5 comments about Beginning Visual Basic 6 (Beginning).

1. This is an extremely well written book. Peter Wright has this way of writing that keeps you hooked on to the book. There is a sense of humor which helps. The book explains the topics in quite good detail with screen shots so that one won't get lost! The examples are bug-free and work fine. The chapter on objects and classes, though short gives quite a clear idea of object oriented programming and how VB handles it.

   The only hitch I found was that Chapter 12 onwards, the book gets a little too fast and some things are explained very tersely. Moreover, there are quite a lot of grammatical errors in Chapter 13 that ruin the train of thought and are irritating! It's as though the editors didn't go through the last few chapters very well.

   Overall, a very good book for anyone who wants to learn the basics of VB 6.




2. If you already have some experience in programming, I'd suggest you get a book that covers VB topics in a little more detail, rather than one that just tells you how to open a window,drop a control on the form and set properties in a space of five to ten pages - you get the idea, coz thats exactly what the book does all through.
   Agreed that this is supposed to be a book for beginners but hey, anyone who has even a little bit of programming experience and possesses the intelligence of even a high school kid, does not need to be told things that are so obvious.
   However for complete novices, who have no programming experience at all, this book may be of good use. All in all this is good buy for those who don't have any experience in programming at all.



3. I read this book about 2 years ago to teach myself VB6. A friend of mine recently asked me to recommend a book for him to learn basic object-oriented programming on windows and this book is the only one I can think of. The book is very clearly written as is any programming book published by Wrox. Nowadays, VB.net is much more popular. I guess if you want to learn VB, buy a book on VB.net instead.



4. This is good book but not for a stone cold beginninng programmer. You will find that most if not all of the wrox books are good choices for learning a new programming language. Keep up the good work wrox !



5. I picked up this book after reading the one of the great books published by Wrox (Beginning Visual C++) and so forgive me if I bend towards comparison .... Well the title says it all ... this book is meant for a complete novice to computers ..... I wouldn't recommend it to a someone who already has some experience in programming .... beginners knock urselves out ... plenty to learn for u guys.... nothing more to stay ... Titles can be so misleading ... Beginning Visual C++ was so great and I learned so much from it so thats why I picked up this book but I am dissappointed.....

5 comments about Introducing Microsoft® LINQ.

1. I learned a few things from the book, but overall it left me wanting more. The price matches a much bigger book, so I would've expected it to be full of good stuff, but in fact it was almost cursory on most topics. I realize it's an "Introducing" book, but for the price I would've wanted a somewhat deeper introduction.



2. Considering that this book is based on a beta product, I was expecting it to have a section on installing LINQ. Sure I can go to the LINQ's website and find out but the author should have added that section and discuss the tricks, tips, caveats and particularly his experiences when he installed the beta version of LINQ. Without the LINQ installed in my machine, I was not able to try the code examples in the book.
   
   There is a relatively long section about C# 2.0 features. That is a nice-to-have section but that is the one he should have omitted.
   
   For a 240-page paper bound book, this is a bit pricey.
   
   I returned the book and promised myself to wait for the final release of LINQ before I buy any book about it.



3. this is a great into - not something you are going to start using right away, but good to keep in mind for up and coming projects. If you are using VS2005 you can start playing with this - its not a VISTA only tool.



4. I feel a little bad rating this a 4 since it's a Beta book. It's really hard writing on betas b/c material changes so frequently.
   
   I liked the book a lot and thought it covered the topics of LINQ and EF pretty well. I think though, it was a bit too heavy into language features of C# 3.0 and VB 9.0. Yes, it's necessary to cover many of these in the context of LINQ but I think proportion wise, it was a bit too much there and a little light in other areas (for instance, unless I totally missed it, i didn't see anything about parallell LINQ). The coverage of EF was good, but I would love to have seen about 50 more pages.
   
   Although it's small the content is right to the point however. They do a good job of discussing LINQ and EF and even showing some more advanced areas and I will say that if you read this book and understand it, you can get just about anywhere you want to be with LINQ. You can read it quickly and be up and running very quickly and that's the strength.
   
   In all honesty, I should probably have given it a 5. My personal opinion is that it's not quite a 5 but definitely higher than a 4. If it were 10.00 cheaper, I probably would have went for the 5 - but it's not a cheap book for the size of it.
   
