5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours.

1. I would recommend this book for beginers, It explains the basics of programming, and also starts you off in java , c or c++ , although you do need the compilers for c and c++.

   and also ultimatediscountbooksource@yahoo.com shipped it quickly and I had the book within a week.




2. Reads like an extended course description. Very few examples. Code examples are often incomplete so they cant be run. No real 'projects' to test any skills.

   Comes with Liberty Basic (shareware) (you can download this seperately and learn more from its own help/tutorials). For the most part, you dont even need a computer to read this book. The code examples are only excerpts so you have to study them from the text in the book anyway.

   What gets me more than anything is I found about 5 errors in code and text that are important! Things like mislabeled variables that would confuse anyone trying to learn. Although I guess finding the mistakes is a lesson in itself.

   OK, that was the bad part, but I didnt give it a score of 1 because it is easy to read (fast). It does mention a wide range of topics, and it comes with a useable version of Basic (but only limited shareware, also there is a later version online). For a real beginner, this is one way to start off slow. It is disappointing because it could have been much better with only a little more effort. A few larger examples, and a few more actual coding projects instead of just saying 'if you want to create a text box in your program, type the following line....',

   and then moving on to the next lesson.

   This review relates to the 2nd edition.




3. As many other people in this world want to do, I want to program video games in the future. The only problem was that I had no idea how to start or where to turn to for advice. I had tried to learn over the summer of this year on how to create video games, but the books that I had borrowed from my local library said that I needed to have an understanding of C/C++. And when I borrowed a C/C++ book, I didn't really read it. So I decided to give programming up... for a while at least.
   
   About a month ago, that itch to create video games came back to me when I was grounded. So I went back to my library and looked for a programming book that fit my needs. During my search, I stumbled upon "Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Porgramming in 24 Hours". And so I decided to read the introduction if I met the books requirements. When I learned that I did, I borrowed the book and began to read the book.
   
   The book mainly covers a language called Liberty BASIC (which is probably is as easy a programming language as it gets). Right out of the gate, the book lets you program your first BASIC program, a rocket launch countdown. I was suprised how easy it was to program in Liberty Basic. To me, it felt like dumbed down English. When you are finished with the Liberty BASIC training (11 hours worth), you should have a good understanding of Liberty BASIC.
   
   The book also gives you a detailed introduction to Java, but the first two chapters are only text and no examples. Those two chapters do help with the basics of Java and C/C++ (C is Java's "mother" language). When you do get to the programming part of the Java in the book (four chapters of Java in the book), you use Forte for Java (it already gives you the main code for your project). Unfortunately, I found Forte a bit intimidating at first, but when I played around with Forte a bit and got an understanding, I went through the chapters with ease.
   
   The book also gives you a taste of other languages out there (Visual Basic, C/C++, HTML, Pascal, Javascript, and .NET) I say taste because it goes over the fundamentals of each of the languages entered there. You will find C/C++ easier to understand because of your work in Java.
   
   There were some problems with the book that I found. First, there were some coding errors that I found. I found the most errors in Chapter 10, "Having Fun with Liberty BASIC". Most of the code I found put down on BASIC and ran could not run. How can you have fun with the program if you cannot run the code? More like "Getting Frustrated with Liberty BASIC". Also in Chapter 11, there is a sample code that seems to be bugged but isn't. When you get to the code that seems bugged (I forget which sample it was in the chapter) just expand the width of the window to get the result you want.
   
   There were also many dry spells in the sample code for you to write down and practice. The ones that have little or no examples in them are Chapters 2-4, 12 & 13, and 16-24.
   
   In my opinion, I would reccommend this book to anyone who is considering to explore the world of programming (either regular programming or video game programming) or anyone who wants to program but doesn't know where to begin. This book will not mold you into a good programmer, but it will lay down the necessary building blocks to becoming a regular or video game programmer.
   
   I reccomend this book for video game programmers because it will give you a basic understanding of C/C++, the typical language of game programming (this information will be useful for other books that you have your sights on and if you get another C/C++ book, you will understand some of the subjects being talked about (arrays, literals, operators, basic C/C++ procedures, etc.)
   
   Now I just need some help on what to do next...



