Halo 2 Hacks -- Even if you've finished Halo 2 in Legendary Mode, you're not done with this game. This incredible book gives you a horde of great hacks for weapons, levels, vehicles, game play, and mods. With all the clever tips and tricks we have in store, you'll turn Halo 2 into a whole new experience, whether you're at level 25 or a complete n00b. Sample Hack 46, Drop Your Weapons (PDF), is available free online (along with five others).

Windows Server 2003 Network Administration -- Ideal for system administrators and network managers, this essential guide is divided into three distinct sections: fundamental concepts, tutorial, and reference. The first three chapters are a basic discussion of the network protocols and services. The remaining chapters provide a how-to tutorial for planning, installing, and configuring various important network services. The book concludes with three appendixes that are technical references for various configuration options. Sample Chapter 14, Troubleshooting TCP/IP (PDF), is available free online.

Prefactoring -- If you understand object-oriented design, and you want to save time and money by considering more efficient designs before you begin your project, Prefactoring will show you the way. This practical, thought-provoking guide details prefactoring guidelines in design, code, and testing, derived from lessons learned by many developers over the years. With these guidelines, you'll create more readable code before you reach the second-guessing stage. Sample Chapter 2, The System in So Many Words (PDF), is available free online.

eBay: The Missing Manual -- This book has gems of wisdom for everyone from total novices to more experienced traders. It covers both buying and selling, and it's chock full of step-by-step instructions. Buyers will find the most effective ways to find what they want and pay great prices. Sellers will get surefire tips from eBay veterans who have discovered ways to ramp up their own auctions and sell at the highest possible prices. Sample Chapter 3, Finding and Getting Bargains (PDF), is available free online.

iPod Shuffle Fan Book -- This is the ultimate written companion for iPod Shuffle owners. This user-friendly guide will teach you how to get your Shuffle up and running, load it with up to 240 songs, and even use it as a flash drive to transport files. Then, learn how to create custom playlists, share and publish with iMix, burn playlists on CDs, and more. Beautifully designed in a colorful, compact format, this handy reference book is a must have for "shufflers" everywhere.

Security and Usability -- Destined to be the classic reference in this emerging field, Security & Usability collects 34 groundbreaking essays from leading security and human-computer interaction (HCI) researchers on authentication, privacy and anonymity, secure systems, commercialization, and much more. This book is expected to start an avalanche of discussion, new ideas, and further advances in this important field. Sample Chapter 23, Privacy Analysis for the Casual User with Bugnosis (PDF), is available free online.

iLife: The Missing Manual -- Objective and in-the-know, David Pogue highlights the newest features, changes, and improvements of iLife '05, covers the capabilities and limitations of each program within the suite, and delivers countless undocumented tips, tricks, and secrets for getting the best performance out of every iLife application. Pogue examines all five programs in iLife '05 in depth: iTunes 4.7, iPhoto 5, iMovie HD, iDVD 5, and GarageBand 2.

Digital Photography Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition -- Portable and affordable, this is the perfect on-the-go guide for taking top-notch digital photos. In full color, this third edition of the bestseller covers everything from shooting sports action, close ups, and night shots, to dealing with image resolution, archiving, memory cards, and more. There's also a comprehensive table of contents and index, so you'll waste no time flipping to the specific information you need. A sample excerpt, "Who's in Charge?" (PDF), is available free online.

Oracle PL/SQL Programming, 4th Edition -- This fourth edition of the 10-year bestseller is a comprehensive update with significant new content extending to Oracle Database 10g Release 2. New chapters added cover security, I/O (file, email, and web), and internationalization. New features described include the PL/SQL optimizing compiler, conditional compilation, compile-time warnings, regular expressions, and much more. This classic reference provides language syntax, best practices, and extensive code. Sample Chapter 20, Managing PL/SQL Code (PDF), is available free online.

Cisco IOS in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition -- Fully revised, this second edition takes the mystery out of IOS 12.3 and consolidates the most important commands and features of IOS into a single, well-organized volume that you'll find refreshingly user-friendly. This book covers IOS configuration for the TCP/IP protocol family, and includes information on the user interface, configuring lines and interfaces, dial-on-demand routing and security, access lists, and much more. Sample Chapter 14, Switches and VLANs (PDF), is available free online.

