5 comments about Database Programming with Visual Basic .NET.

1. Been through a great number of ADO.NET books, but this is the only one so far that really covers everything I need. Not only does this book cover ADO.NET very well, including the exceptional tables in the appendixes but it also gives me msmq and sqlxml and thats good value. The authors writing style is conscise and accurate and not too dry nor does he fill the book with stupid remarks like some other authors.



2. Although this is a somewhat old book, ie. it covers 1.0 of the framework its still an excellent book about many types of data access with .net, especially ado.net. I can recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn ado.net



3. Very detailed book and extremely neat and tidy writing. Not so much more to add other than this is a great way of getting to know ADO.net and otehr database technologies and techniques.



4. This is one of the better books I've read on the subject of database programming and in particular using the .Net framework. It starts off in a slow pace explaining the details of disconnected database programming and then chapter by chapter it explains how to work with ADO.net and it then rounds off with some 'extras' in teh form of SQLXML and Exchange Server connectivity. Really good book.



5. A simple yet detailed book written by a very talented writer. I read the first edition and the second edition is by far a much better book, in particular in the way the material is presented. It does look as if the author needed some experience with the first book to really write some good stuff and he certainly delivers with the second book. I hope he'll do third with the new whidbey stuff coming out.

   My favorite chapter is 19 and if you need a book that teaches you about database programming with VB .net and ADO.netb then this book is for you.

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

1. I've already been writing some code in VB6 and wanted a basic primer for VB 2005. I chose this book because it's short; a starter kit as the title says. I figured a short book would not be so verbose as many of the Wrox titles tend to be. I was NOT disappointed. It's concise and covers a lot of ground. It's been a great introduction to VB 2005 for me and a good learning tool.
   However, I've been VERY impressed with the author. I discovered a problem (as many others have) on the 'Try It Out' on page 126. I wrote the author, thinking that if lucky I might hear back from him in a day or two. He was back to me within minutes. We worked through the problem through emails over the next several hours and finally discovered that it was a bug in the Microsoft VB 2005 engine. (Imagine!!). It really doesn't affect the book however, since this 'Try It Out' is for example only. The final version is 3 pages later where the database is attached using code and not the Microsofts 'drag and drop', code behind technique.
   
   I highly recommend this book for anyone who has some experience with VB6 or other Object Oriented Programming Languages.



2. I wasted two days on the book's project code, only to realize that they do not function. After downloading the code from Wrox's website and trying to use that code, it didn't function either.



3. I bought this book to get up and running in Visual Basic 2005 and was not disappointed. The book is well-written by a knowledgable and thoughtful author and is extensive in what it covers. The code and all examples work as stated and I learned a great deal from reading through each chapter and performing the Try It Out exercises. I plan on going through the book again to refresh the many concepts that I learned.



4. I bought this book because of the CD containing the compiler and SQL server since it took too long to download the free version with my dialup connection. It started off OK, and I was easily able to set everything up. Then I wrote the usual `Hello World' program which proved the installation was OK.
   However Chapter 2, with the complex web based starter kit kind of threw me. I followed directions and downloaded the web enabled version but by this time I decided to skip the entire chapter and get on with learning to code.
   There wasn't enough information on using the IDE. I couldn't find anything on how to rename a project or to delete one using the IDE. Also, I wish the instructions gave name to each project and gave some information on how to organize all the stuff you write.
   I finally came to this site and purchased two more books on VB which I hope to use to actually learn to program.



5. I purchased more advanced titles on VB thinking that I could get up and running quickly. Though books such as "Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 2005" by Evangelos Petroutsos are excellent books also, I needed something that I could skim through and get up and running quickly.
   
   If you need is similar to mine, this is the book for you. The explanation are concise, to-the-point, and clear and the examples are simple enough to gain an understanding of Visual Basic. The author touches on all of the major topics such as database connectivity, web connectivity, controls, classes, and even XML.
   
   There is nothing too deep or complicated in this text. It does what the title says it will do; gets you started.
   
   After reading this text I believe that I will be ready to tackle the more complex (and more voluminous) books that are out there.

5 comments about Beginning Visual Basic .NET.

1. I am an intermediate programmer. I decided to introduce myself to the new VB.NET by reading a beginner book. This book had a lot of examples. I actually enjoyed it. However, if you want to learn OOPs, this book is not for you.

   Eventually, I will read this book again because of so many code routines that it has which I didn't quite understand the first time I read it. The authors used OOPs in the book without really explaining it in detail.

   I recommend this book as a good beginner book.




