Rating: 
Summary: Not for beginning Visual Basic programmers
Review: I chose Deitel and Deitel because I used their superb C++: How to program book while doing a Computer Science Degree. Mistakenly, I thought that the Visual Basic book would be of the name mould; Clear, well thought out with good examples.Unfortunately, what we have is a meandering overview of Visual Basic. Some parts of the book are excellent (String, Dates for example) while other areas are abysmal. The sections on Object Oriented Programming and Database implementation are useless and I would recommend a user does not even bother reading these sections. Instead get two books that deal with these aspects seperately. I liked the fact that the book came with a learning copy of Visual Basic as it allowed a user to get programming right away. Having said that, I think the authors have tried to fit too much into this book. It barely covers important issues like Object Oriented Programming yet spends pages discussing string manipulation. Add in errors in the coded examples, the way that the authors presume that you know which component to add for given examples and the price and you have an expensive doorstop. I have done alot of Internet programming (ASP) and I wanted a book to show me the power of Visual Basic and how to implement programming aspects that I am already familiar with in an new environment. This book did not help me at all and I would not recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Very valuable to the serious student
Review: This is not a book with big pictures and lots of redundant information: it's packed with valuable information, extremely well structured and geared towards the needs of the beginner as well as the more advanced student. Each chapter is preceded by an introduction to the respective topic followed by programming projects exemplifying the use of commands, procedures, data types, etc. It is rounded off by concise recap of the material covered. All programming examples are supplied on the accompanying CD ROM which also includes - lo and behold! - a MS VISUAL BASIC 6.0 Working Model Edition as a FREEBIE. So you do not even have to have your own Visual Basic Programming environment in order to do all the exercises and try out the examples given in the book. Algorithms and theoretical background are supplied where necessary and just add to the fun of learning. A wealth of good tips is summarized for each chapter under the headings of "Common Programming Errors", "Good Programming Practices", "Software Engineering Observations" and "Testing and Debugging". The practical hands-on approach to programming of the book is topped off by self-review exercises at the end of each of the 21 chapters for which solutions are supplied and discussed adequately to make them a true learning experience. More challenging exercises are offered to the more ambitious student. This is one of the most instructive and comprehensive books on Visual Basic I have ever had a chance to lay my hand upon. Highly recommendable!
Rating: 
Summary: Confuses you even more
Review: The authors take a subject that's not horribly difficult and make it dautingly difficult in this book. The examples they use are NOT real-world examples that anyone would understand. For example, to explain recursion, their two examples involve factorials and Fibonacci numbers. May I remind them that this is not a book on math and Visual Basic? I had to first learn what Fibonacci numbers were and then try to understand the example. I am unfortunately required to read this book as part of a class and am finding myself reading other books to try to understand what this book is saying. Also, key terms aren't in bold, and the way the book is presented is in reverse order than it should be. The process of VB programming involves first creating the user interface and then the coding behind it. They introduce the coding first and the interface in the middle of the book. I am really struggling to read this and I have a master's degree, work in this general area, and have good reading and vocabulary skills. Why they even thought this book would be applicable to anything for anyone is beyond me.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for College groundwork, needs lots of errorproofing
Review: I read this book through and followed the livecode examples. The beginning was a marvel for me, having been in old style basic for a long time and needing to refresh. For the immetiate first timer, it would still be very easy to go through the initial parts. The more advanced topics are presented in a complicated way. The treatises on ancient data management systems could be cut down to reduce the boredom factor. The practice exercises that end the chapters are not real-life and so, unattractive. The live codes are quite numerous and helpful sometimes. But lengthy in many cases, without actually improving clarity. The pros of that is that program code module arrangement becomes natural to you by the time you finish. The sudden change in style of the Chapter on Relational Databases (despite the footnote warnings) are rather distracting. A single series editor should smoothen the landscapes to a uniform picture. This book is strong on string formatting and error handling, but is completely lacking in data validation. It is a yawning omission. I like the screenshots and I like the free VB learning CD. It helps you start and then creates the hunger to buy your own Professional Edition when advanced chapter examples would no longer work on the learning edition. But then, this book could have discussed packaging deployment, using the flab cut away from the redundant discourses on all and every type of ancient data handling techniques. And again, why devote the lone chapter to colletions and dictionaries, and end up making it a scarry subject. It makes the book end on a bad note. It could have ended well with the well-put-together VBScript brief Intro. And all those typos concentrated at the end part suggest that the proofreaders always started from Chapter One and kind of got tired towards the end. I am happy I read the book, and it helps me understand the other books easily. It is a pain that it did not come out real-life. It could have been a bestseller if it borrowed her and there from the style of "Step-by-Step" by Michael Halvorson.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Intro but bulky...
