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Books: Computers: Ibm As/
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Lifeby Spencer Johnson and Kenneth H. Blanchard List Price: $19.95 Available from Amazon $11.97 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Who Moved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature of cheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are "littlepeople," mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It's not just sustenance to them; it's their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they've found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out. Dr. Johnson, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and many other books, presents this parable to business, church groups, schools, military organizations--anyplace where you find people who may fear or resist change. And although more analytical and skeptical readers may find the tale a little too simplistic, its beauty is that it sums up all natural history in just 94 pages: Things change. They always have changed and always will change. And while there's no single way to deal with change, the consequence of pretending change won't happen is always the same: The cheese runs out. --Lou Schuler
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Can Two Rights Make a Wrong?: Insights from IBM's Tangible Culture Approachby Sara J. Moulton Reger List Price: $24.99 Available from Amazon $16.49 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Back Cover Copy “This is the book for people who never get past page two of a management book–it is as close as the genre comes to being a compulsive page turner. Its main thesis is built on at least three big ideas that are individually persuasive and cumulatively compelling. They naturally fit into an alignment tool that is applied to the range of day-to-day and exceptional challenges all enterprises face, including the Holy Grail of transformational change.” –Donald Macrae, general counsel and chief knowledge officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, England
“Having been in the business of cultural transformation and alignment for many years, I’ve carefully looked for a thoughtful strategy and an intentional approach to bringing about healthy and thriving cultures. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? is simply the best–it is the most thoughtful and practical work I’ve seen in this growing and critical area. This is a must buy!” –Dr. Ron Jenson, Future Achievement International, international author, speaker, and consulting and executive coach
“Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? is a superb account of how to manage the ‘soft side’ of mergers and acquisitions, but it has great value for managing many other new business practices as well, such as Open Innovation. It provides a powerful, practical method to identify conflicts, develop alignment, and achieve effective coordination between two parties that would be tremendously helpful in a variety of collaborative contexts, such as alliances, research partnerships, or joint ventures. Moulton Reger and her colleagues at IBM should be congratulated for a thoughtful, insightful book.” –Henry Chesbrough, professor at University of California Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, author of Open Innovation
“Numbers are neat and clean. Human beings are often messy and complex. If everyone in your organization knew what to do and when, how, where, and–most importantly–why to do it, how would your organizational culture be defined? The authors of Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? have introduced new ways to proactively address culture and, most importantly, tie it to bottom-line benefits.” –James H. Amos, Jr., chairman emeritus, MBE/The UPS Store “This book is a must read for leaders hoping to change their organization’s culture as well as those attempting to merge firms with uniquely different cultures. Moulton Reger’s insights are grounded in theory and real-world experience. In this unique book, culture change is a complex concept broken down into bite-sized pieces and presented in a way that any leadership team can embrace at its own pace.”
–Merrill J. Oster, author of Vision Driven Leadership, founder Oster Communications, Inc. “Here at last is a business book that takes culture seriously and isn’t intimidated by it. The method described can be used with practically any type of business problem in any industry, and the book does an excellent job of drawing on research and theory while keeping the focus practical. The three elements of Outcome Narratives, Right vs. Right, and business Practices are significant ideas in their own right–each is a unique insight. All three ideas have been around in various guises for several years, but have not been as well crystallized or as focused on complex business problems as they are in this book. The authors’ achievement is extraordinary and goes a long way toward making the juicy idea of culture something to be built on and worked with.” –Peter Vaill, professor, Antioch University
