5 comments about Starting Out with C# (Gaddis Series).

1. Since class has started I have only been able to attend half of my classes. While I love to program I was worried about missing the lectures. This book is very well documented in a step by step fashion that I have been able to stay at home and study, do my homework and maintain an excellent standing in the class. Compared to introductory books I have read in the past "Starting Out with C++ (3rd edition)" this actually allowed for me to grasp the basic concepts of the language. It will always have a place in my library.

   Aaron




2. I found this textbook to be very poor, especially for a beginning programming course. It presents concepts in a confusing fashion and presents simple TOO MUCH information sometimes for students to digest. It isn't an accessible text for students starting to learn C++ -- it blurs concepts which are useful and essential with concepts which really aren't necessary. Many of the examples are poor, and the presentations of functions and classes are particularly poor. If you are looking for an accessible and clearly-written Computer Science I textbook, try Rick Mercer's Computing Fundamentals with C++. I highly recommend that book; I do not recommend this one.



3. This book discusses wide range of topics, covering most aspects of C++ programming. At the same time the auther is meticulus and has dealt with the topics in depth covering finer points.

   Many solved examples and additional excercises are given. The whole book is linked with a project, so the students will get to know how and where to apply (in real world situation) the topic which they have studied.

   Excellent for both teachers and students.

   Highly recommended.

   -Prof. M.G.BHATIA




4. I've been developing software for about 15 years now and I needed a refresher in C++. The bad is that this book didn't help me until about Chapter 11 (remember that all you C jockies out there). The good is that I would definitely recommend this book to anyone starting out programming at any level (including a novice). Excellent book.



5. -Jim Burke, Student
   Dear Mr.Gaddis: I use your book at the University of Texas at Dallas. Your book is GREAT!! . Good presentation, takes care that we know the details. Thanks!
   
   -Christopher Savage, Student Augusta State University Could you please tell me when "Starting Out with Java" by Tony Gaddis will be available for purchase? I am a Sophomore at Augusta State University, and my school's first programming class uses "Starting out with C++." I am transferring to UGA and their first class teaches JAVA. So I have to teach it to myself. I love your C++ book -- it makes everything so easy to understand, and I know that I can't go wrong with the JAVA text. Any information you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.
   
   
   Student, UT Dallas -- What can I say that hasn't already been said. This is the required text in CS1315 at UT Dallas. I have thoroughly read the book and worked through most of the examples. I felt the handling of buffered input and pointers was slightly confusing, but it was by far better than anything else I've read. The examples are interesting & un-intimidating, and the jargon is carefully explained. What more can you ask for? If you really want this stuff to gel, get into the CS program at UT Dallas.
   
   Roy Winters, Student I have read quite a few text books. Tony's books are the best by far. Does he ever do speaking engagements? If so, could you send me a schedule. FYI, I have saved quite a few dollars ordering directly from your web site.
   
   Jonathan King, student Dear Professor Gaddis: I'm a Tufts University student. I have to say that your book is a great resource. I (and many others) like the short examples that quickly get to the point they're trying to make.
   
   Aaron Laster (student, Shawnee, Oklahoma United States) -
   Since class has started I have only been able to attend half of my classes. While I love to program I was worried about missing the lectures. This book is very well documented in a step by step fashion that I have been able to stay at home and study, do my homework and maintain an excellent standing in the class. Compared to introductory books I have read in the past "Starting Out with C++ (3rd edition)" this actually allowed for me to grasp the basic concepts of the language. It will always have a place in my library. Aaron
   
   Saud Faisal student, Collin County Community College...just wanted to tell you that your book has made a lot of difference in my life. Your book is absolutely Awesome. You have a lot of examples in the book which helps a lot. Thanks again
   
   
   One of the Best Textbooks I've read,: College Student US_Canuck (DUNEDIN, FLORIDA United States)
   Learnt quite a bit from this textbook needed for my C++ class in college. I was pleasantly surprised at how well written this book was, considering the topic it is covering. Great Book! I'm keeping mine seeing as it will come in handy with my future programming endevours. Too bad other textbooks aren't as well written.
   
