5 comments about Autocad & Its Applications : Basics Autocad 2000/2000i.

1. I have had a chance to review sections of this publication in our local library. I found that it is truly a well written book with lots of exercises and helpful hints for the drafting/design discipline. However, I did not find anything on 3D modeling. Perhaps, you can mention a similar publication (same authors?) with the 3D modeling feature, treated with the same details. Thanks for the info. Is this book available in Toronto, Canada? (bookstore please?).



2. I have used Terence Shumakers books for teaching for the last eight years. This latest one covering AutoCAD 2000 is no exception. It is one of the best books to teach from, excellent subject explanations and easy to follow samples exercises. I do disagree with the order Terence follows, but it is easily overcome and does not reflect on the book its self.



3. while this book appears to exhaustively document the program, I could rarely find helpful information when I ran into specific problems while using the program. I'm currently looking for a book with better clarity and organization



4. In the book there are purple boxes with commands in them that are really helpful.



5. While this text covers a great deal of information and is required at community colleges it's as exciting to read as drug warning labels. And you practically need a rossetta stone to drag the pertinent information out of the chapters.
   
   The student CD included requires the student to have AutoCad loaded on their computer to access it. So you need to invest another $800 or so in a seperate computer program in order to access the student disk at home. Otherwise...well, it makes a cool drink coaster.
   
   I only acquired this book because it was required for my class. I hardly even cracked the cover. I used my 2004 copy of "Mastering AutoCad" by George Omura and highly recommend that instead. I only refered to Shumaker's book when encountering a 2005 upgrade (of which there aren't many).
   
   Omura's book has an easy to use index, goes beyond "the basics" and includes a disk with a trial version of ACAD that you can use for at least 30 days. I could look up commands and subjects in the index, breeze through the overview and be functional in minutes.
   Shumaker's book is adequate if you have zero ACAD experience, the patience of Job to trudge through the text, no other options or someone is offering to just GIVE it to you. Otherwise and for personal use, go for Omura.
   
   Oh, and don't forget, AutoCad has a HELP menu (F1) if you happen to be stuck for an answer during a test.

4 comments about The Complete Visual Basic 6 Training Course (Complete Training Course Series).

1. This is an absolutely great book on Visual Basic 6. It covers the subject well and it has lots of useful code examples and exercises and stuff to help you learn. The problem I have with this package that includes the cdrom Multimedia Cyber Classroom is that it is nothing more than reading the book on screen. I find it punishing to sit in front of a computer screen to read for long periods and would much rather just read the book lying around on the couch or something. The presentation of the multimedia CD is great and it's a powerful presentation that lets you walk through the code examples on screen and even download them to disk. However, you can download the code from their website or even better, type it in yourself (I prefer this because it gets you in the habit of doing things because of the repetition) and run in with the book in front of you. Save some money and just buy the book alone and don't be so lazy...



2. After reading the book through twice, I have found it not only confusing but positivly frustrating. There is no way to follow the code examples straight out of the book and expect them to run in the normal compiler. You MUST use the CD which is poorly laid out and a simulation of a vb enviornment. Code Explaination was cryptic, and Examples although ample were useless because they would not compile. This is the second Deitel book I have read in the past 6 months and both were a poor experience. Even the instructor sent us out to find a better book.



3. Too many books on vb concetrate too much on the interface, rather than on decent code. There is no use in fancy, flashy gui's with poor code behind it. The first half of the book gives you the foundation you need to write good vb code. There are also challenging excercises, too many books stay with "easy" excercises and thereby give the illusion that you master the material, this book keeps you modest.The second part of the book covers subjects to more advanced topics of vb, but not in depth. A negative point is the terrible color used in the book.



4. Pretty good introduction to VB, but programming experience is recommended before attempting VB. Like others have said, the CD is unnecessary and basically is the same as the examples and text in the book. The only nice thing about the CD is you can run the example programs from the book, but it's not that big of a deal. Sometimes there is too much detail, and at other times there is too little, warranting the 4 star rating. Deitel hasn't failed me yet with programming scripture.

2 comments about Beginning .NET Web Services with VB.NET.

1. XML and XML Web Services are hot subjects, I should know having technically reviewed many books on them and also this book. So a book that tells the XML & Web services stories from a VB.NET perspective has got to be hot property - and this book is just that!

   Content varies from using VB.NET to enumerate an XML document to developing Binary & SOAP Serialisation class's - there is no "kiddie" dialog; it is full of real information & succinct step-by-step real-world examples to try out.

   It's a small & convenient sized book and that requires it to be fast-paced, progressive & well written: there is no getting bogged down in 70 page chapters of pure rocket science that send you into orbit. Best of all are the authors: they are down-to-earth, working along side you & sharing value - which makes for a very friendly & quick learning experience.

