Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Book Review: Webbots, Spiders, and Screen Scrapers: A Guide to Developing Internet Agents with PHP/CURL

Book Review: Webbots, Spiders, and Screen Scrapers: A Guide to Developing Internet Agents with PHP/CURL by Michael Schrenk: Publisher- Apress: ISBN- 13: 978-1-4302-0973-7

Webbots, Spiders, and Screen Scrapers is first book I have read on Web robots. Book is very good for beginners and gives moderate understanding of subject. Book assumes that reader should have basic understanding of PHP which is good keeping the topic it is covering. Though Author covers library written by him but that makes book good for beginners and does not bog down the first timers to web robots. Schrenk also covers legal issues which may arise while designing and writing web robots which is fair warning to any developer. Book also has its web site which gives latest information about subject. This book certainly be in by book shelf for long.

Disclaimer: I did not get paid to review this book, and I do not stand to gain anything if you buy the book. I have no relationship with the publisher or the author.

Further reading: A competing book is Spidering Hacks by Kevin Hemenway and Tara Calishain http://www.amazon.com/Spidering-Hacks-Kevin-Hemenway/dp/0596005776 

One can get more information about book and related topics from:
1. Book’s web presence http://webbotsspidersscreenscrapers.com
2. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Webbots-Spiders-Screen-Scrapers-Developing/dp/1593273975
3. Publisher -- No Starch Press http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9781593273972.do
4. Review http://blog.utahcon.com/books/book-review-webbots-spiders-and-screen-scrapers-2nd-edition
5. Review at Book critic: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-webbots-spiders-and-screen
6. Another Review: http://smoothtommy.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/book-review-webbots-spiders-and-screen-scrapers-2nd-edition
7. One more review: http://www.i-programmer.info/bookreviews/12-web-design-and-development-/4121-webbots-spiders-and-screen-scrapers.html

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