5 comments about The Beginner's Guide to Visual Basic 4.0 (Beginner's Guides).

1. This is an excellent book for beginners. It got me going on a language that promised only confusion at first. The "Try It" sections are sometimes advanced , but they are for interesting projects and the search adds to their interest. As he suggests files - rather than databases - are out of fashion - but more on their mechanics would have interested me. BUT well worth the cost



2. This book does a wonderful job of teaching the essentials of Visual Basic. It does not cover some more advanced topics, but as a beginner's book, it shouldn't! Excellent place to start for VB



3. This book starts off very slow and gradually eases the reader into VB4. The book does a great job of explaining the fundamentals of VB4. If you want to know the how and why part of programming this book will defineately answer your questions.

   My only complaint is that the book is written much like other programming books and it is rather boring in places. Chapters one and two are also directed at the beginner. So if you have any previous knowledge of this language those two chapters don't teach you anything new.




4. This book does what it says it will. It will teach you VB 4. The first two chapters can be skipped if you're familiar with other programming languages but the rest of the chapters are simple great.

   The information is conveyed in an easy to use manner and the way it is presented makes it easy for even a computer block head to understand. The "Why not try..." sections are kind of hard but they make you see how you can put to use what you just learned.




5. This review is a little too late because VB4 has long been sent to oblivion by all the developers. But this is really a great book for beginners to learn VB. Very few books touches DAO (of course, it is obsolete nowadays, but sometimes it is still good for building Access frontends).

   I think the only thing that VB4 does not serve well is in terms of building user's own classes. But that is somewhat an advanced topic. so if you dont know VB at all, this is still the book to get.

3 comments about Schaum's Outline of Visual Basic.

1. If you are new to Visual Basic, this is the book for you. Buy this book and have a flying start with VB. In this very slender book you'll get the basics of Visual Basic programming. The book explains in a very straight forward & brief manner the IDE, how to work with it, variables et al in very precise way, thankfully no complicated way of discussing various issues. At the end of the book you'll find answers to various exercicse given in the book. That is indeed very helpful.



2. I had a project in a Nuclear engineering company that required a GUI for a FORTRAN based program. I waded through a few VB books but none were explained in a nice step by step fashion. Microsofts VB 6.0 step by step was horrible . Balena is a good book but for advanced readers.
   
   So My first month was unproductive as I did not have a good book and was learning and proceeding by Microsofts online help .
   
   
   then I got this book and I picked up VB in 2 days , and then after getting the entire picture and the basic concepts , I was able to delve into the more arcane matters using balena .
   
   I reccomend this book for every First Timer in VB .



3. I read a few pages and found it easy to comprehend. Hope to use it as a reference.

No comments about Clearly Visual Basic: Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic 2008.

5 comments about Professional Visual Basic 6 XML.

1. This is has been a disappointment for me. I purchased this book because of a project I am working on. It told me everything I already know and gave terribly laid out examples.

   I was never quite sure working through the examples if the code was required or if the Authors were merely showing us what they could do with XML/VB.




2. The following is a sentence from page 131 paragraph 1 of this book: "After declaring a generic Node object to serve as the parent node for the new node, and a variable to hold our function response, which we optimistically set to True - which will be changed if our attempt at adding the node fails, we check to see if the node index is within bounds, using IsNodeIndexOK, described just after this function."

   The logical flow to the entire book in not much better.

   This makes learning anything about XML and VB difficult. I have spent more time attempting to determine what the authors are tring to say than I have learning about XML.

   I was able to work with the sample code to some extent. But even the sample code was incomplete and more difficult to follow than necessary.

   With a complete rewrite this could possibly be a good book.




3. I purchased this book to learn to do DOM programming, not to use the code provided by the authors. I was hoping for clear examples, instead I got a book that expects me to download their sample code or type it all in (and there is ALOT) in order to easily follow the samples. Typically this would be fine, but a majority of the functions and classes you can download are poorly explained, or not explained at all. This book is more like instructions on how to use a lot of code written by the authors to manipulate XML.
   I own two other WROX books, these book were easy to follow and gave just the right amount of code to get me going. This book does neither. Big disappointment.



