5 comments about Pocket PC, Handheld PC Developer's Guide with Microsoft Embedded Visual Basic (Prentice Hall Series on Microsoft Technologies).

1. This book not only teaches programming with Embedded Visual Basic, but also show's the pocket pc's place in the big corporate picture. Showing XML, ASP, SOAP, SQL CE, RDA and more. Good examples. If you worked with all of these before, this will show you how you can incorporate Pocke PCs with what you already know and do.



2. I downloaded eMbedded Visual Basic several months ago and attempted to learn CE development using the sample apps for RDA or Replication. I was frustrated by things like how to set up
   a SCROLLING data entry form, properly using menus or using SQL Server CE. This book is FANTASTIC because for those developers who are not that experienced in CE, it describes step by step how to set up menus, scrolling forms, using icons on the menu bars, etc. I am only on Chapter 4 which describes using SQL Server CE on the Pocket PC and RDA to connect to a SQL Server 2000 database. The book holds your hand and takes you DIALOG by DIALOG of what you need to set up in IIS AND SQL Server to get RDA working properly. I followed all steps, and used Nick's sample RDA application (located on the CD-ROM) to connect to SQL Server, download the database, and store the data locally. I entered a new record on the handheld an voila! RDA sent SQL to the Server to add the new record! Nick also touches on how to set up SSCERelay so you can keep the device in its cradle for testing. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking at SQL CE development or just CE development. The other great thing is that Nick covers BOTH Pocket PC and HANDHELD PC differences! Way to go Nick!



3. This is a really good book for trying to understand the bewildering array of tools needing to come together to develop in eVB for the PocketPC. Nick's projects examples are more robust and more correct examples of how to write code for eVB than the Microsoft examples. Most of the explanations I have read so far in this book (I just got it last night) were just the right medicine I needed to make the next part of the project come together. What I really like about this book is that its really to the point of what does it take to make the application work. From where to get the correct software updates (SDK's, SSCE, etc), how to setup the project, how to use the controls, and enough working example of code interacting with control and libraries to make it all come together. The author doesnt spew out conceptual market buzz fluff, he gets you to code that works quickly. The treatment of SQL Server CE was worth the price of the book. ... Definitely a keeper !



4. I bought this along with Tiffany and Tacke. My development project involves several PocketPC's working in a wireless networked data management environment. For my purposes Tiffany was a throw away because he never gets beyond the basic Access and ADO subjects. Tacke provides details of his sample SQLCE application. Gratton is most useful because he writes to the intermediate level, provides insight on technology and architecture, teaches the methods of using/creating key features, and doesn't waste time and patience. I found him pulling up short only on the topic of customization for merge conflict resolution, but this is probably covered in SQL Server docs. His discussion on XML, SOAP and .NET gives a valuable heads-up on Web services. Grattan is a great starting point for the serious enterprise developer.



5. Nick's book is a must if even for the chapters on SOAP and .Net Web Services. The HTTP object that ships with the CD (and updated for Pocket PC 2002 on his website www.nickgrattan.org) is very useful, especially for a non C++ atl developer such as myself. I have found it very easy with guidance from this book to develop, in eVB, wireless applications both on and off the corporate intranet. With very little effort I have been able to satisfy managers normally gasping for MIS, and leave them rolling over and purring like pussycats. Well done Nick.

No comments about Dan Appleman's Developing COM/ActiveX Components with VB6: A Guide to the Perplexed.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Visual Basic 5 in 21 Days: Professional Reference Edition (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. I have been dabbling in VB for several months now. On the recommendation of an internet friend, I purchased this book.

   The methods of the author(s) is incredible. You create the form and the code by copying the book, then you run the program, then the whys and wherefores are explained. By the time you finish, you understand what you have done and are able to change things as you like!

   You don't get your mind full of the six million or so shortcuts that are available like so many authors feel compelled to reveal. You simply learn how and why first. Other books I have read try to teach you everything right away and your head just gets totally full of things not needed for learning VB.

   My hat is off to Nathan and Ori! NOW do one on DataBase programming. I'll buy it!




2. This book is simply great for newcomers to Visual Basic. I have had experience with other languages (quite a bit actually) but never VB. After reading this book and experimenting for about a month, I now have a job as a VB programmer. If you are looking for very technical information, you are better off looking through online documentation or MSDN. However, if you are just looking to learn enough about the language to get started then this is the book.



3. This book is ok if you have no experience with VB, and is fair for reference. One glaring ommission is there is no reference to list or combo boxes. This book was not much help in my VB class. The text for class, "Programming in Visual Basic 5.0" by Julia Case Bradley and Anita C. Millspaugh, covered more topics, and was just a better book. Another good reference book was Peter Wright's "Beginning Visual Basic 5".



4. A very good book for both novice and seasoned programmers. Assuming absolutely no programming background the Author builds up step by step the programming concepts very clearly. Good for beginners to take up the VB programming career straight away. Also for one who is seasoned programmer and wishes to make transition to VB this book is the good start.



