Re: [sqlite] ANN: O'Reilly book "Using SQLite" available for pre-order
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 05/04/2010 07:30 PM, Doug wrote: > Sure, if the book is just a copy-paste of the website, > that's not too helpful. But hopefully things are stated differently, or > examples are given which can be valuable. I picked some random spots to check: "GROUP BY" - several paragraphs in the book and 3 sentences in the SQLite doc. I think they could both do with a lot of improvement especially in showing how it differs from "ORDER BY", using and not using aggregate functions etc. In both cases there is no way I could read the description and then explain what it actually did given some examples unless I knew SQL already. Date/Time - A "chapter" in both and both are pretty good, but with a little more content and warnings in the book, but for example the book omits to mention how Vista will screw up timezone calculations. It also advises on the textual representation being less efficient but doesn't give useful advice on how much. For example if it takes 5% longer to sort a million dates stored in text vs number then that may be acceptable but if it is 500 times as much then not. FTS3 - The book is virtually useless despite having a page or two. You'd still have to look online to work out how it actually works, how to add data, query formats, stemming etc. Virtual tables - The online doc gives better information on the distinction between xCreate and xConnect. The book pretty much avoids any detail on xBestIndex. This is by far the most complex method and very hard to understand and get right until you have worked with it a few times. SQLITE_DEFAULT_FILE_FORMAT - Book names the SQLite version that introduced the new format (3.3.0) and adds a caveat about SQL parsing on open. A little more useful than web site but then the web site does have a more detailed page about backwards compatibility and for example mentions which versions can't cope with a database where ALTER TABLE ADD COLUMN has been used. ALTER TABLE - both have a page of doc with the web site mentioning the version issue and the book not. The wording is a little different between them in some places but neither is clearer. Neither gives an actual example. abs() - One page in the book and one paragraph on the web site. The web site is better as it explains what happens if you pass in a string that cannot be converted to a number as well as Abs(-MAXINT64) glob() - Tersely described on both, both referring to the GLOB SQL keyword. Of course you can click in the web site but not a book. Book is better for GLOB keyword actually mentioning what the match syntax is, but excludes any examples. Neither mentioned anything about the international issues (eg does [a-z] also include é? max() - Book separates scalar vs aggregate into separate pages, neglects to mention the collation functionality that is described on the web site. pragma index_info - Two sentences, one diagram, no example in the book and one sentence gibberish on the web site. Neither the book nor the site go into usable detail about Unicode, locales, internationalization, localization, the right way to deal with it in SQLite etc. So on the whole the reference stuff in book doesn't really add anything over the web and can be wrong or misleading. It could be better by giving examples. It could show what happens when irregular or out of bounds values are supplied. It could give performance considerations. And if it was removed the book would be a lot shorter. (Presumably computer books are bought on thickness no matter how much of that repeats what you can see in your browser.) Although I may seem negative, this is a constant glass half full thing that really annoys me. Sure it is a lot of effort to author a book to the point that it is somewhat equivalent to the web site, but so many times things stop there. To me it is only what happens beyond that that makes a book valuable and I'm hoping that will happen with this one. Roger -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkvjQvIACgkQmOOfHg372QQP5wCePiqnhJS/XFKTEyoJBrKiqqPb P34AoI5OTGlLZe/Dmp9yniNVxJ8GKCyy =MvMI -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ sqlite-users mailing list sqlite-users@sqlite.org http://sqlite.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sqlite-users
Re: [sqlite] ANN: O'Reilly book "Using SQLite" available for pre-order
> I've always been mystified why these kind of books duplicate > installation instructions that already exist on the download site of whatever they > are documenting. Same thing with the copious amounts of 'reference' > information that adds no value over what is on the web site and the book will > quickly become out of date. It's quite hard to add comments in the margin of a website (you should see my OpenSSL book!). Sure, if the book is just a copy-paste of the website, that's not too helpful. But hopefully things are stated differently, or examples are given which can be valuable. Good luck with the book Jay. Doug ___ sqlite-users mailing list sqlite-users@sqlite.org http://sqlite.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sqlite-users
[sqlite] ANN: O'Reilly book "Using SQLite" available for pre-order
On 05/04/2010 02:19 PM, Jay A. Kreibich wrote: | I invite all SQLite list members to register and participate: Something I always hope for in a book are specific examples of the use of a specific API (as defined by wikipedia) to get from a program environment to another program or data engine, e.g. SQLite. I am always disappointed. Assuming for example, that the subject of the book is SQLite, the closest I get is a generic statement such as "There are API's which will allow a C programmer to access the SQLite database." Whoopie! My fingers automatically learn how this is done! My brain sure doesn't. It would be most useful to a jillion programmers if there were at least three specific code samples which show how the recommended Windows, Mac and Linux/Unix programming environments create, modify and query an SQLite table. Then my brain would be off and running, and I will buy that author's books until I die. I would also create that end-all application before I die. SQLite looks like a lovely little database engine. I sure would like to know how to get at it from other than the command line. By the way, books are not the only culprits. I have tried to get a handle on how to get from Objective-C to SQLite by using Apples Developer Documentation. After many tries trudging down their never-ending links, I still haven't reached Nirvana. Same with the SQLite site. Hal ___ sqlite-users mailing list sqlite-users@sqlite.org http://sqlite.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sqlite-users
Re: [sqlite] ANN: O'Reilly book "Using SQLite" available for pre-order
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 05/04/2010 02:19 PM, Jay A. Kreibich wrote: > I invite all SQLite list members to register and participate: OpenID - no need for yet another username and password. I've always been mystified why these kind of books duplicate installation instructions that already exist on the download site of whatever they are documenting. Same thing with the copious amounts of 'reference' information that adds no value over what is on the web site and the book will quickly become out of date. I suggest there is far more value in the kind of questions that pop up here fairly frequently. For example a lot more detail on modeling trees with a thorough worked example (eg storing information about every file on a filesystem) and way more on performance (how to measure it, how to diagnose where the time goes, how to reduce time taken, concurrency etc). Roger -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ iEYEARECAAYFAkvgsFwACgkQmOOfHg372QTCcQCfZZBo5oRgCuSr/xBt5NoP+Kd1 zS8AoJMepLyfYHM9FbUvbl1J0ISCvc4Y =zrYM -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ sqlite-users mailing list sqlite-users@sqlite.org http://sqlite.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sqlite-users
[sqlite] ANN: O'Reilly book "Using SQLite" available for pre-order
In conjunction with O'Reilly Media, I am happy to announce that the book "Using SQLite" is now available for pre-order. When released later this summer, the title should also be available in several popular ebook formats. O'Reilly Media: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596521189/ Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Using-SQLite-Jay-Kreibich/dp/0596521189/ You can help! "Using SQLite" is taking part in O'Reilly Lab's "Open Feedback Publishing System" (OFPS). While we continue to prepare the final draft, you can read an online version of the book and leave feedback. Changes and edits to the current draft are pushed to the website daily, allowing you to track and watch as the book takes its final form. I invite all SQLite list members to register and participate: http://using-sqlite.labs.oreilly.com/ Thank you for your help and support! -j -- Jay A. Kreibich < J A Y @ K R E I B I.C H > "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor." "I'll go home and see if I can scrounge up a ruler and a piece of string." --from Anathem by Neal Stephenson ___ sqlite-users mailing list sqlite-users@sqlite.org http://sqlite.org:8080/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sqlite-users
