5 comments about Building N-Tier Applications with COM and Visual Basic 6.0.

1. If you consider hiring someone to explain to you what COM, MTS, N-tier app or something alike, consider buying this book first. It does not only dedicate the first few chapters to show the big picture, the theory of n-tier development and components, it also provides good examples (w/ important tips and clear explanations) to complete your knowledge with experience/practice.

   The only drawback I've seen so far is that the author missed highlighting the important code section like: GetObjectContext() in the every first example of how to create the first MTS component. Well, the good thing is that you won't want to miss any parts of this book and like to read every written line anyway. If you have intention to learn MTS, this book is definitely the start, and it won't let you down.

   There are many other MTS books out there too, but I think without this one, others are either too advanced or do not cover the foundation good enough. Start with this first!

   Good luck.




2. I think it is important to have some info about reviewer himself/herself in order to evaluate review properly. So, a few words about myself. I have been programming VB for 4 years, building distributed apps with COM/MTS for 1 year.

   This book did not add much to what I already knew. It tries to cover conseptual/architectural issues as well as "real-life" programming issues. But there is a clear gap between the level at which these are covered. The language and style of conseptual coverage is quite dence and complex and probably assumes some experience in architecture/design areas, whereas the language and examples of programming coverage is over-simplistic, as if meant for people that are new to VB (not just to MTS). That is why I said that auhtors probably did not have their target audience clearly defined.

   I think this book is more useful for managers that want to stay current with overall design trends and terminology than for practical programmers.

   Authors often refer to their book as a "wihrlwind tour" on developing distributed apps. And that's really what this book is.

   I found the chapters that cover architectural issues most usefull. The rest of information was probably intended for people with less experience in COM/MTS programming.

   If you want a more thorough overview of COM/MTS (within the boundaries of VB) with more accent on programming side, I would recommend Ted Pattison's "Programming Distributed Applications with COM and Visual Basic 6".

   P.S. Unfortunately this book was not free from some errors. For instance, on page 129 authors ask you to open some sample project and immediately proceed to Properties and set Binary Compatibility, WITHOUT saying that you should compile DLL first and specify this DLL file as a reference point. Not a big deal, but the error message VB provides is not the most descriptive one and for someone with lack of experience this can be quite a nuissance.




3. If you are new to all the new technologies out there from Microsoft. This is the best book to explain it all. I do agree with the previous reviewer, this is not an advanced book and I would recommend Ted's book if you are advanced or have mastered the basics. IF you have not mastered the basic then you will be lost in Ted's book. So, in my opinion this book is the best on the market for entry to intermediate level developers starting with COM.



4. If you are a VB programmer but not a COM programmer I think this is an excellent book to start COM study. You can have a good knowledge of a complex technology only with the first 7 chapters.



5. This book provides good background information on COM, DCOM and ADO, but there is little that can't be found elsewhere. Too much time is spent on covering ADO. The examples are too simplistic to be useful. This book is a good place to start, but it doesn't take you very far.

5 comments about Microsoft Mastering: Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Development (Dv-Dlt Mastering).

1. I have sworn by MS Press books for all my certification exams and have to say that this one is by far the most disappointing. I found it to be too superficial to be of much benefit. It works as a decent complement to other resources, but can't really be a primary resource itself.



2. I have a MCP certification thanks to this book and practice. This book teach you to create components and database application. This book assume you have experience application development with previous version of Visual Basic or have knowledge in Visual Basic. Im instructor of Visual Basic for beeginer and expert and any question about this book or Visual Basic comcepts, please don't waiting to contact me at carchie@prtc.net.



3. I passed the exam by using this book in addition to other materials.

   I thought that this book was very good in providing information on every topic. I especially loved building an application from beginning to end. But if you are purchasing it to pass the 70-176 exam, you will need additional material. For example, combining this with MSDN and Transcender is a pretty good combination. I also purchased New Riders MCSD Training Guide. It provided a lot of detail and was quite helpful as well.




4. I passed the exam by using this book in addition to other materials.

   I thought that this book was very good in providing information on every topic. I especially loved building an application from beginning to end. But if you are purchasing it to pass the 70-176 exam, you will need additional material. For example, combining this with MSDN and Transcender is a pretty good combination. I also purchased New Riders MCSD Training Guide. It provided a lot of detail and was quite helpful as well.




