1 comments about C Programming for Engineering and Computer Science (B.E.S.T. Series).

1. This computer programming text will serve students well both as as a text or as a quick authoritative desk reference.

   The authors'focus on answering the most common questions asked by beginning students in C computer programming is great. They also spend quite a bit of effort showing the differences among subtle symbology.

   Note I think the people who invented C language did a huge injustice to all students of C by being very sloppy with their chosen set of symbols especially for "Pointers" -- which is often used in solving most intermediate and advanced programming problems.

   This book tries to get to the root of all the confusion and sloppiness of the orignal inventors and thus end up greatly helping beginning students. Once students overcome all the sloppy terms and symbols carelessly adopted by the original designers then they can begin to enjoy the C langauge and make it do some wonderful things. But the learning curve is typically long and tedious to slowly overcome all the nuances in the language.

   Sometimes I even feel that C language should be phased out completely and allow C++ to be the sole langauge for all beginning student computer programmers. But people are reluctant to change anything -- just like the '80's attempt trying to phase out English dimensional sytem with the Metric system.

   Again this text understands all the areas of sloppiness that lead often to confusion and then goes to work at clearly explaining them all.

   Normally it's a tough job to clear up others confusion but these 2 authors apparently were highly motivated and committed at trying to take a good stab at all inherent problems in communication -- which, in my view, most technical people don't pay enough attention to. They seem to think that after they design some complex system it's someone elses problem to figure out what they designed.

   The original designers of C language certainly have caused a lot of unnecessary headaches for many beginning students trying to learn C; and this book focuses on being a Bridge to understanding this shadowy language which, in my view, again should be phased out altogether, or the designers should fix the confusing symbology and often unnecessary cryptic shorthand for almost everything in their C language. Note C was designed when computer memory was [more money] and limited, and the designers got very creative at working under this environment. But did they think about future students trying to learn this often confusing and thus, difficult langauge?

   The only suggestion for the book is that the publisher should have used larger font for titles and subtitles and theoretically should have aimed for new page for each subsection. I could never undestand publisher's use of the bottom of a page for major subsection.

   G. Jerry Sagliocca, P.E.
   Schenectady, New York

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.

5 comments about MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Implementing Security for Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET (Pro-Certification).

1. I just passed the exam 70-340, and this was the book I used in the last 2 weeks.
   
   If you know how to program against .NET but don't know much about .NET security, this is really an excellent textbook and/or a reference book for you. It is written by one who knows the stuff and who knows how to explain tough stuff in plain English. It can certainly get you painlessly started on .NET security right away. I dealt with .NET security in the last 2 years the very hard way. I wish I had read such a book 2 years ago. (Well, on other hand, a book is just a book. It can't substitute real-world experience. Take myself for example, my knowledge on most topics other than CAS and WSE has probably already gone well beyond what the book covers, but I still don't think I do know .NET security very well. I'm no expert on security. So don't expect it will make you a security expert if you are not one yet, though a book like this one can make your road to being a security expert shorter and less painful)
   
   As for passing the exam, I don't know for sure if the book alone is enough. I mean, you'll need intimate knowledge about Windows and how to program .NET before you can truly digest many topics covered in the book - remoting is a good example. The book is very easy to read and understand as long as you have the stated prerequisites (unlike in many other books, the prerequisites stated in this book are very accurate). If you understand the book, you should have little trouble passing the exam - anyway, the exam is designed for anyone who is knowledgeable on .NET security to pass. The book comes with 300 mock test questions - pretty hard to me, and I feel they are much harder than the exam questions I answered moments ago. I only had time to go over about 100 such questions. If you understand the book and also do very well with those questions, passing the exam should be guaranteed!
   
   Despite a well-written book, it has some typos. Its definition of "collusion" contradicts what I learned of the word when studying monopoly as a graduate in economics. Due to the quality of the book, however, the typos can be safely ignored.
   
   I rate the book 5-star without the least hesitation.



2. This will be the book that you must have if you are a newcomer in .NET Security. The explanations are clear, supported by the author's own experience in the field. Also, the code is easy to follow and straightforward.
   Overall, a very good book to read on .NET Security.



3. Sorry for any harsh comments. But the book is so confusing explaining even simple concepts. I got frustrated when he tries to beat around the bush to explain STRONG NAMES.
   
   I wish there was a Amit Kalani for 70-340.
   
