This book grew out of work my system integration firm, Navica, performed for our clients. We serve both large and small companies in a variety of industries, implementing and configuring software applications as well as developing custom systems. It's not exactly a secret that IT budgets have been tight over the past few years, so many of our clients asked us to explore ways to deliver projects at lower cost. In our efforts to find ways to lower project costs, we came across something called open source software. Given my background in large IT shops, global consulting firms, and enterprise software companies, I was pretty skeptical about a product that promised something for nothing. The whole ethos of volunteers delivering high-quality software seemed counterintuitive to me. Furthermore, I wondered how we could obtain support and training for the product. In short, I couldn't understand how open source worked.

In any software development project, many developers contribute changes over a period of time. Using a version control system to track and manage these changes is vital to the continued success of the project. This book introduces you to Subversion, a free, open-source version control system, which is both more powerful and much less complex than its predecessor CVS. In this practical, hands-on guide, you will learn how to use Subversion and how to effectively merge a version control system within your development process. As a seasoned Subversion user, William Nagel draws on lessons learned through trial and error, providing useful tips for accomplishing tasks that arise in day-to-day software development. Nagel clearly explains how to expand on the built-in abilities of Subversion, making the system work better for you. He organizes Subversion commands by activity to allow for quick task reference. Using example scripts and configurations, he also includes development approaches that you can customize to fit your own environment.

We live in a society surrounded by software. Not just in our computers: our mobile phones, VCRs, cars, vending machines, even dishwashers are all increasingly software-driven. But Michael Hewitt-Gleeson has taken the concept a step further. In his new book, Software For The Brain, Dr Hewitt-Gleeson argues that our brain can be programmed just as a computer - or a dishwasher - can. Furthermore, he argues that our brains, or "necktop computers", have been infected by a virus, the same sort of virus that computers get infected with from time to time. On my PC I have a virus-scanner to detect and clean-up computer viruses; Software For The Brain gives you a mental virus scanner to help your brain work better. Dr Hewitt-Gleeson argues that Western society has been infected by something he calls the Plato Truth Virus - the idea that there is such a thing as the "right" answer in any given situation. One thing that the Internet quite clearly shows us is that there is always an alternative viewpoint, but we don't get taught this in school, it's seldom understood in the workplace, and just try explaining your alternate viewpoint to a parking warden! Software For The Brain explains the concept of the Plato Truth Virus, and how it affects our lives, in clear, simple, layman's terms. You don't have to understand anything about software or thinking to make sense of this book. Hewitt-Gleeson then provides readers with a number of mental exercises that encourage you to stop thinking about the world in black and white terms, and instead view thinking as a process of objectively considering a number of alternatives, which lets you make decisions rationally and free of prejudice. Michael Hewitt-Gleeson differs from other cognitive scientists like Edward De Bono, his former mentor, because he can be succinct. He makes his points quickly, simply, and accessibly, and the result is a book that will expand anyone's mental capacity, and maybe even give you a whole new outlook on your life.

Offers a new path to success in the software industry. This book reaches out to managers, developers, and customers who use industry-standard methodologies, but whose projects still struggle to succeed.

In this book, IBM Enterprise Integration Team experts present a start-to-finish guide to planning, implementing, and managing Service-Oriented Architecture. Drawing on their extensive experience helping enterprise customers migrate to SOA, the authors share hard-earned lessons and best practices for architects, project managers, and software development leaders alike. Well-written and practical, Service-Oriented Architecture Compass offers the perfect blend of principles and "how-to" guidance for transitioning your infrastructure to SOA. The authors clearly explain what SOA is, the opportunities it offers, and how it differs from earlier approaches. Using detailed examples from IBM consulting engagements, they show how to deploy SOA solutions that tightly integrate with your processes and operations, delivering maximum flexibility and value. With detailed coverage of topics ranging from policy-based management to workflow implementation, no other SOA book offers comparable value to workingIT professionals. Coverage includes

• SOA from both a business and technical standpoint—and how to make the business case
• Planning your SOA project: best practices and pitfalls to avoid
• SOA analysis and design for superior flexibility and value
• Securing and managing your SOA environment
• Using SOA to simplify enterprise application integration
• Implementing business processes and workflow in SOA environments
• Case studies in SOA deployment
• After you've deployed: delivering better collaboration, greater scalability, and more sophisticated applications