Money back please!

Essential XML commits the worst sin of any technical work: it assumes its readers are already familiar with the subject matter. Reading this book is is like joining a competitive high-level college course in mid-semester--one feels behind from the start.

Perhaps the authors feel that readers who would admit to a need for a more gradual approach to the material are beneath their consideration as being weak technically. It's unfortunate that omniscience is one of the assumed attributes of the hacker.

I for one am not omniscient, but prefer texts where the authors and editors have made a reasonable effort to present the material in a way accessible to readers with varying levels of prior expertise.

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• Money back please!
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