What’s it about?

PHP5 Social Networking by Michael Peacock is a complete detail packed reference on how to build your own social network. Weighing in at over 400 pages this book isn’t a quick read but it has a wealth of information for those people looking for answers to common social network construction questions. Everything is covered from user profiles and groups to activity streams and events. You will even construct your own API.

The author starts off deconstructing a handfull of popular social networks down to their most basic features and functions. He then puts together a list of the features they all have in common and that becomes the feature list of the network you will build throughout the book. From that point on the author walks  you step by step through the creation of your own PHP framework and social network for dinosaur owners (yeah, I said dinosaurs). Finally, the book wraps up with some sections on hosting and maintaining your site as well as marketing it to your users.

Pros and Cons

I could have really used this book a year or two ago when I first started building myScoutPath. Everything is here to get you well on your way to a fully functioning social network with all the bells and whistles. The author does a good job at walking the reader through each solution and what they can do to improve them further. The examples are also clear enough where you can take what you learn and implement it with whatever framework or architecture you choose.

If they could improve anything I would say cut down on the code samples a little bit. Complete code libraries are printed throughout the book and I think it makes it unnecessarily big and potentially overwhelming to some. Maybe just provide excerpts from libraries within the book; users can view the complete source code later on if they wish anyway.

I don’t recommend sitting down and reading this book cover to cover unless you’re in for a nap (as with any technical book). Seek out the sections that you’re curious about the most and dig in. There’s a little something for everybody.

CodeIgniter 1.7 Professional Development is a complete soup to nuts overview of the CI framework. Coming in at 10 chapters and around 260 pages this book is perfect for those new to CI. The book starts out with reviewing CIs MVC architecture, system libraries and form validation techniques. Then the author dedicates 2 chapters to user authentication and walks you through building your own authentication solution (includes details on oAuth and Facebook Connect). Application security, large scale development and extending CIs core is also covered in later chapters. All in all this book provides a very well rounded sampling of topics for complete newbies and experienced developers alike.

The one chapter I found most informative was chapter 8 Web Services. Like most developers, I have done quite a bit of work with consuming APIs but never had to write one of my own. Recently however I was charged with the task of writing an API that other developers would be interacting with and I had to stumble along and come up with my own solution. In chapter 8 the author reviews web services in depth and how to create your own REST service using CI. Very helpful for those new to that particular topic.

To be honest, when I first received the book I was a little disappointed. I’m not a CI beginner so I was hoping for a lot more advanced items, answers to questions I’ve been struggling with myself. But after spending some time with the book and writing this review I think I have changed my tune. The author spends ample time on the basic stuff but also finds time to touch on more advanced topics like user authentication (with oAuth and Facebook Connect), application security and web service development.

If you are a professional web worker who uses CI in your day to day activities then you should consider getting this book. There is a little something for everyone.

I have discovered a better way to gain access to the latest tech books for a fraction of the cost. In this post I will introduce you to Safari Books Online and what it has to offer.

Safari Books Online

Image by iogi via Flickr

I’m sure most techies are familiar with the O’Reilly publishing company. O’Reilly is behind all those books with the creepy black and white animals on the cover. In 2001 they released Safari Books Online which is an online service you can subscribe to and get access to tech and business books online. The concept is straight forward, for a set price per month you get access to their complete online library of books. You also get a certain number of download credits each month which allow you to download chapters of books.

When I first heard of the service I have to admit I was skeptical. I prefer flipping through the pages of a book instead of searching through a PDF file or some other computer format. But, I figured I would give it a shot to see what there was to see.

Features

With a Safari subscription you have access to over 6000 titles online. You also get access to O’Reilly Rough Cuts and Short Cuts. Rough Cuts are pre-published manuscripts on the newest technologies, so you can be the first kid on your block to learn the latest and greatest before it’s officially published. Short cuts are short publications aimed at solving daily problems and are only available online.

In addition to the books, you also have access to thousands of hours of expert-led instruction videos. The subjects range from PHP to CSS and beyond. So for those visual learners out there, Safari Books Online has something for you to. And as I stated above you also have download credits you can use to download book chapters and complete books in PDF format. Finally, Safari subscribers get up to 35% off purchasing books in print through O’Reilly. Everybody loves a discount!

Safari accounts allow you to search through the entire library for specific titles or subjects. You can also search within a given book which beats flipping through an index any day. As you read you can make notes of things you want to remember and save where you leave off with bookmarks.

Pricing

There are 2 ways you can subscribe to Safari Books Online: Safari Library and Safari Bookshelf. A library subscription gives you unlimited access to all the features I mentioned above for just $42.99 a month or $472.89 a year. So, for about the same price as buying one tech book a month, you get access to over 6000. Not a bad deal.

The bookshelf subscription option is a much more limited account type. You can only read full text of up to 10 books of your choice each month. You also don’t have access to videos, Rough Cuts, or the full book downloads. But, it costs about half the price of a library subscription: $22.99 per month or $252.99 per year. So for those of you that don’t use books all the much and don’t care about video, this might be the better option for you.

If the price still seems a bit too high for you personally, you might be able to get your company to help pay for it. Check out Safari Books Online for Workgroups.

Overall Opinion

I think the Safari Books Online service is great! I’ve been an on and off user now for a couple of years and I couldn’t be happier. The cost of the library plan seemed a bit high to me at first, but after putting it in perspective it turns out to be a great deal. I can find what I’m looking for faster with online searching and I don’t have a bunch of door stops taking up shelf space when I’m done.

Another cool thing that I’ll mention is they just released an iPhone app. The app lets you view chapters and books in PDF format that you have used your credits to download. Although you can’t yet read books online using the app, I think it’s a step in the right direction and I’m excited to see where it goes.

See for yourself what Safari Books Online can do by signing up for a free trial.