Rating: 
Summary: Boring - Wordy
Review: PRO: The book has so much details covering almost everything.
CON: Bad organization, a lot of long explanations even for simple problems. Many examples are not "real-world".
Rating: 
Summary: Good - a massive, organized effort
Review: Quite an amazing accomplishment - the book used color and bold type-face to make reading "easy" - except - of course - the reading is anything but easy. The book is priced very cheap in my part of the world - which at first give me an impression that this is some sort of "dummy" guide - the title of "How to program", and the cartoon bug on the front cover - further enhanced this feeling - plus I am aware that there is a similar titled book for "Experienced programmer" - so this book must be for the rookie like me, right? Wrong. While it has attention to those details that rookie needs - the book carry you to some very hard topics, and I always find me searching for other books (like Microsoft press step by step series) before I come back to deal with Deitel's. Use of color code and super clear examples make this book a great reference that I keep coming back to check while writing my rookie program.
Here are some of my notes:
- on almost all topics that Deitels choose to include in this book - they have gave it a more complete treatment, cover more grounds, and push further than "bible" or "unleashed" or "mastering" series. The "step by step" or "dummies" or "idiot" series cannot hope to compare with this book.
- the writing/teaching style tend to be more rigorous than others - which can be a bit intimidating to read, at time stressful. Other authors like to take the easy approach - show you the easy portion - have a happy ending each chapter - but Deitels' keep driving you towards the next level of complexity - gradually in each chapter and also thru the length of the book. Their attitude appears to be "we try to be clear - but not always - and concise, but no we don't just give you the soft stuff - we will drive you hard if we have to". I seldom have the strength to finish more than 50% of every chapter. In this sense, this might not be the ideal first book (e.g. Murach's or Wrox) for all levels.
- the presentation of this book is amazing - it just outclass other technical or non-technical books 10:1 - it probably use more color per square feet than Playboy magazine. This is no exaggeration - I think more than 90% of the pages have color.
- this book - despite its harmless looking physique - is more than 1500 pages. Consider the fact that not a single page is nonsense - that is lots of useful info.
- any setback? Perhaps - I certainly did not like those few chapters towards the end e.g. XML, Webservices - I just couldn't quite get the points that they are trying and hoping to convey - guess those topics really should NOT be covered with the Deitel's approach - a bit like trying to describe a beautiful car by taking it apart and explaining the nuts and bolts. On ADO.NET - In the one page introduction - there is no diagram explaining the relationship among dataset, dataAdapter, data connecton, OleDb, Sql etc. You are then KO with a 300 lines code. Nevertheless, these are again solid chapters that you can always come back to see their code once you get the background somewhere else - I suggest Murach's, Wrox, and a few Ms Press step by step book will do the trick.
Rating: 
Summary: A book not to buy
Review: The book has a lot of data that is mostly correct. The examples codes are another matter. In the examples I have tried to run, the results have ranged from working ok to total failure of the code to execute. In the more complex examples where the code does not completely reflect how the forms are created in Visual Studio, the text does not show you all you need to do.
Rating:
Summary: simply perfect
Review: The book is simply perfect,,, it will help you to move from visual studio to the .Net technology, the book is great for beginners and experts, great effort . the CD has examples which I found so useful, it's a novel; once you start you can't stop until you finish it. Thanks Deitel & prentice.
Rating:
Summary: A High Price for Ineffective Training Techniques
Review: The content and organization was pretty bad (just look at the cover). It was pretty cool that the whole book was in color, but that was negated by the ineffective use of color and the author should consider not bolding so often as it makes it difficult to read. On that note, publishers should consider using Arial font versus Times Roman. It makes it easier to read when one is tired. The range of topics was good, except for the above-mentioned inadequacies, one can get real (I assume) information out of this book, though you would need to do so in a quiet room and concentrate really hard. Code samples & illustrations are where this book really shines. Since I am already familiar with programming, I can make my way through the material, but this book also has a chapter on what is a computer. At its heart, the main problem with this book is that it tries to be all things to all people. Perhaps they should have a separate book for beginners and experienced people. The author should really review the material presented in this book for ease of reading and logical flow. Often times, I don't read a technical book from beginning to end, but look for specific topics when that need arises. I do not appreciate the convoluted layout they chose for this book. After reading this book, I feel like the author just typed a bunch of things and took a lot of snapshots from their desktop and voila...a training book. I expected a lot more from a book at this price range. My advise to the potential buyer is to keep shopping and let this expensive paper weight stay on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: A High Price for Ineffective Training Techniques
Review: The content and organization was pretty bad (just look at the cover). It was pretty cool that the whole book was in color, but that was negated by the ineffective use of color and the author should consider not bolding so often as it makes it difficult to read. On that note, publishers should consider using Arial font versus Times Roman. It makes it easier to read when one is tired. The range of topics was good, except for the above-mentioned inadequacies, one can get real (I assume) information out of this book, though you would need to do so in a quiet room and concentrate really hard. Code samples & illustrations are where this book really shines. Since I am already familiar with programming, I can make my way through the material, but this book also has a chapter on what is a computer. At its heart, the main problem with this book is that it tries to be all things to all people. Perhaps they should have a separate book for beginners and experienced people. The author should really review the material presented in this book for ease of reading and logical flow. Often times, I don't read a technical book from beginning to end, but look for specific topics when that need arises. I do not appreciate the convoluted layout they chose for this book. After reading this book, I feel like the author just typed a bunch of things and took a lot of snapshots from their desktop and voila...a training book. I expected a lot more from a book at this price range. My advise to the potential buyer is to keep shopping and let this expensive paper weight stay on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Deitel and Detail Supreme!
