No comments about Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Programming.

No comments about Developer's Guide to Reporting Services 2005.

5 comments about C#: A Programmer's Introduction.

1. I have used Deitel books since graduate school and this latest addition to my library is a fine addition. The Deitels always strike a nice balance between being too wordy and being too sparse. I especially like the Software Engineering Observations, Good Programming Pratice, and Testing and Debugging Tips. These prove invaluable in focusing the beginning programmer on the things that will yield the most improvement in their coding style. I intend to use this book in the courses I teach for the forseeable future.



2. As I am also one of the reviewers of this book, I perceptibly noticed how much care the Deitel people take for their book to provide a comprehensible book.
   Let us see what's special about the Deitel Series and this book:
   The Live-Code Approach - All the Deitel's Developer series books provide you the entire concept through Complete set of working programs and portray their inputs and outputs in actual screen shots of running programs. This book provides you 11,550 lines of codes in 152 complete Live-code programs and gives you a clear picture about the concepts.
   Another one highlighting point in Deitel series is Syntax Highlighting. This book uses five different style of syntax prominence.
   Another one issue, I like very much in the Deitel Book series is the Programming Tips they provide. Since the Programming techniques help the reader to build code that is manageable, reusable and optimized for performance. In this book they provide 353 Programming Tips!
   As I already mentioned, this book is intended for programmers with little programming experience. This book starts with C# and .NET fundamentals. In the early chapters it speaks about the Object-oriented programming in C# and covers all the topics from the scratch. Then it covers the Graphical user interface concepts, Multithreading, Files and streams and Exceptional Handling in depth manner with lot of programming examples. This book also endow with all the information about the ADO.NET, XML and ASP.NET along with the Web services. This book makes clear how to create mobile web applications using Microsoft Mobile Internet Toolkit. Along with a wide spread Appendix, it also gives explanation about Networking and Accessibility-issues. "Comprehensive, In-Depth, Clear, Example rich Book and provide all the practical insight for the Programmer's to dive deep into C#"



3. In covering the subject, Deitel and company provide a good overview of not only C#, but object oriented programming concepts, and using solutions that take advanatge of XML, ADO .NET, and ASP .NET. An introduction is provided of the Visual Studio .NET development environment. The 800+ page book includes 152 "Live-Code" programs with C# program code, and over 353 programming tips.



4. After reading "C# Primer Plus", I was looking for a programming book that uses the FCL and VS .NET in earnest, providing a good introduction to Win Forms, ASP.NET, and Web Services. I found that in this book. It's very clearly written, and explains the basic concepts well without much non-sense, unlike "Programming C#".

   My main concern is that it's coverage of core C# is somewhat skimpy. Important subjects such as data types, delegates, interfaces, and polymorphism are either not covered at all, or mentioned just in passing. So you are still going to need an in depth book on core C#. I recommend "C# Primer Plus", which I believe you should read before this one. Nothwithstanding some overlap between the two, they complement each other very nicely. This one will smooth the transition from core C# to usage of the bread & butter classes that are included in .NET.




5. This covers many of the important aspects of C#. I like the Good Programming practice and Software Engineering tips very much.

   Only problem is the font and the bold highlighting is so much that it makes the book hard to read continuously. Page starts to blur after a while. My other book is a Sams teach yourself C# in 21 days. The text is muuuuuchhh more readable.

5 comments about .NET 2.0 Wrox Box: Professional ASP.NET 2.0, Professional C# 2005, Professional .NET 2.0 Generics, and Professional .NET Framework 2.0.

1. Overall the Wrox collection is an excellent reference collection. It covers a very braod spectrun of ASP.NET 2.0 material. It is a little less effective as a tutorial. At times the order of topics and the examples don't do a great job of leading the novice to a full understanding. Still, it is a valuable contribution to your reference library.



2. WHy this is good according to me? Because Every detailed topic had told step by step in this book. Why THis book is bad, because The examples in the book is not enough.
   
   On the other hand, you can buy this book.



3. The ultimate 2.0 box, where maybe the thick C# book is best to start with, with many useful examples.
   
   But again, a month to deliver this is far too slow.



