B211 Internet Computing

Unit Readings

Required Readings

Textbook:

Web Programming: Building Internet Applications (2nd Edition), Chris Bates, Wiley, 2002 - available in the University Bookshop.

Some sample code for this textbook (not all) can be found at the author's web site (http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/cms/teaching/crb/webprog/index.html). Some sample code from this book can be better written. See relevant lecture notes and announcements in the discussion forum for modifications.

B211 Unit Reader.

Available in the University Bookshop. External students should have received a copy before the semester begins.

Online news on Internet developments:

The IT section (http://australianit.news.com.au/) of the Australian newspaper - you will be reminded to read the online news every week in your lab exercises. You may also subscribe to a free on the site to have headlines delivered to your mail box, and browse them at your convenience.

Optional Readings and Other References

Books:

JavaScript the Definitive Guide (4th Edition), David Flanagan, O'Reilly, 2001.

Australian retail price: approx A$120
Unit coordinator's comment: Very popular reference book for JavaScript developers, but does not have a "tutorial" style introduction. Very good to have once you have a basic familiarity with the language.

JavaScript for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide (3rd Edition), Tom Negrino and Dori Smith, Peachpit Press, 1999.

Australian retail price: approx A$40
Unit coordinator's comment: The most beginner-friendly, hand-holding book I can find (and the cheapest one at that). But due to it thin volume and the amount it needs to cover, it glides over important programming concepts. At the end of reading this book and following the examples, you will be able to download and read JavaScript code, make small modifications to them if you need to, and use them for your own purposes. This may be good enough for designers who has access to JavaScript generators like Dreamweaver these days, or otherwise can download TONNES of JavaScript code from the web. For the ability to program JavaScript properly, see my previous recommendation.

Programming PHP, Rasmus Lerdorf and Kevin Tatroe, O'Reilly, 2002.

Price: approx A$105
Unit coordinator's comment: New book by original creator of PHP. Suitable for beginners picking up the language for the first time, but still covers the technical details of the framework.

Professional PHP4, Deepak Thomas et al, Wrox Press, 2002.

Australian retail price: approx A$100
Unit coordinator's comment: For those already very familiar with programming, and wants to do heavy duty work with PHP. Contains a lot of specific details about the operations of PHP4. Not for beginners.

How the Internet Works (6th Edition) by Preston Gala, Que, 2001.

Australian retail price: approx A$65
Unit coordinator's comment: Good for beginners still struggling with the basics of the Internet. Very graphical in layout, but contain explanations about the underlying technical workings of most of the components of the Internet. Due to the graphical nature of the book, some people avoid it since it looks like a "dummies" book. This book won't make you a web developer... but you have to start somewhere! In my experience, if you can assimilate the information in this book, you will understand more than 90% of your fellow students who THINK they are Internet experts.

Web Protocols and Practice, Balachander Krishnamurthy and Jennifer Rexford, Addison-Wesley, 2001.

Australian retail price: approx A$120
An excellent book covering the workings of current web software and protocols, but written at a higher technical level than that required for this unit. It is suitable for students going on to 3rd and 4th year Computer Science/Internet Computing levels, and are interested in the detailed technical operations of the web. Two chapters from the book are printed in the Unit Reader. If you like the material in those two chapters, this book is for you.

Online news on Internet developments:

NOIE's Information Economy Digest.

UNESCO Observatory on the Information Economy weekly news briefs.

internetnews.com - more concentrated on company-based product-type news, rather than all aspects of Internet issues.

Relevant Online References:

NOIE's Current State of Play reports - statistics on the current state of Internet and IT. developments in Australia.

Technical specifications at W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium).

Official JavaScript online reference at Netscape.

Official PHP online manual at php.net - you may download your own copy from the documentation downloads page.

Internet magazines at newsagents:

Mostly junk! But I'm happy to recommend the following:

New.Architect (formally called "Web Techniques") - may be a bit beyond the level of this unit, but an excellent technical publication dealing with web developers technologies and issues. Good for final-year Computer Science students and above.

Wired Magazine - Covering the whole gamut of issues about the online world, from technological to social to economical to political to .... You get the idea.

General Internet sites (including beginner programming tutorials):

CNET - IT news, product reviews, articles, downloads, etc.

ZDNet - IT news, product reviews, articles, downloads, etc.

Webopedia - online dictionary to look-up Internet related words and jargon, with links to relevant sites.

About.com - human-compiled descriptions about different subjects (including Internet technologies), and links to key sites. Some of the information is a bit dated now.

W3Schools Online Web Tutorials - web developers' tutorials.

Web Developers' Virtual Library - web developers' tutorials.

Webmonkey - web developers' tutorials.

RFC1983 Internet Users' Glossary - an official document of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

Information on Internet access at Murdoch University.

...too many to list comprehensively!!!

Notes:

I can't even begin to claim that the recommended list above is complete. They are the most appropriate material as far as I am aware. I am sure in your travels you will come across good reference sources (especially online) not on the list. If you do, then post it on the discussion forum and I will have a look. If they fit very well with the unit objectives and is good (in my opinion), I will add it to this list.

The textbook and the Unit Reader is available from the University Bookshop at the South Street campus. For buying other computer books, the best two places in Perth (where I regularly scan for new titles) are:

BOFFINS BOOKSHOP
806 Hay St
Perth

RELLIM BOOKSELLERS PTY LTD
834 Hay St
Perth

The standard place to look online is obviously Amazon.com. You can also review the books at the original publishers sites, such as O'Reilly.

You should always have a careful look at the book contents before buying. I recommend the books because they cover the unit material and in my opinion are well-written for the level of 2nd-year undergraduates. But what I find well-written, you may find indecipherable. Have a look at the books before you buy them. I'm also happy for any student to see me in my office and have a look at my collection.

H.L. Hiew
Unit Coordinator