2. Basically I am an infrastructure designer. I build networks, servers, and web hosting centers. I knew ZERO about programming. I had alot of ideas that I would like to write programs for but had no idea how to get started. I have one semester of cleege so I literraly have nothing when it come to programming. After buying this book and I very very close to being able to do everything I wanted to do. A WINIPCFG visual program for W2K, an admin secured chat program, etc. All I can say is great book!!!!



3. I like the WROX series books a great deal. I like the fact that they have beginning, professional, and other books on the same subject. Their site publishes errata that you can write into your book before starting it.

   But, then as I go through the book I find more typos, illogicalities, or wrong descriptions (such as telling you that you will see a particular screen upon hitting a certain menu and that is not the screen that you do see).

   I started sending in errata, one chapter at a time and was duly told that they would be sent to the "editors". Well the "editors" seem to be a "black hole", because, since about 2-3 months ago, after starting sending in what I found, I have never heard back from WROX AND there are no new updates to the errata on their site.

   Therefore, please note that some or many of your WROX books may or probably will not have up to date errata for them. I will also be sending in errata for Beginning ASP .NET Using Visual Basic .NET.

   I'll report back as to how that errata process is working also.




4. if you have a little experince in VB5 or VB6
   Do Not Buy this book
   it waste your time i will try to finish it in this week and g to better book .

   This is the best book only for beginers in ((PROGRAMMING IN GENERAL))




5. I enjoyed the Matthew Reynolds? e-commerce book last year and thought that this guy will keep doing good books. I was wrong, this book is for kids under 10 or for someone who never learnt any programming language.

No comments about Visual Basic.NET and XML: Harness the Power of XML in VB.NET Applications.

5 comments about VBA for Modelers: Developing Decision Support Systems Using Microsoft® Excel.

1. The biggest problem that I see with learning VBA is not trying to figure out topics such as object hierarchy, syntax, or "if" statements (there are plenty of excellent VBA guides for that!) No, figuring out what to do with all of the "stuff" you just learned is the bigger challenge.
   
   That is where Mr. Albright's book really stands out. While the first few chapters do provide some basic treatment of VBA, it's the other half of this book that really shines! Here you will find 16 full-blown programs that cover everything from industrial applications (process blending, product mix, production scheduling, etc.) to financial analysis programs (stock trading, portfolio optimization, etc) and much more.
   
   In these 16 chapters is where you will learn to use all that "stuff." And not only use it, but get creative with it. Mr. Albright has done a brilliant job at not only walking through the code step-by-step, but also imparting to the reader the all important "why component." After spending some time with this book, you will undoubtedly be a better technical, and equally important, creative programmer.



2. I am a little surprised at the high rating that this book seems to get from the current 13 reviewers but, then again, these are probably memebers of the books target audience. When Albright refers to "modelers" in his title he is constraining the definition very tightly to those in the business world who develop models for "management science". This book has little to do with the more general concept of modelling as it might be found in the physical sciences, engingineering, the social sciences and anything else you can think of outside of management science.
   
   What is good about this book is that it provides a fairly basic introduction to VBA in the first part in a nicely laid out fashion. It then goes on to develop example code targeted very specifically at the management science student or professional. I think this is an admirable approach and this book is probably very useful to the "management scientist" who wishes to learn VBA as it is implemented in Microsoft Excel. It is also quite nicely written. I think that within its target market this is a book that could be recommended. However, if you are not into business modelling or don't make extensive use of the Solver Add-In that ships with Microsoft Office then this book is probably not for you.
   
   Again, I wish to emphasise that this book is very tightly focused on a particular type of VBA developer: i.e. the "management science" specialist who makes extensive use of spreadsheets. As I said, the introduction to VBA programming is well laid out but there are better texts and this one is really very basic (excuse the pun). The scope of the book is not broad so don't expect to learn a lot about much of VBA that does not fall within the fairly narrow constraints of business modelling.
   
   For a general introduction to VBA programming that is far more wide reaching than this book try one of the editions of Walkenbachs "Power Programming with VBA". If you are already competent in VBA or VB programming and want a good reference book on VBA with excellent examples and a very far reaching scope then there is nothing better than the Wrox books by Bullen et al: my "Excel 2002 VBA" serves as an irreplacable reference bible even after 4 years and an upgrade to Excel itself.
   
   I am not a "management science" professional. I have been developing a number of fairly extensive specialist VBA Add-Ins as a scientist/engineer for several years now and I can honestly say that this book taught me nothing new. I didn't actually find anything wrong in any of the text or code that I studied but from my point of view the code examples are highly repetetive and very simple (definitely aimed at the novice VBA programmer). Possibley a great book for management scientists wanting to learn VBA but others can find far better in terms of both introductory texts and advanced programming texts.
   