   For that matter, I am not having good experience with any of the Microsoft Press books on .NET



4. Of about a dozen MS Press training kits I have used, this is the first one to be comprehensive--and better yet, authoritative. For the first time, I used ONLY the training kit when preparing for the exam. For all other exams, I had to additionally reference MSDN, TechNet, etc. Two reasons why this book is great:
   
   1. It is obvious early on in the book that the author, Tony Northrup, knows his stuff. You cannot say that about a majority of exam prep books, where it looks like they just copy and paste exam objectives from Microsoft's site and get diarrhea of the mouth for a few paragraphs per objective.
   
   He was also kind enough to sprinkle throughout the book dozens of surprisingly useful tips for the exam and real world security issues. Another few books like this, and Tony Northrup just might surpass Dino Esposito and Michael Howard as my favorite authors.
   
   2. The accompanying CD is MUCH more useful than the other training kits I have used--it has about 300 questions broken down by objective. It is not just a trial version of a MeasureUp test, and in my opinion, the questions were harder than the actual 70-340 exam.
   
   The only two things I was not too crazy about were quite trivial: the page numbers were annoyingly chapter-based (i.e. 3-25, 5-24, etc); and the trial version of VS 2003 can only be installed once, so that will hurt resale value if used.
   
   The bottom line is that this book does more than enough to prepare you for exams 70-330 and/or 70-340. I will definitely buy more Tony Northrup titles in the future.



5. Not only all you need for preperation are inside the book but it is a very well organized book comparing to similar ones.

5 comments about DarkBASIC Pro Game Programming, Second Edition.

1. This book is awesome gives good amount of information and examples how to program computer games



2. This was a great book for starting game programming with Dark Basic Pro. I use this book all of the time when I am writing games. My only complaint is the 3D stuff. it seems a little rushed and I didn't see anything about 3d collision detection. I am not confident you could create a 3D game using this book exclusively. I would love to see a second volume to this book that was just 3D programming. However Hands On DarkBasic Pro - Volume 2 does just that so if your library included these two books I think you'd be set.



3. Read all the above review and I personally don't think they gone through the book page by page. I notice the lack of information on blocks of code and why the code does what it does. Make it really hard to try to follow along.
   
   Aside from those points, I'm not planning to follow through the codes anymore, just waste of time. Just going to read the tips which are helpful and also the way of approaching things he gives good insight.



4. Very thorough yet easy to read and comprehend. The author is definately a software engineer (apparent in his frequent spelling and gramatical errors) but nevertheless clear and concise. The examples have a few errors, mostly spelling errors in the code, but are well designed and generally show the current concept clearly. Reading this book while you work out the examples is kind of like having an extreemely enthusiastic best friend leaning over your shoulder teaching you the material.



5. This book is ok for people who love to read.
   
   If you don't like reading just use wikipedia.
   
   The article in Wiki is short and easy to understand and it covers
   
   almost everything in this book.

5 comments about Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programming for the Absolute Beginner (For the Absolute Beginner).

1. I purchased this book based mainly on the reviews written here at Amazon.com. While I would not say I am dissapointed, I do think this book (and every other "beginners" book I have read) could be alot better.
   
   This book starts off well enough giving pretty detailed information on what is going on and why, however, as soon as you think you are beginning to get a grasp on the material, the author seems to forget that you are a "beginner." About half way through the book, you begin to feel as though you are simply writing the code that is presented and not actually learning what is going on.
   
   If you are more of a visual learner, as I am, I would suggest a membership to LearnVisualStudio.Net instead of purchasing any more books. (No, I am not affiliated with them) After only two days of watching videos from that site, I have learned more than I did reading the entire Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programming for the Absolute Beginner book.



2. I am a beginner and believe me this book was not for me. If I only wanted to develop a tic tac toe game program then this book would be for me. It covers beginning topics but barely scratches the surface. It was useless for the applications I was wanting to learn and didn't even mention most of them. Spend a little more money and get a book that is about 20x thicker so you actually have the info necessary to complete a project.



3. This book was terrible. I would use it better to start a camp fire or to burn the trash.
   There is absolutely no way a beginner could get through this book and harvest any meaningful information to assist them in VBA use.
   Do not buy this piece of crap!!!!!!!!!!!



4. As several reviewers have pointed out, this is NOT a book for beginners to programming. It is NOT a book for beginners to Visual Basic programming. It is a book for Visual Basic programmers who want to learn about .NET programming. The book is not a bad introduction for programmers who want to learn Visual Basic .NET. The author should not have allowed the book to be published in this series. The title is false and misleading. I won't buy another book in the series nor another book by Jonathan Harbour.



