5 comments about C# Precisely.

1. A great reference to the C# language, and the fact that almost every (if not all) the left page has an english description of the features and the right page a code example of tha feature. This makes using this book as a reference awesome. Moreover, the examples are very simple and to the point. Excellent resource.



2. This book is incredibly concise and precise, as its name.
   The example is very concise, too, and "get to the point".
   The book's "layout" is also easy to read: the descriptions of the language are given on the left-hand page, and corresponding examples are show on the right-hand pages.
   
   Having this one on my desk, I will not buy any other books about C# language.
   I will give it more than five stars if I can.
   
   Note one thing: this book came early, there are minor fixes for C# 2.0 beta 2, you can find them on the book's Web site.



3. This book has the same style as Sestoft's companion text, "Java Precisely". Concise explanations, that are perhaps best suited to a programmer already experienced in other languages, but who now wants to learn C#.
   
   You can rapidly pick up the essence of computational coding in C# using the book. The major classes are well treated. Be aware however that for making widgets, you really should consult another text.



4. Dont hesitate to buy this, this is the BEST programming book I have ever seen. Its loaded with tons of info the keeps you reading. You wont get board with this because its not loaded with words that dont relate to anything like most books, its just 'to the point'. Everything is explained clearly and precisely with the excellent precise explanations on the left and perfect examples on the right. One thing I have noticed is the english can be confusing(commas in a place were it shouldnt be) but who cares. If your trying to learn C# this may not be a good place to start unless you know Java or a similar langugage. I have been looking for a book that explains the C# language without trying to teach me how to program and this is it. For those wanting to learn how to program or come from VB you need 3 books, a C# "Primer", this book, and a .NET Framework book (mabe Pro C# 2005 and the .NET Platform)
   
   Also, the errata is very small, the part on nullable types tells you that you could make a nullable nullable by saying int i?? but that was removed from C#, and something is wrong with IEnumerable ...



5. C# Precisely stands out like a shaft of gold surrounded by the darkness of all other books.
   
   If you like reading UPC labels, Indexes, Phone Books, or Citations/Bibliographies, this book is a must have.

No comments about Mathematical Tools In Computer Graphics With C# Implementations.

5 comments about C# Primer Plus.

1. If you are looking for practice problems to learn C#, this book is a must buy. The practice problems are well thought out and are useful to understand C#. Also, most of the elementary topics are covered. So this is a great first book to learn C#. On the downside, the author's writing style is wordy. Finally, the author does a poor job of explaining WHEN to use certain features of C#. The benefits of using one approach over another is not apparent to the beginners. For example, I wish the author had spent some time explaining when to use inheritenance and polymorphism, especially when one can write perfectly decent C# code without them.



2. I thought it's a basement of C# programming , It also tells you lots of Class detail...I use it as reference and futher more programming...



3. I specially entered amazon to write this review to gratitude the author of this book.
   I think guys, this is the best book over there, since I bought many other intro books on C# and had chance to compare.
   This book gives almost everything you need about core syntax of C#, explaining why particular technique became part of C# syntax (I think it is very important to really understand the language), and showing wise ways of using it. Examples are very excellent.
   The book is very comfortable to read, despite of its size, sentences are simple and craftly bring you to point, and you do not get tired until you understand (I think it is very important about programming books, since it takes much brain energy to read and understand them). I myself finished this book in about a month, having some experience in C++, and at the same time being busy with other things.
   I think (really, in my opinion) you will not regret if this will become your first C# book.



4. If you are a novice like and never programmed before this book is NOT for you. All the reviews claims it is a beginner book for novice programmer. This is totally untrue. The athor starts with an advanced example of elevator and expect you to understand all the nuances of it with a few explanations. Trust me if you are a novice try either absolute beginner C# or C# 2005 for dummies , those are real books for beginners in programming & C#.
   
   This book is for programmer trust me. The author write a simple program "hello" explain with 2 pages. Then he goes and pass with an advanced example of Object oriented with his elevator program.
   The program is FAR to be as simple as you think. And it is poorly explaned.
   
   From the reviews I am reading either those guys are liars when they claim to be novices or they are genius to be able to understand this book as first book.



5. I used this book to learn C# a few years ago and I still pick it up from time to time. C# Primer Plus is an easy read that I reccomend to anyone else learning C#.

