2 comments about AS/400 Client/Server Programming with Visual Basic 5.0.

1. In Part One the author wastes pages teaching VB. Many other publications and the VB online help do much better. In Part Two, the author covers ODBC, Data Queues, and APPC. But ODBC is covered poorly and in connection with DAO - not RDO. Using ODBC with DAO as opposed to RDO is specifically discouraged by both IBM and Microsoft (see their Web pages). ADO is only mentioned in the appendix. If you are interested in APPC (WinAPPC API) this book might be helpful. Same for Data Queues. Do not get this book if you are trying to improve ODBC coding in VB or want a generic SQL client. The author also misguides programmers. He should have noted that IBM is openly more committed to TCP/IP than SNA communications. SNA (and thus APPC) is fast becoming a legacy. Thus, coding to SNA in particular and coding to a non-generic model would not be advisable for most companies. I was looking for a book with up to date and thorough details. This book is dated, lacks complexity, and misses important details.



2. This book is excellent for people just learning Visual Basic. It assumes no prior knowledge and teaches you VB using analogies that relate the new material to concepts familiar to the AS/400 Programmer.

1 comments about Microsoft Visual Basic 5 Introductory Concepts and Techniques.

1. Why do you ship this book out, I understand that you need to make a salary of over 1.5 million a year, but do not make this dumb book available to the public unless your selling it as pyre, it is not worth buying especially if you know what you are doing. Making this book easy enough for a pre-schooler to read really pisses us adults off, insulting our intellect is not the wisest thing to do, because we are the ones who buy your books.

No comments about Visual Basic 6 Curso Iniciacion.

No comments about Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 for Windows.

3 comments about MCSD Test Success: Visual Basic 6 Distributed Applications.

1. This is NOT a suitable book to prepare for the exam. It contains a lot of syntax whereas the whole exam is scenario based. I studied it through and through and failed. This book is a good revision of the actual study guide, but defenitely not a guaranteed pass for the exam.



2. I used this book as my primary study guide for the exam and I barely passed the exam. If I hadn't used the Visual Basic 6 Distributed Exam cram and Transcender as supplements, I probably would have failed. This book does not provide enough depth on vital information for the exam. I would recommend using the transcender and exam cram to pass this exam. Don't waste your time and money on this book.



3. I used this book as my primary study guide for the exam and I barely passed the exam. If I hadn't used the Visual Basic 6 Distributed Exam cram and Transcender as supplements, I probably would have failed. This book does not provide enough depth on vital information for the exam. I would recommend using the transcender and exam cram to pass this exam. Don't waste your time and money on this book.

5 comments about Programming Visual Basic .NET.

1. This book does a great job helping existing programmers move into .NET quickly. The book's organization of topics and sample applications are also great. I'd recommend it highly.



2. While this book does contain a little bit for everybody, it's not presented as well as in some other books. Some great explanations and examples, but most are at a very introductory level.

   The chapter on ASP.NET is well organized, and everyone interested in using ASP.NET will learn something. There is a great section on data validation and a clear explanation on how to use the Application, Session, and Cookie objects. ASP developers should have little trouble ramping up to ASP.NET quickly. Be aware that the coverage of ADO.NET is sketchy at best.

   All in all, Programming Visual Basic .NET is a good book. Not the best book you'll ever read on the subject, but a good beginning level book. If you've every had any experience with Visual Basic or ASP, most of the examples will be very easy to pick up on. However, you'll want to pick up at least one additional book to cover some of the gaps left by this book.




3. Excellent book with a comprehensive view of using VB.NET to develop Windows-based and Web-based solutions, including Web services.

   The second chapter in the book, "The Visual Basic .NET Language" was particularly helpful with an in-depth view of the VB.NET language constructs and keywords. The third chapter explains the .NET CLR, assemblies, garbage collection and other concepts new to .NET very clearly.

   This book is excellent for programmers moving from classic VB to VB.NET, people new to the VB.NET language, and as a language reference for more advanced users.




