Re: SQL For Smarties 3rd Edition - ATTN Joe Celko
Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 20:58:27 GMT
Message-ID: <TB81h.20451$OE1.3772_at_tornado.ohiordc.rr.com>
-CELKO- wrote:
>>>I bought SQL for Smarties -- and felt ripped-off. <<
>
>
> Sorry about that ..
>
>
>>>I read someone else's copy of your treatment of trees, graphs, hierarchies, whatever (I don't remember the exact title.) and thought it was pretty vapid. <<
>
>
> That might have been an O'Reilly book that was basically a re-write of
> SFS materials. Their books include: SQL Hacks, SQL Hacks: Rough Cuts
> Version, The Art of SQL and SQL Cookbook which are all programming
> trick collections.
No, like I said, it was your Trees and Hierarchies in SQL for Smarties that I found vapid.
>
>>>whatever in the world have Data Encoding Schemes, Access Structures, NCITS Standards for Naming Data Elements, and Check Digit algorithms to do with database theory? <<
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> To quote from the introduction of DATA & DATABASES:
>
> ============
> 00.0 Preface
>
> This book is a collection of ideas about the nature of data and
> databases. Some of the material has appeared in different forms in my
> regular columns in the computer trade and academic press, on CompuServe
> forum groups, on the Internet and over beers at conferences for several
> years. Some of it is new to this volume.
>
> This book is not a complete, formal text about any particular database
> theory and will not be too mathematical to read easily. Its purpose is
> to provide foundations and philosophy to the working programmer so that
> they can understand what they do for a living in greater depth. The
> topic of each chapter could be a book in itself and usually has been.
> ============
> What in that intro in this (or any of my other books) lead you to think
> that this was about pure theory? "The pumpkin is largely a failure as
> a shade tree."-- Mark Twain
More Celkoisms!
Let's see. We started with
Jay Dee: Celko seems to have little use for database theory.
which garnered the brief:
Joe Celko: You never read my DATA & DATABASES, did you?
My previous post simply stated that the topics in that book have nothing to do with database theory. In your latest missive we learn that the cited book is no more about theory than a pumpkin is a shade tree -- but it "provide[s] foundations and philosophy [Concerning, perhaps, DATA & DATABASES? But without theory, right?] to the working programmer"...
[snip]
> Gee, you would think I earn my living writing and consulting! Oh wait!
> I do. I must be the only person working for a living in this
> newsgroup ...
...and you're pretty sure that there are none of those perusing these threads.
WTF? Are we to conclude that you simply filter newsfeeds, looking for your name to pop up, and, no matter what the topic, pimp your books? Received on Sun Oct 29 2006 - 21:58:27 CET