2 comments about Developing C# Windows Software: A Windows Forms Tutorial.

1. This book is a good complement to Eric Brown's "Windows Forms Programming with C#". The authors here cover items that Brown didn't or didn't cover as thoroughly. Since their style is different, in some cases, the added depth they provide enhanced my understanding of what was going on. They stayed focussed and covered a lot of ground in a short book. The sections on the Registry, adding Help, and Deployment were helpful as well. I only regret they didn't touch on Drag and Drop for completeness, although that is available elsewhere. Good, useful tutorial book with reference potential. Definitely belongs on my bookshelf, I'll just ahve to make more room.



2. This book is a good reference for those who need to build and deploy traditional Windows Application under .Net and C#. The authors do a good job of covering aspects of Windows Form programming, including showing you how to design and implement some advanced features that you won't find in any online documentation for C# or .Net. The authors even walk you through several sample applications to show you "hands on" programing with the controls.

   Unfortunately, they don't cover all of the Windows Forms controls, and leave out a few of the basics. However, the ones they have left out seem to be the more basic controls that don't require a lot of advanced explanation.

   Overall, this book is good material for your bookshelf for those times when you need to verify, or learn, how a control works. They focus on the Visual Studio environment of C#, so there are a few differences that non-VS people will need to make in other to use this book.

5 comments about Learn to Program with C#.

1. I am taking a series of classes from "someplace" with the intention of making a carreer change. "Someplace" offered to get me from being a non-programmer to an MCSD in 8 months using Microsoft official curriculum (MOC). An ambitious undertaking to be sure.
   
   I have found the MOC to be of very limited help. Wow, that's an understatement.
   
   Anyway, I have been using other resources to supplement the training and this book has been the best.
   
   The book starts with understanding the requirements of a program. From there the author walks us through the process of building a program and incorporates a lot of very practical and useful concepts. In general, the book has followed the progression of the MOC "Programming with C#". Whether by design or not, this has been very helpful.
   
   The book is written in narrative or as a story unfolding. The reader is included in a small class learning to program. The other students in the class ask questions to the instructor (John Smiley) and in general greatly facilitate the learning process. This narrative makes it a lot easier to follow and the simple program turns out to be full of lots of very useful training opportunities.
   
   At first, I was underwhelmed that the author had chosen to use Notepad and the SDK to create the programs. However, having finished the book and being halfway through the MOC course (which uses Visual Studio) I am glad that he does. Visual Studio tends to be expensive to get your hands on, and while it does have some VERY helpful functionality in terms of writing code, for the beginner, a lot of the stuff it does seems like it is overwhelming for the "newbie" (at least it was to me.)
   
   Many times, I would complete similar exercises using the notpad/SDK method in 1/3rd or 1/4 the time it would take me to do it in Visual Studio. For the most part, this was because of all of the "helpful" stuff that Visual Studio was doing. Don't get me wrong, it is a great IDE, but for a newbie like me, I think Smiley's approach was better.
   
   I have bought many other C# books and I will be doing reviews on them as I read them to supplement the material. I've also been taking video lessons from LearnVisualStudio.net.
   
   I hope John Smiley will create a book on Visual Studio and Intermediate and Advanced C#. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it HIGHLY to anyone just getting started.



2. This is a great book for C# beginners like me. The book is very well written as it simulates the real class environment and answers every possible question that the beginner might have. I went to a 5-day C# training and I learned less there than I learned after reading this book. The author is a talented instructor, and I wish all computer science professors were like him. I am looking forward to an intermidiate C# book by John Smiley! Thank you, John.



3. This is an excellent book. I have completely read this book. I recommend this book for every student learning C#.



4. Have you ever thought you wanted to learn how to program, and bought a book on programming that didn't teach you anything? Or maybe you took a class that had a required textbook that was worthless? Did you get discouraged, and think programming just wasn't "for you"? That maybe you just didn't "get it" like those other people that seemed to have no problems learning to program? If so, then this book is for you. If more computer programming books were written like this, I KNOW there'd be a lot more programmers in the world. It's not about intelligence, it's about LEARNING STYLES. This book is more narrative than just lines of code to interpret. John Smiley talks TO the reader, not AT him. He puts you in a classroom setting where people ask questions, even DUMB questions that you yourself may have wanted to ask. And guess what? He ANSWERS the questions. If you've been stymied in one way or another from reaching a point of confidence with programming then this book is for you. I give it 5 stars because that's the most that Amazon's system will let me give it. If you don't believe me, hit the library. Then buy the book to put food on this man's table, and have this awesome book in your personal library.



