5 comments about C# in Depth: What you need to master C# 2 and 3.

1. I enjoyed reading this book, however c# 2.0 should have been excluded. Changes coming with 3.x is quite revolutionary and should have been covered little bit more than current size, even 2.0 can be taken out. Except this, I think it is right book to delve into details or review your knowledge base as an expert.



2. This guy just likes to blah blah blah and embeds points he likes to make in his blah blah blah. Not a good read. Not very much in depth either.
   Not a good book. At least not to the point.



3. When thinking about what an "in depth" discussion of C# might include, one might have voted for "challenging" topics like asynchronous programming or remoting in C#. But "in depth" in this book means going back in time to discuss in detail how the expressiveness of C# has improved with each new version by making the compiler take on more and more of the "heavy lifting". This approach to teaching about select new features in C# is quite interesting and illuminating, I must say.



4. This book has a very specific agenda: the features of the C# language introduced in versions 2 and 3 with minimal discussion of the .NET framework. As such, it concentrates on generics, delegates, nullable types, lambda expressions, extension methods and LINQ.
   
   It has minimal discussion of syntax and features already available in version 1 and as such, this is not a book for learning C#: those who don't already know C# version 1 are better off with the numerous other books aimed at this reader.
   
   But for those familiar with version 1 interested in the new features, it's excellent; the narrow focus allows as much depth as we're likely to want without going to the standard itself.
   
   The author has a conversation style with numerous asides and anecdotes which I sometimes found distracting but it's not excessive as for example in the Head First series.
   
   He often compares C# syntax and capability to Java and C++ which I found immensely useful.
   
   All sections are explained clearly with economical but sufficient use of examples. Overall, it's well above average for a computer text.



5. 
   Ah! This is the C# book I was looking for. Very well done. At the risk of sounding nasty I will say this: I have read both books, and "C# in Depth" is far better than ""Effective C#" by Wagner.

5 comments about Programming C#: Building .NET Applications with C#.

1. Very easy to read, covers all the relevant topics. Advanced readers can skip the first half of the book.



2. I just finished this book and feel like the experience was a first class introduction. Liberty's style is to explain how things work and what they're intended for and how to think about them, and also provide some very clean examples, which is perfect for me. The extreme opposite style is to provide mostly step-by-step examples with little explanation, which I think gets you started quickly but leaves you not understanding what you're doing and unable to move beyond the examples. But giving some examples is a must. He handles this balance perfectly, I think.
   The examples start to follow a pattern I liked - there'd be a class or several classes that exemplify whatever point he's focussed on, and then a "tester" class containing Main() that exercises them and displays results.
   Liberty works through all the language basics and also spends the right small amounts of time discussing niche interests like the intermediate language, Web applications, using Visual Studio to manipulate forms, compiling from the command line. I feel well rounded after this intro. He works with Console applications while teaching the basic features of the language per se, then he first gets into Windows applications at the very middle of the book. Amusingly, for his first Windows application example the student adds the single statement "ApplicationExit();" to a button click event generated by VS, but for his second application the user's code is 9 printed pages in the book. I do think I followed this big leap, tho.
   I wondered about getting his book Learning C# instead, and after browsing it I think it would have been somewhat easier for me, but I think I managed fine with this book and got further. For me, ideal might have been another 50 pages introducing things the way Learning C# did, added around the beginning of this book, but between the two choices I think this was probably the better.
   I'm a scientist who also programs a bit. My programming experience is heavy on some very different languages like Forth and Assembly, and a couple tiny projects in Quick C for DOS, but no experience writing Windows applications or using OOP, no C++ or Java. This past week I wrote a Windows program with a simple interface and an object that does a useful technical task and "deployed" it to two engineers down the hall, who liked it. Reading this book and leafing around in a couple of others, and one conversation at a noisy toddler's birthday party about runtime object instantiation, were my only guides.



3. I wish I had purchased one of the other C# books. I am an experienced programmer and bought this book to learn C#. My main disappointment was that the first third of the book, which covers the language, is mostly made up of repeated large printouts of code. The author will explain a small change to the code, and then re-display the entire program - even if it takes up several pages. Instead of thorough explanations of the concepts you are left with reams of repeated code.
   I also found the general language of the book to have a patronizing tone, have become frustrated with it and am shopping for a new one.



