5 comments about VBScript in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition.

1. I don't have this book, I've never read it. But the negative reviews for it are out of line. People have reviewed it claiming it isn't for the beginner or for learning VB Script. NO KIDDING!! It is called NUTSHELL for a reason. It is a reference book, NOT a learning book. Don't give bad reviews for a book because you were too stupid to realize you bought the wrong book. That's just as bad as buying a Java book and complaining that it doesn't have any Javascipt examples in it.



2. This is not the book to learn the basics of VBScript, but it's exactly what I needed; a good reference book. I got tired of trying to find syntax of commands and functions online. Now I have it at my fingertips.



3. This is not intended for beginners in scripting or VBScript in particular. But for anyone with even moderate programming or scripting, this may be all you'll need to become familiar with VBScript.
   
   Written in the spare, terse style of all Nutshell books, the book is very dense in terms of information. The major aspects of VBScript's versatility are explored (though there are no references to HTML Applications (HTAs)). The major functions are explained and there is a complete reference.
   
   An essential volume for anyone using VBScript.
   
   Jerry



4. This text is excellent for folks working on VBs projects. It contains good examples, great information about syntax and also warnings for "gotcha's" -- it's great!



5. I've been a big fan of the 1st edition for years and found it very helpful. I use Regular Expressions a lot in Perl and found VBScript's support for RE's a bit lacking (could not extract the submatches). I was pleasantly surprised to find that this capability was added in VBScript 5.5. I bought the 2nd edition of this book because it claimed to cover VBScript 5.6. Imagine my surprise when the SubMatches collection isn't documented at all.
   
   Overall I'm quite disappointed in the 2nd edition.

4 comments about VBScript, WMI, and ADSI Unleashed: Using VBScript, WMI, and ADSI to Automate Windows Administration.

1. What a pleasure! This is a book written for technical administrators, by a technical administrator with a knack for writing. Don Jones demonstrates a talent for explaining the intricacies of monitoring and administering a Windows enterprise using WMI & ADSI scripting (et al) in a perfectly comprehensible manner without coming across annoyingly simplistic or condescendingly academic. Computer book writers take note!



2. I found this book to be very helpful and practical with the examples given in the book. The examples have come in useful for me for basic systems administration in my Windows Server 2003 network with Active Directory. The author breaks down the example codes line by line and explains what is going on, which I found to be very helpful.
   
   one thing I did not like was that some times the author purposely put mistakes in the code without initially telling you. Then towards the end of the section, he will ask you why the code did not work and will tell you what went wrong and why. He doesn't do this all the time, but a few times. It made me second guess myself and thought that the publisher had bad typos in the code, something familiarly seen in a lot of programming books. Good learning experience, I suppose.
   
   Even if you are a beginner programmer wanting to learn VBscripting, I think you would be able to get the gist of VBscript by copying the examples in the book and tweaking them for your needs. This is my first VBscript book and it's definitely a keeper for me. Highly recommended!



3. Hey all,
   
   I was a noob in all of this scripting stuff when I bought this book. Frankly it was not a bad purchase but it did leave me kind of disappointed. The first few chapters are a waste of time because there just like a huge sales ad for the author's company that sells a VBScript IDE, added to that you never get that feeling that he's fully convinced of what he is telling you, i.e. "You should learn VBScript but it doesn't matter because we have the impending doom looming over called Windows Powershell".
   
   Last but not least is the fact related to the title of my review, basically he stresses the point that to learn VBScript you should get the online documentation for it......then what the hell did I buy this book for? If I wanted to learn structured programming I would've bought a C++ book that will do a better job.
   
   All in all, the book has it's good points..I just can't remember them right now 'cause I'm hungry and it's Christmas Day. It does give you the basic knowledge what scripts can do, although if you been a windows admin for a while then this will only confirm to you that there are other ways of doing stuff....and that you need the VBScript online documentation (which by the way was hard to find on Microsoft's website) to do them.
   
   This is the only scripting book I've so sadly I can't give you an alternative to it or compare it against any but if you really are into self-learning I think that a little organization, time and all the documentation available at MS's website might do.
   
   If you have the bucks to spare buy it, if you have time on your hands don't buy and turn over to the Net to learn.



4. I had originally studied the Microsoft Press book "Microsoft Windows Scripting Self-Paced Learning Guide", but still needed more.
   
