5 comments about Programming Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2000 with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET (Microsoft Programming).

1. Like most people, I appreciate humor. But when I'm pressed for time and need to learn the nuts and bolts of a programming language, I'd rather an author save his chuckles for his own time. Or her own time. Whatever. Dobson's book is right up my alley. It's serious, but not complicated. The pages are filled with good, technical information, supported by concise examples and efficient diagrams. No wasted space, no wasted words.In contrast, Karl Moore's book (VB .Net: The Tutorials), though quite informative, was annoying in its silliness. This tome served as a refreshing antidote. Of course reasonable people can disagree on the humor thing--the disagreeable can go to Moore's work. In this book, multiple topics are covered well: SQL programming, including the all-powerful stored procedure, Windows application programming, XML programming and ASP.Net programming. Dobson's treatment of SQL in concert with VB .Net should help anyone get up to speed writing DB applications in no time. It is a wonderful text that successfully paints with a broad and serious stroke.



2. Be warned that the "Programming Windows Solutions with ADO.Net" chapter (chapter 10) presents only toy applications.

   Developers looking for real-world solutions will need to look elsewhere..




3. Rick's book is the best one I read on VB.NET with SQL Server. The flow of the book is unbeatable. Every chapter is clearly written and well planned to backup the chapters that will follow it. Executing stored procedures from VB.NET is the best part of the book because when I ran the code it worked. Other books I bought (too many of them!!!) do not compare to this book.
   The other thing about the author is that he replied to my email about an issue not mentioned in the book as soon as he received it. I strongly recommend this book.



4. I have read this book about SQL2000 and VB.NET. (Spanish Version)
   I don't have words to say the wonderful that it's this book.
   It' s the best programming book that I have never read.
   Thank you to write it.
   I wait a new version soon.
   Best regards from Canary Island, Spain.



5. This book is a solid introduction to SQL Server 2000 & VB.NET. I found this book to be both informative and easy to understand. That is missing in numerous books I have bought and found difficult to read and understand. The one item I had some problem with, Rick Dobson pointed me to the correct page in the book and that solved the issue. Great work Rick.

5 comments about Beginning SQL Server 2000 for Visual Basic Developers.

1. This is an excellent introduction to SQL Server 2000 for Visual Basic 6.0 developers. I used this book and Robert Vieira's Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming (Also by Wrox) to study for the Designing and Implementing Databases using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 exam (70-229). The 2 chapters on XML were especially good. Thearon does his best work when he works solo and this book is one of his best. I have his SQL Server 7 book and both books are well-written. I really like the "Hardware Tracking" tutorial that he follows for most of the book. This tutorial will also help with your Visual Basic skills. I have learned several new VB tricks just by following along. I hope that Thearon writes a Beginning SQL Server 2000 for Visual Basic.Net Developers.



2. I had to learn SQL programming with Visual Basic 6 in about a month's time for a project. This book taught me everything I needed to know to deliver the application. Everytime I came across a stumbling block in my code or in SQL Server 2000 I found the answer in this book.

   This book will make you feel that you not only know how to make Visual Basic talk to SQL Server, it will make you feel you know more than the basics of SQL Server itself. Previous to reading this book I had no idea what a stored procedure was, or how a query works in SQL Server (I had worked extensively with Microsoft Access, and these skills were not necessarily transferable to SQL Server, though many of the concepts are similar). Now I know my way around SQL Server 2000. This book fulfilled a dual purpose.

   There are chapters on Database design, SQL Server installation, SQL Server security, Querying, Stored Procedures, the SQL language, IIS, and XML. Most of the book is taken up with what developers do everyday: the storage and manipulation of data. Over 300 pages of the book is dedicated to data in general, and how to get the most out of it using VB and SQL Server.

   If you need to create a VB6 (there is no discussion of VB.NET since the book predates it) database application using SQL Server, this is the book to start with. Its bulk pays off.




3. It's very good Books with good Price and (Wrox Press)



4. OK for beginners who want to know some of the innards of SQL server, but there are two major faults. One is that newbies to networkable machines will find themselves crushed under the weight of networking and communications jargon that the author never explains, and Win98 machines can't handle half of the book. Second, the last third of the book for some 200 pages has nothing to do with VB: the samples are written entirely in XML, DHTML, and a mere snippet of VBScript. There are better VB tools for creating Web apps that can handle big datasets and ActiveX, whereas XML has enfuriatingly slow performance and an unattractive and inflexible interface that looks like something pounded out on a typewriter (remember those?). 5 stars for the first two-thirds, zilch for the remainder.



5. I have used this book and it has proven to be a highly resourceful Visual Basic and SQL Server book, that I am anxiously waiting for the release of Beginning VB.NET Databases by the same author!!!.