   The authors did a great job in many areas and considering it's a beta release, they did a superb job.



5. I give this book two stars because it is not what I (a beginner) wanted to use. I cannot say how good a book it is for the audience it is written for.
   This book is designed for experienced programmers who know C# code. It surveys the use of advanced programming techniques using LINQ.
   The authors explain on page 51 "the ability to read C# code is also important for reading the rest of this book (because LINQ examples are written in C#) and for understanding differences between C# 3.0 and Visual Basic 9.0.
   This is not a how to book with introductory examples. It is not for beginners.

No comments about Algorithms and Data Structures: The Basic Toolbox.

3 comments about Applied C: An Introduction and More.

1. This book is very wonderful for students in freshman. Very detail examples.. best Algorithms.. This is the most beautiful Book of Introduction of C. ...



2. i'm learning this book in Chinese edition,it's different from the books that written by Chinese authors.



3. I went to Univ of New Haven, home of both Alice Fischer and David Eggert, and I took the Intro to C Programming course. Consider that NOTHING in the book corresponds to anything in the class (which was also put together by Fischer), and we're off to a lousy start already.
   
   Since you're probably not planning to go to UNH, I'll stick to reviewing the book. In a nutshell, it's awful. Fischer & Co keep forgetting that this is supposed to be an INTRODUCTION to C, not an all-purpose compendium of all C knowledge. There's no rhyme or reason to the layout, and the self-test questions at the end of each chapter test you on topics that weren't even IN the preceding chapter. The writers make no attempt to explain just what the heck they're talking about, ever, and it also suffers from Lazy Example Syndrome, in that the examples given in the text are several orders of magnitude simpler than anything they ask you to do yourself. In short, the book makes no attempt to explain anything, ever.
   
   I need to reiterate what I started with: I took the class that this book was written for, and even in that setting, it was completely incomprehensible. I can't even imagine how useless this book would be on its own. Avoid it at all costs. If you see a copy laying on the sidewalk, don't pick it up. If your friend wants to give you his copy, find a new friend.

5 comments about Programming PIC Microcontrollers with PICBASIC (Embedded Technology).

1. If youre programming your Pic microcontroller in PicBasic, chances are youre using one of the PicBasic compilers from MicroEngineering Labs, Inc. The informative manual that comes with the compiler makes Programming PIC Microcontrollers With PicBasic (PPMWP) redundant at best. However, the PicBasic manuals dont have example programs -- just snippets. The example programs in PPMWP are clearly meant for beginners, but dont offer much in the way of explanation. They are also fairly repetitive, and dont employ a very useful range of commands. Roughly half of PPMWP is mirrored (although with less detail) in the manuals, and half of that is useless unless youre using BOTH versions of the compilers. The other half of the book is example code, given in both compiler versions. Use caution, as this book has some major editing errors. For example, the pinouts on several of the wiring diagrams might end up costing you money if you follow them! I cant complain about the price, though, as I got the book free of charge (thanks?!) when I ordered the PicBasic Pro compiler through Mr. Hellebuyck's website.



2. When I began with PicBasic, there wasn't a lot of information or example projects to help me get started. Eventually I advanced my skills and moved to the PicBasic Pro compiler when it was released. The biggest complaint from beginner to experienced user was the lack of examples in the PicBasic manuals. I set out to fill that gap and help others with what I had learned the "hard way".

   The book begins by explaining the Microchip PICs and the PicBasic compiler history. Then the book covers both the PicBasic compiler and the PicBasic Pro compiler commands. With each command I try to pass on what each command does, in my own way, and include a brief example for each one of the commands, something the manuals still do not do today.

   From there the book takes you inside the most common internal features of the Microchip PICs and I try to describe those features in a simpler way than the often times confusing Microchip PIC data sheets.

   After that, the book jumps to the fun part where I try to pass on my project experience to the reader by taking them through building block type projects that start out simple by flashing an LED and grow more complex. The projects get more involved as I show how to use the Analog to Digital port, and how to drive an LCD, and how to read switches and drive servo motors and how to communicate serially with a PC and store data in external memory. I finish the 15 projects with three robot projects that show how to drive a servo powered robot and how to make it follow a line and then become an obstacle avoiding robot.