4. Although Microsoft has moved on to VB.net, many developers are still using VB6. It has become increasingly hard to find VB6 XML info on, say, MSDN, so a book like this is essential.

   The code examples are clear and practical. The book manages to work well both as a how-to and a reference. If I were to nitpick, there are two things would mention. First, because of when the book was published, it does not cover the most currenrt version MSXML. However, porting the code samples to newer versions of the DLL is quite easy. Second, the book does not come with a CD. An HTML or PDF version of the book, with a searchable index, would be sweet.

   Overalll, though, this is a good deal if, like so many, you are still working with VB6.




5. According to an e-mail I recieved from Wiley, "Wrox Press Book Company was liquidated in the Spring and no longer exists. The books were sold to various companies. Wiley acquired only 34 of the over 350 books and the rights to the www.wrox.com website address. You'll find the complete list of books currently available from Wiley/Wrox Press at http://www.wrox.com/misc-pages/booklist.shtml "

   This book is not on that list. That means that the publisher no longer provides support for it, and it will probably never be updated.

   I bought this book because it was one of the very few books available that covers using XML in Visual Basic. Altho not the easiest book to follow, it does contain a great deal of useful information. Unfortunately, both VB and XML are changing rapidly, and the information is getting out of date fast.

   By the way, don't even bother sending in the registration card that comes with this book. Wiley didn't renew the business reply permit, so the card will just bounce back in the mail.

1 comments about Learn Microsoft Visual Basic .NET In a Weekend (In a Weekend (Indianapolis, Ind.).).

1. I must say... THIS IS A GREAT BOOK! i am a vb6/asp developer and had some contact with vb.net before but couldnt quite understand some parts of it until i read this book. It set me on the right track to begin working with both asp.net and vb.net a must have for anyone who wishes to learn vb.net the right and quick way.

5 comments about Introducing Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 for Developers (Pro - Developer).

1. This "book" is like a rough draft of a sales brochure. It appears to be mainly a sales promo aimed at VB6 programmers. It is a very brief overview that is filled with errors. The code download and errata are not available on the given site. The code in the book is mere snippets that constantly refer the reader to the nonexistent code download. Net framework 2.0 is frequently referred to as version 1.2 making it difficult to know if they meant version 1.1 or 2.0. It is not possible to run any code with the snippets they provide. The book has little value except as an error filled sales brochure for nonprogrammers. The authors and MS Press should be ashamed to put out garbage like this book.



2. I must say that this book is one of worst I have ever seen. It doesn't teach you anything you cannot find out your self after playing with vb for a week.



3. 1) Assumption of mastery of OO concepts despite fact that many developers may *not* be coming to VB2K5 from, say, Java... Given that Microsoft is famously Balkanized internally and regards VB programmers as beloved-but-second-class, you'd think the approach and assumptions would be different.
   
   Also, as per point #4 (below), given "conceptual" orientation of the book, you'd think more weight would be given to clarity and depth of expression for actual underlying concepts (as opposed to, say, simply how things differ from the last version of ASP, or whatever).
   
   2) Disturbingly self-congratulatory: "Gee, the whizzes at Microsoft have really topped themselves with [whatever whacky feature]!"
   
   3) Obtuse references to difficulties of the environment: "Sure there are a kabillion esoterically-organized classes in the Base Library. Now that's not a problem because we've got the 'my' object!"
   
   4) "Walkthroughs" rather than exercises. Code examples are "representative" rather than runnable.
   
   You can't appeal to everyone all the time. However, this book will appeal to no one.



4. Interesting book, but somewhat superficial.But gives good
   examples of the new language enhancements.



5. I've read the first couple of chapters of this book, and so far I find it a very readable introduction to VB.NET 2005.
   
