The 12th International Conference on the Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2006) was held in Nantes, France, September 24–29, 2006. Information about the conference can be found on theWeb at http://www.sciences. univ-nantes.fr/cp06/. Information about past conferences in the series can be found at...

Every new version of SQL Server brings with it new tools and features for database administrators (DBAs), developers, and architects, for them to be able to provide an effective solution for the end users in a simpler and more efficient manner. The terms effective and efficiency can be measured in a technical perspective as High Availability...

Acrobat X Pro is a full-featured application that enables the end user to convert documents into PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. PDF documents can be read by anybody who has the free Adobe Reader installed on his or her computer. Many people who own Acrobat don’t utilize many of the incredible features the application...

As the title of this book suggests, it is an update of the first edition of the Handbook of Natural Language Processing which was edited by Robert Dale, Hermann Moisl, and Harold Somers and published in the year 2000. The vigorous growth of new methods in Natural Language Processing (henceforth, NLP) since then, strongly suggested that...

A quick look at your local bookstore’s Internet section will tell you that there are quite a few commercial packages out there for building web sites. What those books often fail to mention is that many of the world’s most popular web sites were built using freely available tools, and run on free operating systems (OS). They...

"Classical and Object-Oriented Software Engineering, 7/E" presents an excellent introduction to software engineering fundamentals, covering both traditional and object-oriented techniques. The coverage of both Agile processes and Open Source Software has been considerably expanded. In addition, the Osbert Oglesby running case study...

It feels like ages ago since I began the journey of writing this book. In its first year, more than 4500 copies were sold, and its reception exceeded my wildest expectations. I am thankful to all those who bought it and also to those who took the time to spread the word to others. Because technology develops at such an unrelenting...

Flash is one of the most pervasive technologies on the Web, delivering interactive and immersive multimedia. Leading corporate Web sites use its streamlined graphics to communicate their brands, major motion picture studios promote theatrical releases with Flash video, and online news and educational sites provide rich user...

You have to give Adobe credit. There aren’t many companies that have managed to change the world once, let alone twice. In 1985, Adobe introduced PostScript, which became the rock on which the entire electronic publishing industry was built; they forever changed the world of professional printing. In 1994, Adobe launched...

With the advent of e-business, organizations have been fundamentally changing the way they do their business. From business operation to managerial control to corporate strategy, e-business has become an integral part in organizations. As e-business evolution continues with emerging technologies and business models, a solid understanding of...

Since the early 1990s, genetic programming (GP)-a discipline whose goal is to enable the automatic generation of computer programs-has emerged as one of the most promising paradigms for fast, productive software development. GP combines biological metaphors gleaned from Darwin's theory of evolution with computer-science approaches drawn...