Gamification for Product Excellence. Make your product stand out with higher user engagement, retention, and innovation

Mike Hyzy, Bret Wardle, Gabe Zichermann

Are you trying to build a product that your audience loves to use? Game mechanics and psychology have been used for decades to increase engagement, convert users to buyers, and increase audience retention. Learning when and where to implement these tools can take your product from the middle of the pack to a must-have!This book begins by helping you get a clear understanding of gamification, its key concepts, and how product managers can leverage it to drive user engagement in non-game scenarios. As you progress through the chapters, you’ll learn different gamification frameworks, mechanics, and elements with structured ways to implement them while designing a successful gamification strategy tailored to a business case. You'll get a chance to implement and test the designed strategy prototype with the users for feedback. You’ll also discover how to sell your strategy to stakeholders to get full buy-in from the top down, along with how to gamify your product development process to drive innovation, engagement, and motivation.By the end of this book, you'll be primed to harness the power of gamification, and will have benefited from proven case studies, best practices, and tips, ensuring you are well-equipped to apply gamification principles to your work as a product development professional.

Learn Azure Sentinel. Integrate Azure security with artificial intelligence to build secure cloud systems

Richard Diver, Gary Bushey, Jason S. Rader

Azure Sentinel is a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool developed by Microsoft to integrate cloud security and artificial intelligence (AI). Azure Sentinel not only helps clients identify security issues in their environment, but also uses automation to help resolve these issues. With this book, you’ll implement Azure Sentinel and understand how it can help find security incidents in your environment with integrated artificial intelligence, threat analysis, and built-in and community-driven logic.This book starts with an introduction to Azure Sentinel and Log Analytics. You’ll get to grips with data collection and management, before learning how to create effective Azure Sentinel queries to detect anomalous behaviors and patterns of activity. As you make progress, you’ll understand how to develop solutions that automate the responses required to handle security incidents. Finally, you’ll grasp the latest developments in security, discover techniques to enhance your cloud security architecture, and explore how you can contribute to the security community.By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to implement Azure Sentinel to fit your needs and be able to protect your environment from cyber threats and other security issues.

Becoming KCNA Certified. Build a strong foundation in cloud native and Kubernetes and pass the KCNA exam with ease

Dmitry Galkin

The job market related to the cloud and cloud-native technologies is both growing and becoming increasingly competitive, making certifications like KCNA a great way to stand out from the crowd and learn about the latest advancements in cloud technologies.Becoming KCNA Certified doesn't just give you the practical skills needed to deploy and connect applications in Kubernetes, but it also prepares you to pass the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) exam on your first attempt.The book starts by introducing you to cloud-native computing, containers, and Kubernetes through practical examples, allowing you to test the theory out for yourself. You'll learn how to configure and provide storage for your Kubernetes-managed applications and explore the principles of modern cloud-native architecture and application delivery, giving you a well-rounded view of the subject. Once you've been through the theoretical and practical aspects of the book, you'll get the chance to test what you’ve learnt with two mock exams, with explanations of the answers, so you'll be well-prepared to appear for the KCNA exam.By the end of this Kubernetes book, you'll have everything you need to pass the KCNA exam and forge a career in Kubernetes and cloud-native computing.

The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide. Successfully practice Scrum with real-world projects and achieve your PSM I certification with confidence

Fred Heath

Ever wondered why you’d use Scrum over other process frameworks? Or what makes Agile just so agile? Or why you should bother with the PSM certification? This book has you covered.The Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Guide is a comprehensive tutorial that will not only introduce you to the basics of Scrum, but build you up to be ready to pass your PSM I exam first time round. Where other books avoid detail, this guide provides you with detailed practical examples to take you from being an apprentice to becoming a master.Assuming you’re a total beginner, this book will introduce you to Scrum methodologies with detailed use cases, teaching you the secrets of Scrum in such a way that you’ll be well-equipped for the PSM I exam.This book demonstrates the real-world applications of Scrum in a variety of scenarios, all with practical examples.You’ll understand why the structure of your Scrum team matters, what you can achieve with properly planned sprints, and how to create and manage sprint and product backlogs. The chapters are regularly concluded with quizzes relevant to the exam, reinforcing the values you learn on your journey. Finally, it concludes with some exam preparation and myth-dispelling to make sure you have an edge when it comes to earning your certificate. This is a guide that’ll ensure you won’t fall behind in an ever increasingly agile world.

