HLSL and Pixel Shaders for XAML Developers
Graphic Shaders are used throughout the game and movie industry to improve onscreen graphics. They are versatile, doing important tasks like making computer rendered aliens look realistic, providing the ripples on a background lake or growing fur on the latest Pixar monster. In the PC world, programmers are often delighted to find that shaders are nothing more than a miniature program that is optimized to run on the computers GPU. This happiness fades when they start exploring the strange programming model underlying shaders however. Because shaders are strung together in an unusual fashion and run on a massive parallel processer developers shouldn’t use their traditional OO or procedural approach to writing code. Writing effective shaders requires a mind shift regarding how to craft a useful algorithm. To top it off, shaders are written in a unfamiliar C-like language. In the Microsoft DirectX world the dominant language is High Level Shader Language or HLSL. ...
Graphic Shaders are used throughout the game and movie industry to improve onscreen graphics. They are versatile, doing important tasks like making computer rendered aliens look realistic, providing the ripples on a background lake or growing fur on the latest Pixar monster. In the PC world, programmers are often delighted to find that shaders are nothing more than a miniature program that is optimized to run on the computers GPU. This happiness fades when they start exploring the strange programming model underlying shaders however. Because shaders are strung together in an unusual fashion and run on a massive parallel processer developers shouldn’t use their traditional OO or procedural approach to writing code. Writing effective shaders requires a mind shift regarding how to craft a useful algorithm. To top it off, shaders are written in a unfamiliar C-like language. In the Microsoft DirectX world the dominant language is High Level Shader Language or HLSL. ...
Professional Android 4 Application Development
The fast-growing popularity of Android smartphones and tablets creates a huge opportunities for developers. If you're an experienced developer, you can start creating robust mobile Android apps right away with this professional guide to Android 4 application development. Written by one of Google's lead Android developer advocates, this practical book walks you through a series of hands-on projects that illustrate the features of the Android SDK. That includes all the new APIs introduced in Android 3 and 4, including building for tablets, using the Action Bar, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC Beam, and more. ...
The fast-growing popularity of Android smartphones and tablets creates a huge opportunities for developers. If you're an experienced developer, you can start creating robust mobile Android apps right away with this professional guide to Android 4 application development. Written by one of Google's lead Android developer advocates, this practical book walks you through a series of hands-on projects that illustrate the features of the Android SDK. That includes all the new APIs introduced in Android 3 and 4, including building for tablets, using the Action Bar, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC Beam, and more. ...
CentOS Bible
This is one of the first, if not the first comprehensive guide to the CentOS Linux operating system. First find out how to install and configure CentOS. From there, you'll cover a wealth of Linux and CentOS tools, functions, and techniques, including: how to work in the GNOME and KDE desktop environments; how to use the Linux shell, file system, and text editor; how to configure CUPS printers, Samba for file and printer sharing and other features using GUI tools; and more. ...
This is one of the first, if not the first comprehensive guide to the CentOS Linux operating system. First find out how to install and configure CentOS. From there, you'll cover a wealth of Linux and CentOS tools, functions, and techniques, including: how to work in the GNOME and KDE desktop environments; how to use the Linux shell, file system, and text editor; how to configure CUPS printers, Samba for file and printer sharing and other features using GUI tools; and more. ...
Practical Computer Vision with SimpleCV
SimpleCV is a cross platform (Windows, Macintosh, Linux) framework in Python that makes writing computer vision applications quick and easy. This book takes you through real world examples and applications using SimpleCV so that anyone, even with zero knowledge of computer vision, can use to create their own vision application in a few minutes with a webcam and PC. SimpleCV has its own integrated shell (command line) and code editor so you can rapidly test new techniques, load and run examples, view documentation, etc. The library also works with webcams, cell phones, the Xbox Kinect, and TI's Beagle Board and Panda Board. There are 1-click installers for every platform, so you can be up and running any of the examples included in this book in a few minutes. ...
SimpleCV is a cross platform (Windows, Macintosh, Linux) framework in Python that makes writing computer vision applications quick and easy. This book takes you through real world examples and applications using SimpleCV so that anyone, even with zero knowledge of computer vision, can use to create their own vision application in a few minutes with a webcam and PC. SimpleCV has its own integrated shell (command line) and code editor so you can rapidly test new techniques, load and run examples, view documentation, etc. The library also works with webcams, cell phones, the Xbox Kinect, and TI's Beagle Board and Panda Board. There are 1-click installers for every platform, so you can be up and running any of the examples included in this book in a few minutes. ...
Mobile Design Pattern Gallery
When you're under pressure to produce a well designed, easy-to-navigate mobile app, there's no time to reinvent the wheel. This concise book provides a handy reference to 70 mobile app design patterns, illustrated by more than 400 screenshots from current iOS, Android, BlackBerry, WebOS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian apps. User experience professional Theresa Neil (Designing Web Interfaces) walks you through design patterns in 10 separate categories, including anti-patterns. Whether you're designing a simple iPhone application or one that’s meant to work for every popular mobile OS on the market, these patterns provide solutions to common design challenges. This print edition is in full color. ...
When you're under pressure to produce a well designed, easy-to-navigate mobile app, there's no time to reinvent the wheel. This concise book provides a handy reference to 70 mobile app design patterns, illustrated by more than 400 screenshots from current iOS, Android, BlackBerry, WebOS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian apps. User experience professional Theresa Neil (Designing Web Interfaces) walks you through design patterns in 10 separate categories, including anti-patterns. Whether you're designing a simple iPhone application or one that’s meant to work for every popular mobile OS on the market, these patterns provide solutions to common design challenges. This print edition is in full color. ...
