5 comments about Visual Basic Object and Component Handbook.

1. I don't often run across a book that impresses me to the point that I feel motivated enough to write a review. I needed to learn how to use COM in order to use ActiveX components in an IIS ASP application. After purchasing and reading several other books, I ran across this one. It has proven to be the primary source of information for me on developing robust and useful components. Mr. Vogel manages to keep his focus on the details of COM that are challenging to understand and not already covered in the Microsoft documention. I would suggest this book for programmers of any level who need a thorough understanding of creating solid COM components.



2. I love this book. It is the best written VB book I have seen. It is so well written. I have read 4 chapters so far, and I am understanding all the information so far. The examples are terrific. I am thrilled with it. If you want to learn about COM and objects......GET IT!



3. If you want to learn to design and create COM objects and code in a generally OOP type of way in VB, this is your book. For those coming from C++ who want to componentize their VB apps in the true spirit of OOP, this book has all you need. Well written, full of useful examples, it belongs on the shelf of every VB component creator.



4. This book is well-organized, informative, well-written, and (unlike most books I run across) actually usable!

   His advice is excellent, his approaches are clean, and he gives it to you in a way in which you can actually put it to use without having to untangle it.




5. This book takes comprehensive look at Visual Basic Objects and Components including ActiveX EXEs, DLLs, Documents, and MTS/COM+. Every type of object or component is examined in this book and very well explained in a way to make you understand. Peter Vogel's writting style makes reading this book easy.

   This book was a major study guide for the Designing and Implementing Desktop Applications using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (exam 70-176) and the Designing and Implementing Distributed Applications using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 (exam 70-175). I passed both exams. This was an excellent addendum to the Transcender courses and I use this book several times a week as a reference. There are a lot of Visual Basic 6.0 shops out there and I would highly recommend that this book be part of their reference library.

   The author is suppose to be writing a Visual Basic.Net Object and Component Handbook which is due out next year. If that book is as good as this book, I will highly recommend it too. I have about 30 Visual Basic books and this book is one of the best.

No comments about Visual Basic.NET and XML: Harness the Power of XML in VB.NET Applications.

5 comments about Oracle High-Performance SQL Tuning.

1. I bought a copy of this book in hopes of tuning the SQL in my Oracle8i database and I was not disappointed. When using the techniques in the book, I was able to quickly identify and tune the most resource intensive SQL statements in my system. The book is clear and easy to understand.



2. I have a very complex system with lots of subqueries, and I was unable to find good tuning information until I tried the techniques in this book.

   The book is simple to understand and explains the internals of complex Oracle SQL operations.

   I have been very heppy with the results from my tuning, and I am thankful to find this textbook.




3. It is a good book for those interested in the internals of sql. The knowledge of the author about the matter is excellent, and his writing style is clear, simple, and funny.



4. I'm sure that this was a great book in it's day, but it is 5 years old and useful only for firewood. The rule optimizer is not even there anymore. [...]



5. Still working my way through it, but have already gleaned several insights from it. This gives me information I had not yet found in Oracle manuals. (I'm an application developer, trying to work productively with database administrators and system administrators.)

5 comments about Mastering Excel 2003 Programming with VBA.

1. This is the best book on Developing with Excel I've read (still reading). It is now known that Excel's macro recorder sometimes produces inefficient and un-maintainable code. So, the author doesn't waste time with the macro recorder, instead he goes directly into VBA. I particularly like his treatment of GetOpenFilename, GetSaveAsFilename, and "Breaking down into path and File name components". Chapter 11 on "Developing Class Modules" is also excellent in introducing this complicated subject gently. Besides, the concepts learned here can be applied to other Microsoft applications such as Access.
   He has managed to present the material in just 585 pages in a logical manner. I always had the impression that programming books over 1000 pages are less approachable and therefore less useful than books under 1000 pages.
   Congratulations and many thanks to the author Steven Hansen.



2. There are many books on VBA programming, and many of them specialize in Excel. If you are (or hope to be) a *serious* business application developer with Excel using VBA, then this is the best book you will find anywhere.
   
