Books 24×7: The New Google??
April 9, 2008
So the other day as I was working in my new luxurious cubicle out at my client site (this is no joke, I really got the hook up here), I came across a coding “problem” that I had to fix fairly quickly in order to meet my deadline of EOD. Now as a seasoned developer in need of the type of solution I was seeking, I quickly jumped into my FireFox browser and navigated to Google; your friend and mine for these quickies…
Now after about ten minutes and 5+ different search strings later on Google, I decided that this was no longer a “quickie” as it should have been. All I was looking for was a small code snippet to help me with my task at hand. Most of my searches returned results where I needed to purchase a book or subscribe to sort of a service to “view the solution”. Now if you’re like me, I don’t like to sign up for random pages where I will NEVER remember the username and/or password; So I kept on keepin on, figuring up different search queries to find the solution to my issue here. I still got results where I needed to purchase BOOKS! Then it hit me… (LIGHTBULBS!) I just purchased a license to Books24x7… Hmmm…. I quickly retrieved my username and password for the Books24x7 service, typed in the EXACT queries I sent to Google, and in LESS time I found the nice, little code snippet I was looking for! SWEET! Back to work finally…
After I finished what needed to be completed for the day, I decided to check out this Books24x7 service in more detail. I wanted to put it to the test to see if this is going to be a great service for me. After spending about an hour logged in, I found many great things about the service that I feel like I’m going to really get some use out of. First off, you can search for almost any technical book out there and read the entire thing. Second, if you’re looking to gain yourself a certification, you can read the books to help you get prepared and then search for an online course (which are all included I believe…) to help prepare you for the exam. Also, there are Exam Preps which are pre-tests you can take before the actual exam. There are also Job Aids, simliar to what you find on an end cap at a book store with all the “need to knows” information about a certain subject.
Okay, so I really don’t think that Books24x7 is going to take over Google… However, I do believe that this service is a great side kick for all of us to have as an additional resource. I highly recommend it and if you get the chance, you should definitely check it out.
My two cents have been spent, enjoy your day!
- Josh Davis
Comments
5 Responses to “Books 24×7: The New Google??”
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Hey Josh-
I agree, great idea. Check out Safari Books Online, too. Same idea as Books24X7 but they carry way more IT& developer books- O’Reilly, Wiley, Addison-Wesley, Sams, MSPress. I had Books 24X7 but found I couldn’t live without the O’Reilly & Addison-Wesley stuff… plus they have videos, too!
Hey Josh, I work for LUCRUM and should probably know this…but I don’t. How do the consultants get the Books 24×7 subscription?
- Andy
Great question, Andy. Mary Shy would be the contact person to get access to the Books24x7 service. There are two separate subscriptions you can sign up for. One is books only, where you can have access to only the books in the service. The other is an all out subscription where you have access to books, training, pre-exams, courses and everything else they have to offer.
- Josh
Josh,
Great post. You tell a story, make a point, and it is 100% about adding value to the world. Keep it coming.
Josh – I’m glad your getting value out of Lucrum’s new training tool. We continue to look for new ways to help you be more proficient. What else should we do?