4. A very good buy, this book goes into just enough detail to stay interesting. The only reason that I won't give it 5 stars is because I don't really like C#/.Net.



5. 
   A natural first step for me when looking for a book is to see what O'Reilly has available. This book was the first hit in my search results. And that hit was a homerun. Jesse Liberty has written a rare Dot Net book, a book that does not waste precious text (read time) editorializing on the wonders of Dot Net or prediciting the extinction of all things not MS. The organization of material is natural and intuitive and Liberty's writing style encourages the reader to keep turning pages without resorting to corny jokes to do so.
   Sections are handily decorated with comments pointing out areas where C# diverges from the legacy of its C++ and Java heritage. I've read more books than I care to mention that would have doubled their value had they included such annotations.Example code is relevant and well thought out; and it's available for download. Between this book and the near-infinite resources online, I don't think I'll need another C# book in my library.
   This was a great book and I'd recommend it to anybody.

5 comments about Regular Expression Pocket Reference: Regular Expressions for Perl, Ruby, PHP, Python, C, Java and .NET (Pocket Reference (O'Reilly)).

1. From the back cover of the Regular Expression Pocket Reference: "Ideal as a quick reference..." and "... makes an ideal on-the-job companion." All this is true if you are well-versed in regular expressions and use multiple programming languages (and confuse the syntax).
   
   I like the use of the same examples across programming languages (where applicable).
   
   The recipes in the cookbook section are great, although I would have liked to see additional recipes (like stripping HTML tags, matching credit card numbers etc...). Of course the examples are endless and over time one builds his/her own recipe collection. At least this is a good place to start.



2. Pocket references are not meant to teach you anything from the beginning, but to be everyday references in known and new environments. In other words, if you don't know regular expressions, then go to "Mastering Regular Expressions". If you're still here, then you'll get a cheat sheet on steroids for languages ranging from bug-prone JavaScript to the King and Queen of robustness, Perl and Python. Although everything claims to be PCRE these days, particular examples in every language available is a plus for anyone. A must for any type of user input validation.



3. You know those times when you know what you want to do, but are not sure of the correct form, this is the book to grab. It has been my book to grab as a reference rather than trying to find the right language book. This is not the book to learn the language from, however. You will find your copy will be well worn if you do lots of coding.



4. Most developers know how to write regular expressions, almost none of them can read them. And if you are saying that you can. Well congratulations to you. You are one of the 0.1% of developers that can or you are one of those who think they can.
   
   The books physical appearance is so compact that it has become a permanent item on my working desk. And is often used.



5. I'm scared of regular expressions. They vex me constantly at work whether trying to figure out someone else's Apache RewriteRules or Perl or just trying myself to do mildly clever things in vi and sed. They are a headache.
   
   A coworker let me browse his copy of this wonderful little book and I was hooked. I actually tried to buy one that day on the way home, but they were out of stock and so I permitted Amazon to ship me one.
   
   In addition to brief explanations of the different types of regexes in the wild (based on the comprehensive Mastering title, also from ORA), there are detailed quick references to all of the different implementations including several common languages (Perl, PHP, C#, and several others) and software packages (including sed, Apache, vi and many others). All of their various quicks and "features" are explained briefly and there are some examples.
   
   No one hacking around in Unix or doing much programming should be without this book, unless they are already a regex wizard, and I think even they'd find it handy.

1 comments about Essentials of Investments with S&P bind-in card (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate).

1. I received the textbook in a timely fashion, so I could use it for my class. It's not the best textbook I've used, but it was required, hence the 3 stars.

5 comments about Murach's C# 2008.

1. If you are new to C# this is the book from which to learn C# 2008. It is written in a clear understandable manner and can be used with Visual C# 2008 Express Edition. The exercises used in tne book are a great help in the learning process.



2. "Murach's C# 2008" follows the Murach style where there are two books in one. The even numbered pages contain text. The odd numbered pages contain related diagrams, tables and bulleted lists.
   
