From the book lists at Adware Report:

All information current as of 03:12:03 Pacific Time, Monday, 7 March 2005. Webmaster in a Nutshell, Third Edition    by Stephen Spainhour / Robert Eckstein   Paperback:     O'Reilly     01 December, 2002    US$23.07       Usually ships in 24 hours Click the button below to . . .      (which will add the book to your Amazon U.S.A. "Shopping Cart") . . . or use your browser's Back button to return to the search-list page.

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Editorial description(s):

Amazon.com
Today's Webmasters must be literate in a number of different--and ever-evolving-- languages and technologies. Webmaster in a Nutshell is meant as a tool for dealing with this demanding requirement. Although this title leans a bit toward freeware tools, it offers plenty of universal information as well.

This guide briefly tours the Web and covers basic HTML, tables, forms, and frames in a series of quick reads. (This discussion offers just enough information to jog the memory to proper HTML usage.) You'll get in-depth coverage of cascading style sheets (CSS), the Extensible Markup Language (XML), JavaScript, HTTP, CGI, and Perl. Stephen Spainhour and Robert Eckstein explore CSS in brief but do cover the pending W3C standard. They also provide a refreshingly quick overview of XML. To present JavaScript, the book makes excellent use of diagrams to illustrate the object hierarchy and the way the language works with windows and frames.

Webmaster takes on a decidedly public domain slant in its presentation of server configuration, primarily aimed at the freeware Apache server, and PHP, the freeware server-side scripting language. Even if you don't code with these tools, however, this book offers plenty of industry-standard reference. --Stephen Plain --This text refers to the edition.


From Book News, Inc.
The third edition of this reference for Web developers is updated to the latest versions of Apache, PHP, and JavaScript. It also includes more information on mod_perl and on improving performance on the Web. Coverage includes HTML, cascading style sheets, XML, JavaScript, CGI and Perl, PHP, HTTP, and server configuration.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Info
Pulls together all the essential reference information for webmasters working on Unix-based web servers. Softcover. --This text refers to the edition.


The publisher, O'Reilly and Associates
Do you have too many books about the Web and not enough space on your bookshelf? WebMaster in a Nutshell takes all the essential reference information for the Web and pulls it together into one slim volume. This book is a quick reference for anyone who does work on the Web - content providers, programmers, and administrators alike. WebMaster in a Nutshell covers: HTML 3.2, the markup language for web documents CGI, for creating interactive content on the Web JavaScript, a scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML HTML extensions by Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 Examples and descriptions of the HTML tags for creating frames, tables, and fill-in forms HTTP 1.1, the underlying protocol that drives the Web Configuration for the Apache, NCSA, CERN, Netscape, and WebSite servers Perl 5, the programming language used most often for CGI WinCGI, the CGI interface for Windows-based programming languages Cookies, for maintaining state between multiple instances of CGI, Java, and JavaScript programs Server Side Includes, for embedding dynamic data into web pages WebMaster in a Nutshell breaks up these topics into concise, distinct chapters, designed to make it easy to find the information you want at a moment's notice. This is a book that anyone working seriously on the Web will find indispensable. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Book Description
First, there was HTML. Then along came JavaScript. Close on the heels of JavaScript came CSS and before you mastered that, along came XML. Behind every successful web page is an overworked and underappreciated webmaster with a big pile of books about various web technologies spilling out across their desk. That collection of books is a valuable resource for delving into the topics at depth (and at leisure). But when you need an answer fast, the dog-eared book you'll turn to again and again is the new third edition of Webmaster in a Nutshell. This concise and portable quick reference distills an immense amount of information on several languages and technologies into one compact reference book. This is one book that will pay for itself a thousand times over in time saved and increased productivity. Webmaster in a Nutshell puts a fast-paced introduction, detailed reference section, and quick reference guide to each technology all within easy reach. It's packed full of the genuinely useful information a webmaster needs daily, whatever the technology.




Reader review(s):

2nd Ed now has HTML4, CSS + XML, but missing Perl Quick Ref, January 7, 2000
As an avid fan of the first edition, I was delighted to discover that the second edition covered HTML4, Cascading Style Sheets, XML and the new JavaScript functions.

The book excells as a quick reference to these and virtually all other webmaster areas, including Apache server configuration, CGI variables and much more. You just can't beat it. It replaces half a dozen books costing thirty or fourty quid each!

Once you've grasped the basics of HTML and JavaScript, this may well be the only reference book you ever need.

Now on to the nitpicking... and why I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

I was exceptionally disappointed to see that the Perl Quick Reference that I had been so fond of in the first edition had now been replaced with a mere overview of the cgi.pm module; and that a quick reference to the PHP scripting language appeared to have taken Perl's place.

