3 comments about C++/C# Programmer's Guide for Windows 2000.

1. I knew I was in trouble when I cracked open the books and saw that the appendix started on page 139 of a 356 page book. The book only has 5 chapters all only lightly skim the surface of each topic.

   Chapter 1 - Introduction (Windows 2000 OS Architecture), 7 pages of cursory information found in every whitepaper and book ever written since Windows NT was release years ago.

   Chapter 2 - Processes, Threads and Jobs in Windows 2000, ho hum - about 30 plus pages on how to create processes, threads and jobs (cursory information once again).
   

   Chapter 3 - .Net Architecture, granted if you have *never* read anything on .NET then the next 45 or so pages would serve as a good primer (or go to msdn.microsoft.com for the same information for free).
   

   Chapters 4 - Visual C++ 7.0, OK now were getting some where, {ugh!} 7 pages of product information describing the features within the different versions of VC++ 7. Page 99 - Programming with Managed Extensions for C++, maybe just maybe we'll get to the meat - no such luck. In the next 20 or so pages everything is covered from classes, boxing, arrays and exception handling, a whirlwind tour.
   

   Chapter 5 - C#, only 11 pages were required to gloss over the best language ever to come out of Redmond, culminating with a heart stopping rendition of "Hello World".
   

   The remainder of the book in puffed full of SDK information, Alphabetic lists of API, data types, process/thread priority constants, namespaces and compiler options. And for some odd reason way in the back of the book there are appendices on Attributes, Debugging and a 3 page tutorial. To be honest I didn't crack open the CD, there wasn't enough code in the book that I considered useful for anything except, Console::WriteLine(). To say the least I will be returning the book, thus the reason for not cracking open the CD.
   

   I was looking for good examples of managed and unmanaged C++ code, examples of how to migrate existing unmanaged code to the managed world, how to get C++ and C# to happily co-exist in the same implementation and examples of MFC, ATL and ATL Server in the managed environment. The best way to get this information is to download the beta version of VS and check out the help files.
   

   The author states that the book is not intended to be a "bible" book, well why then does nearly half of the book have SDK information. Also the back of the book states, "All the information you need to create sophisticated Windows 2000 applications", I about gagged the only useful piece of code I could find is "Hello World" written in C#, the rest are just snippets. I'm sorry for ranting on this book; I hope Dr Reeves' COBOL Programming Using .NET Framework book to be released early next year is much more comprehensive.




2. This is the second book I have thoroughly enjoyed by this author. The first, Win32 System Services, I found as a practical guide for an experienced C programmer. This book on C# and .NET. is geared more toward the C++ programmer. I found the coverage of .NET outstanding, and the language itself to be thourough.



3. First read "Sorely Disappointed", and then add this to that excellent review:

   Avoid this blatant and failed attempt to do no more than fill a hole in a pubisher's lineup.

   This slender, shallow and derivative work is bulked up not only with two pages of appendix for every page of text, most of which is available from Microsoft in the online documentation, but it continues to insult the intellience of the purchaser by declaring on the back cover:

   "The accompanying CD-ROM contains code examples covering the material discussed in the book"

   Instead, the reader gets a 7 mb grab-bag of C++/C# code, some dlls, and a few readmes. Not one single example keyed to the text.

   Of course to get anyone to buy this book, they had to be able to to say, "See, we have a CD!".

   Yes, and they have words on a page too. But you can do better with your money.

No comments about Why Should You Care about SOA? Presentation.

No comments about Wipro: Global IT Transformation Services Leveraging SOA ZapNote.

No comments about Solving Information Integration Challenges in a Service-Oriented Enterprise White Paper.

1 comments about Visual C#: .Net Developer's Handbook with CDROM.

1. This book introduced in great detail the potential that exists in C# and .Net framework. It tackles advanced concepts such as distributed computing, XML, and multi-threading while still keeping core ideas and practices. It touched many subjects to a degree that wasn't confusingly deep but sufficiently interesting to warrant further thought. It is a great resource for anyone interested in what .Net and C#, in particular, provide.

No comments about ZapNote: Epicentric ZapNote: Web Services Portal Platform and User Interface Specifications.

No comments about Sales Strategies for SOAs Presentation.

5 comments about C# Application from Inspiration to Implementation.

1. Picked up on Joe's and the N.C reader, I would have given it 1/2 star if only the rating system goes that low.

   Can't imagine that neither the author, nor editor, or anyone else involved in producing this book didn't realize how bad a job they'd done. Like the N.C reviewer said, Chapter 4 started on page 49 on "Constructing the database", then suddenly page 51 starts Chapter 2 and goes on to page 74 about Apache server. Then out of the blue, the next page is numbered 83 talking about XML with the title 'Coding the application' on the page header.
   From the summary of contents:
   Chapter 4 'Contructing the Database' page 49,
   Chapter 5 'Preparing the Design Specification' page 63
   Chapter 6 'Coding the Application' page 77.
   That means 3 out of 12 chapters are all/partly missing from the book.
   On page 3, credits were mentioned with 11 Technical Reviewers, 5 different editors, and Proofreader, Indexer, Production Coordinator and Project Manager. With over 20 names mentioned, and no one caught these "IN YOUR FACE" errors before it went to press is beyond comprehension. Sadly, the author's name went down with this book.




2. This one book must not be rated at all!- yes, not even a 1. But everybody must know before they buy it - some chapters are missing and a chapter was taken from another book. Thus, you have to imagine what really goes into those missing chapters. I cannot believe that Amazon is still carrying this book in their website. Why, to populate it with complaints! So arise and be counted: lodge your complaint about this book.



3. I was fortunate to get a "good" copy of this book - i.e., without all these printing horrors so vividly described by other frustrated reviewers (missing chapters, wrong pages, inserts from another book on Apache server, etc.) - and have found it very useful.
   
   I think this book could have a great value for someone, who has some programming experience with a fragmented "academic" knowledge on .NET, but has not had much of "real life" experience on developing and implementing desktop .NET applications. In my opinion, the author does keep his promise - to show "the entire process of desktop software construction from design to delivery". Also, I have found a number of useful little tips (e.g., on organizing your code and its documentation, enhancing GUI with self-made custom icons, etc.) - of course, nothing "revolutionary" or "mind-blowing" - everything can found in other books or in on-line tutorials...
   
   Chapter 8: "Custom Controls" - in my opinion - is almost excellent and could be very helpful for a novice developer like myself: unlike in so many other books, both custom control examples presented by the author have some "real life" value and contain a few lines a rather not trivial code.
   
   Provided that you have a GOOD copy of this book, it could be a nice reading -- for someone who wants to get a quick overview on using VS .NET -- over a weekend or within just a few days.



4. I found the source code for this book (and two additional chapters in PDF format) at
   
   http://support.apress.com/books.asp?bID=186100754x&s=0
   
   Hope this helps.



5. I loved this book until I found out it was just one piece of a book puzzle. This takes printing errors to a whole new level. I would like to read the book in its entirety if I could find it. Does anybody know how to identify a good copy?

No comments about Teros: Securing Web Services Data and Interfaces ZapNote.

No comments about Service-Oriented Architecture: Why and How? White Paper.