   VBScript, WMI and ADSI Unleashed is the book that I wish I had read first. It is a good choice for a system admin who wants to start scripting administrative tasks.
   
   Having never scripted before, I had many questions. This book started from the beginning, what editor should I use for programming, and took me all the way to my first scripted program....to search AD for all Servers at or below a specified OU, remotely attach to each server, determine if it is a physical or virtual computer, run a hardware configuration utility as appropriate, reconfigure the hardware as appropriate based on the utilities output and report back to me the results. I went from nothing to decent in about two weeks.
   
   This is a good choice for this type of book.

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

1. I think that there are more interesting books about C# and MCP Certification.
   The negative points of this books are:
   - Are missing a lot of details of the .NET technology
   - The sample codes are not complete, only show portions
   - It is not enough to take an MCP test
   Positive points are:
   - It is a great book for introducing the .NET technology
   - Contains a lot a sample questions oriented to take the MCP test
   
   As a summary of the .NET technology, it is great!



2. I'd just like to say something. I finished reading this book from the very beginning a week ago to the very end this morning, and passed the exam with a score of 940 this afternoon. I don't know any other exam prep book for the same exam.
   
   - Admittedly, the book is pretty shallow: it even teaches you what class/construstor/destructor/inheritance/etc are. To an old day VB'er unfamiliar with .NET/OOP stuff, or to any .NET beginner, this might be nice. But to most, especially to those specilized in C# (very likely also in C++), or to whoever is about to take an exam towards a certified developer, this is not necessary at all. I wish the book had covered some really advanced topics and/or gone deeper on existing topics.
   
   - As for the exam, my personal opinion is that this book should be enough, as long as you also get some hands-on experience by actually messing around with .NET desktop apps for a while. Deskop apps are not my strong area and I rarely develop apps using .NET Windows Forms. But the book helped me with all the questions on the actual exam about desktop apps so I could pass the exam with ease. Without the book I doubt I could get the passing score of 700. A similar book might also help me that much, but I only needed one and this one was what I used.
   
   - I'm not giving the book 5-star because this is going to be a useless book once read or once you passed the exam. I'm also not giving the book 3-star or lower because this is a well-written book after all, and with some hands-on experience, you should have little trouble passing the exam if you fully understand what the book tries to tell you.



3. This book has some highlights, but it is tightly authored to the VS.NET version it comes bundled with. Some folks will find this a bonanza, but that's only if you're willing to rubber-stamp your exam. There's abundance of Wizard code specific to VS.NET 2003 version. I am working with VC# Express 2005 and many of the things are N/A in this environment. ... anyway, I could sort my way out by looking at the samples and learn that what used to be a Control is nothing more than a Class that derives from Controls and some additional boilerplate.
   
   To make things worst, this book assumes you will be using Wizards and dispenses any explanation on why / how things work.
   
   In addition to all the above, by 11/2005 standards the book itself is dated as C# does include now support for generics, which is not present in this book.
   
   I still do give it a 3 just because I like some of the stuff, and it simplifies a couple of learning points.
   
   BTW: A good POV on using Wizards is here -->
   http://charlespetzold.com/etc/DoesVisualStudioRotTheMind.html



4. I'm an experienced vb6 programmer and looked for a book to help me make the switch. I found this book diving into issues without giving you any prerequisites. I had a hard time understanding where he wants to take me.



5. this product is awesome,but ull need extra help to get cert.
   you can get more help in this link
   (getcert's POST)
   
   http://www.mcse.ms/message2132798.html
   
   thanks

3 comments about Pro .NET 2.0 Windows Forms and Custom Controls in VB 2005.

1. This book is full of simple tidbits for binding controls to data objects and custom objects. The examples are short and easy to follow so you don't get lost in the code. Matthew does not spend a lot of time explaining background code (specifically, using ADO) because this is not the forum for those topics. What you get is 1000+ pages of explanations and examples focused on the task at hand: binding data. He does spend a few chapters introducing you to the various objects, covering many not-so-common functions. I found myself thinking "Wow!! That's cool!" several times. I highly recommend this book!!



