numbers, and corresponding IP addresses, you may be opting in for
more than you bargained for when you shop online. Brian is the author of
"Spam Kings."
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2005/03/17/optin.html

***SafariU Revolutionizes the Textbook
With SafariU, educators and trainers can create and publish their own
textbooks, selecting exactly the book chapters, sections, or articles they
want from a wealth of information resources. SafariU costs nothing to use
and offers students more focused course content at less cost. Visit
SafariU to view a video demo and sign up for access:
http://safariu.oreilly.com

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Open Source
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***Automating Windows (DNS) with Perl
Perl is a fantastic tool for system administrators--even on Windows.
Though the shiny GUI is astonishingly useless (or at least too
mouse-friendly) for all but the simplest changes, there's plenty to
automate under the shell. Thomas Herchenroeder explains how he 
wrapped dnscmd with Perl to make changes easily.
http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2005/03/24/perl_dns.html

***make for Nonprogrammers
If you're a typical FreeBSD user, you may never have compiled C source
code on your own. Yet if you've ever issued a make command, it's compiled
code for you. How does it do that? What does it do, anyway? And what else
can it do? Dru Lavigne answers all of these questions.
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2005/03/24/FreeBSD_Basics.html

***Closed Source PHP
A look at the many different options PHP Developers have for
protecting their source code from prying eyes when creating
commercial PHP Applications.
http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=238739

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Mac
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***Movies Made Easy in iPhoto 5 
One of the best features in the current crop of consumer digital still
cameras is their ability to capture high-quality video. iPhoto 5 is in
step with this evolution and provides a great environment for taking those
snippets and creating real movies. Derrick Story shows you how.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/03/22/iphoto_movies.html

***Exploring the Mac OS X Firewall 
Like so many tools built in to Mac OS X, the firewall just works. But
what's really going on inside it? Peter Hickman explains why the firewall
works so well, and then takes you inside and shows you how to fiddle with
things. In the end, he returns you safely to the default settings.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/03/15/firewall.html

***Owen Linzmeyer ("Apple Confidential 2.0") on MacRadio
Listen to No Starch's author Owen on the Mac Night Owl Radio on the March
24 show.
http://www.macradio.com/thursday/nightowl/index.php

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Windows/.NET
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***Five More Annoying PC Annoyances 
After his first "PC Annoyances" was released, Steve Bass was surprised by
the barrage of email he received with yet more annoyances to fix. That led
to the just-released second edition of "PC Annoyances," where he added 150
more fixes to irritating PC quirks. And if that's not enough, he offers
five more here.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/windows/2005/03/28/pcannoyances.html

***Microsoft, Blogging, and Transparency
Author James Avery recently wrote about his experiences publishing his
latest book and how Microsoft bloggers helped him immensely. To James, the
benefits of increased transparency through the use of blogs cannot be
understated. James is the author of "Visual Studio Hacks."
http://dotavery.com/blog/archive/2005/03/28/2767.aspx

***Miguel de Icaza Explains How to "Get" Mono 
It's perhaps the most controversial project in the open source world, but
this mostly stems from misunderstanding: Mono, the open source development
platform based upon Microsoft's .NET framework. Immediate reactions from
many dubious Linux developers have ranged from confusion over its
connection with .NET to wondering what the benefits of developing under it
are. Throughout the course of its four years of intense development,
sponsored by Novell, Mono founder Miguel de Icaza has had to frequently
clarify the .NET issue and sell the community on it. In this new
interview, Howard Wen asks Miguel to explain himself one more time.
http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2005/03/21/interviewmiguel.html

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Java
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***Flexible Event Delivery with Executors 
Event-handling is critical to any GUI application, and many developers
know the hazards of making a method call to unknown or poorly behaved code
from the event-dispatch thread. J2SE 5.0's concurrency utilities offer
more fine-grained control over how code executes. Andrew Thompson applies
that to offer better ways to handle events.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/03/23/executors.html

***Java Component Development: A Conceptual Framework 
In general terms, a component is one or more classes with an external API
that satisfy some requirement. But how do you build components that are
really practical--that handle configuration changes or third-party
integration well? Palash Ghosh has some ideas about the concepts behind
components.
http://www.onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2005/03/23/components.html

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Digital Media
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***HDTV on Your Mac 
Even though the Mac is a little late to the HDTV party, you can roll your
own setup for not too much time or money. Erica Sadun shows you how.
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2005/03/29/hdtv.html

***Resurrect Your Old PC for Music--with Linux
Dig that clunker out of the closet! This step-by-step guide explains how
to upgrade even a 486-based PC to an efficient, Linux-powered music
machine. Total cost? About ten cents for a blank CD.
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2005/03/23/linuxmusic.html

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Web
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***Ajax: New for 2005
Ajax is a term coined for an approach that utilizes the Document
Object Model, JavaScript, and XMLHTTPRequest to allow web
developers to create applications that don't require constant
page-refreshes to be used.
http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=238333

================================================
>From Your Peers
===============================================
Don't forget to check out the O'Reilly UG wiki to see what user groups
across the globe are up to:
http://wiki.oreillynet.com/usergroups/index.cgi

Until next time--

Marsee

----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
-bill!
bill at newbreedsoftware.com         "I'm anticipating an all-out tactical
http://newbreedsoftware.com/      dog-fight, followed by a light dinner."