Hands-On Music Generation with Magenta. Explore the role of deep learning in music generation and assisted music composition

Alexandre DuBreuil

The importance of machine learning (ML) in art is growing at a rapid pace due to recent advancements in the field, and Magenta is at the forefront of this innovation. With this book, you’ll follow a hands-on approach to using ML models for music generation, learning how to integrate them into an existing music production workflow. Complete with practical examples and explanations of the theoretical background required to understand the underlying technologies, this book is the perfect starting point to begin exploring music generation.The book will help you learn how to use the models in Magenta for generating percussion sequences, monophonic and polyphonic melodies in MIDI, and instrument sounds in raw audio. Through practical examples and in-depth explanations, you’ll understand ML models such as RNNs, VAEs, and GANs. Using this knowledge, you’ll create and train your own models for advanced music generation use cases, along with preparing new datasets. Finally, you’ll get to grips with integrating Magenta with other technologies, such as digital audio workstations (DAWs), and using Magenta.js to distribute music generation apps in the browser.By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed with Magenta and have developed the skills you need to use ML models for music generation in your own style.

Azure Active Directory for Secure Application Development. Use modern authentication techniques to secure applications in Azure

Sjoukje Zaal

Azure Active Directory for Secure Application Development is your one-stop shop for learning how to develop secure applications using modern authentication techniques with Microsoft Azure AD. Whether you’re working with single-tenant, multi-tenant, or line-of-business applications, this book contains everything you need to secure them.The book wastes no time in diving into the practicalities of Azure AD. Right from the start, you’ll be setting up tenants, adding users, and registering your first application in Azure AD. The balance between grasping and applying theory is maintained as you move from the intermediate to the advanced: from the basics of OAuth to getting your hands dirty with building applications and registering them in Azure AD. Want to pin down the Microsoft Graph, Azure AD B2C, or authentication protocol best practices? We’ve got you covered. The full range of Azure AD functionality from a developer perspective is here for you to explore with confidence.By the end of this secure app development book, you’ll have developed the skill set that so many organizations are clamoring for. Security is mission-critical, and after reading this book, you will be too.

The Python Workshop. Learn to code in Python and kickstart your career in software development or data science

Andrew Bird, Dr. Lau Cher Han, Mario Corchero Jiménez, Graham Lee, ...

Have you always wanted to learn Python, but never quite known how to start?More applications than we realize are being developed using Python because it is easy to learn, read, and write. You can now start learning the language quickly and effectively with the help of this interactive tutorial.The Python Workshop starts by showing you how to correctly apply Python syntax to write simple programs, and how to use appropriate Python structures to store and retrieve data. You'll see how to handle files, deal with errors, and use classes and methods to write concise, reusable, and efficient code.As you advance, you'll understand how to use the standard library, debug code to troubleshoot problems, and write unit tests to validate application behavior.You'll gain insights into using the pandas and NumPy libraries for analyzing data, and the graphical libraries of Matplotlib and Seaborn to create impactful data visualizations. By focusing on entry-level data science, you'll build your practical Python skills in a way that mirrors real-world development. Finally, you'll discover the key steps in building and using simple machine learning algorithms.By the end of this Python book, you'll have the knowledge, skills and confidence to creatively tackle your own ambitious projects with Python.

Data Engineering with Google Cloud Platform. A guide to leveling up as a data engineer by building a scalable data platform with Google Cloud - Second Edition

Adi Wijaya, António Vilares

The second edition of Data Engineering with Google Cloud builds upon the success of the first edition by offering enhanced clarity and depth to data professionals navigating the intricate landscape of data engineering.Beyond its foundational lessons, this new edition delves into the essential realm of data governance within Google Cloud, providing you with invaluable insights into managing and optimizing data resources effectively. Written by a Data Strategic Cloud Engineer at Google, this book helps you stay ahead of the curve by guiding you through the latest technological advancements in the Google Cloud ecosystem. You’ll cover essential aspects, from exploring Cloud Composer 2 to the evolution of Airflow 2.5. Additionally, you’ll explore how to work with cutting-edge tools like Dataform, DLP, Dataplex, Dataproc Serverless, and Datastream to perform data governance on datasets.By the end of this book, you'll be equipped to navigate the ever-evolving world of data engineering on Google Cloud, from foundational principles to cutting-edge practices.

