5 comments about Visual Basic 6 from the Ground Up.

1. This isn't a bad beginners book. Anyone who needs more 'basic' information than this book probably shouldn't be in the IT industry in the first place.

   The book has alot of typos, i.e. missing parantheses in code examples, missing function arguments etc. I've found it to be somewhat troublesome, but you should be able to go to msdn online to figure out the typo. For example on page 487 the move method requires 4 arguments when anyone of the optional 3 are there but he only includes 2. There is also a missing parantheses there as well.

   This book does not go into ADO in any kind of depth that is needed. The Murach book, 'VB6 beginner to database pro' does ADO much better. There does seem to be a complete lack of ADO books for VB6. I imagine there are alot for VB.net. If you want this book, you will need another book to learn ADO programming in VB6. Database manipulation is what many people use VB for. However this lack of ADO depth may be because the book went to press before MS finalized ADO (just a guess there).

   Don't get me wrong, I thought this book was very informative and helpful, the fact that ADO is not covered in depth is a definite drawback. Also the code examples don't include every example from the book, just the complete programs. There were many code snippets that you could put in blank vb6 project to illustrate something that were not in the downloadable code from osborne. I would have preferred a CD to downloading as well.

   8/20/2003 - I hadn't realized this before becuse the book does not cover it at all, but there is a complete lack of coverage of interface classes. I had to go to a new riders book MCSD TRAINING GUIDE: VISUAL BASIC 6 EXAMS for a good discussion of this. Even the mspress book is somewhat confusing on this topic. If you can get this book used than do that. Don't pay full price though, especially since the binding seems to come apart after alot of use.




2. I should like to point out that the comment above regarding typos is not correct. True the example is missing a parenthesis (which the reviewer misspelled), however the move method DOES NOT require 4 arguments when anyone of the optional 3 are there. The arguments are left, top, width and height. You must specify all arguments that appear in the syntax before the argument you want to specify. For example, you can't specify width without specifying left and top. Any trailing arguments that are unspecified remain unchanged.



3. Two cents from a rank amateur/beginning programmer. At the moment, I'm on page 179 of this book and the main problem I have so far is with the way the information is communicated. Personally, I now know that I should have picked up a book that taught VB concepts via small projects and tasks. A "in chapter 1 we'll build a simple tool to get familiar w/ the IDE. In chapter 2 we'll improve our skillset by building a slightly advanced tool to learn about declaring variables, etc." approach would work better for me. Unfortunately, this book doesn't really do that. The concepts here are explained mostly with bits of standalone code. Hopefully, perhaps by page 200, we'll commence with some "learning by doing." Yes, hopefully. In the meantime, I'll grit my teeth and continue with the book, but right now it simply isn't working for me.



4. Perhaps this book would prove useful to an experienced programmer, but for a novice it is not a good choice. Cornell "assumes no previous programming experience", then goes on to write in huge, sweeping generalities without adequate explanations. Also, the code in the book is often written so the reader cannot fathom the type of event the code is associated with, and no explanations are forthcoming in the body of the text.
   There really is a lot covered in this book, but unless you do indeed have "previous programming experience", not worth the cash.



5. I bought this book in Year 11 (2000), after reading reviews of it. I was a beginner to programming - not only did this book introduce me to programming, it goes into VB6 in detail. The examples are all useful - not just toy examples. I have created many useful VB6 projects - this is the ONLY VB6 book you need.

5 comments about Absolute Beginner's Guide to VBA (Absolute Beginner's Guide).

1. This author has a clear way of explaining the full realm of VBA using all Microsoft Office applications. The hard part is that its not really for the ABSOLUTE beginner. Another problem is that through each step of his writing he makes the assumption that you have a specific need for that specific portion of VBA's abilities and then goes on explaining it like your just going to be able to apply it to your personal programming needs. The sad part is that the author took no time to create a hands on approach so that you could understand and self apply. I would go with a different beginners guide.



2. I came to this book about two years ago after about a year of VBA programming in Excel. At the time I was mostly hoping to learn how to automate Outlook and Word from Excel. Although I enjoyed the book and found it to be fairly straightforward reading, I didn't walk away feeling I had picked up the skills to succeed with the automation tasks I was hoping to work on.
   
   In coming back to the book on a few occasions since my first reading, I've found the book had more to offer than I absorbed on first reading. The organization is good; the code samples are practical and to the point; the style of writing ease clear and easy to follow.
   
   Still, the book does seem to skip a lot of foundation and details. I'd recommend it as an introduction, with the intent of following up with a book that addresses whatever topics you are primarily interested in learning in greater detail.



