Customer Reviews

C# Primer: A Practical Approach

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

 

 

I expected very little from this book. The cover has very little shelf presence and is, frankly, quite ugly, IMHO. I guess you should never judge a book by its cover.

First the bad. If you come into this book expecting a real primer, from the dictionary definition of the word, you will be disappointed. While this book does cover the basics, the methodology is almost too strange to help someone first learning the language. If you want to learn C# from scratch, I think there are better books.

Having said that, there is a lot to love in this tome. Lippman has a strong grasp of what true programming is about and starts from the very beginning. While most of the revelations are hidden gems, the content is absolutely astounding, if you actually dig for the diamonds.

Want an example? Where else will you find an example as deep as this:

string usage = @"this is a verbatim string
the carriage return will be included in the string"

The style is a lot different than other books on the market, which may lead some to shoot this book down. I had the same reaction in the first couple of pages, but quickly changed my mind as I found more and more info that you cannot find anywhere else. As someone who purchases a lot of books (I consider programming a career, not a job), I appreciate every little nugget I get from each book, as, I hope, you do too.

Lippman's idea is to show a program and then run through different iterations, showing you a bit more with each turn. This is contrary to the typical, explain first and then show code, methodology, so it will most likely have you off guard at first. But, if you give it a go, the system works.

I think this book is best for people who have programmed before, which the author states in the preface, and most likely for those who have read other C# books prior to this one. If you do not have any programming experience, there are plenty of books to start with, like C# .NET Step By Step.

One last note, there are some repeat items in the book, along with some typos. It should also be mentioned that the book was written against a version of C# prior to release code, although I do not see that as a major drawback throughout most of the book. This is the primary reason for not giving this book the highest nod, as I am in absolute awe of the little nuggets of info I have received.

I had high hopes for this book, given that it was written by an experienced author and published by DevelopMentor. If you're expecting something up to the usual DevelopMentor standards (see books by Don Box, Tim Ewald, Keith Brown, etc.), however, you will be sadly disappointed.

The book reads like a first draft, full of errors, repetition, typos, and garbled prose. The author belabors the easy stuff and glosses over the nitty gritty. Some of the examples don't even compile.

A slap dash effort, not completely worthless, but you can do better -- e.g., see A Programmer's Introduction to C# (Second Edition), by Eric Gunnerson.

Lippman's C# Primer assumes that the reader knows C++ or Java. It does not cover basic language constructs so it is not a good choice as a first C# book for people that have not programmed before. The first four chapters include many good insights into the C# language from a professional programmer's point of view. These are hard to find in other texts and make this book worthwhile. A future edition should concentrate on including more language insights and less on WinForms or ASP.NET specifics that are covered better on other texts. Probably some basics should be included to expand its appeal to new programmers.

...

Most C# books are so verbose that after a while you tend to skim over parts just to finish the book, this book however is shorter and to the point, so you have a chance of actually finishing it. This book focuses on those C# issues that are new/hard for people that are relatively new to object-oriented programming, like classes, inhertance, interfaces and not much on topics familiar to any experienced developer like conditional logic, looping logic and branching. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn C# and object oriented programming.

The first 4 chapters (~200 pages) is where it's at. I read his books on C++ and those and this one are right on the mark. Chapter 5-8 are about the .Net Framework (a bit cursory) and dated (pre-release beta) and much has changed. The first 4 chapters are a gem. But where is Stan ? His firm objectwrite.com is nowhere to be seen on the web. Therefore, sample code is not available.

I have spent the last year and 1/2 working with .NET and mastering C#. It is really hard for me to find good books that add value to what I know already. This is one of the exceptions. I learned C++ from Stan's landmark book "C++ Primer" as did thousands of others. In this book, he takes us through the basics of the language while focusing on pratical problems to be solved and how to use the C# language to solve them. The chapter on class design is worth the price of admission alone. He applies his language and design mastery to many of the key areas of both .NET and the C# language to convey not only the essentials but a deeper understanding. Highly recomended.

Stanley Lippman's eloquent, small book, is a superb meditation on the design and building of object-oriented software with C#. As he maps out the different possibilities and examines different scenarios, he gives firm reasons for why you would make the different choices available to you with this C# tool. This is a lucid text. You know this guy really knows the object-oriented subject he's writing about. His words tell you that he has built these kinds of systems before, that he has thought, considered, explored and tested the implications of the various design choices that C# makes possible. This book might be late to the party, but the best parts of this book, the chapters on class design, object-oriented programming, and interface inheritance, are worth the wait. This enlightening little book takes the C# canon places it's never been before -- and quite simply are unmatched anywhere else. I would advise you to read this book slowly, you can really learn something from Stanley Lippman's C# Primer.

There is already a bulk of reference books about C#: Inside C#, A programmer's introducation to C# and Programming C# are the most outstanding ones among them. And also, the ECMA standard of C# is available for free download.
Why do we need another language reference if it still don't have a deep look into C#/.NET CLR? It's true that this book is still a good reference, it also includes some OO design concepts and princeples. But if you already have one of the three books listed, I don't think this book is a must buy.
What we really need now is "Inside C# Object Model", not "C# Primer"! :)

Imagine that someone who's intellect and judgement you trust is sitting with you while you are attempting to learn a language. You both start by taking a project that you've implemented in another language and you implement it with the new language - in this case C#. The senior of the two of you shows you what the language has to offer, and some of the common pot holes in which you are likely to step.
After you've finished the project you have a much better grasp than if you just read the compiler spec and went at it. This book does just that. Stan has written and excellent book, and I thank him for the effort. He has made the learning curve flatter and saved me hundreds of times the cost of the book.

Thanks!

This is a perfectly reasonably book however there are much better books. I found the treatment a bit eccentric and not as good for learning C# as Liberty's book. Liberty's book is not only better at teaching C#, it is significantly cheaper *and* covers far more material. There is no reason to buy Lippman over Liberty since with Liberty you get more material, a better teacher and spend less $.

Moreover, I find it impossible to imagine somebody who doesn't know C++ learning C# from this book. In sum, while this book has some useful points, I would pass on this overpriced book. I would buy Liberty's book if you wish to learn C# and you are not a super experienced C++ or Java programmer. If you are a super experienced C++ or Java, then you should just buy Troelsen's book and skip both Liberty and Lippman.