What Is Web 2.0 -- Defining just what Web 2.0 means still engenders much disagreement. Some decry it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, while others have accepted it as the new conventional wisdom. Tim O'Reilly attempts to clarify just what we mean by Web 2.0, digging into the implications of viewing the web as a platform, which applications fall squarely under its purview, and which do not.

Top Ten Word Annoyances -- So many of us use the ubiquitous Word despite quirks that can sometimes drive us a little mad. Guy Hart-Davis endeavors to improve our mental health with solutions to ten Word annoyances. From autocorrect anomalies to crash recovery tips, Guy provides comprehensive fixes to many Word problems. Guy is the author of Word Annoyances.

Dreaming of an Atom Store: A Database for the Web -- What kind of data store makes sense on the Atom Web? In this month's The Restful Web column, Joe Gregorio draws together some disparate threads into a single, exciting idea: the Atom Store.

What Is a BlackBerry -- Wondered what a BlackBerry really does, and whether you should have one? Dave Mabe looks at six reasons why the BlackBerry is a true productivity tool, from its push email capabilities to its corporate customer features, and more. Dave is author of the upcoming BlackBerry Hacks.

The Next 50 Years of Computer Security: An Interview with Alan Cox -- Alan Cox is well known for his long-standing work on the Linux kernel, but at O'Reilly's EuroOSCON in Amsterdam this October, he will speak about computer security. According to Alan, we're just at the beginning of a long journey into getting security right. Eager for directions and a glimpse of the future, O'Reilly Network interviewed him about his upcoming keynote. For more information, check out EuroOSCON and Alan's scheduled keynote.

Hacking Digital Video -- Need an inexpensive dolly to capture moving footage? Want to have some fun turning digital video into Matrix-style symbols? How about learning a way to create text on screen? You'll find hacks that provide the answers to these questions, and more, in these excerpts from Digital Video Hacks, the book written for digital video addicts.

A Day in the Life of #Apache -- Rich Bowen is back with another installment in his occasional series based on #apache. In this article, Rich discusses a particular Apache Web Server annoyance, the Options directive, and he explains how it works and why it does what it does. Rich is a coauthor of Apache Cookbook.

Security Myths: 392 Steps to a Hardened Server -- There are plenty of security guides out there to offer advice, but which ones should you trust? Mitch Tulloch tells you about the best, and clues you in to other extras you need to know about security. Mitch is the author of author of Windows Server Hacks.

Web Programming Certificate Series Special Extended -- The Web Programming Certificate Series can take you from web newbie to well-rounded web engineer in six courses, which span everything from JavaScript to XML, Perl to Linux/Unix, HTML to mySQL. Upon completion of the series, students receive a Certificate of Professional Development from the University of Illinois Office of Continuing Education. Enroll in all six courses and receive a $200 instant rebate. Extended by request to September 30th--enroll today!

What Is Open Source -- Defining "open source" used to be a lot simpler than it is today. Dan Woods provides some insight by first explaining how open source software is developed, then delving into how different groups define the term, and closing with a look at how open source institutions continue to advance the cause. Dan is coauthor of Open Source for the Enterprise.

Web 2.0 Conference Preview Podcast -- InformationWeek.com recently posted this podcast of a recorded conference call with John Battelle and Tim O'Reilly about the upcoming Web 2.0 Conference. The opening statement, "It's an intriguing conversation, for those with any interest in the future direction of the Internet (which I imagine is most online readers)," says it all. O'Reilly's Web 2.0 Conference will be held October 5-7 in San Francisco.

What Is VoIP -- Voice over IP is the family of technologies that allow IP networks to be used for voice applications, such as telephony, voice instant messaging, and teleconferencing. Ted Wallingford looks at why the VoIP technology, the key ingredient in Vonage, Skype, Cisco CallManager, and a host of other technology products, is hotter than ever today. Ted is the author of Switching to VoIP.

Distributing the Future Podcast -- In this pilot of O'Reilly's audio magazine program "Distributing the Future," Phil Torrone of Make magazine says you may not want to upgrade your PSP 2.0; Nat Torkington previews EuroOSCON; David Smith and Doc Searls discuss issues of identity; Chris Adamson tells you how to get started with the Dance Dance Revolution; David Pogue has tips on using Spotlight on Mac OS X Tiger; and Richard Giles interviews John Battelle.