- Platform: Windows NT / 2000 / XP
- Media: CD-ROM
- Item Quantity: 1
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Product Description
Amazon.com Review
Visual C# is a new language for a new platform. It targets Microsoft's .NET Framework, which consists of a runtime engine along with an extensive class library. This enables security, version checking, and automatic memory management, including garbage collection.
The compiler generates binaries in MSIL (Microsoft intermediate language). This is then further compiled to a native Windows executable at run time, or you can precompile for faster loading. The various .NET languages, including Visual Basic .NET and the Java-like J#, have similar capabilities, but most of the .NET Framework itself was coded in Visual C#. The language was designed to look familiar to C and C++ developers, for whom it makes an easy and natural transition.
The Visual C# .NET package is a complete application development tool. It includes two form designers, Windows Forms and Web Forms (which essentially creates Active Server Pages in their .NET guise, or ASP.NET). Windows Forms applications are for rich clients, generally running on the desktop but with support for devices such as Pocket PCs through add-on smart device extensions.
A great feature is that programming Web Forms is similar to Windows programming. By default all the code runs on the server, so although a Windows server is required, applications can work with any browser on any platform. A technique called "code behind" lets you keep code separate from HTML design, making Web pages easier and safer to maintain.
Visual C# .NET has an excellent IDE, although you need to double the minimum system requirements for good performance. The main work area is tabbed so that integrated online help appears alongside the code and the visual design surface. Tool windows can be docked, floated, or hidden. Automatic code completion and dynamic help speed coding, while ToolTips reveal the type of any variable.
There are a range of wizards, covering new projects, classes, components, visual controls, Web controls, Windows services, resource files, and more. For deployment, there is a setup wizard and a setup project type. Database access is through ADO.NET, which uses a disconnected model ideal for laptops and other mobile devices. ADO.NET works best with its own native drivers, but can also use ODBC drivers for wide compatibility.
XML support is another strong feature. The .NET Framework includes class libraries for parsing and transforming XML, with support for W3C-approved XML Schema. XML also enables the use of typed data sets in ADO.NET, simplifying database programming. XML Web services are built-in, making Visual C# .NET a good choice for both creating and consuming these services. The IDE includes an XML designer, with visual tools for developing and editing XML Schema documents.
As a product, Visual C# .NET offers a subset of Visual Studio .NET. If you want to use more than one language, then Visual Studio makes better sense. Having said that, the package does include the compiler and limited IDE support for C++, and the bundled .NET Framework SDK has command-line compilers for Visual Basic and JScript.
Overall, Visual C# .NET is an excellent choice for developing .NET applications. --Tim Anderson, Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com Product Description
Visual C# .NET is a toolset for creating .NET-based Windows and Web applications, and XML Web services, using the component-oriented C# (pronounced "C sharp") development language. This development package offers beginning and intermediate developers with C++ or Java experience a modern language and environment for creating next-generation software.
Use Visual C# .NET to accelerate development of broad-reach applications. It allows developers to build Windows applications using XML Web services, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, GDI+, and more. Using Visual C# .NET, developers can take advantage of the .NET Framework class library, providing a set of collection classes, built-in networking, multithreading support, and broad support for XML technologies.
Quickly design flexible software components usable from any .NET language and import any .NET or COM component written in any language or tool and build on years of application development. Visual C# .NET provides developers with the Windows Forms Designer, Web Forms Designer, XML Designer, IntelliSense, and other features for constructing compelling .NET solutions.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Good, the Bad, the Ugly,
By A Customer
This review is from: Microsoft Visual C# .NET Standard [Old Version] (CD-ROM)
Three stars is a bit harsh, but there are some significant caveates to what is otherwise for me a very favorable impression of the product. Some might say I have an axe to bear - I've been using products from the MS for a long time, and there continue to be a number of pet peeves that I have with them.First Peeve - I had to spend many hours researching the differences in the different "Editions" of the product. This is getting silly. Perhaps have two Editions, "Professional" and "Learning" would be acceptable. The current motley collection of products ranges from the fully equipted "Enterprise Architect" to the quasi "crippleware" "Standard" editions is and is tribute to the dominance of the marketing department at Microsoft (not meant as a compliment). Peeve 2. In contrast to "intellisence", which is a god-send, the on-line files (installed help files) are a horrendous mis-mash, poorly organzed with respect to product specificity (a search on many topics will bring up dozens, hundreds of results), very weak on introductory content (which is hard to understand in a completely new language product), etc. Clearly Microsoft would rather have you feed the folks at Microsoft Press by buying alot of their