   
   The Bible of C++,:: Ahmad Kaifi (Antioch, CA United States)
   I was introduced to this book when I was in junior college and just starting my programming courses. Now I'm a graduating senior and I still refer to this book. Other books are good, but the code examples in this book are excellent. I guess I learn better from code example, this book does not have a lot of text, yet is extremely full of excellent information. I just grabbed it off the shelf to finish off a program that I am working on, and I just had to write a review about it before I opened up the book...AGAIN.
   
   Excellent Book,: Prof. M.G. Bhatia (Mumbai - India) -
   This book discusses wide range of topics, covering most aspects of C++ programming. At the same time the auther is meticulus and has dealt with the topics in depth covering finer points. Many solved examples and additional excercises are given. The whole book is linked with a project, so the students will get to know how and where to apply (in real world situation) the topic which they have studied. Excellent for both teachers and students. Highly recommended. -Prof. M.G.BHATIA
   
   A great place to start,: bixodoido (Utah, USA) -
   This book is very, very exhaustive in its coverage. I didn't even go through a part of it. But aside from its bulk, it was a very good introduction to programming. Gaddis does an excellent job of showing how to program step-by-step, and makes it easy to teach yourself. The book also contains a quick reference section where you can look up frequently used commands without having to find them in the text. This book is highly recommended for beginning (and even continuing) programmers.
   
   Good Coverage of C++, This was the required book for my college classes in C++. Better than most books I have read or skimmed thru on C++ programming. There are a few bugs in the included programs however and the author forgot to address command line arguments, passing parameters thru main and returning a value from main. This could cause trouble if your not on a Windows platform running these executables.Overall, I kept my copy after the class as a useful reference book.BTW, this book does not cover Windows Programming with C++ at all.
   
   Excellent Textbook,: Karen Ryberg (Bismarck, ND USA) -
   I used this book for the first semester of college C++. It is an excellent textbook. Some C++ textbooks have large amounts of text with few examples, making them very hard to read and understand. This book is filled with examples in short sections about specific C++ elements. I have kept it as a reference as information is easy to find and the examples make it easy to understand and implement. I have two other books on C++, but if I was teaching a C++ class, I would use this book.
   
   Very well written but structure is questionable.,: "wolfstep" (Dover, NH USA) -
   The book itself is fantastic. Everything is layed out in an easy to read fashion. Truely a C++ beginners book. The orginization while not bad, left some searching up to the reader and some flags could have been in bold or highlighted in some fashion. But I would not consider this book a waste. It was well thought out and meant for the beginner. Thanks for writing a book thats was so educational Tony!
   
   
   Great book, This book is just amazing. True, it could have been organized a bit better, but that is its only downfall (if that even matters). The book goes in-depth on almost everything in C++. It'll teach you pretty much everything you need except the most advanced topics. Its a tough book since it covers so much, but its definitely worth the time and money if you're willing to invest in it.
   
   Prof. Deedee Herrera, Dodge City Community College, Dodge City, Kansas
   I have adopted and am currently teaching from the Gaddis second edition textbook. This is by far the best C++ book that I have taught with.
   
   
   Great C++ Book,: "freecell" -
   Best programming book I have used to date!
   
   
   Prof. Miriam Plonczak Touro College "Gaddis's book is a good, solid book and teachers should be successful using it Students in our Bachelors program find the book clear, easy to follow and therefore, they like it very much."
   
   
   Prof. Jeffrey A. Kent Los Angeles Valley College I listen to what students say about the books I select. Their response to Gaddis is unusually positive. They really like the book.
   
   :
   My name is David McLeod. I am an Assistant Professor at Belmont Technical College in St.Clairsville, Ohio. I want to tell you that I believe your C++ text is the most thorough one available. I have used 5 different ones since 1992 and every one assumes the students know things that they do not. You cover every detail. Thank you
   
   
   Prof. Carol Schwab, Webster University: I took a good look at your 2nd edition as I revised my class to use it and I think you did a super job. Moving recursion and splitting the chapter on arrays made a great book even better. Congratulations!
   