5. I picked up this book to brush up my VB 6 skills. Just brush up on them... I've been a VB & C++ programmer for over 7 years. After going through about 4 chapters I noticed that the authors couldn't decide on a level a detail in which to talk about their subject. They give you one topic in detail (several pages) then hit on a very closely related topic in 1/2 a page. Then you get to the exercises to practice and find that they are based on that 1/2 page of explaining a topic. And they tell you to "Please Refer to Micrsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Help" FAR too many times!!!! One thing for sure, you'll be an expert at using the Search Engine in MSDN!!! One thing I did like is the inclusion of multimedia files showing the "author" actually performing tasks... Just when you wonder what the heck they're talking about, you remember to look at the CD for a video. But even those are inconsistent. I say, use it if you know VB and need a refresher or are working with someone who knows VB. Otherwise. Microsoft has let me down AGAIN with this book. Look elsewhere.
   This book is more about how to use the automated Visual Studio capabilities than it is about teaching VB essentials. If you can't write your SQL by hand, then you should be using MS-Access. The Data Viewer & Environment is nice, but a waste...

3 comments about Learn Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition Now.

1. I buy alot of programming books and most of them get 2 pages read before they go on the shelf but this book I finished in no time flat! Good examples for a beginner. A little too much emphasize on ActiveX components but oh well. A+



2. Incredibly basic...assumes you don't know to code at all. Needs six chapters to cover variables, functions, arrays, loops! One shallow chapter about the debugger. Security coverage--a bullet on the back cover--a joke. No mention of Windows Scripting Host. Maybe good for someone who wants to learn programming...and makes the weird choice to start out with VB Script. In sum, a bizarre book.



3. First, this is a good book for learning vbscript, or brushing up if you are at a moderate level. I don't believe that expert vbscripters would find much use in it, and it is not a reference book.

   However, I have no programning background, and I wanted a good tutorial book. This is that book. Note that the book covers Vbscript has it relates to the web, not to WSH (Windows Scripting Host). I keep this book handy when scripting, and refer to it a lot, but I am still in the beginner stage.

   Again, as an introduction to vbscript, get this book!

No comments about Visual Basic .NET Core Language Little Black Book.

5 comments about Visual Basic 6 Client/Server Programming Gold Book: Building Better Enterprises and Departmental Environments.

1. Yikes! You browse through the first few pages on this book, and your interest is built up, because it pretends to be a comprehensive, state of the art review on the status of VB 6 as a development technology. It reads like it. You keep on reading, and the writing style throws you off completely. A topic is usually not developed well enough before the authors jump to the next one, and then the next, and sometimes back to the original one... it is pretty much like watching someone with ADHD browsing the Internet on Visual Basic topics. Code examples in the book are jumped straight into without much intro, and the ones in the CD have bugs in one or two of them.

   They want to cover so much so quickly, they take on so many interesting topics, and yet they mix them up so inconsistently that following this book through is almost impossible. A potentially great book, but terribly edited. reading it gave me a migraine. I'm trying to read it through again, but slowly, as to not get so frustrated, and with my word processor open in outline mode as to make sense of the mess. Too bad.




2. It is a good book for VB6. But the CD that came with my book is Visual Basic 6 Object Oriented Programming!.



3. This is an excellent book for experienced client/server developer. Author identified new concepts of database connectivity in VB6 and future trend. Reader who uses other database tools such as "PowerBuilder" will find this book useful if he or she wants to switch to VB6. It would be better if author gives more "step by step" instructions. This book is not recommended for new c/s developer.



4. The book has the worst explanations of programming concepts I have ever attempted to read and the CD-ROM is nearly worthless. You will be fortunate indeed if the examples work with your installation of VB6. Several of the examples that were to supposed to use a data control actually displayed a picture box and never did work as a data control. The only way that I could get them to work was to delete the picture boxes, add a data control and program it. For that I didn't need this book or the waste of my time trying to make the examples work. As a database programmer, I feel that the money spent on this book was a waste. I might as well have burned the money for warmth.



5. ... and hope it will never see the light of day again. This is one of the worst books on programming that I've ever read. The examples are terrible, and most of them don't work.

   Too bad that there is no zero star catagory.

   This book appears to be some class notes slapped together to cash in on the client/server "dot com" boom of the ninties. If you see it in a used book bin for a dollar, don't waste your money.

No comments about Visual Basic .Net, Spanish Edition.

1 comments about Visual Basic Programming (Dummies 101 Series).

1. I read this book and it really helped me learn how to program in visual basic. If you don't believe me then go to your local library and check it out. That's what I did, and because I liked it so much I went out and bought. Although I have told you that I like it why should you believe me? This is why, I dislike reading books but when I read this I couldn't put it down. After every fasinating page was another. As a result I am now a visual basic programmer.

5 comments about Sams Teach Yourself Database Programming with Visual Basic 6 in 21 Days.

1. While I do agree with some reviewers in terms of errors which exist in some code in the book, I strongly disagree with those who condemn this book as being inadequate. This is not a book for Vb or Programming NEOPHYTES!