3. I really was disappointed with this book. It lacks for complete examples and details that show how to implement and use VBA functions, commands, and procedures presented in this book. It was hard for me to implement and use most of the Objects, Methods, Properties, etc presented in this book. The readers need to see complete examples in order to understand how it works.
   
   This book is suppose to be for beginners, however, it is a more descriptive book of VBA objects, methods, etc rather than a teaching book that takes the reader step by step through the learning process.
   
   A lot of typos especially in Excel functions or commands which confused me and wasted a lot of my time trying to find the correct function. I think it is not worth buying it.



4. This books has almost no useful code, and does not go into enough depth to demonstrate how to write any useful code. Fortunately, I found everything I needed on several VBA websites. I wish I had saved the $18.95...



5. This book lacks the organization and isn't a very good reference. If you need to learn VBA, this is a good book. If you need to learn and have a good reference, I would suggest you look for another book.

5 comments about Excel 2003 VBA Programmer's Reference (Programmer to Programmer).

1. This huge (1176 page) book is intended for Excel users and programmers from beginning to advanced, this book presumes you have a reasonable working knowledge of excel and a full installation of the software. It does not presume that you have a working knowledge of VBA, after all, that's it's subject.
   
   In fact, chapter 1 is titled Primer in Excel VBA. Excel VBA is, of course, a specialized version of Microsoft's standard VBA, where those specific points that cater to spread sheet manipulation are differrent from the VBA's associated with other parts of the Microsoft Office package.
   
   This book gives a general introduction to VBA, but it is entirely within the context of Excel. This is indeed a Primer. It starts with how you open the Visual Basic Editor and goes on from there. Generally the book grows step by step. But not always. ==On page 83 it says: "OnTime - You can use the OnTime method to schedule a macro to run sometime in the future." OK, I understand this. But only 7 pages later it says: "VBA does support interface polymorphism. Interface polymorphism is orthogonal to class polymorphism." Huh? Does this help me schedule something to run in the future? Is this supposed to mean anything at all to me? Since I have no idea what it's talking about am I supposed to go look up all these new words somewhere? Is this really going to help me? Anyway, you skip a few chapters and you're back into getting some useful information about things like creating user forms.
   
   All in all I rate the book quite high. Everything you always wanted to know is there. And it is supposed to be a reference manual, not a tutorial. My only complaint is that I think it could have organized a bit better.



2. sorry to say that i'm very dissapointed to own this book. For those who are new to VBA, it is not a good start from here. I also find that the example and the function covered is not practical enough to use to develop your own program. I would recomend a book written by John Walkenbach which the examples and function cover more practical



3. I have not read this book, but it is obviously based on a book by the same authors, Excel 2002 VBA Programmer's Reference.

   That book has numerous errors: incorrect code that will not run, code that has incorrect variables, code that has nothing to do with the text above or below it, screen shots that have nothing to do with the text.

   It also has an eclectic index that on occasion leads you to what you want.

   The authors have been let down by the Wrox editors, but on occasion one can find gems of useful information in their book. I would be quite tempted to review the present version of the text, but my past experience with Wrox-edited books makes me hesitant to spend more money on such texts.

   I hope someone who has actually read the book can supply us with a better review than this one.
   --j.r.a.




4. This book is very poorly written and badly organized. Essential introductory topics are sprinkled throughout the book seemingly randomly. Much of the writing is horribly ambiguous or just plain unreadable. I am a beginning programmer, though I am highly proficient with Excel. I was lucky to be familiar with some other programming languages because the explanations of object-oriented programming concepts in this book (as well as other topics covered) would have been completely incomprehensible without a moderate level of background experience. The examples in the book are neither practical, nor particularly well designed to illustrate the VBA concepts that the authors are trying to teach. Instead, the authors seem to be preoccupied with designing examples to convey stylistic programming conventions that they personally favor.



5. Just want to echo the negative reviews below. I've owned and read a lot of programming books in my life and this is one of the worst. Avoid it.

No comments about Programming ASP.NET 3.5.

5 comments about Programming .NET Web Services.

1. "Programming .NET Web Services" is an easy-to-understand text, which simplified all the difficult aspects of XML Web Services (as it concerned Microsoft .NET platform).
   At 500 pages, this book is not that voluminous, yet, it detailed most of the essential issues needed in order to utilize all the .NET options which one is likely to encounter on both Microsoft and non-Microsoft clients.
   I really find this book useful, despite the fact that some of its elaborations are not as extensive as I would like them to be. This textbook is better used as a daily text, or as the case may be, a quick reference resource.



