Rating: 
Summary: Good for what it covers...
Review: I have been using C# for some time now but almost exclusively for web applications. I am now exploring Windows Forms programs using .net, so I began shopping for some books. I have always enjoyed Petzold books on Windows going back to the early days when we only had the Windows API. So I thought this would be THE book to have, i.e., the one book that will guide me through this period of getting up to speed on writing Forms programs. Sadly, it isn't that book, though it still is very worthwhile. I was very surprised at what wasn't in the book- specifically, no mention of database access. You won't find database, SQL, Access, anywhere, even in the index. That was a major disappointment, because all of my Windows apps are doing just that - accessing a database. While the ASP.NET data access material more or less applies, there are differences in how it is done and I was hoping to have a text to help sort that out. This text does not do that. Also omitted - anything to do with XML. What this book does is the normal, core-Windows stuff such as drawing/painting, keyboard control, mouse, timers, fonts, images, bitmaps, menus, brushes, pens, etc. There is a very good chapter on printing. Also covered well is file input/output, drag and drop, various controls and so on. It's a good library addition but I just wish there was some data access material in it to make it a great book. I have found this book to be a good one to keep on the shelf
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Summary: I was Petzold's student when started with C++ in 1992
Review: The book is very high level. Very shallow book. Good for beginners who would say after reading it:"WHAW! it so marvelous!" not because they understand but more because they do not understand what had been tried to explained in this book. Not covering the depth of programming and concepts of C#. really does not worth time of reading it.
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Summary: Only describes the obvious
Review: The hard part about .Net is its interactions with windows. Eg. To know that if you want to print a page with controls you need to know how to use WM_Print explcitly. With Petzold's background I was hoping to find this deeper info. Not so. It covers the basics OK, but nothing deep. (It is also a large book and a bit woffly.) So, yet another C# primer. For the real documentation you have to search the news groups etc... (Be aware, only covers Windows/Forms API, not ASP, XML etc.)
Rating: 
Summary: Masterpiece!
Review: Like his previous book on Windows 95, this book concentrates solidly on GUI programming, written by a master and presented masterfully. I know full well that most programmers, most of the time, are writing applications that read and write data, which is one thing that this book doesn't cover. So in that sense I agree that the title is misleading. Nevertheless, what this book covers, the ins and outs of GUI programming, it does so very well that I'm hooked even though I didn't plan on writing Win Forms. The flow, organization, depth, detail, best coding practices, examples, and clarity are all top-notch. It's without a doubt one of the best computer books I have ever read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who already has a good knowledge of C#, and either plans on programming Win Forms, or thinks he might want to.
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Summary: /***** King of the hill *****/
Review: If you are going to develope WINDOWS apps in CSharp, this book is a must.
Do not confuse this book with "Programming Windows 5th edition" -This is an all new publication written exclusively for the C# Language.
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Summary: Covers WINDOWS FORMS only
Review: This is an excellent book which covers Windows Forms, Microsft .NET's class library for creating the classic windows application. If you see bad reviews for this book, it's because people expected more than what the book promises. This book does an excellent job of covering user interface coding (UI). Note that yes, you can use the designer that comes with VS.net. But you get a wonderful understanding of the underlying code involved, and sooner or later, you will want to either change what the designer codes or create use your knowledge to create new controls.
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Summary: He did it again
Review: Well, I bought another book from Charles and he never ceases to impress me. Few people have such a thorough understanding of Windows and manipulating it. Every book he writes is first class, and history has repeated itself with this one. If you are serious about .NET development, buy this book.
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Summary: Excellent book for Programming Microsoft Windows
Review: A previous reviewer found the book "verbose" and complained about file handling being treated like a red-haired stepchild. However, the purpose of this book is Programming Microsoft Windows using C#. The book is *not* a primer on the C# language. I suggest one of the O'Reilly books if you need a primer on the language itself. For its stated purpose, the book is encyclopedic and masterful. However, to get the best value from this book follow the author's advice and throw away the accompanying CD. No real programmer ever learned a new language by reading about it and clicking on someone else's programmer. You must start at the beginning, read every page, and type in every sample yourself. It's time-consuming, but at the end you will have jump-started yourself to a point where you can really apply the language to Windows development. Far from verbose, I was only disappointed that Petzold couldn't cover more graphics examples. Windows programming is a huge topic and 1200+ pages is just enough to cover the basics. But basics must be mastered before masters can be created.
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Summary: Verbose
Review: This book is OK, but could do with some more editing. Amazingly, for all it's verbage, I found the examples to be somewhat limited. A couple of them are not really "best practices" to boot.
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Summary: Charles
Review: I bought "Programming Windows with C#" for myself and "C# and Game Programming: A beginner's guide" for my son. I figured I should get a start on .Net and C# seemed like a good way to do it. I also figured that if I purchased a game programming book, that I could get my son involved in something more that playing games.
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