5. Well, I bought this bought and quickly discovered that I was wasting my time and money. Microsoft has now introduced Visual Basic 2005 Express. You can download it free from Microsoft, along with some good documentation on learning.
   
   At this point, there is no point in working on VB.Net. Go right to the newest (free) product for programming.
   
   If you want a good book on Visual Basic 2005, try Michael Halvorson's Microsoft VisualBasic 2005 Step by Step.
   
   But don't waste you money on this book...as I did.

5 comments about Programming in Visual Basic 6.0 Update Edition with CD.

1. I was lucky to stumble across this book in Amazon.com and didn't really know what I was getting. Once reading through the first chapters and trying some of the exercises I realize this is great. The book teaches you the correct way to program in simple descriptive language. I have now leant what I need to start my own small projects and have ordered the Advanced VB6 from the same authors, looking forward to getting it. The book also comes with the learning VB6.0 CD which gets you started.



2. Concise, precise and with hands-on examples of entire projects. This book is scattered with coloured screenshots to illustrate their instructions so you never have to guess what the authors mean. Targetted at the absolute beginner (in programming) but as it is a breeze to read, the more advanced reader is sure to pick up a few VB gems on his stroll through it.



3. the book was received in a good, timely manner at a cheap price
   at a fraction of the cost of a new book, i am doing all my assignments and learning more about vb
   the only thing that would need improvement is packaging
   a cd came along with this book but since the packaging was done in an envelope it was broken in half which has prevented me from doing work at home
   otherwise, this is a good seller and would deal with them again if they improve their packaging
   thanks



4. I NEVER ordered this book but you sent it and charged me for it anyway. I returned it upon its arrival but had to go to extreme hastles to communicate with you people. Have you re-embursed my account yet? That's the first time I've ever had a problem with Amazon, but I still love you.



5. good book as a classroom study, not so good as a self learner. lot's of info missing that you would get in an interactive environment, such as the exercise answers. and no website available for more info as many others provide. as a class text this is understandable as the students normally wouldn't have all the answers available to them except thru the teacher.

5 comments about Excel 2002 VBA: Programmers Reference.

1. It's a great book! It actually consists of two parts: a brief but very useful VBA overview with all popular tricks and hints in the beginning and a deep and coplete reference at the end. Normally you need to buy two separate books to get this coverage. This book can get you started in a few hours and answer virtually all your questions going forward. Really, really good!



2. The book is adressed both to beginners and intermediate users, not advanced ones though. It covers everything, however there were many occasions where I wanted more information. This is not to say the book is not a great value for money. After all, a complete vba book would probably need to have a couple of thousand pages, whereas with this book you can start programming even having read only chapter 2. If money is not an issue, you also need to buy Walkenbach's vba book too.

   I found it easy to navigate through it, so I didn't think indexing was such a great problem as commented before me. The authors don't say too little or too much and they write very clear. The reason I didn't put 5 stars (if I had the option I would put 4.5 starts) was because I didn't like the second part of it, which is half the book and which mostly presents basic information.




3. If you are interested enough to read this review, then buy this book. Now. I have done quite a bit of programming ... The only problem was, I had never programmed VBA/Excel and was having a very rough time getting started.

   I bought "Excel 2002 VBA Programmer's Reference". I sat down and started reading Chapter 2. Before long, I was so excited that I was firing up my laptop. Four hours after I started reading the book, I had a prototype up and running. This book is amazing. Chapter 2 gave me more useful information than I sometimes get from an entire book. ...

   The authors are simply bursting with knowledge and give it freely. Ideas are expressed clearly and succinctly. Knowledge is well-organized and easy to find. Whether you want to approach the topic methodically or flip through looking for gems, you will find what you want here.

   Getting the object model is a great bonus. I'm going to enjoy spending a few days going through this one.




4. The best aspect of this book is it's section on ADO, but there is little depth into the topic. How frustrating to find something so powerful and so undocumented, only to see the end of the chapter so quickly.
   
   I suppose I do not see why 400 pages was devoted to the Excel object model. I do not use the section, but instead search within the VBE for information and arguments I need.
   
   The book is cheap. The binding broke in 2 places.



5. "Excel 2002 VBA Programmer's Reference" is a good reference for those who write code in Excel VBA. To those familiar with Microsoft Excel, but unfamiliar with the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programming environment, this book should serve as a good way to learn how to automate tasks and extend the utility of Excel.
   
