Customer Reviews

Beginning VB.NET, Second Edition

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have spent a great deal of time browsing through a number of VB.Net books in a couple of my local bookstores. (Both have extensive technical book sections). This book caught my eye and I decided to browse through it. First off, I must say that in the bookstore I was "wowed" by quality of the content. After I got it home and started implementing the examples in the chapters, I can definitively say that this book is excellent.

My goal in my book search was to find a book that explained the VB.Net language as it pertained to the VB.Net development environment. I wanted a book that actually "showed" me how to navigate around the IDE while explaining nontrivial VB.Net concepts and examples, and discussing the language so that I would be able to write some programs after finishing it.

Some of the earlier chapters are geared to a beginning programmer (somewhat like me and even less so), yet the authors branch off and talk about relevant topics without falling off a limb. For example, in chapter 2 - "Writing Software", the authors discuss data types and give numerous examples of accessing the different properties of each. When they get the the Boolean datatype, they actually go into a juicy amount of detail about binary representations and even discuss binary math. Its just a few pages in length but it is darn appropriate and gives a nice overview into the topic at hand. However, they keep it moving and move on to the next appropriate topic with their usual clarity in writing.

I am now focusing on their chapter on "Building Objects" - chapter 4. I have to say that this chapter offers the clearest examples of classes that I have seen. Far too often I have read about classes in other books and have seen weird examples that had little to do with real life...often requiring a "suspension of reality" on behalf of the reader such that the reader was forced to make the leap from theory to reality. This book, on the other hand, shows me how to construct an object that I can actually relate to.

So far I have not found any errors, although they do list some (minor) errata in the Wrox website. But the fact that Wrox even *has* a comprehensive website proactively listing potential errata is yet another reason I am glad I bought this book from this publisher. By the way, I found their website and located the section related to this book in about 12 seconds. The quality is in the details, and obviously somebody at Wrox actually cared about the ease of finding information about their published material.

Like I said I am only on chapter 4, yet I have done a lot of "skimming" ahead and I eagerly await the topics in later chapters where I will learn how to build little Windows applications, make my own menus, handle errors, connect to a database, etc. Basically *all* the things I want to learn how to do. (Are they mind readers?)

Excellent work.

This book is for beginner programmers who have chosen Visual Basic .NET as their first programming language. It is also intended for programmers experienced in another programming language, but who are new to Windows programming.

The book begins with step by step instructions on how to install Visual Basic .NET. Next, there is a brief introduction on how to write Visual Basic .NET code, and a description of what the .NET framework is. The next chapter teaches how to control the flow of applications using loops and branching structures. You will then learn how to create windows, screens, and how to add menus to your applications.

Visual Basic .NET is the first version of Visual Basic to provide full object oriented capabilities, making it among the most powerful windows development tools. The book teaches you what object oriented programming is and how to use it in your applications.

Chapter 15 and 16 introduce database access with Visual Basic .NET. You will learn what a database is, how to write simple SQL statements, and how to use ADO.NET to access Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases. The final three chapters show how to create applications for the web using web forms, XML, and web services such as SOAP, "Simple Object Access Protocol".

Like all Wrox Press beginner programming books, this book is written in a clear and easy to learn manner. Each chapter contains plenty of sample code examples and an end of chapter test.

If you are new to programming, or new to Windows programming, "Beginning Visual Basic .NET" is an excellent first step in aquiring the knowledge needed to develop Windows applications.

I am a Systems and Network Administrator who used Visual Basic 6.0 to automate many of the redundant tasks typical of this environment. I don't claim to be a "developer" but have been developing tools for a long time. I typically do not like WROX books but after sitting down at my local bookstore and plowing through 20 books on VB.NET, this one stood out. It has good examples that you can follow, it assumes you have basic programming/development skills and it is well written. If you are a developer by occupation this is probably not the book for you. For those of us who do not release our code to production environments this book has served me well by not being incredibly basic nor losing me in advanced topics.

I am a new programmer and would NOT recommend this book to someone else who's new. Wrox presents the intangible before the tangible and introduces concepts within concepts without explanation. An example of how the intangible is presented before the tangible is in chapter 4 where they introduce objects, classes, properties, methods, constructors, inheritance, polymorphism and namespaces(whew), but it's not until chapter 7 that they explain how to put a button on a form. Seriously out of order in my opinion. An example of how concepts are brought up without explanation all throughout the first 8 chapters (all I could stand) is how various code methods are used without referencing the big picture. What are other methods in the same class? Could some of the most common ones be listed in a glossary? I know there are a lot of them and they're somewhere in the MSDN library, but a beginning point of reference would have been nice.

This was such a frustrating book that I nearly gave up on learning programming all together. I decided to give it another try and can recommend two books that present everything in a clear and logical manner. Visual Basic .NET by the `In Easy Steps' people is the first. It's light, clear and offers a quick overview with lots of pictures. It isn't detailed, but it's not designed to be. I don't think you can buy these books through Amazon. This excellent series is available at Barnes and Noble. For greater detail I highly recommend Microsoft's Visual Basic .NET Step by Step. The book is true to name, meaning it establishes a building block approach and takes you through everything step by step. Its thoroughness is a joy. Michael Halverson understands the learning process and has a good sense of humor too. A Microsoft product with a sense of humor? Yes. It solved all my frustrations brought on by Wrox and made learning easy and fun.

This book has left me with more questions than answers. I'm new to OOP and this book certainly has not helped. The book said it was for "Beginning programmers" but after chapter 3 it assumes you magically know OOP concepts. It left me flipping around the book, searching for definitions.