4. This collection is another must have product from Wrox Publications. All the books in this box are full of details and examples which helps you understand the topic under consideration nicely. I will suggest these books to any one who needs to master .NET



5. this set of books are very very complete. i use it like reference books.
   they are very usefull

5 comments about Wrox's Visual C# 2005 Express Edition Starter Kit (Programmer to Programmer).

1. This book is written at a level appropriate for someone with a little previous experience programming in other languages. Although it is positioned as useful for a complete novice, it makes too many assumptions about the reader's understanding of programming concepts and vocabulary to really serve as a starting point for a first time programmer. Also, the many innaccurate figure references, typos, grammatical errors, mismatches between figures and the text describing them, etc., fail to inspire the confidence that someone new to programming would hope for when purchaing a book of this type. This is a shame, because the concept is a good one. A little more attention to editing would have gone a long way to making this a very good book.



2. Seems like a good book so far. But I'm only on page 5 and I have encountered syntax error after syntax error after syntax error, and typo after typo after typo. Don't these publishers bother to read their manuscripts before they send them to press? There are so many goofs I'm beginning to wonder if I can continue reading it since I am constantly tripping over the editing blunders.
   
   Psssst, Wrox (Wiley) ... programmers are brilliant people but they can't write English. They need help; that's where YOU come in. Get it?



3. This is a good starting point if you're new to C#. I have to agree with Glenn's review (above) as this book is very poorly edited and contains numerous errors. It's not hard to figure out what they are trying to say, but it's annoying nonetheless. I'll think twice before I buy another Wrox book.



4. The times for programming are so much more friendly to new comers. This book is wonderfully easy to ready, and beginner friendly. You don't feel like you're reading a textbook.
   
   I like that this book is so thin. It really didn't take long to get through this (perhaps because i've programmed already). it also covers using the tools to connect to SQL Server Express. But what's even cooler is that it demonstrates how to connect to web services.
   
   You also get the basics of the C# language. Which for C++ folks will be like sailing on a sunny day. But for new comers, will be straight forward.
   
   It's so easy. If students completely new to programming want a place to start (and want to program on Windows), get this book, it comes with Visual C# Express 2005 and SQL Server Express 2005 (so no high speed internet connection needed).
   
   Plus the author looks like a cool biker dude. :)



5. It's a very good book for beginners, with very interesting things to discover

4 comments about Component Based Development With Visual C#.

1. Highly recommended for serious software developers.
   One of the best books I have read.
   Part one is almost biblical to software development process.
   This is not just for .NET, the same principles are applicable to Java or Windows developments.
   I have good understanding on VC++6.0, but facing VS.NET I feel daunted.
   My experiences with the Windows system, MFC class lib and VisualStudio are not much useful.
   This book helps a lot. .NET is very rich and deep, so you should not expect
   realizing .NET with a signle book. Yet this book is a must on your reading list.



2. After trying numerous .Net books I found that this one was extremely helpful in getting to know the most important parts of the .Net framework. The book covers a lot of ground, since anything can be a 'component'. The discussion is split into front end, middle tier and back end components. So the scope is big. This book assumes you know .Net, and have played with VS.Net, so don't expect an introductory level text. I think the author does a great job of picking out the most important parts of the .Net framework and demonstrating their practical use in short but useful examples.

   I have been disappointed at numerous books that spend ages covering the same ground like introduction to .Net and using windows or web controls, leaving meatier issues untouched. In contrast, Faison treads quickly, and clearly, through major topics in .Net such as (not in order): using windows & web controls, user windows & web controls, Crystal reports, database access & data grids, session management in ASP, security, web services, and so on. Many other areas of the framework are covered in passing; for example a handy section on using the web browser control in .Net.

   The discussion of UML in the beginning is a bit fast, particularly the terse presentation of numerous design patterns, but the author's use of UML sequence diagrams through the book is excellent.

   My main criticism is that the author tries a bit hard at humor with the quotes before each chapter. Otherwise, it's a great book.




3. This is a comprehensive book on component-based development (with C#). It's ~1000 pages thick and packed with code and developer information that is well referenced. A bit short on component "packaging" frameworks. This book also complements well Groove development(GDK with .NET)...