   This book works best if you have prior VB experience either with VB 6.0 or VB.NET. I have experience with VB 3.0 through VB 6.0 and made the switch to VB.NET 2002 in Beta 2.
   
   I personally am not interested in examples prior to VB.NET but the author sometimes includes VB 6.0 examples.
   
   The author does a fine job of comparing and contrasting collections in VB 6.0, .NET Frameworks 1.0/1.1 and .NET Framework 2.0.
   
   The book offers a to the point introduction of generics. He explains the benefits and how and why they should be used. This particular chapter has sample code to compare the performance of a fixed length array to an Array List to a generic List. The only problem with the code is that it uses an undefined function to compare the resulting execution times. It was easy to write the missing code, but the code shouldn't be missing.
   
   It's true that you can eventually find everything the book says either on the web or by experimenting with the product, but the book does a good job of leading you through the new features in a meaningful way.
   
   The author refers to .NET 1.2 which today doesn't exist. We know it as .NET 2.0, but in the early days it was referred to as 1.2.
   
   I'm going to read this book as a review to help prepare me for a VB.NET 2005 class that I will attend soon. If you already know a lot about the new features of VB.NET 2005 then you probably don't need this book.
   
   After I've finished reading the book I'll edit this review to let you know if my feelings have changed.

1 comments about VB.NET: A Laboratory Course.

1. I have been teaching a community education course in Visual Basic 6.0 for several years. With the advent of VB.NET, I began searching for a book that could be used to teach it. The requirements are that it be in a laboratory format, start at a low level and be fairly thorough in coverage.
   Unfortunately, this book is nowhere close to meeting those requirements. While it is structured as a series of exercises, the coverage is far too shallow to be used in anything but the shortest of courses. Very few of the exercises get beyond the simplest of structures and there is very little demonstration of how subroutines interact. The exercises generally consist of a simple program where the user is to insert very small segments to make it functional.
   We have been using the Shelley and Cashman book for the VB 6.0 course and this book barely covers half of what is covered in the that book. I have recommended that this book be dropped from adoption consideration.

5 comments about GDI+ Programming in C# and VB .NET.

1. I'm currently writing a comprehensive review of the VB.NET books for the visualbasic.about.com web site (you can see the full review of Nick's book there after November 20) but I wanted to respond to the anonymous reviewer who said that the book was lacking in quality right now in this forum. It most certainly is not lacking in quality. APress consistently publishes quality books and this is no exception.

   I downloaded the source files and ran several at random just to check whether there were any problems. The examples I ran worked perfectly. The content is well formatted with clear examples and great organization. And further, Microsoft really doesn't have that much documentation of GDI+ on MSDN and what they do have isn't really helpful as a tutorial. (Actually, the best alternatives to Nick's book right now are chapters from some of the comprehensive VB.NET books.)

   Full disclosure: Other than a friendly relationship, I don't work for APress and I don't even know Nick. I've just read his book to allow me to review it.




2. Just a rehash of the material on MSDN. Not much to this -- don't waste your money.



3. For anyone interested in VB Graphics, the book provides information, but then immediately jumps to the same information in C#, causing an almost total loss of concentration. I presume the same occurs for anyone interested in C#. If the writer were to remove all reference to C#, it might be a good text on VB Graphics, vice versa would probably do the same for C#. I'll just keep looking for a good graphics text for VB.NET elsewhere. I can produce excellent graphics with VB6, I just hope I can eventually do as well with VB.NET.



4. If you know how to read MSDN documentation, this book is worthless for you. Otherwise is a good beginners introduction.



5. This book is a good introduction to GDI and GDI+ programming. If you are a novice in GDI (as I am) and things like device contexts and selecting objects are unfamiliar to you, then this book should be good for you. (Note: I'm a novice when it comes to GDI. I've more than 30 years programming experience.)
   
   I had purchased this book so that I could do one thing: Copy a window from the screen to the printer. It turns out that this is a surprisingly complicated operation. That, of course, is not the book's fault but Microsoft's.
   
