What do you think: Access 2002 Developer's Handbook Set

[=?windows-1250?Q?Vladim=EDr_Cvajniga?=]

I've ordered "Access 2002 Developer's Handbook Set" yesterday according to
recent MVPs' recommendations. It should be delivered within 2 or 3 week. It
cost me CKR 2.963,- (Czech crowns) which is approximatelly USD 138,-.

The question:
Will there be "Access 2007 Developer's Handbook Set" available as an upgrade
to "Access 2002 Developer's Handbook Set"?
- I don't wanna pay for more than I really need.
- All I need is "differences in documentation".
- I don't wanna spent another 138 bucks...

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

I haven't heard whether or not there will be an Access 2007 Developer's
Handbook (I hope there will...), but if there is, I would be shocked it
there was an upgrade version. Books don't work the same way as software!

Have you checked Jeff Conrad's http://www.accessjunkie.com or Allen Browne's
http://www.allenbrowne.com/Access2007.html for good discussions of the
differences between Access 2007 and previou versions?

 

[=?windows-1250?Q?Vladim=EDr_Cvajniga?=]

But they can write two versions of books: small one for those who have
previous version and a big one for the others.
Does the idea sound logically... and nice?

I have visited (and bookmarked) http://www.allenbrowne.com/Access2007.html
some three weeks ago. http://accessjunkie.com/default.aspx is new to me.

Vlado

 

[Larry Linson]

But they can write two versions of books: small one
for those who have previous version and a big one
for the others.

Once in a great while, I will see a book that purports to address the
differences between one "something" and another "something". It's not very
common in the world of technical publications.

Does the idea sound logically... and nice?

As a matter of fact, I'd find it extremely annoying to have to have two
books at hand and be continually switching from one to the other. It would
be a bit less expensive for the reader, but at a high cost of usability.
And, it's not likely to be appealing to the publisher.

I've been using Access since version 1.0, and own every single edition of
the Access Developer Handbook series. I've never regretted what I spent on
any of them, because each one saved me, or my client, more than its cost the
very first time I used it. I'm happy to have Litwin, Getz, et al, do the
"heavy lifting" of in-depth research on using each version... I wish I could
locate a similarly-useful team of authors for some other software products!

At a meeting we both attended, Paul Litwin told me that it was the
publisher's decsion not to publish an Access 2003 version. My guess is that
the publisher thought there was not enough difference between Access 2002
and 2003 to warrant a new book, but that people like me would buy one
anyway, and be irritated. There's certainly a great deal of difference
between Access 2002 and 2007, so I strongly suspect there will be an Access
2007 edition -- and you can safely wager that I will own a copy of that
edition, too.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[=?windows-1250?Q?Vladim=EDr_Cvajniga?=]

In a GOOD book of a GOOD author you shoud not have compare page by page,
line by line. There should be short list of what's new and what's diffrent
plus all new stuff. That's it. That's the way I write documentation for my
apps... It's is much easier to get most important info that way... instead
or checking what I know and what I don't know... and searching in the book
for an appropriate un-known things at unknown pages!!! It's completely
different view, huh?

Good authors should know how to write their books to meet developers' needs.
I'm sure they know it. 50 pages of text would be enough for A2007... ;-)
IMHO, there is very little difference between A2002's and A2007's advanced
stuff. Also, tables, forms, reports, queries, and VBA: most of the stuff
remains unchanged, I think. GUI is something we can talk about, but (to me)
it's not most important.

.... and if you are a good reader you don't need old books since you remember
all important things that they contain.

I'd appreciate unexpensive and powerfull solution. That's exactly what small
books do!

Vlado

 

[Larry Linson]

You obviously have a far better memory than I do -- I have several shelves
of computer books covering just the current versions of software I use, and
I certainly do not have all that information at instant recall. If you do,
then I envy you that ability.

If you can accomplish what you describe in just a few pages, I encourage you
to take up writing computer books. However, I caution that you should not
rely on people having the kind of memory you describe, because it seems a
requirement for the kind of books you describe (50 pages covering
differences between two versions of a software product, even ones changed
far less drastically than Access between 2003 and 2007, would be simply
amazing and require a "photographic" memory of previous versions), and that
kind of memory is definitely not common.

I wish you much luck in finding authors who fit your definition of "good
authors", and with your writing career.

And, just by the way, I never mentioned "comparing page by page." If the
book only contains differences, most of us would have to be referring to
earlier books for things that didn't change. For Access, with versions 1.0,
1.1, 2.0, 97, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2007, that would be quite a stack of
books, if for each version, the book only documented new or changed
features. Although I find the Developer's Handbook series to be very useful,
extensive in its coverage, and well worth the price, they don't even claim
to cover every area of the product, in-depth.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[=?windows-1250?Q?Vladim=EDr_Cvajniga?=]

I'm affraid my memory-joke was misunderstood. :-/ I can hardly remember my
yesterday's meal! But each developer has perfect memory for things he needs
for his programming. Try to imagine that I forget some keyword, eg...., hey
was it Fluction? Or Function?

Anyway, you would like thick book once again. You buy thick one. I'd like
thin one. That's why I'd like to ask all authors: thin books for me,
please...

Vlado

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

I'm sure the authors would love to write a few hundred pages instead of
thousands of pages, Vladimir. I doubt the authors are the ones who need to
be persuaded!

 

[dbahooker]

god that seems like a lot of money

I would just get a couple of cheap books on SQL Server and use Access
Data Projects

 

[dbahooker]

I'll buy it also for sure

I hope it has enough info on ADP!