Of course, we read books to augment our main skills and this list partly shows that. There are sections on:
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These books are written by a professional C++ developer and consultant who has overturned most of the unsavoury stones that a C++ developer is liable to uncover.
Owning these books should be a must for any job applicant!
Read these books and you will be more prepared for development of C++ software.
There is also a seperate CD-ROM containing the two books in HTML format, including extra material from journals.
Perl Book Reviews
Perl is a flexible scripting language, useful as a glue between systems or between programs. We can thoroughly recommend some well-thumbed perl books.
The Perl Cookbook (amazon)
This is a must for anyone who knows the basic syntax of the language, but needs guidance on how to approach problems. Each chapter focuses on a particular subject - manipulating dates and times, internet programming, and provides a numberof common problems and discusses a number of solutions to each one, with the pros and cons of each.
The Perl Little Black Book (amazon)
This is a very useful reference handbook. Less wieldy than the classic "Camel" book, it is easy to find the information you need within its covers. Each chapter is short and has a clear table of contents at the beginning which makes it easy to use the book as reference material. The book is clear and structured well so is also suitable as a learning book.
Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C (amazon)
If you are programming cgi using perl or C and need to go faster, and are using the apache web server, this book is invaluable. Don't be put off if you don't know or use C, there is plenty of perl information in here, in fact the perl API is richer than the C API.
The book shows you how to link perl and C modules into apache for ultra-fast dynamic content generation - using mod_perl and Apache::PerlRun should give you roughly 20 times faster execution. The book covers all the hooks you can use and includes examples to assist you in getting your own scripts up and running quickly.
This book only covers Apache 1.x; Apache 2.x has been out for some time (although mod_perl is still in beta on Apache 2.0) and the details will have changed.
Security Book Reviews
Security books can be dry as dust and dull as ditchwater, but these books are well written and involving.
Real World Linux Security: Intrusion Prevention, Detection and Recovery by Bob Toxen (amazon)
This book, or a similar one, is a must-have for anyone responsible for running a Linux or unix computer. Toxen has a long track-record in unix and linux security, and this book imparts his knowledge well.
Toxen starts with the basics and takes the reader through the full complement of techniques to secure a linux or unix system. He has several distribution-specific tips to pass on, mainly for the Red-Hat and SuSE distributions, but all techniques are applicable to all recent Linux versions, and most concepts are valid for most variants of unix too.
The book includes a comprehensive section on the Linux firewalls (iptables and ipchains) and sections on securing common services, for example http, ftp, nfs and ssh. It also goes beyond linux configuration and includes advice on security policies and disaster recovery.
Bruce Schneier's Secrets and Lies (amazon)
Secrets and Lies discusses security in the broad sense, not specific to computer systems and cryptography. Bruce is the author of the reference tome Applied Crytography, but this book is easy on the technical content but full of wise words. If you have a web site, or do business over the internet, then you should read this book.
Simson Garfinkel's Database Nation (amazon)
This describes online privacy, or the lack of it. It tells how easy identity theft is in various western countries, how consumer's rights are being eroded and undermined, and generally opens ones eyes to how computers are being used today to limit your choices by providing large companies with too much personal data about everyone. Despite it's U.S. focus, there is lots in here for everyone. You will be more careful with your personal information after reading this book.
Lighter Reading
These books will be of interest to anyone intersted in computers and security.
The Cuckoos Egg by Clifford Stole(amazon)
Have you ever thought about catching a hacker? Astronomer/Programmer/System Administrator Clifford Stoll caught one by accident, the hacker using his systems as a gateway to access military sites. This is the briliantly-told story of his dogmatic efforts to identify and catch the hacker as he saw them access military secrets.
The Cuckoos Egg is a great non-technical book, and a great read.
Silk and Cyanide by Leo Marks(amazon)
Going back to the second world war, codes and codebreaking played a great part in them. One man, Leo Marks, was a cryptanalyst/cryptographer in London. He has published his memoirs as Silk and Cyanide and they make fascinating reading.
Marks became a scriptwriter for movies after the war, and his storytelling skills are well used in this book.
This is not a spy story in the 007 mold, but the story is gripping and involving. You will find it difficult to put down.