hard-copy. Oh lord, please bring back big thick Manuals that come in the box! Peeve 3 - there are important parts of the Windows API that do not appear to be encapsulated in the .NET framework, specifically the multi-media APIs. {if I am wrong here, I trust a later reviewer will correct me}. These kinds of facilities would require calls directly to the API with unsafe code. Peeve 4 - Rediculously complicated End User Liscence (sic) Agreement that makes you wonder if you need to consult a lawyer before using the product. Remember the Borland "no nonsense liscence agrement"? Peeve 5 - This specific "edition" does not include good support for SQL Server. The "Sever Explorer" will not show SQL server information or allow you to connect to SQL Severs. As far as I can tell, the support from the rest of the IDE and the various data components also seems to have been crippled with respect to SQL data sources. MSDE is included with the product, but no Developer Version of SQL server. MSDE doesn't really seem to be of much use, for that matter, since many IDE tools don't appear to recognize it. (They DO recognize Access .mdb databases). I suppose it isn't all that important since you'd have to sell your house and all your children to afford the "enterprise" edition of SQL server any, and then rob the Federal Reserve to afford user liscences! Peeve 6 - Distributable applications require the deployment of a very large runtime module (CLR). This appears to be 20 MB in size. {Please correct me if I am wrong, fellow reviewers). Forget .NET if you want to deploy or distribute your application over "thinband" internet (ie, shareware, freeware, etc). I know that many have complained to MS for years about requiring runtimes with VB. I have heard MS's partially reasonable explanation for not equiping Windows XP with a CLR out of the box, but people should be aware of this onerous constraint. Not really a PEEVE, because MS is completely upfront about this, but people should also be aware that the product does not have IDE project support for the other .NET languages (Managed C++ and .NET VB). There is no longer a generic Windows app project either (good ol' Windows API program), which is a little dissapointing (I think). The "New Project" dialog is in general pretty paltry looking compared with the "Professional"+ Editions of the product. OK - on to the good side. .NET Framework and C# language are a quantum leap forward from C++ and MFC. A great deal has been done to reduce the complexity level and allow for practical, RAD development without sacrificing on performance and flexibility with this system. Also a big improvement on Visual Basic 6.0 in providing enourmously more power and control. This is very nearly the perfect "middle way". Their is just no way to understate this. The IDE (at least until 'the dew is off the grass'), is esthetically and functionally superb. Its a jammed packed with features and useful tools, yet well organized, a ultra sexy "cockpit" that will send most developers into a frenzy. Truely modern, state of the art stuff. It is FUN to program again with this system! Just take care to spend the time deciding whether the "Standard" edition meets your needs. If you are into the other .NET languages or SQL server, this is NOT the way to go, but otherwise, it is a good choice.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice for the price,
By "jamesqmurphy" (Mercerville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Microsoft Visual C# .NET Standard [Old Version] (CD-ROM)
As others have said, you can't beat the price, and you'll actually own a legal copy of a Visual Studio product. Perfect if you want to write your own little program and sell it on the side :) If you're not familiar with C#, then you'll definitely need a book to get you started -- I recommend Programming Windows in C# by Charles Petzold and Inside C# by Tom Archer. It's a very fun language to program in -- has many of the same concepts as Java. You can also interoperate with the Win32 API and COM.The editor itself is awesome -- it automatically indents the curly braces and lets you set up colors and all that, like Visual C++ 6.0. It has something new called outlining -- which means you can collapse and expand whole sections of code by clicking on the little pluses. You can also enter XML comments, which means it can automatically generate XML-formatted documentation. The one thing that's a drag is that you can only create certain types of applications in the IDE: Windows apps, command-line apps, ASP.NET Web applications, and web services. This means you can't create a Forms control or a DLL in the environment. (But you can do it on the command line, if you take the time to read the documentation.)
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One major drawback.,
By
This review is from: Microsoft Visual C# .NET Standard [Old Version] (CD-ROM)
I love the .NET framework and the C# language. However, one thing that just flat out [made me angry] when I got this in the mail was the fact that you could not connect to any database othre then MS Access and SQL Desktop Addition through the Database connection wizard. I can not think of any reason whatsoever that Microsoft would have done something like this, but it made me extreamly aggravated. I use the Enterprise version at work, and purchased the Standard Edition for my home seeing that I only really use the C# language any more and did not need all of the extras that came with higher priced versions. I imagine that there are several other people out there just like me who would want to do the same, and I just think that it was a bad mistake on Microsoft's part. You can still make connections using handwritten code, but at the same time, is that not going against the point of buying a piece of software such as this; to cut out as much handwritten coding as possible?
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