   This book assumes that you know VB, and concentrates on teaching you how to develop database applications. In this area it does a marvelous job. I do agree with the authors mix of DAO/RDO and ADO. There is still a lot of DAO/RDO stuff out there which will need to be supported! It does an excellent job with its treament of ADO, DED, and data report designs. Not forgetting how to design and implement robust databases! Its database treament is even better than most database-only books I have reviewed!!

   I know of pricier books that do not come anywhere close in terms of what this book offers(teaches). If you need more or exclusive ADO stuff look elsewhere.

   I am both a professional VB/Database designer and also an instructor in VB and DB in a CIS dept and comparing this book to other books especially textbooks, you can't find anything more readable than this book!

   I score this book a 4 because of code mistakes!

   If you know VB, this is an excellent database design book for you! (Common! Let's be FAIR! The authors actually warn you up front about this fact!)




2. This is an excellent introduction to using the power of Microsoft's Jet database engine in VB programs. It covers all the basics and provides example coding throughout. Having worked my way through most of it, I can write powerful database programs easily and quickly, in a fraction of time and using a fraction of the code demanded by VB to achieve the same results. I can even understand those dreadful Microsoft Jet Database Help Screens now!!!!!! I recommend the book to experienced VB programmers.

   The book is not a 'VB programming for beginners' publication - you need to understand VB before using it. The sample code is full of errors that only an experienced VB user can detect and correct. The authour insists on using the Visdata utility to create SQL commands but does not make clear how to translate these into VB code; a VB beginner would be hopelessly confused and not understand the power and flexibility of this command. Readers also need to understand the concept of relational databases.




3. Although the book covers most of the topics associated with VB and database programming, it is riddled with grammatical errors. The source code listed in the book has errors. You will have to decipher before trying to make sense what the author is trying to explain.



4. This is neither a book for people who know nothing about database programming, nor is it a book for experienced programmers. Not sure where it's placed.

   For beginners it's very difficult to figure out what the author is saying about DAO, RDO, ADO. This is exponentially exacerbated by the fact that MSFT seems to change its mind about the standard each time they bring out a new version of Access.

   MSFT seems now to have settled on ADO as the standard, so with the bulk of this book focussing on DAO, it's not worth getting. But in reviewing, we must remember that this book was written way back in 1998 - an aeon in programming.

   I found the line numbering style reminiscent of the early days of DOS BASIC when every manufacturer had their own version. Ah, the days of my old Spectravideo.




5. This book promises much, but delivers little. Both the book and the examples from the CD are so full of errors that it is more of an example in frustration than learning. It is nothing more than a usless piece of garbage

3 comments about Programming in Visual Basic .NET w/student CD & 5-CD Visual Basic .NET 2003 software set.

1. If you want to drag and drop objects without understanding what you are doing, this is a book for you. Otherwise, there are other books that do a much better job.

   Also, in Chapter 3, there is one glaring error to note: the authors continutally describe the "@" symbol to be a wildcard in SQL Server when it is used to define a variable.




2. This is a great book for beginners and intermediate to experts whom have been working in Visual Basic 6 and now trying Visual Basic .NET.
   The book requires the open mind of a programmer and your way is easy and you will be navigating with strong wings in the wind.



3. I used this book in a programming course and I utterly enjoyed it. It is simple to understand and it comes with examples for every new concept; the examples actually work. I recommend that you do at least the first three exercises in every chapter. Doing this, will make you proficient in programming in VB.NET.

5 comments about Professional SQL Server 7.0 Programming.

1. I really did not know SQL but after reading this book i passed the SQL MCDBA exams and got certified.



2. After all the ballyhoo on this book, I went and bought it. Frankly, I'm disappointed. Were there pages missing or did old Rob forget about T-SQL error handling? With SQL Server 2000 on the street much of what you see here is old hat. Current books cover SQL 2000. This one doesn't. For a guy that apparently spends more times in newsgroups than he does with the product, the self-important style is inappropriate. Go and earn your stripes, Rob.



3. I have read both books that Rob Vieira has written on SQL Server (Professional SQL Server 7.0 Programming and Professional SQL Server 2000 Programming) and have found that both books are great for mastering SQL Server. There is still a lot of SQL Server 7.0 applications and databases out there in the real world. If you are assigned to develop or maintain such a database, you need to read this book. You could combine this with Thearon Willis' book "Beginning Visual Basic SQL Server 7.0" to get a better understanding of using SQL Server 7.0 and Visual Basic 5.0/6.0 together (and also ADO/RDO/DAO).



4. If you do a lot of in depth SQL coding then this book is great! If you are looking for a beginners guide this might not be the best place to start, however if you've already got the concepts and some experience at coding then this book can help gain an even greater depth of skill.



5. The book is in very good condition, better than it described, shipping and package was excellent, a very good buy.