   In each project I take you through key sections of the code and describe what each command is doing so the reader can understand and learn how to program themselves. After completing the projects my hope was that the reader had gained enough confidence and knowledge to program Microchip PICs with PicBasic on their own without the trial and error learning curve many others, including me, had to work through.

   I didn't want to leave anybody out so I offer examples in both PicBasic and PicBasic Pro. The explanations are written so a PicBasic Pro user can skip over the PicBasic sections if they choose and not miss a thing.

   Based on the loads of reader feedback, I am pleased that I have succeeded and helped so many enjoy programming Microchip PICs with PicBasic. From engineers to teachers to hobbyists, my book has helped 1000's learn how to program Microchip PICs with PicBasic. I personally want to thank all the readers of my book and all future readers.

   I also want you to know that I try to offer support for all the readers through email. It's through this feedback that I both help and learn what readers want. From that information I can write future "Programming PICs in Basic" books and articles that can help even more.

   I even maintain an update page at my website www.elproducts.com to point out corrections such as the schematic shifts the publisher made on pages 140 and 147 after I had proof-read the book.

   Thank you for reading this note and for considering my book.




3. This book covers many topics dealing with PICs, as well as multiple code examples for each project in both the PICBasic and PICBasic Pro languages. The code is fairly well explained and as a result most of the projects are fairly straightforward. However, this book has the problem many PIC books have, if you are not using the exact same programmer/interface/PIC chip as the author, you are left in a guessing game of how to modify the code in order to adapt it to your setup. Not the best intro book, but better than most.



4. I am very impressed with Chuck's book. He knows his subject and is good at explaining it to the novice while keeping more experienced programmers interested. I would like to see more information on the low end PIC parts like the 12F675 and the 10f222. These parts are great for projects normally relegated to discrete parts or simple logic gates.
   
   Keep up the good work.
   
   Peter Langer



5. Yes, this is a good book for the most part. I agree with some other readers that it should have been a supplement to the compiler texts but maybe it came out before the better ones? I forgot BASIC and FORTRAN many years ago and this text does not help me recall the old language very well(maybe my IQ has slipped a lot)! My only complaint here is that it is way overpriced for what it delivers: I would have guessed it to be sold at maybe $35 not $55. Since Microchip have a new motor controller series out, perhaps I'll write about it myself if I discover something clever I can do...
   Geoffrey Campbell

5 comments about Professional Visual Basic 6 Web Programming.

1. I have 4 years VB programming experience, but after read 7 chapters of this book, I'm still feel confusing. Everything are talked a little bit, but nothing is discussed in detail.
   Each chapter is not well connected, this not like a book but like a huge magazine with a bunch of articles -- too many authers can mess up a good name book. They seems never talk to each other before and after writing this book. for examble, in beginning of chapter 9, it says: "By now you have learned how Active Server Page (ASP) use components." -- False! I never learned, at least in this book!
   In chapter 6 -- DHTML Application. The example application is only working in VB IDE even after making the package. It's either the author's problem or Microsoft's problem.
   As a "Professional VB Web programming book", it neither explains how to deploy a Web application well in general, nor teach you programming in detail.
   This book turns me to read other ASP book.



2. I have 4 years VB programming experience, but after read 7 chapters of this book, I'm still feel confusing. Everything are talked a little bit, but nothing is discussed in detail.
   Each chapter is not well connected, this not like a book but like a huge magazine with a bunch of articles -- too many authers can mess up a good name book. They seems never talk to each other before and after writing this book. for examble, in beginning of chapter 9, it says: "By now you have learned how Active Server Page (ASP) use components. In the next two chapters, we will focus on ... (something base on use components)" -- False! I never learned, at least in this book!
   In chapter 6 -- DHTML Application. The example application is only working in VB IDE even after making the package. It's either the author's problem or Microsoft's problem.
   As a "Professional VB Web programming book", it neither explains how to deploy a Web application well in general, nor teach you programming in detail.
   This book turns me to other ASP books.



3. There seems to be a pattern with the books from Wrox. If there is more than one author on the cover, it usually stinks. This book is no exception. They try to cover too much, and end up leaving you mad because you actually spent money on something this bad. This book is nothing more than a door stop!



