(This was the first time I've used the Vendor - Commercial disclaimer on one of my posts... Not too sure if it's a perfectly accurate description tho, so mind the intro to the review/giveaway.)

I was one of the technical editors for the latest XPages development book from IBM Press: XPages Extension Library: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Next Generation of XPages Components... so I might be a little biased. As such, I'm not going to "review" this book, as much as I'm going to discuss it -- using my typical review format -- and let you make your own decision. For what it's worth (spoiler alert!), I'd absolutely recommend this book. It's an invaluable resource for any developer using the IBM XPages development platform as of 8.5.3 Update Pack 1, or even previous versions with the OpenNTF.org Extension Library installed. I was paid to act as one of the technical editors on the book, and the majority of the feedback I provided to the authors resulted in updates to the book. Things like "great, but an example of this showing this would really help" or "this example is kinda out of context without the rest of the XPages XML markup showing exactly how they can do it".

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I looked at this book not as someone who has been developing in XPages prior to it's 2008 in-product release, I read the book as someone new to the Extension Library and somewhat familiar with XPages... and someone that would actually have to use these Controls to duplicate functionality for their Lotus Notes Client applications while extending (or in some cases, evolving) those applications to meet their user expectations of what enterprise-level web applications can do.

Hopefully that gives you an idea, at least, into my role in this book. Not all of my suggestions were taken -- as I'm certain not all of my suggestions were good -- but both the authors and the technical editors (of which I was one) did their best to create a product that not only showcased the capabilities of the technology, but also gave you something that you could actually use in your day-to-day application development efforts.

Again, spoiler alert, I think they succeeded. Again, I might be biased. But then I don't think you really care if I am biased, as long as I keep to the previous format... which I think gives you enough insight into the book to know whether it's something you'll want in your own arsenal.

... and with no further ado...

(Click thru for the complete review & giveaway...)

IBM Press is filling a much-needed gap that has been voiced by many Administrators and Developers working with IBM Collaborative Solutions (IBM Lotus Notes Domino) by publishing multiple books on XPages application development, deployment, and administration. The latest of these publications, XPages Portable Command Guide: A Compact Resource to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language, is designed to cover more of "the things you need to know when running XPage-based applications in production" vs. "here's how to develop an application with XPages".

IBM Press also hit various new media outlets to get the word out about this book, including podcasts, a Meet the Authors YouTube Video, and (of course) blogs.

XPages Portable Command Guide: Meet the Authors

Was all of this hard work to expose the latest IBM Press XPages imprint worth it? Let's find out!

(Click thru for the complete review and your change to win a copy...)

Written by Keith Brooks, David Byrd, Mark Harper, and Olusola Omosaiye, IBM Lotus Quickr 8.5 for Domino Administration from Packt Publishing is a 12-chapter "step-by-step manual for Systems Administrators and Business Analysts who need to facilitate the effective and efficient performance of diverse teams in an interconnected world".

First off, this is going to be awkward. I consider Keith a friend, and know Mark and David... so reviewing a book by people you know is always, well like I said, awkward.

That being said, I went into this book with an open mind and an understanding that I am not the target audience. I haven't done admin work without a gun pointed at my head in a long time and I, thankfully, am no business analyst...

(Click thru for the complete First Impressions review...)

IBM Press recently released the definitive guide for IBM Lotus Notes Domino 8.5.2 XPages: Mastering XPages: A Step-by-Step Guide to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language. In this book, authors Martin Donnelly, Mark Wallace, and Tony McGuckin [with contributing author Jim Quill and foreword written by everyone's favorite IBM XPages Chief Architect Philippe Riand] strive to write the definitive printed reference material for all-things XPages.

Cut to the chase...

From the book's back cover:

The Definitive XPages Development Guide -- Straight from the XPages Team at IBM Lotus

XPages is the most significant improvement to Lotus Notes/Domino® development in 20 years. Now, three IBM® Lotus insiders have written the definitive programmer's guide to this breakthrough web application development framework. Packed with tips, tricks, and best practices, Mastering XPages brings together all the information you need to become an XPages expert, whether you're experiences with Notes/Domino development or not.

So without much further ado...

(Click thru for the complete review and details on how you can win your own copy of Mastering XPages...)

IBM Press recently released the definitive guide for IBM Lotus Notes Domino 8.5.2 XPages: Mastering XPages: A Step-by-Step Guide to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language. In this book, authors Martin Donnelly, Mark Wallace, and Tony McGuckin [with contributing author Jim Quill and foreword written by everyone's favorite IBM XPages Chief Architect Philippe Riand] strive to write the definitive printed reference material for all-things XPages.

This First Impressions review will deep-dive into Chapters 1-6 [out of 17, not including Appendixes].

From the book's back cover:

The Definitive XPages Development Guide -- Straight from the XPages Team at IBM Lotus

XPages is the most significant improvement to Lotus Notes/Domino® development in 20 years. Now, three IBM® Lotus insiders have written the definitive programmer's guide to this breakthrough web application development framework. Packed with tips, tricks, and best practices, Mastering XPages brings together all the information you need to become an XPages expert, whether you're experiences with Notes/Domino development or not.

So without much further ado...

(Click thru for more...)