4. Programming Visual Basic .NET does an excellent job of covering all of the language elements and associated .NET framework topics that a developer will need to become an effective VB.NET programmer. This book is successful by getting straight to the point and tackling the issues that programmers need to understand the new language, how it fits in with the .NET framework, and how it differs from Microsoft's previous incarnations of Visual Basic.
   
   In the early chapters Dave covers all of the important VB.NET language constructs and the .NET framework with a clear tone and effective examples. The chapters on Windows Form development are particularly helpful in understanding GUI programming in the language, and how to take advantage of the many new features in .NET including control docking and anchoring, and menu programming. He covers both using the tools in Visual Studio.NET, as well as exploring the creation of Windows Forms through code. This type of in depth information is very helpful for any developer who really wishes to know and understand what's going on behind the scenes of Windows Forms.

   The later chapters are similarly well presented and explain the important aspects of additional technologies of the .NET Platform that are central to successful application development. The chapter on ASP.NET does a great job of explaining user controls, form validation, and security in ASP.NET. I've found this information critical in designing solutions that target the web. While the chapter on ADO.NET is perhaps not as comprehensive as the rest, I found the information to be quite helpful and informative enough to implement complete data access solutions. Similarly, the chapter on programming web services in VB.NET has been a great help in understanding how web services function, and their importance in communications across the internet.

   Overall I find this book to be a great introduction to the Visual Basic .NET language itself, as well as a great tool for understanding how to use Visual Basic .NET to harness many of the exciting features of the .NET platform.




5. I've only read the first 100 pages but I've seen a number of important examples where the author distills key concepts in a few pages or even paragraphs that would take other authors an entire chapter("Delegates" as one example) and yet the author's explanantion is still clearer. This book is not for programming beginners, its for intermediate or higher programmers making the transistion to .NET. This book is still useful in 2006 to explain some key concepts in VB .NET although there have been minor changes in the language since it was written.

No comments about Developing Projects Using Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0/6.0.

5 comments about Teach Yourself® Visual Basic® 6.

1. If you want to learn visual basic 6 then this book is what you need. It explains everything you need to know about programing and writing code. If I were you i would go buy this book right now.



2. This book did not give enough instructions to complete the projects. Every time I tried to do one of the projects, I had to go to an experienced VB programmer to see what was missing. The programmer confirms that it is not ME!! He says that there is no way the projects could work if you follow the instructions the way they are written in the book. There were always key parts left out.



3. This book is not for beginners. The computer terminology seems to advanced for beginners, but the beginner must decide that. The beginner should read pages 5-8 before buying this book as their introduction of VB.

   The screen shots are helpful, but sometimes they do not match the text descriptions step-by-step. However, I like this book for its breadth of coverage from: Deployment, Internet Applications, OLE, Images, Multimedia, the good old get/put file operations, and more than 1000 screen shots.

   As another reviewer has said, the coverage is not 100% complete, therefore I would not recommend it for beginners, but to get an overview and use for particular programming techniques in BASIC, I would still recommend the book. Also buy Harold Davis' VB6 Book for a better step-by-step approach.

   I have 4 VB6 books and the Hartman book I use as much as any. The MDI ( Multiple documents with the same parent form ) coverage was confusing to me and wasted pages on an example to show that MDI forms can't directly hold buttons and other data input controls.




4. This is a great book for the intermediate to the advanced beginner. There are a lot of programs included and the
   diagrams super helpful. The wide range of topics covered and the numerous links to great sites alone, made this a buy for me. I would suggest, for the absolute beginner (no previous programming
   skills) to start off with an easier "VB for Dummies" type book, and then go for Patricia Hartman's.



5. I have read dozens of books on programming languages and tools and this is the worst that I have ever used. The book is very hard to follow, the examples are incomplete and require significant additional research to completed. I would not recommend this book to a beginner, they will become very frustrated.

No comments about Microsoft Visual Basic 3.0 for Windows: Double Diamond (Question of Science Book).

No comments about Show Me Windows 3.1: A Visual Guide to the Basics (Show me).