Yes, I have other Perl references. Heck, I've *already* got the Perl Pocket Reference, Perl In A Nutshell and Linux In A Nutshell (which includes a Perl Quick Ref). But that's not the point.

The second edition, like the first, sells itself as the only book you'll keep on your desktop (as opposed to on your shelf). Sorry, but with the Perl Quick Ref missing, this just isn't true anymore. Perl is the number one CGI programming language and the number one quick fix language. Whatever you want to do, you can rattle up a quick and dirty Perl solution in seconds. PHP just isn't up in that category. I need a Perl Quick Reference on my desk at all times.

I just don't understand the decision to cut the Perl Quick Ref, since it only took up a dozen pages or so. It was as vital to any half decent webmaster as the HTML or JavaScript sections.

O'Reilly, *please*, put back the Perl Quick Ref and earn yourself the full five stars.

A DEPENDABLE MINI-REFERENCE, January 12, 2003
This newly released Third Edition of "Webmaster in a Nutshell" indicates a promising improvement over the Second Edition. It is one of the few books that completely analysed all the contemporary web technologies we use today: JavaScript, Apache, XML, HTML, HTTP, PHP, CSS, and CGI. This book will benefit any web-developer (or enthusiast) who pays close attention to it. Most of the chapters have been revised, and additional updates embraced JavaScript, PHP, Apache, and CSS. The book's wide coverage makes it a dependable mini-reference text.

You won't become a real webmaster by reading that book, November 15, 2002
Why ? Simply because It's not at all about Webmastering but only about Design (few)/Development, read the TOC:
- HTML/XML
- JavaScript
- CGI/PERL
- PHP
- CSS (3rd edition)
- Apache functions

There's nothing about:
- promoting your website: reference it, ad...
- project management/deployment
- internet/intranet
- design/graphics
- internet law: think about it twice before publishing your website!
- webmaster tools: mailing lists, forums...
...

You will only learn the basics of HTML, JavaScript, CGI/PERL, PHP, CSS (3rd edition) and Apache Web Server. So It's good for an introduction about Web Design (HTML/CSS), Web Development (PHP, CGI/PERL) but I really think some other books are really meant to deal with such topics.

Webmastering is not only about knowing a few tips & tricks about Web Design & Development, HTML or JavaScript. Once the web site is designed and developped, you can't just upload it to a FTP and wait for the visitors to come, you have to promote it, to maintain it... Raise it like your own child or it will become a guttersnipe that no one will ever want to meet again after the first meeting.

I advice you to read "Webmastering for Dummies" if you want to learn the basics of Webmastering and get books like "PHP & MySQL Development", "PHP Professional", "HTML Bible" to master the programming languages of the web. Reading some books about Application Design and Usability is also a good idea,...

So after reading that book, do you really think you can become your own webmaster ?

Life easier, desktop manageable with 2003 THIRD edition, March 4, 2003
I invested in a copy of the THIRD edition and am DELIGHTED. This reference does a good job of putting all the day-to-day needed information in one place. It saves me froming having to keep separate references on HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, CGI/Perl, HTTP, PHP, Apache functions, etc. right in my face.

I really applaud the compact and accessible way each chapter organizes and presents the details of syntax: they are clear yet take up much less space (1/5 the pages of books that are billed as references to each of the subjects included here) while giving you 95% of what a "comprehensive reference" might. I had been concerned that the information might be too compressed to be accessible, but in fact this volume is so much easier to scan through for an answer than many other reference styles. (Kudos to the book designers at O'Reilly!)

Although a reference work, it is not only a listing of syntax (as helpful as those lists are). The authors have compiled pretty readable and thorough mini-backgrounds and basic principles for each of the enormous realms that they document here. These are providing some reminders for me as I am ramp up my knowledgebase and skills; plus there are hints that I have not yet seen elsewhere in weightier tomes (e.g., on performance).

Readers may save themselves some money and desktop/bookshelf space + save some trees: this Nutshell is a vast storehouse that may enable you to forestall buying reference volumes for each of the topics covered here. Thanks to Spainhour & Eckstein for some careful work!

Note to aspiring (novice) webmasters: this IS a REFERENCE book. That is not a bad thing. You'll still appreciate having it by your side because you're regularly going to have basic questions about formating ("how do I say this in CSS instead of HTML?"). However, as one young reviewer below discovered, to BECOME a webmaster (or master) is going to require some "Quickstart" books, some instruction in DESIGN, and STRATEGY, etc. Bon voyage!

