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Summary: The best book on C# so far
Review: This is by far the best book on C# to be published so far. Unlike other books this one doesn't waste three chapters explaining the "if" and "while" statements. Almost all the major topics of the .NET platform are covered in depth. I especially like the fact that the author does not waste time on explaining the Visual Studio.NET IDE. This keeps the focus on where it belongs-the C# language and the .NET class libraries. I feel a language the libraries are best learnt by doing the coding in a notepad like environment-where you write all the code, make mistakes, stumble, and in the process, learn. Using an IDE that produces wizard generated code can be counter productive (although the VS.NET IDE itself is superb)when you are in the process of learning. I do have a few gripes abt the book, though not about the quality of the content, rather what is missing from the book. I would have loved to see more on network programming and using the xml parsing APIs (something that I use a lot myself). (perhaps a vol II of this books will cover those!). But a book cannot cover everything. And what is covered is absolutely top notch. ....
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Summary: C# And The .NET Platform
Review: This is the most complete book I have read on C#. It does a very good job of explaining the language of C# and how the language fits into the entire .NET framework. The book includes concepts and practical application of those concepts. The author's style is clear and easy to follow, yet not overly simplistic. C# and the .NET Platform are two large subjects. As a result, some of the topics seemed rushed. But by the end of each chapter, I felt that I had a good grasp on what the author was trying to communicate. The focus is on C# and the .NET Framework, not Visual Studio's implementation of C#. As a result, I got a really good understanding of what is going on underneath the covers of the Visual Studio IDE. This has made using Visual Studio easier for me. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: If you only buy one C# book, this is it.
Review: Andrew Troelsen is a great writer. His writing style is very easy to read and enjoyable (and how often is a technical book enjoyable?) The example are well thought out and interesting. I find myself turning to this book first in most cases. I hope Andrew comes out with a new version when the next version of C# arrives.
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Summary: Excellent C#/.NET Book
Review: I was informed by my manager to purchase a C# book, and I set out to do some research as to which book would fit my needs. I stumbled on this title as one recommended instead of another that was reviewed here on Amazon.com Based on the reviews posted for this book, I decided to purchase it. The positive reviews for this book are well-founded. One of the very first things I noticed about this book is that it has a sticker on it that says that online updates for the final version of .NET are available. I went to the site and downloaded the list of changes to the book. The list was actually fairly short and the changes straightforward. I regard this as a good sign. The book is well laid out and clear, the first 130+ pages dedicated to fundamental concepts and structures of C#. A 70-page introduction to OOP, in the context of C#, follows. The next few chapters deal with advanced topics including container classes and threads. Next the reader is launched into more graphically-oriented topics. Finally, the topics move into such as object serialization, database access, and web-centric subjects. The progression from subject to subject is logical and smooth, and each section is written clearly so as not to leave the reader in the dark and each presented after its prerequisites. Example code in this book is clear, concise, and explained. The source to the examples is *not* included with the book, but is available readily for download. This book is a great start into C# and .NET. It is *not* comprehensive, but it covers most of the important topics that get used regularly. Seriously consider this title when investigating C# and/or .NET.
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Summary: An Awesome Book on C# and .NET
Review: I evaluate new development technologies. I own and read A LOT of books. Andrew is a fantastic writer and trainer. I've attended two of Andrew's Intertech-Inc workshops on COM. Both were awesome. In his ATL workshop, I received his first book on COM and ATL. While the ATL and COM book is better than any other COM and ATL book on the market, this book on C# and .NET will become the standard for C# and .NET programmers. Using this book, I was able to figure out new technologies like ADO.NET. Throughout, Andrew's straightforward writing style focuses on "how" and backs it with clear examples. The examples are ARE NOT the C#/.NET version of "Hello World." A ton of books miss the mark by using examples that are too simple, focusing on "why", or, becoming absorbed in esoteric disertations. This is not one of those books. If you need to use C# and .NET, define how it will impact your existing enterprise applications, or get clear understanding techs like Windows Form Controls, get this book.
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Summary: Looking for more of an FCL reference
Review: Since it was so huge, I was expecting more of a reference book, and a lot of depth. But I was disappointed that it didn't touch on how to use the XML libraries or the Regular Expression libraries.
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Summary: Good material, poorly written
Review: Troelsen covers the material well, but is irritating to read. The book must have been, like so many technical books, on an impossible schedule. I hope that's the reason they ran out of time to edit the text. Cliches and redundant phrases litter the text like weeds in a thicket. A thousand pages should have been five hundred. It's probably the best C#/.NET book out there, but it doesn't deserve five stars.
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Summary: Highly recommended for anyone starting with .NET
Review: As .NET is the most fashionable technology nowadays, books on .NET programming are abundant. Sadly, very few of them can serve as THE book for the experienced programmer (I know, I am of too high of an opinion of myself) - something that such a person could use to learn how to write programs using most of the .NET technologies. Most of the .NET books fall into one of the two categories: those on a very specific .NET technology (e.g. ASP.NET, ADO.NET, C# etc), and those that basically are variations of "Teach yourself .NET in 15 minutes/on 15 pages/for dummies/if your only skill is cattle handling in a slaughterhouse." Neoither of the above could be used to teach the minimal usable set of .NET development skills - something which is enough for a developer to start writing usable software in .NET environment. That's where Troelsen's book comes in very handy. I am not going to quote the table of contents of the book description - you can see for yourself that the book does cover a fairly broad set of .NET technologies to get you ready to write fairly sophisticated programs as well as to move on to specialized books. I have only a few peeves to note: - I very much disliked the table of contents which didn't list subsections (only chapters and sections). This made searching for a particular technique a real chore. This is a serious drawback that must be dealt with in the next editions. - I would very much appreciate a realistic project used as a continuous example instead of an array of minimal programs showing a particular feature. With a single big project, it is easy to comprehend all details relative to their position in the big picture and there is also a sense of accomplishment. I very much liked the way it was done in "Microsoft .NET for programmers" by Grimes - a poker machine was developed with progressively more sophisticated interfaces based on the same game engine. I hope the next edition will use the same approach. - I also didn't like the fact that the tiny examples used throughout the book were nevertheless incomplete. The author decided not to list all 'using' directives causing a lot of guesswork ("Should I be using System.Web.UI or System.Web.UI.HtmlControls in order to use this class?") - I also found it very annoying that each code example was followed by a large and ugly icon and a reference to the exact location of this example in the source code archive. These references ate a lot of space while being utterly useless. Overall however, I think it is an extremely good and useful book and I highly recommend it to anyone starting with .NET development. In fact, I would recommend to read it AFTER reading the aforementioned "Microsoft .NET for programmers" by Grimes. The latter will give a taste of project development in .NET, the former will go into the details. Go for it.
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Summary: Excellent C# Introduction
Review: A superior text on a very broad subject. Excellent for the beginner. I have only one gripe - I did not see any material regarding "Programming the Windows registry" as described in the Amazon description. Otherwise, a fantastic read.
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Summary: Andrew Has Written Another Classic
Review: I've been purchasing books written by Andrew for a number of years. His writing style, examples, and way of explanations, IMHO, are on par with Dino Esposito, Nathan Wahlin, and other well known authors. This book is particularly well suited as a training book for the novice programmer (If read front to end) and as a reference for experience programmers. The only topics I missed are no-touch deployment applications and smart phone applications which are relatively new and may be slightly off-topic for this book. However, if Andrew is writing a revision to this book and includes these and newer topic such as generics I'd LOVE to proof it :) hint hint... Seriously, if you are seeking a good book on C# that covers all the basics of the language and .NET framework, moves into more advanced use of C#, this is the book.
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