Building your First Mobile Game using XNA 4.0. A fast-paced, hands-on guide to building a 3D game for the Windows Phone 7 platform using XNA 4.0

Brecht Kets, Thomas Goussaert

With the dawn of the Windows Phone 7 platform, Microsoft has offered us an easy way to create 3D mobile games. In this book, we will build a 3D game for Windows Phone 7 together, taking full advantage of the graphics and touch capabilities, along with the sensors of the platform.Building your First Mobile Game using XNA 4.0 is the book for starting game development on the Windows Phone 7 platform. This book will go over the technical aspects of building games along with designing your own framework. Finally we'll build an actual game together from the ground up! This book will set future mobile game developers in the right direction.The XNA framework empowers us to build 2D and 3D games for PC, Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7. We will use those capabilities to create stunning 3D games for the Windows Phone 7 platform. We will start by covering the basics like drawing graphics, followed by building a custom framework and end with building a game together!In this book, we will cover drawing 2D and 3D graphics, both static and animations. We will also cover the various ways of handling user input and help set the mood of our game playing both 2D and 3D sound, and accessing the user's media library. The only thing left before building a game is covering several techniques created for making our life easier while building the game, whilst building a framework to do just that. Finally, we'll build a 3D game together that will run on the Windows Phone 7 platform.Building your First Mobile Game using XNA 4.0 is the book you need to get started with mobile game development for Windows Phone 7. Its hands on approach will set you on your way in no time. Let's build some games!

Creating Data Stories with Tableau Public. Illustrate your data in a more interactive and interesting way using Tableau Public

Matthew Floyd, Ashley Ohmann

SwiftUI Cookbook. A guide for building beautiful and interactive SwiftUI apps - Third Edition

Juan C. Catalan

SwiftUI is the modern way to build user interfaces for iOS, macOS, and watchOS. It provides a declarative and intuitive way to create beautiful and interactive user interfaces. The new edition of this comprehensive cookbook includes a fully updated repository for SwiftUI 5, iOS 17, Xcode 15, and Swift 5.9. With this arsenal, it teaches you everything you need to know to build beautiful and interactive user interfaces with SwiftUI 5, from the basics to advanced topics like custom modifiers, animations, and state management.In this new edition, you will dive into the world of creating powerful data visualizations with a new chapter on Swift Charts and how to seamlessly integrate charts into your SwiftUI apps. Further, you will be able to unleash your creativity with advanced controls, including multi-column tables and two-dimensional layouts. You can explore new modifiers for text, images, and shapes that give you more control over the appearance of your views.You will learn how to develop apps for multiple platforms, including iOS, macOS, watchOS, and more.With expert insights, real-world examples, and a recipe-based approach, you’ll be equipped to build remarkable SwiftUI apps that stand out in today’s competitive market.

Decentralized Identity Explained. Embrace decentralization for a more secure and empowering digital experience

Rohan Pinto

Looking forward to mastering digital identity? This book will help you get to grips with complete frameworks, tools, and strategies for safeguarding personal data, securing online transactions, and ensuring trust in digital interactions in today's cybersecurity landscape.Decentralized Identity Explained delves into the evolution of digital identities, from their historical roots to the present landscape and future trajectories, exploring crucial concepts such as IAM, the significance of trust anchors and sources of truth, and emerging trends such as SSI and DIDs. Additionally, you’ll gain insights into the intricate relationships between trust and risk, the importance of informed consent, and the evolving role of biometrics in enhancing security within distributed identity management systems. Through detailed discussions on protocols, standards, and authentication mechanisms, this book equips you with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complexities of digital identity management in both current and future cybersecurity landscapes.By the end of this book, you’ll have a detailed understanding of digital identity management and best practices to implement secure and efficient digital identity frameworks, enhancing both organizational security and user experiences in the digital realm.