5. A very good book for both novice and seasoned programmers. Assuming absolutely no programming background the Author builds up step by step the programming concepts very clearly. Good for beginners to take up the VB programming career straight away. Also for one who is seasoned programmer and wishes to make transition to VB this book is the good start.

No comments about Using Quickbasic 4.

No comments about Advanced Guide to Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET.

No comments about Learning Programming Using Visual Basic .NET w/ 5-CD VB .NET 2003 software.

No comments about Programming in Visual Basic .Net: Visual Basic .Net 2003 Update Edition.

3 comments about The Minimum You Need to Know about Java on OpenVMS.

1. Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (8/07)
   
   While Java has exploded in the world of the Web and high tech toys, "The Minimum You Need to Know about Java on OpenVMS," focuses on "converting existing core business applications to use Java, yet still preserving your investment on the most stable platform on earth." For maximum understanding and success, this book should be read as a companion to "The Minimum You Need to Know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer."
   
   In true "tell it like it is" Hughes' fashion you realize early on in this book that the author is not a big fan of Java. To a seasoned C/ C++ user, the similarities and yet vast differences of Java and C++ can make it a cumbersome (if not extremely frustrating) language to work with. The good news is this is not a sugar-coated book on Java; Hughes confronts the biggest setbacks of working with Java and what you need to do to work through them.
   
   "The Minimum You Need To Know about Java on OpenVMS" covers basic code for using RTL and SYS functions, tips and tools for accessing RMS indexed files, the why's and how's of interfacing with FMS, details (including code) on creating a sample application (Mega Zillionare, as used in "The Minimum You Need to Know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer"), as well as some additional knowledge transfer and insights from the author.
   
   As with the first book in "The Minimum You Need to Know" series, "The Minimum You Need to Know about Java and OpenVMS" provides the reader with invaluable tips and tricks, includes a CD full of code, hands-on-programming exercises, and questions for review. The book reads as though you are being coached through the process of using Java on OpenVMS, as well as being provided with a few insights (and opinions!) along the way.
   
   "The Minimum You Need to Know about Java on OpenVMS" is an essential tool for anyone tasked with using Java on OpenVMS.



2. Stop right there. If you haven't read Roland Hughes' first book in this series, The Minimum You Need to Know to be an OpenVMS Application Developer you'll need to do so. Think of it as the prerequisite of a college course. Now, you are ready for the second book, The Minimum You Need to Know About Java on OpenVMS. Why two books? Java wasn't covered so thoroughly in the first. Believe me; you'll be glad you have both.
   
   The concept of this book is "how to convert your existing core business application to use Java, yet still preserve your investment in the most stable platform on earth." In other words, Hughes shows programmers how to create all the tools you need to make Java a usable language on OpenVMS. Java is an object-oriented programming language somewhat similar to C and C++ but really very different. Hughes goes into great comparison. Java has classes, but has a unique class called an Array with no defined constructor. This means values can be stored anywhere and in no specific order. You're going to learn to build the tools you need to build the tools you want. Pretty simple, right?
   
   As in the first book, Hughes uses the same application to demonstrate each new tool, in this book, using Java with FMS and RDB. He shows how to develop a generic class that will be usable by Indexed Files, also how to use JNI to access RMS, FMS, system services, and operating system provided libraries. Programmers learn to create an infrastructure MMS Procedure and how to use the supporting classes the procedure creates. Hughes also shows how to access RDB via the JDBC driver, demonstrating the importance of SQL. An accompanying CD-ROM contains the Class source.
   
   This isn't just flat textbook reading though. Hughes uses humor and casual language to engage his readers. He comfortably refers to things like geek books and nerd attitude. He knows that this work is on the intense side of life. The information within the book is very professionally presented, with detailed analysis and explanations, troubleshooting and error experiencing tips, and exercise quizzes that test your knowledge. You have to know these things!
   
   The final chapter examines the future of IT and the choices you make going into it. So you want to be a computer programmer huh? Are you sure? Don't listen to your guidance counselor without reading this book (and the first) first. Triple digit hourly rates, six figure salaries...maybe not. Downsizing, layoffs, feast or famine? Maybe so. When looking for sage advice on IT, go to the guru, Roland Hughes.