“The Achilles heel for any major organizational change is that organization’s culture. In every change, consultants talk about culture, but few provide specific sequential steps designed to actually do anything about it. This book provides such steps, and provides them in ways that makes sense. ‘Makes sense’ is the key because the steps provided can be easily adapted to virtually any organization, large or small.” –George Falldine, Air Force civil servant, Air Force Materiel Command
“Sara Moulton Reger is one of the premier organizational design consultants in the country, and this book reflects her in-depth knowledge of and experience with the subject matter. This book is essential reading for those striving to achieve greater results from ongoing change initiatives. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? contains a broad range of concepts, examples, and specific steps culled from Moulton Reger’s direct experience. Such a complete presentation of strategic and tactical advice makes Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? a mandatory addition to every manager’s bookshelf.” –Steven Bragg, CPA, author of twenty-eight business books, CFO of Premier Data Services
“This is a serious book that gives intelligent guidance to anyone who leads an organization and takes creating and managing culture seriously. The section on Outcome Narratives is the best ‘how to’ on casting a unifying vision that I have seen. If you’re a leader and take your role in creating and managing corporate culture seriously, then you should read this book.” –Regi Campbell, principal, Seedsower Investments, author of About my Father’s Business
“I don’t read most ‘culture change’ books–waste of time. This book is different. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? combines both soft and hard approaches, with a continuous focus on how-to and results. Buy it. But, more importantly, read it.” –Jack Grayson, founder and chairman, American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC)
“We used Right vs. Right to help integrate an important acquisition–one that brought many differences we needed to carefully leverage to achieve IBM’s business objectives. I found it to be a powerful technique for quickly reconciling strategic views of the business model and different operating preferences. Now, a few months later, we have the business results–and employee satisfaction–to prove Right vs. Right works.” –Jim Corgel, general manager, Small and Medium business Services, IBM
“Leaders wouldn’t think about doing a major project without a plan and a project manager, but how many consider the cultural implications? This book fills a key void because it clarifies the topic of culture so that it is easier to understand, and includes examples for applying the framework to many types of situations, including business-to-business alliances and crossgeography teams.” –Cindy Berger, vice president, American Express
“There is no question that the biggest hurdle to achieving a successful merger is culture. Market opportunities may be staggering and synergies may seem perfect, but, without a cultural match, odds are the merged company will struggle. Can Two Rights Make a Wrong? can help you avoid the problems. Even if you are not contemplating a merger, Moulton Reger’s deep insight provides an excellent management primer and interesting historical perspective. A worthwhile read.” –John R. Patrick, author of Net Attitude, president of Attitude LLC
“This is an excellent book that provides a pragmatic approach to identifying and alleviating cultural issues created when two groups of people must work together. Effectively blending business cultures is a key requirement for successful outsourcing, and most companies lack the tools necessary to do this. Companies looking to reduce outsourcing risk should follow IBM’s Tangible Culture approach.” –Lance Travis, vice president, Outsourcing Strategies, AMR Research
“This book will help leaders and cultural-change practitioners take a practical, well-architected approach to creating the culture they need to support their strategies. Thanks, IBM, for sharing what you have learned from your own transformation.” –Valerie Norton, vice president, Talent management and Organizational Effectiveness, Merck & Co., Inc.
“Based on IBM’s own experience with organizational transformation and mergers, this book belongs on the reading list of any executive contemplating major changes to their business.” – Peter Richerson, professor, University of California Davis – “Finally, a book that goes beyond just de
Sara J. Moulton Reger began the journey of writing this book as the practice executive responsible for IBM Organization Design and Change management consulting. In 2002, she helped to lead integration of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting acquisition, and later joined IBM Services research to hone the integration experiences.
Sara has been a management consultant since 1988, specializing in business transformation, organizational change, culture transformation, and governance at IBM and other leading consulting firms. She has published on a variety of topics, including business culture, business complexity, governance, On Demand Business, e-business, communications, project risk management, change management, quality, and financial management. You may contact her at www.tangibleculture.com.
This book includes important contributions from members of IBM business Consulting Services, IBM Research, and the Institute for business Value.