2. This book really hits the nail on the head. I've been struggling with custom controls for weeks searching every article on the web and all over Microsoft and MSDN. No place has demonstrated the depth of understanding anywhere near as well as Matthew MacDonald has done. Not only are there clear and to the point examples without getting bogged-down in some lengthy, arcane and mythical tasks, but the accompanying text describes the underlying 'why' that is almost more useful than the code. Every page has some exceedingly useful information. My project has been in C# but the translation from VB from the book to C# is a no-brainer (assuming you've written in both over the last few years).
   I pride myself as a descriptive writer but this book is far better than I could have written myself. It is to the point and thorough. If were any better it would wake you gently in the morning and make your coffee.



3. This book is quite possibly one of the best books writen on the subject of creating custom controls inside vb. By reading this book I have already improved my applications performance and reduced my design development time using my own custom made control. Great book all around.

No comments about Getting Started with Flex 3: An Adobe Developer Library Pocket Guide for Developers.

5 comments about Visual Basic 2005 in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)).

1. I've always missed the printed help manuals that used to come with development tools. I used to carry them around with me and browse through them whenever I had a bit of time. So I was happy to read this book, which has a nice big PRINTED reference section. There are several sections that cover various topics such as object orientation, data types, delegates & events, operators, and so on. The book also covers the new features of Visual Basic 2005, such as operator overloading and generics. My favorite part is the section on the My namespace. Cool stuff.
   
   This is mainly a reference book. The authors did a very good job of also making this a readable book. That's a rare feat.
   
   Bottom line: this book is a keeper, and will be sitting on my bookshelf at work.



2. This is a fantastic reference book for VB prorgrammers. The examples are great. They aren't too long and get right to the point of what they are trying to illustrate. The organization is perfect and the writing is crisp.
   
   It's hard to compete with the convenience of the MSDN. But sometimes the MSDN is tough to navigate and it's just easier to pick up a book and find what you are looking for. And the book you pick up should be this book.



3. Visual Basic 2005 In A Nutshell is a wonderful companion reference for any and all VB developers. With the new features in the 2005 version of VB, this guide is a great book to have by your side when you are working on your latest Visual Basic application.
   
   Packed with nearly 750 pages of reference material, this is a great books that is written well, without too much bloat (just the way I like it). The first 150 pages cover the basics of using the VB language, the next 300 is reference for keywords, classes, functions, etc, and the 300 page or so covers the 'My' reference (VERY IMPORTANT) and other odds and ends of the language.
   
   I love the Nutshell books because they cut through the muck and get right to the point. The size of the books make them perfect for keeping by your side, and that familiar brown coloring scheme makes them easy to see on your shelf.
   
   If you program VB, pick this book up, it will truly make your life easier!
   
   ***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED



4. Despite the perception that Visual Basic should be something to learn out of a book, despite the perception that this book gives (inasmuch as it states that the book is designed for someone who wants to learn Visual Basic .net as their first language) this hardly deals with the practical applications of the program and deals more with syntax.
   
   If I had to compare it with something, I'd say it was like being handed all of the components of a car-- new, shiny, efficient, and much assembly required. The book was a real let-down in the sense I thought I'd be buying a tutorial and ended up with a paperweight. It gets two stars because it frankly IS a good desk reference if you have the program and several other tutorial books which do what this book had initially promised.



5. This book is a really good reference. It has made me much more efficient. It has good information of the new features of VB 2005. It has several chapters on the basics of VB as well as advanced features such as generics and attributes. I would definitely recommend buying it if you are already familiar with VB and want a good reference book for VB 2005. I try not to program without it within arms reach

5 comments about Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programmer's Cookbook (Pro-Developer).

1. This book is like the college professor that is an expert in his field, knows everything, and can't teach worth a hoot. The book has all sorts of excellent information but is poorly written for someone who is trying to learn VB .NET. If what you're after is an excellent reference manual, this will do the trick. If you're after something that reads easily and guides you through creating VB .NET applications, I'd suggest you keep looking.



2. The Programmer's Cookbook is a great collection of "how-to" articles. It is filled with practical and useable code samples that you can use in your programs. It will not solve all your coding problems, but it is a great place to start when you are trying to solve some specific problem.



3. If you're familiar with VB.Net, then this is a great book for you to learn how to add those tricky little details that can make or break
   the professionalism of your Applications.
   
   If you are a beginner, you may want to book mark this book and get it
   when you feel more comfortable, because you will need it.
   
   Although just about everything can be learned from the MSDN Library and help files that come with Visual Studio.
   Its hard to find what your looking for when you dont really know exactly what it is that you need.
   