   If you are a first-time beginner, you may want to check out "Excel 2002 Visual Basic for Applications Step by Step" by Reed Jacobson before going on to this book.
   
   Mr. Hansen does review the basics, but the book is directed primarily to a reader who has had at least some exposure to Excel VBA, although you do not need to be a seasoned expert.
   
   You often see the phrase "Real World Examples" associated with books of this type. I don't know what "Real World" most of those authors live in, but Mr. Hansen is the first I have discovered who appears to inhabit the same planet that I do. All of his examples are going into my permanent code library, where I know they will be used over and over.
   
   The approach to teaching the subject is also excellent. After a review of the basics, each of the important objects of the Excel Object Model is covered. This book does not attempt to be exhaustive. It is focused on the practical. Once you have "Mastered" these fundamentals, you should be able to develop more advanced techniques on your own.
   
   Best in Class, Best in Show. Buy it.



3. I found some example code that I wanted to use, and copied the example word for word, and it wouldn't work, so I downloaded the sample files, an found that the same example (listing 7.9 on page 147) would not work either. I had to get another program off of the internet that WOULD work.
   
   I later found that none of the examples that I downloaded worked!! I have discovered that this book is a complete waste of my money and valuable time. How Steven Hansen ever got this book published is beyond me. Obviously, Sybex does not have an editorial staff that verifies that any of the examples work.
   
   Spend your hard earned money on any of the books that have been published by John Walkenbach. John is an expert that knows Excel backwards and forwards.



4. I'm the author of this book and encourage you to check this book out. I wrote this book with a smart, motivated, corporate audience in mind. This book is packed with content and techniques that have been validated by nearly a decade of "in-the-trenches" corporate development.
   
   I stand behind all of the listings in this book. If they don't work - chances are you're not doing something right. As any "Excel/VBA expert" can tell you, parameterized procedures will not show up in the Macro dialog box. If you have any questions I encourage you to contact me. Thanks & Happy Reading!



5. This is my 4th MS Excel 2003 I've read. It is by far the most thorough, enjoying and easy to read and learn. It comes with many working examples and covers just every thing a starter, with a little bit of programming skills, would need to write his first applications. Very good study and reference book for every thing related to Excel programming. Enjoy!

No comments about Building With Basic: A Programming Kit for Kids/Book and Disk (Alpha kids).

5 comments about Wrox's Visual C# 2005 Express Edition Starter Kit (Programmer to Programmer).

1. This book is written at a level appropriate for someone with a little previous experience programming in other languages. Although it is positioned as useful for a complete novice, it makes too many assumptions about the reader's understanding of programming concepts and vocabulary to really serve as a starting point for a first time programmer. Also, the many innaccurate figure references, typos, grammatical errors, mismatches between figures and the text describing them, etc., fail to inspire the confidence that someone new to programming would hope for when purchaing a book of this type. This is a shame, because the concept is a good one. A little more attention to editing would have gone a long way to making this a very good book.



2. Seems like a good book so far. But I'm only on page 5 and I have encountered syntax error after syntax error after syntax error, and typo after typo after typo. Don't these publishers bother to read their manuscripts before they send them to press? There are so many goofs I'm beginning to wonder if I can continue reading it since I am constantly tripping over the editing blunders.
   
   Psssst, Wrox (Wiley) ... programmers are brilliant people but they can't write English. They need help; that's where YOU come in. Get it?



3. This is a good starting point if you're new to C#. I have to agree with Glenn's review (above) as this book is very poorly edited and contains numerous errors. It's not hard to figure out what they are trying to say, but it's annoying nonetheless. I'll think twice before I buy another Wrox book.



4. The times for programming are so much more friendly to new comers. This book is wonderfully easy to ready, and beginner friendly. You don't feel like you're reading a textbook.
   
   I like that this book is so thin. It really didn't take long to get through this (perhaps because i've programmed already). it also covers using the tools to connect to SQL Server Express. But what's even cooler is that it demonstrates how to connect to web services.
   
   You also get the basics of the C# language. Which for C++ folks will be like sailing on a sunny day. But for new comers, will be straight forward.
   