   The book targets beginners to experienced developers in Java/C++/VB/.NET along with being useful for training and reference. I'm a little skeptical when a book tries to be all things to all people, but the author does a great job with this. The "paired page" format really helps with this because you can read the most appropriate one (or both) for you at the time. I'm a Java developer. While I was able to skim some sections, I was never bored.
   
   I particularly liked the focus on idioms and skills. There were a lot of "how to do ________" examples along with techniques such as refactoring. The end of chapter exercises were also great.
   
   The book also walks you through features in Visual Studio 08. I like how the author highlights differences between the professional and express editions. The chapter on using the debugger was excellent.
   
   There were only two minor things I didn't like. First, there was one significant difference from Java that was in the text section and I almost missed it skimming. The other was that sometimes the text would continue after turning the page which made it harder to follow the paired pages. I'm impressed that these are the worst things I can write. I recommend the format.



3. Learning a new programming language can prove to be highly difficult for many people, and "Murach's C# 2008" is a complete and comprehensive guide to help readers learn everything they need to know to learn how to use it, and then learn to use it to the maximum of its abilities as if they were a college graduated professional who had worked with the program for years. Leaving nothing out, "Murach's C# 2008" is highly recommended to anyone with interest in the language and for community library computer collections.



4. Murach's C# 2008 is a good book on C#, but it is not great. Too many areas are either lightly covered or not covered at all. To be fair if he had included the coverage it would have been a much bigger book, but Dietel does it and I would expect Murach to have been more complete. For example, in many coverages of methods of objects avalable in the .Net Framework the coverage is incomplete. If your going to cover a subject, cover it completely, either in the book or via a reference to a web page. I think the solution when providing the type of coverage displayed in this book is to have a web site that completes the coverage on each subject. That way the book doesn't weigh thirty pounds and the customer gets the needed complete information on a subject.



5. I found this book difficult to read... I'm not a fan of books that repeatedly refer to diagrams or code blocks that are located in previous or yet to come pages.
   
   Overall it's just dry... Not enough exercises to reinforce learning.
   
   I made it to chapter 9 and stopped... Just my opinion but if our new to programming I would consider other options.

5 comments about CLR via C#, Second Edition (Pro Developer).

1. Most of what needs to be said about this book has already been said. But I feel a need add my two cents, if only to toss another five stars out there.
   
   Really, this one is an example of what a good technical book should be. It's style is both understandable and unpretentious and it covers topics with depth and clarity. The overall organization is such that it never seemed like that terms, ideas, and concepts were being used that had not been introduced previously. Reading this book was a true pleasue and I know I will be referring back to it many times.
   
   The book provides a developer's view of the internals of the .Framework and its CLR. It's more than you need to know to hammer out a lot of code. But if you want to build really good apps - or just want to know what .NET is all about - buy the book, read it, and keep in at hand.



2. I'm more of a Java and Ruby developer, but I found this book fun to read anyway. It's a great read to understand how languages interact with core libraries and how it all fits together inside of a virtual runtime environment. Very well done.



3. I love reading Richter's books. When you think that there's no room left for improvement you get a title like this one. Wow!
   Where other books present the subject matter this one gives you knowledge. Improves on the previous one.
   Covers new topics like generics or nullable types. Just can't wait to see what Richter will do with linq!



4. The book is oriented toward experienced programmers. It provides an introduction to the CLR and describes some intermediate topics in detail. Advanced topics are mentioned, but the coverage of advanced topics (such as CLR hosting) is shallow.
   
   If you are an experienced programmer who is new to the CLR and C#, this is a great text. If you already understand the CLR and are looking for more information about advanced techniques, this book is probably not for you.



5. If you want to know what is going on under the hood, thn this is THE book.
   Every chapter is very in depth with good examples. Definite YES for the geek inside you. 5 Stars.

5 comments about Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008: From Novice to Professional, Second Edition (Beginning from Novice to Professional).

1. First Edition of this book 1-59059-468-1 was a step by step tutorial of how to build sites. At the end, you get a decent working model of a balloon website. Thus, the title Novice to Professional. This book doesn't do this. The book is more laid out like other books. Chapter by Chapter, it covers a big topic like State Management, Error Handling, and others. This book is just like other books out there. I am bit disappointed that the publisher thought that previous book was not in an optimal format. There is really nothing wrong with the content or the information. This just isn't the Novice to Professional Book. It's as if you were reading the Harry Potter. On first edition, you know how Harry Potter is like. On second edition, he is gone or he doesn't do the magic tricks anymore. Instead, he cooks or sings. This book is like that. I can see Harry Potter Singing and Cooking. But that's not the Harry Potter series. He does magics...
   