4. That's exactly what is written on the cover. It's a good book for the people who know noting about programming and want to enter in this exiting field. The book is well written and gives you good idea about computer programming and teach you to program in Liberty Basic Which not the best choice from my point of view but it's free.



5. Well, after dedicating a solid month, I can say I finally have figured it out. This is a great book with only some typos. The beginning is far too basic even for a pre-teen, but if you dont know this info, you shouldnt continue in the book.
   
   I'm happy to say I can write simple programs now, and even made one for next April Fools!

No comments about Java BASICS.

2 comments about The Complete Visual Basic .Net Training Course (Complete Training Course Series).

1. This maybe the worst computer book ever written. The authors have a way of making even the simplest things complex. I surely can not recommend this book.

   Richard Bonn
   MCSE




2. This book is massive and the price tag is a bit heavy as well, but trust me, it is worth the price. I'm a VB6 developer trying to make the transition to VB.NET. I analyzed a number of different books, including those published by Microsoft Press, and ultimately decided on this one for its thoroughness. Overall, the book is very well written, organized quite logically, and doesn't miss any details. On top of that, the bonus CDs you get with this "complete course" over just the book alone are incredible! I found most of the audio commentary extremely dry, and didn't really add much to the printed material, but the extra exercises and having all the code and answers right inline with the text was amazing.

   The exercises at the end of each lesson are extremely challenging and really sound down the concepts into your mind. For example, on the chapter dealing with arrays, including sorting and searching, one of the exercises is to rewrite the QuickSort algorithm that Microsoft uses natively in the Array.Sort method. This exercise really impressed on me how to get the most out of recursive functions, and how to build efficient procedures.

   Currently, I'm only about 400 pages into this 1500+ book, but I'm eagerly looking forward to finishing it. To be honest, I think this book is better than taking an instructor-led course. I can't wait for Advance VB.NET to come out from Deitel so I can tackle that as well.

   Bottom line, buy this complete course. You won't regret it.

5 comments about Pure Visual Basic (Pure).

1. I had this book lying around for a while. Then a friend asked me how to create a VB DLL that exports functions, not COM classes that can be reused by other VB clients. So, I gave him the book, thinking that something so obvious would be covered by this book. The topic does not seem to be covered.



2. This is one of a very small number of computer books I've come across that is concise, well written, lucid, and actually useful. No Dummies fluff, no long winded self serving expositions in search of an editor, just a clear and incisive exploration of the intricacies of VB backed by lots of examples in code. This isn't a book for beginners in that it assumes a certain familiarity with the language, yet beginners will benefit from having this resource available as they need to research topics. I wish that more programming books came even close to the quality of this one.



3. Possible the best VB book I own.
   Deail with a lot of subject in depth that most books just touch on.
   The code examples are correct and very efficient, and documented in a way thats simple to undersatnd.
   suited for developers from beginner to advanced
   This boook is a must..!!!



4. I have been a visual C++ programmer for 5 years and needed to write my first VB app. I bought this book for a reference and another for more of a "how to". This book serves its purpose well. Just like the cover says, it's a reference for the professional developer. I wanted a book like "Visual Basic for Visual C++ programmers" but none exists (does it?).



5. A good solid compact reference. I keep this one close at hand.

5 comments about Bug Proofing Visual Basic: A Guide to Error Handling and Prevention.

1. Sorry, I read this book, but didn't think much of it. I was able to pick up a few valuable tidbits, but overall thought the book's title and promise didn't deliver.

   Avoiding bugs, it seems, has much to do with following good programming practices and perhaps that should have been the book's title. Much wasted time is spent on telling us how to indent lines of code, how to line up our comments, and admonitions to fix our own bugs and to be alert when you test.

   There was 20 pages of good stuff and the rest was fluff. It was as if Rod Stephens needed to put out a book fast and just shotgunned his many years of programming experience at us, hoping something would stick and save us from having too many bugs.

   I realize I now own 4 of his books, but none are even in my top 10 Visual Basic books. If I could have read the book first and then paid for it, I would have paid 5 bucks.




2. I found this book to be only for beginners. It is very repetitive about a lot of stuff that you just know if you have programmed for more than a month. Most of the suggestions it makes are pointless or just too obvious, and i can't believe you can write so many pages with so little content. In conclusion, if you have used Visual Basic for more than a month, you must NOT buy this book, it wont help in the littlest bit. Please excuse my English if i've written something wrong.



