Madison Moose

Thanks for the tip Carl!

Riverdance

strategy

John,

Thank you for the information. 1 more questions. How long did it take you to pass all your certifications? That�s a very impressive list of certifications you have there in your signature. Congratulations!

Thanks!

Howdy Ranchers!

Has anybody passed the MySQL Core Certification exam? If you have, could you please shed some light on the exam? Specifically it will help if you could recommend which books to study from, and also gives an idea of how difficult the exam is. I know just the basics of using databases (insert and retrieving data.. nothing more!).

Does any body know of any groups/forums for the exam?

Thanks!

Mike,

In your new book, what do you cover under the topic of �Monitoring� Java applications? Are you referring to maintenance of the product after deployment or are you referring to automated tools monitoring the performance of the application?

Also, do you talk about integration of Ant with ClearCase in your book?

Thanks!

Dear Ranchers,

I would like to vote for the �Supersize Me� (M) girl.

I think the SuperSize me girl�s picture is ideal for a �Design Patterns� book as her look (carrying the tray) gives the idea that the book (represented by the tray) is providing a service for object oriented programmer to design and write reusable object oriented software.

One could think of the three items on the tray as the three main purposes for design patterns.
The drink � represents the Creational patters as it provides a sense of relief to the quenched souls thirsty for reusable object-oriented software. It allows the reader to take a sip and get comfortable before they dig into the other delicious stuff. It marks the start of this odyssey of design patterns, which will end as an epic journey!

The burger � The burger represents the Structural patterns. It�s the core of the meal. It�s the big boss. It�s the reason what made you come here to eat food (a.k.a gain knowledge). Without belittling the fries and drinks, the burger is like the main guy or girl (big, juicy and tasty) with the fries and drink as his/her side kicks. [aside] The wrapped up burger also represents encapsulation, where the wrapper is the public interface or shell to the �real� stuff inside.

The fries � represent the behavioral patterns. Fries come in different shapes and sizes. They are long and short ones, thin and fat ones, tanned and light ones. Just like design patters which come in different shapes and sizes. Fries also remind us of the problems related to decomposing a system into objects. Different factors come into play which may lead to objects of different shapes and sizes.


Finally the picture shows a girl offering a tray with food, something that everybody needs to survive. It provides a solution to a problem (here food) that occurs over and over again and the same solution (here a tray with drink, sandwich and a side) always works. You can substitute the actual three items on the tray with whatever you like but eventually it is the proven �combo meal pattern� that comes out as a winner (just like design patterns).

[Bugles][Flourish]
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you �Head First Design Patterns� � The best book to learn about design patterns.


Thanks,
Madison Moose

Here's a link to the Rational Certification website,
http://www-1.ibm.com/certify/certs/rl/rl_index.shtml

Hello fellow ranchers,

I am interested in learning/studying about database design. I had studied databases in school about 5-6 years ago, but now need to use databases in a professional environment. Could you please suggest some good books to start? We are currently using MySQL with Java as the programming language.

Thanks!

We use something called Work Break Down structure, which lists all possible tasks related to software development (right from requirement analysis to implementation). We then break the given tasks in to the ones listed in the WBS and then try to give our best estimate on how much time each task will take.

Thank you all for your valuable comments!

Scott, Nicholas,

Thanks for replying!
[ July 29, 2004: Message edited by: Madison Moose ]

Okay experts, I need your advice. I am preparing for the UML fundamental exam. So far I have read UML Distilled. I started reading the specs and found it hard to understand.

I would like to buy another book to study. From the different newsgroups these are most popular books,
UML Bible
UML Toolkit
UML for Dummies

I can afford to buy only one of these. Which one should I buy?

Thanks!

Cheung,

Thanks for *clarifying*. However, I was asking which book John Ewing used to study and pass the test.

Thanks!

Scott, Congratulation on passing the exam!

John could you tell us which books you read to study for the exam. I started reading the UML specs, but it�s pretty cryptic and hard to understand!

Thanks!