   This book is good but it's not in the original format.



2. I have purchased (what feels like) hundreds of computer related books from Amazon.com (including other ASP.NET books), and this is the first one that I have ever felt the need to comment on.
   
   This is just a great book, in my opinion! I found the book to be very easy to read, and logical to follow - Matthew MacDonald's writing style is very effective in communicating technical information in a way that made it easy for me to understand.
   
   I've been developing Windows client applications (VB/C#) for close to 10 years, and have "played around" with ASP.NET 2.0. I knew how to make some basic web apps work, but didn't really understand what was going on underneath the covers. I had a lot of questions that were answered and now have a lot more confidence going forward with creating ASP.NET apps.
   
   As I mentioned, I had purchased ASP.NET books by different authors (for 1.1 and 2.0). Maybe I never gave those books a chance, but this is by far the best that I have come across.



3. Usually technical books are very booring to read. I buy many books as I tend to easily get trapped with reviews about book. But this book is one of the best book on C#. Every chapter is in detail and all it needs to get concentrations is to start reading it. The examples and the flow of topics are well planned. This is the book one should have if you are in to C#.
   This is my first review on any book although I have purchased many books from many website. I felt a book which is soo good needs to be acknowledged.
   Mark my words...this book is worth buying ...!!!!



4. I don't read many 900 page books cover to cover.. It's an accomplishment for both finishing this tome, and for the author of this great read.
   
   The first sections gets you up to speed on C# quickly.. You should know some programming before diving in. Then each area of ASP.NET is covered at a healthy pace. Useful samples, and explanations and recommendations throughout. He first covers the manual ways of doing things, then goes into the slightly narrower scope of productivity shortcuts that turn days of development into hours. He's given me a new respect for it.
   
   There are so many books on each tech subject, it's hard to know where to go. You find a few authors you like, and read their books. I'll pick up another one of his books soon.
   
   Great read, highly recommended.



5. ASP.NET 3.5 is the latest version of the .NET Framework from Microsoft. C# is the defacto standard programming language for Microsoft programmers. Although there are more VB.NET programmers out there, C# is considered the more "professional" language and hence forth there are more job opportunities for C# programmers.
   
   This book is huge (800+ pages) and really covers everything you need to know about C# and ASP.NET 3.5. Of course there maybe a few database topics it did not go into detail as much, but for the money it can't be beat. The author (Mathew MacDonald) really explained all the topics very well and assumed no prior knowledge of .NET knowledge. You really can be a `novice' and learn a lot from this book.
   
   The great thing about the .NET framework from Microsoft now, is that there are so many free programs to learn before you invest any money (apart from the book of course).
   
   The author explains the C# language first (great choice and wish more authors did it that way), in the first few chapters before getting into web forms and ASP.NET objects. C# is a professional language and definitely should be learned first before getting into anything else.
   
   Starting at chapter 5, the author starts to explain what a web form is and how ASP.NET works. Covering everything from how sever and web controls work, to the web.config customizations, WAT, web control classes, etc. The following chapter focuses in detail about web controls (what ASP.NET is really all about) and probably is the meatiest of all the chapters. The chapter 7 goes into state management which is a very important and goes hand-in-hand with how web controls work.
   
   Error handling (chaper 8) and deployment (chapter 9) is next on topics covered and then in the next sections of the book the author goes back into web controls with lots of examples of using the validation controls and master pages. Master Pages have grown a lot in this version and it is the core of how you will design you own ASP.NET 3.5 web site. There are 3 chapters dedicated to web site design and development and I have never seen a book with so much detail on the subject. Well done!
   
   The rest of the book goes into database topics such as SQL, ADO.NET, Data Bindings, etc. I can't describe how impressed I am with how many topics are covered in this book and how well they are covered. You really only need this book for 80-90% of you ASP.NET development work.
   