   Prof. Brenda Boyce- "I have found the Gaddis book to be a wonderful textbook for our students. It is highly readable, and I am pleased that most students are actually reading the text."
   
   
   What I have seen is IMPRESSIVE,
   As an instructor in the community-college system, I have students with wide-ranging abilities--from remedial to advanced. Though I haven't had time to study the whole book (yet), it has many good features, all of which I can't list. The most important to me is how the book proceeds. Though this book is exhaustive (i.e., covers each of its topics very thoroughly), it goes step-by-step to teach the basics of the programming process in an organized fashion. Such a progressive approach is MUCH better than a "here's EVERYTHING on one topic" approach (see any book by the Deitels); beginning students don't NEED to know the details. Any programming instructor who thinks about how he/she learned will recognize that he/she learned broad, general basics and only picked up the details through practice. Also, if you'll notice, Mr. Gaddis teaches at the community college level. Want a good C++ teacher? Go to somebody who teaches C++, NOT the Deitels. My apologies to Harvey and P.J., but their tripe has confused a whole generation of would-be programmers and I'm sick of seeing the so-untrue title "C++ How to Program." Mr. Gaddis' book is the BEST I've seen in years.
   
   - Prof Tom Gilman, College of the Desert My students say Gaddis is the best thing they've seen since sliced bread
   
   -Prof. Al Cawns, Webster University, MO The students have found your book to be easy to read and understand-a great accomplishment.
   
   -Prof. George Harrison, Norfolk State University, VA Gaddis is an extraordinary writer. Gaddis' text is working much better than I expected. The ancillary materials especially the test bank and Power Point presentations add greatly to our ability to do some solid, diverse, and effective teaching.
   
   
   -Prof. Ray Larson, Century College, MN I have adopted this book for courses at both Inver Hills Community College and Century College in Minnesota this semester. I have not been disappointed. It works for-me."
   
   
   -Dr. Cherie M. Stevens, Professor, Computer Science, South Florida Community College The GADDIS book is the BEST C++ book I have ever found. THANKS! I tried at least half a dozen other C++ books before I found GADDIS. NONE of them is as effective or thorough!
   
   Prof. Tuan A Vo Mt. San Antonio College I am using this book for the first time at Cal Poly Pomona (my part-time job). I really like the book and I am considering this book at Mt. San Antonio College as well (my home institution).

4 comments about C# Data Security Handbook.

1. What can I say about this book? To start with I have to give praise to author of the first chapter. As an introduction in various security concepts such as Integrity, Authentication and Authorization, it is so simple that even a manager could understand it, but the wealth of knowledge available means that every developer picking up this book should be reading this chapter in-depth.

   Moving on chapters 2, 3 and 4 provide a real insight into how cryptography works within in the .NET framework. These chapters not only present invaluable information on how to use the .NET cryptography classes, but also how they are often misused - practical information for any developer.

   The rest of the book is jam packed with valuable information on a whole range of topics from SSL and TLS right through to certificates and CAPICOM.

   For anyone developing XML based applications there is an in-depth look at the use of XML Signatures and the various ways it can be applied within an application. If you want to transmit verifiable XML data then this provides a useful insight.

   I really liked the list of best and worst practises included in chapter 7, which introduced some long term worth for this title. If you are developing security for an application it is a trivial exercise to check you implementation against the list of best and worst practises.

   Perhaps the most standout part of this book is chapter 8 which brings together all of the topics of the book to build a full web service application that simulates a virtual hard drive. This application gives a real-world understanding of how various different security techniques and concepts can be brought together.

   What I really liked about this book was that I wasn't a regurgitation of the MSDN documentation. All the information is presented in ways which you can, and probably will, use in day-to-day development.

   My only criticism of this book is that I felt that the concept of key stores could have been better explained, much earlier in the book. As it was I had to re-read certain sections to better understand them.




2. What can I say about this book? To start with I have to give praise to author of the first chapter. As an introduction in various security concepts such as Integrity, Authentication and Authorization, it is so simple that even a manager could understand it, but the wealth of knowledge available means that every developer picking up this book should be reading this chapter in-depth.

