Learning C# 2005: Get Started with C# 2.0 and .NET Programming (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Jesse Liberty (Author), Brian MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0596102097 | ISBN-13: 978-0596102098 | Publication Date: February 28, 2006 | Edition: Second Edition

If you're a novice programmer and you want to learn C#, there aren't many books that will guide you. Most C# books are written for experienced C++ and Java programmers. That's why Jesse Liberty, author of the best-selling books Programming C# and Programming ASP.NET, has written an entry-level guide to C#.

Written in a warm and friendly manner, Learning C# assumes no prior programming experience, and provides a thorough introduction to Microsoft's premier .NET language. The book helps you build a solid foundation in .NET, and shows you how to apply your skills through the use of dozens of tested examples. You'll learn about the syntax and structure of the C# language, including operators, classes and interfaces, structs, arrays, and strings.

Better yet, this updated edition of Learning C# has been completely revised to include the latest additions to the C# language plus a variety of learning aids to help lock-in new knowledge and skills. Here's what's new:

• Extensive revisions to the text and examples to reflect C# 2005 and .NET 2.0 changes
• An introduction to Visual Studio 2005, the most popular tool for building Windows and web applications
• More than 200 questions and fully debugged programming exercises with solutions
  
• A greater emphasis on event handling
• New coverage of generics, generic collections, partial classes, anonymous methods and more.

By the time you've finished Learning C#, you'll be ready to move on to a more advanced programming guide that will help you create large-scale web and Windows applications.

Whether you have a little object-oriented programming experience or you are new to programming altogether, Learning C# will set you firmly on your way to mastering the essentials of the C# language.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jesse Liberty is the bestselling author of "Programming ASP.NET", "Programming C#", and a dozen other books on web and object oriented programming. He is president of Liberty Associates, Inc., for which he provides contract programming, consulting and on-site training in ASP.NET, C#, C++ and related topics. Jesse was a Distinguished Software Engineer at AT&T, and Vice President for technology development at Citibank.

Brian MacDonald is an editor of programming and networking books. He has edited books for several major publishers on topics from securing Windows servers to PHP web programming to running an eBay business. His work for O'Reilly includes Programming ASP.NET and Programming .NET Components. He lives in southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; Second Edition edition (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596102097
• ISBN-13: 978-0596102098
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Silverlight Geek. (Senior Program Manager, Developer Community Liaison; Microsoft.) Helping to build a Silverlight developer community at http://SilverlightGeek.me.

Author of two dozen books on .NET and object-oriented programming including Programming C#, Learning ASP.NET with AJAX, Programming .NET 3.5 and forthcoming Programming Silverlight 4.

Queer Activist since 1971, father since 1989, avid reader since forever, eclectic music and film tastes, amateur photographer, programmer, writer, and loudmouth.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who This Book Is For, June 3, 2003

By 

Jesse Liberty (MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Learning C# (Paperback)

There seems to be some confusion about this book, with some reviews denegrating the book because it is too elementary.

This book is designed for the beginning programmer, or the programmer with little or no object oriented experience. As such, it does not attack the more advanced topics I cover in "programming C#" (also by O'Reilly).

If you are looking for a comprehensive introduction to the language for an intermediate to advanced programmer, this is not the book for you, but if you are looking for a gentle introduction to .NET and C# in particular and object oriented programming in general, I hope you will take a look at this book.

Thank you.

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for novice or VB developers but could be better, December 2, 2002

By 

Darrell Nungester (Floyds Knobs, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning C# (Paperback)

I would never recommend just 1 book to learn a new language or to study for a certification exam. As a matter of fact, I would recommend several books and C# is no exception. C# is a new programming language and it will take several books to be proficient with it. When you use several authors from different publishers, you get a better understanding of that subject. Jesse Liberty's book "Learning C#" is a good primer for the novice developer or to a person who knows a little bit about Visual Basic 6.0. For a more experienced developer I would recommend several other books such as Jesse Liberty's "Programming C#".

Pros:
There are ample examples in every chapter to demonstrate the principles the author is trying to convey. The important changes are highlighted in bold. This makes for easy reading. Jesse Liberty tries to cover all of the basics and then some. This book was published after the initial release of Visual Studio.Net, so you do not get the errata associated books that were published during the beta.

Cons:
The readers of this book (Learning C#) will find that it is not a good book if you want to learn how to program C# for Windows or Web applicatons. Approximately 90% of this book covers "console" applications. Jesse tries to explain that the fundamentals of C# are best learned if the user does not have the extra baggage that Windows or Web development have but I have to question how much "real-world" development is done using console mode. The author skims over the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and the very first application is actually created using Notepad. The basics of the IDE are covered in Chapter 4. In Chapter 10, the author uses the IDE to demonstrate debugging. Some of the screen shots (which are in Chapters 4, 10, 12, and 16) of the IDE are hard to read. Not impossible to read, just hard to read. They have been reduced down in size to the point that someone without perfect vision will have a hard time reviewing these screen prints. In chapter 3 (Object-Oriented Programming), the author states that the 3 pillars of OOP are encapsulation, specialization, and polymorphism. The other books that I have read call these encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism respectively. In chapter 11, the author does some back-tracking and substitutes inheritance for specialization.

Overall this is book is good but it could be better. I would also recommend several other books including Robert Orberg's "Introduction to C# using .Net" and Klaus Michelsen's "C# Primer Plus". With all three books, you will get a solid foundation for C# and then you could go on to the more advanced C# books.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good starting point, March 4, 2003

By 

William Wagar (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning C# (Paperback)

I just finished reading this book and I think it is a good starting point for learning the language. Some of the other reviews say "it didn't cover this" and "it didn't cover that", but I think the book accomplishes the task. It teaches a beginner the basics of the language. It's not going to teach everything about programming in C#, it just starts you on the path. I thought it was very readable and the author explains concepts very well. This book was so interesting that I want to learn more about the language. The next book I read will definitely be "Programming C#" by the same author. If you are a seasoned programmer and want to learn advanced topics, this is not the book for you. If you are new to programming and want a good start, I highly recommend this book.