4. I absolutely enjoyed reading the book. This is a book that covers some very advanced topics in a way that it seems so easy to comprehend. I liked the way author uses examples and explains not only the technology but the use of the development tools as well. This is just one the best technical books that I have ever read.

No comments about Essential C# fast (Essential Series).

3 comments about C# Class Design Handbook.

1. This is from [...]
   Chapter 1 is at [...]

   "C# is Microsoft's new object-oriented language, specifically designed to take full advantage of the .NET type system. At the heart of .NET programming in C# is the task of building classes. All C# code participates in the .NET type system, because all code is contained in classes and other types which participate in the class hierarchy of the .NET framework. This book is a guide to help you design these classes effectively, by looking at what control we have over our classes, and how C# turns our class definitions into executable code.

   "Ask anyone: designing effective classes that you don't have to revisit and revise over and over again is an art. This Handbook aims to give you a deep understanding of the implications of every decision you can make in designing a class, so you are better equipped to take full advantage of C#'s power to create classes that are robust, flexible and reusable.

   "This book assumes that you are already familiar with the syntax of C#. It assumes that you have already used it to write code and that you are familiar with your chosen development tools and know how to compile and run C# code. You should also be aware of .NET's basic object-oriented mechanisms. In this book, we'll lift the lid on the simple syntax and examine what it really does behind the scenes."




2. Any exprienced C# programmer may not regard this "C# Class Design Handbook" as the best design tool, but almost all will acknowledge that it has got a lot of positive qualities. These attributes include: good coverage of .NET Framework Class Libraries, detailed recipes, and design interoperability.
   Apart from being down-to-earth, with its method of defining terms and concepts, it has an illustrative teaching pattern, which included a collection of problems and solutions.
   Also, this book contains code recipes, which program developers could use to improve their understanding of the C#; and subsequently, their overall programming skills.
   In summary, this handbook is a multi-purpose manual, which programmers should value for its complementary outlook.



3. On the whole, I was extremely pleased with C# Class Design. It has great organization, perfect length, and superb topic coverage. It is focused, in-depth, and challenging. This is a must buy and a must read for all serious C# developers. In fact, if I could mandate that all of my teammates read this book, I would do it in a heartbeat. Even those using other .NET languages could benefit from this book because many of the principles are not C#-specific, though some features discussed may not be available in other languages, such as VB.NET.

   I would not, however, recommend this book to a beginning developer unless he or she has a good foundation in object-oriented design and other core software development principles. It is by no means a primer, but rather is targeted at the intermediate to advanced developer who wants to excel in designing robust, reusable, and extensible classes for the .NET framework. Nor is it for one who simply wants a set of instructions on how to build an application in C#; rather, it is for the developer who wants to build the best applications because he or she has the best understanding of the effects of class design in the .NET CLR.

   On a more granular level, the table of contents provides a sufficient look at what each chapter covers, and each chapter delivers on what the TOC promsies, and more in some cases. Chapter One takes an in-depth look at reference and value types and, augmented by Chapter Three's discussion of method parameters, arms the developer with the knowledge needed to make the right choices between the two by providing a solid understanding of how they are handled by the CLR. Chapter Five is another essential read, covering object lifecycle and a few design patterns.

   Most of the chapters offer practical advice on best practices in bulleted format to encapsulate some common-sense deductions from the data covered in the chapter. And there are a few gotchas that this book can help you avoid, such as how the compiler handles constants (you'll have to read it to find out).

   There are only two things I'd criticize about this book. First, even though some of the topics covered are complex, I tend to think that it could have been considerably more readable in places, particularly Chapter Seven that deals with inheritance and polymorphism. Of course, part of the problem is that those topics cannot properly be covered in so short a space--they deserve (and have) book-length treatment. The second detraction is that Chapter Eight, while providing useful information, is somewhat off-topic, treating namespaces, assemblies, and documentation, which are only peripherally related to effective class design and are covered in several other books as well as the MSDN documentation.