2. Web Services are a catchphrase that many Microsoft-centric developers are falling in love with and they don't know why. Hey, the affair isn't limited to Microsoft based development firms. Web Services are hot topics right now. They provide the best way yet to utilize the Internet for remote work.

   For the uninitiated (and aren't we all at one time or another), web services are programs that rely on SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) to expose their interfaces across the Internet. This means you can write a program and, if you make it a web service, you will expose its public interfaces for anyone to use via the Internet.

   This book takes a normal O'Reilly tack of presenting in-depth information that is appropriate for users who want to know the wherefores behind the decisions. The authors present the Microsoft/Visual Studio methodology where many of the tedious tasks of Web Service development are performed for the user. They also do a solid job of presenting why that work must be done by someone and how to do it if you don't want to use Visual Studio .NET (VS.NET). The book gives good information (about 30 pages) covering Web Service Description Language (WSDL) before it covers the incredible facility VS.NET provides for generating these documents. WSDL docs are necessary for every web service you build if you expect anyone to use your program. The authors explain and lead the reader through the process of writing a web service and consuming a web service. They also expend effort on discussing stateful versus non-stateful web services and how to appropriately choose the best methodology for your application. With the performance gains that can be attained in IIS 6 via caching, the assertion the authors make about considering caching during design phase rather than after development is in testing or production struck a chord. The book covers IIS 6's caching choices as well as explaining the benefits and drawbacks of both. I didn't finish the debugging and security sections but plan to get back into the book and finish them as they look valuable.

   In conclusion, if you want to mine a book for a robust understanding of web services and the constituent pieces of that technology (with all your examples in C#) then this book is for you. If you're looking to get a 5 minute read and start throwing code (and probably exceptions), pick up a less thorough book. You'll actually read this one instead of just looking for examples to copy. The information this book imparts should be standard knowledge for anyone that expects to write production quality web services.




3. This text addresses just about every challenge a web-services developer may face. Whether it involves calling a set of services asynchronously (and somehow keeping the client(s) updated of its progress) - or whether it is monitoring, profiling and logging your web-services - this text contains well explained examples of doing a lot of useful stuff.
   It has saved me a lot of time - and I found it well worth the price.



4. I like this book. It's very useful for a web developer.



5. I am reading this book after looking at some other WebService books, and this one is climbing the charts.
   All the chapters are very thorough and I am quite surprised that not many people have discovered this gem.
   Grab a copy and read it, and you will become a confident and knowledgeable web services developer.

2 comments about Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach.

1. The dominant approach to teaching Java is to start with objects as early as possible - the object first approach. If this is what you want, then this is not the right book. However, I believe that a growing number of people, myself included, have come to believe that object first doesn't work. Since OO is primarily a design and organization approach for building large systems it typically does not make sense to students trying to do one or two page introductory projects. In addition, the time taken in trying to explain objects comes out of time that would have been spent in learning programming basics such as loops, arrays, etc. The result is too many students that can't write good procedural code, as well as never grasping object.
   
   Due to this problem, I have chosen to organize my classes to begin with a procedural style of programming (focused on loops and arrays) and introduce OO at the beginning of the second semester. One of my frustrations has been a lack of supporting material for this approach, particularly among introductory Java textbooks.
   
   This book solves this problem for me. It introduces concepts in almost exactly the order I have decided to use in my courses. The book is well written. It has a modern organization in terms of things like sidebars and its graphic design without going overboard and trying to compete with MTV the way the Head First series does, or by putting in a bunch of expensive color pictures that have nothing to do with the subject as many current textbooks do. In short, the book design matches its subtitle of being "a back to basics approach".
   
   The authors have chosen to avoid showing a specific IDE and limit graphics to an optional chapter. I approve of both of these choices. I find that teaching IDE's, such as BlueJ, leave students confused about what the tool does and what the programming language does. While full IDE's, such as Eclipse, overwhelm first semester students. Graphics are "sexy" but every library is different. Real world libraries, like Swing, are too complicated for first semester students. Teaching libraries make the students learn something that is promptly thrown away. I, like the authors, would rather put the effort into the basics of programming.
   
   This brings us to the book's other strengths - well thought out examples and assignments that use the basic portion of the language (and could be used with practically any language). A series of character graphic examples are presented that do a good job of showing ideas such as repetition, and functional decomposition. They also include many good "case studies" that show how to apply the techniques introduced in the chapter to a "large" (for first semester) programming problem that is related to real world concepts. For example, one early case study calculates body mass index (fat to weight ratio) of a person. Their case study examples are definitely better then what I am usually able to come up with on the fly, which I think is a key reason to even bother with a text book.
   