5 comments about Waite Group's Visual Basic Source Code Library (The Waite Group).

1. For a beginner or a intermediate user this book is definitely a must have. It contains a lot of useful codes that are commented and easy to understand. For the advanced user there isn't much to get. If you consider the fact that there are 11 authors to this book then the book seems to be a bit thin. I had hoped for much more code. The language can sometimes be a bit confusing: The code analasys is sometimes more difficult to understand than the code itself.



2. While building my own comprehensive Visual Basic library (inproc DLL), I found that I had to browse the web for hours looking for a particular routine that I needed for my newest programming projects. I came across this book while browsing the VB library at a book store, and found that it contained a lot of the code I was looking for to complement my growing library.

   What really sold me was the ZIP compression code included with the book. The code as presented is based on the freeware Info-Zip DLL library, and the example was not done well. The author didn't spend any time developing the ZIP routines other than showing how to access the DLL. So I took the sample and built a wrapper for the code, which gave me access to individual files inside the ZIP. I can now add and delete any file stored in a ZIP using my new wrapper. But it was based on the code and hints included with this book.

   There are just TONS of routines in this book that I have found very useful, including a number of network API functions that are very difficult to come by without a reference like this.

   If you are building a Visual Basic library of your own, then this book is a great asset, and I believe provides more functionality than many of the "commercial" Visual Basic libraries out there. The benefit is that you can see the code for yourself and make use of it in any way you see fit.




3. I'm not going to babble on meaninglessly, I just want to say simply "Great Book" within 2 minutes of opening it I was able to look up a procedure as well as find several others of interest on the way to the page I wanted. Within 10 minutes I had the concise code typed into a program and succesfully ran it - that is what I got the book for! Money well spent!



4. I will say upfront that I have only just started using this book.
   But it doesn't take long to realise that at least some of the code has NOT been bug tested (or tested to see if it even works).
   Specifically (so far) the Thayer encryption routine (doesn't work - had to download an alternative) and the Getfile routine (locks up after multiple uses).
   Will post a further review if matters change for better (or worse).
   The book still has a good layout and has lots of useful routines for everyone just dont expect them to work without a little 'tweaking'.



5. There are some issues with the code in this book, and it is obvious that the files on the CD were NOT bug tested. For example, the Zip32.dll file is an outdated version and does not work with the code given and the website for the new .dll file is gone. Even though there are some issues I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK! It is the best resource out there for small problems that you would otherwise need to go to a forum and post a question. If you are new to VB or are semi-experienced, GET THIS BOOK!

1 comments about Quickbasic and Qbasic Using Modular Structure Alternate Edition With Visual Basic.

1. The price is not cheaper elsewhere. unfortunately, the reviewer who made this claim was neglegent in making sure it was correct. i have checked the other two "biggie" online bookstores, ..., and the price is the same. ...P>I thought this needed clearing up. Amazon.com provides a needed service and is very good at what they do.

   Thank You

No comments about Advanced Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET: A Case-Based Approach.

1 comments about The Elements of Visual Style: The Basics of Print Design for Every PC and Mac User.

1. I bought this book with high expectations, which were largely met with a few unfortunate caveats.
   
   First, the good. I really enjoyed the first chapter, which deals with using type. The intricacies of fonts, point sizes,x-height, serif fonts, etc. are clearly presented and enjoyable to read, with good examples.
   
   for a book that claims to be, "drawn from the field of graphic design and cognitive psychology." (p x.), I was disappointed in the lack of documentation for sources. In fact, the book does often reference principles of design and psychology, I just don't know where they come from or why I should believe them. If there is a future edition, I hope they strike a happy medium, not delving into theoretical discourse, but allowing the reader to know where he or she could go to learn more.
   
   A small, but significant, problem throughout the book is that all the text in the examples is gibberish. Why not use standard Lorem Ipsum type to fill-in the lines? I found reading through the examples to be very distracting, something I have not found with other design books that do use Lorem Ipsum type.
   
   Another missed opportunity/pet peeve is that the book fails to take itself into account. none of the examples reference the actual design of the book that you are reading (for instance, pointing out why a certain font or page layout is being used in this book). This book feels a bit as though it were a rush job, or perhaps the reason is because the book designer is not the author. Again, a future version could include references to the actual book, which overall looks quite nice.
   
   This book does convey the basics, which would be very useful for a person who just wants to produce nicer looking electronic documents. Others, who have more experience with such writers as Edward Tufte or Robin Williams will likely find this book contains information, but is a sub-par experience.

4 comments about Programming Visual Basic for the Palm OS (O'Reilly Palm).