   In short, this book is definitely worth the {money} that it costs . It is not an easy read and should only be taken up by developers interested in knowing more than the minimum required to build an application. One of the things I love about this book is its focused approach and, consequently, its readable length of only 347 pages. Most books that are longer, that is most developer books, are full of too many code examples and too much re-coverage of topics that other books have already covered. This is a notable exception. I highly recommend it to intermediate to advanced developers.

5 comments about Mastering ASP.Net with Visual C#.

1. This is the best asp.net with c# book for beginner and experienced web developer among the 4 similar books I bought 4 momths ago, this is the only one I read trough and do it from first to last chapter. Thanks, Russell.



2. I have 3 other Mastering books and they are all great. This one is not in that category. Mastering C#, Mastering VB.NET and Mastering Cool Fusion 5.0 are all very good books. This author seems like a real C#/ASP.NET Guru but has no ability to convey that knowledge in a clear concise way. It seems to me like everything is just dumped on the pages instead of being built up step by step. This book might be good if you are already very good at ASP.NET and want to gleam some more insight into some of the deeper workings of ASP.NET, but definitely NOT as a beginner/intermediate book. I consider ASP.NET Unleashed a masterpiece compared to this book. After chapter 6, I just gave up and am going to purchase another ASP.NET C# book to meet my needs.



3. I've been trying to use this book as my primary reference for ASP.NET for a couple of months now, and I'm to the point where I'm going to go out and buy another book.

   This book could be dramatically improved if it had been under the kind eye of rigorous editor, one that would have pulled all the spurious soapboxing and helped refocus the book on addressing topics the author is not favorable towards.

   A couple of examples:

   1) Paragraphs of prose dedicated to a lengthy explanation as to why usernames and passwords are obsolete, bordering on arrogance. Finally, begrudgingly, getting to the meat of what I need to know: how to do authenticated login. I wouldn't mind so much if the author was providing relevant insight into the directions that the industry is taking, but his proposition that smart cards and biometrics will overtake passwords is the same old rhetoric expounded over the last decade... which has not come to pass.

   2) An attitude of MS Access = Bad. Yes, SQL is one of the stonger solutions for the back end, and sure, you should use MSDE if you can't do SQL, but I have a client that needs it to be MS Access. To completely short-change Access is to write yourself out of a very real segement of the market.

   In essence, I think this book suffers by actively distancing itself from real-world issues. A more pragmatic, non-preaching approach would have been better, one that focussed on what *I* need, not what the author feels compelled to tell me about.

   Ignoring the soapboxes, the rest of the book is pretty good. The author obviously knows his ASP.NET. I'll keep this book around as a secondary reference, but I'm out hunting for a new primary reference.

   I generally dislike writing reviews like this, but I dropped ... this book (a local Borders) and I would really have liked to have seen a review like this before I made that decision.




4. This book tends to become scattered, and the author seems to ramble at times. I was expecting more simple explanation by example, but what examples there were seemed to contain large amounts of code that belonged in an entirely different topic. I tended to notice alot of "I'm showing you this, but I'm not going to say anything about it in this book."...

   This is not to say that there is no useful information in this book, but it is difficult and tiring to get to. The content seems to drift towards generalized advice in many areas, rather than actual instruction.

   I would say that this book would be worth owning only if you have a good core of ASP.net knowledge, and want a book that will increase the dsetail of your knowledge in a wandering manner.




5. After many tries, I've officially given up reading this book at Chapter 17 of this 23 chapter book. This book definetely doesn't belong in the "mastering" series of sybex. I've followed along many books of this series, from SQL, to VB to Server 2003, etc, but this one just doesn't measure up to the quality of the others. Here are the problems with this book:

   1. Too many samples, but not enough explanations. I'll be happy if the author presents complicated topics, as long as he explains them thouroughly. But not here, all you get, is one long-winded code after another, but only a sentense or two to explain what the heck is going on in the code. So usually as I read a chapter, I would counsult another book, so I can have some clue what was just covered. Not an ideal learning experience.
   2. Too boring. The author doesn't inject one iota of humor, or any kind of real world examples, or applications for his codes. The explanations are terse and dry, and felt as if, the author doesn't really care, or care to know, that at the other end, there's another person reading this.