   Summary: I believe this book delivers on its title. It is a well written book that focuses on the basics of learning a programming language without getting lost among "hot" topics like OO, IDE's, or GUI's. I will be switching my classes to this book.



2. One of the best introductory computer science books I have read. Very understandable and easy to read.

No comments about Learning ASP.NET 3.5.

5 comments about Microsoft Access VBA Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Third Edition.

1. I'm a SQL database programmer, not an application programmer, so I thought I could pick up Access VBA fairly quickly. Not so much, as it turns out. I started off with Alison Balter's Mastering Microsoft Access 2003 Development, which didn't give me enough basic grounding to really "get it". I succeeded in using some of the examples to my purposes, but couldn't do any truly innovative adaptions because I really didn't understand what I was doing.
   
   So, time to find a more basic book to give me the grounding I needed. I bought Microsoft Access VBA Programming for the Absolute Beginner with that purpose in mind, and it has served that purpose admirably. Some of the writing is dense and difficult to follow, but he always follows up with examples that cleared up any confusion I had. I've had a great time working my way through the assignments and end-of-chapter challenges, and am feeling confident that after digesting the book fully, I'll be ready for Allison Balter's book.
   
   So, in a sense, I was an absolute beginner and it has been a very good book for me. But I was an absolute beginner at VBA, not databases or usage modeling. I've been supporting enterprise systems for 15 years, much of which was spent writing reports and complex queries. That experience made the examples far more accessible to me, I'm sure.
   
   I can't imagine how difficult this book would be for the complete computer novice or absolute beginner with zero experience in databases. I recommend a strong working knowledge of Access as an application before attempting programming with this book.



2. I have found this book very useful. It has a logical flow and increased my abilities to program in Access VBA. I think anyone with a little exposure to VB could pick this up and make sense of it. I would now like to see the "intermediate" book...



3. This book is pretty fun to read. That being said, it is certainly not geared towards those who know nothing of Access.
   
   Knowing both VB and Access fairly well, I was looking for a book that would show me how to integrate VB functionality into Access applications. This book does that pretty well.
   
   Before purchasing this book (or any other programming book for that matter) I recommend skimming the first three chapters and the table of contents to determine whether the subject matter is acceptable to you.



4. I have tried several books to help me with coding in Access and was never able to full grasp it. This book made the basics very easy to understand. I even found better ways to code in VBA through this book than I had learned from other people that we considered seasoned experts in VBA. I would suggest this book for anyone that has never programmed in VBA and those of you that have been thrown into a position at work that you have to design a DB or taking over someone else's project. A majority of the information can be used in prior version of access as well.



5. I have never used VBA as I have no background in programming. I called in my wife, look at this darling as I made very simple magic on the computer. I have not completed the book yet. I am still working on it, but I am enjoying it. I started at chapter three where the actual programming started and got on with it.
   
   I have spent some time reading "Access 2003 Inside Out" so I was a seasoned beginner with Access basics. I do like this book and I will recommend it for people who want to start at the beginning and move on from there.
   
   Good luck and good hunting.
   
   Traveling HT

5 comments about Beginning Visual Basic 2005.

1. Visual Basic has now been around for some fifteen years. Through several versions it has progressed to be a fairly complex, fairly powerful language having been extended into the .NET family of languages, database connectivity, web functionality with both HTML and XML.
   
   At 800 pages, this is a large book. It starts quite simply doing a little program where you type in your name and it comes back with a 'Hello' statement. From there it goes step by step to fairly complex programming using Microsoft's ADO.NET interface to talk with SQL Server.
   
   Microsoft has established this programming evironment where everything about the language, the editor you use to program it, the utility routines you call on, the database you access has to be Microsoft product. This book fits into the 100% Microsoft environment. If your database is MySQL, this may not be the way you want to go. On the other hand, Microsoft rules the desktop environment so it may not be a bad idea.



2. I am a seasoned programmer learning the .NET platform. At first this book seemed okay...the layout was pretty good and I found their presentation methods easy to learn from. Then I started running into some serious coding problems. Their ASP code examples are outdated and riddled with errors. No error errata on the website either to fix anything I saw. I spent more time trying to fix their stuff than I did acutally learning. It would be a good book if it wasn't for all the errors. They desperately need some technical editors... I wouldn't recommend this book at all.



3. I looked this book over pretty well at Borders before buying it from Amazon, but was unpleasantly surprised once I began to read it straight through. Critical information is omitted from some topics. Continuity seems illogical. And the website, though expertly administrated, has a small subscriber base. The book is not very well organized and is carelessly written. For twice the price, the Deitel offering is ten times the tome.



