AS/400 Client/Server Programming with Visual Basic 5.0

Rating:
Summary: Too many pages on VB and too little mention of RDO and ODBC
Review: In Part One the author wastes pages teaching VB. Many other publications and the VB online help do much better. In Part Two, the author covers ODBC, Data Queues, and APPC. But ODBC is covered poorly and in connection with DAO - not RDO. Using ODBC with DAO as opposed to RDO is specifically discouraged by both IBM and Microsoft (see their Web pages). ADO is only mentioned in the appendix. If you are interested in APPC (WinAPPC API) this book might be helpful. Same for Data Queues. Do not get this book if you are trying to improve ODBC coding in VB or want a generic SQL client. The author also misguides programmers. He should have noted that IBM is openly more committed to TCP/IP than SNA communications. SNA (and thus APPC) is fast becoming a legacy. Thus, coding to SNA in particular and coding to a non-generic model would not be advisable for most companies. I was looking for a book with up to date and thorough details. This book is dated, lacks complexity, and misses important details.

Rating:
Summary: Too many pages on VB and too little mention of RDO and ODBC
Review: In Part One the author wastes pages teaching VB. Many other publications and the VB online help do much better. In Part Two, the author covers ODBC, Data Queues, and APPC. But ODBC is covered poorly and in connection with DAO - not RDO. Using ODBC with DAO as opposed to RDO is specifically discouraged by both IBM and Microsoft (see their Web pages). ADO is only mentioned in the appendix. If you are interested in APPC (WinAPPC API) this book might be helpful. Same for Data Queues. Do not get this book if you are trying to improve ODBC coding in VB or want a generic SQL client. The author also misguides programmers. He should have noted that IBM is openly more committed to TCP/IP than SNA communications. SNA (and thus APPC) is fast becoming a legacy. Thus, coding to SNA in particular and coding to a non-generic model would not be advisable for most companies. I was looking for a book with up to date and thorough details. This book is dated, lacks complexity, and misses important details.

Rating:
Summary: Delivers as Advertised
Review: This book is excellent for people just learning Visual Basic. It assumes no prior knowledge and teaches you VB using analogies that relate the new material to concepts familiar to the AS/400 Programmer.

Rating:
Summary: Delivers as Advertised
Review: This book is excellent for people just learning Visual Basic. It assumes no prior knowledge and teaches you VB using analogies that relate the new material to concepts familiar to the AS/400 Programmer.