The Buildmeister's Guide: Achieving Agile Software Delivery Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The whole build and release space is getting lots of attention these days. There seem to be many different vendors coming out with "automated frameworks", many different "best practices" and a wealth of opinions. This book is a nice introduction to the space and should help you to make sense of it all.

I liked the clear definitions of the build process, patterns, frequencies and how they apply to different processes (Agile/Enterprise) and language (Java/.NET/C++) environments. The book documents a number of common sense tips (a la the Pragmatic Programmers books) and they would certainly be good to keep in mind if you are implementing or improving a build process. There is really little technical content, i.e. how can I use Apache Ant, GNU Make etc... but the author states that this is not the purpose of the book - although some examples would have been nice to back up the tips!

A lot of the information has already been published on the auhtors portal: [...], so I would go there first to see what type of information is included in the book. I believe the book is being helped to fund the maintenance of this site - so if you like it you can keep it going by purchasing a copy - you can decide!

In summary The Buildmeister's Guide is an easy and enjoyable read about a relatively new space. It is by no means perfect but I would recommend it if your were a "buildmeister", developer or integrator on a project.

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Product Description:
The Buildmeister's Guide researches and documents the build process in detail. It's aim is to increase awareness of the build process and to raise the level and quality of discussion that occurs around it. The book looks at how the build process affects and is affected by different software development languages and methods, and what intrinsic value a "well defined" build process can bring to an organization. It defines the set of skills and capabilities that implementers of the build process should posses, and also a framework for a generic best practice build process with tips and guidelines on how to implement it. Whether you are a software developer, manager or integrator, this book will help you understand the importance of the build process to your organization and what role you will need to play in it.
The Second Edition has been significantly rewritten and enhanced with new technical content. In particular, content related to Agile Software Delivery, its definition and how it can be achieved has been included in order to make the book more relevant, consistent and readable.

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Pro Apache Ant Review

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(More customer reviews)Ant is one of those "Swiss Army Knife" tools that can take care of a stunning amount of work when it comes to automating your build process.Matthew Moodie does a good job mixing reference and practical information about Ant in his book Pro Apache Ant.

Contents:Introducing Ant; Installing Ant; Using Ant; Examining Ant's Types; Building a Project; Deploying an Application; Running an Application; Testing an Application; Using Ant in Large Projects; Writing Custom Tasks; Extending Ant; Using the Ant API; Index

In Pro Apache Ant, Moodie does a quick intro to the package and shows you how to install it.Once that's done, then you're off on a tour that touches on a wide array of functionality that Ant brings to your development project.The book seems to be a smooth blend of reference material covered in a format that is more geared towards practicality.For instance, the Building A Project chapter sets up an example scenario that would commonly be seen in a programming environment.The structure of the development system is put forth, and then the Ant code is built to show how an Ant script can automate the many manual tasks that would normally be part of the build process.Interspersed throughout the chapter are tables that show the particular command being used, as well as an explanation of all the particular attributes and parameters that can be used with the command.As such, you learn *how* to do something as well as having the tools to extend your use beyond the example.Having the blend of styles makes the book one that will last beyond your learning period.

If you've never worked through build processes in your environment, or if this is your first exposure to a scripting tool like Ant, you may end up proceeding a bit slower than you'd like.While you can learn everything you need from this book, it seemed to me that the reader would probably do better if they had at least a passing familiarity with scripting tools and a Java build process.The intro is quick, but if you're willing to do what's necessary to get the basics down, the book will be invaluable going forward.And if you're looking for something to round out your knowledge of Ant because you use it on a regular basis, then this is a very viable option.Nice job...

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Pro Apache Ant is ideal for Java developers who need to use the leading open source build tool out there for development and project management. It is organized around chronological tasks instead of alphabetical functions, using a sample application throughout the set-up, from calling database scripts to unit testing. Practical examples are used at every stage and each task includes a concrete example. The configuration files are XML based, so there's no need for you to write shell commands . Each task is run by an object that implements a particular task interface. And if you really need to execute a shell command, Ant has an task that allows different commands based on the OS.

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IBM Rational(R) ClearCase(R), Ant, and CruiseControl: The Java(TM) Developer's Guide to Accelerating and Automating the Build Process Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"IBM Rational ClearCase, Ant and CruiseControl" walks the reader through setting up automated builds.It is useful if you are doing exactly what the book discusses.In particular, you should be using all three of these technologies and want to do standard builds.

The concepts were excellent.There was a strong emphasis on understanding the terminology.For examples, configuration management and build terms were clearly discussed.The roles involved were also described.

The author introduces code as constructs/idioms rather than as syntax.He calls these "best practices."I don't think of them as best practices, but the idioms are very useful in getting started quickly.Due to this approach, the book doesn't offer much instruction on customization.

The coverage of ClearCase was very thorough.The book includes both the Base ClearCase and ClearCase UCM. Ant and CruiseControl were covered enough to automate a standard J2EE build with ClearCase.

This book will save you a lot of time in getting an automated build working if you haven't used the technologies before.It supplements the materials available on the web nicely.