3. A very reasonable book for someone to refresh the knowledge and fill the gaps about error handling in VB. It does provides the stuff that is missing in the VB help or other VB books. At least it provided some guidance on how to tackle the error handling within a program, instead of a routine only. Photocopy the content page and use it as a quick reference. One little shortcoming is that the author sometimes repeats his message in many places in the book.



4. This book is a must have.

   If you have ever written anything in VB, then you know how much of a pain Error Handling is. This book will give you a solid foundation of how to handle errors. It also gives you lots of insight into handling general error or specific errors, and writing bug-proof code.




5. I was trained in VB at a Fortune 1 company (narrows it down, eh?). I developed a very paranoid mindset with my development that I have not seen in others until I came across this book.

   It really took the beliefs and habits that were instilled in me and materialized them into a book. I can then take this book and recommend it to folks I have to share projects with to spread those beliefs and habits without seeming like a pain.

   If you aren't an enterprise class developer but would like to play one on TV by coding tight apps, get this book. Your team members/users will love you for it!

2 comments about Visual Basic: Client Server Programming.

1. This book is what I've been looking for! It covers it all, from the Visual Basic environment itself to how to write a database application. Excellent examples and the language is very easy to read. Great book!



2. A remarkably concise and clear intoduction to client/server application development with VB. A good first book to read before you get into the details of coding.

5 comments about The Book of Visual Studio .NET.

1. Excellent example of practical uses of Enterprise Services. This isn't the focus of the book but I was pleasantly surprised to find this nugget.



2. The title, "The Book of Visual Studio .NET," is misleading. The book is not an in-depth guide to using Visual Studio and barely touches on extending and customizing Visual Studio. A better title would have been "A Developer's Accelerated Introduction To .NET." It assumes the reader is a working developer, new to .NET, and moves at a brisk pace. Only one of twelve chapters focuses on the Visual Studio tools although Visual Studio is used throughout to design, code, compile, run, and trouble-shoot examples for nearly every topic. After brief disappointment (I wanted a Visual Studio handbook), I read the book cover to cover and learned something in each chapter after more than two years of heavy reading and significant development effort with .NET. If I taught a course on .NET, this would be my text!

   Most of the .NET landscape is explored in the 369 pages - including: Visual Studio, the .NET framework and CLR, VB.NET, Windows forms, web forms, web services, ASP.NET, ADO.NET, XML, and COM interoperability. But C# and C++ are given almost no space.

   Design and code samples are numerous and are no longer than needed to demonstrate the essential concepts. You will want to be sitting at your computer with a full deck of .NET available - Visual Studio, IIS, and SQL Server. The code can be downloaded.
   
   This is probably an ideal book for someone crossing over from the Java world or moving on from older Micsrosoft technologies. If you are quite expert in other OOP technologies but new to .NET, two days with this book will get you started on your first .NET project or prepare you for a .NET job interview.
   
   This is the author's first book; he is an experienced system architect working in .NET and COM. The publisher, No Starch Press, is small and new but headed by one of the Apress (serious books for serious people) founders. Their site suggests a bunch of San Francisco guys willing to put away their Linux and Java for a grudging review of the enemy's (Microsoft's) armored division. But I could still hear one of them say, "Microsoft .NET is not even in use within one hundred miles."
   
   Nothing was too hard and nothing was too easy. Definitely no starch!




3. All-in-all, this is a useful book. I would recommend it to anyone trying to get up to speed with Visual Studio.NET quickly or anyone wanting to get an introductory feel for the scope of many things that can be accomplished with this programming environment.

   The downside is that the book has quite a few errors, though most are of the typographical style. However, due to the large amount of code he presents, some occur in the code also, and it can't be executed until they are fixed. Most bugs prove no challenge to a relatively experienced programmer, but an absolute newbie might be frustrated. In a way, though, these light errors provide an opportunity to explore the debugging capabilities of VS.NET - was that the point? :)

   This book also assumes you know something about the tools you'll be using outside of VS.NET like SQL Server and such.

