Designing Embedded Hardware, 2nd Edition -- This book steers a course between books dedicated to writing code for particular microprocessors and those that stress the philosophy of embedded system design without providing any practical information. Loaded with real examples, it also provides a roadmap to the pitfalls and traps to avoid. If you want to build your own embedded system, or tweak an existing one, this invaluable book gives you the understanding and practical skills you need. Sample Chapter 6, Building Hardware (PDF) is available free online.

Database in Depth -- This concise guide sheds light on the principles behind the relational model, giving you an unbiased view that's not influenced by any vendor or product. Featuring an extensive set of exercises, this book is ideal not only for database developers and designers, but also for a diverse field of professionals and academics, including database administrators, information modelers, database consultants, and more.

MySQL in a Nutshell -- This book clearly documents every detail you need to master MySQL. In addition to providing a thorough reference to MySQL statements and functions, the administrative utilities, and the most popular APIs, this book even includes several tutorial chapters to help newcomers get started. This wealth of information is conveniently packed into a concise, comprehensive, and easy-to-use format. Sample Chapter 6, Date and Time Functions (PDF) is available free online.

GDB Pocket Reference -- Covering several popular programming languages, this handy guide details the essentials of using GDB in a testing environment. This book shows you how to specify a target for debugging, perform a careful examination to find the cause of program failure, and make quick changes for further testing. Having a quick way to refer to GDB's essential functions is the key to making the process work smoothly, and this book is the only reference you'll need.

Deploying Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 (Syngress) -- This book covers all the topics needed to plan, design, and implement a reliable, scalable server-based computing solution in a Citrix/Windows 2003 environment. Whether you're building thin client environments for disaster recovery purposes or rolling Citrix MetaFrame out as the network model for the day-to-day activities of a company, you will find this book to be a great resource. It also offers invaluable advice and direction on optimization, redundancy, troubleshooting, and scalability.

Digital Audio Essentials -- This indispensable reference helps you avoid time-consuming, costly trial and error in downloading audio files, burning CDs, converting analog music to digital form, publishing music to and streaming from the web, setting up home stereo configurations, and creating your own MP3 and other audio files. Designed for both Mac and PC users, it includes reliable hardware and software recommendations, tutorials, resources, and it even explains the basics of the DMCA and intellectual property law. Sample Chapter 16, Setting Up an Internet Radio Station (PDF) is available free online.

802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition -- If you want to deploy your own wireless network, this book is the perfect starting place to gain an understanding of the capabilities and risks associated with the 802.11 protocols. This updated edition covers everything you need to know about integrating wireless technology into your current infrastructure. Designed with the system administrator or serious home user in mind, it's a no-nonsense guide for setting up 802.11 on Windows and Linux. Sample Chapter 21, Logical Wireless Network Architecture (PDF) is available free online.

Don't Click on the Blue E! -- For anyone who has grown disenchanted with Internet Explorer, this book is here to help. With its straightforward approach, it gives non-technical users a step-by-step roadmap for switching to a better web browser: Firefox. As the only book that covers the switch to Firefox, this how-to guide is a must for all those who want to browse faster, more securely, and more efficiently. A sample excerpt, Safety and Security (PDF), is available free online.

Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook -- This practical book offers nearly 50 hands-on projects in an informal, code-intensive style. Each project explores a new feature of the language, with emphasis on changes that can increase productivity, simplify programming tasks, and help you add new functionality to your applications. This one-of-a-kind book also offers suggestions for further experimentation and links to online documentation and other sources of information. Sample Chapter 2, The Visual Basic Language (PDF) is available free online.

Degunking Your Personal Finances (Paraglyph) -- This unique book gives you a simple, proven, 12-step plan to help you organize your finances, save money, and really put your money to work. It uncovers the mysteries of setting up a usable budget, making the right financial decisions every day, setting up college saving accounts, what types of loans work for you and against you, and how to enjoy a great standard of living without having mountains of bills.