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Product Description:
Optimize your entire Java build and release process with ClearCaseA (R), Ant, and CruiseControl Better builds mean better software. Effective, regular build processes accelerate development and improve quality, helping you identify small problems early, before they grow complex and costly to fix. Now, there's a step-by-step guide to creating Java build processes that are right for your organization. Leading build and release management expert Kevin Lee introduces best practices for integrating and using three exceptionally powerful and recognized industry standard tools: IBM RationalA (R) ClearCase software configuration management system, the open source Ant build tool, and CruiseControl for automating continuous builds. No previous build experience is necessary: Lee thoroughly explains everything from configuring SCM environments and defining build scripts through to release packaging and deployment. He offers solutions and techniques for both Base ClearCase and Unified Change Management (UCM)-IBM Rational's best practice Software Configuration Management usage model. Key techniques are presented in real-world context, through a full-fledged three-tier application case study.Whether you are a software developer, manager, or integrator, this book will help you create better builds-and reap the benefits in efficiency, traceability, quality, and speed.Coverage includesA * Ensuring that every build you create is complete, consistent, and reproducibleA * Configuring a ClearCase-controlled environment to support your development organization's build and release processA * Installing Ant and configuring it to build all of your project assetsA * Integrating Ant with ClearCase and effectively using them togetherA * Installing CruiseControl and configuring it to schedule and automate different types of buildsA * Integrating CruiseControl with ClearCase to schedule builds and automate baselines and reportsA * Creating custom baseline and change request reportsA * Setting up automatic notification whenever build problems ariseA * Creating and packaging releasable, traceable builds with ClearCase and ClearQuestaA A

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Ant: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is exactly what it's title says: a *guide* to using Apache Ant, particularly for Java development. Note, though, that it is *not* a *reference*. It does not describe each Ant task in detail, nor does it document all the allowable Ant XML elements.

That's why I was disappointed with this book, and only gave it three stars. O'Reilly has an unfortunate habit of giving the same type of title to any of its books on a subject, regardless of their real content. Thus, "HTML and XHTML: The Definitive Guide" is a both a *guide* and a *reference*, and pretty much the only HTML book you need.

"Ant", on the other hand, really needs a companion reference for more experienced Ant users. Anyone who uses Ant soon realizes that the online documentation is less than stellar.

This book is a necessary starting point for Ant; now we need more! Ant, after all, is worth documenting, since it's *much* better than any alternative out there.

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Soon after its launch, Ant succeeded in taking the Java world by storm, becoming the most widely used tool for building applications in Java environments. Like most popular technologies, Ant quickly went through a series of early revision cycles.With each new version, more functionality was added, and more complexity was introduced. Ant evolved from a simple-to-learn build tool into a full-fledged testing and deployment environment.


Ant: The Definitive Guide has been reworked, revised and expanded upon to reflect this evolution.It documents the new ways that Ant is being applied, as well as the array of optional tasks that Ant supports.In fact, this new second edition covers everything about this extraordinarybuild managementtool from downloading and installing, to using Ant to test code.Here are just of a few of the features you'll find detailed in this comprehensive, must-have guide:

Developing conditional builds, and handling error conditions
Automatically retrieving source code from version control systems
Using Ant with XML files
Using Ant with JavaServer Pages to build Web applications
Using Ant with Enterprise JavaBeans to build enterprise applications

Far exceeding its predecessor in terms of information and detail, Ant: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition is a must-have for Java developers unfamiliar with the latest advancements in Ant technology.With this book at your side, you'll soon be up to speed on the premiere tool for cross-platform development.
Author Steve Holzner is an award-winning author who s been writing about Java topics since the language first appeared; his books have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

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Ant in Action: Covers Ant 1.7 (Manning) Review

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(More customer reviews)A 500+ page book about a build tool. I guess your initial reaction might be the same as mine. Why would we need so much pages to describe a build tool.

Well, after reading "Ant in Action" I concluded, it doesn't need. The book just described much more than just Ant.

The book consists of three parts. The first part is called "Learning Ant". This is basically the build tool part, which describes the basics of Ant and how to use it. Well actually, in part one it already goes a little further to also include unit testing and already some deployment related information.

The second part is called "Applying Ant" and goes well beyond just describing Ant. Chapter 10 describes working in large projects. Chapter 11talks about managing dependencies and introduces Ivy. Chapter 15 introduces continuous integration and introduces Luntbuild (not sure why the authors not chose to describe CruiseControl, which is absolutely the most used CI tool). Chapter 16 alone would already be a reason to get the book and it talks about automating deployment and introduces a tool called Smartfrog.

The third parts is called "extending ant" and explains how you can extend ant, develop your own tasks and test them using AntUnit. It describes how ant is implemented so that you know how to extend it (and probably how to develop for it further).

When I started my journey through this book, I was a simple Ant user. The authors showed me that there are so much things possible with Ant and also explored the world around Ant. After finishing the book, I felt I have learned so much and it certainly improved my build scripting abilities. An absolute must read.

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This second edition of a Manning bestseller has been revised and re-titled to fit the 'In Action' Series by Steve Loughran, an Ant project committer. Ant in Action introduces Ant and how to use it for test-driven Java application development. Ant itself is moving to v1.7, a major revision, at the end of 2006 so the timing for the book is right. A single application of increasing complexity, followed throughout the book, shows how an application evolves and how to handle the problems of building and testing. Reviewers have praised the book's coverage of large-projects, Ant's advanced features, and the details and depth of the discussion-all unavailable elsewhere. This is a major revision with the second half of the book completely new, including:How to Manage Big projects Library management Enterprise Java Continuous integration Deployment Writing new Ant tasks and datatypes

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