   A great buy!!!

5 comments about C# 3.0 Design Patterns.

1. I bought several copies of this book to teach my development team design patterns. I have a copy of and like the Head First design patterns book, but my guys wanted to learn some of the new C# 3.0 features and judging from the other reviews I thought this would be a decent book.
   
   Boy was I wrong. Do not trust the positive reviews. The examples and coresponding code samples are flat wrong. I don't mean code won't compile, I mean they don't teach the purpose of the design patterns or blatently defeat the pupose of them. I am only up to chapter 3 and I am having to create cheatsheets that show how the patter REALLY should work. If anyone is reading this and really wants to learn the design patterns, I would recommend the Head First or the original Gang of Four books. Beware, if you don't know design patterns and use this to learn you will be shooting yourself in the foot.



2. As with all books on patterns, I had high expectations from this book. I was really hoping that the author would have introduced new patterns utilizing new 3.0 language features that I have not yet thought of on my own, but was disappointed to see that the book is mostly another poorly written book on design patterns that happened to use C#.
   
   After realizing that the book was what it was, I was hoping that she would have done something a bit on the cutting-edge side of things by fusing new C# 3.0 language constructs and design patterns, but again, disappointed. The application of C# 3.0 features throughout the book seemed to be more of a showcase ("hey look what I can do") as opposed to practical or necessary.
   
   If you understand that this book is just another patterns book and doesn't introduce new patterns or really take advantage of new C# 3.0 language features, this book is ok. On a positive note, the book is a simple read. But if you're looking for a really solid book on patterns for the bookshelf, the gang of four patterns book (1994) is still the way to go.



3. This book was poor. The source code has errors. It does a poor job at explaining the issue a pattern is attempting to address. Made me very sleepy. If you want a good primer get "Heads Up Design Patterns", if you want more get the GOF book.



4. Lets face it design patterns are something that we have to have but at the same token are usually difficult to understand where it should be used and how to create it. With design patterns C# 3.0 By Judith Bishop we have a little more help.
   
   From structural patterns to Behavorial we can all feel a bit better in designing our tiers for robustness and making things just a slight more easier on ourselves. When i had to create a protected class for an application that i was working on. I had difficulty creating protecting it from instantiation with the guidance in this book i was able to complete the application in less time and focus on other areas of code that needed improvements. I also found use for the decorator pattern, while i will admit some patterns in the book seem like a lot of work to include in an application Bishop makes the case for each one and also describes situations where patterns may be become anti pattern for example using the Singleton pattern to hold static information as a global variable.
   
   Overall, the quality of this book is top notch (figures since it is a O'reily book) and offers many sections on how to enhance your coding practices to make best of your limited time and also of your program. The examples in the book are superb and offer a introduction to what i feel is one of the more complex ways of designing a program. It also has a fair bit of UML diagrams and is "decent" practical guide to also adhering to UML based designs.
   
   Something though i wish they had in this book were more samples, at times there seems to be decent coverage on some of the easier patterns (singleton) and not so much on the more convoluted patterns like Model View Controller. While she does try to create a balanced ground sometimes, i have to re-read the section because she gets to technical sometimes. I guess with time and over the years her thoughts should become more clear.
   
   - Mike



5. Overall, the book seemed pretty useful. Some of the patterns covered in the book are probably rarely used in the real world, but others are design patterns that we use as software developers pretty constantly without realizing it. Getting a formal definition of what those are, and all the different parts involved ... as well as when it is a good idea to use it or what other pattern might be a better fit really offers some value. It was a pretty short book, so I thought it was worth the investment of time to read it.

5 comments about Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Step by Step.

1. This book is definately geared for beginners with no programming experience, which is fine. There are a few typo's but nothing to panic about. More importantly, there is little to keep you entertained and motivated to read it. An example, of the dryness is on page 241: Interface Restrictions...a bunch of "You-can-do-this-but-not thats". I am sure they are important points, but I think they are misplaced or better learned as you go along with each thing. I'm reading it and thinking "oh yeah, I'm going to remember all that." Nevertheless, if you can persist through the book, you will learn a lot and have a good foundation. But I recommend you buy "Head First C#" instead of this book.



