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Head First books cover a lot of ground. We take you from someone who may have never seen the technology in question before to someone who can actually do something real (and cool!) with it. You can build a real web site at the end of Head First HTML, you can code an entire arcade game at the end of Head First C#, and so on.
At the same time, because we know how your brain works, we don't try to cover everything. You don't need to know every obscure JavaScript method before you can code a blog site, and you don't need to know every design pattern before you can start using them. More importantly, if you bothered memorizing all of them you wouldn't have enough brain energy left for the good stuff! We know you're smart—you can find the references you need. What's important is teaching you how to use them once you find them.
But sometimes you need to know something before you get started, and we don't tell you. Either because a lot of our readers probably already know, and we don't want to bore them, or because the material would span a lot of our books and it seems like cheating if we just copy it over and over again. Things like:
- Setting up an Apache or PHP installation
- Connecting your website to a MySQL database
- Web server file management: how to upload files to your server via FTP, create directories, change file permissions, etc.
- Additional study guides/reference materials for the PMP exam
- More in-depth coverage of the "leftover" patterns from Head First Design Patterns
- Coding Facebook apps in languages we cover in HF books (Java, PHP, Python)
- A guide to using indexes in SQL
- Information on various Content Management Systems like Drupal and Joomla
- Advice on search engine optimization (like how to improve your Google rank)
- Network security
So here's a question for you loyal Head First readers: What are your stumbling blocks? What has kept you from diving right in to a Head First book? Do the things on these lists appeal to you, or did we forget something you want? What additional material would you love to see?
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I finished reading the HF SQL book, and its the best book I have read on SQL. None of the books I have read comes close to HF SQL (including the stuff on the web).
But the book does not show us how to setup a MySQL GUI Query tool. I tried downloading and setting up the the GUI Query tool, but its asking for stuff I don't about.
Can you guys please create a PDF describing how to set it up?
Thanks
Hi,
I have to use Subversion for some projects, but sometimes I don't know how to make it for more than one user work. So it would be wonderful if there was a HF Subversion.
I know just read Ajax Rush and I see that I need HF PHP & MySQL - but where is it?
Hi
many HF books refer to the UML but never give a complete explanation on how its used. SO how about a book on it?
Paul
Thanks for these great ideas, all. Keep them coming!
Zav, Chapter 6 of Head First Software Development covers version control for software projects with Subversion, and may suit your needs. It's available on the Web here: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527358/chapter/index.html
I just finished reading "Head First SQL" and "Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML", and it was damn funny. Now, after reading these two books, I feel like I would like to glue them together and read something about web-development using a SQL database.
A PHP-MySQL (maybe ASP or Java instead of PHP) book could help with filling this hole, or maybe one or two web chapters about mixing the experiences of the SQL and "HTML, CSS & XHTML" books to create a simple web site would be a great addition that a lot people will love.
better errata (or fewer errors in the first place). Head First PMP has a downloadable pdf to correct a few pages, I think this could be done more often
The PMP exam places a strong emphasis on process inputs and outputs, and as H1PMP says "There are a lot of inputs that show up in multiple processes." (p 52.) However, the book lacks a process flow diagram showing how various inputs and outputs relate to the various process areas, and I think such would be helpful to a student in mapping out how, for example, X deliverable is an output from processes A and B and also an input to process C.
I would love to see something on CSS hacks to get around problems with Explorer.
Actually, the most useful thing I can think of is if you could introduce us to your more advanced books at the end of your beginner's books.
I just finished Head First Java, and I see you have a whole bunch of other java books, and I don't know where I'm supposed to go from here. I don't know what half the other titles even mean. What's JSP? What's a design pattern? Something at the end of Head First Java to tell me what the other books do and where to go from here would be very nice.
I love the HF books - they teach exactly how I like to learn, and more importantly they actually make the learning enjoyable and memorable.
My first experience was HF Java, which unfortunately I've had to put on hold half way through (as my career focus is changing slightly). I need to concentrate on web development now and I'm just about to finish HF XHTML & CSS. As I work in a commercial environment, the bias is towards Microsoft toolset so my next read is HF C# (just waiting for Visual Studio 2008 to turn up in the post!) But ideally what would really round all this out for me would be a HF ASP .Net book. This seems to be one of the last of the web technologies that Head First haven't covered (along with PHP).