Unity 2020 Virtual Reality Projects. Learn VR development by building immersive applications and games with Unity 2019.4 and later versions - Third Edition

Jonathan Linowes

This third edition of the Unity Virtual Reality (VR) development guide is updated to cover the latest features of Unity 2019.4 or later versions - the leading platform for building VR games, applications, and immersive experiences for contemporary VR devices.Enhanced with more focus on growing components, such as Universal Render Pipeline (URP), extended reality (XR) plugins, the XR Interaction Toolkit package, and the latest VR devices, this edition will help you to get up to date with the current state of VR. With its practical and project-based approach, this book covers the specifics of virtual reality development in Unity. You'll learn how to build VR apps that can be experienced with modern devices from Oculus, VIVE, and others. This virtual reality book presents lighting and rendering strategies to help you build cutting-edge graphics, and explains URP and rendering concepts that will enable you to achieve realism for your apps. You'll build real-world VR experiences using world space user interface canvases, locomotion and teleportation, 360-degree media, and timeline animation, as well as learn about important VR development concepts, best practices, and performance optimization and user experience strategies.By the end of this Unity book, you'll be fully equipped to use Unity to develop rich, interactive virtual reality experiences.

Mastering QlikView. Let QlikView help you uncover game-changing BI data insights with this advanced QlikView guide, designed for a world that demands better Business Intelligence

Stephen Redmond

Qlik Sense Cookbook. Over 80 recipes on data analytics to solve business intelligence challenges - Second Edition

Pablo Labbe, Philip Hand, Neeraj Kharpate

Qlik Sense allows you to explore simple and complex data to reveal hidden insight and data relationships that help you make quality decisions for overall productivity. An expert Qlik Sense user can use its features for business intelligence in an enterprise environment effectively. Qlik Sense Cookbook is an excellent guide for all aspiring Qlik Sense developers and will empower you to create featured desktop applications to obtain daily insights at work.This book takes you through the basics and advanced functions of Qlik Sense February 2018 release. You’ll start with a quick refresher on obtaining data from data files and databases, and move on to some more refined features including visualization, and scripting, as well as managing apps and user interfaces. You will then understand how to work with advanced functions like set analysis and set expressions. As you make your way through this book, you will uncover newly added features in Qlik Sense such as new visualizations, label expressions and colors for dimension and measures.By the end of this book, you will have explored various visualization extensions to create your own interactive dashboard with the required tips and tricks. This will help you overcome challenging situations while developing your applications in Qlik Sense.

Agile Security Operations. Engineering for agility in cyber defense, detection, and response

Hinne Hettema

Agile security operations allow organizations to survive cybersecurity incidents, deliver key insights into the security posture of an organization, and operate security as an integral part of development and operations. It is, deep down, how security has always operated at its best.Agile Security Operations will teach you how to implement and operate an agile security operations model in your organization. The book focuses on the culture, staffing, technology, strategy, and tactical aspects of security operations. You'll learn how to establish and build a team and transform your existing team into one that can execute agile security operations. As you progress through the chapters, you’ll be able to improve your understanding of some of the key concepts of security, align operations with the rest of the business, streamline your operations, learn how to report to senior levels in the organization, and acquire funding.By the end of this Agile book, you'll be ready to start implementing agile security operations, using the book as a handy reference.

The JavaScript Workshop. Learn to develop interactive web applications with clean and maintainable JavaScript code

Joseph Labrecque, Jahred Love, Daniel Rosenbaum, Nick Turner, ...

If you're looking for a programming language to develop flexible and efficient apps, JavaScript is a great choice. However, while offering real benefits, the complexity of the entire JavaScript ecosystem can be overwhelming. This Workshop is a smarter way to learn JavaScript. It is specifically designed to cut through the noise and help build your JavaScript skills from scratch, while sparking your interest with engaging activities and clear explanations.Starting with explanations of JavaScript's fundamental programming concepts, this book will introduce the key tools, libraries and frameworks that programmers use in everyday development. You will then move on and see how to handle data, control the flow of information in an application, and create custom events. You'll explore the differences between client-side and server-side JavaScript, and expand your knowledge further by studying the different JavaScript development paradigms, including object-oriented and functional programming.By the end of this JavaScript book, you'll have the confidence and skills to tackle real-world JavaScript development problems that reflect the emerging requirements of the modern web.

