Rating: 
Summary: Not completely useless
Review: For such a big book one would expect more depth of coverage. It is hard to pinpoint who the author is targeting, for the book is certainely not for beginners and it does not add much to the knowledge of the little more advanced. He seems to touch lightly on all the subjects and thoroughly on none! After reading most of this book I should admit that what the author was trying to say was quite easy to comprehend but why he was saying it most often was not. I found the saying "This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." (Dorothy Parker) haunting me every time I held this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to understand, Thorough explanations, Great resource
Review: First of all the table of contents provided by the TABLE OF CONTENTS link here in Amazon.com is WRONG. The correct table of contents is pasted below.
Part One Introducing C# and the .NET Platform
Chapter 1: The Philosophy of .NET
Chapter 2: Building C# Applications
Part Two The C# Programming Language
Chapter 3: C# Language Fundamentals
Chapter 4: Object-Oriented Programming with C#
Chapter 5: Exceptions and Object Lifetime
Chapter 6: Interfaces and Collections
Chapter 7: Callback Interfaces, Delegates, and Events
Chapter 8: Advanced C# Type Construction Techniques
Part Three Programming with .NET Assemblies
Chapter 9: Understanding .NET Assemblies
Chapter 10: Processes, AppDomains, Contexts, and Threads
Chapter 11: Type Reflection, Late Binding, and Attribute-Based Programming
Part Four Leveraging the .NET Libraries
Chapter 12: Object Serialization and the .NET Remoting Layer
Chapter 13: Building a Better Window (Introducing Windows Forms)
Chapter 14: A Better Painting Framework (GDI+)
Chapter 15: Programming with Windows Forms Controls
Chapter 16: The System.IO Namespace
Chapter 17: Data Access with ADO.NET
Part Seven Web Applications and XML Web Services
Chapter 18: ASP.NET Web Pages and Web Controls
Chapter 19: ASP.NET Web Applications
Chapter 20: XML Web Services
First, to establish my frame of reference...
I just got an internship, and the language I had to learn was C#. My only experience before learning C#, was an introduction to programming college class, all in Java, in which I earned an A.
Since C# is almost identical to Java, in terms of programming syntax and object oriented priciples, I was worried that the book would be bogged down with a ton of repetition. Surprisingly, it was not; the author does a great job of quickly and efficiently explaining the simple syntax and OOP of C#, so that an experience programmer can get a quick refresh of the things he/she already knows, while also introducing the nuances of C#.
Of course, this book is not meant for programming newbies; however, you definatly don't have to be an advanced programmer to understand it, at least not the first few chapters, which deal with the basics of the language.
After the first 4-6 chapters, the book gets into the more advanced C# language details, explaining advanced C# programming details and .NET stuff.
Honestly, I haven't read the whole book. I read the first 5 chapters, and was able to start developing programs. As I ran accross situations calling for C# parts I hadn't yet learned (in particular windows forms and threads) I just jumped in and read the corresponding chapters. This is why I think the book is great. I was able to jump into chapters anywhere in the book, after reading the basics of C#, and easily and effciently learn what I needed for the programming project.
In addition, the book explains how to use Visual Studio for C# throughout the book, which is great if you are using Visual Studio.
I tried to use "Microsoft Visual C#.NET 2003 Kick Start," another C# overview book, to learn threads. I soon realized the BOTH consise AND thorough nature of 'C# and the .NET platform' when confronted with Kick starts explaintions. Kick start seemed to rush through explaining threads, providing pretty much an explainion of the syntax. Instead of explaining the foundations and details of C#'s methodology with threads, Kick start substitutes in annoying example code, breaking API calls up into wierd unique classes and methods, as if giveing a method I have never seen before a different name is going to help!
Again I say, the C# and the .NET platform book has copius supplies CONSISE code. The author doesn't waste time provideing elaborate examples, which intermingle all kinds of details into one. Instead the author uses the bulk of his 1000+ pages to thoroughly and thoughtfuly explain/examine the world of C#.
To conclude, I really enjoy this book's consise and thorough presentation. I believe it is great for both learning and as a resource. It is not a learn-how-to-program book, but at the same time it isn't some macho-Im-already-a-freaking-C#-master...ummm...book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Weeding through the massive number of C#/.NET books on the market, I found that many are too bulked out with long code listings and screen shots, don't have enough focus on higher level architectural issues, or are written in a dry, unreadable manner._C# and the .NET Platform_ turned out to be exactly the book I was looking for. Excellent balance of architectural background with tight, exact code examples that go straight to the point. Troelsen's conversational writing style makes this book an easy read. I found it to be very well-organized, with topics that built upon each other nicely. I also appreciated the presence of comparisons throughout the book of C#/.NET features to C(++) and Visual Basic 6 features. This really assisted me in bridging the gap between my previous coding experience and the .NET world. All in all, a very enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this book to any experienced programmer who is ready to learn C# and .NET.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Well written, great examples and very comprehensive! Loved it...and I have read over a dozen .Net-related books. Tons of material to mentally chew on and assimilate. Thanks Andrew.
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