   Moving on chapters 2, 3 and 4 provide a real insight into how cryptography works within in the .NET framework. These chapters not only present invaluable information on how to use the .NET cryptography classes, but also how they are often misused - practical information for any developer.

   The rest of the book is jam packed with valuable information on a whole range of topics from SSL and TLS right through to certificates and CAPICOM.

   For anyone developing XML based applications there is an in-depth look at the use of XML Signatures and the various ways it can be applied within an application. If you want to transmit verifiable XML data then this provides a useful insight.

   I really liked the list of best and worst practises included in chapter 7, which introduced some long term worth for this title. If you are developing security for an application it is a trivial exercise to check you implementation against the list of best and worst practises.

   Perhaps the most standout part of this book is chapter 8 which brings together all of the topics of the book to build a full web service application that simulates a virtual hard drive. This application gives a real-world understanding of how various different security techniques and concepts can be brought together.

   What I really liked about this book was that I wasn't a regurgitation of the MSDN documentation. All the information is presented in ways which you can, and probably will, use in day-to-day development.

   My only criticism of this book is that I felt that the concept of key stores could have been better explained, much earlier in the book. As it was I had to re-read certain sections to better understand them.




3. Simply a great book about security, certificates, encryption, signing, and more.



4. Very very good book about security in the .NET platform.
   highly recomanded

1 comments about Software Portability with imake (Practical Software Engineering).

1. I am from a company where we use Imake regularly for our sofware builds. Yet, very few people knew about this topic and those who knew were too busy to share it. I found this book extremely useful in understanding the details of Imake. I created my own macros and rules using it and successfully deployed them. Great book!

No comments about Hacking Silverlight 2.

No comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to C# Programming.

5 comments about C# Fast & Easy Web Development.

1. If you've experience programming with any language other than VB Script, skip this book. I suggest a book that explains fundamentals and principles of .Net framework; and C# language.



2. I am a show-me person and the step-by-step instructions with illustrations were just what I needed. I was able to write a program within the hour.



3. If you can still find one of these out-of-print books at the clearance prices, grab it. I program in a lot of different languages and am moving to C# & .Net for my job. I find when I go to more advanced books which have the information I need there are lots of little items that are assumed you know that really slow me down. But most beginner books are a waste of time.
   
   For me this book is a great aid. I'm finding it allows reading through quickly without boring you with minor programming details while still filling in the stuff that gets left out in top level books, all of which seem to assume experienced developers would already have some level of C# & .NET experience. (After going through this easy to read book, you will have the experience.)
   
   Two Problems:
   1.) For those of us who find ourselves depending on reading glasses, the code text in the graphic examples tends to be a little small. So having the code to download and review is a real plus.
   2.) The book is out of print and the original publishing company's website is no longer available. So the download links are no good. But ...
   
   As of 10/22/2005: I found a copy of the code to download from Thomson Course Technology. If interested in this book you should probably grab a copy of the download before it disappers too.



4. This is a good book to get started with ASP.Net development. However, it's from a classic ASP type of development. There is little code behind and a lot of javascript. It will get the job done but the real power from ASP.Net 2.0 comes from the expanded code behind capabilities and rendering classes. If you're just wanting to get a site up quickly, this book is for you. Good walk through and good samples. If you're really wanting to leverage code-behind in 2.0, this is not the book for you.



5. Far from an average book, the author just compiled some essencial stuff and commented (poorly) some code, repeating over and over again the same lines like "this creates an object of..." and skip other lines much more important for statements where type cast (e.g.) is present. Also, the "on-line shop" she advertise as "Develop an Oline Store!" is nothing more than MS's "GrocerToGo" sample and even on this sample, her comments to some code lines aren't enought to explain the inner works of that shopping cart classes, she skip again some crucial lines, maybe because she can't understand what they mean. That shopping cart code comments also end in rush (maybe she just wanted to finish the book quick). My two stars goes to the effort in collecting the content.

5 comments about Professional C# Web Services: Building .NET Web Services with ASP.NET and .NET Remoting.