4. This book is excellent for beginners; it explains all steps in details.
   It is definitively a must have!



5. I loved the sample and explanations on XML serialization as well as the topic on collections. What I didn't like was the their discussion of objects esp. the example - a CAR. It could have been much helpful if they had stick with the customer and bill classes. Overall, I can recommend this to programmers with experience on other languages, and it would help if you know already the basics of objects, as the discussion on classes will only be on Chapter 10. If you are a novice or VB beginner, I would advise you to buy a second book to support your learning together with this book. A good second book will be an Apress book.If you want a thorough OOP tutorial, buy Daniel Clark's Beginning OOP using Visual Basic 2005.

5 comments about Windows Vista: The Definitive Guide.

1. Windows Vista: The Definitive Guide is an excellent book. Every Windows Vista User should purchase this book to learn Windows Vista. The book covers everything most users want to know and should know about Windows Vista.
   
   This book is clear and to the point with comprehensive coverage of Windows Vista. It covers all versions of Vista and the many included programs and utilities as well as new security features. It covers Internet Explorer 7 and how to make your own audio CDs and DVD movies. There is an extensive discussion on installation and advanced issues. At a hefty 921 pages it makes a thoroughly detailed reference.
   
   Plus this book is written for easy reader understanding and for enjoyable reading. Great book if you really wish to learn Windows Vista. For administrators, I'd also recommend Stanek's Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant.



2. I have been using windows at home now for 14 years and with each operating system upgrade there's more to learn. I consider myself pretty savvy when it comes to Windows. So what if some people say "it's not definitive by any means," I find that it covers so much and even some things I won't need. I LOVE this book. It is not hard on your eyes, has plenty of diagrams and something I found especially interesting is how virus's, malware and all the nasties can enter your computer and the damage they can cause. I'm the type of woman who is not just satisfied with the "just do it this way" kind of help. I want more meat in the WHY I should do it this way. I use this book along with "Windows Vista: The Missing Manual" That books gives lot's of tips and stuff that has saved me much work and headache. These books work well together



3. Vista Definitive Guide is a 922-page Vista bible, much better than Vista Missing Manual in my opinion. I got this after having excellent success with the author's other computer books. Extremely complete and full of answers. Kudos to the author for writing such an excellent book!



4. I've never been very good with computers so when I got a new computer with Vista I went looking for books that could help. I bought this one because Stanek's book was recommended over all other Vista books in Library Journal's round up of Vista books. Library Journal's May 15, 2007 says it better than I can, here's what they said:
   
   "A thorough guide, best for intermediate to advanced users of earlier Windows versions. Clear discussions of changes in security features and of other Vista improvements such as gadgets and sidebars make this useful for upgraders; comprehensive coverage of every aspect of the OS renders it a one-stop shop for familiarizing readers with every feature, from hardware installation to Windows Movie Maker to Group Policy. Errata and book information can be found online. A good purchase for larger libraries."
   
   When choosing between this book and other Vista books, Library Journal also says:
   
   "Choose Stanek's Definitive Guide for its comprehensive coverage and clear prose if you can buy only one."
   
   I agree, this is an excellent book and so much better than others I found. Vista is a great system once you learn how to use it. If you are new to Vista, this is one book that should not leave your computer's side!



5. I really like William R. Stanek. Some of his books are frequent references for me. Sad to say, though, I think he blew it on this one.
   
   Exclusive of the index, there are 889 pages here and a lot of information. The problem is that a lot of the information is essentially useless for the user experienced with Windows XP who is simply transitioning to Vista.
   
   The organization of material is awful - and the index (or more precisely, the lack thereof) is a disaster.
   
   For example, Stanek describes the Personal Folder, the replacement for a number of Windows fixtures like My Documents, on page 26. Fine and dandy. But there is nothing in the book that I have found about connecting other folders with the Personal Folder. Let's say that you want to keep your documents on the D: drive instead of C:. As far as I can tell, Stanek doesn't tell you how. It's not in the index and I was unable to find it in the book.
   
   Way too much of the book seems oriented to the new user. Sections like "How Does the Operating System Obtain Driver Updates" and "Viewing Installed Hardware" or "Setting up your speakers" just don't offer much to the experienced user.
   
   Like I said, I own a number of other Stanek titles and swear by them. This one is more suitable for swearing at.
   
   A much better guide to Windows Vista is Windows Vista: The Missing Manual by Dvid Pogue.
   
   Jerry