I would recommend this book to any programmer looking to apply his/her skills to CGI.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

A great companion  Mar 27, 1997

The book Using CGI is a gem. I started reading this book nonstop for about 3.5 hours while on a 5 hour flight. I got through about 4 chapters. I spent the rest of the time programming on my notebook. You know you can only absorb so much in any one sitting (grin). I am not new to programming, but is new to CGI and HTML. The authors were able to explain the subject without boring or frustrating this reader.
The first few chapters gives you some history, etc. as well as teaching you how to create forms with radio buttons, check boxes, etc. It also tells you about the Submit and Reset commands. This is the stuff that form creation and data capture is all about. I loved it. I could not wait to create my own test form so I plunged right into it and powered up my notebook. It was a easy as they said. Now when I look at the "View Source" button on my browser, it finally makes sense :-).
I especially loved the section on using Visual Basic for CGI as this was the area that I had no clue about but was most interested in. Chapter 21, I think. The authors first give you an explanation of what they were about to tell you, then take you through the steps line by line, carefully explaining each facet of the line.
If you want to create sites that "sing" on the web and collect data efficiently using Perl, C++, Java, or VB then this is the book for you.
Some of these tools are included with the book. You also receive sample scripts on the enclosed CD-ROM. What a deal. I continue to read the book and once I have planned my site strategy (this weekend), I will start using the techniques learned in Using CGI. Thanks fellows!
P.S. It is a little heavy though :-

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