Head Rush Ajax - O'Reilly's Latest Release

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the author, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com

A Caffeinated Learning Guide to the World of Dynamic Web Pages
O'Reilly Releases "Head Rush Ajax"

Sebastopol, CA--With every new technology, a new race starts--whether it's
to be the first to get a handle on the buzzwords, to publish on the
subject, or to learn to use the technology for a few new tricks--and the
Ajax race is going strong. There's a reason why: Ajax--or Asynchronous
JavaScript and XML--lets you build rich internet applications that are
more interactive, responsive, and easy to use than ever before.  It puts
an end to waiting for tiresome page reloads. Instead, clunky old web
applications feel fast and smooth, like dynamic desktop apps.

So where do you turn if you want to learn Ajax fast and learn it well?  To
learn it in a way that sticks in your brain, and even lets you have fun in
the process? "Head Rush Ajax" (O'Reilly, US $39.99) by Brett McLaughlin is
the answer. It uses the award-winning Head First approach you've seen
before in "Head First Java" and "Head First Design Objects" and blends it
with a jolt of pure caffeine.  It's an accelerated learning style designed
for experienced programmers and web designers; it'll get the essentials of
Ajax in your brain, fast.

"I looked around at the Ajax books coming out and was really
disappointed," recalls McLaughlin. "First, they all seemed to target a
pretty high-end, uber-geek type of market. I was much more interested in
teaching designers, JavaScript programmers, and your 'everyday' web
developer about Ajax. I'm sure those other books are great for people who
want to sit around and talk about transient usage patterns and the like,
but I'm just a normal guy. I wanted this to be a book for normal people."

"And that's the other thing," McLaughlin continues. "Some of the books I'm
seeing on Ajax are all about little widgets and gadgets and tricks. But
none of them seem to actually talk about the web browser, and asynchrony,
and really focus on what Ajax is. Sure, it's a combination of technologies
that have been around for a while, but that hardly means that everybody
really gets what all those technologies are.  I'd rather really ground
someone in JavaScript, and the web browser, and asynchronous requests, and
the Document Object Model, rather than blazing through that in 65 pages
and spending 400 pages talking about esoteric user interface patterns and
server-side languages. It's just not where my head's at...again, I just
want a book that a normal web developer (or even a motivated designer) can
pick up, and get some light bulbs to turn on."

"Head Rush Ajax" provides a learning experience that's as compelling and
cutting-edge as the sites you want to design. If you've ever read a Head
First book, you'll know what to expect: a visually rich format designed
for the way your brain works. Head Rush ramps up the intensity with an
even faster look and feel. Readers will have their first working app
before they finish Chapter 1, meet up with the nefarious PROJECT: CHAOS
Stealth team, and even settle the question of the Top 5 Blues CDs of all
time (who says you can't have fun and deliberate important issues while
learning?).

"If you thought Ajax was rocket science, this book is for you," says Jesse
James Garrett of Adaptive Path, "'Head Rush Ajax' puts dynamic, compelling
experiences within reach for every web developer."

"It just skips all the hype," agrees McLaughlin. "It talks about what the
web browser is, and how it's a far richer and more important player in web
applications--and especially in asynchronous applications--than most
people realize. And we just don't really care about being fancy in this
book. If people want someone to talk down to them, or they want to really
be impressed by the author, 'Head Rush Ajax' is going to disappoint. I
just want people to learn about this stuff, without a lot of fancy terms
or tricks that really don't matter in most web apps."

Early praise for "Head Rush Ajax":

"A 'technology-meets-reality' book for web pioneers on the cutting edge."

--Valentin Crettaz, CTO, Condris Technologies

"This stuff is brain candy; I can't get enough of it."
--Pauline McNamara, Center for New Technologies and Education, Fribourg
University, Switzerland

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book, including author bio, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/headra/

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596102...

Head Rush Ajax
Brett McLaughlin
ISBN: 0-596-10225-9, 413 pages, $39.99 US, $55.99 CA
order@oreilly.com
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