Customer Reviews

Beginning Visual Basic .NET

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm about half way through this book, and I just wanted to post this initial review.

This is the first true introductory book on VB .NET to hit the market. There are a slew of others in the works, but Wrox got there first, raising inevitable questions about whether they've done another rush, and less than stellar, job (just read some of the reviews of other recent Wrox books , i.e., Professional VB .NET, to see what I mean).

Good news! This book is a great introduction to the latest version of VB. The writing style is truly user friendly, without talking down to readers in the least. The book assumes no prior programming experience, but credits the reader with a fair level of intelligence and some know-how when it comes to operating a pc and using software. These days, that target audience probably hits most of the folks interested in this book.

The book quickly takes off with an introduction to the Visual Studio IDE, and throws out some practice programs just to get your feet wet. This is interesting enough, but if you've already been playing around with Beta 2 and don't have any questions, you may as well proceed to Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is called Writing Software, and it's a great first step in learning to program. In about 50 pages, the reader gets introduced to algorithms, data types, and functions. The writing is clear and pleasant to read, and the Try It Out samples are well thought out and challenging. Each one introduces a slight twist, or a new feature, with appropriate explanation immediately following. I had to read the section on Functions twice, but doing so really solidified the material for me -- well done!

Chapters 3 and 4 cover, respectively, Control Flow and OOP. Again, these chapters are much like chapter 2 -- they proceed at a fast clip, with not too much in-depth coverage. Where advanced concepts are utilized or referenced, the authors take care to provide a quick explanation and cross-reference to more advanced material later in the book, or to simply state that the concept is not worth worrying about at the beginner's level (I have to trust them on these types of comments, so I really can't say whether they are correct).

The .NET framework isn't introduced until Chapter 5. For me, this was perfect. Many of the more advanced books out there now begin with in-depth discussions of the framework, i.e., defining the CLR, CTS, and CLS. For folks just getting started, I prefer the approach in this book -- let's crank out some code and see how it works ASAP, all the while understanding key syntax requirements and broad programming concepts. Only after this can one truly appreciate a look at what's going on behind the scenes.

As for the more advanced books, I've looked at "Programming Visual Basic .NET" and "Visual Basic .NET and the .NET Platform," both from APRESS. These books are also very well-written, and probably ideal as the next step after the Wrox book. The former is a quick and handy reference to some of the most basic need-to-know info about VB .NET; the latter provides a much denser, in-depth look at the language and platform. Together, I believe they will prove to be invaluable references that will answer most questions for most users, or at least point you in the right direction.

Still, for those just starting out, without experience in any other programming language, Beginning VB .NET is an excellent find. The code samples have all worked for me so far, and the material is never less than clear. I'm interested to see what the Deitels come up with in How To Program Visual Basic .NET -- by far I find their introductory texts the best and most comprehensive. At ..., though, a Deitel book is nearly 2x the cost of the Wrox book. For my money, the Wrox book is the best bet, at least for now.

The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because there are quite a few typos. So far, they've only been in the text, never in code. Still, when I come across a sentence that's clearly missing a word, it just irks me beyond belief. If it happened once or twice, that would be one thing, but it happens often, and the cumulative effect is distracting and annoying.

Otherwise, I'm very happy with this book, and recommend it to beginners before they try to tackle some of the more advanced stuff out there.

While I have been developing software in other languages for many years, all the hype on .NET got me interested in C# and VB. If you have no experience in VB or just want a tutorial type book that doesn't assume anything then this is the book for you. You don't get the feeling the author is talking down to you but like a good instructor passing on the information needed as well as explaining why things are done based on personal experience. A well written book that seems to cover all the topics needed to get you ready to experiment on your own (which is where all the real learning happens anyway). My experience with this book (I just finished it) makes me confident in my next purchase, the "Beginning VB.NET Databases" book by the same author.

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.

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.

Whether you know VB or not, this book is a great intro for VB.Net. So much has changed in VB to VB.Net that getting information about the subject in such a well written way is hard to find.

I have two or three books that Matthew has been involved with and each of them takes the reader through at a steady but effective pace without being too slow or so fast you miss out important details.

Going through the new forms handling was especially well written

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!!!!

I like to use this book for a quick written reference when I am doing some simple projects. However there are some things that I wish were in the book that are not such as timers and certain paint properties. Over all, this book is really easy to follow and has been helpful for me.

For new programmers, I would recommend this book.

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.

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))

Hello "Reader from Boonton":
Will you be kind to us, and let us know the typo errors that you found in the book so we don't suffer what you suffered.
Thanks,
F. Reinaldo Fernandez