4. If you are just starting to use ASP and have access to a MS SQL server, then this is a good read. However, don't even consider it if you have any previous APS experience or don't have access to a SQL server. In fact, there is no mention of MS Access in the entire book! It is pratically usesless as a reference for ASP and just sits and gathers dust.



5. I rated this 5 stars because it has the most useful writeup on writing Server Components in VB for use with ASP - chapters 9-11. I wanted to do this and had trouble getting working samples and explanations. I feel that industrial strength ASP is very ugly and unweildy if you don't encapsulate the code into components. MSDN has lots of reference material about this but little, if any, useful "how to" stuff that i could find.

   This book showed me how to do exactly what i wanted to do.

   Other than that, it is a good introduction into a good number of web concepts, old and new. The first 3 chapters were a good overview of Microsoft web concepts and techniques. The writeup on web classes, if you like them, is good. I really liked the CGI case study including how to implement standard input/output via the win32 API.

   The relatively free use of various win32 API functions in VB help overcome a general fear of mixing VB and CC++ functionality.

   The book was a bit large but was well organized. In general it gave me a much higher opinion of Wrox books.

1 comments about Visual Basic 2005 with .NET 3.0 Programmer's Reference.

1. Although I have out-dated programming experience, this book is written using the most boring method of teaching and I found that this book is really not worth it. I wish I picked another book. I learned more from a free online tutorial.
   This author should stick to programming and never write a book again.

1 comments about Quickbasic and Qbasic Using Modular Structure Alternate Edition With Visual Basic.

1. The price is not cheaper elsewhere. unfortunately, the reviewer who made this claim was neglegent in making sure it was correct. i have checked the other two "biggie" online bookstores, ..., and the price is the same. ...P>I thought this needed clearing up. Amazon.com provides a needed service and is very good at what they do.

   Thank You

5 comments about MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Developing Windows-Based Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual C# .NET (MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit).

1. Errors galore! And no, they're not all simple grammatical mistakes. There are dozens of examples of code that if entered into .Net and run would bomb or not do what they are supposed to do (here's just one example, on page 56 the VB code lists myForm.Activate() but the C# code lists myForm.Active()).

   Worse yet, I was planning to study just this one book and then take the test. But now that I've read the others' reviews I see that such would be folly: this book alone does not give enough to pass the exam.

   However, let me point out that for someone who is just interested in learning how to create Windows-based applications using VB.Net or C#.Net (i.e., passing the exam is not the goal) I think the book easily provides enough to satisfy. That's why I gave it three stars despite the negative things I had to say about it: it really isn't all that bad (but it's really not all that great either).

   PS: I bought the book at my local, but national, bookstore (didn't have a computer then) and paid the full [price]. Should have had a friend by it for me from here!




2. This is a greate book not only to study for the test with, but also a greate intro to Windows programming for those new to .Net. This book alone will not get you through the test, but it will get you going down the road.

   My only complaint is that the practice test are pretty limited.




3. This book did a great job of introducing a considerable amount of material clearly, and without assuming much prior knowledge. If you understand basic O-O theory and terminology, this book should have you building Windows applications in no time.



4. I used this book and the exam cram book. The combination was more than adequate for passing the exam (scored 862). I didn't like having to remember to skip past the VB code (which is always listed first). The exam tops were covered well but the practice exam included with this book is ridiculously hard. The practice exams provided with the exam cram book were much more like the real test.



5. This is a very decent overview of Windows-based programming in .NET. It's dry and boring in the typical certification-book style. The real question is, "Is it a great book for passing the certification exams?" I'll let you know after I take the tests myself.

   On that note, one of my major criticisms of this book is the practice exam on the included CD. It does a poor job of covering the specific skills that are measured on the Windows-based certification exams, and, worst of all, only tells you your total score. The practice test doesn't tell you which specific questions you missed, nor does it give you an explanation of the correct answer. Totally useless.

5 comments about Beginning Object-Oriented Programming with VB 2005: From Novice to Professional (Beginning: from Novice to Professional).

1. This book is an excellent resource for anyone new to vb.net, or anyone transitioning from vb6 to vb.net. It covers the foundation of object oriented programming neccessary to successfully code in the .net environment.
   
   There are samples and a case study, which help cement the concepts covered.
   
   I recommend using this book as a foundation before moving on to more advanced material.