Test-Driven JavaScript Development. Learn JavaScript test-driven development using popular frameworks and tools

Harmeet Singh, Hetal Prajapati, Ravi Kumar Gupta

Initially, all processing used to happen on the server-side and simple output was the response to web browsers. Nowadays, there are so many JavaScript frameworks and libraries created that help readers to create charts, animations, simulations, and so on. By the time a project finishes or reaches a stable state, so much JavaScript code has already been written that changing and maintaining it further is tedious. Here comes the importance of automated testing and more specifically, developing all that code in a test-driven environment. Test-driven development is a methodology that makes testing the central part of the design process – before writing code developers decide upon the conditions that code must meet to pass a test. The end goal is to help the readers understand the importance and process of using TDD as a part of development.This book starts with the details about test-driven development, its importance, need, and benefits. Later the book introduces popular tools and frameworks like YUI, Karma, QUnit, DalekJS, JsUnit and goes on to utilize Jasmine, Mocha, Karma for advanced concepts like feature detection, server-side testing, and patterns. We are going to understand, write, and run tests, and further debug our programs. The book concludes with best practices in JavaScript testing. By the end of the book, the readers will know why they should test, how to do it most efficiently, and will have a number of versatile tests (and methods for devising new tests) to get to work immediately.

Machine Learning with LightGBM and Python. A practitioner's guide to developing production-ready machine learning systems

Andrich van Wyk

Machine Learning with LightGBM and Python is a comprehensive guide to learning the basics of machine learning and progressing to building scalable machine learning systems that are ready for release.This book will get you acquainted with the high-performance gradient-boosting LightGBM framework and show you how it can be used to solve various machine-learning problems to produce highly accurate, robust, and predictive solutions. Starting with simple machine learning models in scikit-learn, you’ll explore the intricacies of gradient boosting machines and LightGBM. You’ll be guided through various case studies to better understand the data science processes and learn how to practically apply your skills to real-world problems. As you progress, you’ll elevate your software engineering skills by learning how to build and integrate scalable machine-learning pipelines to process data, train models, and deploy them to serve secure APIs using Python tools such as FastAPI.By the end of this book, you’ll be well equipped to use various -of-the-art tools that will help you build production-ready systems, including FLAML for AutoML, PostgresML for operating ML pipelines using Postgres, high-performance distributed training and serving via Dask, and creating and running models in the Cloud with AWS Sagemaker.

Joomla! 1.5 Cookbook. Over 60 quick and direct recipes to help you overcome common Joomla! queries

Tom Canavan

If you are a Joomla! site owner, you must already be aware of how this robust, easy to use, open source content management system can help you build a great looking site instantly. You must also be aware of the many problems that it can throw up from time to time. Find the solutions to all your basic and advanced Joomla! queries, so you don't have to wait for someone on the forums to help you out every time.The Joomla! 1.5 Cookbook will provide you with quick and direct solutions to the most common and uncommon problems faced by you, the Joomla! site owner, sidestepping all the theoretical fuss.Joomla! is the insanely popular, award winning content management system which helps you build professional looking websites, even if you don't have any HTML programming experience or design skills.Although, sometimes you might trip over some common pitfalls which would slow the progress of your website down. This book will help you find a direct and quick way through these common problems which can be easily avoided with a few tips and tricks. It starts of with solutions the most common queries that you might face during the installation and setup for Joomla! 1.5 moving on swiftly to guide you through Joomla! templates, modules, security, managing your users and much more. So the next time when things go wrong with your Joomla! site and you are wondering, for example, how to work with your site's database; just pick up this book and quickly find your way through this.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Administration. Master Linux administration skills and prepare for the RHCSA certification exam