5 comments about Microsoft Visual C#(TM) .NET Step by Step (Step By Step (Microsoft)).

1. I don't know why Amazon dumped all the reviews of this book, but this is the only book I'd take the time to re-review. Perhaps this is a newer edition, but I found no significant errors in the original. I believe samples work in both framework 1.0 and 1.1. Sharp and Jagger have produced an exceptionally readable, instructive, useful book that is the only one of eight I've read that I can honestly say I was sorry to finish. Every exercise was well written, taught me a major feature I needed to know, and made me eager to do more. The exercises are so well written I can refer back to them as guides to writing my own code but this is not primarily a reference book. I even got a reply to an email from John Sharp via his website. I'd buy anything along these lines he cares to publish! It's not the only book you may need, but should be among the first you read after you grasp the basics of the C# language and are ready to use Visual Studio.NET.



2. If you are familiar with Java, C++, Objective C, or SmallTalk, then this is a good starter primer for C#. This is particularly good for experienced Java developers that want to jump in, and get started on C#. The second part of the book is a solid primer on Windows Forms and other Windows specific bits of .NET.

   I recommend this title.




3. I've been using Visual C++ 6.0 at work for the past few years and was looking for something to help me with transitioning to C# and .NET. I settled on the 2003 version of this book and was not disappointed. The title says it all really - it's a concise and tutorial-like introduction to C# programming using Visual Studio.NET. The book is very well organized with "how-to" summaries at the end of each chapter, and numerous notes/hints throughout that list the sometimes subtle differences between C++/Java and C#.
   
   This was my first step-by-step book and I liked how the exercises were presented. In the early chapters, you are typically asked to open an existing project and make code or design modifications that demonstrate the topic at hand. This approach helps to speed things along and I didn't feel at any time that I was bogged down on any one chapter or exercise for too long. Before each exercise, I made a point of reviewing all of the application code first, including the forms code generated by Visual Studio. For example, as early as Chapter 2, I could see more or less how GUI event handlers are registered, even though I hadn't yet reached the section on WinForms or delegates.
   
   One suggestion I do have for the authors in any future editions is to talk more about configuring your PC before doing any ADO.NET or ASP.NET programming, e.g., how to troubleshoot when things aren't working. Even though I had MSDE and IIS installed properly, I initially had problems creating the Northwind sample database, and also with creating new ASP projects in Visual Studio (VS needs to be able to connect to your IIS server first before it can create/open ASP projects). The book didn't help me much here (neither did Visual Studio's cryptic error messages) and I had to dig around on MSDN and CodeGuru to get things working.
   
   With regards to content, there are a couple of noteworthy items. The chapter on value and reference types does a very good job of explaining the concepts using diagrams and sample code. The diagrams show you exactly what are the contents of stack versus heap memory as each line of sample code is executed. For novice programmers who have had trouble understanding reference types or concepts such as "boxing", I would recommend having a look at this chapter. Another section I liked was the sample exercise in the chapter on inheritance, which simulated a source file parser using the Visitor design pattern. The authors could have explained the program better though, by using class diagrams possibly.
   
   Overall I am quite pleased with this book and the outcome of having gone through all of the exercises. Now it's time for me to look for something more advanced on topics such as threading, .NET remoting, GDI+, ...



4. If you've never programmed before or come from a different programming language, this is the book for you. Explanations and samples are succinct. The only trouble is that when you've finished the book, you'll wish the author had written more. But all important topics for beginners are sufficiently covered. And the book is very readable as well.



5. Normally, I'd pick up a tech book like this one and use it and never comment. However, I found this book to be so useless, I feel compelled to comment. (Btw, I'm developing in VS 2005, desktop apps) I've been writing code for over 20 years and have learned (on-the-fly) more than a dozen languages, op sys, networks, etc. Bought this book as a beginner of c# - picked it up at least 10 times to look for something and never once found what I was looking for. If you're new to c#, get a different book. Also, there is plenty of help on and offline. The VS "intellisense" is the most helpful tool. I'm now, after a year, an accomplished C#/.net programmer, no thanks to this book. It is going in the trash as soon as I send this.