Are there any plans afoot for an ASP book?
...Finally (apologies for the long post!), my dream Head First would be a Head First Objective C :) I've tried learning this on my Mac bust just can't get my head around it! XCode 3 looks like a really useful toolset, but not understanding the core language is a real pain! With the iPhone SDK only available for Mac & Macs becoming more & more popular, I'm sure there are a lot of aspiring Mac/iPhone developers out there that would love to learn Objective C. Go on... you know you want to!
Sorry for the double post, but I would like to add that I would love to see information about Drupal at HF. I would especially love a HF book on Drupal, but that might be too much to ask for.
HF Java was wickedly helpful to me on my first big Java app. My biggest barrier to doing more Java apps is the stuff around it - setting it all up in XCODE, importing classes from elsewhere etc. And like many of you, I'm doing web dev too, & statistical processing & writing papers in Word and frankly, I can't remember the details once I get back to the XCode Java environment. My HF Java book has lots of sticky flags, I think an HF XCode book or chapter would too.
The HF-books are awesome. I own Design Patterns, Software Development, Java, Ajax, SQL and I am currently reading the C#-book. They all are splendid - congrats on that awesome teaching-methods!
I cannot await the Software Development-book - I am working as programmer but I just need to buy every new HF-book on the shelves ;-)
Oh, how about a HF C++-book? I found most of the literature very tedious to wade through. I would buy it instantly.
My feedback is for something more like a "reverse stumbling block". For your loyal followers who have read more than one HF book, there is noticeable overlap in the content of the separate books. For example, I've read most of HF Design Patterns and part of HF OOA&D. I just bought HF C#, and discovered that it assumes the reader is starting at ground zero. It covers basic programming concepts like the difference between an int and a long, and basic OO concepts like encapsulation, interfaces, and polymorphism.
Since it's a HF first book, I hesitate to skip ahead. But with the overlap between different books, it would be great if the introduction could give some pointers to how to use each (new) book if you've already read some of the other HF books.
HeadFirst HTML and CSS was very good. The HF SQL book is terrific. As HTML 5 comes out, an update would be in order. I'll throw a second vote for PHP. A third vote goes to Drupal. I don't know a name for a fourth area, but I find myself wondering about small databases versus large txt files, the use of files for images with the file names in a database, server speed for concurrent access to txt files, etc. Something on the intelligent blending of database technology and txt files would be helpful.
Every HF book should have a large and detailed index. The original HF HTML index was terrible. I would remember an idea or technique and then spend 10-15 minutes finding it because it was not in the index, and not in my Web Standards book, but I knew I saw it in HF HTML. This happened a lot. When you teach it as memorably as this book does, you've got to have a great index for people to go back and get the syntax. Thanks for sending out an improved HF HTML index last month. Its an improvement - still could be better.
I would like to see a Ruby on Rails book! I would also like to see a set of 3-5 books grouped together (maybe a special promo or discount?) that allows someone to start from scratch and start building strong websites. Also, some advice on 'what to read next' would be helpful, which someone noted already.
H1 HTML was a great start, and I plan on buying more H1 books in the next few weeks. Keep up the good work!
Have finished hf html,css,xhtml.......looking for PHP and MYSql (supposed to be out in 2006-guess it didn't make it). Need something equivalent, would rather have YOUR book. Also have tried the Java book among others and would like to suggest that, although ink is expensive, it would be really nice if you use (like red ink - or yellow background) info that is in step in part of the tutorial - sometimes just can't help but speed read (my fault). Ok, one other, in the html, css, xhtml 2 or 3 columns I agree that the ie workarounds would have been nice, but it also would have been nice to have the example a little more thorough on the layouts - like how to get columns equal sizes (equal size backgrounds). Thanks for the books and methods - really can't find the php and would like to have it.??????
How about a Head First Math book?
Hi Geoff,
We have two Head First math titles coming this year: Head First Statistics and Head First Algebra. Head First Statistics (http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfstats/) covers first-year statistics and follows the AP Statistics exam competencies, and Head First Algebra is designed for first-year algebra students of all ages.
Hope this helps,
Sanders
2nd edition of HF EJB, covering J2EE 5 and the new certification.