I read the first edition of Creating Fast Web Apps. That had some insulting remarks to the reader. In the new edition the reader is dear and you should not take the subtitle seriously. The insults aim higher: at AOL, Microsoft and other big shots. I got some good and some excellent tips from this book. And I got something more. Before reading this book I thought that high quality learning and entertainment don’t come together. What you usually don’t expect from a technical book, either, is a moral. The reader can find more than one here. To name a couple:
1. Authorities, specialists and gurus are not necessarily right. Still, obeying some standards can be acceptable for a rebel, too.
2. Just because some large Internet companies are financially successful, a developer with self-respect should not follow their practices.
This book is illuminating for everybody, who teaches or studies Computer Science; not only for those, who want to know more about the closely discussed topic.

Marci Nemo
Calgary, AB

If you ever got irritated by your computer (practically 100% of computer users do), you'll instantly see where the author is coming from. I'm a Computer Science student, and this book is great to give us solid principles, and reliable practices, while being funny, too. (By the way, better than most of my textbooks.) This book teaches you to think, - very rare nowadays. Of course, you must know the basics of HTML and Javascript - but if you do, it's a very good investment.