1. If you want to get the understanding of .NET Remoting, this is the right book.

   XML Web Services with ASP .NET are quite easy to build, so, this book doesn't looses too much time on it.

   If you want to learn only ASP .NET web services then you can try other titles that covers only this.




2. This book is not organized at all. There are allot of code examples but they are totally useless. Since one can not really run any of the examples because they are not organized into applications and one can't really follow which part does what and which part goes after which. And I have successful 10 years of experience developing web and client service apps. So this book was waste of time and money for me.



3. Don't know why others are saying this isn't a great book. I think it is!



4. As a first read on web services this was not bad. It is a passable reference as well.

   The book starts with a summary of the technology and a brief overview of the component technologies - XML, SOAP, WSDL, UDDI - and how it fits into the .Net framework .A large section is devoted to .Net Remoting followed by more on consuming and updating web services and clients. There are ample examples of the design and coding of simple to moderately complex web services. While I noticed the usual mistakes and typos in a book that was probably rushed to meet demand for .Net literature, none were overly distracting or confusing. The book concludes with some case studies and more examples.

   While it is not really necessary to have a knowledge of C#, the reader should have a good grounding in object oriented programming languages and some knowledge of COM or RPC wouldn't hurt. I see this technology as the successor to COM (the fact that Don Box was involved in the SOAP standard definition reinforces that idea), perhaps even finally living up to the dream of plugable code modules. I could see using this as the text for teaching a web services class. P-)




5. For a beginner its good. I liked the way concepts are expressed.
   I just wish I read this few a couple of years ago, when it came out!

5 comments about C# and Game Programming: A Beginner's Guide (Book & CD-ROM).

1. I'm amazed at the good reviews for this book. The only reason I can give for that is that perhaps the good reviews are all from the publisher, author and their many aliases.
   
   This book's spelling, grammar, and coding errors make it impossible to use. I'm surprised that the code included on a CD even compiles. I was so frustrated after the first two chapters that I wanted to animate the book, just so I could choke it to death.
   
   Do yourself a favor, if you want to buy this book just slap yourself in the face and save $30.



2. I've gone through half of this book and will not be completing it.
   
   Despite this being a "beginner" book the author quickly overwhelms the user with advanced examples while providing nearly zero explaination of what he is doing or why he is doing it.
   
   Only the simpliest of concepts (data types, casting, etc) are discussed before getting to some of the first extremely long and extremely complex examples.
   
   From the beginning there is no discussion of code and very little in the way of explainatory comments. After 200 pages the author STILL has only mentioned "using" a few times and hasn't even brought up a discussion of namespaces. Yet these items are included in every sample.
   
   Many of the items being used are never explained, there is no step by step process that tells the reader what any particular command does or why he's using it.
   
   My criteria for a "good" book is that by the time the author starts an example he/she should have previously explained what the purpose the example serves. Is this an example that will re-enforce the graphic manipulation discussion of the most recent chapter? Is this an example that will show me in practice the simple coding practices the author explained in the last 100 pages? None of this is there. The author jumps from talking about datatypes to using some advanced C# libraries in a sample without any explaination ever provided.
   
   This book expects you to type in dozens of pages of code (or get it off the included CD) and learn by osmosis the point of the sample; why it works; and what the key elements/procedures are.
   
   Maybe some people can somehow mystically connect to the authors train of thought and understand unexplained code through this method, but I am unfortunate to not be one of them.
   
   If you really want to learn C# and are a true beginner than Petzolds Programming in the Key of C# is probably the best book I've read to this point (I have high hopes for Murach's C# but am just starting that one).
   
   Unfortunately I haven't found any acceptable books that link C# and games programming yet that discuss the subject at a newcomer level.



3. Generally this text is for beginners, so if you are someone who knows nothing about C# or Game Programming, you'll probably be very happy with the book or at least need to study it. Additionally, if you have already studied C# say in school or through other books, but want to learn Game Programming, then you'll probably be very happy with the book or at least need to study it.
   
   If, however, you already know C# and you have a fair knowledge of Game Programming, then you probably won't like the book (seeing it as too simply). Or finally, if you are a total beginner to computers and are not really sure what a complier is, you'll probably find the book hard to follow.