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The Lenovo Affair: The Growth of China's Computer Giant and Its Takeover of IBM-PCby Zhijun Ling and Martha Avery List Price: $24.95 Available from Amazon $15.72 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Product Review "fascinating" (The Economist, June 2006) Book Description Lenovo is a global leader in the PC market, employing more than 19,000 people worldwide. Its landmark takeover of IBM’s PC division in May 2005 was a major step for the company and a huge boost for Chinese industry. The deal proved to the world that Chinese companies are not only competitive in the domestic markets but can also compete at a global level. Lenovo was founded in 1984 by 11 engineers working out of a small bungalow in In 1994, Legend was successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and in 2003 rebranded itself as Lenovo. The company went from strength to strength and dominated the Chinese market with more than 250f market share in 2004. The IBM acquisition has marked another key milestone in the history of the company. Lenovo now has over $13 billion in annual reserves and possesses necessary infrastructure to develop its markets around the world. The company is a worldwide sponsor of the International Olympic Committee and will offer funding and support to the 2006 Winter Games in Torino and the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Author Ling Zhijun is well known in china for his reporting on China’s economic reform, and for his book “Jiao Feng”. This book sold over two million copies in China. The author is a seasoned reporter for the People’s Daily; based in Shanghai. Martha Avery, the translator and editor of this book in English, has translated a number of works of Chinese literature into English that have been published by such presses as Viking Penguin, WW Norton, HarperCollins, Farrar Straus Giruoux and David Godine. Her most recent authored book is Tea Road: China and Russia Meet Across the Steppe. This is an economic history of the region and was published by the Intercontinental Press (China) in 2004. Ms Avery is based in Boulder, Colorado, but travels frequently to China as business consultant for a large software distributor called software Spectrum, Inc.
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Software Configuration Management Strategies and IBM(R) Rational(R) ClearCase(R): A Practical Introduction (2nd Edition)by David E. Bellagio and Tom J. Milligan List Price: $49.99 Available from Amazon $43.41 On 7-22-2006 
See Item's Page Book Description Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the Second Edition Welcome to the second edition of software Configuration management Strategies and Rational ClearCase ! We have updated the first edition to enhance the strategies material and to reflect developments in the evolution of IBM Rational ClearCase . What This Book Is About This book is about the engineering discipline of software configuration management (SCM) and how the widely used SCM product, ClearCase, automates and supports SCM best practices through a model called Unified Change management (UCM). This book covers basic SCM concepts, typical SCM problems encountered as projects and software systems grow in size and complexity, and how you can apply SCM tools and processes to solve these problems. Advanced SCM topics are also discussed, such as managing large geographically distributed teams and combining the disciplines of SCM and change request management (or defect tracking). Much material in the first edition of this book discussed the issues that arise in a software development project and how an SCM tool should be able to address those issues. That first edition material has been left intact and in some cases expanded simply because it represents fundamental truths about software development that have not changed and are unlikely to change as long as humans are involved in the process. The second edition of this book expands on the first edition by adding those features introduced to ClearCase since the first edition specifically the ClearCase Remote Client, UCM-enforced single-stream projects, full support for unlimited parent/child stream hierarchies, composite baselines and expanded and more flexible UCM policy configurations. Additionally we have added more discussion of ClearQuest and the new ClearQuest MultiSite product. UCM has evolved in many ways since the first edition was published, and many of the additions to this edition are due to our experiences in helping customers adopt and achieve success with ClearCase and UCM in their environment. Beyond the functional enhancements to ClearCase and ClearQuest, we have also included a discussion on monitoring and tuning ClearCase performance as well as usage models for UCM that we have seen being successfully practiced since the first edition was published. We believe this expanded information will provide significant assistance in helping the reader get the most out of their UCM environment and to understand the range of UCM development models that are supported and known to work. This book is based on the experience gained by the authors working with some incredible people in the SCM field over the last fifteen years. After reading it, you should have a better understanding of software configuration management, a better idea of the software development problems solved by using SCM tools and techniques, and a clear understanding of how you can use ClearCase to solve these problems and meet your SCM requirements. The authors sincerely hope you enjoy the book and find it valuable. What You Need to Know before Reading This Book The key to your success is understanding SCM, the requirements for your software project, and how to apply an SCM tool to meet a project s requirements. This book will get you started if you are new to software configuration management. However, you will get the most out of this book if you already have some SCM experience and have used basic version control tools before. This book assumes you are familiar with the software development process. It will also be helpful if you