   A sample program (downloadable from Apress's website) allows you to copy a window to the printer ... but!
   
   The "but" is that the image that ends up on the printer is stretched and deformed.
   
   The book does not even mention device independent bitmaps (DIBs). That's a surprise for an introductory text on graphics.
   
   I also had a lot of trouble following his explanation on the various coordinate systems.
   
   OK, enough of the negatives.
   
   The positives are that this book is well written. The author appears to try hard to impart useful information in a breezy and easy to read manner. I really did learn a lot about GDI and GDI+ and graphics. I learned more about this subject in the few hours that I spent reading the book than I learned in several years of fumbling.
   
   Some reviewers complain about having to bounce between VB and C#. I found this not to be a problem.
   
   One reviewer said that this is a rehash of the information in the MSDN. I found this not to be so. More to the point, the author of this book organized this subject in a manner that is comprehensible to the novice. Such is not the case with the MSDN which is "a prerequisite for itself."
   
   In conclusion, the book simultaneously disappoints and delights. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

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.

5 comments about Murach's ASP.NET Web Programming with VB.NET.

1. I have never been so irritated and frustrated by a book in terms of its presentation and format. If any newcomer is able to follow along with the tutorial application and actually build it, I'd be very, very surprised.
   
   I just do not see the point of having the book's text on even pages and a bulleted review of that same text (along with code) on odd pages. There's no mention of how to code the HTML portions, you have to already know how by looking at some screen shots. There's just no follow-through from chapter to chapter as the author grows the application.
   
   I'm still searching for a book on ASP.NET that walks the reader through the construction of an actual, useful application from A to Z.



2. Simply said: One of the best books I have ever bought!
   
   I needed to dive into ASP.NET pretty fast because I had a project running to its deadline. I was a programmer who knew Visual Basic and Delphi pretty well. I did know the theory of ASP.NET but had no practical experience. This book teached me in a record time how to build and get my first web application up and running.
   
   The best starter's book you can imagine. The second book I bought on the subject was ASP.NET Unleashed, which is a marvellous book if you have some ASP.NET experience.
   
   For a beginner Murach's book is simply a dream, and although I have written a couple of web applications now, I still use it as a quick reference. WORTH EVERY PENNY IN GOLD.



3. I bought this book in hopes that the author would clearly explain building the halloween shop sample application from the ground up, but after chapter 1, the author totally loses you as far as next steps are concerned.
   The first chapter has actual "excercises" which get you started in building the sample application. After that, most chapters don't contain these exercises, therefore you have to build the rest of the application based on the screen shots/code snippet's in the chapter.



4. I recently got hold of a copy of this book (full title: "Murach's ASP.Net Web Programming with VB.Net") and it is terrific. In particular, it includes the best walkthrough and problem solver of using IIS I've yet seen - and I know from the Forums that this very early step causes a lot of people a heap of problems. (Me included at one time! )
   
   The book uses a technique of having the main narrative on the left hand page, backed up by important summaries and/or diagrams on the right hand page. This can be quite useful for reinforcing those particularly tricky areas and is handy for flipping back to when you need to recheck something. Overall, I think it works great.



5. Before purchasing this book, you should know that the author expects you to have been exposed to the skills taught in Murach's Beginning Visual Basic.Net.
   
   Having said that, this book is written in an easy-to-follow format that led me step-by-step toward the skills needed to become the most knowledgeable ASP.Net developer on my team. It hits every subject I've been exposed to at work, making it an excellent reference as well. This book also helped me to strengthen my object-oriented development knowledge.
   
   One of the biggest advantages of this book over others is that it taught me how to develop using Microsoft Visual Studio ("VS"). Unfortunately, learning ASP.Net using Notepad instead of VS is like learning to drive using a go-cart instead of a car. Almost all employers expect their .Net developers to know their way around VS. With this book, you're covered.