1. This book was VERY well written. Especially it gives great examples of building and debugging conduits. Unfortunately, it completely bypasses talking about how to build as installer for the conduit.

   I bought the book specifically to build conduits and this left me only 50% satisfied.




2. This book is directed at users of AppForge for VB6. AppForge is an excellent VB add-in that lets you quickly develop Palm apps in VB. You don't need a book to help you develop in App Forge.
   AppForge is very weak, however, in the Conduit and installer areas since it offers no help unless you buy the Professional version for [price] which includes the Universal Conduit. Again, if you've got that, you don't need this book to develop the conduit.
   Writing a Conduit on your own is tough and I was hoping this OReilly book would help. Sadly, all the relevant conduit info. from chapter 4 is available for free on the OReilly web site [URL]. Chapter 4 is poorly written and organized, has typos and errors and the sample code you download from the web site will not load or compile in VB6.
   I was hoping the book had much more than the sample chapter I saw on the web site. I was disappointed. If you're looking for help with Palm Conduit development in VB6, look elsehwere.



3. Collaboratively written by computer experts Matthew Holmes, Patrick Burton, and Roger Knoell, Programming Visual Basic for Palm OS is a solid and reliable programmer's guide to designing effective applications, transferring data to the PDA, building security through data encryption, and much more. Focusing especially on using AppForge to write programs, Visual Basic for Palm OS also covers SQL databases, Piedmont, and a great deal more. Step-by-step instructions, sample programs, excellent diagrams and comprehensible flowcharts make Programming Visual Basic for Palm OS a first-class reference and a highly recommended self-teaching tool.



4. Good book from two perspectives: if you use AppForge for Palm development then this is a complete (slightly dated) book, or if you use MS VB6 for conduits or Palm-flavored web applications with IIS. Almost everything in the book is backed up with running code.

   As an aside, I am not sure if the previous reviewer actually read the book or tried to run the code. There are very few typos in the chapter mentioned (which is online) and I didn't see any errors. For me, the code worked fine; the book specifically mentions VB6 and service pack 3.

4 comments about The Complete Visual Basic 6 Training Course (Complete Training Course Series).

1. This is an absolutely great book on Visual Basic 6. It covers the subject well and it has lots of useful code examples and exercises and stuff to help you learn. The problem I have with this package that includes the cdrom Multimedia Cyber Classroom is that it is nothing more than reading the book on screen. I find it punishing to sit in front of a computer screen to read for long periods and would much rather just read the book lying around on the couch or something. The presentation of the multimedia CD is great and it's a powerful presentation that lets you walk through the code examples on screen and even download them to disk. However, you can download the code from their website or even better, type it in yourself (I prefer this because it gets you in the habit of doing things because of the repetition) and run in with the book in front of you. Save some money and just buy the book alone and don't be so lazy...



2. After reading the book through twice, I have found it not only confusing but positivly frustrating. There is no way to follow the code examples straight out of the book and expect them to run in the normal compiler. You MUST use the CD which is poorly laid out and a simulation of a vb enviornment. Code Explaination was cryptic, and Examples although ample were useless because they would not compile. This is the second Deitel book I have read in the past 6 months and both were a poor experience. Even the instructor sent us out to find a better book.



3. Too many books on vb concetrate too much on the interface, rather than on decent code. There is no use in fancy, flashy gui's with poor code behind it. The first half of the book gives you the foundation you need to write good vb code. There are also challenging excercises, too many books stay with "easy" excercises and thereby give the illusion that you master the material, this book keeps you modest.The second part of the book covers subjects to more advanced topics of vb, but not in depth. A negative point is the terrible color used in the book.



4. Pretty good introduction to VB, but programming experience is recommended before attempting VB. Like others have said, the CD is unnecessary and basically is the same as the examples and text in the book. The only nice thing about the CD is you can run the example programs from the book, but it's not that big of a deal. Sometimes there is too much detail, and at other times there is too little, warranting the 4 star rating. Deitel hasn't failed me yet with programming scripture.

4 comments about Visual Basic.NET Database Programming.

1. For an experienced programmer. This book provided what I needed to understand using databases in a WinForms environment (I had used ADO.NET for ASP.NET applications). The first 7 chapters cover database basics and an overview of the data bound controls (moderately valuable for an experienced programmer). I found the real substance (in my case) in Chapters 8, 10, and 11.

   Chapter 8 covers a data entry form, how to bind data, navigate, and save changes. The first example is covered in detail the form is then enhanced with record selection options (a listbox, a treeview, and a filtered list box) only key items are discussed in the text (you need to review the downloadable code to fully understand, I like that the little things are not repeated).