have a specific development project in mind while you are reading. Who You Are and Why You Should Read This Book This book is not about the nitty-gritty details of writing ClearCase triggers and scripting home-grown integrations with legacy tools; rather it will give you a high-level view of some common SCM scenarios and how ClearCase can be applied. If you are new to SCM or ClearCase, read this book cover to cover. If you have used ClearCase or have a strong foundation in SCM, look through the table of contents and pick chapters and sections that are of particular interest to you. For a software Engineer The biggest thing an SCM tool can do for a software engineer is to stay out of the way. SCM should perform its function, yet be as transparent as possible. The SCM tool and how it is applied should maximize your ability to make changes to the software. Poor tools or poorly designed processes can add unnecessary time and effort to your work. This book can help you identify the areas in your SCM tools and processes to streamline. It discusses some new advances in the SCM area specifically designed for streamlining development. One of these is the notion of activity-based software configuration management. The idea here is to raise the level of abstraction from files to activities. This makes working with an SCM tool, tracking your changes, and sharing changes with other software engineers more intuitive. If you re new to SCM, read Chapter 1, What Is software Configuration Management? For an overview of the objects managed by ClearCase, see chapter 4, A Functional Overview of ClearCase Objects. To gain an understanding of how ClearCase is used on a daily basis from a development perspective, see chapter 8, Development Using the ClearCase UCM Model. For a software Project Manager or technical Leader As a leader for a software project, you are concerned with deciding what changes to make to a software system and then ensuring that those changes happen. Unplanned changes, made by well-meaning developers, introduce risk into the project schedule and may cause schedule delays and poor product quality. The ability to control and track change is essential to your project s success. This book should help you gain a solid understanding of SCM, see why you need it, and learn how ClearCase can be used to solve problems you may encounter on projects. Specifically, see chapter 6, Project management in ClearCase, and chapter 7, Managing and Organizing Your ClearCase Projects. If you are managing teams that are not all in one location, see chapter 11, Geographically Distributed Development, for a discussion of the issues and strategies involved. For a Tools Engineer The role of tools engineer is often overlooked but is essential to success, particularly in large organizations. Your job is to figure out how to apply a given tool to the people, processes, and organization for which you work. This book will give you information about SCM and ClearCase that you can use to determine the best way to apply ClearCase to projects. For Those Evaluating ClearCase This book is a good starting point in the evaluation of ClearCase because it presents a number of common software development scenarios as well as more complex scenarios such as geographically distributed development. It discusses the requirements of SCM processes and tools in terms of a set of SCM best practices and shows how to apply ClearCase to support them. Included are overviews of ClearCase s out-of-the-box process, Unified Change Management, and ClearCase objects. Use chapter 1, What Is software Configuration Management?, and chapter 2, Growing into Your SCM Solution, to help determine the SCM tool requirements for your project. Look to the remaining chapters to determine whether ClearCase will meet your needs. For Experienced ClearCase Users If you are a long-time ClearCase user, this book is interesting from a general software configuration management perspective and may offer some insights into how to approach SCM solutions on your projects. It also offers some advice if you are being asked to support geographically distributed development teams (see chapter 11, Geographically Distributed Development). The book contains an overview of ClearCase s out-of-the-box usage model called Unified Change Management, which is a recent addition (see chapter 3, An Overview of the Unified Change management Model). If you are curious about integrating change request management with ClearCase, then look at chapter 12, Change Request management and ClearQuest. Look also through the table of contents and pick chapters and sections that are of particular interest to you. How the Book Is Laid Out Here is a brief summary of all the chapters. Chapter 1, What Is software Configuration Management, provides a general introduction to software configuration management and the key best practices behind it. It answers the questions: what is software configuration management?, what are SCM tools?, and what is the SCM process? Chapter 2, Growing into Your SCM Solution, discusses the growing complexity of software development projects and proposes that as projects grow in complexity so does their need for richer SCM support. It covers the history of SCM tool evolution using five categories of software projects ranging from software developed by a single individual to projects with many geographically distributed project teams. Chapter 3, An Overview of the Unified Change management Model, provides an overview of ClearCase s out-of-the-box usage model, unified change management, which automates and supports a particular SCM process. The material is discussed in terms of the roles and responsibilities of the various team members, such as the architect, project manager, developer, and integrator. Chapter 4, A Functional Overview of ClearCase Objects, provides a functional overview of ClearCase objects and concepts. This chapter serves as a bridge between general SCM terminology and ClearCase-specific terminology. Chapter 5, Establishing the Initial SCM Environment, provides information on setting up an initial SCM environment. It discusses the basics of ClearCase