Review: This book was on the required list for a class on programming I recently completed (apparently some schools are avoiding using VB.NET in intro classes due to its added complexity). I had always wanted to check out a Deitel book, but the bone-crushing price drove me away more than once. Luckily I was forced into buying it for my class. This is a solid book that will teach you everything you need to know to get started writing simple to somewhat complex VB6 code. The book begins with a history of Visual Basic and how it fits into programming in general. Then you're off and diving right into the VB Development Environment and by chapter 3 you've written a simple program. The book gains in complexity from that point on, but at a slow enough pace to take it all in. In fact, sometimes the pace seems stifling. If you're an impatient person I would avoid this book. It's over 900 very thick pages long and sometimes getting through a single chapter feels like an entire book in itself (chapter 8 "Strings, Dates, and Times" felt this way for me). If you're patient and you learn like a sponge, then be prepared to learn bunches and bunches from this book. By the time you're through you'll even have learned about advanced data structures like linked lists and trees. Getting through this book, despite its academic bulk, feels like a real accomplishment. The exercises at the end of each chapter are invaluable for solidifying concepts and for getting your hands wet and sloppy with code. Definitely don't skip these, you'll learn more from working through them then you will reading the text. It should be noted that the book is not designed for individual study - it is meant to be a textbook for a classroom setting (they say as much in the preface). I think it's most appropriate in that setting (it also has a textbook price). Regardless of it's girth, this book will teach you enough VB6 to program applications of decent complexity. What you won't get is a lesson on API calls or Direct X, but the book is thick enough already!
Rating:
Summary: good reference book
Review: I found this to be a good reference book. I have their C++ and Java How to Program books so I have some experience with programming but wanted to learn this GUI stuff. This book was sufficient for my needs. It does a good job with explaining VB basics like structures, repetitions, and how to use Visual Studio. The usual Deitel staples are here, e.g. lots of code examples, tips, and the like. A good reference book with presenting the basics, but for more advanced methods, you still have to consult MSDN or another book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Beginning Book in Programming Visual Basic
Review: This is an excellent first text in Visual Basic. Although many of the reviews say that it will not help you learn Visual Basic if you are new to programming, it certainly helped me. It is the first book I used and could write simple programs by chapter 6. It is not enough to continue on in Visual Basic, however that can't be done in one book. You will have a basic understanding of Visual basic by chapter 3. The first two chapters don't have any examples, but are in introduction into basics of programming. Starting in Chapter 3 you get examples. The examples go line by line and explain what is being done. It takes a little work, but by chapter 6 you will be very comfortable with the development environment. Don't let some of the other reviews scare you. This is for beginning programmers. You won't be able to program a complex game at the end of this book. You won't be able to write a complex database interface either. What you will have is a basic understanding of programming as well as a lot of basic code. As far as I know, no book will bring you from beginner to expert, it would be 20,000 pages long. This will bring you from absolute beginner to intermediate quite quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Just Right For Me!
Review: I seem to disagree with most of your other reviewers, because I think this is one of the best computer manuals I have come across during several years of wading through many books on various IT subjects. For me, the greatest strength is the way it's presentation style leads you carefully - painstakingly, almost - through each topic; first building up your level of understanding, then reinforcing it with examples and repetition. It also stands out from the crowd when it comes to retrieving information. If you've ever found yourself working on a project and wanting to implement some code that you're sure you read somewhere ... and then spent frustrating hours trying to find the place where you read it, then you'll really appreciate the Indexes, Appendices, Summaries, Terminology Lists, Tips and Observations included in this book. The attention to detail is excellent, coverage is comprehensive and - again a key factor for me - it takes no knowledge for granted. The authors cover just about every angle when describing a process or learning point by showing you code examples. The only negative thing I would say is that this is book is probably not best suited for the impatient learner (which may explain some of the negative feedback in other reviews). However, if you want an excellent primer that carefully and painstakingly takes you through each and every step of the learning process, checking and reassuring as you go, then this is the book to buy.
Oh, and you can also download the errata pages from their web site ... which is bit of a bonus, too.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: I am 13 years old and a proficient VB6 programmer thanks to this book. It teaches the subject in an easy to understand way with helpful tips along the way. This book is ideal for beginners and experts.
Rating:
Summary: Inadequate for a student
Review: This book has been used as the standard text at a well known university for a number of semesters. However, due to numerous complaints, they will be taking it off the text list as of semester 1, 2002 and about time. The layout of the book is hopeless with its' mixture of BOLD text and red diagrams, let alone the assumptions the majority of the chapters make about the readers' experience. The answers to the chapter questions should be provided on the CD, not just to teachers/lecturers. I have read the book a number of times on various topics without success and gave up - looked elsewhere for the answers. Definitely not a beginners book - "VB6 for Dummies" is a far better option and approximately $AUS70 cheaper. The authors really need to look at their text layout style and providing answers to end of chapter exercises - I'll avoid further books from Deitel.
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