5. This book is the perfect starting point for a beginner. I started with a limited amount of programming experience. By the time I finished, I felt extremely comfortable with all of the concepts presented.
   
   It's important to set realistic goals. You're not going to finish this book and start writing real world applications. Instead, this book builds the foundation needed to tackle more advanced concepts and programs found in other books.

No comments about Learning XNA.

5 comments about Game Engine Toolset Development.

1. I bought this book thinking it would help me write a new tool for, say, building 3d models, or some other general tool. When it arrived I got excited just by the shear size of it, it's huge!
   
   However, I started flipping through it browsing each and every chapter (didn't read them all in detail of course, but quite a few) and it doesn't teach you how to make a NEW tool for your game, it teaches you how to make an EXISTING tool better. While that knowledge is extremely valuable (and the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 3), it's not what the description of the book stated: "Readers are not required to have any experience developing game engine tools." If you have no experience developing a tool, you're going to have a little trouble getting started. If you know enough math and have good enough coding skills to get a game engine going, you'll be able to write a tool for your game, but you don't need this book to do it.
   
   Now, with that said, this book IS quite good and worth your money so long as you don't expect to read this book and then write a tool, you're going to need more info. Get the book anyway and use it as a guide, it's usefull in that aspect.
   
   This book is so good at making a tool better, most of it's "gems" can and should be applied to ANY application, game tool or not. Also, it covers some good highlevel (or lowlevel, depending on how you view it) .Net functionality such as interfacing with COM and code documentation, as well as few other excellent techniques. These "gems" are quite valuable on their own.
   
   So, in conclusion, if you know nothing about writing a tool, or you don't know C#, hold off on buying this book (make sure to put it in your wish list however). If you have a tool but find it's difficult to work with, or you want to broaden it's appeal, or just simply make it better, get this book, you won't regret it.



2. I just received my copy of Game Engine Toolset Development and I have been unable to put the book down. The author gives a good introduction to .NET 2.0 and relates it to toolset development for games. The chapters are easy to read and follow and he gives good advice on how to build good tools. He could have looked at other toolsets to make the book more complete, but I see this book as a way to introduce students to game programming who have a basic programming background (Java, C++, C, Alice 2.0, etc.).



3. Then, as a hobbyist, I'll just let you know that this book not only teaches, but flat you gives you some great modular code that you can work into many different types of tools.
   
   There's also some great design principles covered that have improved my workflow, even though i'm currently working solo.



4. This is an excellent book, which covers a lot of important aspects of game/engine tool development, but it is more like a recipe book, as each chapter subject is almost stands on its own - just like game programming gems series. My favorite is how to integrate native code into a managed application. The book is well written (one of the best I've read recently), and the only thing i missed is a few chapters on how-to integrate into an existing pipeline - like importer/exporter for a common 3d package at least. A better title for this book would be "(game)tool programming gems"



5. I admit that at first I was thinking this book would focus more on the game engine part of the toolset development in its title. I knew it wasn't REALLY about developing a game engine but even so, make sure you understand what you're getting.
   
   That said, I really liked this book. I'm halfway through it already (it's a very quick read given how discrete each chapter is and the clear and easy to read print and examples).
   
   I've read a number of game development books and you rarely get everything done right. This book gets close. The author describes the particular problem the chapter seeks to solve (e.g. encryption, batch processing, etc.) and goes through the steps of solving it.
   
   The book is similar to those programming gems types of books that aren't organized in some linear fashion but are discrete chapters on specific topics that can be picked and chosen as you see fit.
   
   The author does a very good job of putting the examples together and many of the chapters have been useful to me (I plan on implementing a number of the tools/frameworks he mentions).
   
   If you're working on a game engine, I really suggest trying this book out. This assumes you're not already an expert game programmer who already built a lot of these sorts of tools before.
   
   If you're looking for something that will help you build a full-fledged game engine, look for another book...then come back to this and get it to help you flesh out your toolset.

5 comments about C/C++ Programmer's Reference, Third Edition.