architecture as well as how to approach performance tuning and monitoring. The chapter also covers mapping the software architecture to the physical components in the SCM tool and briefly discusses creating the SCM repositories and importing existing software. Chapter 6, Project management in ClearCase, focuses on the role of the project manager with respect to SC Back Cover Copy "I wrote that the first edition of this book "communicates much of the experience, wisdom, and insight that was acquired along the way to discovering what SCM best practices are and how to implement/deploy them." The second edition is full of even more practical experience! It not only refines and expands upon earlier strategies and best practices, it also contains even more concrete "how-to" information about implementing and deploying them." —Brad Appleton co-author of Software Configuration management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration "Read this book when you're getting started with configuration management (CM); read it again in six months and once more two years later. Software Configuration management Strategies and IBM Rational ClearCase goes beyond the basics to provide a coherent Review of CM strategies for projects of all sizes and complexities." —Jennie Brown, CM Specialist IBM Corporation "This book covers practical software configuration management (SCM), ClearCase UCM and ClearCase use for project teams. Every project lead and SCM specialist should (re)read this book before starting a project." —Roger Jarrett, Senior software Engineer IBM Rational Software "This second edition captures vital Unified Change management (UCM) features and concepts. It brings the entire UCM feature set full circle and lays the ground work for a successful UCM implementation; Bellagio and Milligan continue where the first edition left off. The inclusion of composite baseline concepts, single stream development, performance tuning, and other features and concepts make this the core of any old or new Unified Change management implementation. It is rare that a second edition of a book can hold your interest like the first. This publication does just thatthis continues to be the standard for users interested in Unified Change management deployment." —Adam Levensohn, Manager IBM Rational software Software Configuration management (SCM) can help even the largest, most complex project teams manage change, so they can deliver higher quality products faster. The First Edition of Software Configuration management Strategies and Rational ClearCase established itself as the definitive single source for guidance on both SCM best practices and the market's leading product, IBM Rational ClearCase. This fully updated Second Edition systematically addresses the latest ClearCase and ClearQuest® innovations, while offering even deeper insight into SCM strategy and management. The authors each draw on more than 15 years of SCM experience, and the knowledge of working with IBM Rational field teams in customer engagements worldwide. They systematically cover SCM planning and deployment, and SCM's use throughout the entire project lifecycle: development, integration, building, baselining, release deployment, and beyond. They offer practical guidance on addressing challenges that arise as projects grow in size and complexity, from managing geographically distributed teams to tracking change requests. Coverage includes
This book is valuable for everyone concerned with SCM: developers who wantSCM to be as intuitive and convenient as possible; project managers and technical leaders who must efficiently manage change; tools engineers; even IT managersevaluating SCM technologies. © Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved. |
Developing Quality Technical Information: A Handbook for Writers and Editors (2nd Edition) (IBM Press Series--Information Management)by Gretchen Hargis, Michelle Carey, Ann Kilty Hernandez, and Polly Hughes List Price: $44.99 Available from Amazon $28.34 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Book Description class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>[span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino-Roman'>Many books about technical writing tell you how to develop different parts of technical information, such as headings, lists, tables, and indexes. Instead, we organized this book to tell you how to apply quality characteristics that, in our experience, make technical information easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to find. We hope you will find our approach useful and comprehensive-;and we hope that you will find the information in this book easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to find! class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'> Is this book for you? class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>If you are a writer, editor, or Reviewer of technical information-;yes! If you write, edit, or Review software information, this book might be of even more interest to you because most of the examples in it come from the domain of software. However, the quality characteristics and guidelines apply to all technical information. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Reviewers can be any of the many people who are involved in developing technical information: class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Writers Editors Visual designers Human factors engineers Product developers and testers Customer service personnel Customers (perhaps as early users) Managers class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>In general, this book assumes that you know the basics of good grammar, punctuation, and spelling as they apply to writing. It does not assume that you are familiar with what makes technical information good or bad. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'> How to use this book class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>You can use the book in any of several ways, such as: class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Read the book from start to finish. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Read about the particular quality characteristic or guideline that interests you. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Read Chapter 11, Applying more than one quality characteristic 1, on page 331 to see how the quality characteristics interact, and then read the particular chapters that fit what you're working on. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Use the checklists at the end of each chapter and Appendix A, Quality checklist, on page 387 to evaluate a piece of technical information by using the quality characteristics. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Use Appendix B, Who checks which quality characteristics?, on page 391 to see what areas you as a Reviewer need to check, and read those sections. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Whatever your role in developing technical information, we hope that you'll use this information to build these quality characteristics into the information that you work on. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'> Conventions used in this book class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Nine of the twelve chapters in this book deal with the quality characteristics, one per chapter. Each of these chapters has a series of guidelines about how to enhance the particular quality characteristic. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Within each guideline, this book uses examples, usually in pairs of an original passage such as you might see in technical information and a revision that demonstrates the application of the guideline. Some passages go through more than one revision. The descriptions of the guideline and of the examples aim to help you understand and implement the guideline. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>In addition, each of the nine chapters ends with a checklist. This checklist indicates the items to look for when you evaluate a piece of technical information by using the guidelines for the particular quality characteristic. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'> Changes in this edition class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>The basic organization of the book and the quality characteristics remain the same. However, within each quality characteristic, we have added, reworded, deleted, or moved some guidelines and subguidelines, and we have updated many examples. For example, the following guidelines are among those that we added: class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Organize information into discrete topics by type. (Organization chapter) class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Facilitate navigation and search. (Retrievability chapter) class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Ensure that all users can access the information. (Visual effectiveness chapter) class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>These changes resulted from several developments in technical communication: class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Greater emphasis on topic-based information and single source class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Internationalization of information and increased delivery of technical information on the Web class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>The need to make technical information accessible to people with disabilities such as blindness and deafness class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>As with earlier developments in this field during the 20 years that these quality characteristics have been in use, the characteristics have been able to absorb the changes. This framework continues to apply to the information that we are called on to provide today. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>We hope that you find this book useful in improving the quality of the information that you develop. class=MsoNormal style='mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none'>Gretchen Hargis Michelle Carey Ann Kilty Hernandez Polly Hughes Deirdre Longo Shannon Rouiller Elizabeth Wilde From the Inside Flap Welcome! Many books on technical writing tell you how to develop different parts of technical information, such as headings, lists, tables, and indexes. Instead, we organized this book to tell you how to apply quality characteristics that, in our experience, make technical information easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to find. We hope you will find our approach useful and comprehensive—and we hope you will find the information in this book easy to use, easy to understand, and easy to find! Is this book for you? If you are a writer or Reviewer of technical information—yes! If you write or Review software information, this book may be of even more interest to you because the examples in it come from the domain of software. However, the quality characteristics and guidelines are universal to all information. Reviewers can be any of the many people who are involved in developing technical information: Writers Editors Graphic designers Human factors engineers Product developers and testers Customer service personnel Customers (perhaps as early users) Managers In general, this book assumes that you know the basics of good grammar, punctuation, and spelling as they apply to writing. It does not assume that you are familiar with what makes technical information good or bad. How to use this book You can use the book in any of several ways: Read the book from start to finish. Read about the particular quality characteristic or guideline that interests you. Use the checklists at the end of each chapter and "Quality Checklist" on page 269 to evaluate a piece of technical information against the quality characteristics. Use "Who Checks Which Quality Characteristics?" on page 273 to see what areas you as a Reviewer need to check, and read those sections. Whatever your role in developing technical information, we hope that you'll use this information to build these quality characteristics into the information that you work on. Changes in this edition The first and second editions were published