The Future of Textbook Selection: An Interview with Jon Preston -- Professor Jon Preston teaches the advanced course on testing and quality assurance for the BIT degree program at Clayton College in Georgia. Jon runs his class like a software engineering practicum, and has spent years looking for a textbook versatile and comprehensive enough to be of real value to his students. Jon explains how SafariU helped him create the ideal custom textbook.

Generic Types, Part 2 -- In part one of this two-part excerpt, David Flanagan described how to use generic types. This week, David details how to write your own generic types and generic methods, and concludes with a tour of important generic types in the core Java API. David is the author of Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition.

Hacking Windows XP -- In these three excerpts, Preston Gralla teaches you how to make better use of the XP login screen, how to give Internet Explorer a face lift, and how to build your own Firefox search engine. Preston is the author of Windows XP Hacks, 2nd Edition.

EuroOSCON CFP Now Open -- The O'Reilly European Open Source Convention 2005, to be held on October 17-20 in scenic Amsterdam, will explore the best and newest open source technologies. We're interested in all aspects of building applications, services, and systems that utilize the capabilities of the open source platform. Session and tutorial proposals are due by midnight, May 23rd. Submit your proposal today.

Dan Gillmor Launches Bayosphere -- Award-winning tech journalist Dan Gillmor recently left the San Jose Mercury News to push citizen journalism to the next level and start a grassroots journalism project called Bayosphere. Bayosphere is a community space that will reflect on the news and ideas of the San Francisco Bay area, the technology sphere in particular. To explore the effects of grassroots journalism on the future of the media, check out Dan's book, We the Media.

Five Things I Love About Spring -- For hardcore enterprise development, Bruce Tate turns to Spring, the topic of his fourth Java book. In this article, Bruce describes five reasons why he is hooked on Spring. Bruce is the coauthor of Spring: A Developer's Notebook.

A Firefox Glossary -- Brian King, with some help from Nigel McFarlane, covers everything from about:config to "zool" in this fun, fact-filled Firefox glossary. It's by no means exhaustive, but you'll find references to specific chapters or hacks in Nigel's book, Firefox Hacks, for when you're ready to dig deeper.

Finding an Application's Registry Keys -- How can you find out which registry values you need to deploy for a third-party or in-house app you want to manage using Group Policy? Mitch Tulloch gives you the easy rundown. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Top Ten 802.11 Myths of 2005 -- Are security and mobility really the keys to the design of wireless networks? Is 802.11n really on its way? Is 802.1X really too difficult to use? Matthew Gast debunks these and other 802.11 myths for 2005. Matt is the author of 802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition.

Early Registration Open for OSCON 2005 -- OSCON 2005, to be held in Portland on August 1-5, explores three deep trends affecting open source: the commoditization of software, network-enabled collaboration, and software customizability. Join us at this essential gathering of open source leaders and practitioners to exchange ideas and push the boundaries of vital open source technologies. This year, we introduce the Open Source Business Review, along with a host of other exciting presentations and events. Register by June 13 and save $400.

Killer Firefox Add-Ons -- The programmers of Firefox, recognizing that different users have widely differing needs, made sure that Firefox is extensible, so other developers can create custom add-ons. Chapter 4 of Don't Click on the Blue E! looks at three categories of add-ons: plug-ins, themes, and extensions. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.

Spammers Can't Hide Behind Affiliates -- A Washington State court reaffirms that you don't have to push the send button to be liable for illegal spam. Brian McWilliams reports on a legal victory by Microsoft against a spammer who tried to hide behind spam subcontractors. Brian is the author of Spam Kings.

O'Reilly Learning Lab: $200 Instant Rebate -- Learning programming languages and development techniques has never been easier. Using your web browser and Useractive's Learning Sandbox technology, the Learning Lab gives you hands-on, online training in a creative environment (and a Certificate from the University of Illinois College of Extended Education upon course completion). Until May 20th, receive a $200 instant rebate when you enroll in any Certificate Series.