   It's so easy. If students completely new to programming want a place to start (and want to program on Windows), get this book, it comes with Visual C# Express 2005 and SQL Server Express 2005 (so no high speed internet connection needed).
   
   Plus the author looks like a cool biker dude. :)



5. It's a very good book for beginners, with very interesting things to discover

No comments about Jt's Conversations on True Basic: Becoming Acquainted with Basic Through Windows.

No comments about Visual Basic 2008 for Windows and Mobile Applications: Introductory (Shelly Cashman Series).

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

4 comments about Sams Teach Yourself More Visual Basic .NET in 21 Days (Sams Teach Yourself).

1. If there was a list of the worst VB NET books, this book would surely be on it. For a book that claims (on the back cover) to be "intermediate", it does just about everything wrong.

   Doesn't use object oriented programming correctly (public instance fields??) (Doesn't emphasize or use classes much in fact!)
   Still covers the older On Error Syntax and doesn't stress Exception handling.,
   Stresses collections from the Vb 6 compatibility layer rather than teaching the more useful collection like classes in the Framework. (In fact much of this code is simply using the compatibility layer rather than the framework, bad bad bad.)
   Doesn't cover multithreading..

   Doesn't do much of anything in fact...

   This book is simply a port of what was probably a not very good VB6 book done quickly. The result was to quickly produce a truly awful VB .NET book. (I thought Sams had crossed a corner with it's great ASP .NET books, they seem to be back at their old game of producing junk quickly.)

   If you want a great intermediate book try Cornell's great Apress book or Connel's equally useful Microsoft press book. Then, after you have finished either one of those books and want a more advanced book, try Troelsen's masterpiece from Apress or wait for Balena's sure to be a masterpiece book.




2. This book assumes that you have at least a rudimentary knowledge of VB.Net and general programming concepts. "Sams TY VB.Net in 21 Days" can provide that foundation. Unfortunately, this book appears to be a sloppily executed cut-and-paste re-write of the author's previous edition (TY More VB 6 in 21 Days), a book which itself was not very well received. There is some good material here, but not enough to be worth the price.

   I really hate to criticize a book this severely, since there is so much work involved in writing any complete book manuscript, especially a technical manuscript on a new technology, but I'm afraid this one deserves it.

   WEAKNESSES: The review by "The Geek" raises many valid deficiencies. Both the copy editor and technical editor have overlooked conspicuous errors too numerous to count. These are way beyond the usual slips to be expected in similar books. But more importantly, the author teaches an undisciplined programming style that is careless and sometimes confused. The material reflects only a marginal understanding of the unique features of VB.Net and of the .Net Framework. In many chapters, it is clear that VB6 material has been merely refurbished with a veneer of .Net. Since VB.Net is conceptually different from VB6, the author's approach leans heavily on legacy components and constructs.

   The author's repeated use of the TreeView control in a "Windows Explorer" type interface tended to confuse many lessons with the cumbersome code needed to populate the nodes of the TreeView. This is even carried to the extreme of downloading a TreeView Web control from Microsoft in order to use one in an ASP.Net application example.

   There are several chapters that appear to deal with application architecture and the business side of software development, but they were mostly generalizations. The discussion of optimizations revealed a number of misconceptions. For example, the author recommends using the Long data type for loop variables, since it is optimized in the 32 bit operating system. Well, this is true in VB6. However, in VB.Net, the Integer data type is now an Int32 integer, and the Long is now an Int64. In VB.Net, loop variables typed as Integer are considerably faster than loop variables typed as Short or Long.

   STRENGTHS: Yes, I did find some. I thought the chapter on Crystal Reports was well done. The discussion of XML Web Services was brief, but clear.

   RECOMMENDATION: Pass on this one.




3. It is a appropriate aproach for a .NET begginers. It is necessary to make the exercises and maybe read other books.



4. I have given four stars because this book is quite old. But this gives a lot of information about the .NET technology and gives excellent examples on WHERE to use code along with HOW, unlike the usual how-only approach. the new visual studio 2008 has a lot of tools, but without this, you cant use them to the fullest.