in 1984 and 1986 for use mainly by developers of information for IBM software products. This edition is published for more general use and takes into account these changes in technical information: Online information (such as help, tutorials, and documents) is often more important than printed information in the documentation of software. Online information has become more integrated with the product user interface, through forms such as cue cards and wizards. As a result of comments from customers and editors, we have: Added two quality characteristics: concreteness and style Feedback from users showed that, to them, examples and scenarios are not only very important, but also generally lacking or poorly handled in computer information. The first edition treated examples as part of clarity, but clarity has many other aspects as well. In this edition we have added concreteness as the quality characteristic that focuses especially on examples and scenarios. In the first edition, style considerations were spread across accuracy, clarity, and visual communication. We decided that style needs its own focus. Renamed two quality characteristics The earlier name "entry points" has become "retrievability," and "visual communication" has become "visual effectiveness." In addition, we have reorganized the book into parts and added several sections: Introduction to help define terms and set the context for the information Chapters 11 and 12, which treat more than one quality characteristic Annotated bibliography Glossary of terms used in this book Index The technical editors at IBM's Santa Teresa Laboratory use these quality characteristics to assess the quality of the information they edit. In this edition, we have revised some guidelines and added more examples to ensure coverage of the kinds of common errors found every day. Gretchen Hargis Ann Kilty Hernandez Polly Hughes Jim Ramaker Shannon Rouiller Elizabeth Wilde --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. |
IBM WebSphere: Deployment and Advanced Configurationby Roland Barcia, Bill Hines, Tom Alcott, and Keys Botzum List Price: $49.99 Available from Amazon $43.09 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Book Description Foreword Just as there are two sides to every coin, there are two sides to each WebSphere project. And just as you can t have one side of a coin without another, you can t leave off one half of your WebSphere project and expect the other to succeed. I m speaking, of course, about the two major roles involved in J2EE projects not only application developers (or J2EE programmers) but also the role that s most often overlooked the application deployer. The bookshelves of any large bookstore will be well laden with books on how to develop code for J2EE application servers. In fact, most bookstores will have several that I ve contributed to. It s easy for a developer to find a good, reliable source of information on how to do his job. However, that s not quite the case with a WebSphere deployer. Why is this true? Well, I believe that one reason is that even though J2EE has always defined the different roles like deployer and system administrator, the emphasis has always been on the development role because it is the one that the authors and readers of the J2EE specs identify with the most. This book is one of the first efforts to address this inconsistency. You see, the issue is that deployment is difficult in many ways, planning and executing a successful application deployment is as difficult as developing the application itself. There are a myriad of issues to consider is your topology sufficient to meet your application performance needs? Are both your network and applications secured from external intrusion and unauthorized internal access? Do you have a plan for managing upgrades to your application and to the software (application servers, databases, third-party libraries) on which your application depends? If you don t have the right answer for any of these questions, your application will not meet your user s needs, no matter how well it s written. Unfortunately, WebSphere system administrators and deployers often get the short end of the stick when educational resources are assigned. While it s often easy in many development shops to obtain authorization for a class on J2EE development, it s often harder to find a good class on administration and harder to justify the expense. Thus, there exists an urgent need for guides like the book you now hold. This book is a wonderful resource; not only does it contain detailed instructions on how to carry out the real work of building and deploying applications, but more importantly, it also provides a wealth of information on best practices for application deployment. I have immense respect for the authors of this book they are the true experts in their field. When someone needs an answer on application security, topology design, or deployment, no group is more qualified to provide it than the authors assembled for this book. They ve done a great job of capturing that knowledge here, and I m sure you ll benefit from it. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and start reading you ll find that the process of building and deploying your WebSphere applications will be better as a result. Kyle Brown Senior technical Staff Member IBM software Services for WebSphere Author of Enterprise Java programming with IBM WebSphere, Second Edition /> class="navigation"> Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Back Cover Copy The expert guide to deploying and managing any WebSphere Application Server V5.x application and environment If you’re a WebSphere Application Server administrator or developer, this is your advanced guide for delivering applications rapidly, running them smoothly, and administering them efficiently. Four leading IBM consultants draw on their years of experience to illuminate the key steps involved in taking WebSphere Application Server applications from development to production. They focus on the areas most crucial to success, including application assembly and build, application and infrastructure configuration and administration, and application testing and verification. Along the way, they show how to implement automated deployment processes that can be executed frequently, reliably, and quickly -- so you can get your applications to market fast. The focus is on WebSphere Application Server Version 5.1, but much of the information applies to other versions. Coverage includes:
