Dynamic HTML GUIs

This book covers a lot of nice material. I find myself referencing it all the time. Just about anything you'd want to do with javascript / HTML is here. However, this book is not for the javascript novice. It also, is NOT a javascript tutorial by any means. In addition, a complaint I had is that the code isn't on a Cd, you have to download it from their site. Also, the routines they use to manipulate objects are wrapped in their javascript code and it appears what they are calling, is native javascript code. This was unnverving until I figured out you had to include a 30K include file. I also found some of the examples didn't run nicely on all browsers (not surprising with DHTML). However, this book does cover a lot of ground and prepares the developer for the arduous task of creating DHTML pages. They do some very cool things with it and it is worth checking out.

the Web would be a better place.It's clear that the authors have thought about what makes a better Web site, and not just about the code. Too many 'dynamic HTML' sites are ugly creatures designed to show off the developer's programming skills rather than help people get actual work done. This book doesn't let you do the damage until it's had a chance to explain that there are better things to do with dynamic HTML, things that will keep users coming back.Technically, I thought this was excellent. There were a lot of fine points about both the Netscape and Microsoft models that had slipped by, and excellent notes on ways to make other parts of the Web infrastructure, like HTTP, do some of your work for you. It's a bit long, but I enjoy coming back to it regularly. And heck, magnetic poetry is fun!

This book reveals the history of GUIs and places the choices you are about to make on your job within the context of past mistakes, current ignorance and foreshadowing of the future. This book provides code examples that are immediately applicable and justifies every decision within a historical and a practical context. The authors treat the developer as a well educated, motivated developer who truly wishes to develop interfaces that are human empowering. This book should be required reading before being allowed to purchase a domain name!!!

I seldom read "doorstop" techology books -- you know, the 600-1000 page works focused on exhaustive reference and tutorials into some technology. The good ones sit on my desk like a dictionary, waiting for me to look up a particular syntax for something. The bad ones prop up my monitor.This book, however, does neither. Champeon does great job doing what it's advertised as doing: You can use his work to step you through the daunting task of building interfaces to Web applications that work in both browsers. With a supporting Web site for downloading the code he refers to in the book, you'll have a complete package for taking the next step in dynamic development for the Web.But he doesn't stop there. While so many technical books give you the nuts and bolts to build your projects, so few give you anything else. Champeon realizes that this is only the end of a long process of understanding the reasons WHY you should build sites the way he suggests. To drive home his point, he digs into the history of interface theory: from the early command-line interfaces, to modern GUIs, and now the advent of powerful tools displayed through hypertext interfaces.Without this understanding of the fundamentals of good, user-centered design, any interface you build will fail. This book will give you that understanding, plus to tools to put that knowledge into practice.If only all technical authors understood this...

All I can say is that this book is a breath of fresh air to professionals who are tired of the remedial skill-review, 'for dummies' approach to Internet books. We finally have a DHTML book written by programmers for programmers!