Learning JavaScript Design Patterns
If you want to write beautiful, structured, and maintainable JavaScript code, this guide shows you how to apply both classical and modern design patterns to the language. The patterns in this book provide reusable code solutions to common problems in software design, and give you a shared vocabulary for describing solutions to others. You'll explore several popular design patterns in plain JavaScript as well as jQuery and other abstracted libraries. If you're familiar with concepts such as closures and prototypal inheritance, you'll be able to determine why some patterns may be more suitable for your projects than others. ...
If you want to write beautiful, structured, and maintainable JavaScript code, this guide shows you how to apply both classical and modern design patterns to the language. The patterns in this book provide reusable code solutions to common problems in software design, and give you a shared vocabulary for describing solutions to others. You'll explore several popular design patterns in plain JavaScript as well as jQuery and other abstracted libraries. If you're familiar with concepts such as closures and prototypal inheritance, you'll be able to determine why some patterns may be more suitable for your projects than others. ...
YUI 3 Cookbook
Solve a wide range of problems in your web application quickly and efficiently with the Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI). With this definitive, getting-started guide to version 3 of the popular open source JavaScript library, you'll learn how to address many of the most common and challenging problems that web development presents. YUI 3 Cookbook introduces specific implementation patterns in the library, demonstrating granular solutions for everything from simple page effects to sophisticated web apps. Experienced users will learn how to create modules that load on demand; generate beautiful documentation; and write powerful and flexible Widgets, Models, and Views. ...
Solve a wide range of problems in your web application quickly and efficiently with the Yahoo! User Interface Library (YUI). With this definitive, getting-started guide to version 3 of the popular open source JavaScript library, you'll learn how to address many of the most common and challenging problems that web development presents. YUI 3 Cookbook introduces specific implementation patterns in the library, demonstrating granular solutions for everything from simple page effects to sophisticated web apps. Experienced users will learn how to create modules that load on demand; generate beautiful documentation; and write powerful and flexible Widgets, Models, and Views. ...
Maintainable JavaScript
You may have definite ideas about writing code when working alone, but team development requires that everyone use the same approach. With the JavaScript practices in this book - including code style, programming tips, and automation - you'll learn how to write maintainable code that other team members can easily understand, adapt, and extend. Author Nicholas Zakas assembled this collection of best practices as a front-end tech leader at Yahoo!, after completing his own journey from solo hacker to team player. He also includes rules recommended by other industry authorities. Use these tips and techniques to help your team set aside individual preferences and function at a higher level. ...
You may have definite ideas about writing code when working alone, but team development requires that everyone use the same approach. With the JavaScript practices in this book - including code style, programming tips, and automation - you'll learn how to write maintainable code that other team members can easily understand, adapt, and extend. Author Nicholas Zakas assembled this collection of best practices as a front-end tech leader at Yahoo!, after completing his own journey from solo hacker to team player. He also includes rules recommended by other industry authorities. Use these tips and techniques to help your team set aside individual preferences and function at a higher level. ...
Closure: The Definitive Guide
If you're ready to use Closure to build rich web applications with JavaScript, this hands-on guide has precisely what you need to learn this suite of tools in depth. Closure makes it easy for experienced JavaScript developers to write and maintain large and complex codebases - as Google has demonstrated by using Closure with Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Maps. Author and Closure contributor Michael Bolin has included numerous code examples and best practices, as well as valuable information not available publicly until now. You'll learn all about Closure's Library, Compiler, Templates, testing framework, and Inspector - including how to minify JavaScript code with the Compiler, and why the combination of the Compiler and the Library is what sets Closure apart from other JavaScript toolkits. ...
If you're ready to use Closure to build rich web applications with JavaScript, this hands-on guide has precisely what you need to learn this suite of tools in depth. Closure makes it easy for experienced JavaScript developers to write and maintain large and complex codebases - as Google has demonstrated by using Closure with Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Maps. Author and Closure contributor Michael Bolin has included numerous code examples and best practices, as well as valuable information not available publicly until now. You'll learn all about Closure's Library, Compiler, Templates, testing framework, and Inspector - including how to minify JavaScript code with the Compiler, and why the combination of the Compiler and the Library is what sets Closure apart from other JavaScript toolkits. ...
Beginning CSS, 3rd Edition
Build extraordinary web sites with CSS in the newest browsers. With Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and other browsers debuting new versions, an updated resource on building web sites with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is critical. This new edition of a perennial classic responds to that need and gets you quickly up to speed on using CSS to create appealing web sites in a professional way. Completely updated with new examples, this full-color book has been carefully revised based on reader input and now provides an even more concise and streamlined introduction to CSS. Veteran authors Ian Pouncey and Richard York cover how to write CSS from scratch like a professional, and discuss the many improvements to CSS that have emerged since the previous edition. ...
Build extraordinary web sites with CSS in the newest browsers. With Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, and other browsers debuting new versions, an updated resource on building web sites with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is critical. This new edition of a perennial classic responds to that need and gets you quickly up to speed on using CSS to create appealing web sites in a professional way. Completely updated with new examples, this full-color book has been carefully revised based on reader input and now provides an even more concise and streamlined introduction to CSS. Veteran authors Ian Pouncey and Richard York cover how to write CSS from scratch like a professional, and discuss the many improvements to CSS that have emerged since the previous edition. ...