I've purchased other Wrox books before and have been pleased in general. For some reason Wrox dropped the ball on this one. It's as if the book was written by three authors at different times and then compiled into one book, without regard for what you have or haven't already learned in previous chapters.

I wish there were a rosetta stone for new beginners to make the bridge to .Net. Until then I'll be searching for a better VB.Net book.

I bought this book a few days ago and due to other commitments I have only read up to chapter 4. During this reading, I wrote out every example in the book. To my surprise, not only did every example work, but I managed to remember so much more than I thought I would. I even went as far as to debug a friends application, with no assistance from any book. My total reading time thus far for ANY .NET book has been 3 days...and my only source of reading has been this book, and the online classes reference from VB Studio.NET.

I particularly like the fact that the book presents an idea, steps through the code and then details each section of code - what it does, how it works etc. This was very useful in understanding why things are structured the way they are.

I might also add that I have never programmed VB in any way before, making me a total newbie at this (my only other programming language is a little bit of Perl). Even if the other chapters turn out to be rubbish (which I very much doubt), then I would still say, this has been well worth the money. I have learnt (and retained) that much.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Go buy it.

I purchased this book 3 days ago and because of other commitments I have only read as far as Chapter 4. However in that short space of time, I did the right thing by myself and wrote every example out in the book so far (nothing beats learning by doing, at least as far as I am concerned). I must admit, having gone from a flat 0 in VB experience to now writing basic programs by myself without referring to any book or online help.

Even if the remainder of the book turns out to be [weak]), the info I have learnt already has made me very happy with the purchase.

I have not seen one error yet, everything works as shown and is explained so anyone can understand it.

If you are new to VB.Net or programming at all, buy this book. It is without doubt the best book I have ever seen on the subject of programming. This is my first Wrox book and it probably will not be the last if this is the quality of their products. This book Wrox! :)

I have read many Books on the topic of Visual Basic, this one being my first foray into VB.Net. This book contains the best compilation of exercises I have seen in a beginner's book. The explanations are thorough and clearly explained. In addition, the authors appear to go to great lengths to expose the reader to a wide variety of functions throughout the lessons. I will admit that the editing staff for this book might benefit from taking an English class or two, as some of the grammar in the book is painful to read. However, in spite of the ineptitude of the editing staff I think you will be hard pressed to find a better resource for learning VB.Net. This is a how to manual, not a literary work of art. While I have noticed the poor editing, it is not substantial enough to make me want to throw the book across the room (which I have done with some books in the past). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs to get their feet wet with VB.Net.

I was trying to find a book that would extend my VB6 capabilities to VB.NET especially that the language has completely changed. After surfing the net in general and Amazon in particular the title of the book attracted me. I said WoW, now its time to learn VB.NET.

Actually going through this book enriched my knowledge a lot, i was not only able to tranfere most of my programs (Civil Engineering) but i extended them a lot.

This book gives a very clear view of classes and i consider this the best part of this book.

I encourage you to buy it although it is not really made for those who are totally new to programming. It requires a little bit of experience, a good understanding of VB6 will help a lot.

If you are a beginner to VB.NET or even a beginner to programming and are interested in creating a software application, this book will give you all the information you need to get started on this endeavor. By the time you reach the end of the book, you may have to supplement your knowledge of VB.NET by reading a few other books depending on the nature of the software application you are creating. But otherwise, if you want to buy just ONE book and learn VB.NET in under 10 days (enough to create Version 1 of your software application), this is the book for you.

Why is it such a great book for beginners? It explains all the necessary concepts in great detail and in a simple fashion. No prior programming experience is assumed and the authors do a terrific job of explaining all the concepts and use good examples. The sample code can be downloaded from the publisher's website and there is an excellent discussion group led by the authors and other industry experts to answer any questions you may have on VB.NET.

The book covers the following main topics - an introduction chapter, VB.NET development tool, basics of writing software, how to control the program flow, intro on objects, the .NET framework, how to build windows desktop applications, how to build web applications, how to access databases, how to access other applications using your custom application, etc.

Of course, if the application you are building is a complex one, this book is NOT sufficient. You need to supplement the knowledge gained through this book with the knowledge from a variety of other books. This is the unfortunate thing with the .NET technology as it stands right now. The situation is definitely improving but it's not there yet in terms of easy explanations on how to manage the development of complex software.

What struck me most about this book was the ease with which practically anyone with above average reading and computer skills can learn how to use this powerful technology. The explanations were very clear leaving almost no doubts on how to use VB.NET for developing software applications. I believe that you can get through each chapter in 1-3 hours and if you are determined to learn VB.NET in 10 days, I believe you can do it with the help of this book. You would have to spend 10 hours a day but you would get through this book by the end of the 10 days. This might be the reason why the sales rank of this book on Amazon has gone up so rapidly over the last few months.

Recommended process for learning VB.NET using this book - read the book cover to cover without skipping any chapters. You can work through all the examples in each chapter or skip them if you feel comfortable that you understood what the authors are trying to convey. These chapters are organized the way they are for a very good reason, to help you learn VB.NET in the shortest amount of time and hence the recommendation NOT to skip any chapters in this book. They all cover very important topics especially for beginners. If you have any amount of programming experience - .NET in particular, you may find it extremely difficult to keep your focus while reading this book as it is too basic and covers too much material that is aimed at teaching how to program. But for beginners, this book is a blessing. Enjoy learning to program in VB.NET and good luck with your software application!