Review: The Deitels did it again. New innovations in programming always find me buying yards of books. DotNet brought on the fever again, but most just get a scanning. Not so with Deitels' and Nieto's writings. This volume is the epitome of careful detail and had this 20-year plus programmer reading the whole book like it was a Playboy magazine, admiring what was on every page..
An excellent job of expository writing and worth every nickel you pay for it. If starting into DotNet, it's the only volume you need. Once you have it under your belt, the more complex volumes will be a piece of cake.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY GOOD COVERAGE; BUT RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE
Review: The versatility of this book did not just advertise its over 1,500 pages; it covered everything. "Visual Basic .NET: How to Program" is one comprehensive introductory text, which should serve as a good reference manual. It covered topics that ranged from the more traditional Visual Basic Windows programming to the relatively new Object-Oriented, Component-based world of .NET Frame-work programming.
This book brims with excellent chapters, accompanied by practical examples. It embraced every aspect of the Visual Basic .NET, and included issues like: web services, general networking, multi-threading tasks, and client server utilities.
Other components include: Data Abstraction, ASP .NET, XSLT, HTML, XHTML, and XML. There are as well, comprehensive discussions on both Session Tracking and Cookie-related issues. Also, the use-flexibility qualities of its attached CD-ROM is worth mentioning.
This is a well-featured, well-versed introductory textbook, but I must add that non-advanced learners may be overwhelmed by its overflowing information. Again, I noted that its listed price is high: well-above what most intending users may be willing to pay. There are lots of cheaper alternatives out there in the market.
Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the negative reviews
Review: This book has a very distinctive layout seemingly intended to make it easier to read their extremely dense content. It is packed with useful introductory and moderate level VB.NET information, presented in a systematic teaching format more than a reference format, although it seems to be a compromise of both. I recommend considering this book as a combination introduction and one-volume reference to VB.NET for those who are going to be primarily using that language for their work on the Dot Net framework, and especially for those who already have some programming experience. It covers programming basics well, but very concisely. The basics of Web Services, Web Forms, and various kinds of applications are covered in a solid fundamental way with useful but simple examples. I also recommend peeking inside first to be sure that you don't find the distinctive layout too distracting. Their visually dramatic use of different colors and fonts (for example, they often use a larger font in addition to bolding, making the key terms jump out at you visually) makes it easier to find useful things quickly, but I think many people will find it tiresome when reading large portions of the book at once. For those who find the layout too distracting but are impressed by the content and organization, another book in the same series, "Visual Basic .NET for Experienced Programmers" has much of the same content presented in a more subdued style more similar to most reference guides. The book is a mixture of "how to" and textbook and contains a CD with code, and so will particularly appeal to those who want a strong formal background in the concepts but also want to get started immediately with programming. This book builds on working code samples in an effective way so that you can apply the concepts as you learn about them. This approach is obviously most fruitful if you already have the Visual Studio Dot Net installed and are ready to begin learning VB Dot Net. This book is expensive but people who are reasonably comfortable with the way textbooks are organized will find this mixture of formal teaching and practical examples a very effective way to get involved in VB Dot Net programming and will refer back to this book frequently as a reference as well. I do not recommend this book for people already moderately experienced with VB Dot Net, as they will probably not find enough useful content to justify the price, even though it would help them solidify their basic understanding of the language.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent how-to and textbook: but skim before buying
Review: This book has a very distinctive layout seemingly intended to make it easier to read their extremely dense content. It is packed with useful introductory and moderate level VB.NET information, presented in a systematic teaching format more than a reference format, although it seems to be a compromise of both. I recommend considering this book as a combination introduction and one-volume reference to VB.NET for those who are going to be primarily using that language for their work on the Dot Net framework, and especially for those who already have some programming experience. It covers programming basics well, but very concisely. The basics of Web Services, Web Forms, and various kinds of applications are covered in a solid fundamental way with useful but simple examples. I also recommend peeking inside first to be sure that you don't find the distinctive layout too distracting. Their visually dramatic use of different colors and fonts (for example, they often use a larger font in addition to bolding, making the key terms jump out at you visually) makes it easier to find useful things quickly, but I think many people will find it tiresome when reading large portions of the book at once. For those who find the layout too distracting but are impressed by the content and organization, another book in the same series, "Visual Basic .NET for Experienced Programmers" has much of the same content presented in a more subdued style more similar to most reference guides. The book is a mixture of "how to" and textbook and contains a CD with code, and so will particularly appeal to those who want a strong formal background in the concepts but also want to get started immediately with programming. This book builds on working code samples in an effective way so that you can apply the concepts as you learn about them. This approach is obviously most fruitful if you already have the Visual Studio Dot Net installed and are ready to begin learning VB Dot Net. This book is expensive but people who are reasonably comfortable with the way textbooks are organized will find this mixture of formal teaching and practical examples a very effective way to get involved in VB Dot Net programming and will refer back to this book frequently as a reference as well. I do not recommend this book for people already moderately experienced with VB Dot Net, as they will probably not find enough useful content to justify the price, even though it would help them solidify their basic understanding of the language.
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