Marc reviewed Java Fundamentals I and II (Video Training) by Deitel and Associates Inc. and gave it 6 out of 10 horseshoes. (Amazon)

This was basically fourteen hours of staring at code already written in a NetBeans editor while a faceless (and somewhat monotone) voice explained how the code works. The mouse pointer moves around or highlights some text to point out a particular area of code, the lessons sometimes shift to JavaDoc or a diagram, and you see Paul's face while he gives the intro and summary of each lesson – but it wasn't enough to keep me engaged. ... Overall, this LiveLessons DVD pack isn't horrible - I simply think the Deitel book is a better value ...

You can read the full review and discuss it here.

Marc reviewed Service Oriented Java Business Integration by Binildas C. A. and gave it 5 out of 10 horseshoes.

I was hoping to simply learn more about Java Business Integration. The first 70 pages are a decent start on this. Following that, however, Apache ServiceMix component tutorials abound, and not in an entertaining cover-to-cover read kind of way. ... There isn't much of a practical flow from chapter to chapter, the "Use Cases" never really explain the problems that the samples solve ... If you're working with ServiceMix but are frustrated by a lack of documentation, then this book might be the right fit for you. Otherwise I recommend you save your money for something else.

You can read the full review and discuss it here.

Jesper reviewed Ajax - The Complete Reference by Thomas A. Powell and gave it 9 out of 10 horseshoes.

The book isn't just a cookbook that explains step by step how to build an Ajax web application - it focuses on making robust and secure applications that will work well on the different browsers and operating systems that are out there. ... I would highly recommend this book to people who are developing serious Ajax web applications. This book contains a lot of valuable information, I certainly learned a lot by reading it.

You can read the full review and discuss it here.