Although a reference work, it is not only a listing of syntax (as helpful as those lists are). The authors have compiled pretty readable and thorough mini-backgrounds and basic principles for each of the enormous realms that they document here. These are providing some reminders for me as I am ramp up my knowledgebase and skills; plus there are hints that I have not yet seen elsewhere in weightier tomes (e.g., on performance).

Readers may save themselves some money and desktop/bookshelf space + save some trees: this Nutshell is a vast storehouse that may enable you to forestall buying reference volumes for each of the topics covered here. Thanks to Spainhour & Eckstein for some careful work!

Note to aspiring (novice) webmasters: this IS a REFERENCE book. That is not a bad thing. You'll still appreciate having it by your side because you're regularly going to have basic questions about formating ("how do I say this in CSS instead of HTML?"). However, as one young reviewer below discovered, to BECOME a webmaster (or master) is going to require some "Quickstart" books, some instruction in DESIGN, and STRATEGY, etc. Bon voyage!

[ Further note from my earlier review: be sure you are NOT getting EARLIER edition. Complaints mentioned (below) in reviews of this book are rectified in the THIRD edition (ISBN 0596003579 ). It's probably a good idea to be watching as the reviews of that December 20002 volume to see how the work has changed.
In any event, with browsers and markup languages changing so fast almost everyone can be advised to jump to considering the most current edition -- even though (as of this writing) new copies of this 1999 second edition are still available. ]

There's nothing about:
- promoting your website: reference it, ad...
- project management/deployment
- internet/intranet
- design/graphics
- internet law: think about it twice before publishing your website!
- webmaster tools: mailing lists, forums...
...

You will only learn the basics of HTML, JavaScript, CGI/PERL, PHP, CSS (3rd edition) and Apache Web Server. So It's good for an introduction about Web Design (HTML/CSS), Web Development (PHP, CGI/PERL) but I really think some other books are really meant to deal with such topics.

Webmastering is not only about knowing a few tips & tricks about Web Design & Development, HTML or JavaScript. Once the web site is designed and developped, you can't just upload it to a FTP and wait for the visitors to come, you have to promote it, to maintain it... Raise it like your own child or it will become a guttersnipe that no one will ever want to meet again after the first meeting.

I advice you to read "Webmastering for Dummies" if you want to learn the basics of Webmastering and get books like "PHP & MySQL Development", "PHP Professional", "HTML Bible" to master the programming languages of the web. Reading some books about Application Design and Usability is also a good idea,...

So after reading that book, do you really think you can become your own webmaster ?

The sections on HTML 4, CSS, and JavaScript are fantastic, and I would recommend the book on these alone. The HTTP section is useful for the list of header fields with pretty good descriptions for a quick reference. There is also a group of sections on Server Configuration which are handy when browsing Apache configurations.

The PHP and CGI/Perl sections are not as useful and this is why I drop a star. The "reference" part of the PHP section is simply a list of function one-liners. I tend not to use the CGI/Perl sections at all. I'm not a Perl developer, and I find I need a more comprehensive guide to help me out.

In summary, this book is most useful if you know what you are doing, but just can't remember the detail!

This book is not designed to show you how to do HTML, JavaScript, PHP, CGi and so on. It is designed as a reference, and I think it does a terrific job. The format is very efficient, and easy to look up what you need.

Perhaps the best features of the book are the brief summaries of each section. The reader is expected to already be familiar with that topic, but the book still provides a very succinct summary, just to make sure. This is rather handy when you are somewhat familiar with the topic, but not a guru.

I particularly liked the section on getting the best performance out of the webpage, and webserver. Many of the tips listed here are very common sense, yet can make dramatic improvements in load time.

Thus, to sum up. This book is a very comprehensive reference to several aspects of the web, including HTML, CGI, JavaScript, PHP and others. Anyone who actively works in this field of computing should seriously consider purchasing this book. You will use it often both as a reference, and as a brush-up.

"Webmaster in a nutshell" is a great overview of the basic tools used in building and maintaining a web site. However, this is not a book for the right-brain-left-wing web artists out there. There's no design tips, no pictures and best of all they have left out the obligatory four page 'History of the Internet" that seems to accompany any and all books of this type. I think one guy wrote that a few years ago and they just xerox it into each book.

Overall, I would rate this book as not too deep, not too shallow, but JUST RIGHT. I loved this book and I recommened it to anyone from beginner to advanced. Bottom Line: It's a great reference book and a whole lot more.

All in all if your in the design and development biz you should have a copy by your side, it supplies you with great reference info in: HTML 4.0, CSS, XML, CGI/PERL, PHP, HTTP and Server Configuration. All you will ever need in one simple book.

Not recommended for newbies! Might confuse the heck out of ya...

