The first thing I noticed when opening the book was the low page count. For a hefty $20, one would expect more than 68 pages (including dedication, intro, ToC, etc). One shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (or page count), though, so I dove in enthusiastically, disregarding this.
The book has a total of 15 chapters, and only really starts in chapter 7. If you just read Peter’s tutorial on code analysis tools and are familiar with environment isolation like Vagrant (e.g. our Homestead Improved box), you can skip right to it, as those are the only topics the author touches on in those first 22 pages. Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from there due to the severe outdatedness.
Thanks! I try to be as objective as possible and make myself not pull punches - generally trying to write reviews like those I’d find useful before thinking about the purchase of a book.
Based on what you had to say about the first book I am surprised that you rated it one out of 5. The last time I reviewed a book that was that outdated I gave it zero out of 5.
The first half is “ok” for someone who isn’t introduced to the basic concepts I mention and can therefore be useful. A book would have to be actually harmful for me to give it a zero, which this is not.
Author here. Can’t find much to disagree with in Bruno’s review. The book needs an update as things have changed. It is on my list of things to do in the spring.
Um. Well, so you know in the future - I always put a conclusion at the bottom of my reviews, along with a score, so if you stumble upon any future ones, keep that in mind.
Um. Because everyone always wades through a pile of shit to get to a one line of real / useful value? It was obvious pretty early what you weren’t interest in. We got the point.
I have to tell you, I think you’re losing more people than you’re enlightening. Is that the goal?
Why “wade” further, then? The value of a review is objectively explaining what’s wrong so the author can focus on it. If you’re not interested in the details, skip to the end.
Yes, please don’t speak for me. I don’t know you and you don’t know me, so please don’t say “We”, as it isn’t the case (and unless you are voted as a spokesperson by a group of people or are the leader of anything, it is actually always the case).