1. This book is simply outstanding for experienced C/C++ programmers. Some people have said that this book does not explain various concepts as well as other books. That statement is true; however, this is a reference book, not a beginner's guide to programming. The sytax and usage of virtually every standard C/C++ function are provided in this book. If you are experienced with C/C++ this is one book you absolutely must have in your library!



2. This is an appalling reference book. Haphazardly organised with insufficient depth on any function or keyword. No consideration of actual implementations, poor type coverage, no syntax coverage beyond single case examples. Negligible template coverage.

   Give up now and instead get "C++ In A Nutshell" by Ray Lischner which is an excellent and thorough reference that actually deserves to be called a programmer's reference. I replaced "C/C++ Programmer's Reference" with "C++ In A Nutshell" and I'm very glad I did.




3. I wrote a bad review of this book 2 years ago, and can not find it here... it is one of the WORST reference books I have seen. I ended up selling mine as "used" here on Amazon! The glowing reviews must be from spam-reviewers or students/people who just don't use C++ except as a better C. C++ it large and complex, and only a fraction of it is covered in this "reference". Today I found "C++ In a Nutshell" which is finally the real C++ Reference. Ignore all others. (I do like Shildt's Java books, this is bad editing, formatting, or a half-hearted effort.)



4. As an experienced programmer, this book is simply ideal for me. Whether to remind me of the ordering of parameters to functions or to recall the subtleties of using the STL, it's all there.

   The book is thoroughly cross-referenced, has an excellent index, and is well organized -- it can be meaningfully browsed end to end, an extraordinary accomplishment. Mr. Schildt describes each entry concisely, thoroughly, and in a completely readable way. Consider for example the following description of the "static" keyword:
   "static is a data type modifier that creates permanent storage for the local variable that it precedes. This enables the specified variable to maintain its value between function calls, for example.
   "static can also be used to declare global variables. In this case, it limits the scope of the variable that it modifies to the file in which it is declared.
   "In C++, when static is used on a class data member, it causes only one copy of that member to be shared by all objects of its class."
   That is without compare the cleanest description of the keyword I've ever seen. This is a typical entry; it's all there, with enough detail that I recall exactly what is going on.

   I am amused by the various bad reviews which complain that this is not a "complete" reference. It is exactly the judicious editing and concision which makes this so useful to me. My only complaint is in fact the opposite; that in some cases it goes into too much detail. There are sporadic "Programming Tips" scattered throughout, and I find each of these to be a waste of time in a reference text. These would seem more appropriate in an introductory text.

   In short, this is an extremely useful reference for the experienced developer.




5. What this book IS:
   1. A *very*quick* reference for people that already know how to program in C/C++
   2. The smallest and most useful reference you'll have on your desk.
   
   What this book IS NOT:
   1. How to program in C/C++
   2. OOP Patterns Reference
   3. In-depth C/C++ reference

5 comments about XSLT for Dummies.

1. I like the approach the author has taken to ease you into the subject of XSLT. It's not overly verbose and is quite an entertaining read considering the subject matter at hand. Compared to the other XSLT introductory books around this one has kept my attention from cover to cover.
   
   I find that a lot of my peers are put off by the Dummies series of books because they hold themselves in such high regard that reading a book by such a title will inevitably lower their IQ. If you are a person of such ilk and looking to learn XSLT then drop the pretension of superiority and grab yourself a copy of this great book.



2. This is just a cool book. It's VERY easy to understand and has great examples.



3. I usually find myself slogging through programming books, trying to keep my eyes open, but XSLT for Dummies was one of the more enjoyable programming books I've read in a while.
   
   The material is presented concisely with humor injected to keep the tone light. Great intro for the price!



4. Actually, this book would be pretty good if you could wade through all the stupid analogies that are supposed to make the subject accessible. Each chapter begins with a bunch of really stupid examples that are simply distracting. Writing a match statement is like collecting groceries in a grocery store -- fetching the milk and cookies for your mom, etc., etc. The book is so full of this dreadful stuff that it becomes completely unreadable.



5. Really good intro book - You should read this book and then pick up another more detailed title to really get "under the hood" of XSLT.

1 comments about C#.NET Illuminated (Jones and Bartlett Illuminated).

1. This very basic book is intended for people who don't know anything about programming and would like to get very fundamental knowledge about using visual tools. The information and the language (which is very annoying) are suitable for kindergarteners. I have never seen a book so increadibly overpriced.