C++/C# Programmer's Guide for Windows 2000 [Paperback]

Ronald D. Reeves (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 2001 | Series: Prentice Hall Series on Microsoft Technologies

Using Windows 2000, developers can build breakthrough distributed systems -- with breakthrough productivity. For experienced C++ developers, this book represents the first complete guide to Windows 2000 programming with Microsoft's latest generation of Visual.Studio.NET tools -- including both Visual C++ and C#. Ronald Reeves introduces the key Windows 2000 improvements that impact developers, then compares C++ and C#, helping developers identify the best language for their applications. Discover how C# enables more rapid Web development, making extensive use of XML data to simplify complex programming tasks. Understand Windows 2000's new options for GUI programming; improved concurrency and threading models; Windows 2000 processes; techniques for programming the Windows 2000 Registry, and more. The book includes comprehensive coverage of both COM and COM+, including coverage COM+ transitions, distributed programming techniques, queuing, Web application development, and more. The book also includes a detailed chapter on Windows 2000 application performance measurement and modeling. For all experienced C++ programmers who want to create applications that leverage the full power of Windows 2000.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

• The serious developer's guide to leveraging the power of Windows 2000
• For both C++ and C# developers!
• Windows 2000 concurrency, threading, processes, and exception handling
• .NET Framework: architecture, common language runtime, metadata, and more
• CD-ROM: Code covering the material discussed in the book

Foreword by Andrew Scoppa, UCI Software Technical Training

• All the information you need to create sophisticated Windows 2000 applications
• Practical techniques for distributed and Web development
• Revamped Windows 2000 concurrency and threading models
• .NET Framework: base classes, Common Language Runtime, metadata, and self-describing components
• Programming with managed extensions for Visual C++ 7.0
• Integrating managed and legacy code

The complete Windows 2000 programming tutorial for every C++ and C# programmer!

Using Windows 2000, developers can build breakthrough distributed and Web systems more rapidly and productively than ever before. Now, there's a guide to Windows 2000 development that lets you choose the right tools for each job: Visual C++, or C# and the new Microsoft .NET framework!

Dr. Reeves begins with a detailed architectural overview of Windows 2000 and its key components; then introduces the fundamentals of Windows 2000 programming for both C++ and C# programmers, including processes, threads, jobs, error handling, and Windows 2000's Win32 APIs. Next, he introduces the .NET Framework, showing how its base classes almost entirely encapsulate the Win32 APIs, how to leverage .NET and C# to build more scalable and robust applications, and how to integrate legacy and "managed" code in the same components.

The book includes detailed coverage of both the Visual C++ 7.0 and C# compilers, showing how to use each to take full advantage of the .NET Framework for building powerful distributed applications. If you're ready to leverage Windows 2000 and .NET to the fullest, you're ready for C++/C# Programmer's Guide for Windows 2000.

About the CD-ROM

The accompanying CD-ROM contains code examples covering the material discussed in the book.

About the Author

RONALD D. REEVES Ph.D. is President of Computer Engineering, Inc., a leading consulting and training company based in Howell, MI. With Marshall Brain, he is co-author of Win32 System Services: The Heart of Windows 98 and Windows 2000, Third Edition (Prentice Hall PTR).

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall (August 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130409472
• ISBN-13: 978-0130409478
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,663,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sorely Disappointed {ugh!}, October 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: C++/C# Programmer's Guide for Windows 2000 (Paperback)

I knew I was in trouble when I cracked open the books and saw that the appendix started on page 139 of a 356 page book. The book only has 5 chapters all only lightly skim the surface of each topic.

Chapter 1 - Introduction (Windows 2000 OS Architecture), 7 pages of cursory information found in every whitepaper and book ever written since Windows NT was release years ago.

Chapter 2 - Processes, Threads and Jobs in Windows 2000, ho hum - about 30 plus pages on how to create processes, threads and jobs (cursory information once again).

Chapter 3 - .Net Architecture, granted if you have *never* read anything on .NET then the next 45 or so pages would serve as a good primer (or go to msdn.microsoft.com for the same information for free).

Chapters 4 - Visual C++ 7.0, OK now were getting some where, {ugh!} 7 pages of product information describing the features within the different versions of VC++ 7. Page 99 - Programming with Managed Extensions for C++, maybe just maybe we'll get to the meat - no such luck. In the next 20 or so pages everything is covered from classes, boxing, arrays and exception handling, a whirlwind tour.

Chapter 5 - C#, only 11 pages were required to gloss over the best language ever to come out of Redmond, culminating with a heart stopping rendition of "Hello World".

The remainder of the book in puffed full of SDK information, Alphabetic lists of API, data types, process/thread priority constants, namespaces and compiler options. And for some odd reason way in the back of the book there are appendices on Attributes, Debugging and a 3 page tutorial. To be honest I didn't crack open the CD, there wasn't enough code in the book that I considered useful for anything except, Console::WriteLine(). To say the least I will be returning the book, thus the reason for not cracking open the CD.

I was looking for good examples of managed and unmanaged C++ code, examples of how to migrate existing unmanaged code to the managed world, how to get C++ and C# to happily co-exist in the same implementation and examples of MFC, ATL and ATL Server in the managed environment. The best way to get this information is to download the beta version of VS and check out the help files.

The author states that the book is not intended to be a "bible" book, well why then does nearly half of the book have SDK information. Also the back of the book states, "All the information you need to create sophisticated Windows 2000 applications", I about gagged the only useful piece of code I could find is "Hello World" written in C#, the rest are just snippets. I'm sorry for ranting on this book; I hope Dr Reeves' COBOL Programming Using .NET Framework book to be released early next year is much more comprehensive.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For shame, Prentice Hall!, January 9, 2002

By 

Patrick Crawford (Redmond, Wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C++/C# Programmer's Guide for Windows 2000 (Paperback)

First read "Sorely Disappointed", and then add this to that excellent review:

Avoid this blatant and failed attempt to do no more than fill a hole in a pubisher's lineup.

This slender, shallow and derivative work is bulked up not only with two pages of appendix for every page of text, most of which is available from Microsoft in the online documentation, but it continues to insult the intellience of the purchaser by declaring on the back cover:

"The accompanying CD-ROM contains code examples covering the material discussed in the book"

Instead, the reader gets a 7 mb grab-bag of C++/C# code, some dlls, and a few readmes. Not one single example keyed to the text.

Of course to get anyone to buy this book, they had to be able to to say, "See, we have a CD!".

Yes, and they have words on a page too. But you can do better with your money.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My second Ron Reeves book, December 11, 2001

By 

Tracy Marconi (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: C++/C# Programmer's Guide for Windows 2000 (Paperback)

This is the second book I have thoroughly enjoyed by this author. The first, Win32 System Services, I found as a practical guide for an experienced C programmer. This book on C# and .NET. is geared more toward the C++ programmer. I found the coverage of .NET outstanding, and the language itself to be thourough.