3. Programmers working, or starting to work with Java on OpenVMS (Virtual Memory System) are certain to appreciate this excellent, hands-on tome on working with this language (complete with accompanying CD)--but as author Roland Hughes makes clear, interested programmers should first read his earlier book, The Minimum You Need to Know to Be an Open VMS Application Developer, since this book builds comprehensively on that one. A sequel (Volume 2)is in the wings. Hughes begins with an introduction that frames the basic reasons programmers are having to use JAVA in these applications and candidly lays out the major pitfalls programmers will encounter when applying JAVA to VMS. He focuses in particular on problems that C and C++ programmers have with JAVA, paying special attention to the momentum of the C and C++ mindset they bring to the table and the problems that can generate. For example, he points out that in JAVA, most things are classes--and while they may look similar in C and C++, they are not. He feels that many of these problems stem from the syntax and the origin of the language. Because Java was originally created as a pure OOP language used in imbedded systems (like the system in your microwave or VCR), almost everything in it is a class. Hughes makes it clear that in order to use JAVA successfully on Open VMS, you need to develop a Free Class Library, and reveals how to create JAVA classes with the Java Native Interface (JNI). Hughes provides a plethora of useful tips for transcending these difficulties, framed in a pragmatic approach that distains expensive shortcuts, and enables programmers to descend into the bowels of the applications with a knowledgeable voice at their elbow. The text contains many hand-on practical exercises that teach programmers to build applications while simultaneously constructing infrastructures, rewriting the same application with each new tool under review. At each step there are detailed explanations, examples and illustrations that allow the reader to move back and forth between the text and the application, providing a rich learning experience in working with JAVA on OpenVMS. Part of what makes the book especially valuable is Hughes' comprehensive candor about the flaws of JAVA when it is applied to OpenVMS. In addition to discussing the problems faced by C and C++ programmers as they try to change their mindset as they learn to work with JAVA, Hughes' explores a series of other challenges they are likely to encounter, including problems relating to case sensitivity and case sensitivity inside the compiler, plus problems resulting from the fact that JAVA is only a semi-interpreted language. While conveying much useful substance, the author also engages in lively, cogent (and sometimes humorous) commentary on what is driving the increased use of JAVA on Open VMS in contemporary IT culture. As he looks at not only the "how to," but he "why" of Java in these applications, it is clear that his sympathy is clearly with veteran C and C++ programmers and not IT management. A significant part of the problem, he feels, lies in the roots of the process and the way a great deal of IT business is being conducted not just with reference to JAVA, but with software projects in general. In recent years, many software projects have had a tendency to turn into monsters, destroying schedules and budgets, and raising programming costs late in the curve--a trend that does not serve IT goals well. As software budgets rise, management is desperately seeking "silver bullets," tools to cut costs while trying to achieve ever more challenging IT goals. But as Fred Brooks observed in his IT classic, The Mythical Man-month, the root of the problem is not just rising costs, but something inherent in the evolving nature of the information revolution. As the amount of data available rises faster than the ability to process it, programming tasks become ever more challenging. As a result, even as hardware costs are dropping, many software costs continue to rise. To cut costs, many projects start cheap, and are forced to add staff later when problems emerge. Unfortunately, the addition of people to a software project late in the process actually makes things worse. In a similar vein, Hughes suggests that IT management, by looking for a silver bullet, is ignoring the roots of the problem by only seeking short-term cost-cutting solutions. Silver bullets are often advertised, but do they really exist? Hughes clearly feels that in the end, quick fixes and short term cost cutting measures are penny wise and pound foolish. In the final section of the book, "Ruminations," Hughes engages in a colorful and educational rant about the state of the IT industry and the programmers that work in it, offering useful advice and insight that will be valued by novice and veteran programmers alike. Bravo, Mr. Hughes! Any IT professional using VMS should have this book on his/her shelf, and the "prequel" and sequel as well.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Database Programming With Visual Basic 5 in 21 Days (Teach Yourself in 21 Days).

1. This is the second book I've bought on VB, the first one being an introductory book on everything I need to know about the basics of VB. But since I wanted to focus on database programming, I bought this book and read through it, confused most of the time. Running the sample codes didn't help either. I thought it was only my inexperience with the language that is causing the trouble, thank goodness I found that the other more experienced readers of the book also had similar experiences. I tried swallowing the text up until Chapter 10 and then I finally gave up. If you ask me how I would describe the writing and organization of this book, frustrating would come to mind. I finally gave up and bought another book!



2. I don't know why other reviewers don't like the book. Actually, I bought all three editions of the book, from VB 4 to VB 6. The book covered most important contents for building VB DB apps, with a lot of useful warnings and tips. Though I have done some VB DB programming before, I found useful info in every chapter which clarifies some issues or teaches some tricks. Give one example, I have tried to use MaskedEdit as a bound control but encountered abnormality when updating records. I spent several hours trying to bypass the error with coding without any luck. Later I happened to find (in this book) that all I need to do is to set the "PromptInclude" property to False. That tip alone already worths the price to me.

   Aside from the goodies, I found the VisData chapter not so interesting. That's not quite related to programming. Also I'd like to see a chapter talking about VB/VBA DB programming, differences and relations.




3. This was simply the best resource I've ever seen concerning Visual Basic 5. Keep up the good work.



4. I found this book to be a very good source for database programming, especially for beginners. I not only went through all 21 days of lessons but also return to the book frequently as a help resource.



5. When I read a book, I capture grammatical errors to send to the editors for the 'next edition'. I collected quite a few early on and decided to send what I had collected so far.

   The email addresses listed as publisher contacts for this book came back as 'unknown'. I began to wonder: Did they have so many complaint emails they canceled the email accounts?

   I pushed on through the book to discover coding errors in the examples as well.

   I give this book a `thumbs down' and will avoid buying SAMS publishing books in the future.

   (If I had known about Amazon's rating system at the time I purchased the book, I would have avoided this loss of good $)

No comments about Hands-On Basic for the Commodore 64 (Computer Literacy Book).