C# Programming with the Public Beta (Mass Market Paperback)

by Simon Robinson (Author), Julian Templeman (Author), Karli Watson (Author), Wrox Author Team (Author), Burton Harvey (Author, Editor), Burt Harvey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
With Microsoft's new C# and .NET framework due out later in 2001, Windows C++ developers are scrambling for reliable sources of information on this new platform. C# Programming with the Public Beta fills this need with a fast-moving tour of the latest from Microsoft on what C# and .NET will offer.

The goal of this concise volume is to get the reader up to speed on what C# is and how it fits into the Microsoft vision for the new .NET. To this end, the book presents a solid tour of .NET features from the Common Language Runtime (and virtual machine) and platform features such as better control of deployment and interoperability with COM, as well as new APIs like ADO.NET (for databases) and ASP.NET (for dynamic Web pages). While sometimes necessarily sketchy (since the material is still emerging from Microsoft), the authors provide short, effective examples on such topics as programming databases with ADO.NET, a simple component deployed with .NET, and Web programming with ASP.NET. In all, this cross section of the APIs and technologies that will be delivered on the .NET platform is quite good.

The other focus of the book is a nicely compact tutorial for C# geared to those with some C++ and/or Java experience. These chapters move quickly through what you'll need to know about C#, from basic data types, flow control, and class design tips, to more advanced features (such as creating and invoking C# objects dynamically or using "unsafe" legacy C++ code from within C#). The Visual Studio .NET (Beta 1) environment and tools are examined thoroughly, as are Microsoft's plans for integrating legacy technologies like COM into the new .NET and C#. Short samples demonstrate the basic programming strategies. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

• Introduction to the Microsoft .NET framework
• The Common Language Runtime (CLR)
• Intermediate language (IL)
• COM+ versus .NET
• History of C, C++, Java, and C#
• Types of .NET applications
• In-depth tutorial to C# (including data types, operators, flow control, exception handling, and classes)
• Overview of Visual Studio .NET (Beta 1) development environment and tools
• Object-oriented programming in C#
• Using classes and inheritance
• Boxing and unboxing objects
• Operator overloading
• Interfaces
• Properties
• Indexers
• Delegates and events
• Advanced C# features (including variable argument lists, reflection, dynamic creation and invocation, attributes and "unsafe code")
• The C# base classes (dates and times, accessing files and folders, Web browsing, and mathematical functions)
• Building Windows applications with WinForms (including programming with controls)
• The ADO.NET object model and basic database programming with .NET
• Deploying components and assemblies with .NET (including security features with shared names)
• Early and late binding with COM objects in C# (including using ActiveX components)
• New COM+ services and how to use them in .NET
• Web programming with ASP.NET
• Using Web services (including the Simple Object Access Protocol, SOAP)

Product Description
C# is a new object-oriented programming language in development from Microsoft. Based on C++ it contains features similar to those of Java. The intention is to combine the computing power of C++ with the programming ease of Visual Basic.

C# has been created with the Internet in mind and an aim to balance power with productivity. It provides rapid web development for the C++ and C programmer.

Forming part of the new .NET initiative, C# is designed to be used in conjunction with Microsoft's .NET platform of products. C# makes use of XML data and SOAP in order to simplify programming, these facilities allow the user to build on existing code rather than making repeated duplications. C# is expected to make it faster and less expensive to market new products and services. Microsoft's aim for this product is to facilitate the exchange of information and services over the Web and to enable developers to build highly portable applications.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Apress (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861004877
• ISBN-13: 978-1861004871
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,721,268 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to both C# and .NET, January 24, 2001

By	Basilius Wibowo (Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews

As an architect caught in the legacy of ATL (Visual C++) and J2EE, in the past I was among the "sceptic" on the introduction of C#. What? (A programming language which) combine the ease of VB and the power of C++? Even on the introduction of C# syntax, I even called that language a "mutant" (some may notice that it has a "Java look"), those remember Archeology in Junior High School may refer to the analogy of our two Java man species ancestors of Homo Soloensis/Sangiran to that of Homo Pitecanthropus Erectus.