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DB2(R) for z OS(R) Version 8 DBA Certification Guide (IBM Press Series--Information Management)by Susan Lawson List Price: $54.99 Available from Amazon $43.62 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Book Description The purpose of this book is to serve as a self-study guide for the certification test required to become an IBM Certified Database Administrator (DBA) for DB2 Universal Database (UDB) version 8. In order to become certified, you must pass two exams: 1. 700-IBM DB2 UDB Version 8 Family Fundamentals 2. 702-IBM DB2 UDB Version 8 for z/OS Database Administration In order to become an IBM Certified Database Administrator, you need to be familiar with the fundamentals of all DB2 platforms. This book covers DB2 UDB for z/OS, especially the topics on the 702 exam. If you are planning to become certified or would like an additional reference for information about DB2 for z/OS version 8, this book is for you. If you are interested in becoming an IBM Certified Professional, you will want to Review the sample questions inAppendix C. For details on the other platforms, such as UNIX and Linux, and details needed for the 700 exam, refer to the other certification guide: DB2 Universal Database Version 8 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows Database Administration Certification Guide, Fifth Edition , by George Baklarz and Bill Wong (Prentice Hall, 2003). The book is divided into five implicit sections. 1. Chapters 1-3 discuss the family of DB2 products, the DB2 z/OS environment, and access controls. 2. Chapters 4-6 cover the Structured Query Language (SQL), and its use, such as database objects creation, manipulation, and retrieval, as well as all DB2 database objects. 3. Chapters 7-9 describe common administration tasks and recovery issues. Chapter 9 also covers the architecture and implementation of data sharing in a parallel sysplex environment. 4. Chapters 10-12 provide an introduction to application development for DBAs and some of the additional considerations for application development. 5. Chapters 13-18 cover such topics as locking; advanced functions, such as stored procedures; and other object-relational extensions. Performance and optimization are covered in detail in Chapters 17 and 18. This book can be used as a self-study guide to help you prepare for the DB2 Universal Database V8 for z/OS DBA certification exam or simply as a guide to DB2 Universal Database V8 for z/OS. For information about the DB2 UDB family or other DB2 platforms, refer to the other certification books. For detailed information about the exams, refer to Appendix C. 0131491202P10082004 Back Cover Copy
IBM DB2 Universal Database Version 8 for z/OS offers enterprises unprecedented opportunities to integrate information, deliver it on demand, and manage it simply and cost-effectively. Now, one of the world's leading DB2 consultants presents the definitive guide to administering DB2 UDB V8 databases in z/OS environments. DB2 for z/OS Version 8 DBA Certification Guide also serves as a key tool for anyone preparing for IBM Certified Database Administrator for DB2 Universal Database V8 for z/OS certification. IBM Gold Consultant Susan Lawson presents hundreds of practical techniques, expert guidelines, and useful tips for every facet of DB2 UDB database administration, including database implementation, operation, recovery, security, auditing, performance, installation, migration, SQL, and more. Coverage includes
Whether you are administering DB2 UDB V8 in z/OS environments, planning to do so, or preparing for DB2 UDB V8 DBA certification, DB2 for z/OS Version 8 DBA Certification Guide will be your single most valuable resource. |
The Intelligent Investor Rev Ed. (Collins Business Essentials)by Benjamin Graham and Jason Zweig List Price: $19.95 Available from Amazon $11.97 On 7-22-2006
See Item's Page Product Review Among the library of investment books promising no-fail strategies for riches, Benjamin Graham's classic, The Intelligent Investor, offers no guarantees or gimmicks but overflows with the wisdom at the core of all good portfolio management. The hallmark of Graham's philosophy is not profit maximization but loss minimization. In this respect, The Intelligent Investor is a book for true investors, not speculators or day traders. He provides, "in a form suitable for the laymen, guidance in adoption and execution of an investment policy" (1). This policy is inherently for the longer term and requires a commitment of effort. Where the speculator follows market trends, the investor uses discipline, research, and his analytical ability to make unpopular but sound investments in bargains relative to current asset value. Graham coaches the investor to develop a rational plan for buying stocks and bonds, and he argues that this plan must be a bulwark against emotional behavior that will always be tempting during abrupt bull and bear markets. Since it was first published in 1949, Graham's investment guide has sold over a million copies and has been praised by such luminaries as Warren E. Buffet as "the best book on investing every written." These accolades are well deserved. In its new form--with commentary on each chapter and extensive footnotes prepared by senior Money editor, Jason Zweig--the classic is now updated in light of changes in investment vehicles and market activities since 1972. What remains is a better book. Graham's sage advice, analytical guides, and cautionary tales are still valid for the contemporary investor, and Zweig's commentaries demonstrate the relevance of Graham's principles in light of 1990s and early twenty-first century market trends. --Patrick O'Kelley
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