Miguel Pérez Colino, Pablo Iranzo Gómez, Scott McCarty

Whether in infrastructure or development, as a DevOps or site reliability engineer, Linux skills are now more relevant than ever for any IT job, forming the foundation of understanding the most basic layer of your architecture. With Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) becoming the most popular choice for enterprises worldwide, achieving the Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) certification will validate your Linux skills to install, configure, and troubleshoot applications and services on RHEL systems. Complete with easy-to-follow tutorial-style content, self-assessment questions, tips, best practices, and practical exercises with detailed solutions, this book covers essential RHEL commands, user and group management, software management, networking fundamentals, and much more. You'll start by learning how to create an RHEL 8 virtual machine and get to grips with essential Linux commands. You'll then understand how to manage users and groups on an RHEL 8 system, install software packages, and configure your network interfaces and firewall. As you advance, the book will help you explore disk partitioning, LVM configuration, Stratis volumes, disk compression with VDO, and container management with Podman, Buildah, and Skopeo. By the end of this book, you'll have covered everything included in the RHCSA EX200 certification and be able to use this book as a handy, on-the-job desktop reference guide. This book and its contents are solely the work of Miguel Pérez Colino, Pablo Iranzo Gómez, and Scott McCarty. The content does not reflect the views of their employer (Red Hat Inc.). This work has no connection to Red Hat, Inc. and is not endorsed or supported by Red Hat, Inc.

The Midjourney Expedition. Generate creative images from text prompts and seamlessly integrate them into your workflow

Margarida Barreto

Like various other fields, AI offers boundless possibilities when it comes to art. Midjourney is one of the leading AI art creation tools that can assist you in your artistic ideas, regardless of your technical skill level. Written by an accomplished communication and web design specialist, The Midjourney Expedition is your guide to harnessing the power of AI in your creative journey.With this guide, you’ll explore the extensive features of Midjourney and start creating compelling AI-generated art with ease. The first set of chapters will teach you how to set up and use Discord for personalized and seamless art creation, with a dedicated section that will help you understand the different versions of Midjourney and their capabilities. As you progress, you’ll hone your prompt engineering skills, and eventually learn how to leverage the power of complex prompts. You’ll also learn how Midjourney-generated images can be integrated into a multitude of workflows and domains through real-life case studies. In the last set of chapters, you’ll get to grips with real-world applications of Midjourney for storytelling, creating moodboards, and more.By the end of this book, you’ll not only be proficient in using Midjourney, but also understand how to strategically apply AI-generated art in your projects.

CentOS 7 Server Deployment Cookbook

Timothy Boronczyk

CentOS is derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) sources and is widely used as a Linux server. This book will help you to better configure and manage Linux servers in varying scenarios and business requirements. Starting with installing CentOS, this book will walk you through the networking aspects of CentOS. You will then learn how to manage users and their permissions, software installs, disks, filesystems, and so on. You’ll then see how to secure connection to remotely access a desktop and work with databases. Toward the end, you will find out how to manage DNS, e-mails, web servers, and more. You will also learn to detect threats by monitoring network intrusion. Finally, the book will cover virtualization techniques that will help you make the most of CentOS.

Instant Zend Framework 2.0. Designed for developers who want to learn Zend Framework fast, using a hands-on practical approach rather than dry theory. By the end of this book you'll have learned how to build a complete data-driven web application

A N M Mahabubul Hasan

Zend Framework 2 is a modern object-oriented PHP framework. It has lots of useful components, which are easy to use and user friendly, helping you get your job done faster. This book shows you how to use the framework components to build a practical MVC application. Topics covered in this application include validation, file upload, database CRUD (create, read, update, and delete) operations, and so on.Instant Zend Framework 2.0 has been specifically created to provide you with all the information that you need to get up with Zend Framework 2 applications. You will learn the basic of Zend Framework 2.0, and get started with building your first Zend Framework MVC application. The book promises to deliver all the information you need to get started with Zend Framework 2.0. Instant Zend Framework 2.0 starts with how to download Zend Framework 2.0 and the skeleton application, and then shows how to configure the skeleton application to use the Zend Framework 2.0. Then it takes you through step-by-step instructions of how to create and configure modules, controllers, views, models, helpers and so on. By following the instructions in the book, you will be able to build a small fully functional database-driven MVC application.You will also learn how to use different framework components like the event manager, Zend log, and how to configure them with the module. This will give you an idea of how to configure any component with the module. After finishing this book you will be able to build a small database-driven web application with Zend Framework 2.