Learning XNA 4.0 - Game Development for the PC, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7

Good software design is simple and easy to understand. Unfortunately, the average computer program today is so complex that no one could possibly comprehend how all the code works. This concise guide helps you understand the fundamentals of good design through scientific laws—principles you can apply to any programming language or project from here to eternity.

Whether you’re a junior programmer, senior software engineer, or non-technical manager, you’ll learn how to create a sound plan for your software project, and make better decisions about the pattern and structure of your system.

• Discover why good software design has become the missing science
• Understand the ultimate purpose of software and the goals of good design
• Determine the value of your design now and in the future
• Examine real-world examples that demonstrate how a system changes over time
• Create designs that allow for the most change in the environment with the least change in the software
• Make easier changes in the future by keeping your code simpler now
• Gain better knowledge of your software’s behavior with more accurate tests

Get a head start on building apps for Windows 8. With a series of examples, this hands-on guide takes you through the process of creating complete touch-enabled apps that respond to native sensors. Through the course of the book, you’ll learn how to work with the Windows Runtime application model while building a Bing Image Search app.

If you’re an experienced .NET developer who wants to get up to speed with Windows 8, this book provides the expertise and C# code samples you need.

• Get a high-level overview of Windows 8 features—from the Start Screen to in-app features such as the Application Bar
• Begin by building a simple app to retrieve Bing image search results from a web service
• Learn about the components needed to complete the app, including UI design, the MVVM architectural pattern, and “tombstoning”
• Take advantage of native OS features such as tiles, file pickers, and sharing requests
• Examine the steps necessary to publish an app to the Windows Store

If you're new to JavaScript, or an experienced web developer looking to improve your skills, Learning JavaScript provides you with complete, no-nonsense coverage of this quirky yet essential language for web development. You'll learn everything from primitive data types to complex features, including JavaScript elements involved with Ajax and dynamic page effects. By the end of the book, you'll be able to work with even the most sophisticated libraries and web applications.

Complete with best practices and examples of JavaScript use, this new edition shows you how to integrate the language with the browser environment, and how to practice proper coding techniques for standards-compliant websites. This book will help you:

• Learn the JavaScript application structure, including basic statements and control structures
• Identify JavaScript objects -- String, Number, Boolean, Function, and more
• Use browser debugging tools and troubleshooting techniques
• Understand event handling, form events, and JavaScript applications with forms
• Develop with the Browser Object Model, the Document Object Model, and custom objects you create
• Learn about browser cookies and more modern client-side storage techniques
• Get details for using XML or JSON with Ajax applications

Now you can build your own games for your Xbox 360®, Windows® Phone 7, or Windows-based PC—as you learn the underlying concepts for computer programming. Use this hands-on guide to dive straight into your first project—adding new tools and tricks to your arsenal as you go. No experience required!

• Learn XNA and C# fundamentals—and increase the challenge with each chapter
• Write code to create and control game behavior
• Build your game’s display—from graphics and text to lighting and 3-D effects
• Capture and cue sounds
• Process input from keyboards and gamepads
• Create features for one or multiple players
• Tweak existing games—and invent totally new ones

You may be contemplating your first Linux installation. Or you may have been using Linux for years and need to know more about adding a network printer or setting up an FTP server. Running Linux, now in its fifth edition, is the book you'll want on hand in either case. Widely recognized in the Linux community as the ultimate getting-started and problem-solving book, it answers the questions and tackles the configuration issues that frequently plague users, but are seldom addressed in other books.

This fifth edition of Running Linux is greatly expanded, reflecting the maturity of the operating system and the teeming wealth of software available for it. Hot consumer topics such as audio and video playback applications, groupware functionality, and spam filtering are covered, along with the basics in configuration and management that always have made the book popular.

Running Linux covers basic communications such as mail, web surfing, and instant messaging, but also delves into the subtleties of network configuration--including dial-up, ADSL, and cable modems--in case you need to set up your network manually. The book can make you proficient on office suites and personal productivity applications--and also tells you what programming tools are available if you're interested in contributing to these applications.

Other new topics in the fifth edition include encrypted email and filesystems, advanced shell techniques, and remote login applications. Classic discussions on booting, package management, kernel recompilation, and X configuration have also been updated.

The authors of Running Linux have anticipated problem areas, selected stable and popular solutions, and provided clear instructions to ensure that you'll have a satisfying experience using Linux. The discussion is direct and complete enough to guide novice users, while still providing the additional information experienced users will need to progress in their mastery of Linux.

Whether you're using Linux on a home workstation or maintaining a network server, Running Linux will provide expert advice just when you need it.