2. I have to admit, has some interesting stuff and information on how to make the theory of Classes to Programs, but I can not agree that is novice to professional, in my opinion I would say just novice.
   
   Leaves many un-answered questions.
   
   But can work as a reference.



3. I performed some programming in Visual Basic 6 a few years ago and then my job was changed so that I was maintaining a Unix program for a few years, which entailed putting fires out each day and very little programming of any type. A few months ago I was fortunate enough to get transferred to a great job programming web sites and some Windows applications. I've been able to write some fairly complex programs, but I knew I was missing some large piece of the puzzle. I'm really a novice programmer. I wasn't creating classes and I wasn't doing a lot of things that were efficient. If my programs needed to do more or scale, they were very difficult to adjust. During these months I've purchased a lot of books, and they had good stuff in them, but I still wasn't able to put things together. I would see things like "WithEvents" and ask what was that for. I had to do some threading and succeeded, but only by trial and error and I didn't understand the "why" of why it worked. For that matter, there was a lot that I didn't understand the "why" about.
   
   I then thought that, even though I was using objects, that I didn't really understand object-orientated programming enough. I looked on some User Group sites and saw this book listed as a good one.
   
   I held high hopes for this book. It's my first book from Apress. I started reading the first 4 chapters, which were on how to design and plan an OOP program. I'm convinced his information is important but ugh! It was horribly boring! I was mostly through the 2nd chapter when I thought I'd committ suicide . I had to quit reading chapters 2-4 and tell myself I'll get back to that later. Yes, it's that boring. It's worse than hearing your girlfriend talk for hours about makeup and dresses! So I skipped to Chapter 5 which gave basic instructions on using Visual Studio. I thought, "Why put this beginner's crap in this book". If you need to know the basics of VS, then get a beginner's book on VS. It shouldn't have been here.
   By this time I'm thinking I bought a book of garbage. But I went on to Chapter 6, and I'm glad I did. It finally got to the point and started talking about OOP and classes, constructors, overloading - and I was getting some of the elusive "why" explained! Chapter 7 got into inheritance, derived classes, overriding and overloading, etc with more of the "why". Chapter 8 got into the stuff like "WithEvents" and delegates, and how delegates work with threading. You will need to use threading and you will see "why". In geekspeak, threading is cool! Chapter 9 shows how to work with Collections (arrays, dictionaries, etc). This chapter didn't explain much "why" but when I need Collections there is enough to be able to implement them. Chapter 10 starts explaining some "why" regarding databases, such as connected versus disconnected data access. The examples use SQL Server. Chapter 11 looks at forms in a different light from other books, looking at them as objects instead of just sticking controls on them, and works with using databases more.
   
   Now I feel better about going back to the first 4 boring chapters as I will now have something to build with.
   
   To a complete beginner, I would say to first get a basic VB.NET beginner's book and get familair with VB and Visual Studio. If this is your very first book you will be very lost. The book is made for a novice.
   
   This book is one of the most important I have read. I am making progress very quickly over the last week or two, while previously I sputtered for several months. I've tried to convey how I felt, and if you feel similar, you must get this book.



4. This book is in very good condition. Shipping very fast. Overall I'm very satisfied with my purchase.



5. I thought the first 4 chapters were boring, but in fact the idea was to build your skill before you code the application! This book was written in a way that readers should already be familiar with OOP terminologies because it does not go into detailed explanation like those for dummies books do.Instead, it shows you how to analyze a problem, draw the diagrams and design the application! This is so far the best book i've read about object-oriented programming using VB, toppling Deb Kurata's or Alistaire Mcmonnies' books on my list. This book will teach you how to do UML/USE CASE so you can design a robust application. This is not a beginner's book on object oriented VB. I've had some knowledge in Java object programming and I know a little of object programming, but reading this book the first time has confused me as the author seemed to have tried to squeeze the discussions in short chapters and programming codes are not explained well, delving right into OOP design and techniques. As the author mentioned in the book, he doesn't know the skill level of a 'beginner', so he added some short intro to programming at the back of the book (Appendix A), so I believe the audience of this book are those 'beginners' to OOP but not to programming. I applaud Dan Clark for the way he laid out the teaching concept of this book, and how I wish he would follow this up with an advanced book with lots of case studies and applications starting from analysis to coding again. Highly recommended!