   As I said, overall a very nice introduction to VS.NET. Just don't expect it to exhaustively cover every topic. The author himself states this in the end when he says "Your next step should be to focus on each of these technologies, either by investigating MSDN further, studying books that specialize in specific technologies such as ADO.NET or ASP.NET, or simply building your own applications."

   Hope this helps...




4. As a Visual Basic user from many years ago I bought this book to help me get to grips with the daunting IDE that Visual Studio presents. The danger for a new user is missing the fabulous new Wizards and other time saving things that are pre-built into VS but are sometimes tricky to find for the uninitiated.
   
   This book discusses .NET in detail but to be fair I knew about .NET's principles before. What I wanted was a guide to USING VISUAL STUDIO. And this is really not it. As an overall handy text for a newbie to .NET it is great but I don't think the title is right.



5. Other reviewers of this book who have suggested that it has the wrong title are correct. It should have been titled 'A Developer's Introduction to .NET'. It touches on a lot but barely skims the surface of anything. I bought it as a web designer wanting to get into ASP.NET, but the chapter on ASP.NET was just a tedious walkthrough of creating a web form, with pages and pages of minute instructions - add this control, then this one etc. - when all that space could have been devoted to explaining the core concepts.
   
   The book is poorly written, haphazardly organised and plagued by small errors. One example:
   'Visual Basic, for all intensive purposes, has arrived, and it's just as powerful and flexible as any other .NET language.' (Does he mean 'for all intents and purposes??') Then two paragraphs later: 'Furthermore, because VB lacks flexibility and power...' Where was the editor?
   
   Another perpetually annoying error is the author's continually referring to 'diminishing' a variable in VB, when the correct term is 'dimensioning'. A small point, but one that adds to the perception of a lack of care.
   
   For someone wanting the quick heads-up on .NET, then maybe, otherwise, avoid it.

5 comments about Visual Basic .NET for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. I have purchased four VB.NET books thus far, and this one is head and shoulders above the rest! Easy to understand, great example code. AND, much less expensive than the rest! A bargain by any measure! I highly recommend it!



2. I've always wanted to learn how to program, but never really got started. Well, with VB .Net and this book that's all I needed. This book has everything for the beginner, clearly explained. I wish I could give it 10 stars!



3. (The following was inadvertantly written for Davis' previous book "Visual Basic .Net Programming". While it applies somewhat to that book also, it was intended for this one.)

   I have been programming since IBM produced the 7090/7094, with the first symbolic assembler/compiler. I have not completely adapted to object oriented programming yet (but am commited to modular, well-documented code that avoids arbitrary assumptions that prevent smooth future growth).

   The first time I got one of Harold Davis' books, I was impressed: "Finally, a book for programmers that is really accessible!" I was tired of voluminous books of "how to"s that did not provide a good conceptual structure. (Some of us need that to help the memory, and sense of mastery.)

   He writes in an easy-to understand style in which the basic concepts are included along with the clear and straightforward "how to"s. It is clearly a book suitable for beginners and for experienced, moderately advanced, programmers at the same time. (Something I formerly did not believe was possible.) As one reads and occassionally rereads the material, it becomes evident that the content is really quite dense. One can read simply, follow the instructions - that are clear and easy to follow - and, if a deeper understanding is desired, then go back and re-read the material, more slowly. It is all there.

   In this latest book, he has brought this style to a very fine level. I was intending to "retire" with Visual Studio 6. After, reading the first few chapters of this book, I am eager to take his "journey" into VB .net.




4. This is an OK book (I give it a B- grade.) It can't be your only VB.Net book, as it only covers part of the language, and don't expect to learn anything about OOP and, more importantly, VB.Net's take on OOP. Also, the chapter on XML is useless unless you already understand XML very thoroughly.

   I have three complaints:
   1. The two-column per page layout results in nearly all the graphics fitting into a single 2.5" column. There are MANY instances where the tutorial instructs you to fill in a property sheet "...like in Figure xxx", and Figure xxx is an entire Windows screen reduced to a 2x1 inch graphic! Totally unreadable! Didn't anyone bother to proof this before it was published? Even a large magnifying glass won't help.
   2. The graphics are often not in sync with the text. For example, the graphic may show a form full of buttons and text boxes but the tutorial has just had you place a single button.
   3. Despite having a publishing data of 2003, it does not match VisualStudio.net 2003, although you can still use the examples.