   Thats where this book comes in. This book covers a vast array of
   possibilities, that it'll truely keep you drawn into the fascinating
   world of VB.Net coding, and without such a headache in research.
   
   This is a book worth having as a refernce.
   
   Note: some of the examples you may need to modify to bring from a console app to a regular windows app. Which is no big deal.
   Just omit "Console.Writelines" for "textboxname.text = "



4. The book was new as presented and came very quickly in the mail. Thank you



5. I found this VB.NET reference of tremendous help to me. The content covers a wide cross-section of topics and addresses the needs of varying skill levels. Easy to use. Had just the information I initially needed to parse and manipulate XML files. I am very pleased with this book. It is proving to be an excellent resource for now and the future.

5 comments about Advanced .NET Remoting, Second Edition.

1. I hate it when I pay good money for a poorly written book. So when I buy a book like this and it turns out so well, I am thrilled!
   
   I have been in ".NET land" since 2001 when .NET beta 2 came out. I have written ASP.NET and Winform applications. During that time I just have not had the need to use .NET remoting, until now. The first 2 or 3 chapters are a great introduction for experienced .NET developers. I like the fact that I did not have to wade through a lot of stuff for beginners. From there the topics get advanced, with plenty of good example code to highlight the topics. Even though I had never really touched .NET remoting (except SOAP Web Services), the explanations and examples work well for me. The author keeps the examples simple, and on-topic. In my opinion, this helps to highlight the topics at hand. The content is geared towards real programmers who will be using the technology.
   
   I also have really enjoyed the authors' candor concerning the weaknesses of .NET remoting. They have already highlighted a bad approach that I was considering.
   
   I am more than happy to give this book a 5 star review!



2. This book almost contain every detail of .NET Remoting.I am sure you can well understanding the .NET Remoting with the help of this book.It gives many good tips and useful cases ,also have some additional experiences of the author.However, I am sory that this book don't have any real and integrated distributed business solutions based on .NET Remoting(I think so ,at least ), although it contains many good cases. but I still strongly recommend you to buy this book, if you want to know .NET Remoting deeply.



3. This is actually a good book, however, it approaches the subject with an extremely hypothetical view. Lack of real world examples has made reading this book a real bore.
   
   The book on the other hand offers in-depth information regarding the "behind the scenes" work of .NET remoting.
   
   Final verdict: Good value for money, but do not expect any code to work.



4. I'm never one to buy books one technology, mainly because they change frequently and you can always find tutorials online. This book however, is well written, descriptive and a must for anyone working with .NET remoting. Excellent!



5. Excellent book. Exactly what I was looking for. With it you can gain a very well understanding of the subject. simple examples that you can easyly adapt to your specific needs.

2 comments about Programming Windows Services with Microsoft Visual Basic 2008.

1. Excellent book. Well written. Covers main topics needed to write services for IT automation. Highly recommended.



2. I'm only on chapter 2 and there has already been many errors in the written code. I can't imagine how bad the other chapters will be.

5 comments about Microsoft Office Project 2003 Bible.

1. Most of the material is straight from the online help. Download for free and read the Online books associated with installing and administering Project Server 2003 before you spend any $ on a book.



2. I'm an engineer who uses Project in my work and this book has been a great help. Every time I've had a problem getting the software to do what I wanted this book has provided a clear and consise explanation that helped me get through the problem. I'd recommend it to anyone who uses Project for major projects and doesn't have time to waste finding an answer on how to get the software to do what you want it to.



3. Beware, the book may be good, I just start reading it, but I can't look at the examples from the "accompanying cd" because Amazon hasn't made it available to me. I've written them 3 times and still no answer. Buy this book from the bookstore. Also, this ebook is very restrictive. I don't know if I can view it from other computers and it only allows me to copy 10 selections in 7 days, after that no more cutting and pasting.....beware of the limitations. I give this 1 star, not for content but for delivery and restrictions. spearsjunk@hotmail.com



4. Got the book in just of few days and in great condition. Only gotten through about a third of the book so far. Lots of information and very useful to increase my job skills. Just find it somewhat diffucult to relate to if you don't have the software to work with while reading. Reading at home and have the software at work.



5. I have the Excel Bibble, Access Bible, and now the Project Bible. The books are very thorough and easy to understand. These books are much more detailed than the "Books for Dummies". I have had these books for some time now and still use the books for reference.