When receiving both Visual Studio .NET and this fabulous book, I prove myself to be wrong! Microsoft has done a great job on the concept of Common Language Runtime and JITer, and the use of XML and SOAP both in C# and ASP.NET. C# architecture is just awesome and in my opinion it deserves a better recognition than just a "combination of the ease of VB and the power of C++". I would call this as a "just right" language instead of "just perfect" for those building only and only COM (no CORBA or other distributed platforms) based components in a relatively short budget or period projects where building your components with ATL seems like a luxury.

Once again WROX has done an awesome job introducing this magnificent paradigm to Microsoft developers. WROX is always comprehensively in every subjects it writes with clear language without trying to simplify anything.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hastily written, one serious mistake per page. Stay away!, March 27, 2001

By	Mauro S. A. Anna "MSAS" (São Paulo, SP Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been using VS.NET and C# since the PDC in Summer'2000 and happen to like it a lot. I got this book with the impression that I would learn some new tricks on C#. I was in for a surprise: I found about one serious mistakes per page.

This is a dangerous book because it might be mistaken for a good one IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE SUBJECT. I guess that readers would be puzzled when they found out that the product isn't exactly what the book says it is.

One example: exception handling. They say that you are forced to handle exceptions and if you don't your program terminates. That is only true for console applications. They say that the compiler handles quietly division by zero exceptions. Dead wrong! The compiler does generate division by zero exceptions for integer and decimal types. When using floating-point types (float and double), the compiler does not generate exceptions, period. It returns "infinite", which by the way, is what the Pentium processor does. This behavior is by design. Then they suggest you to handle "empty" exceptions, where you don't give a specific type like "FormatException" but bare "Exception" instead. This is a very, very bad programming style. To add insult to injury, when they touch the subject of "try...finally" they don't say a word about freeing resources - the very reason for try/finally to exist at all - simply that it's an optional clause to the try/catch block and that it may appear by itself (for no reason).

In short: they don't have the faintest clue on how exception handling works. It seems that they read the help file and wrote something that could pass as a lesson on exception handling for someone that knows a little less than them. The whole book is like that.

I usually regard highly books from Wrox. This book is a sad surprise. If you feel like reading something on C#, go get the reference manual, freely downloadable from Microsoft. A bit dull, but correct.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good startup kit for C# programming, February 13, 2001

By	"kayend" (WP, MY) - See all my reviews

This books have cover most of the critical aspect under C# programming language and I like the way the books structured. It describe the language syntax in 2 short chapters, which is good coz most of the time, the syntax for programming language is quite similar and for the case of C#, it very similar to syntax like C++ and Java and the author uses the C++ and Java syntax comparison approach which I find very easy for me to learn up the syntax. This is very valuable to me and the remaining of the book cover other critical aspect of .Net such as Assemblies and Manifest, COM+ Services for .Net Components, Web Services, Webform (ASP.NET) and Winform, which is important for further understanding the usage of C# in .Net platform.

Now, I'm waiting for the Inside C# book from MS Press, which suppose to have more in-depth coverage of C# programming language. Moreover, I'm looking forward for a book that provide example for .Net Framework using C# (MSDN, CodeProject, VisualStudioWire, Wrox did provide those information but is better to have a complete guide on this) coz I feel that after picking up this language, the next hurdle is to understand the .Net framework well in order to do real world coding for .Net apps, where the current .Net Framework SDK have a lot of missing information.

But overall, this book did provide me a good start on C# and is far more better then others C# books in the market currently, even most of the chapter provide quite limited information on the particular topic but this is what we can expect for technology under BETA stage and this is only the beginner guide.

Great work [authors], keep it up for the next release, the Profesional C# (suggestion).

Thanks for reading my review:-)