.NET Gotchas -- The ultimate guide for pain-free coding, this book tackles 75 common .NET programming pitfalls, steering you away from application performance problems and tainted code. The book is organized into nine chapters, each focusing on those features and constructs of the .NET platform that consistently baffle developers, complete with detailed examples, discussions, and guidelines for avoiding them. It's the ideal resource for .NET developers yearning for a more productive, stress-free existence.

Degunking Linux (Paraglyph) -- This book will help users get their Linux configurations working efficiently by providing them with a proven and time-saving 12-step program to get rid of clutter and organize everything from user files to system upgrades. This is the only book that is completely focused on helping Linux users learn the causes of sluggish performance and how to apply smart solutions to improve overall system performance.

Essential Sharepoint -- This comprehensive guide covers all the key topics for getting you started with Microsoft SharePoint. Learn everything there is to know about creating a team-oriented website: how to turn it on, set it up, and set your applications to work with it. Covering hosting choices, administration, customization, and more, it's ideal for anyone who wants to improve productivity through information sharing and document collaboration. Sample Chapter 1, Why Use SharePoint? (PDF) is available free online.

Killer Game Programming in Java -- This comprehensive guide has everything you need to program Java games. It offers the most thorough coverage of Java 3D available, and clearly details the older, better-known 2D APIs, 3D sprites, animated 3D sprites, first-person shooter programming, sound, fractals, and networked games. This practical book is a must-have for anyone who wants to create adrenaline-fueled games in Java. Sample Chapter 22, Flocking Boids (PDF) is available free online.

The Linux Enterprise Cluster (No Starch) -- This practical guide takes you through the real-world construction and installation of a reliable, cost-effective Linux cluster that uses commodity hardware and open source software to run mission-critical applications. If you're looking for a low-cost server solution with unlimited scalability, high availability, and stress-free maintenance, this book will show you exactly how to build the cluster you need.

Classic Shell Scripting -- The ability to program and customize the shell quickly, reliably, and portably is important for anyone operating and maintaining Unix or Linux systems. This book gives you everything you need to master these essential skills. The authors provide the tips, tricks, and organized knowledge necessary to create excellent scripts, as well as warnings of the traps that can turn your best efforts into bad shell scripts. Sample Chapter 5, Pipelines Can Do Amazing Things (PDF), is available free online.

Infosec Career Hacking (Syngress) -- Do you code for the sheer joy and challenge? If you want to refine your skills and learn new ones to build an InfoSec career, this book is for you. The authors have all applied their inherent hacker skills to build successful InfoSec careers. From them, you will learn about the variety of available jobs and the skills required to excel in each one.

Learning Java, 3rd Edition -- This bestselling hands-on tutorial delivers a no-nonsense approach to Java 5.0 features, such as "generics," loops, and threads. It addresses all of the important uses of Java, such as web applications, servlets, and XML, that are increasingly driving enterprise applications. The accompanying CD includes the Java 5.0 SDK for Windows, Linux, and Solaris, plus the Eclipse IDE, the NetBeans IDE, and the many example programs from the book. Sample Chapter 8, Generics (PDF) is available free online.

SSH, The Secure Shell: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition -- Written for a wide, technical audience, this book covers several implementations of SSH for different operating systems and computing environments. Whether you're an individual running your home system or a corporate network administrator with thousands of users, our indispensable guide has you covered. It starts with simple installation and use of SSH, and works its way to in-depth case studies on large, sensitive computer networks. Sample Chapter 8, Per-Account Server Configuration is available free online.

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.

Prentice Hall Titles on SafariU -- SafariU, O’Reilly’s web-based platform for creating, publishing, and sharing textbooks, has just added 401 Prentice Hall PTG titles to its vast database. The Prentice Hall titles include an extensive list of introductory programming, programming language, networking, and telecommunications books, as well as comprehensive coverage of software architecture and engineering, and web programming and design. Check out the SafariU homepage for details.

Linux/Unix SysAdmin Certificate Special -- Learn system administration skills online and receive certification from the University of Illinois College of Extended Education. Courses include: The Unix File System, Networking and DNS, Unix Services (including email and web servers), and Scripting for Administrators with Sed, Awk, and Perl. It's all at the O'Reilly Learning Lab. Enroll today and save 40%.

Mapping the 802.11 Protocol -- A trip to London and a bit of unique inspiration gave Matthew Gast the ideas that would lead to the first draft of a visual map describing the relationship between the various components of the 802.11 standard and related security standards. Matthew details the road he took to the final version of his 802.11 protocol map. Matthew is the author of 802.11: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition.

Ferreting Out Near-Identical Records in Access -- Working with lists of contacts is a common database activity, but as a list grows, so do the chances for duplicate records. Ken Bluttman shows one technique for ferreting out these near-identical records in Access using the InStr function to find when one value in one field is inside the value of the same field in another record. Ken is the author of Access Hacks.

Collective Intelligence -- MIT Technology Review writer Michael Fitzgerald addresses how businesses and technologies are reflecting the move toward harnessing the power of collective intelligence. Fitzgerald extensively references Dan Gillmor's O'Reilly book, We the Media, writing, "Gillmor believes that such technologies [SMS, blogging, RSS] have brought us to a turning point in media history." To explore this topic in depth, check out We the Media.

Hacking the Linux Desktop -- Modifying stuff to suit individual desire is the credo of hackers everywhere. In these two excerpts, Nicholas Petreley and Jono Bacon let you modify Linux to suit your desires. The first hack uses Virtual Network Computer (VNC) to access Windows and Mac OS X from your Linux desktop. The second shows how to lock down KDE with Kiosk mode, allowing you to control exactly what users can and can't change. Nicolas and Jono are the authors of Linux Desktop Hacks.

Copy Scheduled Tasks to Remote Machines -- There are times when for ease and security reasons, you'll want to schedule a task to run on a remote PC. Where to begin? Mitch Tulloch gives you step-by-step instructions for getting it done. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Network Security Tools: Writing Network Sniffers -- An important function of many security tools is to capture network traffic and then either reassemble it or extract information from the packets flowing across the network. Chapter 10 of Network Security Tools provides a quick and practical introduction to packet capture using the commonly available libpcap library on wired and wireless networks. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.

Developing for the Web with Ant, Part 1 -- Developing for the web is bread and butter for Ant developers. In part one of this two-part excerpt, Steve Holzner covers the tasks specifically designed for packaging web applications, including war, cab, ear, and jspc. Steve is the author of Ant: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition.

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.

The Geospatial Web: A Call to Action -- What needs to happen to build a sustainable geospatial web? Mike Liebhold offers ten steps designed to help tap the unharvested business opportunities in a geospatial web. If this topic gets your creative juices flowing, you belong at O'Reilly's Where 2.0 Conference, June 29-30 in San Francisco. Register by May 30th and save $400.

Hacking Visual Studio -- In this excerpt, author James Avery shares five hacks that really stood out to him from his recently released book. Learn to create comments faster using GhostDoc, to refactor your code with Visual Studio 2005's new Refactor menu, and more. James is the author of Visual Studio Hacks.

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.