   Most appropriate for intermediate- to advanced-users, this book still offers a primer in Excel VBA for those new to VBA. Note that this is a large book (approximately 1,000 pages) and it contains a printed version of the Excel 2002 Object Model, which can prove useful to those who prefer paper-based, as opposed to screen-based, reference information.
   
   Overall, a very good reference book.

1 comments about Microsoft SharePoint: Building Office 2007 Solutions in VB 2005 (Expert's Voice in Sharepoint).

1. This is as close to being a PERFECT computer book as I have ever read. I'm a SharePoint architect/developer with 30+ years of IT experience, and I own every SharePoint title that has been published since SharePoint started shipping 8 years ago. This book is the best. It throughly covers almost every aspect of SharePoint 2007 in layman's (and technical) terms with solid, complete, well-thought examples of every aspect of SharePoint implementation. There is simply page after page where you pause and think "Wow! That's interesting!"
   If you only plan to buy one SharePoint 2007 book make sure its this one.

No comments about Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 for Windows and Mobile Applications: Introductory.

5 comments about Learn to Program Visual Basic Objects (Learn to Program).

1. Like other books of Learn to Program Visual Basic series, Learn to Program Visual Basic Objects is about teaching readers how to program with VB in a classroom set of environment. The university course is ten weeks long, and the class meets once a week on every Saturday morning. Instead of showing readers pure technical information, Professor John Smiley records the whole class conversation on paper. Readers who follow along the content will feel like sitting in the classroom watching the class. Here is a short description of each chapter:

   Chapter One The Return of the China Shop Continuing from the original China Shop program, Joe Bullina, the owner of Bullina China Shop, requests some new modifications after he and his staff happily using the program to increase the store revenue. By considering frequent modifications and limited budget, Professor Smiley recommends Mr. Bullina to have the program object-oriented in his up-coming VB Objects course. The author explains the general concept of object-oriented programming to his wife Linda Simley, which is worth reading, and will prepare novice readers for the following chapters.

   Chapter Two Visual Basic Objects in Action Starting with the controls the class is already familiar to, Professor Smiley explains the characteristics of control objects and the relationship with their class templates. Based on the new knowledge, the collection objects are introduced. The author uses variable-array and object-collection comparison to bring readers one-step toward to the object-oriented land.

   Chapter Three Visual Basic System Objects As the chapter title indicates, three system objects are introduced: including the App object, the Clipboard object, and the Screen object. Other four system objects including the Forms collection, the Licenses collection, the Printer object, and Fonts collection are also shortly described.

   Chapter Four Objects ¨C the Inside Story The class is introduced to the characteristics of objects again. By adding a custom property and a custom method into a Form, the class starts realizing the power of objects. In the second half of the class period, the Use-Case methodology is shown to the class. Professor Smiley starts a scenario to go through the object-oriented design process. These twelve pages of the design methodology help me tremendously on the system design.

   Chapter Five Creating Your Own Objects This chapter is where the real coding starts; the class will create an object and create properties for it. For demonstration purpose, a mini project called Student Grades is brought in. Before applying the new skills into the China Shop project, the class sees how they work in the mini project, which helps students nicely.

   Chapter Six Adding Methods and Events As chapter five, the Student Grades program is continued been developed before the China Shop program. Object Methods and Events are well covered in this chapter. What I like here is a complete project shows me how to add objects, not just partial code. And I am reading the most common solution by using objects, not overwhelmed by every detail.

   Chapter Seven Collection Objects This is the last chapter on creating classes, and I think it is by far the most thorough coverage on collection classes I¡¯ve ever read. Here readers will learn how to create collection classes for particular objects. After reading this chapter, I was able to organize objects programmatically and conceptually. I think readers will appreciate the concept of object encapsulation more after reading this chapter.

   Chapter Eight Excel and Word ¨C by Remote Control! The idea of the ActiveX components is introduced in this chapter. By referencing object libraries, Professor Smiley shows his class how to use the power of Microsoft Word and Excel in their projects. Instead of writing complex code for a report writer, programmers can use the functionalities of Word and Excel to achieve the same result. Not too much details on using Word and Excel objects programming; after all, they deserve a book of each own.

   Chapter Nine Creating Your Own ActiveX Components Continuing from chapter eight, ActiveX DLL and ActiveX EXE are covered in this chapter. By compiling components, code reuse can be true. The differences between ActiveX DLL and Active EXE are also covered as well as when to use them. ActiveX Documents and ActiveX Controls are not included in this chapter, but the author mentions ActiveX Documents will be fully covered in the new VB Web book.