   The authors use XML Validator to define XML documents, which is cool, however Microsoft have a free download of Microsoft XML Notepad ... which I found much quicker to use to develop schemas structures, however.




2. I have the c# version of this book too as I am
   learning vb.net and c#
   The vb version of this book has a corrupted database file
   and other 2 missing database files.
   That makes 3 chapters which you wonder if the code is going to
   ever work in this beginner book
   For a book from Karli Watson after his brilliant book
   'begining c#', his reputation for quality is not going to
   hold water for people making his purchase. Certainly
   after anyone spending money on this vb.net or c# version

   of this book finds out that they are trying
   to sell you a book with questions with no answers
   I see other people can give the book 5 stars without
   testing the downloadables. Don't make any sense.

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.

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

5 comments about ASP.NET and VB.NET Web Programming (The Addison-Wesley Microsoft Technology Series).

1. I am an experienced HTML, PHP and Javascript developper.

   I recenctly decided I would like to pick up VB.net for web development and maybe pass 70-305. I just finished VB.net Step-by-Step and was pretty happy.

   I bought this book based on the reviews and I have to say I am frustrated and disappointed.

   First off, most of the book is spent making console applications, not web applications.

   Second, there are no clear tutorials or labs that allow you to practice or apply what you have learned. Lots of code snippets and incomplete programs that aren't terribly clear. Lots of theory, not much application

   Finally, the author assumes knowledge that hasn't been demonstrated in the book to date when giving examples or using terminology. For someone who is unfamiliar with the MS programming world, it can very confusing.

   All in all I'm not impressed.




2. Over all this book is covering a lot of topics and should be good for beginner. Too much explanation of the code and stuff that's obvious for intermediate / senior levels. I did encounter couple problems. COM+ part does not go into details. The sample that I made (downloaded) for this chapter did not work. It might be the operation system problem, but I did not find any references in the book that you can't do this if you are running on WIN2000. Also, web services did not work with my components, again, no references in the book what do you do if web service looks inaccessible.



3. Disorganized....ADO.NET example in chapter 7 doesn't even make any sense if you follow it....Errors throughout...download of examples doesn't even have the examples from the book....



4. The author's writing style is not only extremely poor, but confusing as he uses terminologies that a LOT of beginners may not be familiar with. You'll find yourself going over to webopedia.com for explanations for a lot of his terms which he simply mentions or just glosses over.

   I was forced to by this text for a college course and have found much better beginning asp.net and vb.net texts since buying it.




5. .NET technology is specifically tailored for internet applications and the title of this book includes Web Programming. In fact there is very little coverage of web programming. The entire section on VB.NET covers only console applications. We are almost half-way through the book (if you ignore the 140 plus pages of appendices and index at the end) before a step-by-step guide to creating a (very simple) web application is given.
   Most of the book consists of tedious listings of available controls and their properties/methods - is not that what the user manual is for? Code samples are almost childish, like displaying a message stating which check boxes have been selected. In the intro Crouch states the book is aimed at software developers. If so, why spend so much of the book explaining the simple in detail and skipping over the difficult concepts that are new to VB.NET. OOP is not new or exclusive ot VB.NET so why should it be covered here? And why having covered OOP, does Crouch then proceed to totally ignore the concept in his samples? Nowhere does Mr Crouch explain how to use his code samples, which are usually separate HTML and VB code, in the .NET framework. Loads of topics covered come without any code samples at all (yes, you've guessed it, the complicated or difficult parts).
   The book also covers ADO.NET. Why? If I wanted a book on ADO.NET, then that is what I would buy. Ironically, the code included with the section on ADO.NET is much more practical than in the rest of the book. Pity the same standard could not have been applied throughout. I strongly recommend you buy something else.

No comments about Creating Cool Vbscript Web Pages.

No comments about Visual Developer VBScript 2 & ActiveX Programming: Master the Art of Creating Interactive Web Pages with Visual Basic Script 2 and ActiveX.

5 comments about Best Kept Secrets in .NET.

1. While this book does not go into great depth in any one area, it does a good job of recommending ways to increase the performance of code as well as make it more readable and extensible. Many of the tips apply across programming practice (i.e. short-circuiting and/or), but a few are related to just .NET. It is at least worth the $20 Amazon is selling it at (30 Nov 2004) for intermediate / beginning programmers. Advanced programmers may not find anything new however.



2. This has a lot of great ideas for the professional developer that uses Visual Studio to do .NET development. Many ideas that are hard to find or you have to spend a LOT of time working with others to find. Saves a ton of time. For a small book and a small price, this should definitely be on your shelf.



