RE: [WEB400] Re: CGI URL

["Bartell, Aaron L. (TC)" <ALBartell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I read the first few chapters but found the lack of a consistent and
authoritative voice distracting (basic editing would have helped here).

I guess it could be more appropriately stated that different people learn
different ways.  I found that the e-RPG book got me up and running in no
time with the basics that I needed to know to start CGI programming with
RPG.  I would have to agree with the statements made here that you just
can't cover everything in a "beginners" book or else you will drown people.
I am guessing that is why Mr. Stone is putting out another CGI RPG book, and
I doubt that it will be his last.  I have never written a book before but I
am guessing there are certain constraints, including time, that you need to
adhere to so you can get a product out and into the hands of people who need
it.

>FWIW, Hans, I agree 100%.  Any treatment of the subject of CGI that does
not cover the specifics of encoding is at best
>flawed and at worst dangerous.  It's like allowing a buffer overflow; seems
reasonably harmless at first but we've seen
>exploit after exploit discovered that takes full (and disastrous) advantage
of a poorly designed interface.

So did the first RPG training you received cover buffer overflow?  I am
guessing not.  Is the person(s) who taught you RPG at fault for not teaching
you that?, in your opinion they are.  My point is that you as a person get
to go through the struggles of learning the RPG language.  Through that time
you will develop opinions of what is important and what is not.  There are
many many things that could be said about what Stone, Cozzi, Coulthard,
Farr, etc. . . have left out of their books.  Unless the book says
"Comprehensive Guide" on it you shouldn't treat it as such.

my $.02

Aaron Bartell