Rapid Application Development with Mozilla

by Nigel McFarlane

Mozilla (www.mozilla.org) is an Open Source toolset that programmers can use to rapidly develop user-oriented software applications without having to suffer restrictions of HTML-based Web development. It's an innovative interpretation of XML, JavaScript and component technologies, conveniently bundled together. Simply put, Mozilla is to Linux what Visual Basic is to Windows: an entry-level tool that can do simple jobs fast. This latest book in...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0131423436
• ISBN13: 9780131423435
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Pearson
• Length: 800 Pages
• Weight: 2.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

The book I've been waiting for.

Finally, a good book about application development with mozilla is available. Cross out the 'Rapid' from the title if you don't like it, because the book actually covers application development with mozilla in general (although it really is rapid with mozilla ;) ). This book is a must for anybody out there who's up to develop user interfaces or lightweight, portable applications and doesn't want to use Eclipse and Java. Virtually everything you need to know is covered in clear and unmistakeable descriptions. Examples are included and the good structuring helps using the book as a reference. Five gold-stars to you, Mr. McFarlane! Within one day your book made it into the hall of fame on my bookshelf!

A must have for XUL development

If you're thinking about learning XUL, this is a must have. I haven't been able to put the book down since it arrived at my door. The best part of it yet has been the explanations about javascript. This is as valuable for XUL as it is for normal web development. I've already started and almost completed building my first mozilla application.

Scientific approach

This book gives a very thorough introduction to the Mozilla platform. Some familiarity with XML, CSS and especially javascript and programming in general is certainly useful. It takes a little time to get used to McFarlane's style, and the structure of the book. If you're in a hurry you might be better of with the O'Reilly Mozilla book. This book looks quite thorough from a theoretical point of view. It even comprises a small overview of javascript. Fundamental concepts of the Mozilla platform, like XUL, XBL, RDF, XPCOM and the structure of Mozilla applications, to name just a few, are explained thoroughly and clearly. If you're serious about Mozilla programming, and have the patience to get a firm grasp of the basics, this is an excellent book.

Highly recommended for new Mozilla programmer

Nigel McFarlane has produced one of the most extensive books on application development using Mozilla that I have seen. His writing style is easy to follow and he wisely walks the reader through the creation of a useful example program. Longtime programmers will recognize the traditional "Hello, World" program as a starting point for learning how to program Mozilla. From this small beginning he moves the reader forward to writing a complete program. The coverage of Mozilla is thorough and provides the reader with all the basics they need to have a solid foundation in Mozilla. The XML User interface Language (XUL) is clearly described, the available tools extensively described and explained, and all the other important areas are covered including Listboxes, Chrome, Overlays, Trees, Events, Forms, Menus, Layout, Scripting, RDF, Bindings, XPCOM, and anything else you may need to know. This will not make you a Mozilla expert but it will give you all the basic information you need to program basic applications and understand more advanced books and articles. "Rapid Application Development with Mozilla" is a highly recommended purchase for anyone interested in programming web applications with Mozilla and Nigel McFarlane is the right author to take you to your goals.

I learned a lot from this book...

As a software professional, I thought I knew about Mozilla. I was under the impression that it was nothing more than the open source version of the Netscape browser. But after reading this book, I was quickly corrected in my thinking. Mozilla isn't just a browser. It's a software development platform that combines XML, scripting, and objects in order to allow for rapid application development of web-enabled applications. While browsers can be part of that application, there is much more there than I originally thought. The book starts out by explaining XML User-interface Language, or XUL. This is the foundation of the design layout of Mozilla applications. JavaScript manipulation of the document object model is then covered so that you can build logic into your applications. The concepts of RDF for data storage and XPCOM for object management round out the major new concepts you'll learn. Throughout the book, you will build an application called NoteTaker that will allow you to create "notes" about web pages that will pop up whenever you display that web page. The examples are clear and the end product of the application is something that is actually useful when you get done with it.ConclusionIf you are looking for an open-source platform for rapidly building web-enabled applications, you should explore the use of Mozilla. And if you do, this is the perfect book to get you started.