   Still, for the price, this is as good a place as any to start on VB.Net. I ws able to do all the tutorial chapters in 3 days. If you do get the book, be sure to download the source code from the Net because you'll need it.




5. The cover says you can "Teach yourself Visual Basic .NET the quick and easy way!" My experience was otherwise. Way way otherwise. This book isn't just bad, it is idiotically terrible.
   
   I've been a hobbyist programmer for 30 years - Fortran, Pascal, Basic, VBA, Java script, like that. I just bought VB.NET and wanted something that would explain the basics:
   1) VB.NET syntax for Ifs, loops, arrays, etc., and
   2) the complicated .NET programming environment (where does the code go?).
   
   I've had good luck with the Visual Quickstarts brand before, so I bought this one without leafing through it. Big mistake.
   
   For example the traditional "Hello World" program, the one that helps you take your first baby steps, that traditional program is at the very beginning, but it's not even a program you type in yourself, it's part of a "Web service" , which is this thing VB.NET is supposedly handy for but which no beginner could possibly know about -- as evidenced by the fact the actual program example comes only after pages and pages of setup material, long computer dictionary definitions of WSDLs, UDDIs, SOAPs, etc., that you need to understand before you can understand the Web service, which you must understand before you understand .... "Hello World" Only when it's all over, you still don't. If it worked at all.
   
   And they _knew_ "Hello World" probably wouldn't work, because afterward there's a long list of helpful troubleshooting tips like:
   "The URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, provided in Step 4, assumes you are running and testing your Web service on a local instance of Internet Information Services (IIS). If you are using a remote host, enter the appropriate URL in the Location text box."
   
   If you're a beginner this chapter (and much of the book) is impenetrable gibberish, and this book will be useless for you. If it's not gibberish, you're not a beginner and you don't need this book. And if you just want a chapter, any chapter, on what the VB syntax is and where the code goes-that's not in here at all.
   
   Troubleshooting tips for "Hello World"? What were they thinking??!!
   
   This is a crappy crappy crappy crappy book. I would suggest instead:
   1) Murach's beginning visual basic .NET
   
   2) VB.NET Language in a Nutshell
   
   3) And if you haven't bought your copy of VB.NET standard yet, Microsoft's Learning Edition of Visual Basic.NET, has the full standard version of the software plus a much better Getting Started book, all in one package (which at my local store sells for less that the software alone, and the book is a $30 value.)

5 comments about Distributed COM Application Development Using Visual Basic 6.0 and MTS.

1. I had read "Beginning VB6 Objects" by Wrox...mistake. Thankfully I was re-programmed by this book on vb com and able to distribute an n-tier app across a large network. Without Jim's book I don't know how it would have happened. There could have been more MTS material since it is a pretty big part of distributing an app, but the MTS chapters in here give you enough to get by.



2. Very poor book. A lot of useless for VB programmer theory; several chapters on VB controls and technics that have no connection to the book topic - Distributed COM; too little about MTS, nothing practical about Distributed COM without MTS.



3. This book is a breath of fresh air, not only because it's chock full of real-world examples, but because it's written clearly, concisely and doesn't take up 3 feet of bookshelf space. Perhaps more importantly, it also manages to explain the kind of subject matter that is usually reserved for experienced programmers, but in a way that a novice will embrace and understand.

   It covers all the major topics that VB programmers encounter, with useful examples (not just theoretical applications of the information), and without waffle or padding. It's so hard to find a book that cuts out all the junk and gets straight to the point, but Mr. Maloney has done it. I think this book is absolutely priceless.




4. The book is well written and reads easily however the lab is one long program on a video store. I have found that books with these examples tend to get bogged down. Using "one long program" instead of different examples with each chapter, makes it difficult for the reader to skip a chapter because you have to pick up the program where the skipped chapter ended. If you are one who likes the one lab/program, then I think you will like this book better than I did. Otherwise try the Wrox series.



5. Jim Maloney covers allot of ground and he does it without being cute, like some other authors. It sounds like he's been dealing with students in many seminars. This book is a very good introduction to many important subjects. It's a great place to start learning about VB6.

No comments about Programming in True BASIC: Problem Solving with Structure and Style.