Building Scalable Web Sites

Reviewed by Dr. Eric Flescher

I thought that this book would deal with possibly Google-based scalable maps and other websites in which one can make different types of websites. I was wrong. It offers websites coding and application design for advanced users, but even then this book might not be what you want.

The author talks about advanced programming and then keeps on going. The language of the text is detailed and difficult to understand. The author knows what he is talking about, but the reader should also be an advanced programmer, which I am not. When the author talks about “who this book is for” it still does not make sense. There is a lot of code and examples, but why bother if these are not examples you need?. In addition, you need experience with database applications like MySQL.

This is the shortest review I have written. The author is an Engineering Manager for the Flickr photo-sharing service and has worked on web projects in the UK. He apparently knows little about educating the public in terms of applications for the majority of users: beginners and intermediary level people. Most won’t understand the inner parts of the book, and even the introduction gives few clues who get the most from this book. I want to build websites now and in the future, and this is not the book I need for that purpose. Unless you have special needs for website coding, look for a different book.