Customer Reviews

Microsoft .Net for Programmers

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This book is very well written, both technically and grammatically (which is something you can't say for all computer books). While it would be next to impossible to cover .NET in it's entirety, this books does an excellent job covering the fundamentals of .NET in a reasonable number of pages:

The CLR - This section is dedicated to the CLR, it's types (there is a descriptive explanation on the difference between value and reference types), System.Object (the base class of every .NET type), deterministic finalization, assemblies (multi-file, private, global and downloadable assemblies are all covered), reflection (dynamically examining a type at runtime), and the basics of intermediate language. At the end, the author builds a very simple compiler to demonstrate how the compilers for .NET translate instructions into intermediate language, which in turn is executed by the CLR at runtime.

ADO.NET - Through many code samples, ADO.NET is given adequate coverage. The DataSet (equivalent to a disconnected ADO Recordset) and DataReader (equivalent to a server side forward-only ADO Recordset) are both covered. Updating a database, both via the DataSetAdapter and directly through Command objects is also covered. This chapter also covers using a DataSet to produce XML and how to serialize (an exciting new topic in .NET) object instances to XML. It would be impossible to cover every aspect of ADO.NET in a single chapter, but this chapter does provide enough information to get acquainted with your available data access options. The MSDN documentation included with the .NET framework or VS.NET should be your next step in figuring out what each property and method does. If you have used ADO in the past, because they share similar interfaces, ADO.NET shouldn't seem that foreign to you.

Remoting - This was my favorite chapter. Remoting in .NET is the means for communication between assemblies, processes and remote computers. It's the replacement for DCOM, and because it is able to work using HTTP, it's finally able to work over corporate firewalls without too much hassle. There are a ton of code samples and diagrams to help understand nearly every aspect of Remoting: the available options (Client Activated, SingleCall, and Singleton), configuration, leasing and handling remote events. If your interested about Remoting, it would be in your best interest to code up the samples in this chapter and run them to see what is actually happening with each different option (Client Activate, SingleCall and Singleton) and configuration setting (leasing, channel type, events, etc...).

Web Services - Web Services are a new option in .NET. The closest comparison from days of old (feels kind of funny saying that) would be XML over HTTP or Soap. I never used the VB Soap toolkit, so I can't comment on it, but I've found Web Services in .NET extremely easy to use. The basics of creating a Web Service are covered, as are more advanced topics such as WSDL, Discovery and UDDI. The chapter also covers writing clients to communicate with the Web Services and how to manage session state between Web Service calls.

ASP.NET - The coverage of ASP.NET will be most beneficial to someone who has done web programming before, because it assumes a certain level of core competencies. Those who have used ASP in the past will have the easiest time learning ASP.NET from the material covered here. To show how things have changed, the author starts out with a dynamic page written in ASP and ports it to ASP.NET outlining the steps taken. Your also treated to instructions on how to create custom HTTP handlers and modules (similar to an ISAPI extensions and filters), which I found to be interesting. Finally, coverage is given to creating ASP.NET pages in the VS.NET IDE.

Windows Forms - Windows Forms allows you to create rich Win32 client applications in .NET. This section starts of with the basics: forms, controls, and event handling and then shows in-depth how to build an example application. At the end of the chapter, you are shown how to use the VS.NET IDE to make building Windows Forms applications quicker and easier.

Other - Other topics covered, but not in as much detail as those topics outlined above, include: Windows NT/2000 event logging, COM Interop, MSMQ, Windows Services, XSL transformations and using the new mobile controls in ASP.NET.

There are a large number of code samples, ranging from simple proof of concept exercises to multiple class case studies. The code samples go hand in hand with the presented explanations and topic discussions located in each chapter. For best results, I'd recommend keying them in, compiling, and testing them out.

If you're an intermediate/advanced C++, Java or Visual Basic programmer, who hasn't yet made the journey to .NET, this book is the tour guide you need. In a clear and concise manner it presents what is possible in the new world of .NET, what you need to be effective with the new tools and technologies, and a generous helping of useful code examples to get you started.

It should be noted that the book samples are written in C#. For those new to C# (which should be just about everyone) an included appendix is required reading. That said, the rest of the book, while written in C#, mainly covers the fundamentals of .NET and the Framework Class Libraries which for most part are language agnostic.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT
This book is aptly named. Not for the beginner, but for the experienced programmer seeking a deeper understanding of .NET development and practical examples of distributed computing, I found this book to be very helpful, very succinct, and very entertaining. Contrary to some of the other titles on the market, Grimes doesn't try to pad the book with 28 chapters, the first 20 of them being the obligatory content explaining the role and function of .NET, what XML, SOAP, and UDDI are, and a primer in coding, and only briefly getting into the core purpose of the book. It gets right into the tough stuff. Grimes instead gives a higher-level viewpoint of programming with .NET, explaining advanced concepts like .NET's garbage collection methodology, memory management, and applications architecture planning, from a best-practices approach.

Grimes bases his book's existence on an example that spans the entire text - building a poker game app. Throughout the text, Grimes constructs and expands upon a concept that is simple enough to be relative to everyone yet complex to be an effective lesson in distributed app design. He abstracts this app out to 11 different versions all calling the same app, including a Windows version, a Web-based version, a message queue, a console version accessible through UNIX telnet commands, a mobile version and an XML Web service, which is a great lesson in showing the ease with which .NET developers may create powerful distributed applications.

It's beautifully written, well-proofread, and quite comprehensive for only 288 pages (not counting the excellent appendices dealing with an Introduction to C#, and detailed source code for the examples). It's a great addition to the reference library of the advanced programmer, or the intermediate developer looking to take their game to the next level.

In short, it's a very disciplined, structured approach to working with .NET.