   Chapter Ten Troubleshooting, Testing, and a Ticker-tape Parade This is a short chapter. Several minor details on ActiveX components are mentioned. After that, A celebration takes place in Joe Bullina¡¯s store to end this interesting technical novel.

   In this book, Professor Smiley reinforces (or as other readers said: pummels or hammers) the fundamental concept of object-oriented programming with VB 6. In other words, if a person as like me can get it, no one can¡¯t. After reading Learn to Program Visual Basic Objects, readers should have a solid ground on VB objects, which will allow them to go into VB components in no time.

   The absence of database makes me rate this well-written book a four-stars. After all, this is continuing episode of Learn to Program Visual Basic Database, or at least I think so. Before I bought this book, I could not wait to see how the author object-orients the database version of the China Shop program. I have to admit there was a big disappointment after I got the book.

   However, with the knowledge I¡¯ve learned from this book, I think it is a good weekend project to object-orient my own database version of the China Shop program. Like Professor Smiley always says, ¡°nothing can replace practice.¡±

   Overall, I love this book, and I do recommend my friends getting it. By the way, for people who are seeking quick answers, this is not the book for you. Because it is like slow cooked beef soup, it does deserve readers spend time for it, and the reward is worth ten times of the price. The purpose of this book is to take things slowly in order to let the concept sink in deeply. With the author¡¯s unique writing style, frankly, I do not only learn VB objects programming, but also daily conversation of English!




2. Anyone who has tried it knows that that book is wordy- and so is this one. The author uses a fictional programming class to set the stage for what he is trying to teach- with fictional students, and lots of fictional dialogue, as well. This results in a very LONG read for little information. I just couldn't get through it, a shame, because the guy probably knows what he is talking about.

   I prefer a text that you can get the information without trudging through lots of extra garbage. Smiley's style of writing is not for me. 2 stars is generous.




3. This book should be the 3rd or 4th book in a series of books from John Smiley. Start with the "Learn to Program Visual Basic 6" and then follow it up with either "Learn to Program Visual Basic 6.0 Examples" or the "Learn to Program Visual Basic Databases and finally this book. After you have read all 4 books, you will have a solid foundation to building more sophisticated applications. These 4 books by John Smiley help me get a solid knowledge base.



4. John Smiley has written a great book for beginning to intermediate VB programmers wishing to learn how to use VB to create their own objects and object models. This book would not be a good book for someone looking for quick and dirty answers. If you are willing to invest a little time, you will be creating your own objects and object models that will make your programs more robust and maintainable. Overall I thought that his virtual classroom approach is a great idea for beginning programmers reading this book, as it had questions posed from the virtual students that most likely are asked in any programming course. I'm sure that more experienced programmers don't like this approach since it inflates the size of the book, but there are some invaluable bits of info that the beginner will get from this approach. I'm sure that will raise their level of confidence as well knowing that their questions as to why something does/doesn't work in a particualr situation is explained. I also had an issue with the way Smiley used an error handling routine and e-mailed him my solution (which I thought was better) and he e-mailed me back a few days later with a courteous note explaing his why he chose his method, but liked my solution and was glad that it worked. I really appreciated the fact that he took the time to read over my question and then replied...I'm sure not too many people care enough to follow up their works. One final note: I'd follow-up Smiley's book by also getting a copy of "The Visual Basic Object and Component Handbook" by Peter Vogel. These two books combined will make anyone VB object masters.



5. Let me begin by saying that I'm the author, so let's get that out of the way.

   I'm posting here to point out that the book has a tremendous amount of support materials that have never been advertised. Each of my books has a support page containing a current list of errata, downloadable files (completed exercises from the book), extra links to extra materials I have written and my email address in the event you have problems. I also run a series of online classes so that if you would like to learn with me in a more structured setting, you can do that also. You can access those materials via this link

   http://www.johnsmiley.com/books.htm

   I should also say that this book isn't for everyone---and you can read through some of the other reviews posted here to see why and why not.

   I wrote this book for beginner level programmers, and the book is written in a unique style.

   You (and I) can thank the now defunct Wrox Publishing house for the style of the book that some people absolutely love and others (primarily hotshot programmers with lots of experience) hate. The book is written as if you are participating in an actual classroom---many people, particularly those learning on their own or in an Independent study setting find comforting.

   My thanks to the many people who have written to me to tell me how much they've enjoyed my books and how they have helped them achieve their goals of learning to program.

   John Smiley