[ Further note from my earlier review: be sure you are NOT getting EARLIER edition. Complaints mentioned (below) in reviews of this book are rectified in the THIRD edition (ISBN ). It's probably a good idea to be watching as the reviews of that December 20002 volume to see how the work has changed.
In any event, with browsers and markup languages changing so fast almost everyone can be advised to jump to considering the most current edition -- even though (as of this writing) new copies of this 1999 second edition are still available. ]

Excellent Reference For Any Web Designer, June 25, 2000
As a part-time web designer, I'm always looking to learn more "web tricks" and WebMaster In a Nutshell allows me to do just that. The second edition of this book covers so many different aspects of web development. It devotes chapters to new developments in HTML (HTML 4) and JavaScript. There are also chapters devoted to Cascading Style Sheets, XML, CGI, Apache modules, and HTTP itself.

All current HTML tags and attributes are listed, along with JavaScript event handlers. Tables, frames, character entries and color values are also covered in various chapters. Very handy material!

While this is definitely not a tutorial book, it does contain lots of reference material and I learned a few new tricks reading through this book. It's one I'll know I'll refer to again and again when I have a question about how to do a particular task while working on one of my websites.

Also recommended: HTML 4 Visual Quick Start Guide by Elizabeth Castro; and UNIX in A Nutshell by Arnold Robbins.

Almost the only book on my desk, April 16, 2002
Get your Web development library together, and then get this book! This book is not going to teach you all the bits and pieces, but this is exactly what the cover says "A Desktop Quick Reference", and a good one at that. It saves you having to haul a bunch of books around.

The sections on HTML 4, CSS, and JavaScript are fantastic, and I would recommend the book on these alone. The HTTP section is useful for the list of header fields with pretty good descriptions for a quick reference. There is also a group of sections on Server Configuration which are handy when browsing Apache configurations.

The PHP and CGI/Perl sections are not as useful and this is why I drop a star. The "reference" part of the PHP section is simply a list of function one-liners. I tend not to use the CGI/Perl sections at all. I'm not a Perl developer, and I find I need a more comprehensive guide to help me out.

In summary, this book is most useful if you know what you are doing, but just can't remember the detail!

Excellent as a Reference Book., January 9, 2000
I think the gentleman who gave this book 2 stars missed the point of the the entire In a Nutshell series. Most, if not all, of them are meant as a ready reference. They were never designed to teach. They were however designed so that you could say "Now what parameter can be used with that tag?" and find the answer. In this role, the Webmaster in a Nutshell, really shines, since you can leave it on your desk and not have a seperate reference for HTML and Javascript.

Up-to-date, all encompassing; not for ASPers or *designers*!, September 9, 2000
After a nice short overview, the text dives straight into a full HTML 4 tag list, with info on browser-specific elements. Frames, tables, forms and colours are also described in a more tutorial style.

CSS and XML are introduced with similar tutorial style with references following on CSS 1 and XSL (dec 98), and the same procedure follows for Javascript 1.2 (good), CGI with Perl (ok), PHP (see below) and HTTP (a bit incomplete, but headers listed). There is then information on Apache configuration and optimisation.

I'm not sure about the PHP chapter as I ignored it; they seem to have favoured a full PHP reference but only convered using CGI with Perl - I guess this is as they have other Perl books.

I would recommend this book to webmasters, after considering the following - this book is not about _design_, as it does not cover any style or graphics issues. There is also nothing covering ASP (see _ASP In A Nutshell_) or webservers other than apache.

An excellent book to have, January 12, 2000
Either you are a seasoned IT professional or a relatively new player, this book is good to have. It will take you to a tour of how todays' WWW work. It does not have the most detailed reference on everything about Perls (its object oriented features, for example) but for what's been produced, it is worth the price ! Get it !

A Fantastic Reference., October 25, 2001
In the preface, the author writes "when those books [how-to books] have been digested and placed on your bookshelf, this one will remain on your desktop." I don't think I could say it any better.

This book is not designed to show you how to do HTML, JavaScript, PHP, CGi and so on. It is designed as a reference, and I think it does a terrific job. The format is very efficient, and easy to look up what you need.

Perhaps the best features of the book are the brief summaries of each section. The reader is expected to already be familiar with that topic, but the book still provides a very succinct summary, just to make sure. This is rather handy when you are somewhat familiar with the topic, but not a guru.

I particularly liked the section on getting the best performance out of the webpage, and webserver. Many of the tips listed here are very common sense, yet can make dramatic improvements in load time.

Thus, to sum up. This book is a very comprehensive reference to several aspects of the web, including HTML, CGI, JavaScript, PHP and others. Anyone who actively works in this field of computing should seriously consider purchasing this book. You will use it often both as a reference, and as a brush-up.

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