WHAT I DO LIKE

- The use of graphics is excellent - easy to follow and nicely arranged.
Well documented advanced .NET concepts such as the object-oriented use of delegates, serialization techniques through XML, and separation of code and content in ASP.NET will be appreciated by the experienced developer.
- The use of the poker game app as a case study was very entertaining and very educational. Unlike other books that try to give case studies focusing on the development of applications from varying industries (i.e., a news center publishing application, a site's statistics tracker, a classroom monitoring app for educators), which tends to disenfranchise many developers not familiar with the precise working conditions of the specific industry, Grimes' poker example is something relevant to 9 out of 10 readers, and fun!
- The app is simplistic enough to show some of the more fundamental necessities, yet complex in its design, dealing with a wide range of probabilities. And you'll enjoy playing it almost as much as you will building it.
- The option to have the text as an eBook is great (and cheaper) for people who prefer to spend even more time on their computers than they already do....This book would be nearly perfect if it appealed to Visual Basic.NET programmers, which it sadly doesn't. The exclusive use of C# as the book's programming language ...Merely translating over the code to VB.NET isn't easy, as the book uses some of the more advanced OOP principles.

With the release of Microsoft's .NET platform, many developers are just starting to dig into the massively rich offering of classes, tools, program types, and capabilities that are available. This can surely be a daunting task for the average (and even above average) Visual Basic or ASP developer.

In his book "Microsoft .NET for Programmers", by Manning, Fergal Grimes tackles the job of presenting many of the major features available in .NET through a most enjoyable and ingenious approach. The author uses a case study of implementing "video poker" in many different guises to give the reader an understanding of the different .NET programming types. The book proceeds from development of the core poker engine, employing object-oriented programming techniques and design patterns which are tested from a console interface, to the development of more distributed applications involving databases, remoting, messaging, Windows client interface, web-based client interface, and web services versions.

The use of C# should not deter VB programmers from reading this book. The discussion of fundamental concepts are well written, and the code is understandable without being overly complex or obtuse. The ASP.NET, Web Services, and Remoting sections are well-worth a look. Above all, Grimes has taken a massive subject and reduced it to a fun series of programs that is more than just an introduction to .NET.

Stellar book, but not for the faint of heart! This book is targeted for the intermediate or seasoned programmer and provides a fast track for transitioning to .NET. Fergal chose a simplistic, yet appropriate, sample application (poker) that he builds throughout the book. Code samples are plentiful. A good balance of theory and code provides a concise overview of key concepts of .NET. Be sure to note that all of the book's code samples are all written in C#. This was not apparent to me when I first obtained the book, though the advertising of this fact is not hidden. The author promises that a VB.NET version of the book is in progress. He also provides a quick, 30-page overview of C# in the appendix so that an experienced programmer can quickly come up to speed on the language.

The book covers simplistic and advanced .NET topics, including assemblies, ADO.NET, remote services, XML web services and web forms. It even addresses programming in IL!

I have a bookshelf full of programming books, and this is the first time I'm motivated to post a positive review online about a book.

The author did a great job guiding readers through .Net technology with clear explanations leaving no assumptions about readers' skill levels. I loved the way the author planned the fun poker example which utilizes all of .Net's main features (database access, xml, remoting, message queue, web, etc).

After you are done with the book, you will also know better to stay away from video poker machines at casinos.

The author does a great job with this book. A variety of technologies (such as Windows Forms, Web Services, ASP.NET, ADO.NET to name a few) are presented in a very readable, concise, no-nonsense fashion. Each chapter is outlined very well. Code and illustrations mingled with the topic that is being discussed (All examples are in C#.) so it is easy to understand what is going on and how to actually do it yourself.

I think this book would be good both for the beginner setting out to learn .NET, as well as the C# expert-- it would make a great reference to have on your desk when you need to quickly find an example or explanation of something. I highly recommend it for anyone serious about learning the fundamentals of .NET with a C# tilt.

Ok, this book means business. 2 chapters intro about .NET then right into the code. The problem is that IF you don't have a background in C, C++ or C# you are hosed. I had my geeky .NET Microsoft head brother help me with it. Otherwise, excellent book. For 4GL, COBOL and VB programmers like me not familiar with any of the C flavors, I recommend Microsoft Visual C# .Net step-by-step from Microsoft Press written John Sharp and Jon Jagger.

Is there anything finer than a Manning text? Clean design, comfortable style, clear and crisp message.

This particular book does many things very well.

- I particularly like the example that he chose: a video poker game. It is simple enough to understand, but complex enough to describe some of the more intricate problems. I learn by getting my teeth into a particular problem, and the repeatedly using technology to solve the problem. Grimes takes us through the simple example at first, and layers on complexity until the final result is pleasing.

- I love how you can get sample code. The amount of code in the book is not oppressive (partly because he builds on the same example.) It's freely available on Manning's web site.

- I love that Grimes doesn't assume I'm a moron from the start.

- I love the way that he breaks out so many of the tedious C# details into the appendix. It's a handy reference that doesn't get in the way.

- I love the way that I can talk to Grimes directly in his on-line forum at the Manning site. More publishers should pick up this practice.

If you need to ramp up on .net in a hurry, get this book. You'll be glad you did.

This is one of the best technical books I have read. It takes a very large subject and distills it down to a concise and manageable text.
Each chapter takes you further into .Net in a fast paced yet very well-explained way. The poker game developed in the book is also fun to play with and enhance.
This is a must-read text. However, read an introductory book first.

This is a great book for learning .NET using C#. The book has an "addictive" case study which presents the .NET basics concisly and ties together the various technologies. The book gets right to the point and avoids the "fluff" that is found in other C# and .NET books. The few questions I had with the programming examples were sufficiently explained by the author at his web site. The author makes learning C# and .NET fun!