3. Best Kept Secrets in .NET
   Deborah Kurata
   APress 2004 ISBN: 1-59059-426-6
   
   Reviewed by Steven Mullins, HuNTUG member
   
   "The Secrets to improve your productivity and code quality" well that was about the gist of it. For those of us that are just getting into the writing of code and scripting this may give you a few clues on how to tweak while you write. I have only just started to learn how to compose code and this is what I needed to learn a little bit more. The author speaks well and gives plenty of examples in both VB and C# to keep even the beginner up to speed. I always want real world scenario when I read technical literature to help it all sink in.
   
   So down to the dirty, the book starts with the basics how to hot key and toggle between different screens where all the tools are stored and how to get to the tools and your data quickly. This is basics but for those who are still feeling our way through the interface it's nice to learn how to lock all that down. The keyboard shortcuts are here to, nice to have handy during setup. Getting deeper into it, the layout and cleaning of the interface was a nice thing to add in, I know I am not the cleanest builder of pages and have very little graphics skills. The biggest thing that I found here was the operator listings, another good reference for beginners. Chapter four covered a lot of area on getting your database into shape and configured for use but was pretty straight forward in how to get your data into your project. Chapter five was listed as defensive deployment which I learned that means how to clean it up and get your code right. There was very little "security" at least in my facet of it, I expect for security to talk on how to lock it down and deny access to users. There was a really good explanation of hashing and salting but that is where it left off.
   
   After all that being said let me say for a quick read and reference book this is one that I would put on a student readers list just for all the shortcuts and hotkeys. The author has a good flow to writing keeping it from being a solitary technical book. It was a good read for me and I would consider it a good find to add to a desktop library.



4. I read this entire book. Those who have praised this book as a "good book for newbies" have apparently forgot that the book is entitled "Best Kept Secrets". These are not secrets. Much of the book goes into painful detail of basic procedures in Visual Studio that you can figure out easily by using the program for a few days. The title of this book is absolutely fraudulent.
   
   What's really funny is that, at the end of the book, the author declares that if you said "I didn't know that" at least once while reading her book, then the book "met its objective of revealing the best kept secrets in .NET." That self-congratulatory statement is so illogical and false I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
   
   Literally 90% (I made careful marks of the content that was at least slightly informative to me) of the book's "secrets" are extremely basic, tepid, well-known practices.



5. Like other reviewers have pointed out, "Best Kept Secrets in .NET" is a bit misleading title. From a developer's jargon, it would mean internals of assembly binding redirection or uncharted waters of machine.config etc however, this book is more about shortcuts and development techniques from an IDE perspective. "Literally" speaking, its a cross between Visual Studio Hacks and Code to Developer.
   
   Apart from its name, it's generally a good book for beginers and average book for mid-level devs and skim through for seniors in case they won't know how to store code snippets in toolbox. I liked the improving unit testing and defensive development sections along with much ADO and hidden tricks in VS.NET. The Apress roadmap explains the intended audience and its a good match but generally, I'd recommend Coder to Developer for this particular genre of IDE/Process learning.

5 comments about Visual Basic 6 Unleashed.

1. This is a great book that has taught me a lot, but I would like it to focus on a specific topic, and for over 1000 pages you would think there would be enough room to do so. But there is a lot of topics to talk about. They do have source code included in this book, but I would want just a little bit more. Overall I think this is a really great book for Intermediate/Advanced Visual Basic programmers, no newbies...



2. Most of the Visual Basic books on the market are either for the beginner or they address only one advanced topic in detail. This book covers all advanced topics in detail and will transform an intermediate programmer to an advanced programmer. Warning: this book is not for newbies with no coding experience.



3. This is my favorite book on Visual Basic 6. The "Unleashed" series is great. This book contains a great deal of information not available elsewhere and is written in an accessable style and comes in a very nice hardcover edition, most appreciated on these tombs. My criticism is the coverage of class modules which are a central element of VB. For example, take the topic of class instancing. This is a core concept in VB, as we all know. Yet its not discussed that I can find or referenced in the index. Chapter 11 covers "Creating and Using Class Modules" but it's an abstract discussion of planning. This is a significant oversight in a book that is held out as a "reference" work.



4. I use this book as an excellent reference for VB. We needed to write code for an internet application. Within a few hours of receiving the book we cleared up some confusion. Thanks Rolo.



5. In this VB book, you can find whatever you want/need to find. Rob Thayer shows some of his techniques, which ARE sometimes quite helpfull. Basically this book has a lot of content for different sides of Visual Basic programming. Definately for a bit advanced VB 'users'. I give this book 5 because it helped me more than once with little problems like 'MAPI' etc. Really recommend it to any one who is into Visual Basic programming and want to become a skillfull programmer of it.