Book Review: Windows Developer Power Tools
 
Published: 22 May 2007
Abstract
Do you want to know more information about the various tools available for software and web development? "Windows Developer Power Tools" by James Avery and Jim Holmes covers some of them. Find out if the book contains the information you are looking for by reading Anand's review.
by Anand Narayanaswamy
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Introduction

Third party software plays an important role in software/web development life of a programmer. The software not only reduces the development time, but also increases productivity among developers. There are lot of tools and applications available on the web. However, it is difficult to search and bring them under a single umbrella. "Windows Developer Power Tools" by James Avery and Jim Holmes effectively points out nearly 170+ interesting tools along with relevant explanation regarding the usage of each one of them.

Inside the Book

The book consists of 23 chapters divided into 7 parts and also contains an appendix which examines some of the common tasks which you will perform with Visual Studio 2005. Each part analyzes the tools used for performing specific jobs. Chapter 1 examines the tools used for building ASP.NET applications. While chapter 2 provides a concise coverage about the tools used for working with Windows Forms, such as Krypton Toolkit, DockPanel Suite and XP Common Controls. Chapter 3 is an excellent resource as it contains information regarding the various tools used for programming with .NET 3.0 or WinFx. The remaining chapter’s provides a comprehensive coverage of the tools used for working with code libraries, generating and writing code, creation of documentation from source code and the different ways by which you can enhance Visual Studio 2005 with the help of add-ins, such as CopySourceAsHtml and Power Toys. The author also outlines the usage of third party software, such as SkmFAQs.

Part 2 and 3 provides an exhaustive coverage of the tools used for code checking and running a development project. I am sure that the chapters in these parts will benefit advanced developers to solidify their knowledge. The authors have also provided adequate coverage to the various tools used for troubleshooting and debugging applications, such as TCPView, Regmon, Fiddler and NProf, including a short coverage of the usage of decompilers and obfuscators.

While Part 5 outlines some of the important security related tools including Framework and XML based tools, such as eXml, XInclude .NET and EXSLT.NET, Part 6 deals with the usage of database oriented tools, such as SQLite Administrator and relational mapping, such as NPersist and NHibernate. Moreover, the author also examines the management of Oracle databases with Oracle SQL Developer. I would suggest the authors provide a detailed coverage about popular web based database administration softwares, such as MyLittleAdmin and Microsoft’s SQL Web Data Administrator.

The complete Table of Contents of the book can be accessed at the website of the publisher. This will help the buyers get a complete picture regarding what is actually covered on the book. The final part examines the tools used for enhancing web development and boosting productivity with Windows utilities, such as CygWin. Even though the book examines the various tools, the authors have missed providing coverage about some of the other interesting tools, such as SourceFormatX, MojoPortal, Umbraco and ScrewTurn Wiki.

Moreover, almost all the tools and applications covered on the book will rapidly change as they are in constant development. Hence, the authors should provide updates through a website regarding the changes to the various tools and applications.

Conclusion

Overall, I feel that the book is a good reference material for developers as it will surely benefit them someday.

About the Reviewer

Anand Narayanaswamy (Microsoft MVP and Chief Technical Editor, ASPAlliance.com) is the author of Community Server Quickly.

About the Book

Title

Windows Developer Power Tools

Author

James Avery, Jim Holmes

Publisher

O'Reilly

ISBN

978-0596527549

Edition

First

Pages

1308

Price

US $59.99

Rating

****

 



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