   For mangement scientists wanting to learn VBA I would give this five stars but for all other Excel users, or potential users, of VBA I can only give it one star.



3. This is not an advanced book. Most of the references are very generic in nature and utilize approaches that I've have used previously. I didnt get much out of this book.



4. In a class where learning VBA was a sink-or-swim endeavor, this book is a real life-saver.



5. I have an earlier edition of this book (when it was only 35 bucks.) And it tells you just what you need to know about modeling with VBA, concisely and with clarity. The author's OR model examples nicely demonstrate how functionality can be built into a closed form modeling application.
   
   Another reader lamented the lack of models applied to the physical sciences in the book. For those readers, don't worry about that. Anyone interested in modeling will be able to take the author's programmatic guidance and transparently apply it to models in their own domain.
   
   The one tutorial I missed not having in the first edition are examples of calling external analytic engines using the Windows API. A common model development practice is to use Excel as the model management interface for the end user, and have VBA call an optimization or simulation engine to do the actual hard work. If that material is in the current addition, that would be a real plus.
   
   But all in all - a great book I refer to time and again.

No comments about LINQ for Visual C# 2008 (Firstpress).

1 comments about Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0: Games Programming.

1. I teach high school Computer Science and use Visual Basic 6.0 to teach it.

   I really like this book. My students, who have no programming experience, are able to understand the directions after 1 semester (unlike other books). They find this type of project fun, while learning more about programming.

   I highly recommend it, but for classroom situations and independent learning.

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

5 comments about Programming in Visual Basic. NET: Update Edition for VB. NET 2003 w/ 5-CD VB. Net 2003 Software Set.

1. Very well written text book on learning VB. The only problem I had was that the source code at the end of the chapter could have been presented in a different way. That is because I am a code junky; if you are into the concepts of programming, well then you might rate this at five stars. The included copy of VB with the book is worth the price alone. Buy this if you need to learn VB.NET or move up from older versions



2. I had to return my first one because the software set was missing but the customer service was the BEST and I got a new one right away. My e-mails were answered the same day and were very polite!



3. This is a great price for this product. It also makes VB easy to learn. The samples are great. I love this book and software.



4. It is not my nature to write a negative `book report', but this book (and the Advanced Programming Using Visual Basic.NET - by the same author(s)) does really not deserve the price. This text is full of poorly written vague explanations, the OOP terminology and coverage is watered down to bare minimum. The exercise section in this text do need more work to be understandable and to be more generic to work on the Visual Studio 2003 environment.
   The code reviews in general are superficial and unorganized. The reader/student is presented with chunks of poorly explained material like in the database section for example, where very little detail is given on the how, why questions, that goes beyond the mechanics of clicking and dragging data base components.
   There are a lot better texts available for a less price.
   The "Visual Basic.NET Primer - by Jack Purdum", book is a great, clear introduction to programming and to Visual Basic.NET for far less price.



5. The book comes with the CDs for the compiler. The software for Visual Basic is 100$ by itself, while the book gives it to you for free.
   
   The book is better than the previous version. It has a few more examples, more indepth, and a lot of the errors have been corrected. All the examples worked in the compiler (which can be rare for many programming books). The book offers all the basic skills to start programming. It is a detailed book from elementary to intermediate programming. It was a great introductory book for my college.
   
   Even though Visual Basic and the authors make coding simple, it seems that not all people are cut-out to be programmers. There isn't much programming simpler than this.

5 comments about Dan Appleman's Visual Basic 5.0 Programmer's Guide to the WIN32 API.

1. This book is about stuff. Appleman thoroughly teaches how to do stuff. This stuff is so stuffy, that it's just like all the other stuff on stuff-oids. You really should stuff this stuff.



2. Must have for VB programmers using Win32 APIs. I read the first 4 chapters completely after that it has served me as a refrences in my professional developement career.

   Not at all recommended for novices.




3. I use it as a dictionary. I tried reading the first 4 chapters, but found it to be full of stuff I'll never remember. I use it frequently as a reference guide, but there are times (rare times) where I've not been able to get the help I need. Definately not for the beginner.



4. I was disappointed that enterprise APIs were completely ignored. Windows NT networking and WNET... APIs are not here. If your writing single user GUI type apps, this book is fine.



5. I really enjoyed reading this book to get up to speed on Win32 programming before jumping into Visual C++. For any Visual Basic programmer who would like to get the most out of a program, the Win32 API is a must, and this book clearly shows how to call on the Win32 API for maximizing the potential of any Visual Basic project.