4. Won't waste anymore of my time telling
   you why, you can read other posts!
   
   Don't belive the 4 start rating. I
   doubt this Author has any idea how
   to use C# or any language I would
   imagine!
   
   Not being an author myself I have
   never critized those who are till
   now.
   
   I'll never buy another book by this
   publisher. I would return this one
   except for it being a gift. If your
   in the same position use it to prop
   up your monitor - it's only usefullness~



5. When I got this book I already knew about 5 different languages and tried writing games in each. However, since my formal education taught me application driven programming, I have often wondered if I make games wrong. In addition, I have had problems doing some thing which I always thought would be very simple (sprite animation, tile mapping, etc). I thought this book would be very useful, especially with all the source code I could dissect. I soon realized what a blatant pile of crap I ordered when the source code didn't compile. Who does not compile source code before publishing it? If it compiles once, it will compile always. In addition, almost anything I was unfamiliar with was explained so vaguely I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. The example were impossible to determine if he was discussing keywords or functions inherent to C# or ones which would need to be defined outside the example code. Considering this was also my first C# book, it would sometimes take me a moment to determine for myself. Don't waste your time or money since neither seems to have be put towards making this book.

5 comments about C# Threading Handbook.

1. the vb.net has code support but the c# has not.
   it is diificult to review the book without
   translating the vb version to c# to see if the code works



2. I've sat and read the book till chapter 3 and it's so academic it smacks of not being able to think in real programming scenarios. It really doesn't find a way to be jovial and sounds so disinterested in the topic. I've read so many books that do better than this. And, I love reading these type of books but oh god these guys are sooo dry I had take breaks just to sleep :) But... since I have the only book on 'c#' threading to date... I'll keep going... I am really pleased I read the book on books24x7 before I purchased!...
   
   Anff



3. Some of the most complex problems in commercial programming arise when you use multiple threads in your application. This book deals with the various ways in which you could spawn new threads and create a more responsive application. However, like every experienced programmer knows, that is the easy part. The real difficulty is in making your code thread-safe. This is also known as thread synchronization. This book has excellent coverage of those aspects too.
   
   It, however, assumes that you are familiar with C# and does indeed jump directly to the topic of the book. If you need help with C#, definitely look somewhere else (C# and the .NET platform, 2nd Edition by Andrew Troelsen is a fantastic book for that purpose). I also felt that the book skimps on some of the more detailed areas of .NET multithreading such as Thread Pools and some specialized classes such as AutoResetEvent, ManualResetEvent, etc. However, this in no way reduces the usefulness of this book.
   
   I found it to be a great primer to learning more about these topics, which paved a path for further investigations using MSDN or other web resources.
   
   Whether it is for your day-to-day job, or for an interview, if you are looking for a book that covers .NET threading in detail, you are likely to be satisfied with this book.



4. I am new to .net threading and this is the book i could find which is about .net threading. Since there are not much choices,comparisons are almost unlikely.
   
   The book is well organized but with one main problem, no source code download. Actually i don't mind there isn't a code for download, because i prefer to type myself. but the author had to make sure all the codes are within the book and all workable.
   
   When i read until chapter 2. I found some difficulty.
   There is a topic about "Life cycle of Thread". when i gone thru the "Interrupting a Thread" it prompt me error. Then i skip this part and go to "Pausing and Resuming Threads". no error but the pause button doesn't work. the thread still continue running even i press the pause button. till i put a break point in the pause button. A little dissapointed hope the author can rectify it immediately



5. This is a good book to get started on .NET threading. However some of the examples are syntax oriented rather than application oriented. For example, the chapter on synchronization covers all the synchronization mechanisms available in .NET but the examples appear to be rushed i.e concentrating on how to use them syntactically rather than providing concrete examples. I also found the book a little unorganized. Some of the snippets are incomplete or improperly explained. Nonetheless, this book helps in getting up to speed in a short time. It covers almost all aspects of .NET Threading. Good reference but not great. 3 stars.

No comments about C# Concisely.