2. I got this book because I wanted to learn Visual Studio 2008 and C# at the same time. It has certainly done the trick. I am currently at page 449, and I am amazed at how much information John Sharp has put in book. Even more amazing is that his teaching technique of a brief overview, and explaining while doing examples is surprisingly effective. If you are a Pro Developer familiar with C++ or java, then this book is probably not going to teach you anything interesting till part 4. I am very please and recommend to any novice who wants to learn.



3. unlike most books that may seem more entertaining-- this book makes you use c# for the common tasks you actually will be doing. The plan is that you program along with the author and learn "step by step" how to build many different essential programming building blocks using different net features. The section on wpf programming is wonderful'



4. I love programming, and this was a great book to have. I still use it to keep my programming skills up and up. The author has a great grasp of the material.



5. And I don't just mean a person whose last name is Sharp! :-) Although each chapter is ostensibly about some particular C# programming construct, a reader would learn more than just C# syntax from this book. By the time one finishes reading this book, one would also have learned enough about useful .Net frameworks such as Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation and LINQ. Kudos to the author for pulling this off!!

5 comments about Beginning ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer).

1. I've picked up copies of Beginning ASP.NET 2.0; Build Your Own ASP.NET 2.0 Web Site Using C# & VB; Beginning ASP.NET 2.0 E-Commerce in C# 2005 From Novice to Professional; and Microsoft ASP.NET 3.5 Step by Step (the only one I can recommend). With all of these, I struggled to read them and didn't feel as though I learned much, or in the case of the last, failed to get much more than an overview of ASP.NET (albeit a good one).
   
   However, with Imar Spaanjaars' book, I finally feel comfortable with ASP.NET 3.5.
   
   In this book Imar works through the steps of creating of an actual, fully-functional, ASP.NET 3.5 Web site, that's actually not that bad (ignoring some questionable design).
   
   Unlike other books, Imar covers both the Express and commercial versions of Visual Studio, in a very unobtrusive way. In addition, Imar doesn't rely solely on the ASP.NET components, but gives a good deal of actual programming, in both C# and VB (in a very clean, comfortable, way).
   
   While it's true that he references a number of other Wrox books, such as Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer), there is very little that needs to be examined to get a site up and running, that would suit the majority of business needs.
   
   Overall, my faith in the ability of Web developers to write good books has been restored by this tome (and at over 700 pages, tome it is). A Web developer Imar is, and to us, as equals, is to whom he speaks. This is clearly seen in his summaries and tips, at the end of each chapter.
   
   I give this book 5 stars of 5. If you've read the other books and been left sad, confused, and/or angry, this is the volume to pick up.
   
   Note: I will be reading this book twice, once I've finished with Professional ASP.NET 3.5: In C# and VB (Programmer to Programmer). There is so much in this book that bears repeating, and many things that I'm sure I missed in my first read, since it's so full of (valuable) information.



2. I think this is a great start for anyone looking to get into ASP.NET. The entire book takes you through creating a professional-looking website. The book was very well thought out and I have yet to see any errors. I've found the author to be very responsive on the WROX website, as well.



3. Recieved book in excellent condition! The book is very organized and very constructive in teaching me what I need to learn in a step-by-step manner. I very much recommend this book!



4. This is a good hands-on tutorial. The author will walk you through an operation, and then explain how it works. I like that approach.
   
   The online resources provided to accompany the book have been very helpful to me. When you start working through a new chapter, you might find it a good idea to start with the official source code provided for the previous one, instead of relying on the results of your own work, especially if you skip some of the exercises.
   
   There is an online forum for the book, and the author and the editor do a great job of answering questions.
   
   To fully benefit from the code-intensive examples in the book, you may want to study C# or VB in its own right as well. If you have no knowledge of programming languages at all, you might find the book a little hard to understand.
   
   The book could benefit from some more editing, which is why I have only given it four stars. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn ASP.NET 3.5.



5. I am using this text as the basis for a university-level business web application development course. It is a better introduction to ASP.NET 3.5 than any textbook I have found. The chapters unfold logically, each new skill building on the last. The prose is clear and relaxed. The code examples are correct and clearly presented. Imar has used the same organization and logic skills needed for good programming to produce an excellent book!