Beginning C# 3.0: An Introduction to Object Oriented Programming (Wrox Beginning Guides) (Paperback)

~ Jack Purdum (Author)
Key Phrases: writing your own classes, bucket analogy, empty project, Visual Studio, Input Error, Using Disk Data Files (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Learn all the basics of C# 3.0 from Beginning C# 3.0: An Introduction to Object Oriented Programming, a book that presents introductory information in an intuitive format. If you have no prior programming experience but want a thorough, easy-to-understand introduction to C# and Object Oriented Programming, this book is an ideal guide. Using the tutorials and hands-on coding examples, you can discover tried and true tricks of the trade, understand design concepts, employ debugging aids, and design and write C# programs that are functional and that embody safe programming practices.

About the Author

Dr. Jack Purdum started his programming career on an IBM 360 mainframe as a graduate student in the 1960s. In the mid - 1970s, he became interested in software development for microcomputers, and he founded his own software development company (Ecosoft, Inc.) in 1977. The company ’ s main product was a statistics package (Microstat) that he wanted to rewrite in a new language called C. Lacking a suitable C compiler, Dr. Purdum ’ s company developed its own MS - DOS - based C compiler and other programming tools. He has been involved with language instruction ever since. Dr. Purdum has authored 15 texts and numerous programming articles and has received several teaching awards. He is currently on the cusp of retirement from Purdue University ’ s College of Technology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 523 pages
• Publisher: Wrox (May 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470261293
• ISBN-13: 978-0470261293
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #151,130 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book if you want to get a solid introduction to OOP and C#, July 28, 2008

By	iRead - See all my reviews

I've read several of Dr. Purdum's books in the past and have always found them informative and enjoyable to read. Beginning C# 3.0, An introduction to Object Oriented Programming (Wrox) is one of his best book yet. As he asks in the introduction, there are dozens of C# texts out there, so why should you pick this one? His answer is that, while most of the other texts were written by extremely capable programmers, few of the authors have never stood in front of several hundred students looking for examples that teach the material yet are easy to understand and remember. Several of the key strengths of this book are the examples and the way Dr. Purdum anticipates the reader's questions.

For example, in covering the OOP concept of encapsulation in Chapter 2, he discusses why programmers hide the data properties of an object inside the object. He states: "You hide them for the same reason that kings used to hide their daughters in the castle tower...to keep other people from messing around with them." Later on, when discussing the difference between public and private access specifiers, he points out that using the public access specifier is like locking the princess in the castle tower and then passing out her room key to all the knights of the realm. I don't know about you, but this is easier for me to remember this than some dry explanation that one often reads on encapsulation.

Another strength is the way he anticipates rough spots for the student. One of the most difficult concepts for beginning programmers is the difference between value types and reference types. Dr. Purdum uses a simple explanation of what a symbol table is to discuss l-values and r-values. He then introduces a concept he developed called Bucket Analogy which uses the symbol table concepts to explain the difference between the two classes of data. Even experienced programmers will appreciate this example and how it truly makes the differences clear. He uses a job interview to explain what objects are as well as cookie cutters to explain instantiation. The book does reflect his 25 years of teaching experience.

The material covered is what you'd expect for an introductory text. He also covers relatively new topics like Generics and LINQ. The database chapter even has a fairly complete DBMS. However, the entire theme is to teach OOP and good coding techniques. For example, he'll write a code example that works but then calls it an example of RDC (Really Dumb Code). He then rewrites the code and explains why it is a better solution, especially when writing for a commercial environment. His objective is to teach you good OOP techniques using C# as the vehicle to learn those techniques. His experience owning a software company for 17 years shows through while doing this.

If you want to get a solid introduction to OOP and C#, choosing this book is one of the best choices you can make.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice approach, September 7, 2009

By	Cort Johnson "Cort Johnson" (San Diego, Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am going to add to this review as I go through the book. Dr. Purdum gets off to a great start by discussing object oriented programming first. After trying to plough through several other programming books I'd become convinced that it was essential to teach object oriented concepts FIRST rather than tool through 'how to's' that don't really make sense until much later in each book. That's what this book does and I appreciate it.

I'm up to page 115 and I am more and more convinced that this is the kind of programing book for me - a laymen - who wants a grounding in C#. Dr. Purdum is not making the mistake of introducing too much too early; instead he's grounding you in the fundamentals of C# programming in a very understandable manner - a rarity in programming books. I'm impressed. (Unfortunately Amazon will not let me change my mistaken 2 star rating).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a great choice for the Kindle, July 18, 2009

By	Monkeyknits57 (Marysville, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great book; however, I purchased the Kindle edition and I cannot see the screen examples or some of the tables because of the nature of electronic media. I really wish I had purchased the hard copy so this would not be such a struggle for me. It's really difficult to follow the examples when you can't see what you are supposed to do. This is no reflection on the book or the author, just the media type I chose. I suspect it would be fine on the Kindle DX, but I have the first generation Kindle, which I love, by the way :).

Okay, so I decided to call Amazon and see if I could get a refund on the Kindle version and they immediately refunded my money and I ordered the paper version. If I could change this to 5 stars I would. It is an excellent book!! Just not a great choice for the Kindle.