TechBookReport - FAQ

Here it is, the great TechBookReport frequently asked questions list!
  1. Why aren't reviews signed?

    Not all reviews published by TechBookReport are unsigned. Contributors to the site have the option of signing their reviews if they wish. Full credit is given and a copyright notice attached to the review. However the vast majority of reviews are indeed unsigned. Other sites, such as ITReviews.com, for example, operate a much stricter no-signed reviews policy.

    The no signed reviews policy was established as a way of developing a common house style. TechBookReport reviews should be readable, technically accurate, spiky, useful and completely trustworthy. It is hoped that regular readers come to trust TechBookReport as an independent source of advice and comment on technical books and software tools.

    Furthermore, some of the reviewers on TechBookReport also write for other publications, and it was felt that there would be greater freedom for such contributors if their writing for this site was not linked to other publications or web sites.

  2. What are the links between TBR and publishers?

    TechBookReport is not subsidised or sponsored by any book or software publisher. Neither is it sponsored by Amazon or other bookseller. The site is independent, and although advertisements are carried, and there are links to Amazon, these in no way imply sponsorship, control or input to editorial policy. Publishers supply review materials with the understanding that reviews are independent and that reviewers are free to make their contributions based purely on the merits of the work being reviewed. A list of publishers who have supplied review materials is here.

  3. What are the qualifications for our reviewers?

    For reviews of developer books and tools the reviewers are all active developers. In some cases there are reviews of publications designed for a more non-technical audience, some of these titles are reviewed by non-developers.

  4. How do I contribute a review?

    In the first instance please contact TechBookReport. We do not accept reviews that have previously been published on Amazon or other similar web site. Neither do we accept reviews from people connected directly to publishers. We do not accept reviews by authors of their own work. There is also more information on what we are looking for here.

  5. What is the relationship between TechBookReport and other sites, such as TheRegister.com?

    Some of the reviews on this web site have been syndicated and have appeared on other sites, such as TheRegister.com. In other cases reviews first published elsewhere have also been reprinted on this site.

  6. What software tools are used to generate the site?

    TechBookReport is produced using a mixture of bespoke templating and index generation software (a package called bsrtools, which is written in Java) and HomeSite. At some point in the future bsrtools may be released as open-source.



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