   Chapter 10 works with an order entry form with multiple DB data tables being maintained and navigating through the twists. Again, several approaches are presented so that you can choose the one with the look & feel you like. Chapter 11 discusses the mult-user situation.

   I feel that these examples and clear writing allowed me to make the leap into data bound forms (I came from mostly Access programming where that is well handled). 4 stars because I would like to have seen some discussion/examples of an application with multiple screens and suggestions on how to address a slightly bigger application, but the book delivers on its stated goals.




2. This is a great book for breaking into ADO.net, if:
   
   (1) You are familiar with VB.NET and RDBMS concepts and have programmed production database applications with VB6 or other older technologies.
   
   (2) You are not familiar with ADO.net or at least not enough to put an actual application together.
   
   This book will provide a quick, yet thorough, path to fluency using WINFORMs with SQL Server using ADO.net. You have to read the necessary text and code samples thoroughly, and probably repeatedly.
   
   ADO.net is the most powerful and elegant database technology from Microsoft so far. It is very productive if you understand and apply it fully.
   
   The entire book is useful and well written, but the following chapters, in my opinion, are the salient ones for an experienced programmer trying to understand ADO.net:
   
   Chapter 5 - Datasets. ADO.net represents an application's view of RDBMS data as an "in memory database" called a Dataset, complete with various mechanisms for tracking all aspects of transaction processing. Understand this new model completely.
   
   Chapter 6 - Database Connections. The DataAdapter is the new class used for carrying out the actual transactions. Understand it and its associated classes thoroughly. Each DataAdapter contains and carries out commands for Retrieving (Filling), Inserting, Updating, and Deleting sets of rows for a specific DataTable of a Dataset. These commands are most conveniently built by the CommandBuilder. Once you understand this last sentence, you are in good shape.
   
   Chapter 8 - Bound Controls are largely the same as old ADO, but be aware of how a Datagrid bound to a Datatable, when used properly, automates implementation of line items such as order lines.
   
   Chapter 10 is the first chapter that pulls it all together into an operating Windows Form application. Once you understand how the Dataset and DataAdapter families of classes are used here, you are well on your way. You might even start with this chapter for HOW it works and then refer back to the earlier chapters for WHY it works.
   
   Chapters 11 and 12 expand to a robust application of production quality, introducing the necessary multiuser hooks and better UI for queries.



3. Let's start with the (little) negative part, and that's the way this book is organized. In my opinion the first 4 chapters and the appendix A/B should be presented in a different way. I'll see many people starting with chapter 5, or even with the appendix if you need to refresh your knowledge about SQL.
   During the past years, i have been working on database apps. with VB6 and SQL Server, and since a while, i had been experimenting a little with data in the .NET environment. In my case, this was the book I needed, because the author does not waste too much time on explaining how to create your first stored proc or how VB works.
   Also, he doesn't compare the old ADO with the new ADO .NET which you will see in many other books. No, in chapter 5 you'll get everything to know what you need about the Dataset, maybe some stuff you knew before, but with the details you need, and things start to become more interesting in chapter 8 until the end of the book.
   If you are looking for a way to create a quick, nice user interface
   by using a datagrid for example this is not the book for you, because these are hardly mentioned.
   Instead of this, you'll get to know how to work with xml data, master/detail rel., data binding, images, multi user, query by example,etc. in other words, the data itself.
   Excellent book, in case you know the basics about VB .NET and if you've been playing a little bit with ADO .NET, and need to go a step further. However, have a look at the content before you buy.

   Gunther




4. I was truly excited when I acquired this book. However, after spending much time painstakingly following code that promised much but produced nothing; I can with all honesty say use your resources more prudently.

5 comments about Excel 2000 VBA: Programmers Reference (Programmer's Reference).

1. This book had potential, but it is so full of errors that it is practically useless. It needs a good editor with lots of patience and time to make the corrections.



2. I've owned this book since it has been published and I still keep it at my desk. This reference is a handy size and is packed full of information that applies even today. Amazing!



3. I think that John Green outdid himself on this book, the people who gave it a bad review oviously have no experence with Exel, the book is the best refrence that I have ever seen. All the codes are easy to get to function, really John, you couldn't have done a better Job!
   Great job Dad!!



4. I have been programming with VBA for approximately 6-7 years now. This book is probably not for the beginning programmer. It does a very good job at describing the object model (at least it did for me). I have found it to be a wonder resource book and have learned several new things as I have read through it. The only reason I have given the book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I don't feel the index does an adequate job. There are things I know I have seen in the book, but have difficulting locating it again. I have yet to find a VBA book that explains everything, so I would certainly recommend adding this book to your VBA library.



5. I it gives you the right information to start, for learning is great because you don't need a lot you just need the right basics and then you can construct from there.