Regarding the table of content:

The book focuses largely on web development on a UNIX platform with Apache webserver and does not address many topics of relevance to those of us who (not necessarily by choice) work on windows.

The list of topic covered is quiet inclusive but I would have prefered a book one or two hundred pages thicker that would have included coverage of: ColdFusion, ASP, JSP, Applet programming, Active X controls and plugin based multimedia applications (Flash, etc). The current section on Apache configuration can go as far as I am concerned.

Regarding the book itself:

The book does a very good job at explaining simply and providing reference for a number of topics, especially for the price which is typically low for that kind of books. For instance, the section on CSS concisely and clearly review css principle (some coverage of css2 would have been good) and give a very good reference. Another example: the section on PhP did a perfect job to introduce me to that environment which I was unfamiliar with while offering a comprehensive reference.

However, the book (and the 'In a nutshell' collection as a whole) is designed for a public familiar with web authoring and programming concepts. I got acquainted with the book when I took over a class which uses it as a coursebook. As a coursebook it was less sucessful because it assumes too much knowledge of basic programming concepts (arrays, objects, etc) for real beginners.

To sum up:

If you are already familiar with web authoring and have programming experience, this is a very worthwhile book which may even prove to be about the only reference you need if you work is mostly on Apache with Perl or PhP. For server-side application programmer and multimedia designer, some additional reference may be needed.

I see that there is a deluxe edition of the book (currently out of print but still on sale at Amazon) which offer also five book on CD for a slightly higher price. I'ld go for that one.

CSS and XML are introduced with similar tutorial style with references following on CSS 1 and XSL (dec 98), and the same procedure follows for Javascript 1.2 (good), CGI with Perl (ok), PHP (see below) and HTTP (a bit incomplete, but headers listed). There is then information on Apache configuration and optimisation.

I'm not sure about the PHP chapter as I ignored it; they seem to have favoured a full PHP reference but only convered using CGI with Perl - I guess this is as they have other Perl books.

I would recommend this book to webmasters, after considering the following - this book is not about _design_, as it does not cover any style or graphics issues. There is also nothing covering ASP (see _ASP In A Nutshell_) or webservers other than apache.

All current HTML tags and attributes are listed, along with JavaScript event handlers. Tables, frames, character entries and color values are also covered in various chapters. Very handy material!

While this is definitely not a tutorial book, it does contain lots of reference material and I learned a few new tricks reading through this book. It's one I'll know I'll refer to again and again when I have a question about how to do a particular task while working on one of my websites.

Also recommended: HTML 4 Visual Quick Start Guide by Elizabeth Castro; and UNIX in A Nutshell by Arnold Robbins.

Let me remind the readers that this is a REFERENCE book. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT buy this book if you are expecting to learn everything inside it from scratch. You will pull your hair out. Buy this book if you already grasp the basics of HTML, javascript, CSS, CGI with perl, and server config. (Basically what an average webmaster should) - You will not only consider this your 'golden' book, you will use it over and over until the pages wear thin.

Countless times I found myself forgetting a simple thing - such as the name of a certain HTML tag or the return type of a specific function, so I pulled out this book and got my answer in seconds. Don't pass this one up! DON'T! I promise you that this little Red and White book will forever be your best friend!

The book excells as a quick reference to these and virtually all other webmaster areas, including Apache server configuration, CGI variables and much more. You just can't beat it. It replaces half a dozen books costing thirty or fourty quid each!

Once you've grasped the basics of HTML and JavaScript, this may well be the only reference book you ever need.

Now on to the nitpicking... and why I only gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

I was exceptionally disappointed to see that the Perl Quick Reference that I had been so fond of in the first edition had now been replaced with a mere overview of the cgi.pm module; and that a quick reference to the PHP scripting language appeared to have taken Perl's place.

Yes, I have other Perl references. Heck, I've *already* got the Perl Pocket Reference, Perl In A Nutshell and Linux In A Nutshell (which includes a Perl Quick Ref). But that's not the point.

The second edition, like the first, sells itself as the only book you'll keep on your desktop (as opposed to on your shelf). Sorry, but with the Perl Quick Ref missing, this just isn't true anymore. Perl is the number one CGI programming language and the number one quick fix language. Whatever you want to do, you can rattle up a quick and dirty Perl solution in seconds. PHP just isn't up in that category. I need a Perl Quick Reference on my desk at all times.

I just don't understand the decision to cut the Perl Quick Ref, since it only took up a dozen pages or so. It was as vital to any half decent webmaster as the HTML or JavaScript sections.

O'Reilly, *please*, put back the Perl Quick Ref and earn yourself the full five stars.

Instead of having a stack of books open to various pages while I figure out how to do something new, I can usually find enough information within this one relatively slim and portable book